A butcher watching over his shop was really surprised when he saw a dog coming inside the shop. He went over to the dog and noticed it had a note in its mouth. He took the note and it read “Can I have 12 sausages and a leg of lamb, please. The dog has money in his mouth, as well.”
The butcher looked carefully and was surprised to find that there was really a ten-dollar note there. So he took the money and put the sausages and lamb in a bag, placing it in the dog’s mouth. The butcher was so impressed, and since it was about closing time, he decided to shut up shop and follow the dog.
So off he went. He followed the dog to a bus stop. The dog stopped and started looking at the timetable. The dog checked out the time, and then sat on one of the seats provided. Along came a bus. The dog walked around to the front, looked at the number, and went back to its seat. Another bus came. Again the dog went around to the front, looked at the number and climbed on. The butcher, by now, open-mouthed, followed it onto the bus.
The bus traveled through the town and out into the suburbs. Eventually the dog got up, and moved to the front of the bus. It stood on two back paws and pushed the button to stop the bus. Then it got off with groceries still in its mouth.
Well, the dog and the butcher were walking along the road, and then the dog turned into a house. It walked up the path, and dropped the groceries on the step. Then it walked back down the path, took a big run, and threw itself against the door. Then again, it threw himself against it. There’s no answer at the house. so the dog waited at the door.
The butcher watched as a big guy opened the door, and started shouting at it. The butcher ran up, and stopped the guy. “Why do you shout at the dog? It is really a genius.” The guy responded, “You call this clever? This is the second time this week that this stupid dog’s forgotten its key.”Which may be the best title of the passage?
| A．A clever dog. | B．A curious butcher. |
| C．A cruel owner. | D．A second lost key. |
Why was the butcher surprised when he saw the dog?
| A．Because there was a note in the dog’s mouth. |
| B．Because a dog was not supposed to come into his shop alone. |
| C．Because the dog was not afraid of being butchered. |
| D．Because the dog could read. |
The passage implies that _________.
| A．dogs are cleverer than man |
| B．dogs are our best friend |
| C．the butcher is a cruel person |
| D．some people are never satisfied with what they have got |
The dog threw itself against the door, because _________.
| A．it wanted to force the door open |
| B．it wanted its owner to open the door |
| C．it wanted to punish itself for forgetting the key |
| D．it wanted to get the butcher’s help |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．The butcher was curious so he followed the dog. |
| B．The dog didn’t get on the first bus because it was the wrong number. |
| C．To get off the bus, you should let the driver know by pressing the button. |
| D．The dog would be driven away by the big guy. |
It seems that some people go out of their way to get into trouble. That’s more or less what happened the night that Nashville Police Officer Floyd Hyde was on duty.
“I was on the way to a personal-injury accident in West Nashville. As I got onto Highway 40, blue lights and sirens（警笛）going, I fell in behind a gold Pontiac Firebird that suddenly seemed to take off quickly down the highway. The driver somehow panicked at the sight of me. He was going more than a hundred miles an hour and began passing cars on the shoulder.”
But Hyde couldn’t go after him. Taking care of injured people is always more important than worrying about speeders, so the officer had to stay on his way to the accident. But he did try to keep the Firebird in sight as he drove, hoping another nearby unit would be able to step in and stop the speeding car. As it turned out, keeping the Firebird in sight was not that difficult. Every turn the Pontiac made was the very turn the officer needed to get to the accident scene.
Hyde followed the Pontiac all the way to his destination （目的地）. At that point he found another unit had already arrived at the accident scene. His help wasn’t needed. Now he was free to try to stop the driver of the Firebird, who by this time had developed something new to panic about.
“Just about that time,” Hyde says, “I saw fire coming out from under that car, with blue smoke and oil going everywhere. He’d blown his engine. Now he had to stop.”
“After I arrested him, I asked him why he was running. He told me he didn’t have a driver’s license（执照）.”
That accident cost the driver of the Firebird plenty － a thousand dollars for the new engine－ not to mention the charges for driving without a license, attempting to run away, and dangerous driving.
