During his college years, Rogers spent his summer holidays at an Idaho logging camp (伐木场). When Roy, the manager, had to leave for a few days, he put Rogers in charge. "What if the workers refuse to follow my orders?" Rogers asked. He thought of Tony, a worker who was always giving the other men a hard time. "Fire them," Roy said. Then, as if reading Rogers’ mind, he added, "I suppose you want to fire Tony if you get the chance. I’d feel bad about that. Tony is the most reliable worker I’ve ever had. I know he complains a lot, but he comes first and leaves last. There has not been an accident on the hill where he works for eight years." Rogers took over the manager’s job the next day. He went to Tony and spoke to him, "Tony, did you know that I’m in charge today?" Tony didn’t show any respect or interest. "I was going to fire you because you once gave me a hard time, but I want you to know I’m not," he told Tony, adding what Roy had said. When Rogers finished, tears streamed down Tony’s face. That day Tony worked harder than ever before —and he smiled for the first time! Rogers went back to school after that summer. Twelve years later he met Tony again. He was in charge of one of the largest logging companies in the West. Rogers asked him how he managed to become so successful. Tony replied, "If it were not for that time you spoke to me back in Idaho, I would not be myself today. That one minute changed my whole life." Have you got one minute to appreciate someone? It can make a difference for a lifetime.

21. Which of the following statements about Tony is TRUE?

A. He didn’t care about his work.

B. He never showed respect to his co-workers.

C. Nobody liked Tony because of his bad temper.

D. He worked hard but he always complained.

22. The manager’s attitude towards Tony is _____.

A. strict      B. doubtful   C. satisfied      D. negative

23. Rogers changed his mind and didn’t fire Tony because _______.

A. Tony smiled at him

B. he learned more about Tony’s work

C. Roy didn’t give him the power to fire anyone

   D. Tony didn’t give him a hard time anymore

24. What can we learn from Tony’s success?

   A. It’s never too late to learn.

B. Well begun is half done.

C. It’s necessary to work with a wise boss.

D. It’s important to recognize others’ good qualities.

Books, software, and videos, no matter what you are looking for, if you turn on a computer and log (登录) on the Internet, you are sure to find something.

     E-books are all over the Internet; some are free, and some are not. E-books are basically electronic books you can read without having to carry heavy books and flip through (翻阅) all the pages. Now authors not only sell regular books in bookstores but also sell e-books on the Internet. Some e-books are sold on CDs, too.

     You can get all types of software right from the Internet. After you download it, you have it. It is so convenient that you can get it even without leaving the house. These are the advantages we have in today’s high-tech world.

     We can find videos of different people. There are so many websites with videos that it would take you some time to actually go through them all. The cool thing about videos is that some people have their own websites or their own spaces where they can upload (上传) videos of their families or of different events and allow other people to view them. It is amazing.

     The Internet is an exciting place and it plays a big part in our lives today. You can even pay your bills on the Internet if that’s what you want to do. The marketing industry is also doing a lot better because of the Internet. Companies can communicate very quickly with each other over the Internet.

25. What can we know from the second paragraph?

   A. People are free to read e-books on the Internet.

B. People prefer e-books to paper books.

C. Some authors sell e-books in bookstores.

   D. Some people sell e-books on CDs.

26. What can we know about the videos online according to the passage?

A. They are making human rights harder to protect.

B. They can include a lot of personal information.

C. They allow viewers to get to know each other more easily.

   D. It’s a waste of time to watch videos online.

27. It can be inferred from the passage that _______.

   A. people have to pay to download software

B. people usually pay their bills on the Internet these days

C. the Internet allows people to communicate more quickly

   D. a lot of people still like paper books

28. The purpose of the passage is to______.

   A. suggest that people start reading e-books on the Internet

B. advise people to form good computer habits

C. introduce many uses of the Internet

D. discuss problems people have online

A child survivor of the Indian Ocean tsunami and a girl from the United States who offered help met for the first time after the disaster.

     The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami destroyed Nada Luthfiyyah’s small town in Aceh. Her parents and two brothers were among the 160,000 people who died in the disaster. Maggie Hamilton’s classmates in the state of Michigan decided to make and sell bracelets (手镯) to raise money for the victims. Maggie, who was 9 years old at the time, wrote a letter to survivors to offer help. Nada was selected from her class to respond with a letter of thanks.

     Three and a half years later, the two girls met for the first time. Their meeting was arranged by the Indonesian government, and was used as a symbol of the two countries’aid relationship. Their letters were quoted by diplomats (外交官)of both countries.

     Maggie, visiting the town under reconstruction, said she did not expect that her letter would draw so much attention, but, she said, the experience helped to make her more active in volunteering work. "I’ve been volunteering at a nursing home in Ohio. I just want to help people whenever I can," Maggie said.

