閱讀下列短文，從每題所給的四個選項（A、B、C和D）中，選出最佳選項。

（一）

A

Fortune presents a list of the highest-grossing （最高票房） cartoon movies of all time.

Frozen

If you are the parent of a girl under age 10 or so， then you do not need the plot of 2013s Frozen summarized for you. The musical fantasy took in $362 million and your daughter has probably been more than happy to talk your ear off about it since its release.

Frozen brought many sing-along events at theaters and Frozen-themed birthday parties.

Monsters， Inc.

Monsters， Inc. is the story of two creatures that help power their hometown of Monstropolis with the scream of the children they scare. It features the voices of John Goodman， Billy Crystal and Steve Buscemi， and is the rare childrens film that parents could actually enjoy along with their kids. It opened to huge box office totals in November 2001. It earned $290 million in its theatrical run.

Despicable Me 2

Released in 2010， the original Despicable Me took in $252 million. Naturally， this meant that there had to be a sequel （續(xù)集 ） ， which was delivered to attract children in the summer of 2013.

Lovely children across this great nation returned to the theatres to have fun in the humorous acting of Gru （ voiced by Steve Carell ） and the Minions. The movie earned $374 million and was also nominated for a Best Cartoon Feature Oscar. It lost， but the filmmakers could comfort themselves by crying into a pillow made of money.

Toy Story 2

The 1999 sequel to 1995s commercially praised Toy Story， this second one funds Buzz Lightyear and the group trying to rescue their friend Woody from a cruel toy seller. It took in $246 million.

1. Which film could appeal to a nine-year-old girl most？

A. Frozen. B. Monsters， Inc. C. Despicable Me 2. D. Toy Story 2.

2. Who provided voice for the character Gru in film Despicable Me 2？

A. John Goodman. B. Billy Crystal. C. Steve Buscemi. D. Steve Carell.

3. What is special about the film Despicable Me 2？

A. It won the Best Animated Feature Oscar.

B. It earned the highest-grossing of the four films.

C. It could be watched by parents and children together.

D. It brought many sing-along events and birthday parties.

4. When was the film about a character trying to rescue his friend released？

A. In 1995. B. In 1999. C. In 2010. D. In 2013.

B

When I get off the bus， Im usually greeted by the sounds of news on TV. My father welcomes me， and I help him with the usual things—changing the channel and some other tasks. My father has a disease that makes him unable to walk. Despite his disability， my father has always been my role model.endprint

In my first year at middle school， my grades dropped greatly. My father told me I could improve. I currently keep a B plus average， and he confidently supports me in all my academic efforts.

He is against violence to the best of his ability. Love is his most important tool， and he makes sure we know that violence is never the answer.

He urges me not to fear， but to believe in what I think is right. “No matter what anyone tells me，” he says， “I believe what I choose. If someone is discriminating against you for who you are， they dont deserve your time.” My friends are the most caring people Ive met， because I realize that they dont judge me， and they like me as I am.

Ive always found it strange that people pity me because of my fathers condition. Hes not inferior （次于的） to anyone. His disease doesnt hold him back. Hes a normal person.

When I see disabled people out in public， I consider them equal to any other individual. No one is superior to anyone for any physical reason.

I thank my dad who teaches me the most important things Ill ever need to know. My father is in no way inferior to anyone else. If anything， hes even better.

5. Why does the author take his father as a role model？

A. He is kind but sort of strict.

B. He is disabled but optimistic.

C. He is independent but violent.

D. He is full of love but lacks confidence.

6. Foom Paragraph 4 we learn the authors father gives him some advice on how to ___ .

A. improve his studies B. help the disabled

C. learn from failure D. make friends

7. When the author sees disabled people in public， he feels they are ___ .

A. unlucky B. normal

C. superior D. strange

8. What can we learn from the passage about the author？

A. He learns much from his father.

B. He is likely to be fooled by his friends.

C. He wants his father to do things himself.

D. He is looked down upon because of his disabled father.

C

Sweetest Day is always the third Saturday in October. This holiday is much more important in some regions than in others （Detroit， Cleveland and Buffalo are the biggest Sweetest Day cities）. It is a holiday that is gaining in popularity every year throughout the country.

Sweetest Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in October as a day to make someone happy. It is an occasion which offers all of us an opportunity to remember not only the sick， aged， and orphaned （孤兒）， but also friends， relatives and companions whose helpfulness and kindness we have enjoyed.endprint

Over 60 years ago， a Cleveland man， believing that the citys orphans and patients too often felt forgotten， thought out the idea of showing them that they were remembered. He did this by handing out small gifts. With the help of his friends and neighbors， he handed out these small remembrances on a Saturday in October. During the following years， other Clevelanders began to join in the celebration ceremony， which came to be called “Sweetest Day”. In time， the Sweetest Day idea of spreading cheer to the poor was broadened to everyone， and became an occasion for remembering others with a kind act or a small remembrance. And soon the idea spread to other cities all over the country.

Sweetest Day is not based on any single groups religious feelings or on a family relationship. It is a reminder that a thoughtful word or deed enriches life and gives it meaning.

Because for many people remembering takes the form of gift-giving， Sweetest Day offers us the opportunity to show others that we care， in a real way.

