Jason had been watching the X Games on TV. Athletes from all over the world were competing in the most amazing sports. Just then his grandmother walked into the room. “I want to be extreme. Would you really let me do that? You always worry about my safety!” said Jason.

“You will have to follow some rules,” said his grandmother. “You can only ride in the park — never on the streets. You have to promise to wear a helmet (头盔). If you hurt yourself too much, I have the right to take your skateboard away. Is it a deal?”

“You bet!” Jason was so excited that he jumped off the sofa. A week later he had a board and a helmet.

On Saturday, his grandmother dropped him off near the park. He was happy to have a grandmother who let him try new things.

Kids in the park were moving quickly up and down the ramps (坡道). They flew into the air and landed as easily as birds. When he watched the X games, Jason felt like he was doing the tricks himself. But watching these kids up close, he knew that none of it was going to be easy. He felt a little bit scared.

Very slowly he carried his board to the ramp. Taking a deep breath, he put his right foot on the board. He kicked off with his left foot. For a few seconds he glided (滑行) along, just waiting to fall. Then he came to a stop. Kicking off again, he waited for the worst to happen. Again, he stayed up. The third time he kicked, lost his balance, and fell hard on his left knee.

It hurt, but it was no big deal! Why had he been so scared? Now he felt calm because things had gone wrong, and he was fine!

Next time he kicked off harder and went fast and farther. “Excellent!” said a girl as she passed him. “Extreme!” laughed Jason to himself. “Not quite.”

1.Jason’s grandmother agreed to let him try skateboarding unless _____.

A.he finished his homework                 B.he liked the sport

C.he observed some rules                  D.he won a bet

2.Jason jumped off the sofa because _____.

A.he was allowed to go skateboarding

B.he was angry at his grandmother

C.he was going to play outside

D.he was given a board and a helmet

3.The girl praised Jason for his _____.

A.skill              B.honesty           C.courage           D.kindness

 

Believe it or not, the ability to choose is the power to change. If you can choose to live your life differently, will you be the same person?

Well, choosing to do the following few “simple” things will help to change your life.

Review your life. Take time to go through your life and ask yourself, “If I do the same thing I do every day, will there be a change? If I want to change, where will my first step be?”

Make careful choices. Choose exactly what you wish to get to live your life; describe and think what you really want.

Keep up with chances. Find out about the possibilities and ways that can make you move toward your goals, write them down and see which one suits you most.

Get down to business. Start working on your goals. People may bring you down; you may have difficulties; you will fail and want to give up. But the most important thing is never to give up.

If you try these “simple” things, you will find that success is something for everyone, and you will finally become what you want to be. Remember, success is more than what you hold in your hands; it is something from the heart.

1.How many pieces of advice does the writer give on changing one’s life?

A.Three            B.Four             C.Five              D.Six

2.Once you get down to business, the most important thing is to _____.

A.set goals                              B.see possibilities

C.keep on trying                          D.ask for help

3.The underlined word “it” in the last paragraph refers to ____.

A.change           B.choice            C.life              D.success

4.This passage mainly discussed the relationship between ______.

A.power and life                         B.choice and change

C.power and success                      D.choice and difficulty

 

Joe came to New York from the Middle West, dreaming about painting. Delia came to New York from the South, dreaming about music. Joe and Delia met in a studio. Before long they were good friends and got married.

They had only a small flat to live in, but they were happy. They loved each other, and they were both interested in art. Everything was fine until one day they found they had spent all their money.

Delia decided to give music lessons. One afternoon she said to her husband:

“Joe, , I’ve found a pupil, a general’s daughter. She is a sweet girl. I’m to give three lessons a week and get $5 a lesson.”

But Joe was not glad.

“But how about me?” he said.” Do you think I’m going to watch you work while I play with my art? No, I want to earn some money too.”

“Joe, , you are silly,” said Delia. “You must keep at your studies. We can live quite happily on $15 a week.”

“Well, perhaps I can sell some of my pictures,” said Joe.

Every day they parted in the morning and met in the evening. A week passed and Delia brought home fifteen dollars, but she looked a little tired.

“Clementina sometimes gets on my nerves. I’m afraid she doesn’t practice enough. But the general is the nicest old man! I wish you could know him, Joe.”

And then Joe took eighteen dollars out of his pocket.

“I’ve sold one of my pictures to a man from Peoria,” he said, “and he has ordered another.”

“I’m so glad,” said Delia. “Thirty-three dollars! We never had so much to spend before. We’ll have a good supper tonight.”

Next week Joe came home and put another eighteen dollars on the table. In half an hour Delia came, her right hand in a bandage.

“What’s the matter with your hand?” said Joe. Delia laughed and said:

“Oh, a funny thing happened! Clemantina gave me a plate of soup and spilled some of it on my hand. She was very sorry for it. And so was the old general. But why are you looking at me like that, Joe?”

“What time this afternoon did you burn your hand, Delia?”

“Five o’clock, I think. The iron-I mean the soup-was ready about five, Why?”

“Delia, come and sit here,” said Joe. He drew her to the couch and sat beside her.

“What do you do every day, Delia? Do you really give music lesson? Tell me the truth.”

She began to cry.

“I couldn’t get any pupils,” she said, “So I got a place in a laundry ironing shirts. This afternoon a girl accidentally set down an iron on my hand and I got a bad burn. But tell me, Joe, how did you guess that I wasn’t giving music lessons?”

“It’s very simple,” said Joe. “I knew all about your bandages because I had to send them upstairs to a girl in the laundry who had an accident with a hot iron. You see, I work in the engine-room of the same laundry where you work.”

“And your pictures? Did you sell any to that man from Peoria?”

“Well, your general with his Clemantina is an invention, and so is my man from Peoria.”

And then they both laughed.

1.To support the family, Delia worked as             .

A.a tutor            B.a music teacher     C.a laundry assistant   D.an artist

2.It happened that             .

A.a man from Peoria liked Joe’s pictures      B.Delia earned $15 dollars a week easily

C.Clemantina and the general were kind        D.the couple worked at the same laundry

3.Who hurt Delia’s hand?

A.The general        B.Clemantina        C.A girl             D.Herself

4.We can infer from the underlined sentence that             .

A.Clemantina was an invention of the general

B.Clemantina was an invention of the man from Peoria

C.the general, Clemantina and the man from Peoria were the couple’s clients

D.there were no such men as the general, Clemantina and the man from Peoria

5.The couple’s attitude towards each other is             .

A.honest           B.faithful            C.ashamed          D.heartbreaking

 

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