School was over and I was both mentally and physically tired. I sat at the very front of the bus because of my   16 to get home. Sitting at the front makes you  17 out like a shiny coin in a pile of dull pennies.
Janie, the driver, tries to break the  18 atmosphere by striking the match of   194 .
I try to mind my manners and   20 listen, but usually I am too busy thinking about my day. On this day,   21 , her conversation was worth listening to.
“My father's sick,” she said to no one in  22 . I could see the anxiety and fear in her eyes. With a sudden change of attitude and interest, I asked,“What's wrong with him?"
With her eyes wet and her voice tight from  23 the tears, she responded,“Heart trouble.”Her eyes lowered as she  24 . “I've already lost my mum, so I don't think I can stand losing him.”
I couldn't respond. I was  25 . My heart ached for her. I sat on the old, smelly seat thinking of the great  26 my own mother was thrown into when her father died. I saw how hard it was,   27 still is, for her. I wouldn't like anyone to go  28 that.
Suddenly I realized Janie wasn't only a bus driver. That was  29 her job. She had a whole world of family and concerns too. I had never thought of her as  30 but a driver.
I suddenly felt very  31 . I realized I had only thought of people as  32 as what their purposes were in my life. I paid no attention to Janie because she was a bus driver. I had judged her by her job and brushed her off as  33 .
For all I know, I'm just another person in  34 else's world, and may not even be important. I  35 not have been so selfish and self-centered. Everyone has places to go, people to see and appointments (约会) to keep. Understanding people is an art.

【小题1】
A.anxietyB.determinationC.decisionD.attempt
【小题2】
A.findB.makeC.thinkD.stand
【小题3】
A.unpopularB.uncomfortableC.unusualD.unforgettable
【小题4】
A.fireB.topicC.conversation D.discussion
【小题5】
A.politelyB.devotedlyC.carelesslyD.sincerely
【小题6】
A.howeverB.thereforeC.thusD.otherwise
【小题7】
A.surpriseB.commonC.silenceD.particular
【小题8】
A.fightingB.avoidingC.clearingD.keeping
【小题9】
A.toldB.lastedC.repeatedD.continued
【小题10】
A.for sureB.at easeC.in shockD.in despair
【小题11】
A.mercyB.painC.pityD.disappointment
【小题12】
A.butB.yetC.andD.or
【小题13】
A.overB.roundC.throughD.without
【小题14】
A.almostB.nearlyC.everD.just
【小题15】
A.somethingB.anythingC.nothingD.everything
【小题16】
A.sadB.embarrassedC.selfishD.worried
【小题17】
A.farB.longC.muchD.well
【小题18】
A.unfitB.unselfishC.unnecessaryD.unimportant
【小题19】
A.everyoneB.someoneC.anyoneD.no one
【小题20】
A.mustB.mayC.canD.should

When I was an official of a school in Palo Alto, California, Polly Tyner, the president of our board, wrote a letter that was printed in the Palo Alto Times. Polly’s son, Jim, had great difficulty in school. He was classified as the educationally handicapped and required a great deal of patience on the part of his parents and teachers. But Jim was a happy kid with a great smile that lit up the room. His parents knew his difficulties, but they always tried to help him see his strengths so that he could walk with pride. Shortly after Jim finished high school, he was killed in a motorcycle accident. After his death, his mother submitted this letter to the newspaper.
“Today we buried our 20-year-old son. He was killed in a motorcycle accident on Friday night. How I wish I had known that the last time I had talked to him would be the last time. If I had only known that, I would have said to him, ‘Jim, I love you and I’m always so proud of you.’ I would have taken the time to count the many blessings he had brought to the lives of the people who loved him. I would have taken the time to appreciate his beautiful smile, his laughter, and his genuine love to other people.
“When I put all the good things on the scale and try to balance them with all the irritating (恼人的) things such as the radio that was always too loud, the haircut that wasn’t to our liking, the dirty socks under the bed, etc., I find that the irritations really don’t amount to much.
“I won’t get another chance to tell my son all that I would have wanted him to hear, but, other parents, do have a chance. Tell your young people what you would want them to hear as if it may be your last conversation. The last time I talked to Jim was the morning of the day when he died. He called me to say, ‘Hi, Mom! I just called to say I love you. You have to go to work now. Bye.’ That day, he gave me something to treasure forever. ”
If there is any purpose at all for Jim’s death, maybe it is to make others appreciate life more and to tell people, especially family members, that they should take the time to let each other know just how much they care. You may never have another chance. Do it today!
【小题1】What’s the meaning of the underlined phrase “the educationally handicapped”?

