In the last few years the popularity of eBooks has exploded．The advantages are clear：You can carry as many hooks with you as you want．You can simply download ever7 book you like and instantly start reading instead of having to wait for the book to arrive by mail．
However，one thing hadn't changed．If you wanted to rent a book you were still forced to use hardcopy books．Until now that is．Amazon．com recently announced the start of a new program where you can rent eBooks．
Where to rent eBooks？
As mentioned before，Amazon．com is the first and currently the only retailer (零售商) that has a program in place for renting eBooks．Luckily，Amazon is the largest online retailer in the world and their eBook assortment (分类) is massive．They are also the producer of the Kindle，the most popular eReader，which means you can be sure that the eBooks you rent will work．
You can currently only rent eTextbooks．But this is likely to change as soon as the word gets out that you can save money by renting eBooks．
Why rent eBooks at Amazon？
~ Save money：Save up t0 80% of the normal price of the eBook．
~ Decide how long you rent：From 30 days t0 360 days，you decide how long you want it．You can extend the time by as little as a day．Or simply buy the eBook if you want to keep it after all．
~ Use any device：If you rent an eBook from Amazon，you can read it on your PC，Mac，iPad，iPhone，Android device，Windows Phone 7．Blackberry．or Kindle．
~ Keep your notes：Do you like to keep annotations (注释) and highlights in your eBooks？Don't worry．You can always revisit your notes and highlights through Amazon．com．
How to rent eBooks？
Simply search for the eBook you want to rent on Amazon．com and select the "Rent eBooks" option．After that，a new page will open where you can select how long you’d like to rent the eBook．You can read eBooks for a period of 30 t0 360 days．
You decide how long you need the eBook．1f you later find out you need it for longer．you can simply extend the time．Or buy it for the normal price whenever you want．
Once you've chosen the Lime you want to rent the eBook，you simply go to checkout．Or you can use the "Rent now" button．
1.According to the passage，_________
A． eBooks will be changed into other types by Amazon．com
B． eBooks will replace hardcover hooks in the next few years
C． readers get a discount of at least 20% of the normal price
D． readers are able to rent eBooks only at Amazon．com now
2.To rent an eBook online，which of the following goes last？
A． open a new page
B． select the "Rent eBooks" option
C． choose a rental date
D． press "Rent now" button
3.The main purpose of the passage is to_________．
A． inform and explain
B． discuss and assess
C． compare and evaluate
D． describe and argue
I may not be the wisest person on this planet．but I will tell you a little secret to happiness：Help other，，and live life．It is that simple．Just help a friend study for a test，or volunteer at a nursing home ．I learned this after a long，hard search．
I was feeling really down because my long4ime friend had died．Then I started a six-week volunteering at a nursing home all day every Saturday．My routine was to serve the meal and clean up．After that，I would wait for the head nurse to tell me what to do．
One day I was told to go to Room 117 to make sure the patient was all right．In the room I found a boy of eight sitting in his bed watching a movie．I was shocked to see a child in this seemingly forgotten nursing home for the old．He was so small and weak that you had to look closely to find him．He motioned for me to sit down．I grabbed his medical chart from which later I found out he had a terminal illness．
We started to talk，and I found out that his family rarely visited，and all he did ever7 day was watch TV．I wanted to cry for him，and for my lost friend．As we talked，he had a smile on his face，and I asked him why．
"The entire two hours I've been here you've never lost that smile．With this horrible disease，how do you still manage to stay happy？"
He thought for a moment，and then said that too many people are dead even before they die．
They walk around feeling that God has cursed (诅咒) them and that they have nothing to live for．
The boy said that he would not be like that．He wakes every morning thankful to see another sunrise．He keeps his window open so that he can smell the flowers and feel the heat of the sun．He also said that he has hope．
