On November 19, 1863, Abraham Lincoln went to Gettysburg to speak at the National Soldiers Cemetery（公墓）. The Civil War was still going on. There was much criticism (批评) of President Lincoln at the time. He had been invited to speak at Gettysburg only out of politeness. The other speaker was to be Edward Everett, a famous statesman (政治家) and speaker of the day. Everett was a handsome man and very popular everywhere.
It is said that Lincoln prepared his speech on the train while going to Gettysburg. Later that night, alone in his hotel room and tired out, he again worked briefly on the speech. The next day Everett spoke first. His speech lasted an hour and 57 minutes and it was a perfect example of the day. Then Lincoln rose. The crowd of 15,000 people at first paid little attention to him. He spoke for only nine minutes. At the end there was little applause（掌声）. Lincoln turned to a friend and said, “I have failed again.”
Some newspapers at first criticized (批评) the speech. But little by little, as people read the speech, they began to like its simplicity（简洁）and its deep meaning. It was a speech which only Abraham Lincoln could have made.
Now everyone thinks of it as one of the greatest speeches ever given in American history. In 1863, Abraham Lincoln was __________________ in Gettysburg.
| A．warmly welcomed | B．unpopular | C．greatly praised | D．very polite |
Lincoln was invited to speak at the National Soldiers Cemetery because he was __________.
| A．a famous speaker of the day | B．very handsome and polite |
| C．President of the United States at the time | D．a popular statesman |
It can be inferred from the text that __________________________________.
| A．Lincoln had prepared his speech very carefully before he went to Gettysburg |
| B．Lincoln was very busy at the time and didn’t have much time to prepare his speech |
| C．Lincoln’s speech seemed to be a failure for the first time |
| D．Lincoln’s speech was a little shorter than Everett’s one |
Lincoln’s speech was __________________.
| A．an immediate success | B．not accepted at all |
| C．a total failure | D．not well-received at first |
Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?
| A．Lincoln’s speech has deep meaning though it is simple in style. |
| B．Neither Lincoln’s speech nor Everett’s was popular then. |
| C．Lincoln’s speech proved to be a great success later. |
| D．Everett’s speech was thought to be perfect at that time. |
Many facts suggest that children are overweight and the situation is getting worse, according to the doctors. I feel there are a number of reasons for this.
Some people blame the fact that we are surrounded by shops selling unhealthy, fatty foods, such as fried chicken and ice cream, at low prices. This has turned out a whole generation of grown-ups who seldom cook a meal for themselves. If there were fewer of these restaurants, then probably children would buy less take-away food.
There is another argument that blames parents for allowing their children to become overweight. I agree with this, because good eating habits begin early in life, long before children start to visit fast food shops. If children are given fried chicken and chocolate rather than healthy food, or are always allowed to choose what they eat, they will go for sweet and salty foods every time, and this will carry on throughout their lives.
There is a third reason for this situation. Children these days take very little exercise. They do not walk to school. When they get home, they sit in front of the television or their computers and play computer games. Not only is this an unhealthy pastime（消遣）, it also gives them time to eat more unhealthy food．What they need is to go outside and play active games or sports.
The above are the main reasons for this problem, and therefore we have to encourage young people to be more active, as well as steering them away from fast food shops and bad eating habits.According to the text, what kind of children may eat more unhealthy food?
| A．Those who often take exercise. |
| B．Those who often watch television. |
| C．Those who often have meals at home. |
| D．Those who often walk to school. |
The author thinks that children are becoming overweight because
| A．their parents often cook meals for them |
| B．they are too busy to go out and play |
| C．they can' t choose what to eat |
| D．there are too many fast food shops around |
The word "steering" underlined in the last sentence most probably means _______.
| A．forcing | B．guiding | C．driving | D．moving |
The main purpose of the text is to _________.
| A．tell a story | B．provide facts | C．give advice | D．compare opinions |
The passengers on the subway who caught a glimpse of me may have thought I was strange. In particular a gentleman sitting opposite me was always staring at me, looking at the cheese bread on the floor in front of me and then staring back at me. A passenger probably dropped it by mistake and got off at a previous stop, but the gentleman might not think so. “Next stop, St. Patrick Station” — my stop was quickly coming up. I had few minutes to either take the cheese bread, which nobody else was claiming, or left it there.
In those few minutes I felt my pride getting in the way. “What would others on the subway think of me if I took the cheese bread? Would they think that I was poor and hungry? Would they think that I was stealing?” The ignorant thing to do was say “yes” to any of those self-imposed questions. Actually, they were just my own thoughts. Though I would leave the subway, walk a block to my office, get settled at my desk, and sit comfortably in my office for the whole day, I couldn’t get rid of the enormous sense of guilt and regret.
