Taiwan police cannot decide whether to treat it as an extremely act of stealing or an even cheat. Either way, it could be the perfect crime, because the criminals are birds—homing pigeons !
The crime begins with a telephone message to the owner of a stolen car: if you want the car back, pay up. Then, the car owner is directed to a park, told where to find a bird cage and how to attach money to the neck of the pigeon inside. Carrying the money in a tiny bag, the pigeon flies off.
There have been at least four such pigeon pick-ups in Changwa. What at first seemed like the work of a clever stay-at-home car thief, however,  may in fact be the work of an even lazier and more inventive criminal mind—one that avoids not only collecting money but also going out to steal the car in the first place. Police officer Chen says that the criminal probably has pulled a double trick: he gets money for things he cannot possibly return. Instead of stealing cars, he lets someone else do it and then waits for the car-owner to place an advertisement in the newspaper asking for help.
The thought is supported by the fact that, so far, none of the stolen cars have been returned. Also, the amount of money demanded-under 3,000 Taiwanese dollars–seems too little for a car worth many times more.
Demands for pigeon-delivered money stopped as soon as the press reported the story. And even if they start again, Chen holds little hope of catching the criminal. “We have more important things to do,” he said.
小題1:After the car owner received a phone call, he _______.
A．went to a certain pigeon and put some money in the bag it carried
B．gave the money to the thief and had his car back in a park
C．sent some money to the thief by mail
D．told the press about it
小題2:The “l(fā)azier and more inventive” criminal refers to _______.
A．the car thief who stays at home
B．one of those who put the ads in the paper
C．one of the policemen in Changwa
D．the owner of the pigeons
小題3:The writer mentions the fact that “none of the stolen cars have been returned” to show _______.
A．how easily people get fooled by criminals
B．what Chen thinks might be correct
C．the thief is extremely clever
D．the money paid is too little
小題4:The underlined word “they” in the last paragraph refers to ____.
A．criminalsB．pigeonsC．the stolen carsD．demands for money
小題5: We may infer from the text that the criminal knows how to reach the car owners because _______.
A．he reads the ads in the newspaper
B．he lives in the same neighborhood
C．he has seen the car owners in the park
D．he has trained the pigeons to follow them

小題1:A
小題2:D
小題3:B
小題4:D
小題5:A
文章講述了一種新型的犯罪。
小題1: 細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù)第二段2,3行內(nèi)容可知A正確。
小題2:推理題。根據(jù)上文的however可知與前一句的意思相反，所以A項(xiàng)錯(cuò)誤，這里不是指偷車的人。根據(jù)文章第三段最后兩行waits for the car-owner to place an advertisement in the newspaper asking for help可知燈廣告的是丟車的人，B錯(cuò)誤，更不會(huì)是C警察。只能是D是那些鴿子的主人。
小題3:推理題。根據(jù)文章第三段最后三行內(nèi)容he gets money for things he cannot possibly return.可知B正確。警察認(rèn)為那些丟車的人根本不可能拿回他的車。
小題4:猜測詞義題。根據(jù)上下文可知隨著報(bào)紙報(bào)道了以后，這樣的事情就沒有了，可知they就是指代上文提到的Demands for pigeon-delivered money。
小題5:細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù)文章倒數(shù)第三段的waits for the car-owner to place an advertisement in the newspaper asking for help. 可知A正確。
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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


