I first went to Harrow in the summer term.The school had the biggest swimming pool I had ever seen.It was a good joke to come up behind a naked boy,and push him into the pool.I made quite a habit of this with boys of my own size or less.

One day I saw a boy wrapped in a towel on the side of the pool.He was no bigger than I was,so I thought him a fair game.Coming secretly behind,I pushed him in,holding on to his towel so that it would not get wet,I was surprised to see an angry face come out from the water,and a being of great strength making its way by fierce strokes(猛力地劃) to the shore.I fled,but in vain.He overtook me,seized me violently,and threw me into the deepest part of the pool.I soon climbed out on the other side,and found myself surrounded by a crowd of younger boys.“Do you know what you have done?”they said.“It’s Amery;he is in Grade Six.He is champion at gym;he has got his football honor.”

I was frightened and felt ashamed.How could I tell his position when he was wrapped in a bath towel and so small?I decided to apologize immediately.“I am sorry,”I said,“I mistook you for a Grade Four boy.You are so small.”He didn’t seem pleased at all,so I added in a most brilliant word.“My father,who is a great man,is also small.”At this he laughed,and after some general words about my rude behavior and how I had better be careful in the future,signified the incident was closed.

The writer thought Amery “a fair game” because the boy ______.

A.looked like an animal

B.was fond of games

C.was of similar size

D.was good at sports

The writer felt “ashamed” because ______.

A.he was laughed at by other boys

B.Amery turned out to be in the same grade

C.he pushed Amery hard and hurt him

D.he played a joke on an outstanding athlete

By saying “My father,who is a great man,is also small”,the writer_______.

A.tried to please Amery

B.challenged Amery

C.threatened Amery

D.admired his father

Which of the following is TRUE?

A.The writer could run faster than Amery.

B.The writer liked playing jokes on boy of all sizes.

C.Amery was a student in Grade Four.

D.Amery forgave the writer for his rude behavior.

The small unframed painting called “Fisherman” was signed by a little-known Italian artist, Maveleone (1669-1740). When it was sold recently in New York for $27,000, the seller, Mr. Oliver Pitt, was asked to explain how the picture had come into his possession.
Pitt said, “I didn’t know it was so valuable. I’m not an art expert. Photography is my hobby. I bought ‘Fisherman’ in Italy in 1970 for $140. The picture was dirty, and I couldn’t see the artist’s signature. But anyway it wasn’t the picture that I liked. I bought it because of the frame. ”
“It’s a most unusual frame, made of tiny, silvery sea-shells. They are set in such a way that they reflect perfect light onto the surface of a picture. I now have a photograph of my wife in that frame, and I’ll never part with it.”
“When I returned to New York I showed the painting in its frame to a customs officer. I told him that I had paid $140 for it but admitted I didn’t know its actual worth. The customs man valued it at $140, and I was asked to pay duty on that value. I did so, there and then. ” 
“Later, I took off the frame, and that uncovered Maveleone’s signature. My wife suggested in fun that the painting might be a valuable one, so I cleaned it and put it up for sale.”
As a result of this explanation, Oliver Pitt had to appear in court. He was accused of knowingly making a false statement of the value of a picture so as to cheat the Customs Department.
Pitt was not happy. “I told the truth as I knew it then,” he said, “What else could I say?”
And then the judge agreed with him. “The Customs Department is to be responsible,” he said, “for making a true valuation of goods brought into the country, so that the correct amount of duty may be charged. Mr. Pitt did not cause or try to cause the mistake that was made. He paid the duty that was demanded. If, now, the Customs Department finds that its valuation was not correct, it cannot be allowed to have another try. Pitt is not guilty”.
【小題1】When Oliver Pitt bought the picture, ________.

A．it was unframed	B．Maveleone signed the deal
C．he suggested that it was valuable	D．it was the frame that attracted him

【小題2】 From the passage we can infer that if Maveleone had been a well-known artist,        _.

A．the painting would have cost much more than $ 140

B．he wouldn’t have sold his painting

C．the customs officer wouldn’t have been cheated

D．Pitt wouldn’t have had the intention to buy any of his paintings

【小題3】 Pitt took off the frame probably in order to        _.

A．clean the painting to put it up for sale

B．look for the artist’s signature

C．use it for his wife’s photograph

D．find the painting’s true value

【小題4】Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the story?  

A．In the end Pitt was asked to pay the correct amount of duty.

B．In the end Pitt sold the frame of the painting at an even higher price.

C．In the end the Customs Department had no right to revalue the painting.

D．In the end Pitt’s wife was regarded as an expert because of her wise suggestion.

Charlotte Hollins faces a battle. The 23-year-old British farmer and her 21-year-old brother Ben are fighting to save farm that their father worked on since he was 14. Although confident they will succeed, she is aware of farming’s many challenges.

“You don’t often get a day off. Supermarkets put a lot of pressure on farmers to keep prices low. With fewer people working on farms it can be isolating,” she said. “There is a high rate of suicide and farming will never make you rich!”

Like others around the world, Charlotte’s generation tend to leave the farm for cities.

Oliver Robinson, 25, grew up in Yorkshire. But he never considered staying on his father and grandfather’s land. “I’m sure Dad hoped I’d stay,” he said. “I guess it’s a nice, straightforward life, but it doesn’t appeal to me. For young, ambitious people, farm life is hard.”

