My newly-rented small apartment was far away from the centre of London and it was becoming essential for me to find a job, so finally I spent a whole morning getting to town and putting my name down to be considered by London Transport for a job on the underground. They were looking for guards, not drivers. This suited me. I couldn’t drive a car but thought that I could probably guard a train, and perhaps continue to write my poems between stations. The writers Keats and Chekhov had been doctors. T.S. Eliot had worked in a bank and Wallace Stevens for an insurance company. I’d be a subway guard. I could see myself being cheerful, useful, a good man in a crisis. Obviously I’d be overqualified but I was willing to forget about that in return for a steady income and travel privileges — those being particularly welcome to someone living a long way from the city centre.

The next day I sat down, with almost a hundred other candidates, for the intelligence test. I must have done all right because after about half an hour’s wait I was sent into another room for a psychological test. This time there were only about fifty candidates. The interviewer sat at a desk. Candidates were signaled forward to occupy the seat opposite him when the previous occupant had been dismissed, after a greater or shorter time. Obviously the long interviews were the more successful ones. Some of the interviews were as short as five minutes. Mine was the only one that lasted a minute and a half.

I can remember the questions now: “Why did you leave your last job?” “Why did you leave your job before that?” “And the one before that?” I can’t recall my answers, except that they were short at first and grew progressively shorter. His closing statement, I thought, revealed (揭示) a lack of sensitivity which helped to explain why as a psychologist, he had risen no higher than the underground railway. “You’ve failed the psychological test and we are unable to offer you a position.”

Failing to get that job was my low point. Or so I thought, believing that the work was easy. Actually, such jobs — being a postman is another one I still desire — demand exactly the sort of elementary yet responsible awareness that the habitual dreamer is least qualified to give. But I was still far short of full self-understanding. I was also short of cash.

The writer applied for the job chiefly because _________.

A.he wanted to work in the centre of London

B.he could no longer afford to live without one

C.he was not interested in any other available job

D.he had received some suitable training

The writer thought he was overqualified for the job because _________.

A.he often traveled underground       B.he had written many poems

C.he could deal with difficult situations    D.he had worked in a company

The length of his interview meant that _________.

A.he was not going to be offered the job

B.he had not done well in the intelligence test

C.he did not like the interviewer at all

D.he had little work experience to talk about

What does the writer realize now that he did not realize then?

A.How unpleasant ordinary jobs can be.   B.How difficult it is to be a poet.

C.How unsuitable he was for the job. D.How badly he did in the interview.

What’s the writer’s opinion of the psychologist?

A. He was very aggressive.   B. He was unhappy with his job.

C. He was quite inefficient. D. He was rather unsympathetic.


B
“It was all his own idea, ” says Pat Peters, the 38-year-old wife of Palo Alto, California high school football coach Bob Peters, 39. Bob had just drawn up a “motherhood contract” --a document stating that for 70 days this summer he would take over the care and feeding of the couple’s four children, plus all household chores. Although he didn’t even know how to make coffee when he signed, he was quite confident.(He thought the experience would make a nice book.)
After 40 of the 70 days, he was ready to give up. “I was beaten down, completely humbled(挫败的),”  admits Peters. Three weeks later he spoke to the local press, stating, “Not only is motherhood a difficult task, not only is it never-ending, it is an impossible job for any normal human being.”
Bob and Pat were high school sweethearts. After they were married in 1960, she worked as a secretary to help put him through university. Since then Bob has been the football and wrestling coach at Palo Alto’s Cubberley High while Pat raised the kids. Then two years ago Pat went back to work as a secretary at Cubberley. “I had been around children so much,” she sighs, “I couldn’t talk to a grown-up.” She continued to run the household, however----until Bob signed the contract, therefore, she decided to relax and enjoy it. 
Although Peters had consulted(咨询) with his school’s home economics teachers and the head of the cafeteria, his meals were sometimes a disaster. “I tried to slip the butter I’d forgotten under the eggs after they were frying, ” he says. For the last three weeks, the family ate out a lot—sometimes having Macdonald’s hamburgers for lunch and dinner.
As for housekeeping, a home economics teacher had told Bob that a room always looks clean if the bed is made. “I found an easier way-I shut the doors, ” he says. Soon the kids were wearing the same clothes for a week. “I made them wear their shirts inside out, and when we went to pick up Pat at work they turned them right side out so they would look clean.”
Now that Bob has publicly admitted he was wrong, he is routinely sharing the child-raising and household tasks with Pat. The tentative(暂时的) title of his book about the summer is taken from something he shouted at the kids one day.
45. The couple signed the contract because _______.
A. Pat complained a lot about her doing the housework all by herself
B. Bob loved taking care of children and wanted his wife to have a good rest
C. they agreed that husband and wife should share household tasks
D. Bob thought it easy to take care of the family and wanted the experience for a book
46. It was agreed that if Bob failed to keep to the contract, he would have to _______.
A. pay a certain amount of money
B.  admit publicly he was wrong about motherhood 
C. say sorry to his wife         D. do all the housework for years
47. What can we learn about Pat Peters?
A. She was hard-working and selfless.   B. She was pretty and kind-hearted.
C. She was tired of the child-raising and household tasks.
D. She did not love Bob any longer.
48. Which of the following can best end the news story?
A. “Wait till your mother gets home!”    B. “My experience of being a mother.”
C. “I’m proud of you all, my dear!”     D. “Motherhood: an impossible job for anyone.”

Mr. Brown worked in a factory of a small town. He had been there for twenty years before one day he was sent to the capital for important business. He was quite excited because he had never been there before. Before he set off, he asked his wife and three daughters if they wanted him to buy something for them in Lon-don. Mrs. Brown began to think it over and then she said she wished her husband would be able to buy a nice umbrella for her, and so did their three daughters. As he was afraid he would forget it, he drew an umbrella on his hand. To his regret, he lost it at the station.

