It was a winter morning without sun, the freezing cold quietly nipping at bones of the people waiting for the bus. They were all black.

Suddenly, the crowd stirred （混乱）. A minibus rolled along in no hurry. Curiously, the people still stood where they were, looking at the place far away; they seemed to be expecting someone. Who were they waiting for? Did they have a partner who hadn’t come yet?

Sure enough, after a figure appeared from afar, the crowd stirred once again. The figure walked hurriedly. It was a woman, a white woman. At this time, the crowd was on the point of cheering. Undoubtedly, she was the partner who the black people had been waiting for.

Why? You know, in this country, the white and the black were always hostile to each other. What force made these people so close?

Formerly, it was a remote way station. The bus moved to and fro every two hours. The bus drivers had the right to stop the bus only in the presence of white people, but the people who lived nearby were almost all black. It was said that the white woman was a writer who lived in a place three miles away, where there was also a station. But in order to help the black people ride the bus conveniently, she insisted on walking here to take the bus, rain or shine.

The black people almost hugged the writer. “Hi, Susan,” the writer heard someone call her name. Looking up, she saw her friend Jay.

“Why do you get on the bus here?” asked Jay in confusion.

“Because,” the writer said, pointing to the station, “the bus doesn’t stop without white people, so I come here.”

Surprised, Jay stared at the writer and said, “Just for these black people?”

The writer also widened her eyes, “Why, isn’t it very important?”

We were also surprised and then came to understand: as long as you have love in your heart, everything will be as pure as nature.

1.      Why did the people still stand where they were when the minibus came?

A. Because they didn’t like to ride a minibus.                            

B. Because they were waiting for a white woman.

C. Because they knew the minibus stopped here in no case.

D. Because they were not in a hurry to go to work

2. Which of the following is the closet to “hostile” in meaning?

A. Unfriendly                                                                B. Familiar                 

C. Concerned                                                                     D. Considerate

3. What can we learn from the paragraph 5?

A. The minibus along this route always travelled at a low speed.

B. Susan walked to the station to exercise regularly, rain or shine.

C. Black people could get on the bus with white passengers.

D. Living near the station were all black people.

4. The main idea of the story is that __________.

A. public services in this country were not advanced                                                   

B. white writer were mostly kind to black people

C. black people were fighting together for equal rights                                                       

D. kindness from a loving heart can cross the boundary between different colors

The phrase “live, love and laugh” was one my cousin Roger lived by every day of his life. Even in his sickness, he found the positive in what some would see as a negative situation. He enjoyed life.   He loved to travel, learning new things about different people and their culture.

Roger was born and raised in Alabama, and he then moved to Buffalo, New York where he lived for many years until he relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, his final resting place.

Whether his travels were long visits or short visits, large cities or small towns, his favorite souvenir item was T-shirts. Everywhere he went he would buy a T-shirt to remind him of his travels. Every T-short he owned had a story behind it that he would share with others.

As long as he was laughing, living and traveling, he was happy. He loved everybody he came in contact with and everybody loved him. The old saying, “He never met a stranger,” definitely applied to Roger and his life.

His last few years of life were in and out of the hospital at least 10-15 days a month, sometimes more. Two weeks before he passed away, I spoke with him on the phone, and even then he managed to tell jokes about life.

I know he left this world happily; he refused to allow anything or anyone to hold him down, even his severe illness. He was definitely a model to look up to when it comes to not allowing any situation to keep you from moving forward in life.

I will forever miss his smile and his love for life. My cousin Roger knew the true meaning of the phrase “live, love and laugh”.

5. The author believes that Roger __________.

A. was a foolish man                                                   

B. was rich in spirit

C. had a healthy body                                                       

D. pretended to be happy

6. The underlined word “it” in paragraph 3 probably refers to __________.

A. a T-shirt                         B. a story                           C. a stranger                            D. a place

7. We can learn from the text that Roger __________.

A. had few good friends                                                     

B. was afraid of his illness

C. seldom contacted the author                                         

D. was loved by everyone who knew him

8. What’s the author’s purpose in writing this passage?

A. To feel pity for Roger.                               

B. To encourage readers to help others

C. To encourage readers to be positive all the time.

D. To show that health is the most important thing.

$1150 a month - Bright room on 18th Avenue

Our roommate is moving and we're looking for someone to fill her spot. Move-in date is April 15. We are looking for someone responsible who can appreciate a friendly relaxed household. Common areas must be cleaned on a regular basis and we all take turns with house cleaning.

About us

You'll be sharing the house with a young female professional and a couple with healthy lifestyles who works with a game publishing company. We're clean and considerate and respect one another's privacy. The environment is quiet. 

Your room

It is a clean room that gets plenty of sunlight. With wooden floors and a good size closet(壁橱). It is very quiet.

