A Charlotte, NC, lawyer bought a box of very rare and expensive cigars, and then insured them against fire among other things．Having smoked his entire great cigars within a month, the lawyer filed claim （索赔） against the insurance company．
In his claim, the lawyer stated the cigars were lost "in a series of small fires"．Of course the insurance company refused to pay, giving the obvious reason that the man had consumed the cigars in the normal way．
The lawyer brought the case to the court and out of everybody’s expectation, he actually won! At the end of the trial the judge agreed with the insurance company that the claim was crazy．But the judge said that the lawyer held a policy （保险单） from the company in which it had promised that the cigars were insured and that it would insure them against fire．Because the company didn’t say what is considered to be unacceptable fire, it had to pay the claim．
Rather than put up with long and costly appeal process, the insurance company accepted the punishment and paid $ 15 ,000 to the lawyer for his loss of the rare cigars lost in the "fires．"
After the lawyer cashed the check, the insurance company had him arrested and accused him of arson （纵火罪）．With his own insurance claim from the previous case being used against him, the lawyer was charged with burning his insured possessions on purpose and was sentenced to 24 months in prison and a $ 24,000 fine．The lawyer had smoked all the cigars ___．
| A．by design | B．by mistake | C．by accident | D．by contract |
The proper order of the lawyer’s activities is ___．
a．having the company paying his claim
b．having himself put in prison and fined
c．having smoked all the cigars
d．bringing the company to the court
e．insuring the box of cigars
| A．ecabd | B．acebd | C．ecdab | D．cedba |
The underlined word "it" in the third paragraph refers to ___．
| A．the box of cigars | B．the insurance company |
| C．the policy | D．the claim |
Which of the following sayings is the best suitable for the lawyer?
| A．Whoever sits against heaven, it falls in his face． |
| B．A bad beginning makes a bad ending． |
| C．Accidents will happen． |
| D．Even the wise make mistakes sometimes． |
Ben Olsen had great careers as professional players. His story tells a lot about the past, present and future of professional soccer in America.
Ben Olsen was an important part of D.C. United's early success. He was the top new player, or rookie of the year, in 1998. His young professional career reached a high point the next season. D.C. United won the M.L.S. Cup, the league championship（锦标赛）, on the strength of a Most Valuable Player performance by Olsen. He scored one of two goals for his team in the win against the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Ben Olsen looks back on his score in that championship as his most memorable. "I'd lost a lot of championships before that year, so that was a special game." said Ben Olsen.
Like many top American soccer players, Olsen played overseas. He joined the club Nottingham Forest in Britain. He says different leagues have different styles of play. "Some teams are very fast and athletic. Some teams are a little bit more low pressure on the ball and more skillful players. England has always been known to be a fast and physical league."
Olsen was also a part of the United States World Cup team of 2006. He says playing for his country was something he will never forget.
Ben Olsen has had five operations for severe ankle injuries. Still, he had one of his best years in 2007. He scored seven goals including a "hat trick"-- three in one game.
Ben Olsen celebrates his third goal in one game against the New York Red Bull in June of 2007
He was recognized for his outstanding play with an M.L.S. Best Eleven award. He accepted the award in a wheelchair after a minor operation became major ankle surgery（外科手术）. Ben Olsen retired after the 2009 season. Today he is an assistant coach with D.C. United. When did Ben Olsen begin to win championship?
| A．In 1998 | B．In 2007 |
| C．In 1999 | D．In 2006 |
According to the passage, which of the following is true?
| A．Ben Olsen has a deep love for his country. |
| B．Ben Olsen scored three goals in 1999. |
| C．Top American soccer players never played oversea. |
| D．He scored ten goals in 2007. |
What do you think is the best title for the passage?
A. Ben Olsen—the best soccer player
B. Ben Olsen’s love for his career
C. Ben Olsen and D.C. United
D. Ben Olsen’s professional career story
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Take action right now!What is mainly discussed in paragraph 2?
| A．The heat of the EP | B．The safety of the EP |
| C．The appearance of the EP | D．The material of the EP |
From the passage, we can learn that the EP ______.
| A．doesn’t burn up oxygen | B．runs without any noise |
| C．makes people get sleepy | D．is unsuitable for children and pets |
The underlined word “evenly” in paragraph 4 probably means ______.
| A．continuously | B．separately | C．quickly | D．equally |
The main purpose of the passage is to ______.
| A．persuade people to buy the product |
| B．advise people to save on heating bills |
| C．report the new development of portable heaters |
| D．compare the difference of different heart brands |
The light from the campfire brightened the darkness, but it could not prevent the damp cold of Dennis’s Swamp (沼泽地) creeping into their bones. It was a strange place. Martin and Tom wished that they had not accepted Jack’s dare. They liked camping, but not near this swamp.
“So,” Martin asked as they sat watching the hot coals. “How did this place get its name ? ”
“Are you sure you want to hear it ? It’s a scary story,” warned Jack.
“Of course!” cried out Tom. “If there were anything to be scared of, you wouldn’t have chosen this place!”
“Ok, but don’t say I didn’t warn you,” said Jack, and he began his tale.
“Way back in time, a man called Dennis tried to start a farm here. He built that cottage over there to live in . In those days, the area looked quite different ---- it was covered with tall trees and the swamp was a crystal-clear river. After three hard years, Dennis had cleared several fields and planted crops. He was so proud of his success that he refused to listen to advice.
“ ‘You are clearing too much land, ’ warned one old man. ‘ The land is a living thing. It will hit back at you if you abuse it. ’
“ ‘ Silly fool,’ said Dennis to himself. ‘If I clear more land, I can grow more crops. I’ll become wealthier. He’s just jealous!’
