As a music teacher for twenty-seven years, I have always known that music touches the soul. It can break through all kinds of barriers 
to reach students in a very special way. It can b
e the means for each child to find their light.
A few years ago, I was blessed with the opportunity to teach pre-school students one afternoon a week. One of my most memorable students was Vanessa. She was five years old, 
had difficulty walking, and could not speak. We mostly sat on the floor for our music lessons and Vanessa liked to sit on my lap. One of her favorite songs was John the Rabbit. It was a call and response song where I sang the call and the students clapped two times while singing the repeating phrase, “Oh, yes!” Vanessa liked to put her hands together with mine and clap with me. We performed that song during every class, Vanessa and I clapping together. She never said or sang a word.
One day late in the school year, when the song was finished, Vanessa turned around, looked me in the eye, clapped her tiny hands two times and said the words “Oh, yes!” I opened my mouth and could not speak. Through music, we had made a connection.
Several years later, I came across Vanessa on the street in town. I stopped my car and waved to say hello. She waved back with a big smile on her face and then clapped her hands two times, mimicking(模仿) the song we had performed in our music class. This precious little girl, through her connection with music, left an impression on me that will last forever.
Every child has the ability to learn and grow. It is up to us educators to discover the way to reach each and every one of our students. We all must find each child’s light.The author thinks music ________.
| A．can make children calm down | B．can connect heart to heart |
| C．is difficult for pre-school students | D．is a good means to find a job |
According to the second paragraph, V
anessa ________.
| A．got used to singing songs | B．was too shy to speak |
| C．was the youngest in the class | D．enjoyed the author’s classes |
When Vanes
sa spoke the words “Oh, yes!”, the author felt ________.
| A．surprised | B．happy | C．frightened | D．satisfied |
What can we infer from the last two paragraphs?
| A．The author has been in touch with Vanessa for several years. |
B．Vanessa became as healthy as  other children. |
| C．The song made a deep impression on Vanessa. |
| D．Being a good educator became Vanessa’s dream.[ |
When Ann, a grade two student at a well-known school, was pestered (纠缠) by her classmates to join their group to steal from shops, she was shocked. She was a quiet, well-behaved girl and she did not understand why the girls had approached her.
They showed her some of the things they had stolen and said that shop theft was great fun and very exciting. Then they threatened to beat Ann if she did not join them.
Ann was deeply troubled. She did her best to avoid the group of the girls after classes, but they often waited for her outside the school and tried to persuade her to come with them.
This problem is one which many school students in Hong Kong face. We asked the chairman（主席） of the local-fight-crime committee（委员会） what Ann should do in these cases.
“First of all, she could try to talk the other girls out of the whole thing. Being caught stealing from shops could ruin their futures and it is simply not worth the risk,” he said.
“Young people may think that it is easy to get away with stealing from shops, but more and more stores now have plain clothes detectives who are dressed like customers. I would say shop thieves have a more than ninety percent possibility of being caught.
“If they won’t listen to her, Ann should turn to someone in charge in school, who can then decide if the matter can be dealt with by her.” From the first three paragraphs we can learn that ________.
| A．Ann didn’t know what to do with the case |
| B．Ann faced the group bravely |
| C．the group stole a lot of valuable things |
| D．the group were short of money |
The underlined part “talk the other girls out of the whole thing” in the fifth paragraph most probably means ________.
| A．discuss the possible result with them |
| B．tell them about their futures |
| C．persuade them to stop theft |
| D．warn them not to disturb her |
One of the suggestions to Ann is to ________.
| A．report the situation to the police |
| B．ask the local-fight-crime committee for advice |
| C．hire a detective to catch them |
| D．turn to her teacher for help |
The meaning of the word “volunteer” may be a little different in different countries, but it usually means “one who offers his or her services”．Volunteers don’t expect any kind of pay．
Tracy, a good friend of mine, however, recently came back from India with a new idea of what being a volunteer means．She worked for two and a half weeks in one of Mother Teresa’s homes in Calcutta．The following is her story．
“I watched a video（视频） about her．I was so moved by her spirit to help others and her endless love for every human being that, after I graduated from a high school, I wanted to try her kind of work．So with two friends I flew to Calcutta for a few weeks．”
“I was asked to work in a home for sick people．I helped wash clothes and sheets, and passed our lunch．I also fed the people who were too weak to feed themselves and tried to cheer them up．I felt it was better to share with them than to think that I have helped them．To be honest, I don’t think I was helping very much．It was then that I realized that I had not really come to help, but to learn about and experience another culture that helped improve my own understanding of life and the world．”Why did Tracy choose to be a volunteer?
| A．She liked to work with Mother Teresa． |
| B．She had already had some experience． |
| C．She was asked to do so by Teresa. |
| D．She wanted to follow Mother Teresa’s example． |
Tracy started her work as a volunteer _______．
| A．after she met Mother Teresa |
| B．after she finished high school |
| C．when she was touring Calcutta |
| D．when she was working in a hospital |
What is Tracy’s “new idea” of being a volunteer?
| A．Going abroad to help the sick． |
| B．Working in Mother Teresa’s home． |
| C．Doing simple things to help the poor． |
| D．Improving oneself through helping others． |
I made a pledge (誓言) to myself on the way down to the vacation seaside cottage(别墅). For two weeks I would try to be a loving husband and father. Totally loving. No ifs, ands or buts.
