Talking on a mobile phone is expensive, so a lot of people send text messages. Text messages are much cheaper than talking on a mobile phone, and you can make it even cheaper by shortening the words that you use. You can do this by taking out “unimportant” letters in the words and using numbers instead of words(2=to, 3=free, 4=for, 8=ate, h8=hate, etc. ). Here is an example :Im 3 nw, why nt gv me a cll? (I’m free now, why not give me a call?)

Mobile phone users have developed a series of symbols to show how they feel. They are called emoticons(情感符號). To read an emoticon, you have to look at it sideways. For example, if you say something in a text message which is a joke, you can follow it with a smiling face. Like this: Why did t u cll me? Im so sad. ∶－)

　 Here are some others. Can you think of these text messages where you could use them?

　 ∶·)laughing∶ ·(sad∶·<really sad

　 ∶·v shouting| · | sleep∶ o shocked

　 8 · | surprised＼· o bored

1. The underlined word “sideways” in this passage means______ .

A. 從側面地　　　 B. 從旁邊地

C. 斜眼地　　 D. 顛倒地

2. What do you think of this text message “Whr hv U bn? Im wtng 4 U”means?

A. Where have you been? I’m waiting for you.

B. Where have you been? I’m looking for you.

C. What are you doing? I’m waiting for you.

D. What are you doing? I’m looking for you.

3. Which one means“laughing” in the text messages?

A. ∶·（　　 　　　　　　 B. ∶· )

C. ∶· <　　　　 D. 8 ·

For a while, my neighborhood was taken ever by an army of joggers(慢跑者). They were there all the time: early morning, noon, and evening. There were little old ladies in gray sweats, young couples in Adidas shoes, middle-aged men with red faces. “Come on!” My friend Alex encouraged me to join him as he jogged by my house every evening. “You’ll feel great.”
Well, I had nothing against feeling great and if Alex could jog every day, anyone could. So I took up jogging seriously and gave it a good two months of my life, and not a day more. Based on my experience, jogging is the most overvalued form of exercise around, and judging from the number of the people who left our neighborhood jogging army. I’m not alone in my opinion.
First of all, jogging is very hard on the body. Your legs and feet a real pounding（追擊）ruining down a road for two or three miles. I developed foot, leg, and back problems. Then I read about a nationally famous jogger who died of a heart attack while jogging, and I had something else to worry about. Jogging doesn’t kill hundreds of people, but if you have any physical weaknesses, jogging will surely bring them out, as they did with me.
Secondly, I got no enjoyment out of jogging. Putting one foot in front of the other for forty-five minutes isn’t my idea of fun. Jogging is also a lonely pastime. Some joggers say, “I love being out there with just my thoughts” Well, my thoughts began to bore me, and most of them were on how much my legs hurt.
And how could I enjoy something that brought me pain? And that wasn’t just the first week: it was practically every day for two months. I never got past the pain level, and pain isn’t fun. What a cruel way to do it! So many other exercises, including walking, lead to almost the same results painlessly, so why jog?
I don’t jog any more, and I don’t think I ever will. I’m walking two miles three times a week at a fast pace, and that feels good. I bicycle to work when the weather is good. I’m getting exercise, and I’m enjoying it at the same time. I could never say the same for jogging, and I’ve found a lot of better ways to stay in shape.

1. 1.

   From the first paragraph, we learn that in the writer’s neighborhood ______.

   1. A.
      jogging became very popular
   2. B.
      people jogged only during the daytime
   3. C.
      Alex organized an army of joggers
   4. D.
      jogging provided a chance to get together
2. 2.

   The underlined word “them”(Paragraph 3) most probably refers to _____.

   1. A.
      heart attacks
   2. B.
      Back problems
   3. C.
      famous joggers
   4. D.
      physical weaknesses
3. 3.

   What was the writer’s attitude towards jogging in the beginning?

   1. A.
      He felt it was worth a try.
   2. B.
      He was very fond of it.
   3. C.
      He was strongly against it.
   4. D.
      He thought it must be painful.
4. 4.

   Why did the writer give up jogging two months later?

   1. A.
      He disliked doing exercise outside.
   2. B.
      He found it neither healthy nor interesting.
   3. C.
      He was afraid of having a heart attack.
   4. D.
      He was worried about being left alone.
5. 5.

   From the writer’s experience, we can conclude that______.

   1. A.
      not everyone enjoys jogging
   2. B.
      he is the only person who hates jogging
   3. C.
      nothing other than jogging can help people keep fit
   4. D.
      jogging makes people feel greater than any other sport.

