Driving a car at a high speed along a highway seems to be fun. You need only to follow the bright traffic signs beside the highways and it will take you to where you wish. But to a London taxi driver, driving is not an easy job. A taxi driver has to have not only skills but also a good knowledge of the city of London, from the smaller road to the most popular bar around. He has to be at service of all kinds of passengers at all times.
A certain London taxi driver told of his job as follows.
During the night it is quite usual for him to stop two or three times for some refreshments (提神). He said, “I never drink when I’m working --- I would lose my license.”
He usually goes home between 2 and 3 o’clock in the night. There are times he has to stay longer and try to make more runs. He said, “That’s the worst thing about working for yourself. If you don’t make any money, no one is going to give it to you.”
London taxi drivers not only “take” but also “give”. Every summer hundreds of children from London will go for a day at the sea --- by taxi! Their rides are paid by the taxi drivers, and these all go to the “London Taxi for Underprivileged Children”. At the sea, they are met by the mayor (市长), and a lunch party is also held in honor of the taxi drivers and the children. After a happy day running around the sea beaches and visiting the markets, the children go home again --- by taxi, and free of charge (支出), of course!From the first paragraph, we can see that________.
| A．highways are developing very fast and there are more and more taxis. |
| B．it is easy to get to any place of the country now |
| C．it is fun to travel everywhere in a car |
| D．the writer wants to tell us that a London taxi driver has many difficulties in his driving |
It is not easy to be a taxi driver in London because ________.
| A．he has to know all the places in the city and serve all kinds of passengers at all the time |
| B．there is much traffic in London and people there like traveling by taxi |
| C．he has to follow the bright traffic sighs |
| D．although he works hard he earns little money |
The underlined phrase “Underprivileged Children” in the last paragraph is about the children ________.
| A．who have little knowledge |
| B．whose families are poor |
| C．who will go to sea |
| D．who like taking a taxi |
What is the passage about?
| A．Traffic in London. |
| B．London taxi for children |
| C．Taxi divers’ job in London. |
| D．Drivers disliking taxis in London |
My 6-year-old granddaughter Caitlin and I stopped at a shop for a chocolate cake. As we were going out of the door， a young teenage boy was coming in. The boy had no hair on the sides of his head and some blue hair on top. He held a skateboard under one arm and a basketball under the other.
Caitlin， who was walking in front of me， stopped when she saw the teen. I thought she’d be scared of him. I was WRONG. She backed up against the door and opened it as wide as it would go. I walked to the other side and let the boy pass. He said： “Thank you very much.”
On our way to the car， I talked with Caitlin about holding open the door for the boy. I wanted to make sure whether she was troubled by his appearance. But the only thing Caitlin noticed about the teen was the fact that his arms were full. “He would have had a hard time to open the door.”
I saw the shaved (剃光的) head and the blue hair. She saw a person carrying something under each arm and walking toward a closed door.
In the future， I hope to get on her level and raise my sights.What made Grandma feel uncomfortable?
| A．The skateboard under the teen’s arm. |
| B．The terrible taste of the chocolate cake. |
| C．The strange appearance of the teen. |
| D．The rude action of the teen. |
What surprised Grandma was that Caitlin .
| A．only noticed that the teen needed help |
| B．was also troubled by the hairstyle of the teen |
| C．had the same hobby as the teen |
| D．decided to make the same hairstyle as the teen |
From the article we can learn that Caitlin was .
| A．shy | B．warm-hearted | C．thankful | D．Brave |
Success does not belong to a select group of individuals(个人). Success belongs to those who are willing to go after it and try their best to do what they have to do. Here are some useful practical ways for you if you want to be a success.
Desire. Desire is the strong wish to achieve a goal. Without desire you have nothing. Before you can run with desire, your goal must be plain, clear, and it must also be exciting.
Show up. Seventy percent of success in life is showing up. You can’t have a best seller, if you have never written a book. You can’t get your dream job, if you’re afraid to turn in an application. Showing up doesn’t guarantee(保证) success, but if you don’t show up, you won’t succeed.
Fail. Unless you’re willing to have a try, fail unhappily, and have another try, success won’t happen. To have success you have to do things the right way, but often the only way to do something right is to first fail at it. As Thomas J. Watson said, a simple formula（公式）for success is to double your rate of failure (失败). So welcome failure, become a student of failure, learn from failure, and soon you will succeed.
Work Harder. Everyone runs, but everyone is not willing to run for an hour every day. Success is not about doing what the common person can’t do. It’s about doing what the common person is unwilling to do. And on a deeper level, it’s about creating habits that the common person is unwilling to create. It’s the habit of doing things with excellence that causes success.
Enjoy the Journey. Success is a journey, not a destination(终点). Success is not a certain car or a certain house or a certain happy marriage. Success is the enjoyment of the journey. You have to enjoy the journey.
