It was a winter morning, just a couple of weeks before Christmas 2005. While most people were warming up their cars, Trevor, my husband, had to get up early to ride his bike four kilometers away from home to work. On arrival, he parked his bike outside the back door as he usually does. After putting in 10 hours of labor, he returned to find his bike gone.
The bike, a black Kona 18 speed, was our only transport. Trevor used it to get to work, putting in 60-hour weeks to support his young family. And the bike was also used to get groceries（食品杂货），saving us from having to walk long distances from where we live.
I was so sad that someone would steal our bike that I wrote to the newspaper and told them our story. Shortly after that, several people in our area offered to help. One wonderful stranger even bought a bike, then called my husband to pick it up. Once again my husband had a way to get to and from his job. It really is an honor that a complete stranger would go out of their way for someone they have never met before.
People say that a smile can be passed from one person to another, but acts of kindness from strangers are even more so. This experience has had a spreading effect in our lives because it strengthened our faith in humanity（人性）as a whole. And it has influenced（影响）us to be more mindful of ways we, too, can share with others. No matter how big or how small, an act of kindness shows that someone cares. And the results can be everlasting.
41. Why was the bike so important to the couple?
A. The man’s job was bike racing. B. It was their only possession.
C. It was a nice Kona 18 speed. D. They used it for work and daily life.
42. We can infer from the text that ____________.
A. life was hard for the young family. B. people were busy before Christmas
C. the stranger brought over the bike D. the couple worked 60 hours a week
43. How did people get to know the couple’s problem?
A. From radio broadcasts. B. From a newspaper.
C. From TV news. D. From a stranger.
44. What do the couple learn from their experience?
A. Strangers are usually of little help. B. One should take care of their bike.
C. News reports make people famous. D. An act of kindness can mean a lot.
Americans eat breakfast and lunch quickly unless it is a social business or family occasion. The evening meal is usually longer and a time for families to gather together. Rushing through daytime meals is part of the fast pace in America. Another reason for rushing through daytime meals is that many people eat in restaurant that are usually crowded with people waiting for a place so that they can be served and return to work at the proper time. So each one hurried to make room for the next person. As there are busy people everywhere, there is a real difference with meals that are eaten in a hurry and those that can be enjoyed slowly with friends.What is NOT mentioned in the passage?
| A．What time Americans eat dinner. |
| B．Where Americans eat. |
| C．Why Americans eat in a hurry. |
| D．Which do meat Americans eat the most slowly. |
Americans hurry at meals because
| A．they want to eat dinner slowly. | B．they don’t like eating in restaurants. |
| C．they are very busy. | D．they don’t like to eat. |
According to the passage, the least busy time to eat in a restaurant would probably be .
| A．during the busy time | B．at lunch |
| C．at dinner | D．at either breakfast or lunch |
Do you know of anyone who uses the truth to deceive (欺骗)? When someone tells you something that is true, but leaves out important information that should be included, he can give you a false picture.
For example, some might say, “I just won a hundred dollars on the lottery (彩票). It was great. I took that dollar ticket back to the store and turned it in for one hundred dollars!”
This guy’s a winner, right? Maybe, maybe not. We then discover that he bought $200 worth of tickets, and only one was a winner. He’s really a big loser!
He didn’t say anything that was false, but he left out important information on purpose. That’s called a half-truth. Half-truths are not technically lies, but they are just as dishonest.
Some politicians often use this trick. Let’s say that during Governor Smith’s last term, her state lost one million jobs and gained three million jobs. Then she seeks another term. One of her opponents(对手) says, “During Governor Smith’s term, the state lost one million jobs!” that’s true. However, and honest statement would have been, “During Governor Smith’s term, the state had a net gain of two million jobs.”
Advertisers(广告商) will sometimes use half-truths. It’s against the law to make false statements so they try to mislead you with the truth. An advertisement might say, “Nine out of ten doctors advised their patients to take Yucky Pills to cure toothache.” It fails to mention that they only asked ten doctors and nine of them work for the Yucky Company.