Sir,
Just over six months ago, I saw an advertisement in the Morning Mail for a set of the complete works of William Shakespeare. Your company, Cosmo books Ltd., offered this set (eight books of plays and two books of poetry) at what was claimed to be a ‘remarkable’ price: fifteen pounds and fifty pence, including postage and packing. I had wanted a set of Shakespeare’s plays and poems for some time, and these books, in red imitation leather, looked particularly attractive; so I sent for them.
Two weeks later, the books arrived, together with a set of the complete works of Charles Dickens which I had not ordered. So I returned the Dickens books to you, with a cheque for fifteen pounds and fifty pence for the works of Shakespeare. Two more weeks passed. Then there arrived on my door step a second set of the works of Shakespeare, the same set of novels by Dickens and a six book set of the plays of Moliere, in French. Since I do not read French, these were of no use to me at all. However, I could not afford to post all these books back to you, so I wrote to you at the end of August of last year, instructing you to come and collect all the books that I did not want, and asking you not to send any other books until further notice.
You did not reply to that letter. Instead you sent me a bill for forty two pounds, and a set of the plays of Schiller, in German. Since then, a new set of books has arrived every two weeks, the works of Goethe, the poems of Milton, the plays of Strindberg; I hardly know what I have. The books are still all in their boxes, in the garage, and my car has to stand in the rain outside.
I have no room for any more books, and even if I read from now until the Last Judgment, I should not finish reading all the books that you have sent me.
Please send no more books, send no more bills, send no more angry letters demanding payment. Just send one large lorry and take all the books away, leaving me only with the one set of the complete works of Shakespeare for which I have paid.
Yours faithfully,
SIMON WALKER
小題1: Simon Walker wrote the letter to ________
A．urge for the final solution to the problem with the unwanted books.
B．complain about getting books he didn’t want.
C．a(chǎn)dvise readers not to order books from Cosmo Books Ltd..
D．show his anger to Cosmo Books Ltd..
小題2: The advertisement that Mr. Walker saw in the Morning Mail was for ________
A．unlimited number of Cosmo Books.
B．fifteen pounds and fifty pence.
C．a(chǎn) set of 10 books of the works of Shakespeare.
D．a(chǎn) book containing all the plays and poems of Shakespeare.
小題3:Mr. Walker answered the advertisement because ________
A．he claimed that the books were being offered at a remarkable price.
B．he wanted a set of Shakespeare’s works which was a good bargain
C．he had ordered the set and had been waiting for them to come for some time.
D．the set he already had was not particularly attractive.
小題4: It can be inferred that _______
A．Cosmo Books have sent bills for books that they have not sent.
B．Several sets of books have been sent to Mr. Walker free of charge.
C．Mr. Walker hasn’t received the books that he ordered.
D．Mr. Walker took some action after receiving the books he did not order.
小題5:. The tone of the letter is that of _______
A．bitternessB．respectC．humorD．a(chǎn)nnoyance

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

In the mid 1990’s, people started doing business on the Internet. At that time, there were two kinds of companies. First, there were traditional companies. They sold things in stores. Then there were Internet companies. They didn’t have a store, and they only sold things on the Net.
Traditional companies didn’t want to lose any business. Quickly they made their own websites and began selling things on the Net. These are the so-called “brick and click” companies. Many stores are made of brick. And you click on your mouse to buy things with your computer. That’s where the name “brick and click” comes from.
By the late 1990’s, e-business like amazon com , buy com. and etoys com. were in trouble. Their profits（利潤） were not very high. Competition was great. Many of these businesses were losing lots of money. In 2000, many e-business went out of business.
Why are “brick and click” companies, like Barnes and Noble, Toys RVs and Walmart so successful? First, many customers know and trust their names. Their websites like walmart.com. are easy to remember. These companies also have lots of experience. They know how to run a successful business.
In the world of e-commerce, companies are fighting for every dollar and every customer. Will “brick and click” companies win the war? Only time will tell.
小題1:What did many traditional companies do in the mid 1990’s?                .
A．They went out of business.
B．They made their websites.
C．They bought Internet companies.
D．They sold their companies.
小題2:What gave Internet companies lots of trouble in the late 1990’s?
A．Heavy competition
B．They were short of money.
C．They didn’t know what to do.
D．people didn’t believe in them.
小題3:Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A．All the “brick and click” companies run a successful business.
B．“Brick and click” companies are certain to win the business competition.
C．It is uncertain whether “brick and click” companies will win the competition.
D．Both “brick and click” companies and Internet companies will be successful in the future.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