A.The learning difficulty.
B.The physical problems.
C.The psychological problems.
D.The communication difficulty.
【小题2】According to the writer, which of the following about Jim is TRUE?
A.He was always sad about his school marks.
B.His parents always scolded him about his bad school marks.
C.His study needed more attention from his parents and teachers.
D.He was killed in a car accident.
【小题3】What did Polly think of Jim?
A.He was a lovely boy with a beautiful smile who always loved others.
B.He was physically sick but always happy.
C.He was an irritating boy with some bad habits.
D.He seldom expressed his love for his parents.
【小题4】The purpose of Polly’s letter is to _______.               .
A.memorize her son
B.teach parents to appreciate their children
C.teach children how to be good boys
D.give some advice on how to deal with children’s problems

When other nine-year-old kids were playing games, she was working at a petrol station. When other teens were studying or going out, she struggled to find a place to sleep on the street. But she overcame these terrible setbacks to win a highly competitive scholarship(奖学金)and gain entry to Harvard University. And her amazing story has inspired a movie, “Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story”, shown in late April.
 Liz Murray, a 22-year-old American girl, has been writing a real-life story of willpower and determination. Liz grew up in the shadow of two drug-addicted(吸毒)parents. There was never enough food or warm clothes in the house. Liz was the only member of the family who had a job. Her mother had AIDS and died when Liz was just 15 years old. The effect of that loss became a turning point in her life. Connecting the environment in which she had grown up with how her mother had died, she decided to do something about it.
 Liz went back to school. She threw herself into her studies, never telling her teachers that she was homeless. At night, she lived on the streets.“What drove me to live on had something to do with understanding, by understanding that there was a whole other way of being. I had only experienced a small part of the society,”she wrote in her book Breaking Night.
 She admitted that she used envy to drive herself on. She used the benefits that come easily to others, such as a safe living environment, to encourage herself that “next to nothing could hold me down”. She finished high school in just two years and won a full scholarship to study at Harvard University. But Liz decided to leave her top university a couple of months earlier this year in order to take care of her father, who has also developed AIDS. “I love my parents so much. They are drug addicts. But I never forget that they love me all the time.”
  Liz wants moviegoers to come away with the idea that changing your life is “as simple as making a decision”.
【小题1】In which order did the following things happen to Liz?
  a. Her mother died of AIDS.    b. She worked at a petrol station.
  c. She got admitted into Harvard. d. The movie about her life was put on.
  e. She had trouble finding a place to sleep.

A.b, a, e, c, d  B.a, b, c, e, dC.e, d, b, a, cD.b, e, a, d, c
【小题2】The main idea of the passage is ________.
A.how Liz managed to enter Harvard UniversityB.what a hard time Liz had in her childhood
C.why Liz loved her parents so muchD.how Liz struggled to change her life
【小题3】What actually made her go towards her goal?
A.Envy and encouragement.B.Willpower and determination.
C.Decisions and understanding.D.Love and respect for her parents.
【小题4】When she wrote “What drove me to live on...I had only experienced a small part of the society”, she meant that ________.
A.she had little experience of social lifeB.she could hardly understand the society
C.she would do something for her own lifeD.she needed to travel more around the world

I made up my mind to drive to South Carolina to meet my friends in my used car. Though I had only been there once   36   and did not know the   37   very well. I was on the   38   after I had made some enquiries.

 At Ashvelle, there was a crossroad where I could go on along the main road or I could take a short cut(小道,近路). The short cut was to   39   several hills and was dangerous, I hesitated (犹豫)for a little while and then chose the main road, for I wanted to be   40  .

