"Shark on the bait （诱饵） !" shouted Andre Harman, pointing to a spot a few yards behind the outboard motors． His voice gave no indication of panic, but the crew suddenly became tense and fixed their eyes on the water． Slowly, smoothly, Andre drew in the bait．The shark followed． No one asked what kind of shark it was． Everything about it, from its color to its shape, tells that it was a great white shark．
Andre lifted the bait aboard． Placing himself between the two motors, he dropped his right hand into the water just as the great head reached the first motor．“My goodness Andre!” I said． His hand seized the big nose, moving it away from the tube of the motor, guiding the shark's head up as it rose out of the water． Andre's hand held the nose, touching it gently． No one spoke． No one breathed． The moment seemed endless． In fact, it lasted less than five seconds before Andre pulled his hand back．
Still nobody spoke． Then Andre smiled and said: "The first time was an accident． I was just trying to move the shark away from the motor． Sharks are attracted to motors by r．heir electrical signals and have a habit of biting them to see if they are eatable． " Andre has worked with great white sharks for years． "My hand landed on its nose, and it sort of paused, so I kept it there, and when I did let go, the shark bit and bit as if it was searching for whatever it was that had attracted it．"
Nearly every encounter （遭遇） we had had with the great whites had been totally illogical． The more we learned, the more we realized how little was really known about them in the past years． Back then, it was generally accepted that great whites ate people by choice． Now we know that almost every attack on a human is an accident in which the shark mistakes a human for its normal food． Back then, we thought that once a great white smelt blood, it would lead to death． Now we know that nearly three-quarters of bite victims survive, perhaps because the shark recognizes that is has made a mistake and doesn't return for a second bite．The author said, "My goodness! Andre ! " when ________．
| A．Andre was about to fall into the water |
| B．Andre was about to touch the shark |
| C．Andre was followed by the shark |
| D．Andre was bitten by the shark |
What does the author think of the encounters with great whites________.
| A．Exciting． | B．Educational． |
| C．Frightening | D．Reasonable |
Most bite victims survive in shark attacks because________.
| A．they are taught how to fight off sharks |
| B．sharks discover they are no threats |
| C．they manage to swim to safety |
| D．sharks stop attacking them |
Chuck was thirteen when he came home from the hospital. He came home not because he was getting better but because he wanted to be with people he knew and loved when he died. I came by the house to visit him and his family several times a week during his treatment. On most of my visits, Chuck was very weak. But the last time I saw him alive, he was awake. “I have got something for you.” He pulled out a piece of crumpled (弄皱的) paper from under his pillow. “I want you to give this to my mom and dad after I die. You’ll know when it’s right, I guess, won’t you?”
“What is it?” I asked. “It’s a list of all the fun we had, and all the happy time when we laughed.” I almost gasped in great surprise.
“Like what?” I asked quietly, trying to regain my calmness.
“Like the time when Mom, Dad, Chrissie, Linda and me were dressed up as fruits and Dad was driving us to a costume party. Dad was a bunch of grapes and I was an apple, and the others were different things like bananas and pears.”
And a policewoman pulled Dad over for speeding. When the policewoman came up to the car, she looked and started laughing so hard that she could hardly stand up. And we all started laughing and she said, “Where are you all heading — a salad bar?
” Dad said he was sorry to be speeding, but his kids were getting so ripe（成熟的） that they were starting to draw flies. And she laughed till she had to take off her dark glasses and wiped tears from her eyes.”
Chuck laughed and so did I. The list was full of laughing and fun. What a wonderful gift, I thought.Why did Chuck go home from
the hospital?
| A．He had been cured by the doctors. |
| B．He got better and better. |
| C．He missed his friends and teachers. |
| D．He wanted to be with people who he knew and loved when he died. |
What did Chuck write on the list?
| A．What to do after his death. | B．His thoughts about fear, anger and disappointment. |
| C．What to do before his death. | D．All the happy time he had with his family. |
Why did the policewoman laugh when she looked into the car?
| A．Because she mistook the children for fruits. |
| B．Because she saw some flies around the children. |
| C．Because she was frightened. |
| D．Because the children were dressed in a funny way. |
The underlined expression “pulled Dad over” probably here means “________”.
