题目内容
I grew up in a small town. My father raised chickens and ran a construction company. I was barely 10 years old when my dad gave me the responsibility (责任) of feeding the chickens and cleaning up the stable. He believed it was important for me to have those jobs to learn responsibility. Then, when I was 22, I found a job in Natchbill at a country music club called the Natchbill Palace, I washed dishes and cooked from 4: 00 pm to 9: 00 pm and then went on stage and sang until 2:00 in the morning. It wasn’t long before I became known as a singing cook. I had been rejected so many times by record companies that it was hard not to be discouraged. One night, a woman executive (懂事) from a company named Warner Brothers Records came to hear me sing. When the show was over, we sat down and talked and after she left, I said to myself it was one more rejection. A few weeks later, my manager received a phone call — Warner Brothers wanted to sign me to a record deal. Soon after, I released my first record in June 1986. It sold over 2 million copies. My best efforts had gone into every job I’ve ever held. It was the sense of responsibility that made me feel like a man. Knowing that I had done my best filled me with pride. I still feel that way today, even though I have become a well-known singer.
Why was the writer once known as the singing cook?
A. Because he was a cook at a country-music club.
B. Because he sang for guests while he worked as a cook.
C. Because he often sang while cooking.
D. Because he liked singing better than cooking.
Who first recognized his talents and helped make his career successful?
A. Wamer Brothers. B. His manager.
C. His father. D. A businesswoman.
What made the writer proud of himself?
A. His ability to live independently.
B. His sense of responsibility in whatever he did.
C. His courage in the face of rejections.
D. His hard work in his early days.
【小题1】B
【小题2】D
【小题3】B
解析:
本文讲述了作者通过刻苦磨练,最终成为一个著名的歌唱家的故事。
【小题1】推断题。由第六七句I washed dishes and cooked…then went on stage and sang…It wasn’t long before I became known as a singing cook 可知。
【小题2】细节题。由One night, a woman executive (懂事) from a company named Warner Brothers Records及后文可知。
【小题3】由文章倒数第三句It was the sense of responsibility that made me feel like a man 可知。
I grew up poor – living with six brothers, my father and a wonderful mother. We had 36 money and few worldly goods, but plenty of love and attention. I was 37 and energetic. I understood that no matter how poor a person was, they could 38 afford a dream.
My dream was to be a 39 .When I was sixteen, I could crush a baseball, throw a ninety-mile-per-hour fastball. I was also 40 : my high-school coach was Ollie Jarvis, who 41 me the difference between having a dream and showing strong belief. One particular 42 with him changed my life forever.
It was a summer and a friend recommended me for a summer 43 . This meant a chance for my first income—cash for a new bike and new clothes, and the 44 of savings for a house for my mother. The opportunity was attracting, and I wanted to 45 at it.
Then I realized I would have to 46 summer baseball to handle the work schedule, and that meant I would have to tell Coach Jarvis I wouldn’t be playing. I was 47 about this.
When I told Coach Jarvis, he was as 48 as I expected him to be. “You have your whole life to work,” he said. “Your 49 days are limited. You can’t afford to waste them.”
I stood before him with my head 50 , trying to think of how to explain to him why my dream of buying my mom a house and having money in my pocket was worth 51 his disappointment in me.
“How much are you going to make at this job?” he demanded.
“$ 3.25 an hour,” I replied.
“Well, is $ 3.25 an hour the price of a 52 ?” he asked.
That 53 laid bare for me the difference between wanting something right now and having a goal. I devoted myself to 54 that summer, and within the year I was offered a $ 20,000 contract. I signed with the Denver Broncos in 1984 for $ 1.7 million, and bought my mother the 55 of my dreams.
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I grew up poor — living with six brothers, three sisters and my mother. We had little money, but plenty of love and 36 . I was happy and energetic. I understood that no matter how poor a person was, he could still 37 a dream.
My dream was 38 . By the time I was sixteen, I could throw a ninety-mile-per-hour baseball and 39 anything that moved on the field. I was also 40 : my high school coach was John, who not only 41 me, but also taught me how to believe in myself. He 42 me the difference between having a dream and showing conviction (信念). One particular incident with coach John changed my life forever.
A friend 43 me for a summer job. This meant a chance for money in my pocket — money for a new bike, new clothes and the 44 of savings for a house for my mother. Then I realized I would have to 45 up summer baseball to handle the work schedule, and that meant I would have to tell John I wouldn’t be playing.