"Too many people haven't seen much of that around here，" he said，" Life is full of hope and we need to live life before it is gone．"
I don’t know what happened to him．I assume he passed away，but his lesson lives on．I now wake up and live each day to the fullest．The key to life is not money or fame，but the lessons we learn from it．
1.The nursing home in the passage is mainly for_______
A． the elderly B． the homeless
C． the disabled D． the abandoned
2.The boy stayed happy mainly due to_______．
A． wonderful TV programs
B． his positive attitude
C． good medical condition
D． others' encouragement
3.The writer participated in the volunteering job in order to_______．
A． find out the secret
B． search for help
C． enrich experiences
D． get out of sadness
4.What would be the best title for the passage？
A． A Lesson in Hope
B． The Life of a Sick Boy
C． A Voluntary Job
D． The Meaning of Life
Somebody Loves You
One miserable rainy night，a man named Mark decided to end his life．In his mid-fifties，Mark had never been married． the joy of having children or spent holidays with his family．Wet and unhappy，he walked along the streets，feeling as if there was in the entire world that cared whether he lived or died
，1 was sitting in my room watching the rain hit my window．When I heard the doorbell ring，I jumped from my chair and Out．But my mother was already at the door．Opening it，she found herself face-to-face with a very dirty-looking man with tears streaming down his face．My mother，overcome by ，invited the man inside，and he sat with my parents in our living room．
，1 walked secretly downstairs so that I could get a better look．I couldn't understand what they were saying，but the of the man，holding his head in his hands and crying，made my chest ache．I raced back upstairs to my room and my hand into my money jar．Pulling out my only half-dollar coin，I ran back downstairs．
When I the door of the living room，I walked right in．The three adults looked at me in as I quickly made my way over the stranger．I put the half-dollar in his hand and told him that I wanted him to have it．Then I gave him a ，turned and ran as fast as I could out of the room and back upstairs．I felt excited but happy
Downstairs，Mark sat quietly with his head ．Tears streamed down his face as he tightly held that coin．Finally looking up at my parents，he said，"It’s that I thought nobody cared．For the last twenty years，I have been so ．That is the first hug I have ever got．It’s hard to believe that somebody_ ．”
Mark's life changed that night．When he left our house，he was to live instead of die． we never saw Mark again，we received letters from him every once in a while，letting us know that he was doing fine
My life changed that night，too，as I witnessed the hue healing power of ．even if it’s only a gift of fifty cents．
Before Mark left，my parents asked him why he had knocked on our door．Mark said that he'd walked along the streets that rainy night，helpless and ready to ，he had noticed a sticker on the car．It read：SOMEBODY LOVES YOU．
1.A． believed B． noticed C． experienced D． understood
2.A． everybody B． somebody C． anybody D． nobody
3.A． Later B． First C． Afterwards D． Meanwhile
4.A． looked B． raced C． spoke D． broke
5.A． pity B． anxiety C． guilty D． fear
6.A． Worried B． Curious C． Puzzled D． Annoyed
7.A． sense B． thought C． sight D． look
8.A． shook B． Luck C． pushed D． forced
9.A． answered B． fixed C． found D． reached
10.A． anger B． delight C． peace D． surprise
11.A． hug B． kiss C． smile D． handshake
12.A． held B． turned C． bowed D． raised
13.A． just B． still C． also D． even
14.A． anxious B． stressed C． lonely D． bored
15.A． cares B． gets C． makes D． knows
16.A． lucky B． proud C． hesitant D． ready
17.A． Since B． When C． Although D． Unless
18.A． receiving B． giving C． loving D． taking
19.A． if B． as C． until D． before
20.A． die B． cry C． leave D． regret
-What life_______be like without cell phones？
-I cannot imagine it！
A． may B． can C． will D． would
There is often disagreement on ____ is the better student．James or Celina？
A． who B． what C． that D． whose
____ out how to put our furniture or we'll have to wait for another week to move in．
A． Figuring B． To figure
C． Figure D． Figured