The idea had come to me as I listened to a talk on my car radio. The speaker was quoting a Biblical（圣经的）passage about husbands being thoughtful of their wives. Then he went on to say, “Love is an act of will. A person can choose to love.” To myself, I had to admit that I had been a selfish husband. Well, for two weeks that would change.
And it did. Right from the moment I kissed Evelyn at the door and said, “That new yellow sweater looks great on you.”
“Oh, Tom, you noticed.” she said, surprised and pleased. Maybe a little puzzled.
After the long drive, I wanted to sit and read. Evelyn suggested a walk along the seaside. I started to refuse, but then I thought, “Evelyn’s been alone here with the kids all week and now she wants to be alone with me.” We walked along the seaside while the children flew their kites.
So it went. Two weeks of not calling the Wall Street firm where I am a director; a visit to the shell museum though I usually hate museums. Relaxed and happy, that's how the whole vacation passed. I made a new pledge to keep on remembering to choose love.
There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment, however. Evelyn and I still laugh about it today. On the last night at our seaside cottage, preparing for bed, Evelyn stared at me with the saddest expression.
“What’s the matter?” I asked her.
“Tom,” she said in a voice filled with sadness, “do you know something I don’t?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well…that checkup（体检）I had several weeks ago…our doctor…did he tell you something about me？Tom, you’ve been so good to me…am I dying?”
It took a moment for it all to sink in. Then I burst out laughing.
“No, honey,” I said, hugging her in my arms. “You’re not dying; I’m just starting to live.” In the first paragraph, “No ifs, ands or buts” probably means “_________.”
| A．unconditionally | B．by chance |
| C．unfortunately | D．in advance |
During the two weeks on the beach, Tom showed more love to his wife because __________.
| A．she looked lovely in her new clothes |
| B．he had made a lot of money in his Wall Street firm |
| C．he was determined to be a good husband |
| D．she was seriously ill |
The author says, “There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment.” What was the one thing that went wrong?
| A．He praised her sweater, which puzzled her. |
| B．She insisted on visiting a museum, which he hated. |
| C．He knew something about her illness but didn’t tell her. |
| D．He was so good to her that she thought she must be dying. |
By saying “I’m just starting to live,” Tom means that __________.
| A．he is just beginning to understand the real meaning of life. |
| B．he is just beginning to enjoy life as a loving husband. |
| C．he lived an unhappy life before and is now starting to change. |
| D．he is beginning to feel regret for what he did to his wife before |
NASA has opened the door to the next generation of space discovery by announcing great plans for a base for humans to live on the surface of the moon forever.
The project to build a base on the moon will begin soon after 2020, with astronauts living there within four years.
The project comes after several excellent scientists and environmentalists asked humans to look beyond Earth to ensure the survival of the species (物种).
Eventually, the moon will be a base for humans to explore the solar system and one day land on Mars.
NASA began planning for the first moon landing since 1972 when George Bush, the US president, announced his new plan for space exploration four years ago.
NASA has already talked about the design of the Orion spacecraft that will replace the old space shuttle fleet in 2010.
The plan for the moon base, however, is the first detailed explanation of how NASA intends to prepare for the first manned exploration of deep space and a possible Mars mission within 30 years.
Scientists also believe that the south pole on the moon contain rich natural gases such as the rare helium-3 that could be used as fuel for the generation of nuclear power. Besides, teams of astronauts living there for six months at a time would mine for hydrogen and oxygen to make water and possibly rocket fuel.
| A．to protect Earth |
| B．to explore deep space |
| C．to finish Mars mission |
| D．to show how powerful the USA is |
| A．hydrogen | B．food | C．oxygen | D．water |
| A．the USA’s new plan for space exploration |
| B．how to build a base on the moon |
| C．why to ensure the survival of the species |
| D．where to get new natural resources |
Are you nervous about climbing because you think it's too dangerous? Do you feel you're not fit enough to climb? Do you know how to start climbing?
Let's consider the idea that climbing is dangerous．Being afraid is natural, but if you use suitable ropes and other climbing equipments you will feel completely safe．Climbers are usually very careful because they know what they are doing is dangerous．Accidents happen, but when they do, they tend to attract a lot of publicity．As a result, people think there are many more accidents than there are in reality．
You cannot expect to start climbing straight away．Climbing is a challenge and challenges take time．It is necessary first of all that you achieve a good level of fitness．Begin as soon as you become interested in climbing: go to the gym, go swimming, take up jogging and continue to do so throughout your training period．
Discover as much as you can about climbing．Visit the library and find book, especially for beginners or buy climbing magazines and look for articles which describe your situation．Look up information on the Internet．Find out about equipment, methods and places to go．
Next, take a course on a climbing wall．There are plenty of climbing walls all over the country which have trained and qualified people as instructors．Call your local leisure centre to find out if there is one in your area. These training sessions are a quick way to get experience and you are likely to meet other beginners. After this, you can do an outside course of joining a club where you can meet climbers of all abilities and eventually join in group-climbing events.
At first you may not understand the importance of a good training period, but after you have completed your first climb and you are standing safely at the top of a rock feeling thrilled, then you will know it was the right thing to do.
| A．a doctor | B．an experienced climber |
| C．a beginner | D．a fitness instructor |
| A．begin by becoming fit |
| B．have the courage to meet the challenges |
| C．be aware of the causes of the accidents |
| D．do enough sports to get interested in climbing |
| A．join a club you like |
| B．gain controlled experience |
| C．become qualified instructors |
| D．take part in group-climbing events |
| A．the climb | B．the training |
| C．the equipment | D．the achievement |