In China, many people are leaving the countryside to find jobs in the cities, because the countryside is much poorer than the city, and often there isn't much work there. Services such as hospital and transport are usually much better in the city than in the countryside. They hope that their lives will improve when they move to the city.
But in the big cities of Europe like London or Paris, people are moving out of the city. These rich families want to live a quieter life. They are tired of the noise and the dirt of the city, and they are tired of the crowded streets, crowded trains and buses. They don't want to live in the cities any more. They want a house with a garden in the countryside, and breathe the fresh air there.
So they move out of the cities. Some don't go very far, just a little way out of the city, to the towns near the cities, other people move to the real countryside with sheep, cows and green fields. There, they start new lives and try to make new friends.
Not all those who move from the city to the countryside are happy. After two or three years, many people who have done this feel that it was a big mistake. They don't make so much money and there isn't much work to do. People in the countryside are very different and aren't always very friendly.
As a result, quite a lot of people who have moved to the countryside move back to the city. “It’s wonderful to see crowds in the streets and cinema lights,” they say.
小題1:Which is NOT the reason for people moving to the cities in China?
A．The countryside is much poorer than me city.
B．People in the countryside have nothing to eat.
C．People in the countryside don't have much work to do there.
D．Services in cities are usually much better than those in the countryside.
小題2:Why do some rich families in Europe move to the countryside?
A．Because they will find good jobs.
B．Because they are tired of living in the city.
C．Because they can make more money there.
D．Because they like feeding sheep and cows in the green fields.
小題3:After moving to the countryside, some people in Europe feel unhappy because      .
A．they can’t make much money
B．there isn’t much work for them to do in the countryside
C．some people in the countryside aren’t always very friendly to them
D．A, B and C
小題4:The underlined sentence in the last paragraph shows      .
A．they are happy to move back to the city
B．they will miss their friends in the countryside
C．they still want to move to the countryside
D．they are tired of the noise and the crowded streets in the city
小題5:The best title of this passage may be “    ”.
A．A happy life!B．Living in the city!
C．Moving out or moving back?D．Living in the countryside!

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

A year ago, August, Dave Fuss lost his job driving a truck for a small company in west Michigan. His wife, Gerrie, was still working in the local school cafeteria, but it was hard for Dave to find work, and the price of everything was rising. The Fusses were at risk of joining the millions of Americans who have lost their homes in recent years. Then Dave and Gerrie received a timely gift—$7,000, a legacy(遺產(chǎn)) from their neighbors Ish and Arlene Hatch, who died in an accident. “It really made a difference when we were meeting difficulty .”says Dave.
But the Fusses weren’t the only folks in Alto and the neighboring town of Lowell to receive unexpected legacy from the Hatches. Dozens of other families were touched by what the Hatches had done. In some cases, it was a few thousand dollars; in others, it was more than $100,000.
It surprised nearly everyone that the Hatches had so much money, more than $3 million—they were an elderly couple who lived in an old house on what was left of the family farm.
Children of the Great Depression, Ish and Arlene were known for their habit of saving. They preferred comparison shopping and would go from store to store, checking prices before making a new purchase.
Through the years, the Hatches paid for local children to attend summer camps when their parents couldn’t afford it. “Ish and Arlene never asked if you needed anything,” says their friend Sandy Van Weelden, “They could see things they could do to make you happier, and they would do them.”
Even more extraordinary was that the Hatches gave away their farmland. It was the Hatches’ wish that their legacy—a legacy of kindness as much as one of dollars and cents—should enrich the whole community and last for generations to come.
Neighbors helping neighbors—that was Ish and Arlene Hatch’s story.
小題1:According to the text, the Fusses __________.
A．were employed by a truck companyB．led a difficult life
C．worked in a school cafeteriaD．lost their home
小題2:What can we learn about the Hatches?
A．They had their children during the Great Depression.
B．They left the old house to live on their family farm.
C．They gave away their possessions（財(cái)產(chǎn)）to their neighbors.
D．They helped their neighbors to find jobs.
小題3:Why would the Hatches go from store to store?
A．They decided to open a store.
B．They wanted to save money.
C．They couldn’t afford expensive things.
D．They wanted to buy gifts for local kids.
小題4:What Sandy Van Weelden said mainly tells us that the Hatches were __________.
A．understandingB．kindC．childlikeD．wealthy