My thoughts once pushed me towards pride and ignorance, but finally I had to admit I was wrong. This missing cheese bread could be a gift for a homeless person who suffered from cold and hunger. So why not overcome a little bit of my pride and pass along so much kindness?
Just as the doors opened at my stop, I grabbed the cheese bread and left the subway. It felt awesome, but I didn’t care if people were looking at me or what they were thinking. Instead of going directly to my office as usual, I walked a few more blocks up to Queen’s park, where I often saw a homeless man sitting outside. I always wanted to give him something, but only today I walked toward him, who wrapped himself in a sleeping bag. I was full of satisfaction, and so did the homeless man, I thought.The gentleman kept staring at the author because _______.
| A．he wanted to talk to the author |
| B．the author appeared too nervous |
| C．the author was going to get off |
| D．he might think the author dropped the bread |
The underlined word “self-imposed” in paragraph 2 probably means “_______”.
| A．easily obtained | B．deliberately created |
| C．strongly supported | D．completely unaccepted |
Why did the author grab the cheese bread when he got off?
| A．He noticed that no one was looking at him. |
| B．He didn’t want to see the cheese bread to go to taste. |
| C．He valued kindness more than his own pride. |
| D．He remembered a homeless man at that very moment. |
Helen Thomas, born on August 4, 1920, is a famous news reporter, a Hearst Newspapers columnist, and member of the White House Press Corps. She served for fifty-seven years as a correspondent and White House bureau chief for United Press International (UPI). She is called “First Lady of the Press”.
Born in Kentucky, Helen Thomas was raised in Detroit, Michigan where she attended public schools and later graduated from Wayne State University. Upon leaving college, Helen served as a copy girl in an old company in Washington. In 1943, Ms. Thomas joined United Press International and the Washington Press Corps. Thomas served as president of the Women’s National Press Club from 1959 to 1960.
In November, Helen began covering then President-elect John F. Kennedy, following him to the White House in January 1961 as a UPI correspondent. She later became White House Bureau Chief for UPI, where she was employed until her resignation on May 17, 2000. Thomas then became a White House correspondent and columnist.
Thomas was the only woman journalist traveling with then President Nixon to China in January, 1972. She has traveled around the world several times with Presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, and Clinton, during the course of which she covered every Economic Summit. The World Almanac has cited her as one of the 25 Most Influential Women in America.
On March 21, 2006, Thomas was called upon directly by President Bush for the first time in three years. Thomas asked Bush about Iraq. Helen Thomas has written four books and she is also a popular speaker at events nationwide.What’s the correct order of the events?
a. Thomas joined the UPI and the Washington Press Corps.
b. Thomas traveled with President Nixon to China.
c. Thomas served as president of the Women’s National Press Club.
d. Thomas resigned.
e. Thomas was called upon by President Bush.
f. Thomas became a White House correspondent and a columnist.
| A．a, b, c, d, e, f | B．a, c, b, d, f, e | C．a, c, b, d, e, f | D．a, d, e, f, c, b |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Thomas made speeches about events nationwide. |
| B．Thomas has written four books. |
| C．Thomas covered every Economic Summit when traveling with US presidents. |
| D．Thomas became a correspondent after she graduated from the university. |
From the passage, we can conclude that Thomas is a _____ woman.
| A．courageous | B．ambitious | C．successful | D．stubborn |
After reading the passage it can be inferred that ___.
| A．Thomas worked in the White House for 57 years. |
| B．Thomas is the most influential woman in America |
| C．President Bush received Thomas once in his term. |
| D．Thomas has traveled around the world with Nixon, Carter, Reagan, Bush, and Clinton. |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．The First Lady of the Press—Helen Thomas |
| B．A Successful News Reporter—Helen Thomas |
| C．Life Experience of Helen Thomas |
| D．Helen Thomas and Her Career |
To many basketball fans in Taiwan, the William Jones Cup or the Basketball Association may be their sweetest memory. But if you ask them, “What’s the hottest basketball event now?” There is the only answer: HBL, the High School Basketball League.
Founded in 1988, the HBLwas at first just a high school basketball tournament. After the Taipei School Sport Federation took charge in 1996 and renamed it HBL, everything changed. The Federation decided to co-operated with Nike, the well-known sportswear manufacturer, and use its experience in marketing to promote the game.
