Shay asked, “Do you think they’ll let me play?” Shay’s father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but the father also understood that if his son, mentally and physically disabled, were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence.
Shay’s father approached one of the boys on the field and asked if Shay could play, not expecting much. The boy looked around and said, “We’re losing by six runs (分) and the game is in the eighth inning (局).I guess he can be on our team and we’ll try to put him in to bat in the final inning.
Shay struggled over to the team’s bench and put on a team shirt with a broad smile and his father had a small tear in his eye and warmth in heart. The boys saw the father’s joy at his son being accepted.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay’s team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the top of the final inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously joyful just to be in the game and on the field. In the bottom of the final inning, Shay’s team scored again. Now, Shay was scheduled to be next at bat. Would they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game?
Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was almost impossible. The first pitch (投) came and Shay missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to throw the ball softly towards Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.
The pitcher could have easily thrown he ball to the first baseman and Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game .Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the head of the first baseman, beyond the reach of all teammates, The audience and the players from both teams started screaming, “Shay, run to first! ” Never in his life had Shay ever run that far but made it to first base, wide-eyed and shocked..
Everyone should, “Run to second!” Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the smallest guy on their team, who had a chance to be the hero for his team for the first time, could have thrown the ball to the second baseman, but he understood the pitcher’s intentions and he too intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third baseman’s head.
All were screaming，“Shay，Shay，Shay，all the way Shay.” Shay reached third base when one opposing player ran to help him and shouted, “Shay, run to third.” As Shay rounded third, all were on their feet, crying,“Shay, run home！”Shay ran to home, stepped on the home base and was cheered as the hero who the who won the game for his team.
That day, the boys from both teams helped bring a piece true love and humanity into this world. Shay didn’t make it to another summer and died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy and coming home and seeing his mother tearfully hug her little hero of the day!
【小題1】
Not expecting much, Shay’s father still asked the boy if Shay could play, mainly because the father _________.

A．True human nature could be realized in the way we treat each other.

B．Everyone has his own strength even if mentally or physically disabled.

C．Everyone can develop his team spirit in sports and please his parents.

D．The results of the game should not be the only concern of the players.

If you want to learn anything at school, you need to listen to your teachers. Unfortunately, millions of kids can’t hear what their teachers are saying. And it’s not because these students are goofing off. Often, it’s the room’s fault. Building architecture and building design can create echo(回聲)-filled classrooms that make hearing difficult.
Children with hearing impairments（損傷）suffer most from noisy classrooms. They sometimes can’t hear questions that other students ask in class. Compared with kids with healthy hearing, they have a harder time picking up new vocabulary words by hearing them in talking.
Even kids with normal hearing have a harder time in the classroom when there’s too much noise. Younger children in particular have trouble separating important sounds – like a teacher’s voice – from background noise. Kids with learning disabilities and speech impediments（障礙）and kids for whom English is a second language also have a harder time learning in noisy situations.
In recent years, scientists who study sound have been asking schools to reduce background noise, which may include loud air-conditioners and pipes. They’re also targeting outdoor noises, such as highway traffic. Noise reduction is a big deal. Why? Because quieter classrooms might make you smarter by letting you hear your lessons better.
“It’s so obvious that we should have quiet rooms that allow for access to the lesson,” says Dan Ostergren, a hearing scientist. “Sometimes it surprises me that we spend so much time discussing this topic. I just want to go. Why is this hard for anyone to grasp?”
【小題1】 The underlined part “goofing off” in the first paragraph can be replaced by “      ”.

Sweetest Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in October as a day to make someone happy. It is an occasion which offers all of us an opportunity to remember not only the sick, the aged, and children who have lost their parents, but also friends, workmates, relatives and neighbors whose helpfulness and kindness we have enjoyed.
Over 60 years ago, when a Cleveland man noticed that some people, such as children who lost their parents and patients who lay in bed, too often felt forgotten and neglected, he developed in his mind the idea of showing them that they were remembered. He did this by giving them small gifts. With the help of his friends and neighbors, he gave those people small gifts on a Saturday in October. During the years that followed, other Clevelanders began to take part in the celebration, which came to be called “Sweetest Day”. Over time, the Sweetest Day idea of spreading cheer to the poor, the sick and children who had lost their parents was broadened to include everyone, and became an occasion for remembering others with a kind act or a small gift. Soon the idea spread to other cities all over the USA.
Sweetest Day is not based on any single group’s religious beliefs or on a family relationship. It is a reminder that a thoughtful word or deed enriches life and gives it meaning.
Because for many people remembering takes the form of gift giving, Sweetest Day offers us the opportunity to show others that we care, in a positive way.
【小題1】What is Cleveland?

