题目内容
I began working in journalism(新闻工作)when I was eight. It was my mother’s idea. She wanted me to “make something” of myself, and decided I had better start young if I was to have any chance of keeping up with the competition.
With my load of magazines I headed toward Belleville Avenue. The crowds were there. There were two gas stations on the corner of Belleville and Union. For several hours I made myself highly visible, making sure everyone could see me and the heavy black letters on the bag that said THE SATURDAY EVENING POST. When it was suppertime, I walked back home.
“ How many did you sell, my boy?” my mother asked.
“ None.”
“ Where did you go?”
“ The corner of Belleville and Union Avenues.”
“ What did you do?”
“ Stood on the corner waiting for somebody to buy a Saturday Evening Post.”
“ You just stood there?”
“ Didn’t sell a single one.”
“ My God, Russell!”
Uncle Allen put in, “ Well, I’ve decided to take the Post.” I handed him a copy and he paid me a nickle(五分镍币). It was the first nickle I earned.
Afterwards my mother taught me how to be a salesman. I would have to ring doorbells, address adults with self-confidence(自信), and persuade them by saying that no one, no matter how poor, could afford to be without the Saturday Evening Post in the home.
One day, I told my mother I’d changed my mind. I didn’t want to make a success in the magazine business.
“ If you think you can change your mind like this,” she replied, “ you’ll become a good-for-nothing.” She insisted that, as soon as school was over, I should start ringing doorbells, selling magazines. Whenever I said no, she would scold me.
My mother and I had fought this battle almost as long as I could remember. My mother, dissatisfied with my father’s plain workman’s life, determined that I would not grow up like him and his people. But never did she expect that, forty years later, such a successful journalist as me would go back to her husband’s people for true life and love.
56. Why did the boy start his job young?
A. He wanted to be famous in the future. B. The job was quite easy for him.
C. His mother had high hopes for him. D. The competition for the job was fierce.
57. From the dialogue between the boy and his mother, we learn that the mother was _______.
A. excited B. interested C. ashamed D. disappointed
58. What did the mother do when the boy wanted to give up?
A. She forced him to continue. B. She punished him.
C. She gave him some money. D. She changed her plan.
59. What does the underlined phrase “this battle”(last paragraph) refer to?
A. The war between the boy’s parents.
B. The arguing between the boy and his mother.
C. The quarrel between the boy and his customers.
D. The fight between the boy and his father.
60. What is the text mainly about?
A. The early life of a journalist. B. The early success of a journalist.
C. The happy childhood of the writer. D. The important role of the writer in his family.
I was used to be the shyest person in the world. I often hide behind my mother whenever there came a visitor. When asking to speak in class, I could hard breathe. Then in the seven grade, I had a new English teacher, Miss Creen. One day, he asked me a question but I didn’t know the answer of it. I stood there, not knowing what to say. Learning that I was a shy person after class, she gave me some advices. She said, “Remember to smile after doing everything, and you’ll feel good about yourself.” Now I’m not a shy person. With smile, I can meet people without being afraid.
Each time I see a balloon, my mind flies back to a memory of when I was a six-year-old girl. It was a rainy Sunday and my father had recently died. I asked my mom if Dad had gone to heaven. "Yes, honey. Of course." she said.
"Can we write him a letter?"
She paused, the longest pause of my short life, and answered, "Yes."
My heart jumped. "How? Does the mailman go there?" I asked.
"No, but I have an idea." Mom drove to a party store and returned with a red balloon. I asked her what it was for.
"Just wait, honey. You'll see." Mom told me to write my letter. Eagerly, I got my favorite pen, and poured out my six-year-old heart in the form of blue ink. I wrote about my day, what I learned at school, how Mom was doing, and even about what happened in a story I had read. For a few minutes it was as if Dad were still alive. I gave the letter to Mom. She read it over, and a smile crossed her face.
She made a hole in the corner of the letter where she looped the balloon string. We went outside and she gave me the balloon. It was still raining.
"Okay, on the count of three, let go. One, two, three."
The balloon, carrying my letter, darted upward against the rain. We watched until it was swallowed by the mass of clouds.
Later I realized, like the balloon, that Dad had never let his sickness get him down. He was strong. No matter what he suffered, he'd persevere, dart up, and finally transcend this cold world and his sick body. He rose into sky and became something beautiful. I watched until the balloon disappeared into the gray and white and I prayed that his strength was hereditary. I prayed to be a balloon.
1.When the girl asked her mother if they could write to her father, her mother _________.
A．felt it hard to answer B．thought her a creative girl
C．believed it easy to do so D．found it easy to lie
2.When the girl was told that she could send a letter to her father, she _________.
A．jumped with joy
B．became excited
C．started writing immediately
D. was worried that it couldn't be delivered
3.In the eyes of the author, what was the rain like?
A．An incurable disease
B．An unforgettable memory.
C．The hard time her father had.
D．The failures her father experienced.
Each time I see a balloon, my mind flies back to a memory of when I was a six-year-old girl. It was a rainy
Sunday and my father had recently died. I asked my mom if Dad had gone to heaven. "Yes, honey. Of course." she said.
A．An incurable disease.
4.What would be the best title for the passage?
A．An unforgettable experience B．The strong red balloon
C．Fly to paradise D．A great father
It was the afternoon of December 24, the day before Christmas; and as the newest doctor in our office, I had to work. The only thing that brightened my day was the beautifully decorated Christmas tree in our waiting room and a gift sent to me by a fellow I was dating — a dozen long-stemmed red roses.
As I was cleaning my office, I was told a lady urgently needed to speak with me. As I stepped out, I noticed a young, tired-looking woman with a baby in her arms. Nervously, she explained that her husband — a prisoner in a nearby prison — was my next patient. She told me she wasn’t allowed to visit her husband in prison and that he had never seen his son. Her request was for me to let the boy’s father sit in the waiting room with her as long as possible before I called him for his appointment. Since my schedule wasn’t full, I agreed. After all, it was Christmas Eve.
A short time later, her husband arrived — with chains on his feet and hands, and two armed guards as bodyguards. The woman’s tired face lit up like our little Christmas tree when her husband took a seat beside her. I kept glancing out to watch them laugh, cry and share their child. After almost an hour, I called the prisoner back to my office. The patient seemed like a gentle and modest man. I wondered what he possibly could have done to be held under such conditions. I tried to make him as comfortable as possible.
At the end of the appointment, I wished him a Merry Christmas-a difficult thing to say to a man headed back to prison. He smiled and thanked me. He also said he felt saddened by the fact he hadn’t been able to get his wife anything for Christmas. On hearing this, I was inspired with a wonderful idea.
I’ll never forget the look on both their faces as the prisoner gave his wife the beautiful, long-stemmed roses. I’m not sure who experienced the most joy — the husband in giving, the wife in receiving, or myself in having the opportunity to share in this special moment.
1.What can be inferred from the first paragraph?
A. The writer was a newcomer to her office.
B. A fellow sent her a dozen red roses as Christmas present.
C. She was in low spirits because she had to work before Christmas.
D. She was at work with a light heart.
2.The young woman came to the writer’s office for the purpose of .
A. having her baby examined
B. giving her husband a chance to make his escape
C. having her husband examined
D. getting a chance for her family to get together
3.The underlined part in paragraph 3 most probably means “ ”
A.to be sent to hospital B.to be separated from his family
C.to be comfortable D.to become a prisoner
4.What does the writer learn from the story?
A.The wife experienced the most joy in receiving
B.An act of kindness can mean a lot
C.The prisoner was treated with mercy
D.Whoever breaks the law should be punished
