While I studied at school, I felt great difficulty in learning my Latin translations. I was always very  36 in using a dictionary, and  37 it most difficult, while to other boys it seemed no  38 .

  I formed an alliance(盟友) with a boy in the Sixth Grade. He was very clever and  39 read Latin as easily as English. My friend for his part was almost as  40 troubled by the English essays he had to write for the headmaster as I was  41 these Latin words. We agreed together that he should  42 me my Latin translations and that I should do his essays. The arrangement  43 wonderfully. The headmaster seemed quite  44 with my work, and I had more time to myself in the morning. On the other hand, once a week  45 I had to compose the essays of my friend. For several months no difficulty  46 , but once we were nearly caught out.

  One afternoon, the headmaster  47 my friend to discuss one essay with him in a lively spirit. “I was interested in this  48 you make here. I think you might have gone further. Tell me  49 you had in your mind.” The headmaster continued in this  50 for some time to fear of my friend. However, the headmaster, not wishing to  51 an occasion of praise into  52 of fault-finding, finally  53 him go. He came back to me like a man who had had a very narrow  54 and I made up my mind to make every effort to study my  55 .

A. quick     B. slow      C. hard        D. good

A. made     B. got        C. found        D. left

A. trouble    B. difference     C. labor         D. worry

A. might     B. would     C. should        D. could

A. very      B. little       C. much       D. few

A. for       B. by      C. in         D. to

A. change     B. take      C. forgive       D. tell

A. worked     B. tried      C. happened      D. developed

A. angry      B. satisfied     C. frightened      D. sad

A. or so      B. or else      C. as usual       D. as far

A. became      B. seemed     C. lay        D. appeared

A. called      B. taught     C. arranged      D. sent

A. aim       B. goal      C. point        D. opinion

A. why       B. how      C. which       D. what

A. excitement       B. way      C. meaning      D. disappointment

A. turn        B. leave      C. grow       D. become

A. none       B. one      C. either       D. some

A. ordered      B. asked     C. took       D. let

A. surprise        B. escape    C. hope       D. chance

A. reading      B. writing     C. translations      D. essays

I’m seventeen. I had worked as a box boy at a supermarket in Los Angeles. People came to the counter and you put things in their bags for them. And carried things to their cars. It was hard work.

While working, you wear a plate with your name on it. I once met someone I knew years ago. I remembered his name and said,“Mr Castle, how are you?"We talked about this and that. As he left, he said,“It was nice talking to you, Brett."I felt great, he remembered me. Then I looked down at my name plate. Oh no. He didn?t remember me at all, he just read the name plate. I wish I had put“Irving"down on my name plate. If he?d have said,“Oh yes, Irving, how could I forget you?"I d have been ready for him. There?s nothing personal here.

The manager and everyone else who were a step above the box boys often shouted orders. One of these was: you couldn?t accept tips(小费). Okay, I?m outside and

 I put the bags in the car. For a lot of people, the natural reaction(反应)is to take a quarter and give it to me. I?d say,“I?m ?sorry,? I can’t."They’d get angry. When you give someone a tip, you?re sort of being polite. You take a quarter and you put it in their hand and you expect them to say,“Oh,thanks a lot."When you say,“I'm sorry, I can't."They feel a little put down.They say,“No one will know."And they put it in your pocket. You say,“I really can’t."It gets to a point where you almost have to hurt a person physically(身体上)to prevent him from tipping you. It was not in agreement with the store?s belief in being friendly. Accepting tips was a friendly thing and made the customer feel good. I just could?t understand the strangeness of some people?s ideas. One lady actually put it in my pocket, got in the car, and drove away. I would have had to throw the quarter at her or eaten it or something.

I had decided that one year was enough. Some people needed the job to stay alive and fed. I guess I had the means and could afford to hate it and give it up.

1.What can be the best title for this text?

A.How Hard Life for Box Boys 

B.Getting along with Customers

C.Why I Gave up My Job

D.The Art of Taking Tips 

2.From the second paragraph, we can infer that _______ .

A.the writer didn’t like the impersonal part of his job

B.with a name plate, people can easily start talking

C.Mr Castle mistook Irving for Brett

D.Irving was the writer?s real name 

3.The box boy refused to accept tips because _______.

A.customers only gave small tips

B.some customers had strange ideas about tipping

C.the store forbade the box boys to take tips

D.he didn’t want to fight with the customers 

4.The underlined phrase“put down"in the third paragraph probably means _______.