“Dennis continued to chop down trees. Small animals that relied on them for food and shelter were destroyed. He was so eager to expand his farm that he did not notice the river flowing slowly towards his door. He did not notice salt seeping to the surface of the land. He did not notice swamp plants choking all the native plants.
“What happened ? ” Martin asked. It was growing colder. He trembled, twisting his body closer to the fire.
“The land hit back ---- just as the old man warned, ” Jack shrugged. “Dennis disappeared. Old folks around here believe that swamp plants moved up from the river and dragged him underwater. His body was never found.”
“What a stupid story, ” laughed Tom. “Plants can’t …” Before he had finished speaking, he screamed and fainted (晕倒). The other two boys jumped up with fright, staring at Tom. Suddenly, they burst out laughing. Some green swamp ivy (常春藤) had covered Tom’s face. It was a while before Tom could appreciate the joke.The underlined word “dare” in Paragraph 1 is closed in meaning to ________.
| A．courage | B．assistance | C．instruction | D．challenge |
Why did Jack tell Tom and Martin the story ?
| A．To frighten them. | B．To satisfy their curiosity. |
| C．To warn them of the danger of the place. | D．To persuade them to camp in the swamp. |
Why did Dennis ignore the warning of the old man ?
| A．The old man envied him. | B．The old man was foolish |
| C．He was too busy to listen to others. | D．He was greedy for more crops. |
Why did Tom scream and faint ?
| A．He saw Dennis’s shadow | B．He was scared by a plant |
| C．His friends played a joke on him. | D．The weather became extremely cold. |
What lesson can we learn from the story of Dennis ?
| A．Grasp all, lose all. | B．No sweat, no sweet. |
| C．It is no use crying over spilt milk. | D．He who makes no mistakes makes nothing. |
Last year, around Labor Day, I read a “Happy Ad” in our local newspaper. There was a lady in a local nursing home, who was celebrating her 90th birthday and her family wanted everyone to know about it. It said that if you wanted to drop her a line, here was her address. So I did. I found a birthday card and dropped her a short note, wishing her a happy birthday.
A week or so later, someone knocked at my front door. I opened the door and found a middle-aged man standing on my doorstep. He introduced himself as the son of this woman to whom I had sent the card. He explained that he just wanted to drop by in person and thank me for sending such a nice card to his mom. Apparently, like many older folks, she did not receive much mail and was quite excited to receive mine. I just didn’t know what to say. I told him it was my pleasure and that I hoped his mom had enjoyed her birthday.
That year, I did not send out any Christmas cards, except to this lovely old lady in the nursing home. I just told her that I was thinking about her and hoped that she had a nice holiday. I sent her a Valentine and also a couple of notes in between. I just thought she might like to have someone write to her, to get some mail.
She passed away a couple of months ago. I never met this lady, but I did keep her and her family in my thoughts. I dropped them a line of sympathy. I hope that my few little notes were enough to brighten a couple of her days here on earth.The old lady’s address was given because ____________.
| A．her family wanted to make her well-known. |
| B．the old lady wanted to receive a birthday card. |
| C．the son of the old lady wanted to meet the author. |
| D．her family wanted to give her a happy birthday. |
Which of the following best describes the author?
| A．Brave | B．Polite | C．Caring | D．Faithful |
Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
| A．A Kind Act | B．An Old Lady | C．A Happy Ad | D．A Considerate Son |
HOUSTON (AP) --- A 10-year-old boy fatally shot his father Friday, striking him several times as he sat in the front seat of a SUV to pick up the boy from his mother's home for a weekend visit.
The incident happened about 3pm on a cul-desac（死胡同）in the 1700 block of Cedar Cove Court, said Sgt. Williams of the Harris County Sheriff's Department.
An investigation found that Rick James Lohstroh, 41, was shot by his son, who was sitting in the back seat of the man's Toyota 4-Runner, said Sgt. Williams. The shooting took place outside the home of Lohstroh's ex-wife, where the boy lives with his mother and a 7-year-old brother.
"We're not certain of anything until we finish our investigation," Williams said. "The information we have at this time is that the 10-year-old did fire the weapon."
The mother and the 7-year-old were inside the house when the shooting occurred, said Williams.
Williams said the gun belonged to the boy's mother. After firing shots through the back seat, the boy exited the back of the vehicle and continued to fire at the car.
The man died on the way to Memorial Herman Hospital.
Lohstroh was a doctor at the University of Texas Medical Branch.
The man and woman shared custody（监护）of the children.
Williams said the mother and the boy were still in the home talking to investigators Friday night.
Neighbors described the family as being quiet and keeping to themselves.
Justin Gray, 17, was walking in the neighborhood when he heard gunshots. "We've had a suicide in this neighborhood once, but never anything like this," Gray said.The best title for the news should be __________.
A. A Boy Shot His Father
B. Shooting Kill a Father
C. An Unbelievable Tragedy
A Ten-Year-Old Boy's Cruelty Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the news?
| A．The father is not responsible for the boy. |
| B．The family don't like being linked to their neighbors. |
| C．The boy lives with Rick James Lohstroh. |
| D．The boy has no brother or sister. |
What can we infer from the text?
| A．The tragedy happened because the boy had seen too many films showing violence. |
| B．The boy killed his father because he hated it that he deserted his mother. |
| C．Such things often occurred in this neighbourhood. |
| D．The boy's parents got divorced(="separated)." |
The reason why the boy shot his father __________.
| A．is clear | B．can't be made out | C．is unknown | D．is quite simple |
The underlined word "suicide" most probably means __________.
| A．the act of killing the lives of a whole family |
| B．an instance of deliberately killing oneself |
| C．the situation of getting on smoothly with others |
| D．the peaceful surroundings |
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