Community theatre is a theatre that is run by a local district with the efforts of volunteers. They offer many different kinds of productions, such as musical theatre, dance theatre and children’s theatre. Usually, performers are amateurs who receive no pay, but at other times professionals get involved, and they are paid. Community theatres of today are a little different from the old “l(fā)ittle theatres”, as most simply run by colleges and their theatre Community theatres are a great way to get involved with local actors. Now, most theatres that put on shows that will entertain or benefit the community.
In the 1880s, “l(fā)ittle theatre’’ was started in Europe so that poor people could see theatrical productions without having to travel far or pay a lot. In 1910, this idea traveled to the United States. In the early years, community theatres were even funded by the government, but when shows became too political, government funding was stopped.
Community theatres of today are a little different from the old “l(fā)ittle theatres”, as mist simply want to infuse(注入)little culture into the lives of the local citizens. In many cases, these theatres are run by colleges and their theatre departments. These productions are often free of charge, or charge very little money to pay for costumes and other incidental expenses. Many also encourage the participation of children and other young people to let them develop theatrical skills, as well as to keep them busy so that they do not do choose to get into trouble. Additionally, for those who desire strongly to become professional actors and to one day get a chance to act in a national theatre production, it is an exciting place to learn and develop theatrical skills.
【小題1】Why was “l(fā)ittle theatre” started in Europe?

A．To put on shows for children.

B．To collect money for poor people.

C．To entertain poor people.

D．To get people interested in theatrical productions.

【小題2】From the passage we know that community theatres can _____.

A．help young people ,make more money

B．prevent young people getting into trouble

C．help young people enter the colleges

D．encourage young people to become more responsible

【小題3】Which of the following is TRUE about community theatre?

A．It is usually funded by the government.

B．It is intended to train professional actors.

C．It benefits the community in many ways.

D．It is quite different from the old “l(fā)ittle theatres”.

【小題4】We can infer from the last paragraph that _____.

A．some professional actors may come from the community theatres

B．community theatres only charge for incidental expenses

C．community theatres have lost their attraction today

D．people can live by acting in the community theatres

Our little boy came up to his mother in the kitchen one evening while she was fixing supper，and handed her a piece of paper that he had been writing on. After his mom dried her hands on an apron，she read it，and this is what it said：

For cutting the grass $5.00     

For cleaning up my room this week $1. 00

For going to the store for you $0. 50

Baby－sitting my kid brother while you went shopping $0. 25

Taking out the garbage $1. 00

For getting a good report card $5. 00

For cleaning up and raking the yard $2. 00

Total owed： $14.75

Well，I’ll tell you，his mother looked at him standing there expectantly，and boy，could I see the memories flashing through her mind. So she picked up the pen，turned over the paper he’d written on，and this is what she wrote：   

For the nine months I carried you while you were growing inside me，No Charge.

For all the nights that I’ve sat up with you，doctored and prayed for you，No Charge.

For all the trying times，and all the tears that you’ve caused through the years，there’s No Charge.

For all the nights that were filled with dread，and for the worries I knew were ahead，No Charge

For the toys，food，clothes，and even wiping your nose，there’s No Charge，Son.

When you___________________，the cost of my love is No Charge.

Well，friends，when our son finished reading what his mother had written，there were great big old tears in his eyes，and he looked straight up at his mother and said：“Mom，I sure do love you. ”And then he took the pen and in great big letters he wrote：“PAID IN FULL”.

1.What’s the best title of the passage?      

                                                                                                            

2.Which sentence in the passage is the closest in meaning to the following one?

Although you have broght me hard thimes andmany tears in these years , you needn’t pay for them.

                                                                                                               

3.Please fill in the blank in the passage with proper words or phrases to complete the sentence.(within ten words)

                                                                                                                

4.What do you learn after reading the passage?(within 30 words)

                                                                                                                  

5.Translate the underlined sentence into Chinese.

