Mr Black was a very large man. He had a loud voice. He was not a giant (巨人), but he was much
bigger than most men.
     Life was not easy for Mr Black. He could seldom find clothes big enough. His feet were too large for
most shoes.
     In buses, trains and planes, he could not stand up straight. The roofs (頂) were too low.
     In cars, he could not move his legs. There was not enough room. At home, his bed was too short. Chairs
were always too small.
     In fact, wherever he went and whatever he did, Mr Black had problems because of his size.
     These problems were so bad that Mr Black stayed at home most of the time. Life was easier at home.
     Then one day, a friend said,"You spend too much time at home. You should go out more. There's a good
movie at the theatre."
     "I can't sit in theatre seats," Mr Black said. "I'm too big."
     "That is no problem," his friend said. "I'll buy you two tickets. You can get them at the theatre when you
go."   
     The friend sent money to the theatre for two tickets. When the day came, Mr Black put on his best clothes
and went to the theatre.
     "You have two tickets for me," he said to the woman in the ticket office."My name is Black."
     "Oh, yes, Mr Black," the woman said. "Here you are, seats G4 and PI2. I'm sorry, you and your friend
can't sit together because we are very full this evening."
     Poor Mr Black. He smiled sadly, walked out of the theatre and went home.

1. Mr Black was ________.

A. not bigger than most men
B. much bigger than most men
C. a giant
D. as big as most men

2. Mr Black's life was hard because ________.

A. he was so lucky
B. he was so fat
C. he was so big
D. he was so small

3. What did he do about this problem?

A. He stayed at home most of the time
B. He saw doctors
C. He told his friends
D. He went on holidays

4. How did his friend try to help him?

A. He bought him tickets for a football match
B. He sent him for a holiday
C. He gave him some money
D. He bought him two tickets for a movie

5. Why was Mr Black sad at the end of the story?

A. He could not sit with his friend
B. The woman in the ticket office was rude
C. Mr Black's friend was rude
D. Mr Black was too big to sit in only one seat

     Linda used to wake you up on Sunday morning when you wanted to stay in bed, but now you will feel
strange if she gets up before lunch. She used to be very quiet, but now she talks all the time-but not to you.
She used to hold your hand when you went to visit your friends. Now she doesn't even want to be seen
with you when you go to visit your friends. Your Linda might spend hours on the phone or in the bathroom
now. At the same time John next the door has become quiet and dirty. He used to be very polite. Now a
simple conversation with John becomes very difficult. You've gone from heroes to the most embarrassing
adults in the world. Your child has become a teenager!
     What makes adolescence (青春期) so difficult? Physical and emotional (身體上和情感上的) changes
are the reasons that make them change so much. When the> are young, children live in a safe and simple
land called"childhood". Parents organize their lives. Parents choose children's clothes, take them to places,
and spend time with them. They're with the children when there is a problem. As children get older, however,
they learn about another land-an exciting land, called"adulthood". Sooner or later their hormones (荷爾蒙!)
change them. Adolescence, then, is the trip from childhood to adulthood. Some find the trip quite easy.
For others, it's very difficult.

1. The article is probably written about _________.

A. teachers
B. teenagers
C. parents

2. When Linda was a child, she didn't use to _________.

A. stay with her parents in public
B. get up early
C. spend hours on the phone

3. When your children get older and older, _________.

A. they like to talk to you
B. they hardly change
C. they change physically and emotionally

4. Why is Linda's adolescence so different from her childhood?

A. Because her teachers look at her differently.
B. Because the hormone in her body changes her.
C. Because parents look at her differently.

5. What is the best title for the passage?

A. The Changes from Childhood to Adolescence.
B. Linda and John.
C. Hormones.

     I used to be an unhappy girl. I had (1)f_______  friends around me. I wanted to make friends with others,
but I didn't know what to do. I felt lonely. To change my life, I had to (2)1_______ how to get along with
others. What did I do? I said hello to my classmates actively when I (3)m_______ them. I invited them to my
home on weekends. And I offered them my (4)h_______ when they had some difficulties in their studies. I felt
happy when I was with them. There is no happiness without friends. (5)N_______ I have many friends. I've
become a happy girl at last.

      A man came back home from work late, tired, to find his six-year-old son waiting for him at the door.
     "Daddy, how much money do you make an hour?"
     "If you want to know, I make $20 an hour."
     "Oh," the little boy replied, with his head down. He thought for a moment, looked up and said, "Daddy,
could you lend me $10?"
      The father was furious, "If you asked for money to buy a toy or some other rubbish, then go straight to
your room and think why you are being so selfish (自私的)!"
      The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door. After about an hour or so, the father calmed
down, and started to think,"Maybe he really needs to buy something and he didn't ask for money very often."
So he went to the little boy's room.
      "Sorry! Maybe I was too hard on you just now," said the man."Here's $10."
      "Oh, thank you, Daddy!" the boy said gladly. Then, the boy took out some coins. When the father found
that the boy already had some money, he got angry again.
     "Why do you want more money since you already have some?" the father shouted angrily.
     "Because I didn't have enough, but now I do," the little boy replied, "Daddy, I have $20 now. Can I buy
an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you."