This kind of deception happens too of often. It’s a sad fact of life: Lies are lies, and sometimes the truth can lie as well. How much did the lottery winner lose?
| A．One hundred dollars. | B．Two hundred dollars. |
| C．Three hundred dollars. | D．Four hundred dollars. |
We may infer that the author believes people should _______.
| A．buy lottery tickets | B．make use of half-truths |
| C．not take anything at face value | D．not trust the Yucky Company |
What do the underline words “net gain” in Paragraph 5 mean?
| A．final increase | B．big advantage |
| C．large share | D．total saving |
What can we know from the example of the Yucky Pill advertisement?
| A．False statements are easy to see through. | B．Half-truths are often used to mislead people. |
| C．Doctors like to act in advertisements. | D．Advertisements are based on facts. |
It is hardly surprising that clothing manufacturers (生产商)follow certain uniform standards for various features(特征)of clothes．What seems strange，however，is that the standard adopted for women is the opposite of the one for men．Take a look at the way your clothes button．Men’s clothes tend to button from the right, and women’s from the left．Considering most of the world’s population—men and women — are right-handed，the men’s standard would appear to make more sense for women．So why do women’s clothes button from the left?
History really seems to matter here．Buttons first appeared only on the clothes of the rich in the l7th century，when rich women were dressed by servants．For the mostly right-handed servants，having women’s shirts button from the left would be easier．On the other hand，having men’s shirts button from the fight made sense，too．Most men dressed themselves，and a sword drawn from the left with the right hand would be less likely to get caught in the shirt．
Today women are seldom dressed by servants，but buttoning from the left is still the standard for them．Is it interesting? Actually，a standard，once set，resists change．At a time when all women’s shirts buttoned from the left，it would have been risky for any single manufacturer to offer women’s shirts that buttoned from the right．After all，women had grown so used to shirts which buttoned from the left and would have to develop new habits and skills to switch．Besides，some women might have found it socially awkward to appear in public wearing shirts that buttoned from the fight，since anyone who noticed that would believe they were wearing men’s shirts．What is surprising about the standard of the clothing industry?
| A．It has been followed by the industry for over 400 years． |
| B．It is different for men’s clothing and women’s． |
| C．It works better with men than with women. |
| D．It fails to consider right-handed people． |
What do we know about the rich men in the 17th century?
| A．They tended to wear clothes without buttons． | B．They were interested in historical matters． |
| C．They were mostly dressed by servants． | D．They drew their swords from the left． |
Women’s clothes still button from the left today because _______.
| A．adopting men’s style is improper for women | B．manufacturers should follow standards |
| C．modern women dress themselves | D．customs are hard to change |
The passage is mainly developed by ________．
| A．analyzing causes | B．making comparisons |
| C．examining differences | D．following the time order |
Tiny tot’s big adventure：Super Baby，a multimedia children’s play co-produced by Beijing Children’s Art Theater and Yeowoobi Animation Company of South Korea，is running at Beijing’s Cultural Palace of Nationalities．
Adapted from a popular South Korean cartoon book by Korean writer Cho Soo Min，the play tells the story of the boy named Siqing，who sets out in search of adventure with his friend Weiwei，a dinosaur，and a panda to rescue his kidnapped grandfather．
In director Hang Cheng’s eyes，it is a story of hope，dreams and courage．
He says it is a Chinese interpretation of Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland，and Cheng hopes it could inspire the young audience members to love one another, treasure friendship and pursue their dreams．
Time：7：30pm，until August 26
Place：49 fuxingmen Neidajie Street，Xicheng District
Tel：400—810—1887．5905—9082
Lords of the rings：The Chinese Acrobatics Group，established in l950，will put on a performance that includes traditional acrobatics，circus，magic，old Beijing folk plays and more．
The show blends music, dance，local opera and martial arts with acrobatics．
Time：7：30pm，daily
Place：Tiandi Theater，Dongsi Shitiao，100 meters north of Poly Theater，Chaoyang District．
Tel：6416—9893
Fooling around：dashan is taking to the stage with the otherwise all-Chinese cast of Chaoji Bendan，or Super Idiot．The play is an adaptation of the famous French comedy，Le diner de Cons
(The dinner Game)．
Dashan，or Mark Rowswell，is a Canadian who became a household name and popular TV host who speaks superb Chinese．He plays the role of Pierre Brochant，a successful Parisian publisher．who attends a weekly “idiots” dinner．Each guest must bring along an“idiot” for the amusement of the other invitees．At the end of the dinner．the vevning’s “champion idiot” is selected．
Time：7：30pm，September 29—30
Place：Poly Theater，14 Dongzhimen Nandajie，Dongcheng District
Tel：6416—9990
Classic comeback：Chinese drama classic The Top Restaurant (Tianxia diyilou)will be staged by Beijing People’s Art theater．Written by He Jiping，the drama has been one of the most popular Chinese theatrical works performed by the renowned Beijing People’s Art Theater．It has been staged more than 400 times since the premiere．
Time：7：30pm．September 5～14
Place：Capital Theater，22 Wangfujing Dajie
Tel：6524—9847
Order now，you can get a 20％discount．More information，please click here.If you want to enjoy magic on Sunday，you can go to ___________.