The HBL started with 129 teams; today there are more than 250. no longer just of interest to the players, it’s now Taiwan’s biggest basketball event. Fellow students, alumni (男毕业生，男校友), and sports fans all over Taiwan cheer for their favorite teams. At last year’s finals, Taipei and Kaohsiung mayors came to cheer for their teams.
The HBL starts in September with qualifying and preliminary(预备的，初步的) rounds and continues through April of the following year, when the finals are held. Broadcasting the games on television has helped make the HBL a wildly popular event. It’s become the place to spot young basketball talent. Today’s HBL players are tomorrow’s professionals.
Recent HBL tournaments have been very competitive, with no one school taking the advantage. This wide-open quality of the tournament makes it more exciting. Everyone wants to see how this year’s games will come out. HBL fever just keeps getting hotter. What is the hottest event in the eyes of most basketball fans in Taiwan?
| A．HBL | B．The William Jones Cup |
| C．The Basketball Association | D．NBA |
What was it that helped to make the High School Basketball League wildly popular to the public?
| A．The co-operation with Nike, the well-known sportswear manufacturer. |
| B．Broadcasting the games on television. |
| C．Taipei and Kaohsiung mayors’ coming to cheer for their teams at last year’s finals. |
| D．Many tomorrow’s professionals’ joining. |
Why does the writer say“Recent HBL tournaments have been very competitive”?
| A．Because there isn’t a school taking the advantage. |
| B．Because HBL fever just keeps getting hotter. |
| C．Because it’s become the place to spot young basketball talent. |
| D．Because the Taipei School Sport Federation took charge of it. |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Today’s Players---Tomorrow’s Professionals |
| B．The High School Basketball League of Taiwan |
| C．The Basketball Fans in Taiwan |
| D．HBL Fever---Just Keeping Getting Hotter |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
| A．At first, the HBL was no more than a high school football ball tournament. |
| B．It was the successful co-operation with Nike, the well-known sportswear manufacturer that changed everything of HBL. |
| C．Many of the mayors came to cheer for their teams during the event. |
| D．Everyone wants to see how the teams will come out to take part in the games. |
There are two ways to save money traveling. The first way is to get the best deals on the specific things you want. There is a limitation to this type of approach (途径，方法) though. If you find the lowest price on the best hotel in Honolulu at the height of the season, you will save money, but still have a very expensive vacation. Trying to get exactly what you want will generally be an expensive proposition, in travel and in life.
The other approach is to be a true opportunist. This will be difficult for some of you, and entirely unacceptable to others. Nonetheless (尽管如此)，the travelers who get to travel the most, go to the widest variety of places, learn the most and do the most, are the opportunists. This will be true until you are so wealthy that you have no monetary (货币的；钱的)limits.
The first time I went to Ecuador, I went there because it was cheap. If it wasn’t, I would have had a great time—somewhere else. The trip lasted a month, and cost $1045, which included airfare and even the $130 fee for a guide to take me to the top or glacier (冰川) covered Mount Chimborazo.
I cut the cost by taking a bus from my home in Michigan to Miami, and back again when I returned from Ecuador. The round-trip ticket cost $158. The round-trip flight to Quito from Miami was only $256, because it was a courier (信使，通讯员) flight, which meant I signed for some luggage(car parts), and could only take carry-on luggage.
Never did I feel deprived, or bored. I had a great time, eating wherever it was cheap and clean, doing all sorts of inexpensive, but interesting things, and traveling across the country to climb Chimborazo. I also met and fell in love with my wife Ana.
Being an opportunist means you’ll have just as much variety, and probably almost everything you want—eventually. You just have to stop trying to get exactly what you want exactly when you want it. If the guide that took me up Chimborazo hadn’t dropped his price from $200 to $130, I would have spent $2 for a bus and gone hiking on EI Altar, another great Andean mountain. That would have left me with enough money for several other minor adventures.The underlined phrase “the best deals” in the first paragraph probably refers to ______.
| A．the best service | B． the lowest price |
| C．the cheapest goods | D． the best approaches |
The return tickets from his hometown to Quito cost the author ______.
| A．$128 | B． $256 | C． $207 | D． $414 |
The last paragraph was to tell us how to ______.
| A．save money for minor adventures |
| B．cut down traveling costs. |
| C．deal with different situations |
| D．become opportunist travelers |
It’s suggested that the author _____.
| A．went hiking on El Altar |
| B．traveled with his wife in Ecuador |
| C．is an opportunist traveler |
| D．likes traveling around the world |
Which of the following can serve as the best title of the passage?
| A．Cheap Travel Secrets | B． Travel Secrets |
| C．A Travel Opportunist | D． Travel Tips |