A.misunderstood         B.defeated         C.hateful         D.hurt 

Glynis Davis:
I first piled on the pounds when I was in the family way and I couldn’t lose them afterwards. Then I joined a slimming club. My target was 140 pounds and I lost 30 pounds in six months. I felt great and people kept saying how good I looked. But Christmas came and I started to slip back into my old eating habits. I told myself I’d lose the weight at slimming classes in the new year… but it didn’t happen. Instead of losing the pounds, I put them on. I’d lost willpower and tried to believe that the old bag of fish and chips didn’t make any difference — but the scales don’t lie.
Roz Juma:
To be honest, I never weigh myself any more. I’ve learnt to be happy with myself. It seemed to me that I would feel sorry about every spoonful of tasty food that passed my lips. My idea is simple. You shouldn’t be too much thinking about food and dieting. Instead, you should get on with life and stop dreaming of a super thin body. This is obviously the size I’m meant to be and, most of all, I’m happy with it.
Lesley Codwin:
I was very happy at winning Young Slimmer of the year. I’d look in the mirror unable to believe this slim lady was me! That might have been my problem — perhaps from then on I didn’t pay any attention to myself. Winning a national competition makes everything worse, though. Because you feel the eyes of the world are fixed upon you. I feel a complete failure because I’ve put on weight again.
Ros Langfod:
Before moving in with my husband Gavin, I’d always been about 110 pounds, but the pleasant housework went straight to my waist and I put on 15 pounds in a year. Every so often I try to go on a diet… I’m really good in a few days, then end up having the children’s leftovers or eating happily chocolate — my weakness. I’d like to be slim, but right now my duty is the children and home. I might take more exercise when my kids are older.
【小题1】What do you think the four women were talking about?

A.Different diets they prefer.
B.Their life after marriage.
C.Tex books for students.
D.Their own slimming matter.
【小题2】Where are these short passages most likely to be taken from?
A.Talks on the air.
B.Advertisements on the wall.
C.Books in a library.
D.Magazines for children.
【小题3】What does the underlined word “scales” possibly mean?
A.The coach in the slimming club.
B.Some tool to measure weight.
C.Glynis Davis’ dear husband.
D.The salesperson in a food shop.
【小题4】Which of the following best describes each of the four women’s attitudes towards slimming?
① Glynis Davis        a. I put on weight soon after I got married.
② Roz Juma            b. Frame doesn’t necessarily mean success.
③ Lesley Codwin       c. Facts speak much louder than words.
④ Ros Langfod         d. I like myself as I am, and to be what you are.
A.①-a; ②-d; ③-b; ④-cB.①-c; ②-b; ③-d; ④-a
C.①-c; ②-d; ③-b; ④-aD.①-a; ②-b; ③-c; ④-d

My grandson, Daniel, and I have always been very close. When Daniel’s father remarried after a divorce, Daniel, who was eleven, and his little sister, Kristie, came to live with us. My husband and I were more than happy to have kids in the house again.

    Things were going along just fine until the diabetes (糖尿病) I’ve lived with most of my adult life started affecting my eyes, and then more seriously, my kidneys (肾). Then everything seemed to fall apart.

    Three times a week, I had to go to the hospital to be hooked up to a dialysis machine (透析机). I was living, but I couldn’t really call it a life — it was an existence. I had no energy. I dragged myself through daily chores and slept as much as I could. My sense of humor seemed to disappear.

    Daniel, seventeen by then, was really affected by the change in me. He tried as hard as he could to make me laugh, to bring back the grandma who loved to clown around (开玩笑) with him. Even in my sorry state, Daniel could still bring a smile to my face.

    But things were not improving. After a year on dialysis, my condition was deteriorating (恶化) and the doctors felt that if I didn’t receive a kidney transplant within six months, I would surely die. No one told Daniel this, but he knew — he said all he had to do was look after me. To top it off, as my condition worsened, there was a chance that I would become too weak to have the transplant surgery at all, and then there would be nothing they could do for me. So we started the tense and desperate wait for a kidney.

    I was adamant (坚决的) that I didn’t want a kidney from anyone I knew. I would wait until an appropriate kidney became available, or I would literally die waiting. But Daniel had other plans. The time that he took me to my dialysis appointments, he did a little secret research on his own. Then he announced his intention to me.

    “Grandma, I’m giving you one of my kidneys. I’m young and I’m healthy …” He paused. He could see I wasn’t at all happy with his offer. He continued, almost in whisper, “And most of all, I couldn’t stand it if you weren’t around.” His face wore an expression of appeal mixed with determination. He can be as stubborn as a mule (驴) once he decides on something — but I’ve been told many times that I can out-stubborn any mule!

    We argued. I couldn’t let him do it. We both knew that if he gave up his kidney, he would also give up his life’s dream; to play football. It was all he ever talked about. And he was good, too. Daniel was co-captain and star defensive tackle (防守阻截队员) of his high school team; he expected to apply for a football scholarship and was looking forward to playing college football. He just loved the sport.

    “How can I let you throw away the thing that means the most to you?” I pleaded with him.