63. The meaning of “panicked” in Paragraph 2 is related to _____.
A. shame B. hate C. anger D. fear
64. Why did the driver of the Firebird suddenly speed down the highway?
A. Because he was racing with another driver on the road.
B. Because he realized he had to hurry to the accident scene.
C. Because he thought the police officer wanted to stop him.
D. Because he wanted to overtake other cars on the shoulder.
65. Which of the following statements is true?
A. Someone else was taking care of the injured person.
B. The Pontiac reached its destination at the accident scene.
C. Hyde knew where he was going by following the right car.
D. The policeman was running after a speeder on Highway 40.
66. The driver of the Firebird ______.
A. took a wrong turn on the way
B. had some trouble with his car
C. was stopped by the police officer
D. paid for the expenses of the accident
67. What is probably the best title for the article?
A. Losing His Way? B. Going My Way?
C. Fun All the Way? D. Help on the Way?
Like many lovers of books, Mary and her husband, Richard Goldman, seldom walked past a bookstore without stopping to look inside. They often talked of opening their own store one day.
When Mary was hospitalized with heart trouble in 1989, they decided it was time to get serious. Richard, who worked for a business company, was eager to work for himself, and Mary needed to slow down from her demanding job.
They started by talking to bookstore owners and researching the industry. “We knew it had to be a specialty store because we couldn’t match the big chains dollar for dollar,” says Mary. One figure caught her attention: She’d read somewhere that roughly 20 percent of books sold were mysteries （推理小说）, and many buyers spent more $300 a year on books. She and Richard were themselves mystery readers.
On Halloween 1992, they opened the Mystery Lovers Bookshop and Café near their home. With three children in college, the couple could not spend all the family’s money to start a shop. To cover the $100,000 cost, they drew some of their savings, borrowed from relatives and from an bank.
The store merely broke even in its first year, with only $120,000 in sales. But Mary was always coming up with new ways to attract customers. The shop had a coffee bar and it offered gifts to mystery lovers and served dinners for book clubs that met in the store. She also invited dozens of writers to discuss their stories.
Today Mystery Lovers makes sales of about $420,000 a year. After paying taxes, business costs and the six part-time sales clerks, Richard and Mary together earn about $34,000.
“The job you love may not go hand in hand with a million-dollar income,” says Richard. “This has always been about an enjoyable life for ourselves, not about making a lot of money.”
72．When Mary was in hospital, the couple realized that ____.
A. they had to put their plan into practice
B. health was more important than wealth
C. heart trouble was a serious illness
D. they both needed to stop working
73．After Mary got well from her illness they began _____.
A. to study industrial management
B. to buy and read more mystery books
C. to do market research on book business
D. to work harder to save money for the bookstore
74．How did their bookstore do in the first year?
A. They had to borrow money to keep it going.
B. They made just enough to cover all the costs.
C. They succeeded in earning a lot of money.
D. They failed though they worked hard.
75．According to Richard, the main purpose of running the bookstore is _____.
A. to pay for their children’s education
B. to get to know more writers
C. to set up more bookstores
D. to do what they like to do
Rome had the Forum. London has Speaker’s Corner. Now always-on-the-go New Yorkers have Liz and Bill.
Liz and Bill, two college graduates in their early 20s, have spent a whole year trying to have thousands of people talk to them in subway stations and on busy street comers. Just talk.
Using a 2-foot-tall sign that says, "Talk to Me," they attract conversationalists, who one evening included a mental patient, and men in business suits.
They don't collect money. They don't push religion （宗教）. So what's the point?
"To see what happens," said Liz. "We simply enjoy life with open communication（交流）."
Shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks, they decided to walk from New York City to Washington, a 270-mile trip. They found they loved talking to people along the way and wanted to continue talking with strangers after their return.
"It started as a crazy idea," Liz said. "We were so curious about all the strangers walking by with their life stories. People will talk to us about anything: their jobs, their clothes, their childhood experiences, anything."
Denise wanted to talk about an exam she was about to take. She had stopped by for the second time in two days, to let the two listeners know how it went.
Marcia had lest her husband to a serious disease. "That was very heavy on my mind,” Marcia said. "To be able to talk about it to total strangers was very good," she explained.
To celebrate a year of talking, the two held a get-together in a city park for all the people they had met over the past year. A few hundred people showed up, as well as some television cameramen and reporters.
They may plan more parties or try to attract mare people to join their informal talks. Some publishers have expressed interest in a book, something they say they'll consider.