How often do you let other people's nonsense change your mood? Do you let a bad driver，impolite waiter，rude boss，or an insensitive employee  36 your day?
One day I was in a taxi and we headed  37  the airport．We were driving in the  38 lane when suddenly a black car drove out of a parking space right in front of us．My taxi driver slammed on his  39 ，slid sideways，and at the very last moment our car stopped and  40  the other car by just inches!The driver of the other car looked around and started  41  at us．
My taxi driver just  42 and waved at the guy．And I mean he was really  43 ．So I asked，“Why did you just do that?This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!”This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call“The Law of the Garbage Truck”．
He explained that many people are like garbage trucks．They run around full of   44 ，full of frustration，full of anger，and full of disappointment．As their garbage  45  up，they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on  46 ．Don't take it personally；Just smile, wave，wish them well，and move on．
Believe me．You'll be  47 ．Don't take their garbage and  48 it to other people at work, at home，or on the streets．Life's too short to wake up in he morning with  49 . The mark of your success is how quickly you can refocus on what's   50  in your life，Roy Baumeister，a psychology researcher from Florida State University，found in his extensive research that you  5l bad things more ofter than good things in your life，you store the bad memories more easily，and you  52 them more frequently．
Therefore，love the people who treat you right and ignore the ones who don't．Life is ten percent what you make it and  ninety percent how you  53  it!
When you follow“The Law of the Garbage Truck”, you take back control of your life! You make room for the good by  54 go of the bad．Have a marvelous，garbage-free day! The seeds you plant today  55 the harvest you will reap tomorrow．

Have you ever been sad because of failure? Please remember, for often, achieving what you set out to do is not the most important thing.
A boy decided to dig a deep hole behind his house. As he was working, a couple of older boys stopped by to watch. “What are you doing?” asked one of the visitors. “I want to dig a hole all the way through the earth!” the boy answered excitedly. The older boys began to laugh, telling him that digging a hole all the way through the earth was impossible. After a while, the boy picked up a jar. He showed it to the visitors. It was full of all kinds of stones and insects. Then he said calmly and confidently, “Maybe I can’t finish digging all the way through the earth, but look at what I’ve found during this period!”
The boy’s goal was far too difficult, but it did cause him to go on. And that is what a goal is for — to cause us to move in the direction we have chosen, in other words, to cause us to keep working!
Not every goal will be fully achieved. Not every job will end up with a success. Not every dream will come true. But when you fall short of your aim, maybe you can say, “Yes, but look what I’ve found along the way! There are so many wonderful things having come into my life because I tried to do something!” It is in the digging that life is lived. It is the unexpected joy on the journey that really makes sense.

1. 1.

   The older boys laughed at the boy because he was thought to be         .

   1. A.
      brave
   2. B.
      impolite
   3. C.
      foolish
   4. D.
      warm-hearted
2. 2.

   Why did the boy show the jar to the older boys?

   1. A.
      To drive them away.
   2. B.
      To show what he had found in digging.
   3. C.
      To show how beautiful the jar was.
   4. D.
      To attract them to join him in the work.
3. 3.

   What can be learnt from the fourth paragraph of the text?

   1. A.
      Not dream can come true.
   2. B.
      All work will end successfully.
   3. C.
      Goals shouldn't be set too high
   4. D.
      Goals will make us work harder.
4. 4.

   The best title for the text should be         .

   1. A.
      Joy in the Journey
   2. B.
      A Boy Dug a Hole
   3. C.
      No Pains, No Gains
   4. D.
      Failure Is the Mother of Success

Two traveling angels(天使) stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family. The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the guest room. Instead the angels were given a space in the cold basement. As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it. When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied: “Things aren’t always what they seem.”
The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor but very hospitable(好客的) farmer and his wife. After sharing what little food they had, the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night’s rest. When the sun came up the next morning, the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had been their only income, lay dead in the field.
The younger angel was very angry and asked the older angel, “How could this happen?” Why did you not watch out for the cow? The first man had everything, yet you watched over his house,” she accused. “The second family had little but was willing to share everything, and you did not help.”
“Things aren’t always what they seem,” the older angel replied. “When we stayed in the basement, I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so greedy and unwilling to share his good fortune, I asked God if I could seal(封口) the wall so he couldn’t find it. Then last night as we slept in the farmer’s bed, the angel of death came for his wife. I asked God if the angel could take the cow instead. Things aren’t always what they seem.”

1. 1.

   Why did the older angel repair the hole for the rich family?

   1. A.
      Because she didn’t like the greedy owner.
   2. B.
      Because she wanted to save the gold for the poor.
   3. C.
      Because the basement was too cold to stay in.
   4. D.
      Because she believed that one should always be ready to offer help.
2. 2.

   In paragraph two, “the pair” refers to_____________.

   1. A.
      The poor couple
   2. B.
      the rich couple
   3. C.
      the guests
   4. D.
      the angels
3. 3.

   The story tries to tell the reader that_________________.

   1. A.
      angels are always ready to help the poor
   2. B.
      sometimes things are not what they seem
   3. C.
      angels are always ready to help the rich
   4. D.
      the young should always learn from the old.