Location

Convenient access to restaurants, banks, parks & shops. 10 minutes to SFSU. 4 blocks to L train, 28 & 45 Bus line. Quiet resident area. Easy street parking(街边停车).

House

There are well equipped kitchen, sunroom, big-screen TV, onsite washer and dryer. Separate bathroom. The house features a large elegant living room with fireplace perfect for entertaining and relaxing. Everything is here...pot, pans, plates & cups. Nice and big backyard. All you need is the stuff(物品)for your room.

Move-in requirement

One month rent and one month deposit(保证金) plus $150 security deposit. Total move-in cost is $2450. We first require a 6-months lease(租期) then month to month.

Please reply by email to "sunnyhouse" to schedule a viewing. Please tell us something about yourself together with your photo. We are available to show the room weeknights from 7:20pm-8:00pm. Some weekday viewing can be arranged and scheduled. Please bring personal references and proof of income. Must be able to pay rent on time. Please bring a copy of your ID card for reference.

No Smoking

No Drugs

No Pets

No overnight guests

9. How much is one month deposit of the room?

A. $150                       B. $2300                            C. $1150                            D. $2450

10. What can we infer from the passage?

A. You can move into the room on April 10.

B. You can get your friend sleep in the room.

C. You need not to clean the house.

D. You can schedule a viewing by email.

11. What kind of the whole house is it?

A. unfurnished                          B. dirty                 C. quiet                       D. inconvenient

There are many American expressions about insects.

Bees are known as very hard workers. So you might say you were as busy as a bee if you spent your weekend cleaning your house. In fact, you might say your house was a beehive of activity if your whole family was helping you clean. You also might say you made a beeline for something if you went there right away. When we go to see a movie, my friend always makes a beeline for the place where they sell popcorn. If something was the best of its kind, you might say it was the bee’s knees. Now, we admit that we do not know how this expression developed. In fact, we do not even know if bees have knees! If your friend cannot stop talking about something because she thinks it is important, you might say she has a bee in her bonnet. If someone asks you a personal question, and you would like not to tell him or her, you might say, “That is none of your beeswax.”

Butterflies are beautiful insects, but you would not want to have butterflies in your stomach. That means to be nervous about having to do something, like speaking in front of a crowd. You would also not want to have ants in your pants. That is, to be restless and unable to sit still.

If a friend keeps asking you to do something you do not want to do, you might ask him to leave you alone or “stop bugging me”. A friend also might tell you again and again to do something. If so, you might say he put a bug in your ear. If you were reading a book in your warm bed on a cold winter’s day, you might say you were snug as a bug in a rug（地毯）. And, if you wish someone good night, you might say, “sleep tight—don’t let the bed bugs bite.”

12. When you describe a wonderful bike of your friend, you can say ______．

A. it makes a beeline                                    

B. it is the bee’s knees

C. it is a beehive of activity                                 

D.it has a bee in its bonnet

13. The underlined phrase in Paragraph 2 means “______”.

A. has nothing to do with you                       

B. draws your attention

C. goes wrong                                              

D. is the bee’s knees

14. In the text, butterflies and ants are used to ______.

A. speak highly of a beautiful person                  

B. describe a person without confidence

C. stand for bad effects on a person                  

D. comfort a person in a bad mood

15. What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A. The word “bug” can be a noun or a verb.       

B. Bug is a kind of good insects for man.

C. Bugs live mainly in human’s ears.                   

D. A bug in a rug is very dangerous.

Does failure really exist?

If you believe you have failed, then you have. If you believe you don’t have the ability to succeed, then you don’t.    16    The moment you decide to give up or stop working toward your goals, failure is born.

   17   

Most people give themselves an out without even realizing it. They are willing to work hard on reaching their goals, but only until the going gets too rough or their energy dies down. Don’t do that!   18     Never quit, never admit failure, and never lose heart.

Don’t believe in a clear finish line for goals.

It’s a good idea to set a general timeline (时间表), but remember that something will be beyond your control.    19    If you lock yourself into a given timeline, you might make yourself feel like a failure!  Instead, get a general idea of when you’d like your goal to be completed. Then take it one day at a time and focus on making progress instead of reaching the finish line in as little time as possible.

Be sure that you don’t see difficulties as failures.

Difficulties mean only one thing: it’s not time for your goal to be completed yet. That’s it! It doesn’t mean you failed; it doesn’t mean you’re weak; it doesn’t mean you’ll never achieve your goals.   20    You’ve got to keep moving forward and find a way over, around, or through the difficulties.

A. Never give up on yourself.

B. Failure only exists in your own mind!

C. That’s exactly how failure makes us feel.

D. It simply means you have not done enough yet.

E. You can never say exactly when your goal will be reached.

F. Instead, make up your mind to make your goal happen, no matter what!

G. Work hard towards your goal, and you will be likely to get good results.