Reading comprehensionA. Choose the best answer. (12分)

Letter A

To the Editor: Why do our children have 11 weeks of summer vacation? Many years ago, 85 percent of Americans worked on farms. Children needed summer vacation because they helped with the farm work. Today only 3 percent of Americans work on farms. But our children still have long summer vacations. American students lose one or two months of learning during their summer vacations. Away from school for so many weeks students forget what they learned. Experts say that students lose maths skills and reading skills. At the beginning of school in September, teachers have to review last year’s studies for the first four to six weeks of school. Summer vacations are not great opportunities for learning. Most parents work outside of the home. They can’t be with their kids during the long summer months. Some families can pay for summer camps, but many can’t. Most children stay home and watch TV. They are bored. Most children do not learn new skills during the summer. James, Teacher

    Letter B

To the Editor: I am against a longer school year. I believe people learn everywhere, not just in school. I believe children gain experience in the world. Summer vacation is a great opportunity. Kids can discover the world outside of school. They can learn to do things they can’t learn in a classroom. They can learn to swim and ride bikes. They can travel or go to summer camps. They can take time to do things like cooking and art. Some can get summer jobs. They can get work experience or help people in the community. They can spend time with people of other ages. Basically, they can get more experience in the world. Long summer vacations give families time together. During the school year, everyone is busy. During summer vacations, we take time to do things together. Vacations are good for families. Linda, Parent

 
【小題1】According to the chart, which two countries have the same number of school days?

A．England and Australia .	B．Singapore and Thailand.
C．Japan and the United States.	D．South Korea and China.

【小題2】James says that, many years ago, most children used their vacation time to _______________.

A．study in school	B．go to summer camps
C．have new experiences	D．help on the farm

【小題3】James says most parents _______________ during the summer months.

A．travel abroad	B．a(chǎn)re with their children
C．a(chǎn)re busy with their work	D．go to summer camps

【小題4】Linda says children can get _______________ during the summer months.

A．no time to watch TV	B．more work experience
C．more classroom time	D．better reading skills

【小題5】According to Linda, children do a lot of activities except that _______________.

A．they learn to swim and ride bikes	B．they go to summer camps
C．they do cooking	D．they improve maths skills

【小題6】What is best title of the Letter B?

A．Yes to a Longer School Year	B．Vacations Are a Way of Experiencing
C．Adults Need More Vacation Time	D．Vacations Are Boring to Families

綜合填空（每小題1分，共10分）

Long, long ago there was a bad king. All of his people h  1.   him.

One hot day he was taking a walk along a river when he decided to have a swim in it. He was a good s  2.   . But while he was in the river, he s  3. fell ill, and was nearly drowned(淹死). At that time two f  4. were working in the field n  5.They came over, jumped into the river, and he was s  6.   . They didn’t know who he was until they p  7.   him out of the water.

The king was happy. He said to the two farmers, “Ask for a  8.  , I’ll give it to you. I’m the r  9.   in the world. And today you have saved my life.”

One of them answered, “You can do one thing for us.” “What is it?” asked the king. He thought that they would ask for a lot of money.

“Don’t tell a  10.  that we have saved you.”