Something strange happened   41   I drove a long way and found it was not the correct road that I wanted to   42  , but the hilly road I decided to avoid. I realized that it was at the   43   that I had made the   44   mistake. “What shall I do?” I asked myself. If I went back to take that road again, it would be very late by the time I got to Columbia. Thinking it   45   , I decided to go on. “If   46   people can go along this road, why can’t I?” I   47   myself.

The short cut, to my surprise, was not that   48  . In fact, it was only a very peaceful country road,   49   up and down two low   50   .There was   51   traffic. On both sides of the road, you could see trees, wild flowers, and   52   with cows and horses. My fear was   53   with the wind. Listening to the beautiful country music over my car stereo (立体声), I drove on and   54   the scenery which was so quiet and so natural. Even my used car forgot to give me   55  . It was just in this light heartedness that I arrived at my destination. My friends, after they heard what had happened to me, all said it sounded like an adventure.

1.A. ago                 B. before                        C. already                            D. still

2.A. town                             B. country                  C. way                          D. friends

3.A. highway                       B. car                          C. train                 D. phone

4.A. have                             B. go                            C. ride                                  D. cross

5.A. safe                     B. dangerous    C. fast                                   D. slow

6.A. after                            B. before           C. if                        D. since

7.A. come                  B. leave             C. take                                  D. drive

8.A. station                B. corner                    C. crossroad     D. beginning

9.A. road            B. direction        C. disappointed            D. interesting

10.A. about                B. over                        C. of                                      D. up

11.A. another            B. other             C. the other               D. others

12.A. asked                B. forced                    C. encouraged                    D. told

13.A. far                     B. safe                         C. dirty               D. dangerous

14.A. going                B. coming                   C. driving                    D. walking

15.A. lands                 B. cars                         C. farms                      D. hills

16.A. heavy               B. little               C. few                                   D. much

17.A. farms                B. trucks            C. houses                   D. villages

18.A. gone                 B. together                 C. covered                 D. coming

19.A. looked              B. liked              C. enjoyed                 D. found

20.A. happiness                  B. scenery                   C. joys                          D. problems

 

In the fall of 1985.I was a bright-eyed girl heading off to Howard University, aiming at a legal career and dreaming of sitting on a Supreme Court bench somewhere.Twenty-one years later I am still a bright-eyed dreamer and one with quite a different tale to tell.

My grandma, an amazing woman, graduated from college an the age of 65.She was the first in our family to reach that goal.But one year after I started college, she developed cancer.I made the choice to withdraw from college to care for her.It meant that school and my personal dream would have to wait.

Then I got married with another dream: building my family with a combination of adopted and biological children.In 1999, we adopted our first son.To lay eyes on him was fantastic---and very emotional.A year later came our second adopted boy.Then followed son No.3.In 2003, I gave birth to another boy.

You can imagine how fully occupied I became, raising four boys under the age of 8! Our home was a complete zoo---a joyous zoo.Not surprising, I never did make it back to college full-time.But I never gave up on the dream either.I had only one choice: to find a way.That meant talking as few as one class each semester.

The hardest part was feeling guilty about the time I spent away from the boys.They often wanted me to stay home with them.There certainly were times I wanted to quit, but I knew I should set an example for them to follow through the rest of their lives.

In 2007, I graduated from the University of North Carolina.It took me over 21 years to get my college degree!

I am not special, just single-minded.It always struck me that when you’re looking at a big challenge from the outside it looks huge, but when you’re in the midst of it, it just seems normal.Everything you want won’t arrive in your life on one day.It’s a process.Remember: little steps add up to big dreams.

1.When the author went to Howard University, her dream was to be         .

A.a writer

B.a teacher

C.a judge

D.a doctor

2.Why did the author quit school in her second year of college?

A.She wanted to study by herself.

B.She fell in love and got married.

C.She suffered from a serious illness.

D.She decided to look after her grandma.

3.What dose the author mostly want to tell us in the last paragraph?

A.Failure is the mother of success.

B.Little by little ,one goes far.

C.Every coin has two sides.

D.Well begun ,half done.

4.Which of the following can best describe the author ?

A.Caring and determined.

B.Honest and responsible.

C.Ambitious and sensitive.

D.Innocent and single-minded.

 

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