A．Visiting sick people of the hospital.

B．Visiting children who have lost their parents.

C．Giving flowers to sweethearts.

D．Giving friends small gifts.

Nick Santonastasso has one arm equipped with one finger. He has no legs. He also has no limitations(局限).
“ I know anything’s possible ,” the 12-year-old told TODAY ’s Ann Curry.
He can play baseball and football, play the keyboard and drums, and play video games with his brothers.
When Nick was born, he suffered a disease only found in 11 other people. The Santonastassos had three other children, and they decided to treat Nick the same as others, with love but without excuse
“ We’re supposed to be heroes to our children, but Nick is a hero to us,” his father Michael said. But heroes have heroes, too, and Nick’s is Tiki Barber, the former football superstar who retired last year and became a reporter for TODAY. Curry told Nick that for his birthday, the show wanted to give him a new skateboard. The person who presented it to him was Barber.
“ You’re an inspiration,” Barber said. “ There are a lot of kids who might be at a disadvantage.
You give them strength.”
Curry observed that most parents try to protect their kids from failure, but the Santonastassos didn’t do that with Nick.
“Absolutely not, “Nick’s mother Stacey said. “ If you do have a small failure, it just makes you stronger to succeed at the next stop.”
“ It builds self-confidence in yourself to try it again,” Nick added.
Recently, Nick entered a drawing in a statewide contest in New Jersey. His drawing was a tree with a spreading canopy (樹冠) and deep toots. Above the tree were the words, “The roots of a family are…” Below the ground, the roots spelled out the final word for the message: “ Love.”
It won the contest. The judges didn’t know Nick’ physical condition. He won on merit (成績), the same way he does everything else in life.
【小題1】How did the Santonastassos treat Nick?

Should we try to contact and make friends with other beings in the universe? Certainly not，says British physicist Stephen Hawking．
“If aliens（creatures from other planets）ever visit us, I think the outcome would be much as when Christopher Columbus first landed in America, which didn’t turn out very well for the Native Americans,’’ said the 68-year-old disabled scientist in a new Discovery documentary (紀(jì)實(shí)性電視節(jié)目) on April 25．
The program pictures an imagined universe where other life forms in huge spaceships hunt for resources after using up all those on their home planets．
“Such advanced aliens would perhaps become nomads(游牧民)，looking to conquer and colonize whatever planets they can reach，”warned Hawking．
On the probability of other life forms existing, he says, “To my mathematical brain, the numbers alone make thinking about aliens perfectly reasonable.”
Hawking’s concerns have frightened some people and been met with disagreement from other researchers．Paul Davies, author of the book Renewing Our Search for Alien Intelligence，thinks Hawking’s reasoning is wrong.
He argues that since Earth is about 4.5 billion years old，if intel1igent life is likely , communities of other beings may have been there for a very long time．
“If resources are the factor, then at least one group of aliens would surely have visited Earth as a destination mil1ions of years ago．
Even if other life forms do come to Earth in the near future, Davies believes comparisons with are wide of the mark(離譜的).
68. What is the article mainly about? 
A. Other life forms coming to our planet．
B. Scientific evidence of other life forms．
C. Earth as the only place where human beings can survive．
D. Hawking’s belief that other life forms may exist in the universe．
69. Which of the following ideas is opposed to Hawking’s view?
A. Other life forms exist in the universe．
B. 0ther life forms may be more intelligent than human beings．
C. We should try to contact other 1ife forms from other planets．
D. Other life forms may exist in more than one part of the universe．
70. Paul Davies didn’t agree with Stephen Hawking ,believing that ________．
A. the universe is running out of resources
B. humans are the best creatures in the universe.
C. it is a good idea to avoid meeting with other life forms   
D. Davies doesn’t think it proper to compare aliens with Columbus
71. Hawking referred to Christopher Columbus as an example to ____．
A. inspire interest in the universe      
B. draw attention to other planets in the universe
C. warn people to watch out for other life forms
D. urge further exploration of the universe~