Someone once said, “Unless you change how you are, you will always have what you’ve got.” You have to change…you will change, you will succeed.Which of the following is NOT mentioned in achieving success?
| A．Working hard. | B．Good education. |
| C．Strong desire. | D．Enjoying failure. |
What does the writer really mean by saying “Everyone runs, but everyone is not willing to run for an hour every day.” ?
| A．It’s not easy for people to develop their health. |
| B．You are sure to meet with some difficulty in your life. |
| C．Keeping working harder is necessary when you go after success. |
| D．Most people don’t want to spend too much time running. |
What does the writer mostly want to tell us in the fourth paragraph?
| A．Failure is the mother of success. |
| B．Many hands make light work. |
| C．Every dog has its day. |
| D．Actions speak louder than words. |
Which of the following is TRUE about success according to the passage?
| A．If you want to succeed, you should have special talents. |
| B．If you want to succeed, you’d better not show up. |
| C．Success is about doing what the common person can’t do. |
| D．Success means the enjoyment of your gain or loss on the journey. |
The best title of the passage might be_______________.
| A．The Importance of Success |
| B． The Meaning of Success |
| C．Success or Failure |
| D．The Five Main Steps to Success |
My best friend and I made our first trip to Ireland less than a year ago. I wasn’t very excited about it at the very beginning. But my uncle wanted me to visit Ireland and offered to pay for my trip. Then I did. All of the words “magical, charming and memorable” don’t even describe what Ireland is. Our favourites were Kilkenny, Cobh and Killarney. We did a self-driver tour.
We stayed in a castle in Dublin for two days, where my ancestors(祖先) came from. The town we thought we might be bored in was Kilkenny, but we loved every minute we were there. There were so many places to explore and the pictures we took were beautiful.
It was so exciting to see the little village of Cobh and know it was the last stop for the Titanic(a famous ship) at that time. We loved the visitor centre there and the little shops. We never got any bad food there. It was so mouth-watering at every stop! And when we stayed in Westmeath, we saw the Trim Castle through the windows and found some scenes from Brave Heart which was filmed there. We were so excited. Again, more beautiful pictures were taken in that tiny town.
We love the country, the people, the food and the magic. We would go back very soon. I was so thankful for my uncle who had given me the chance to be there.
I have no words to adequately describe our trip. Go, explore the small villages, eat and enjoy! I still look at my pictures and can’t believe I was actually there.What can we learn from the first paragraph?
| A．The writer showed great interest in visiting Ireland at first. |
| B．It was the first time for the writer to visit Ireland. |
| C．The writer went to Ireland with his uncle. |
| D．The car was driven by the writer’s uncle. |
Which of the following could best show that the writer was really interested in Kilkenny?
| A．There were so many strangers there to meet. |
| B．There were so many beautiful pictures there to take. |
| C．We thought we might be bored in Kilkenny. |
| D．We loved every minute we were there. |
What can we know from the third paragraph?
| A．The Titanic was filmed in Cobh. |
| B．The food in Cobh was delicious. |
| C．The writer knew nothing about Brave Heart. |
| D．The writer visited the Trim Castle alone. |
What does the underlined word “adequately” in the last paragraph mean?
| A．properly | B．strongly |
| C．warmly | D．surprisingly |
Where does the article most probably come from?
| A．A scientific fiction. | B．A tourist magazine. |
| C．A poem. | D．A poster. |
Dear Mom,
I’m sorry that I can’t go back home for Mother’s Day next week. On that day, I’ll have to go to an important meeting for my boss, who helps me a lot with my work and life here. But I’ll find time to see you at home soon.
Mom, thank you for everything you’ve done for Tim and me. After Dad died of a heart attack at home ten years ago in a road accident, you had to work in a supermarket in the daytime and in a restaurant at night. But you always gave us two your love and care. Though you don’t have to work now, I still remember your coming home and feeling tired many evenings.
Tim is going to finish his studies next month. He said he would move back from school and look for a job near home. I’m glad you won’t live by yourself any more. Let’s plan to take a trip in the near future. It’s been years since the three of us took a trip together.
Happy Mother’s Day. I love you, Mom.
Best wishes,
DavidWhat can we learn about David’s mother?
| A．She still works day and night. |
| B．She lives all by herself now. |
| C．She is making a plan to save money. |
| D．She used to be too busy to look after her children. |
What do we know from the letter?
| A．David has two brothers. |
| B．David is unhappy with his boss. |
| C．David has to work on Mother’s Day. |
| D．Tim will leave home for his job soon. |
Which of the following is mentioned in the letter?
| A．David’s father lost his life at work. |
| B．Tim will look for a teaching job. |
| C．David bought a gift for his mother. |
| D．David hopes to take a trip with his family. |
Mary has to get to school before 7:00 in the morning. On her way to school, where can she buy her breakfast?
| A．At Papa Marko’s. | B．At Apple Tree Bakery. |
| C．At Good Taste Fast Food. | D．At Winnie’s Sandwich Club. |
Yesterday was Mary’s eleventh birthday. Her parents took her to Winnie’s Sandwich Club for dinner. How much did they spend?
| A．$300. | B．$360. | C．$480. | D．$540. |