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Until the 1980s, the American homeless population comprised (組成) mainly older males. Today, homelessness strikes much younger part of society. In fact, a 25-city survey by the U. S. Conference of Mayors in 1987 found that families with children make up the fastest growing part of the homeless population. Many homeless children gather in inner cities; this transient(變化無常的) and frequently frightened student population creates additional problems — both legal and educational — for already overburdened（負(fù)擔(dān)過重的）urban school administrators and teachers.
Estimates of the number of homeless Americans range from 350,000 to three million. Likewise, estimates of the number of homeless school children vary radically. A U.S. Department of Education report, based on state estimates, states that there are 220,000 homeless school-age children, about a third of whom do not attend school on a regular basis, But the National Coalition for the Homeless estimates that there are at least two times as many homeless children, and that less than half of them attend school regularly.
One part of the homeless population that is particularly difficult to count consists of the “throwaway” youths who have been cast of their homes. The Elementary School Center in New York City estimates that there are 1.5 million of them, many of whom are not counted as children because they do not stay in family shelters and tend to live by themselves on the streets.
Federal law, the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act of 1987, includes a section that addresses the educational needs of homeless children. The educational provisions of the McKinney Act are based on the belief that all homeless children have the right to a free, appropriate education.
小題1: It is implied in the first paragraph that ____.
A．the writer himself is homeless, even in his eighties
B．many older homeless residents are going on strike in 25 cities
C．there is a serious shortage of academic facilities (設(shè)施).
D．homeless children are denied the opportunity of receiving free education
小題2: The National Coalition for the homeless believes that the number of homeless children is _____.
A．350,000
B．1,500,000
C．440,000
D．110,000
小題3:  One part of the homeless population is difficult to estimate. The reason might well be ____.
A．the homeless children are too young to be counted as children
B．the homeless population is growing rapidly
C．the homeless children usually stay outside school
D．some homeless children are deserted by their families
小題4: The McKinney Act is mentioned in this passage in order to show that ___.
A．the educational problems of homeless children are being recognized
B．the estimates on homeless children are hard to determine
C．the address of grade-school children should be located
D．a(chǎn)ll homeless people are entitled（有權(quán)利的） to free education
小題5: The passage mainly deals with ____.
A．the legal problems of the homeless children
B．the educational problems of homeless children
C．the social status of older males
D．estimates on the homeless population

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Age has its special advantage in America. And one of the more impressive of them is the senior citizen discount. Anyone who has reached a certain age—in some cases as low as 55－is automatically entitled to plenty of price reductions at nearly every level of commercial life. Eligibility（資格）is determined not by one’s need but by the date on one’s birth certificate. Practically the discounts have become a routine part of many businesses-as common as color televisions in motel rooms and free coffee on airliners.
People with gray hair often are given the discounts without even asking for them；yet, millions of Americans above age 60 are healthy and solvent（有支付能力的）. Businesses that would never dare offer discounts to college students or anyone under 30 freely offer them to older Americans. The practice is acceptable because of the widespread belief that “elderly” and “needy” are synonymous（同義的）. Perhaps that once was true, but today, to be sure, there is economic variety within the elderly, and most of them aren’t poor.
It is impossible to determine the effect of the discounts on individual companies. For many firms, they are a stimulus to income. But in other cases the discounts are given at the expense, directly or indirectly, of younger Americans. Moreover, they directly annoy some politicians and scholars who consider it a coming conflict between the generations.
Generational tensions are being fueled by continuing debate over Social Security benefits, which mostly involves a transfer of resources from the young to the old. Employment is another point. Supported by laws and court decisions, more and more older Americans are refusing the retirement dinner in favor of staying on the job-thereby lessening employment and promotion opportunities for younger workers. Far from a kind of charity they once were, senior citizen discounts have become a powerful economic privilege（特權(quán)）to a group with millions of members who don’t need them.
It no longer makes sense to treat the elderly as a single group whose economic needs deserve priority over those of others. Senior citizen discounts only enrich the myth that older people can’t take care of themselves and need special treatment；and they threaten the creation of a new myth, that the elderly ale ungrateful and taking for themselves at the expense of children and other age groups. Senior citizen discounts are the heart of the very thing older Americans are fighting against－discrimination by age.
小題1:We learn from the first paragraph that   .
A．offering senior citizen discounts has become routine commercial practice
B．senior citizen discounts have enabled many old people to live a good life
C．giving senior citizen discounts has increased the market for the elderly
D．senior citizens have to show their birth certificates to get a discount
小題2:The reason to give the senior citizen discount is that   .
A．the elderly need humane help from society
B．businesses should do something for society in return
C．old people are entitled to special treatment for their contribution to society
D．the senior discounts can make up for the lack of the Social Security system
小題3:What does the author think of the Social Security system?
A．It encourages elderly people to retire in time.
B．It opens up broad career chances for young people.
C．It benefits the old at the expense of the young.
D．It should be strengthened by laws and court decisions.
小題4:What does the author mainly argue in the passage?
A．Senior citizens should fight hard against age discrimination.
B．The elderly are selfish and taking senior discounts for granted.
C．Senior citizen discounts may well be a type of age discrimination.
D．Discount should be given to the economic needs of senior citizens.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