| A．stopped Dad | B．punished Dad |
| C．put Dad into prison | D．knocked Dad down |
There is a boy called Bill in my gym class who has unbearably yellow teeth that almost make everyone feel unpleasant．Recently another boy told Bill that he should "go Ajax" his teeth．Bill was crushed．If the other boy had been thinking, he would have realized that there is a better way to handle such a situation．He could have dealt with it with tact．He could have showed this hurtful truth in a more careful, sensitive way—that's "tact"．
If a person isn't sensitive to another's feelings, there is no way he or she can be tactful．Yesterday, my 5-year-old brother proudly announced that he had cleaned the screen on our television set．Unfortunately, he used furniture polish, which produced an oily film on the television screen．My mother smiled arid thanked him for his efforts—and then showed how to clean the screen properly．Her sensitivity enables my brother to keep his self-respect．Yet, sensitivity alone does not make tact．
"Tactfulness" also requires "truthfulness"．Doctors, for example must be truthful．If a patient has just been disabled in an accident, a tactful doctor will tell the truth—but express it with sensi
tivity．The doctor may try to give the patient hope by telling them curing techniques under study or about advanced equipment now available．Doctors must use tact with patients' relatives as well．Instead of bluntly saying, "Your husband is disabled," a doctor might say, "I'm sorry, but your husband has lost feeling in his legs and．．．"
Tact should not be confused with trickery．Trickery occurs when a nurse is about to give a patient an injection（注射） and says, "This won't hurt a bit．" Instead of trickery, the nurse might guarantee the patient that the discomfort of the injection is a small thing compared to the benefits of it．It would also be thoughtful for the nurse to tell the patients about some of these benefits．
Tact is a wonderful skill to have, and tactful people are usually admired and respected．Without tact our society would become an intolerable place to live in．The underlined word "crushed" in the first paragraph probably means____．
| A．surprised | B．cheated | C．regretful | D．painful |
According to the author, his mother's praise for the brother is ____．
| A．sensitive and tactful | B．sensitive but not tactful enough |
| C．truthful but not tactful enough | D．sensitive but trickish |
Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?
（The numbers stand for the paragraphs）
A single night of taking the drug Ecstasy (摇头丸) can cause serious brain damage and speed up the start of Parkinson’s disease, scientists say. Just two or three Ecstasy tablets can permanently destroy brain cells that affect movement and reasoning, according to American research that links the drug to Parkinson’s for the first time.
A study by a team at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, involving squirrel monkeys and baboons (狒狒) found that both species suffered permanent damage to key cells, which are lost in Parkinson’s, after receiving three low doses（剂量）of Ecstasy at three-hour periods.
The study is particularly important because baboons are one of the best animal models for the human brain. George Ricaurte, who led the research, said that the widespread abuse of drug might have caused severe damage. “The most troubling result is that young adults using Ecstasy may be increasing their risk of developing Parkinsonism as they get older.”
Alan Leshner, a former director of the US National Institute on Drug Abuse, said, “This study emphasizes the multi-aspect damage that Ecstasy causes to users. We’ve long known that repeated use damages brain cells. But this study shows that even very occasional use can have long-lasting effects on many different brain systems. It sends an important message to young people: don’t experiment with your own brain.”
Janet Betts, a mother whose teenage daughter Leah died after a single Ecstasy tablet in 1995, said, “This comes as no surprise. But people can’t see the effects at first, and they say it won’t happen to them. We’ll see the symptoms later, just as we have with s
moking.” The article is intended to ______.
| A．explain the bad effects of drugs on people’s health |
| B．warn young people of the risk of taking the drug Ecstasy |
| C．persuade people out of such bad habits as smoking and using drugs |
| D．tell us the links between the drug Ecstasy and Parkinson’s disease |
We know from the passage that a low dose of Ecstasy ______.
| A．won’t cause serious brain damage |
| B．can permanently destroy one’s brain cells |
| C．will result in immediate symptoms |
| D．may bring on Parkinson’s at once |
Why are squirrel monkeys and baboons involved in the experiments?
| A．Because their brain is similar to human being’s. |
| B．Because these animals usually take drugs. |
| C．Because these animals will soon get well after the experiment. |
D．Because there is a  model in the animals’ brains. |
The underlined word “This” in the last paragraph probably means that ______.
| A．Leah died after a single Ecstasy tablet in 1995 |
| B．taking drug has the same symptoms as smoking |
| C．occasional use of the drug can have long-lasting effects on the brain systems |
D．people have long known that re peated use of the drug damages brain cells |
Two Chinese farmers who became an overnight sensation(轰动)when their heart-rendingversion of a famous pop song appeared on the Internet took to the stage in front of thousands offans in Shanghai last Saturday.
Wang Xu, 44，and Liu Gang, 29, sang “In the Spring" alongside the song's star composerWang Feng, in front of about 80,000 people at the Shanghai Stadium.
The audience buzzed with excitement and let out deafening cheers, the moment as theywere introduced on the stage and then when Liu started the first sentence of their parts 
of thesong.