On the train Mr. Brown sat opposite to an old woman. The woman’s umbrella was so nice that he carefully looked at it and said to himself not to forget to buy a few umbrellas like it. When the train arrived at the station in London, he said good-bye to the old woman, took his bag and her umbrella and was going to get off.

“Wait a minute, sir,” shouted the old woman. “That’s my umbrella!”

Now Mr. Brown noticed that he had taken her umbrella. His face turned red at once and said in a hurry, “Oh, I’m very sorry, Madam! I didn’t mean it!”

Seven days later Mr. Brown left the capital. To his surprise, he met the old woman and sat opposite to her again. Looking at the four umbrellas, the old woman was satisfied with herself. “It seems that I had a better result than the other four women.” She thought.

1.We can learn from the passage that Mr. Brown was ______.

A.a conductor       B.a worker          C.a thief            D.an umbrella maker

2.The underlined word “it” in the first paragraph refers to ______.

A.his ticket          B.his bag            C.his drawing        D.his umbrella

3.Why did Mr. Brown take the woman’s umbrella?

A.Because he was lost in thought.

B.Because it was much like his own umbrella.

C.Because he thought the woman would not notice it.

D.Because the woman misplaced it beside Mr. Brown.

4.When looking at Mr. Brown with four umbrellas, the woman felt ______.

A.surprised          B.angry             C.fortunate          D.sad

5.How did Mr. Brown get the four umbrellas?

A.He picked them on the train.               B.He brought them from his small town.

C.He bought them in London.                D.He stole them from four women.

 

My newly-rented small apartment was far away from the centre of London and it was becoming essential for me to find a job, so finally I spent a whole morning getting to town and putting my name down to be considered by London Transport for a job on the underground. They were looking for guards, not drivers. This suited me. I couldn’t drive a car but thought that I could probably guard a train, and perhaps continue to write my poems between stations. The writers Keats and Chekhov had been doctors. T.S. Eliot had worked in a bank and Wallace Stevens for an insurance company. I’d be a subway guard. I could see myself being cheerful, useful, a good man in a crisis(危机). Obviously I’d be overqualified but I was willing to forget about that in return for a steady income and travel privileges — those being particularly welcome to someone living a long way from the city centre.

The next day I sat down, with almost a hundred other candidates, for the intelligence test. I must have done all right because after about half an hour’s wait I was sent into another room for a psychological test. This time there were only about fifty candidates. The interviewer sat at a desk. Candidates were signaled forward to occupy the seat opposite him when the previous occupant had been dismissed, after a greater or shorter time. Obviously the long interviews were the more successful ones. Some of the interviews were as short as five minutes. Mine was the only one that lasted a minute and a half.

I can remember the questions now: “Why did you leave your last job?” “Why did you leave your job before that?” “And the one before that?” I can’t recall my answers, except that they were short at first and grew progressively shorter. His closing statement, I thought, revealed(显示) a lack of sensitivity which helped to explain why as a psychologist, he had risen no higher than the underground railway. “You’ve failed the psychological test and we are unable to offer you a position.”

Failing to get that job was my low point. Or so I thought, believing that the work was easy. Actually, such jobs — being a postman is another one I still desire — demand exactly the sort of elementary yet responsible awareness that the habitual dreamer is least qualified to give. But I was still far short of full self-understanding. I was also short of cash.

1..The writer applied for the job chiefly because _________.

A.he wanted to work in the centre of London

B.he could no longer afford to live without one

C.he was not interested in any other available job

D.he had received some suitable training

2..The writer thought he was overqualified for the job because _________.

A.he often traveled underground

B.he had written many poems

C.he could deal with difficult situations

D.he had worked in a company

3..The length of his interview meant that _________.

A.he was not going to be offered the job

B.he had not done well in the intelligence test

C.he did not like the interviewer at all

D.he had little work experience to talk about

4..What does the writer realize now that he did not realize then?

A.How unpleasant ordinary jobs can be.

B.How difficult it is to be a poet.

C.How unsuitable he was for the job.

D.How badly he did in the interview.

5..What’s the writer’s opinion of the psychologist?

A.He was very aggressive(有进取心的).

B.He was unhappy with his job.

C.He was quite inefficient.

D.He was rather unsympathetic.

 

An old man died and left his son a lot of money. But the son was a foolish young man, and he quickly spent all the money, so that soon he had nothing left. Of course, when that happened, all his friends left him. When he was quite poor and alone, he went to see Nasreddin, who was a kind, clever old man and often helped people when they had troubles.

My money has finished and my friends have gone, said the young man. What will happen to me now?

Don't worry , young man, answered Nasreddin. Everything will soon be all right again. Wait ,and you will soon feel much happier.

The young man was very glad .Am I going to get rich again then? he asked Nasreddin.

No, I didn't mean that, said the old man. I meant that you would soon get used to being poor and to having no friends.

1.An old man died and left his son_______.

A.nothing

B.some gold

C.much money

D.only a house

2.When the son was________, he went to see Nasreddin.

A.short of money

B.quite poor and sick

C.in trouble

D.quite poor and alone

3.The young man was very glad because Nasreddin said that________.

A.he would become rich again

B.he would soon feel much happier

C.he would become clever

D.he would have more friends

4.Nasreddin meant the young man______.

A.would get rich again

B.would get used to having nothing

C.would get used to being in trouble

D.would get out of poorness

5.What this story tells us is________.

A.that money is everything

B.that money makes the mare go

C.to save each penny

D.that misfortune tests the sincerity of friends

 

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