A

One day， my husband and I went to Greece to visit a well-known temple. We happened to see a French lady who was walking by herself with a stick and obviously had difficulty with the 300 steps that led up to the temple. Noticing her French accent， I started speaking French with her， and she appreciated that， saying her English wasnt very good. She said the next day she would travel to the village we were staying at and I was looking forward to talking to her again， because I enjoyed practicing my French.

The next day I didnt see her. So I thought I maybe missed her. Then， three days later I suddenly met her again at the beach， and she said she was going to take the ferry （渡船） that night at 2 am and was now looking for a place which was close to the port to stay， because obviously she couldnt take her suitcase to the port all on her own in the middle of the night.

The hotel she was staying at was rather expensive. I suggested an inexpensive restaurant to her which was on the beach-front， a short walk from the port. As her hotel didnt offer to take her suitcase to the port， I went with her to her hotel and carried her things to the restaurant.

She was so moved and said nowadays people didnt do this sort of thing any more. But I thought it was normal， because my parents brought me up to carry old ladies shopping bags and so on.

She insisted on buying me a drink， and while drinking she told me a lot about herself. She was a well-known French actress back in the 1970s and stopped making films in 1982 because of some illness. We had a very interesting talk that evening， and she gave me her address. Its so rewarding to help others. I wish I could get the chance to do it more often.

1. We can infer from Paragraph 1 that the old lady ___ .

A. was visiting a temple

B. hated to speak English

C. was working in Greece

D. reached the temple with the writers help

2. Why did the writer hope to meet the lady again？

A. To visit the temple with her.

B. To help her go to the port.

C. To teach her English.

D. To practice French.

3. What does the writer think of giving a helping hand？

A. Its difficult. B. Its necessary.

C. Its normal. D. Its unusual.

4. Why did the old lady insist on buying the writer a drink？

A. To share it with her.

B. To show her thanks.

C. To continue the story.

D. To learn how to be helpful.

B

“Made in China” Has Changed

Many shoppers in the West still prize labels boasting （吹噓） a product was made in Italy without knowing that a growing number of Italian products come from factories that are Chinese?-owned and staffed. The products which were marked “Made in China” gave the buyer an impression of “low price and low cost， low technology and development”. The statement used to be true， but now it has changed.

“Made in China” is becoming a leading part in the world market. Chinas garment （服装） industry has been investing in producing technology and training for decades， and its workforce has collectively gotten better at sewing garments. As a result， the quality of Chinese?-made clothes is rising fast. It has been home to a highly-skilled， highly-specialized garment industry， one that supplies even some high-end （高端的） labels and offers the best mix of price， speed， and quality.

“If I was to make a basic mens jean， Id make that in Pakistan，” said Edward Hertzman， co-?owner of the trade publication Sourcing Journal. “If I was going to make a fashion womens garment， I would move to China because their skill set is better， their hand is better， their finishing is better， and they can handle that type of fashion.”

Indeed， luxury fashion labels now routinely make things in China. Burberry， Armani， and Prada have all produced things there， because theyre still able to get good workmanship at a relatively low price. Even the Japanese brand Visvim， known for its crazy attention to detail， also produces high-?end， handmade footwear in China.

Despite the rising wages and costs of doing business in China， companies have not walked away. “China is viewed by people who make buying decisions as unique and hard to copy elsewhere，” says Josh Green， CEO of Panjiva.

5. According to the text， “Made in China” ___ .

a. used to be associated with poor quality

b. is recognized by luxury fashion brands

c. has lost its leading place in the world market

d. reflects Chinas investment in producing technology

A. a， b， c B. a， c， d

C. b， c， d D. a， b， d

6. Edward Hertzman thinks highly of “Made in China” in such aspects as ___ .

① workers skills ② low prices

③ advanced technology ④ a sense of fashion

A. ①②③ B. ①②④

C. ②③④ D. ①③④

7. What is the similarity between Prada and Visvim？

A. Both of them are from Japan.

B. They both make products in China.

C. Neither of them sells at a low price.

D. They both produce handmade footwear.

8. What can we infer from the last paragraph？

A. Foreign producers want to copy Chinas success.

B. Chinese companies are more creative than others.

C. Rising costs stop the interest of foreign companies.

D. Foreigners speak highly of doing business in China.

C

On the night of November 14， 1978， a six-year-old South Korean boy was flying to the United  States. All he knew was that he was on a plane heading for somewhere. The plane landed at Kennedy International Airport， where he was greeted by a family. This young boy was me.

I have grown up in a town where there were few Asians， so I stuck out in the crowd. I made friends quickly and they treated me just like anyone else. You may ask if anyone made  fun of my appearance. Well， of course， I met that kind of person. I just shrugged （聳肩） it off.

As an adopted child， I have something that others dont have. I have had the benefit of two families. Im lucky to have got a chance to start a new life. But we must try never to forget our past. Someday I will go back to South Korea to find out what kind of culture I left behind.

There is only one thing that I regret about being adopted. When I argue with my parents and they realize they are losing the argument， they sometimes wonder what I would be doing if  I were back in South Korea. I dont understand this because I thought the purpose of adopting someone was to give them a better chance of growing up in a family. Some day when I am older， I want to adopt a girl and raise her the way my parents have raised me， but I would do it better， for I know what went well and what did not.

9. When going to his new family， the writer ___ .

A. was with his own parents

B. was very happy and excited

C. didnt know how old he really was

D. didnt know he was going to be adopted

10. The underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 most probably means that the writer ___ .

A. was very kind-hearted

B. was disliked by others

C. was very good-looking

D. was easily noticed by others

11. When people made fun of him， the writer ___ .

A. was deeply hurt

B. wanted to go back to South Korea

C. didnt care about it that much

D. tried to make friends with them

12. What can we learn about the writer from Paragraph 3？

A. He wants to forget his past.

B. He isnt sad about being adopted.

C. He isnt interested in South Korean culture.

D. He doesnt know anything about South Korea.

D

The saying “a penny for your thoughts” is an English idiom simply asking people to volunteer their opinions on an issue being discussed. In modern usage， it is often stated as an indirect way of asking what someone is thinking about.

This phrase is basically a proposal， and the speaker is offering to pay to hear the listeners thoughts. It is an idiom， of course， and not meant literally （字面上地） so no real payment generally takes place.

When the saying originated， a penny was worth a lot more than it is in the 21st century. Therefore， “a penny for your thoughts” likely indicated the thoughts were more valuable to those asking the listener to give them than they are by todays standards. This loss of value can be used ironically （諷刺地）， however， through tone of voice; it can be used to indicate that someones idea is bad or worth a penny in modern value.

The phrase is generally credited to a man by the name of John Heywood， who was born sometime just before the 16th century. During his life， he was a writer who penned many plays and a book in 1546， later known as The Proverbs of John Heywood. It is likely that Heywood did not actually come up with the phrase “a penny for your thoughts”. Rather， he was simply the first person to have set the phrase down in written form. The actual origins of the term are unknown， and since his book was simply a collection of common idioms and expressions， it was probably familiar to people in the mid 1500s.

13. When someone says “a penny for your thoughts”， he or she ___ .

A. wants to ask you for advice

B. considers your thoughts unique

C. is curious about whats on your mind

D. will pay for what youre thinking about

14. The modern meaning of “a penny for your thoughts” ___ .

A. can differ greatly according to a speakers tone of voice

B. is more closely connected to the value of the penny

C. can confuse the listener easily

D. is more popularly accepted

15. In what way is Heywood related to the phrase “a penny for your thoughts”？

A. He came up with it while he was writing.

B. He helped to explain the origins of it.

C. He contributed to the wide use of it.