56. What did Liz and Bill start doing after September 2001?
A. Chatting with people.
B. Setting up street signs.
C. Telling stories to strangers.
D. Organizing a speaker's comer.
57. What they have been doing can be described as______.
A. pointless B. normal C. crazy D. successful
58. Why are Denise and Marcia mentioned in the text?
A. They knew Liz and Bill very well.
B. They happened to meet the writer of the text.
C. They organized the get-together in the city park.
D. They are examples of those who talked to Liz and Bill.
59. What will Liz and Bill do in the future?
A. Go in for publishing.B. Do more television programs.
C. Continue what they are doing. D. Spend more time reading books.
60. How do they like the idea of writing a book?
A. They have decided to wait a year or two.
B. They will think about it carefully.
C. They agreed immediately.
D. They find it hard to do that.
Reading to dogs is an unusual way to help children improve their literacy skills（读写能力）. With their shining brown eyes, wagging tails, and unconditional love, dogs can provide the nonjudgmental listeners needed for a beginning reader to gain confidence（自信心）, according to Intermountain Therapy Animals（ITA）in Salt Lake City. The group says it is the first program in the country to use dogs to help develop literacy in children, with the introduction of Reading Education Assistance Dogs （READ）.
The Salt Lake City Public Library is sold on the idea. “Literacy specialists admit that children who read below the level of their fellow pupils are often afraid of reading aloud in a group, often have lower self-respect, and regard reading as a headache,” said Lisa Myron, manager of the children’s department.
Last November the two groups started “Dog Day Afternoon” in the children’s department of the main library. About 25children attended each of the four Saturday-afternoon classes, reading for half an hour. Those who attended three of the four classes received a “pawgraphed” book at the last class.
The program was so successful that the library plans to repeal it in April, according to Dana Thumpowsky, public relations manager.
59．What is mainly discussed in the text?
A．Children’s reading difficulties. B．Advantages of raising dogs.
C．Service in public library. D．A special reading program.
60．Specialists use dogs to listen to children reading because they think__________.
A．dogs are young children’s best friends
B．children can play with dogs while reading
C．dogs can provide encouragement for shy children
D．children and dogs understand each other
61．By saying “The Salt Lake City Public Library is sold on the idea”, the writer means the library ______________.
A．uses dogs to attract children B．accepts the idea put forward by ITA
C．has opened a children’s department D．has decided to train some dogs
62．A “pawgraphed” book is most probably _________.
A．a book used in Saturday classes B．a book written by the children
C．a prize for the children D．a gift from parents
"My kids really understand solar and earth-heat energy," says a second-grade teacher in Saugus, California. "Some of them are building solar collectors for their energy course." These young scientists are part of City Building Educational Program (CBEP), a particular program for kindergarten through twelfth grade that uses the stages of city planning to teach basic reading, writing and math skills, and more.
The children don't just plan any city. They map and analyze (分析) the housing, energy, and transportation requirements of their own district and foretell its needs in 100 years. With the aid of an architect ( 建筑师) who visits the classroom once a week, they invent new ways to meet these needs and build models of their creations. "Designing buildings of the future gives children a lot of freedom," says the teacher who developed this program. "They are able to use their own rich imagination and inventions without fear of blame, because there are no wrong answers in a future context. In fact, as the class enters the final model-building stage of the program, an elected ‘official’ and ‘planning group’ make all the design decisions for the model city, and the teacher steps back and becomes an adviser."
CBEP is a set of activities, games and imitations that teach the basic steps necessary for problem-solving: observing, analyzing, working out possible answers, and judging them based on the children's own standards.
63. The Program is designed _____.
A. to direct kids to build solar collectors
B. to train young scientists for city planning
C. to develop children's problem-solving abilities
D. to help young architects know more about designing
64. An architect pays a weekly visit to the classroom ______.
A. to find out kids’ creative ideas B. to discuss with the teacher
C. to give children lecturesD. to help kids with their program
65. Who is the designer of the program?
A. An official. B. An architect. C. A teacher. D. A scientist.
66. The children feel free in the program because______.
A. they can design future buildings themselves B. they have new ideas and rich imagination
C. they are given enough time to design models D. they need not worry about making mistakes