1. How much does the boy's father make an hour?

A. $10
B. $20
C. $30
D. $40

2. In this passage, the underlined word "furious" means _________.

A. very angry
B. quite happy
C. too excited
D. a little nervous

3. At first, the father refused to give the boy any money because _________.

A. he thought the boy wanted to keep the money for himself
B. he did not have enough money at that moment
C. he thought the boy would buy something of no use
D. the boy always borrowed money from him

4. The boy wanted to buy ________ with twenty dollars.

A. a new book for himself
B. a nice present for his father
C. a toy for his own birthday
D. an hour of his father's time

5. From this passage, we can infer (推斷) that the boy's father ________.

A. often played with his son
B. spent little time with his son
C. didn't love his son at all
D. often came back home early

     One day an American called Simon went to London to visit his friend, Rick. Rick told him that his flat
was on the first floor. When he arrived, Simon went straight to the first floor of the building. But he was
told that there was no Rick on that floor. Do you know why?
     In fact, the British call the first floor of a building the ground floor. The floor above the ground floor is
the first floor, which Americans would call the second floor.
     The story shows that there are a few culture differences between Britain and America, though the British
and Americans both speak English. The British usually hide their feelings. They seldom start a conversation
with strangers. For example, on the train the British often spend their time reading newspapers or books. But
Americans are quite different. They're more active and easier to talk with.
     The British and Americans may use different terms for many things. The British usually use football, eraser
and mail while Americans prefer to use soccer, rubber and post.

1. Simon went to London to ______.

A. visit his friend
B. spend his holiday
C. study English
D. have a meeting

2. Which picture shows us where Rick's flat was?

3. According to the passage, the British usually spend their time ______ on the train.

A. playing cards
B. talking loudly
C. doing some reading
D. singing and dancing

4. What does the underlined word "terms" mean in Chinese in the passage?

A. 成果
B. 學(xué)期
C. 會(huì)議
D. 用語

5. What's the best title for the passage?

A. Differences in culture
B. Simon's funny story
C. Information abroad
D. Hiding the feelings

     When I was 16 years ago a boy gave me an important gift. It was a smile. It was the early autumn of my
first year at a junior high school, and my old school was far away. As a result, no one knew who I was. I was
very lonely, and afraid to make friends with anyone.
     Every time I heard the other students talking and laughing, I felt my heart break. I couldn't talk about anyone
with my problems. And I didn't want my parents to worry about me. Then one day, my classmates talked
happily with their friends, but I sat at my desk unhappily as usual. At that moment, a boy entered the classroom.
I didn't know who he was. He passed me and then turned back. He looked at me, without a word, a smile.
     Suddenly, I felt the touch of something bright and friendly. It made me feel happy, lively and warm.
     That smile changed my life. I started to talk with other students and made friends. Day by day, I became
closer to everyone in my class. The boy with the lucky smile has become my best friend now.
     One day I asked him why he smiled, but he couldn't remember smiling at me!
     It doesn't matter because all the dark days have gone. I believe that the world is what you think it is. If you
think it lonely, you might always be alone. So smile at world and it will smile back.

1. Why was the smile an important gift?

A. Because the writer's old school was far away.
B. Because the writer didn't know who the boy was.
C. Because the smile didn't mean anything to the boy.
D. Because it made the writer feel happy, lively and warm.

2. The writer didn't talk to anyone in her new school about her problem because _____.

A. she was always unhappy
B. she didn't have any friends there
C. she was in the first year at the junior high school
D. she didn't want her parents to worry about her

3. How did the smile change her life?

A. She started to make friends.
B. She became the best friend with the boy.
C. Her parents didn't worry about her any more.
D. She realized that she was lonely.

4. Where does she now think her feeling of unhappiness came from?

A. From her old school.
B. From her parents.
C. From herself.
D. From her classmate at the new school.

     When we asked students what they want to be, they often talk about unusual jobs, things like teachers
and doctors. But if you think about it, many people don't plan to do their jobs. They just start doing them
by accident. We have talked to two people with unusual jobs.
     Emily is a dentist but she doesn't work with people. She works with horses. After university she took
care of animal's health for several years, but she notices that there were few people who could help horses'
teeth. She deicide to go to college and study again. Then she had to buy special tools, but she is never out
of work. She'd always very busy taking care of horses' teeth. "I couldn't be a dentist for people now," Emily
said, "because I really enjoy working with horses."
     As soon as David could read, he read books about robots, but the robots he build today don't look like
the strange robot people in his books. He build robots for industry. Early one he made up his mind to study
math, science and computers so that he could break into the world of robot engineering. "Some of the math
is very difficult." say David, "but you must study math to be an engineer." Fortunately he got top marks in
all his math exams.

1. Emily doesn't want to be a dentist because _____.

A. the pay is low
B. she has to buy special tools
C. she will be out of work
D. she likes working with horses

2. To become a robot engineer, David _____.

A. need to worry
B. bought a lot of robots
C. had to study hard
D. didn't have to go to college

3. David got top marks in all his math exams, although _____.

A. math was not easy to study
B. he has to study math to be an engineer
C. he could break into the world of robot engineering
D. he made up his mind to study math, science and computers