     Juanda, the spokesman for Indonesia’s tsunami reconstruction agency, says the meeting of the two girls serves as a symbol of their informal relationship. It will represent the international community’s role in Aceh’s future. "I think what we can learn from this experience is that Nada from Aceh and Maggie from the U.S. are able to share their experiences, friendship, knowledge and support," Juanda says.

     Maggie says she wants to learn Indonesian and hopes to have Nada visit her home in Michigan sometime, perhaps next year.

29. Nada and Maggie first made contact with each other through ______.

A. letters                        B. visiting the diplomats

C. arrangements by the government   D. informal visits

30. From the text we know that ______.

   A. Maggie and Nada’s friendship is a symbol of the two countries’ friendship

B. 16,000 people lost their lives in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami

C. Maggie volunteered to work in the reconstruction after the tsunami

D. Maggie is now a volunteer working in Nada’s hometown

31. The text mainly tells us that ______.

   A. Indonesian and American girls build friendship after a tsunami

B. the Indian Ocean tsunami influenced the USA

C. letters are an advantage in building friendships

D. Indonesia is under construction after a tsunami

It was in the Victorian Era (维多利亚时期) that novels became the leading form of literature in English. Most writers were more concerned about the tastes of the middle class. The best-known works of the period included the works of Charles Dickens and the Bronté sisters and others.

    Charles Dickens came on the literary scene in the 1830s. Dickens wrote vividly about London life and the struggles of the poor. Most of his works were written in a very humorous way, which was popular with readers of all classes.

    The Bronté sisters were English writers of the 1840s and the 1850s. They began to write from early childhood. In 1846 they published the first book at their own expense as poets; however, their book attracted little attention, selling only two copies. Then the sisters turned to writing novels, each producing a novel in the following year.

     An interest in rural matters and the changing social and economic situation of the countryside may be seen in the novels of Thomas Hardy and a number of others.

     Literature for children developed as a single style. Some works became well-known, such as those of Lewis Carroll and Edward Lear. Adventure novels were written for adults but are now generally grouped in the list for children. Helen Beatrix Potter was an English author at the end of the Victorian Era, best known for her children’s books, which featured animal characters. In her thirties, Potter published the highly successful children’s book The Tale of Peter Rabbitin 1902.

32. What do we know from the first two paragraphs?

   A. Humor was a popular topic.

B. The novel was the main form of literature in the Victorian Era.

C. Writers only wrote for the middle class.

   D. The books of Charles Dickens were the best known

33. What are we told about Charles Dickens?

   A. His readers enjoyed his works.

B. His works were all about London life.

C. He was best known for his children’s books.

   D. He was more successful than the Bronté sisters.

34. Which is TRUE about the Bronté sisters?

   A. They were English writers of the 1830s.

B. They paid to have their first book published.

C. They began their writing from the rural life.

D. They were taught how to write poems from childhood.

35. This text is mainly about ________.

   A. literature in the Victorian Era

B. writing styles in the Victorian Era

C. the life stories of the famous writers in the Victorian Era

D. the importance of literature in the Victorian Era

Have you ever wondered what goes through your mind when you choose where to sit in a new classroom? Or in a waiting room full of strangers? Or on a bus? Researchers have found out some interesting facts.

____36___ Girls sit by girls and boys sit by boys. Adults sit together and young people choose another young person to sit near. But it goes further than this. ____37___. People with glasses are more likely to sit near other people with glasses. People with long hair sit closer to other people with long hair.

We seem to believe that people with similar habits or hobbies will share similar attitude and we are more likely to be accepted by people like ourselves or even, we think we may be safer with people who look like us. Sometimes that’s true but it's a pity if we always stick to the same people, the same group. The danger in always staying in our comfort zone (舒适区)is that we just recycle the same opinions, the same tastes and the same ideas. ____38___.   

When we always stick to the same people, how can we ever break down the barriers which prevent us from getting to know people with different ideas? And how can we avoid the ignorance (无知),which too often leads to prejudice (偏见) and even fear? If instead you want to live in a society that opens to changes and new things and different opinions, ____39___.

____40___. Go and sit next to someone different. And don't just sit there in silence. Say hello. Ask a question. Start a conversation. That’s how we make friends. That’s how we learn about people. That’s how we open our minds to new ideas. That's how we live an exciting life.   

   A .People prefer sitting by someone who is open-minded.

   B. Be the cat among the pigeons.

   C .Discover differences among yourselves.

   D. Perhaps unsurprisingly, we prefer to sit closer to people like ourselves.

   E. We even choose to sit near someone who looks like us.

   F. Move out of your comfort zone.

   G. We lose the chance to learn something new, find out about interesting things, hear funny stories and discover difference.