The two migrant workers became stars after singing the tearjerker(催人泪下的）songduring an evening drinking session in a 6-square-meter rented room in a late August evening. Afriend recorded the performance on a cell phone and posted it on the Internet.
“If someday I am dead, please bury me in the spring," they sing. Wang's penetrating chorus,delivered with his eyes closed, has moved thousands to tears.
Wang and Liu consider the song a true portrait of lower-class groups like themselves."With no credit card, no girlfriend, or a home with hot water, but only a guitar, I am singinghappily, on streets, under bridges or in wild country, though nobody pays attention to themusic," they sing.
To support his wife and two sons, Wang came to Beijing in 2000 from the countryside andhas worked as a boiler man, and street peddler, before becoming a medical warehouse keeper,with a monthly pay of around 1,500 yuan. Little is left after he pays 600 yuan for rent and buysfood.
Liu came to Beijing in 2002. “I wanted to try my luck in the big city，，，he said. He hadworked as a guard, roadside peddler, and porter, but never had a stable job. Street performingwas his main income, even after he married and became a father three years ago.
Wang and Liu are still uncertain where their fame will lead. Wang has started learning touse a computer. They even have a microblog(微博）account to communicate with fans.Wang Xu and Liu Gang first became nationally known after______.
| A．they sang the song “In the Spring" with a star composer Wang Feng |
| B．the video of them singing “In the Spring" was posted on the Internet |
| C．they sang on streets and under bridges |
| D．they started their microblog |
People like Wang and Liu's version of “In the Spring" because ______.
| A．they sang the song better than other singers |
| B．they were introduced to the public by the song writer himself |
| C．it was specially composed for them two |
| D．it is a heartfelt expression of the two singers as migrant workers |
It can be inferred from the passage that ______.
| A．migrant workers' conditions will be improved soon |
| B．they will learn to write songs on computers |
C．a song showing people's real life and feeling s is more likely to be accepted |
| D．singers for migrant workers are more likely to become popular |
The best possible title for the passage is______.
| A．Internet Farmer Stars Make Stage Appearance |
| B．“In the Spring"—A Touching Song |
| C．A Successful Internet Performance |
| D．No Pains, No Gains |
It was about midday. I’d left work early in the morning to cash a cheque. I walked along to the bank, and found that there weren’t too many people about ten or eleven customers in there, which was pretty unusual for those central city banks.
I waited until it was my turn and just went up to the desk and started to talk to the bank clerk. He had a really strange expression
on his face -- just sort of blank stare at least I thought he was looking at me and then I realized he was staring over my shoulder.
I began to turn round to see what he was looking at. At the same moment the outside bank guard came flying through the door and lay face down on the floor and following him through the door were three frightening masked men. They were carrying guns; at least I think the one in front was carrying a gun. Whether or not they said anything at that point I can’t remember to this day, or whether people just automatically put their hands up I’ve just no idea.
For a few moments there was just total silence, suddenly broken by the telephone ringing and I remember thinking and wondering who was on the other end of the telephone. Nobody went to answer the telephone, so this thing just kept on ringing and ringing. Then two of the masked men went to the counter, jumped over it and got the cashiers and the bank clerks to start filling the bags with cash. While the two were getting the money, the one at the door who was covering us with the gun was a bit frightened. He started swearing at them, and telling them to hurry up, to get a move on. They jumped back over the counter. One of them slipp
ed as he landed on the floor and fell over and the other two swore at him again. They left through the door. Warning us, “Don’t move, stay like that with your hands up for ten minutes.” And then they just disappeared. Again back to total silence. People put their hands down, I put my hands down but I just stayed exactly where I was.What does the writer mean by saying “…a pretty unusual number for those central banks” in the first paragraph?
| A．More customers than usual were staying in the bank. |
| B．Less bank clerks than expected were in the bank. |
| C．There were often more than a dozen customers in the bank. |
| D．More banks should be open to serve customers in the city center. |
The bank clerk wore a blank expression on his face probably because ________.
| A．he was feeling upset at that moment |
| B．he felt puzzled and sensed something terrible |
| C．he was required to keep silence |
| D．he was threatened with a gun by robbers |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．The customers didn’t wait in line but jumped the queue because of the confusion. |
| B．All the people in the bank except the writer put their hands up automatically. |
| C．Nobody answered the phone because all the clerks were busy with work. |
| D．the bank workers were forced to fill the robbers’ bags with cash. |
What’s the best title of this passage?
| A．A Street Gang | B．A Strange Bank |
| C．A Bank Robbery | D．A Horrible Adventure |