A My color television has given me nothing but a headache. I was able to buy it a little over a year ago because I had my relatives give me money for my birthday instead of a lot of clothes that wouldn't fit. I let a salesclerk fool me into buying a discontinued model. I realized this a day later, when I saw newspaper advertisements for the set at seventy­five dollars less than I had paid. The set worked so beautifully when I first got it home that I would keep it on until stations signed off for the night. Fortunately, I didn't get any channels showing all­night movies or I would never have gotten to bed. Then I started developing a problem with the set that involved static ( 静电 ) noise. For some reason, when certain shows switched into a commercial , a loud noise would sound for a few seconds. Gradually, this noise began to appear during a show, and to get rid of it, I had to change to another channel and then change it back. Sometimes this technique would not work, and I had to pick up the set and shake it to remove the sound. I actually began to build up my arm muscles ( 肌肉 ) shaking my set. When neither of these methods removed the static noise, I would sit helplessly and wait for the noise to go away. At last I ended up hitting the set with my fist, and it stopped working altogether. My trip to the repair shop cost me $62, and the set is working well now, but I keep expecting more trouble. 1. Why did the author say he was fooled into buying the TV set? A . He got an older model than he had expected. B . He couldn't return it when it was broken. C . He could have bought it at a lower price. D . He failed to find any movie shows on it. 2. Which of the following can best replace the phrase “signed off” in Paragraph 1? A . ended all their programs B . provided fewer channels C . changed to commercials D . showed all­night movies 3. How did the author finally get his TV set working again? A . By shaking and hitting it. B . By turning it on and off. C . By switching channels. D . By having it repaired. 4 . How does the author sound when telling the story? A . Curious. B . Anxious. C . Cautious. D . Humorous. B One winter, my cousin and I were playing toy blocks in the yard. My mom was out for shopping to get groceries and my dad was asleep upstairs in his room. Suddenly, it started to snow. First it was just a little. But then it started to pour heavily. Then, we put the finishing touches to our blocks and headed back inside. Right when I opened the sliding glass door, my cousin fell down on the slippery wooden stairs. I let go of the door, my worst mistake, you see. The door locks automatically but I had put a rock, right next to the door so it wouldn't close. But while I was running to my cousin's aid I'd accidentally kicked the rock. Now, my cousin and I were locked outside. And unfortunately it started to get really windy. It was really freezing with the snow. First we started to call my dad, but he was sleeping soundly. I mean sleep­through­a­tornado­soundly. It was of no use. Then I tried to climb over the fence but it didn't work because the fence was iced by snow and wind, and the fence is six feet high. So, I climbed up to my tree house and brainstormed some ideas on ways to get out. At one point, I was seriously considering jumping out of the tree house and use the trampoline ( 蹦床 ) to jump over the fence. So, we got to work. First, I took out the trampoline. Then I started to jump. First try—I almost cracked my head. Second try—this time I convinced my cousin to do it but at the last second, he chickened out . Third try—I jumped and missed but at the last second, my hand caught the fence, and with a lot of pushing I finally climbed over the fence and luckily, I fell on a big snow drift. Finally, my mom came back. Then I got inside and unlocked the door for my cousin to get in. Then we shared this story to my mom and dad. 1 . When the author wanted to jump out, the main problem was that________. A . the fence was icy B . the fence was slippery and high C . the trampoline couldn't bear the weight D . the trampoline was too small 2 . The attitude of the author's cousin towards jumping on trampoline seems ________. A . passive B . positive C . indifferent D . objective 3. The words “chickened out” most probably means________. A. fell down B. cried out C. jumped up D. backed out 4 . Which would be the best title of the text? A. Climbing Fence in the Snow B. An Adventure in Yard C. Friendship Produces Pleasure D. We Are Independent