For Robinson, farming doesn’t offer much “in terms of money or lifestyle”. Hollins agrees that economic factors stop people from enjoying the rewards of farming. He describes it as a career that provides “for a vital human need”, allowing people to work “outdoors with nature.”

Farming is a big political issue in the UK. The “Buy British” campaigns urge consumers not to purchase cheaper imported foods. The 2001 foot and mouth crisis closed thousands of farms, stopped meat exports, and raised public consciousness about the troubles on UK farms.

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s 2005 campaign to get children eating healthily also highlighted the issue.

This national concern gives hope to farmers competing with powerful supermarkets. While most people buy food from the big supermarkets, hundreds of independent Farmers’ Markets are becoming popular.

“I started going to Farmers’ Markets in direct defiance(違抗) of the big supermarkets. I seriously objected to the super-sizing of everything－what exactly do they put on our apples to make them so big and red? It’s terrible,” said Londoner Michaela Samson, 31.

1.What are the challenges that British farmers face according to Charlotte Hollins?

a. loneliness                       b. thin profits

c. a lack of good equipment        d. long working hours but slow results

A．a(chǎn)bc              B．a(chǎn)bd              C．a(chǎn)cd              D．bcd

2.Why did Oliver Robinson refuse to stay on the farm?

A．He hoped for a simpler life

B．He was fed up with a hard farm life.

C．Farm life was too demanding though he liked it.

D．He hoped for something challenging and rewarding.

3.What happened in 2001 to the British beef farmers?

A．British people ate more British beef.

B．To be a beef farmer became profitable.

C．Diseaes dramatically reduced the amount of beef available.

D．Foreign farmers stopped selling beef to Britain.

4.Which of the following is an advantage of Farmers’ Markets?

A．Lower prices.                          B．Flexible sizes.

C．Convenient location.                     D．Healthier food.

5.What can we conclude from the last two paragraphs?

A．Things are improving for independent farms in the UK.

B．Farming in the UK can now match the powerful supermarkets.

C．Most British people are doubtful of food in supermarkets.

D．Most British people have realized the problems facing farms and begun to help save them.

 

It was a cold December, and Mrs. Bell wanted to do a lot of shopping. She waited until it was Saturday, when her husband was free, and she took him to the shops with her to pay for everything and to carry for her what she had bought. They went to a lot of shops, and Mrs. Bell bought everything she could think of.

She often stopped and said, “Look, Peter! Isn’t that beautiful?”

“All right, my dear. How much is it?” answered Mr. Bell, and then he took money out to buy it for her.

It was almost dark when they came out of the last shop, and Mr. Bell was tired. He was thinking about a nice drink by the side of a warm fire home. Suddenly his wife looked up at the sky and said, “Look at that beautiful moon, Peter!”

Without stopping, Mr. Bell answered at once. “All right, dear. How much is it?” Then he took his wallet out of his pocket.

1.Mrs. Bell did shopping ________.

A．a(chǎn)lone                                B．together with her husband

C．every day                             D．in the morning

2.Mrs. Bell took her husband to the shops because ________.

A．he liked beautiful things                  B．he liked to do shopping too.

C．she wanted him to pay money              D．he was always free

3.Mrs. Bell bought ________ in the shops.

A．nothing                               B．a(chǎn) drink

C．the most beautiful thing                  D．a(chǎn) number of things

4.Mr. Bell _______ shopping.

A．was addicted to                         B．was thinking about

C．was tired of                            D．was very interested in

5.According to the last paragraph, we know Mr. Bell _______.

A．wanted to buy the moon

B．did not really know what his wife was saying

C．was a millionaire

D．did not like the idea of buying the moon

 

The Taj Mahal (泰姬陵) is considered to be one of the most beautiful buildings in the world and the finest example of the late style of Indian architecture (建筑). It is at Agra in northern India. It lies beside the River Jumna in the middle of gardens with quiet pools.

　　The Taj Mahal was built by the Mogul emperor (皇帝) Shah Jehan, who ruled India in the 17th century. It is used to honour his favorite wife, known as Mumtaz Mahal, who died in 1631. The building, which was completed between 1632 and 1638, was designed by a local Muslim architect (建筑師), Ustad Ahmad Lahori. The whole building, with gardens and gateway structures, was completed in 1643. The Taj Mahal stands at one end of the garden tomb with marble (大理石) path. The room is softly lighted by the light that passes through double screens of carved marble set high in the walls. The building now is kept in good condition.

　　The Taj Mahal took 22 years to build. Shah Jehan planned a similar building, but in black instead of white, to lie on the other side of the river. But before it could be built, Shah Jehan was imprisoned (監(jiān)禁) by his son and buried next to his wife in the Taj Mahal.

1.The Taj Mahal was built for____.

A．Mumtaz	B．Shah
C．Either Mumtaz or Shah	D．Both Mumtaz and Shah

2.Why do you think Shah Jehan was buried next to his wife?

A．His own tomb hadn't been built.

B．He hoped to be buried there.

C．King and Queen should be buried together.

D．He liked Mumtaz all his life.

3.The passage mainly tells us about ____ .

A．why the Taj Mahal was built

B．the love story between Shah and Mumtaz

C．How the Taj Mahal was built

D．the Taj Mahal

4.Form the passage we can learn that____ .

A．the Taj Mahal looks more beautiful than before.

B．the Taj Mahal has become a place of interest

C．the Taj Mahal has completely changed.

D．the Taj Mahal doesn't exist now.