When I told John, he was as 46 as I expected him to be. “You have your whole life to work,” he said, “Your 47 days are limited. You can’t afford to waste them.” I stood before him with my head 48 , trying to think of the words that would 49 to him why my dream of buying my mom a house and having money in my pocket was worth facing his 50 in me.
“Well,” he asked, “is $3.5 an hour the 51 of a dream?”
That simple question made 52 to me the difference between 53 something right now and having a goal. I devoted myself in sports that summer and 54 the year I was chosen by the Pittsburgh Pirates to play baseball, and 55 a $ 20,000 contract(合同). Later, I bought my mother the house of my dream!
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I was 16 and I grew up in a community called Estepona. One morning, Dad told me I could drive him into a ___31___ village called Mijas, on condition that I took the car in to be ___32___ at a nearby garage. I readily accepted. I drove Dad into Mijas, and ___33____ to pick him up at 4 pm, then dropped off the car at the ___34___. With several hours to spare, I went to a theater. ___35___, when the last movie finished, it was six. I was two hours late!
I knew Dad would be angry if he ___36___ I'd been watching movies. So I decided not to tell him the truth. When I ____37____ there I apologized for being late, and told him I'd ___38__ as quickly as I could, but that the car had needed some major repairs. I'll never forget the ___39___ he gave me. "I'm disappointed you ___40___ you have to lie to me, Jason." Dad looked at me again. "When you didn't ___41___, I called the garage to ask if there were any ___42___, and they told me you hadn't yet picked up the car." I felt ____43___ as I weakly told him the real reason. A___44___passed through Dad as he listened attentively." I'm angry with ___45___. I realize I've failed as a father. I'm going to walk home now and think seriously about___46___ I've gone wrong all these years." "But Dad, it's 18 miles!" My protests and apologies(道歉) were __47___. Dad walked home that day.I drove behind him, ___48___ him all the way, but he walked silently.
Seeing Dad in so much ___49___ and emotional(情感的) pain was my most painful experience. However, it was ___50____ the most successful lesson. I have never lied since.
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I am a writer. I spend a great deal of my time thinking about the power of language — the way it can evoke(唤起) an emotion, a visual image, a complex idea, or a simple truth. Language is the tool of my trade. And I use them all — all the Englishes I grew up with.
Born into a Chinese family that had recently arrived in California, I’ve been giving more thought to the kind of English my mother speaks. Like others, I have described it to people as “broken” English. But I feel embarrassed to say that. It has always bothered me that I can think of no way to describe it other than “broken”, as if it were damaged and needed to be fixed, as if it lacked a certain wholeness. I’ve heard other terms used, “limited English,” for example. But they seem just as bad, as if everything is limited, including people’s perceptions (认识) of the limited English speaker.
I know this for a fact, because when I was growing up, my mother’s “limited” English limited my perception of her. I was ashamed of her English. I believed that her English reflected the quality of what she had to say. That is, because she expressed them imperfectly, her thoughts were imperfect. And I had plenty of evidence to support me: the fact that people in department stores, at banks, and at restaurants did not take her seriously, did not give her good service, pretended not to understand her, or even acted as if they did not hear her.
I started writing fiction in 1985. And for reasons I won’t get into today, I began to write stories using all the Englishes I grew up with: the English she used with me, which for lack of a better term might be described as “broken”, and what I imagine to be her translation of her Chinese, her internal(内在的) language, and for that I sought to preserve the essence, but neither an English nor a Chinese structure: I wanted to catch what language ability tests can never show; her intention, her feelings, the rhythms of her speech and the nature of her thoughts.
1.By saying “Language is the tool of my trade”, the author means that .
A.she uses English in foreign trade |
B.she is fascinated by languages |
C.she works as a translator |
D.she is a writer by profession |
2.The author used to think of her mother’s English as .
A.impolite |
B.amusing |
C.imperfect |
D.practical |
3.Which of the following is TRUE according to Paragraph 3?
A.Americans do not understand broken English. |
B.The author’s mother was not respected sometimes. |
C.The author’s mother had positive influence on her. |
D.Broken English always reflects imperfect thoughts. |
4.What is the passage mainly about?
A.The changes of the author’s attitude to her mother’s English. |
B.The limitation of the author’s perception of her mother. |
C.The author’s misunderstanding of “limited” English. |
D.The author’s experiences of using broken English. |