"Can I see my baby?" asked the happy new mother. When the baby was in her arms, she couldn't believe her eyes. The baby was born without ears.

Time proved(證明) that the baby's hearing was very good though he had no ears. He got on well with his classmates. But one day, he said to his mother, tears in his eyes, "A big boy called me a freak (畸形的)."

　　The boy's father asked the family doctor. "Could nothing be done?"

　　"I believe I could graft (植入) on a pair of outer ears if they could be got," the doctor said. They tried to find a person who was helpful for the young man.

　　One day, his father said to the son, "You're going to the hospital, son. Mother and I have someone who will donate the ears you need. But we must keep it a secret who the person is."

　　The operation(手術(shù)) was a great success, and a new person appeared. His cleverness and hard work made him a very successful person. He married and lived a happy life.

　　He once asked his father, "Who gave me the ears? I could do enough for him or her."

　　"I do not believe you could, "said the father." The agreement was that you are not to know...not yet."

　　For years they kept it a secret, but the day did come. He stood with his father over his mother's body. Slowly, the father raised the thick, brown hair. To his surprise, the son found his mother had no outer ears.

　　"Mother said she was glad she never needed to cut her hair," his father said in a low voice, "and nobody ever thought mother less beautiful, did they?”

1.The mother was surprised to see her baby for the first time because the baby__.

2.The sentence"...a new person appeared." means"______."

3.Why did the boy's mother never cut her hair?

4.Which of the following is true according to the passage?

5.Which is the best title for the passage?

"Everything happens for the best," my mother said whenever things weren't going my way. "Don't worry. One day your luck will change."

Mother was right, as I discovered after I had finished my college education, I had decided to try for a job in radio. One day, I wanted to host a sports programme. I went to Chicago and knocked on the door of every station. But I got turned down every time.

    In one station, a kind lady said my problem was that I hadn't got enough experience. "Get some work with a small station and work your way up," she said.

I went back home. I couldn't get a job there, either. Then my dad told me a businessman had opened a store and needed someone to help him. But again, I didn't get the job.

    I felt really down. "Your luck will change," Mom said to me. Dad lent me the car to help me to look for my job. I tried another radio station in Lowa. But the owner, a nice man, told me he had already had someone.

    As I left his office, I asked, "How can someone be a sports announcer(播音員) if he can't get a job in a radio station?"

    I was waiting for the lift when I heard the man call. "What did you mean? Do you know anything about football?" He put me in front of a microphone and asked me to try to imagine that I was giving my opinion on a football game, I succeeded.

    On my way home, Mom's words come back to me, "One day your luck will change, Son. And when it happens, it'll feel doubly good because of all the hard work you've had." At that moment I knew just what she meant.

16. What's the writer's ideal job?

   A. A sportsman.                  B. A shop assistant.

C. A sports announcer.             D. A businessman.

17. Why didn’t the writer get the job in Chicago?

A. Because he was too young.

B. Because he didn't get college education.

C. Because he's got a good-looking person.

D. Because he hadn't got enough experience.

18. The sentence "But I got turned down every time. "means"        ".

A. But I was refused every time

B. But I was successful every time

C. But I lost my way every time

D. But the door of every station was always closed

19. What made the writer succeed in the end?

   A. His mother’s words.              B. A kind lady’s help.

C. His father’s car.                   D. His own hard work.

20. What's the best title of this passage?

A. Mother's Words.                  B. Everything Happens for the Best.

C. No One Is Always Lucky.          D. To Find a Job in Radio Is Difficult.

The human brain weighs about 1.4 kilograms, but it can, hold much more information than most computers. However, there is another difference between humans and computers. Computers don't forget information they are given, but humans often do. No one remembers everything, and luckily we don't usually have to. But everyone can improve their memory if they want to. Here are some suggestions.

◆Try to use new informati6n immediately. For example, if you meet someone who says "Hi! I'm Carlos," don't just say "Hello." Repeat the person's name. Say"____"

◆Break a big number into smaller parts. For example, it's hard to memorize (記憶) 109244153. But if you break it into three parts--109/244/153—it becomes easier.

◆Write out what you need to remember ever and over again. This will help you keep it in mind longer, especially for memorizing formulas (公式) or facts.

◆Always review information. If you bring what you've learned back to your mind, they become easier to remember. For example, before you go to sleep, it’s a good idea to review the new things you learned that clay.

◆Discuss with a friend. It is always easier to remember things through discussions. You can have a discussion about what's right and what's wrong, and it will lead to the right answer.

◆Never tell yourself that you have a bad memory. You can always do something to help improve your memory. And everyone's memory gets better if they use it often enough.

All of the suggestions are helpful. If you follow them, you are certain to improve your memory.

1.How many suggestions are mentioned in the passage?