9. Sweetest Day is ___ .

A. celebrated on every Saturday in October B. an opportunity to remember the dead

C. important in every city in Europe D. a day to make someone happy

10. According to the passage， at the beginning small gifts were only given to ___ .

A. friends B. parents C. workmates D. orphans and patients

11. Why did people join in the celebration ceremony during the following years？

A. They wanted to remember others with a kind act.

B. They wanted to have a strong family relationship.

C. It was great fun for them to celebrate Sweetest Day.

D. It was a chance to express the deep religious feelings.

D

Diet Coke， diet Pepsi， diet pills， no-fat diet or vegetable diet... We are surrounded by the word “diet” everywhere we look and listen. We have so easily been attracted by the promise and potential of diet products that we have stopped thinking about what diet products are doing to us. We are paying for products that harm us psychologically and physically.

Diet products weaken us psychologically. On one level， we are not allowing our brains to admit that our weight problems lie not in actually losing the weight， but in controlling the consumption of fatty， high-calorie and unhealthy foods. Diet products allow us to jump over the thinking stage and go straight for the scale instead. All we have to do is to swallow or recognize the word “diet” in food labels （標簽）.endprint

On another level， diet products have greater psychological effects. Every time we have a zero-calorie drink， we are telling ourselves without awareness that we dont have to work to get results. Diet products make people believe that gain comes without pain， and that life can be without resistance and struggle.

The danger of diet products lies not only in the psychological effects they have on us， but also in the physical harm that they cause. Diet foods can indirectly harm our bodies because consuming them instead of healthy foods means we are preventing our bodies from having basic nutrients. Diet foods and diet pills contain zero calorie only because the diet industry has created chemicals to produce these wonderful products. Diet products may not be nutritional， and the chemicals that go into diet products are possibly dangerous.

Now that we are aware of the effects that diet products have on us， it is time to seriously think about buying them. Losing weight lies in the power of minds， not in the power of chemicals. Once we realize this， we will be much better able to resist diet products， and therefore prevent the physical harm that comes from using them.

12. What can we learn about diet products from Paragraph 1？

A. They fail to bring out peoples potential. B. People have difficulty in choosing them.

C. They are misleading people. D. People are fed up with them.

13. One psychological effect of diet products is that people tend to ___ .

A. try out a variety of diet foods B. hesitate before they enjoy diet foods

C. pay attention to their own eating habits D. watch their weight rather than their diet

14. In Paragraph 3， the underlined words “gain comes without pain” probably means “___ ”.

A. losing weight is effortless B. it costs a lot to lose weight

C. diet products bring no pain D. diet products are free from calories

15. Diet products indirectly harm people physically because such products ___ .

A. are over-consumed B. lack basic nutrients

C. are short of chemicals D. provide too much energy

＼

（二）

A

Dream House by Valerie Laken

336 pages. Harper. $24.99.

Kate Kinzler and her husband， Stuart， have been living in a rental apartment with a water-stained ceiling.

They are 29， full grown， seven years out of college， and still living like this. Then their parents give them the money to buy their own house. The one Kate chooses is a “project” with an overgrown lawn， fake wood paneling （嵌板） and years of grime （塵垢）. Unknown to them， it also comes with a history： a man was killed within its walls almost 20 years earlier.endprint

Fool by Christopher Moore

311 pages. William Morrow. $26.99.

In Fool Christopher Moore takes on Shakespeare， with a retelling of “King Lear” through the eyes of Lears fool named Pocket. The plot and cast of characters are borrowed （more or less） from the original， with several Mooreian additions—a second fool， named Drool， and a refrain （疊句） that could come in handy for any adapter of Shakespeare， “Theres always a bloody ghost”.

Corner Shop by Roopa Farooki

355 pages. St. Martins Press. $24.95.

When we meet them， the characters in Corner Shop are living in London， pursuing their dreams.

Fourteen-year-old Luhith Khalil， known as Lucky， who cares more for soccer than for school， wants to win the World Cup for England. His mother， Delphine， a former marketing executive， now feels trapped as a stay-at-home mother.

Shed only wanted to get away from her village in rural France.

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

541 pages. Knopf. $26.95.

Like his main character， Marion Stone， Abraham Verghese is a doctor born in Ethiopia who emigrated to the United States. Marion and his twin brother， Shiva， were left alone at birth when their mother died， and their father， a doctor， disappeared. Fleeing an act of political violence， Marion lands in New York， at a charity hospital called Our Lady of Perpetual Succour， where the events that happen force him to face his past.

1. Which book can you buy if you only have $25？

A. Corner Shop or Fool B. Fool or Cutting for Stone

C. Dream House or Corner Shop D. Cutting for Stone or Dream House

2. We may know from the passage Shiva is ___ .

A. Delphines son B. Kates husband C. Vergheses twin brother D. Marions twin brother

3. Which book is the best choice to learn more about “King Lear”？

A. Fool B. Corner Shop C. Dream House D. Cutting for Stone

4. It can be inferred from the passage that ___ .

A. Abraham Verghese was not born in the USA B. Fool is the thinnest and also costs the least

C. Cutting for Stone is published by Harper D. Coner Shop is a book about history

B

That year， in the local school， there was a new math teacher， as well as some new pupils. One of the new kids was the stupidest child that anyone had ever seen. It made no difference how quickly or how slowly they tried explaining numbers to him； he would always end up saying something enormously stupid， like two plus two was five， seven times three was twenty-seven， or a triangle had thirty corners...endprint