閱讀下面短文，從每題所給的A、B、C、D四個(gè)選項(xiàng)中，選出最佳選項(xiàng)。
When we walk through the city, we all experience a kind of information overload but we pay attention only to those that are important to us. We don’t stop, we keep our faces expressionless and eyes straight ahead, and in doing so, we are not just protecting ourselves but are avoiding overloading other people as well.
We make use of stereotypes as convenient ways to make quick judgments about situations and people around us. They may not always be accurate, and they can often be dangerously wrong, but they are used regularly.
The problem with the stereotypes is that they restrict experience. By using limited clues to provide us with a rapid opinion of other people or places we may choose to limit our communication. We may decide not to go to certain places because we believe they will not offer something we enjoy.
In the city, styles of dress are particularly important with regard to self-presentation. Different groups often use clearly identifiable styles of clothes so that they can be easily recognized. It is becoming increasingly common for brand names to be placed on the outside of clothes, and this labeling makes it easy to send out information about fashion and price instantly, and lets other tell at a distance whether an individual has similar tastes and is a suitable person to associate with.
In England, where social grouping or class continues to make social distinctions, clothes, hairstyles, people’s pronunciation and the manner of speaking are all clues to our social group. Class distinctions tend to be relatively fixed, although in the city where greater variety is permitted, they are more likely to be secondary determining factors of friendship and association.
小題1:People walking in cities ignore the surroundings because _________________.
A．they do not wish to talk to other people
B．everyone else is expressionless
C．the environment is already familiar to them
D．there is too much information to get
小題2:According to the passage, the main disadvantage of using stereotypes is that they _________.
A．a(chǎn)re likely to lead us into dangerous situations
B．may make us miss some pleasant experience
C．can rarely be relied on
D．make us mentally lazy
小題3:From the passage we may conclude that _____________.
A．stereotypes can help to understand people fully
B．people are becoming more interested in fashion
C．dressing can send messages about individuals
D．stereotypes can do more harm than good to people
小題4:It would appear that in England, a person’s class ____________.
A．might be less important in making friends in a city
B．is mainly determined by his pronunciation
C．plays less of a role than it did in the past
D．is something that can be changed easily

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Many young people in America go to camps when they are out of school during the summer. They are offered a chance to explore different things: nature, sports, music, technology ——even business and economy.
One such program for high school students in the Pacific Northwest is called Washington Business Week. The program began in 1975. Officials say forty-five thousand people have attended Washington Business Week. Other states now have similar camps.
Washington Business Week describes itself as a way to learn more about how to plan for the future in an ever-changing economy. Students form an executive(行政的) management (管理) team. They lead an imaginary company to financial success.
The camp is held at three colleges in Washington State. The high school students live in the college housing. The cost of the camp is almost three hundred dollars, but families can receive financial assistance(援助).
Some business camps are free. These are for students from poor areas. The National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship（企業(yè)家）(NFTE) is an organization based in New York City that supports such camps. It has programs around the United States and its Web site lists international partners in China, Tanzania and a few other countries. NFTE says it has served more than one hundred thousand young people since 1987.
Among other business camps is Camp C.E.O.. C.E.O is an chief executive officer. And this camp is for girls only. Camp C.E.O. is supported by the Girl Scouts of America and takes place for one week each summer.
The camp took place last month in Tennessee. The girls worked with successful businesswomen
from different industries. The girls learned how to build a business and develop an idea into a product. And, we imagine, they also had some fun.
小題1: In Washington Business Week, students successfully run a company_______.
A．that they are working inB．that belongs to the American government
C．that does not actually existD．that was once shut down
小題2:Which of the following is True about NFTE?
A．It offers financial help to all students.
B．It has programs in America and some other countries.
C．It was organized by many rich New Yorkers.
D．One of its aims is to train students to be business managers.
小題3:What can we conclude from the passage ?
A．The Americans are good at enjoying their lives in many camps.
B．The young Americans are living a happy life in camps.
C．The Americans pay attention to developing the students’ abilities.
D．It is easier to organize business camps in America than other countries.
小題4:Which of the following is the best title of the passage?
A. Summer camps for students             B. Summer camps for future C.E.O.
C. Summer camps being popular           D. Summer camps in the world

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