    “Grandma,” he said softly, “compared to your life, football means nothing to me.”

    After that, I couldn’t argue anymore. So we agreed to see if he was a good donor (捐赠者) match, and then we’d discuss it further. When the tests came back, they showed Daniel was a perfect match. That was it. I knew I wasn’t going to win that argument, so we scheduled the transplant.

    Both surgeries went smoothly. As soon as I came out of the anesthesia (麻醉) , I could tell things were different. I felt great! The nurses in the intensive care unit had to keep telling me to lie back and be quiet — I wasn’t supposed to be that lively! I was afraid to go to sleep, for fear I would break the spell (魔法) and wake up the way I had been before. But the good feeling didn’t go away, and I spent the evening joking and laughing with anyone who would listen. It was so wonderful to feel alive again.

    The next day they moved me out of ICU and onto the floor where Daniel was recuperating (复原) three doors away. His grandfather helped him walk down to see me as soon as I was moved into my room. When we saw each other, we did not know what to say. Holding hands, we just sat there and looked at each other for a long time, overwhelmed by the deep feeling of love that connected us.

    Finally, he spoke, “Was it worthwhile, grandma?”

    I laughed a little ruefully (懊悔). “It was for me! But was it for you?” I asked him.

    He nodded and smiled at me. “I’ve got my grandma back.”

    And I have my life back. It still amazes me. Every morning, when I wake up, I thank God —and Daniel — for this miracle. A miracle born of the purest love.

1.Grandma’s diabetes brought about all the following EXCEPT that _______.

A. her eyes and her kidneys were affected

B. grandma became quite a different person

C. Daniel had to be sent back to his father

D. everything was thrown into confusion

2.When grandma was at her lowest, what did Daniel do to bring her back to her usual life?

A. He tried his best to make her laugh.     

B. He helped her with the daily chores.

C. He gave up his dream of going to college.     

D. He searched desperately for a good donor match.

3.How did grandma feel when Daniel announced his intention to give her one of his kidneys?

A. She was moved by his selfless decision.

B. She wasn’t at all happy with his offer.

C. She felt relieved that an appropriate kidney was available.

D. She was enthusiastic about having a kidney of someone she loved.

4.What would giving up a kidney mean to Daniel, according to the passage?

A. He wouldn’t be young and healthy thereafter.

B. He didn’t have to search for a good match any more.

C. He could apply for a full scholarship to a college he desired.

D. He would also give up his life’s dream: to play football.

5.How was grandma when she came out of the anesthesia after the surgery?

A. She was feeling low.                B. She was full of life.

C. She was exhausted.                D. She was the way she had been before.

6.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A. Grandma got her life back thanks to Daniel’s selfless donation.

B. Grandma thought her returning to life was a miracle of pure love.

C. Daniel agreed with grandma that the transplant was worthwhile for her, not for him.

D. Much as he loved football, grandma’s life meant the most to Daniel.

 

Last December, I performed 30 shows in 11 days. I knew it would be a tiring tour before I set off, but I just wanted to be there to support our men and women.

From the minute I walked onstage the afternoon I arrived at the army, the soldiers were cheering, singing along at the top of their voices. I had done hundreds of concerts, but it was my first time to perform for troops. Looking at the smiling faces of these soldiers --- some of them only teenagers --- I felt great joy moving through me. They were the loveliest fans I had ever met. Then, from out of nowhere, words came into my head. “I want to play you something new … a song just came in my head minutes ago. It’s called Here with Me,” I told them. Cheers rang out. As I sang, I could see the tears in some of soldiers’ eyes. I finished to thunderous applause.

At the autograph(亲笔签名)part afterward, one of the soldiers took out a picture of a high school student. “This is my girl. You know, I miss her so much,” he said. “That new song you sang … it meant so much to me. Those were the words I’ve always wanted to tell her.

I realized that the song wasn’t about me and that it was, in fact, a gift for these men and women. I played it in every concert after that, always with the same unbelievable reaction.

On the long plane ride home I kept thinking about the soldiers I’d met. They risked their lives every day to defend our country, yet they were grateful for a simple concert. I decided to record the new song to thank our men and women           in uniform(制服).

1.Which of the following words can best take the place of the word “troops” in the second paragraph?

A.officials           B.teenagers         C.soldiers           D.students

2.When the author performed on the stage, he felt _____.

A.pleased           B.nervous           C.confident         D.worried

3.What might be the topic of the new song?

A.The tiring army life

B.The danger of being a soldier

C.The excitement of going to a concert

D.The family one misses

4.From the text, we can infer that the author _____.

A.served in the army before

B.received many gifts during shows

C.was impressed by the soldiers

D.always cared for the soldiers

5.The passage is most probably written by a(n) _____.

A.dancer           B.teacher           C.singer            D.official leader

 

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