BRITAIN is a popular tourist place. But tours of the country have advantages and disadvantages .
ADVANTAGES
Free museums. No charge for good collections of art works
Pop music. Britain is the only country to rival(與…匹敵)the US on this point.
Cabs. London taxi drivers well know where they are going.
Choice of food. Visitors can find food from every corner of the world .
Fashion. Not only do fashion junkies love deeply and respect highly brand names such as Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen; street styles are justly loved, too.
　　DISADVANTAGES
　　Poor service. People can dine out on the rudeness they have experienced,” says Professor Tony Seaton, of Luton University’s International Tourism Research Center.
　　Poor public transport. Trains and buses are promised to defeat tourists who have the most patience, so the over- crowded London tube is inexplicably(難以理解的) popular.
　　Rain. Still in the number one complaint. 
　　Overpriced hotels. The only European country with a higher rate of tax on hotel rooms is Denmark.
Drinking hours. Alcohol(酒) is in short supply after 11 pm even in “24-hour cities”.
【小題1】What do tourists complain most?

A．Poor service.	B．Poor public transport.
C．Rain.	D．Overpriced hotels.

【小題2】 When is alcohol not able to get?

A．At 9: 00 pm

B．At 10: 00 pm

C．At 11: 00 pm

D．At 12: 00 pm

【小題3】Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A．You have to pay to visit the museums.

B．Only clothing with brand names are sold in London .

C．You cannot find Chinese food there.

D．The public transport is poor there.

In Western countries people have been using the installment (分期付款) plan since the first half of the twentieth century. Today, a large number of families in Great Britain buy furniture, household goods and cars by installments. In the U.S.A.,the figure is much higher than in Great Britain, and people there spend over 10 percent of their income on the installment plan.
The price of an article bought on installments is always higher than the price that would be paid by cash. There is a charge for interest. The buyer pays one quarter or one third of the price as a down payment (預(yù)付定金) when the goods are delivered to him. He then makes regular payments, weekly or monthly, until the full price is paid up. The legal ownership of the goods remains with the seller until the final payment has been made.
Installment buying has advantages and disadvantages. It can help couples with small incomes to furnish their homes and start housekeeping. It increases the demand for goods, and in this way helps business and employment,There is,
however, the danger that when business is bad, installment buying may end suddenly, making business much worse. This may result in a great increase in unemployment.
If the people on the installment plan lose their jobs, they will probably not be able to make their payments. If great numbers of people are not able to pay their installment debts, there is a possibility that businessmen cannot collect their debts and will therefore lose money. If businessmen lose money or fail to make a satisfactory profit,it becomes more likely to have a depression (蕭條). This is why, in some countries,the government controls the installment plan by fixing the amount of the down payment and installments to discourage people from buying more than they can pay for on the installment plan.
【小題1】 Which of the following is NOT TRUE about the installment plan?

A．A lot of British families use the installment plan. "

B．More than 10 percent of American families buy things on installments.

C．Americans depend more on installment than British people do.

D．Americans spend one tenth of their income on installment buying.

【小題2】 Goods bought on installments are more expensive than goods bought by cash because_______.

A．the buyer has to pay extra money as interest

B．the delivery of the goods charges extra money

C．the buyer has to pay adown payment

D．the service offered by installment plan charged extra money

【小題3】 What will happen to a buyer if he fails to make the full payment for an item bought on installments?

A．He might lose his job.

B．He will stop owning the item he has bought.

C．He will have to setl what he has bought.

D．He will go into debt.

【小題4】 The advantage of installment buying might include all the following EXCEPT that________.

A．purchasing power is strengthened

B．employment might be increased

C．people develop a good habit of saving money

D．young couples are able to furnish their homes

【小題5】In some countries, the governments control the installment plan to_______.

A．increase employment

B．a(chǎn)void depressions

C．ensure that businesses make good profits

D．ensure that people can pay for what they buy

—I wonder how much you charge for your services.

— The first two are free____ the third costs $30.

A. while                  B. until      C. when                  D. before