| A．Red Theater | B．Tiandi Theater | C．Poly Theater | D．Capital Theater |
The advertisements are about “”．
| A．exhibitions | B．meetings | C．stage performances | D．western cultures |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Super Baby，a children’s play，is performing at Beijing’s Cultural Palace of Nationalities． |
| B．The Chinese Acrobatics Group can perform old Beijing folk plays． |
| C．Dashan is a popular TV host who speaks superb Chinese． |
| D．The Top Restaurant will be performed by He Jinping. |
This passage is most probably taken from _________．
| A．a textbooks | B．a magazine | C．a newspaper | D．a website |
Andy rode slowly on his way to school，day-dreaming about the fishing trip that his father had promised him．He was so busy dreaming about all the fish he would catch that he was unaware of everything else around him．
He rode along until a strange sound drew him to the present．He came to a stop and looked curiously up to the heavens．What he saw shocked and terrified him．A huge swarm of bees filled the sky like a black cloud and the buzzing mass seemed to be heading angrily towards him．
With no time to waste，Andy sped off in the opposite direction，riding furiously—but without knowing how to escape the swarm．With a rapidly beating heart and his legs pumping furiously，he sped down the rough road．As the bees came closer，his panic increased．Andy knew that he was sensitive to bee stings(蜇)．The last sting had landed him in hospital—and that was only one bee sting! He had been forced to stay in bed for two whole days．Suddenly．his father's words came to him．“When you are in a tight situation，don’t panic．Use your brain and think your way out of it．’’
On a nearby hill，he could see smoke waving slowly skywards from the chimney of the Nelson family home．“Bees don’t like smoke，” he thought．“They couldn’t get into the house．’’Andy raced towards the Nelson house，but the bees were gaining ground．Andy knew he could not reach the house in time．He estimated that the bees would catch up with him soon．
Suddenly，out of the corner of his eyes，he spotted a small dam used by Mr. Nelson to irrigate his vegetable garden．Off his bike and into the cool water he dived，disappearing below the surface and away from the savage insects．After holding his breath for as long as he could，Andy came up for air and noticed the bees had gone．Dragging himself out of the dam，he struggled up the hilly slope and rang the doorbell．Mrs. Nelson took him inside and rang his mother．
“You’ll really need that fishing break to help you recover，’’ laughed his mother with relief．“Thank goodness you didn’t panic!” But Andy did not hear her．He was dreaming once again of the fish he would catch tomorrow．Why did Andy fail to notice the swarm of bees earlier?
| A．He was riding to schoo1． | B．He was listening to a strange sound． |
| C．He was going fishing with his father． | D．He was lost in the thought of the fishing trip． |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned about the swarm of bees in the passage?
| A．They crowded like a black cloud． | B．They shocked and terrified Andy． |
| C．They tried to attack Andy in a mass． | D．They made Andy stay in hospital for two days． |
How did Andy avoid the bees in the end?
| A．He asked Mr. Nelson for help． | B．He hid himself under the water． |
| C．He rushed into the Nelson house． | D．He rode off in the opposite direction． |
Which of the following can best describe Andy’s escape from the bees?
| A．No pains，no gains． | B．Once bitten，twice shy． |
| C．Where there is a will, there is a way． | D．In time of danger，one’s mind works fast． |