A. Three.         B. Four.              C. Five.              D. Six.

2.Which should be put in the blank (空格) in Paragraph 2？

A. Hello, Carlos.    B. How do you do?

C. Hello, I am Sophia. D. Glad to meet you!

3.What can help memorize a big number more easily according to the passage?

A. To store it in a computer.              B. To break it into stunner parts.

C. To discuss it with a friend.              D. To review it before you sleep.

4.Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A. Discussing with friends can help you remember things.

B. Always reviewing information can help you fall asleep.

C. Formulas and facts can help you learn about your brain.

D. Human beings can improve their memory by computer.

5.What does the sentence "Never tell yourself that you have a bad memory” mean?

A. You should tell others about your bad memory.

B. You should believe in other people all the time.

C. You should ask others to improve their memory.

D. You should ho confident in your memory ability.

A blind schoolgirl has become the youngest interpreter (口譯員) when she is only ten years

Alexia Sloane is from Cambridge. She was told by the doctor she had a brain tumour (腦癌) when she was on holiday "with her parents in France. After that the two-year-old girl became blind.

Though the little girl can't see anything, she has great talent for languages and at the age of 10 she is already fluent (流利的) in English, French, Spanish and Chinese-and is learning German.

Now her dream of working as an interpreter has come true. East of England MEP (歐盟議員) Robert Sturdy invited her to the European Parliament (議會(huì)). "Usually a person who enters the European Parliament should be 14 at least. So it was amazing for Alexia to work there at the age of 10. " said Alexia's mother Isabelle. Alexia can speak three languages since birth. As her mum is hah" French and half Spanish and her dad Richard is English. " She has always been very good at languages and shown an interest from a very young age. " added Isabelle, who also has a four-year-old daughter Melissa.

Alexia has dreamed of becoming an interpreter since she was six and chose to go to the European Parliament as her prize when she won the Young Achiever Community Award of the Year (年度青年成就獎(jiǎng)). She asked if she could learn from the interpreters and HEP Robert Sturdy agreed to take her along as his guest. " It was fantastic and I decided to become an interpreter, "said Alexia. "Nothing can stop me. "

1.How old is the youngest interpreter according to the passage?

A．4.               B．6.                C．10.              D．14.

2.When did Alexia Sloane become blind?

A．When she was born.

B．After she had a brain tumour.

C．After she became an interpreter.

D．When she was on holiday with her parents.

3.Who offered Alexia the chance of working as an interpreter?

A．Richard.          B．Isabelle.           C．Melissa.           D．Robert Sturdy.

4.What is right about Alexia Sloane?

A．She can speak five language fluently.

B．She is a talented language learner.

C．She is the only child in the family.

D．She went to France on holiday after she won the award.

5.What do you think is the meaning of the sentence "Nothing can stop me. "?

A．Never give up.                         B．Believe in yourself.

C．Nothing is impossible.                    D．Failure is the mother of success.

On 26th January, the biggest earthquake (地震) in India took the lives of 25, 000 people. In the morning, when everybody was enjoying holiday, earthquake began. It was about 7. 5 on the Ritcher scale. "There is nothing left between the sky and the earth any more. Everything has been pulled down, " said one of the villagers alive. "There is no water, no food and no one has come to help. "
Nobody died in Pakistan, a country next to India. The City of Lahore was lucky. In Lahore American School, where I was studying, all of the students were safe. They were on the field, so most children didn't feel anything. The earthquake was felt by the teachers that were on the second floor. However, though Mrs Young was also on the second floor, she didn't feel anything. She didn't know what happened until a teacher told her about it. Those teachers who were on the other floors had different feelings. Mr Emond, the maths teacher from Australia, said that when the earthquake started he thought there was something wrong with him, but then another teacher said that it was an earthquake. After those words Mr Emond felt better. Mrs Davis and Mr Frost didn't feel anything either.
My mother didn't feel anything. She didn't even know that it was an earthquake till she saw a shaking (moving from side to side) light. My dad saw the computer shaking and then he looked out of the window and saw many people going out

1. 1.

   People use "Ritcher scale" to tell______.

   1. A.
      where the earthquake takes place
   2. B.
      when the earthquake takes place
   3. C.
      how serious the earthquake is
   4. D.
      how long the earthquake lasts
2. 2.

   From the sentence " There is nothing left between the sky and the earth any more. "
   We learn that______.

   1. A.
      India is a large country
   2. B.
      the Indian people had nothing after the earthquake
   3. C.
      there is no tall building in India
   4. D.
      the earthquake in India was not serious
3. 3.

   The City of Lahore is______.

   1. A.
      in India
   2. B.
      in America
   3. C.
      in Pakistan
   4. D.
      in Australia
4. 4.

   Which of the following is true?

   1. A.
      I was with my parents when the earthquake happened
   2. B.
      The earthquake in the city of Lahore wasn't serious
   3. C.
      People in the City of Lahore were frightened when they knew it was an earthquake
   4. D.
      The teachers in Lahore American School were afraid of the earthquake