题目内容
That cold January night, I was growing sick of my life in San Francisco. There I was walking home at one in the morning after a tiring practice at the theater. With opening night only a week away, I was still learning my lines. I was having trouble dealing with my part-time job at the bank and my acting at night at the same time. As I walked, I thought seriously about giving up both acting and San Francisco. City life had become too much for me.
As I walked down empty streets under tall buildings, I felt very small and cold. I began running, both to keep warm and to keep away any possible robbers(抢劫犯). Very few people were still out except a few sad-looking homeless people under blankets.
About a block from my apartment, I heard a sound behind me. I turned quickly, half expecting to see someone with a knife or a gun. The street was empty. All I saw was a shining streetlight. Still, the noise had made me nervous, so I started to run faster. Not until I reached my apartment building and unlocked the door did I realize what the noise had been. It had been my wallet falling to the sidewalk.
Suddenly I wasn’t cold or tired anymore. I ran out of the door and back to where I’d heard the noise. Although I searched the sidewalk anxiously for fifteen minutes, my wallet was nowhere to be found.
Just as I was about to give up the search, I heard the garbage truck(垃圾车) pull up to the sidewalk next to me. When a voice called from the inside, “Alisa Camacho?” I thought I was dreaming. How could this man know my name? The door opened, and out jumped a small red-haired man with an amused look in his eyes. “Is this what you’re looking for?” he asked, holding up a small square shape.
It was nearly 3 a.m. by the time I got into bed. I wouldn’t get much sleep that night, but I had got my wallet back. I also had got back some enjoyment of city life. I realized that the city couldn’t be a bad place as long as people were willing to help each other.
How did the writer feel when she was walking home after work?
A. Cold and sick B. Lucky and hopeful
C. Satisfied and cheerful D. Disappointed and helpless
From the first paragraph, we learn that the writer was busy_____.
A. solving her problem at the bank
B. taking part in various city activities
C. learning acting in an evening school
D. preparing for the first night show
On her way home the writer_____.
A. lost her wallet unknowingly
B. was stopped by a garbage truck driver
C. was robbed of her wallet by a man with a knife
D. found some homeless people following her
Children find meanings in their old family tales．
When Stephen Guyer’s three children were growing up, he told them stories about how his grandfather, a banker, 1 all in the 1930s, but did not lose sight of what he valued most. In one of the darkest times 2 his strong-minded grandfather was nearly 3 , he loaded his family into the car and 4 them to see family members in Canada with a 5 , “there are more important things in life than money”.
The 6 took on a new meaning recently when Mr. Guyer downsized to 7 house from a more expensive and comfortable one. He was 8 that his children, a daughter, 15, and twins, 22, would be upset．To his surprise, they weren’t. 9 , their reaction echoed (共鸣) their great-grandfather’s．What they 10 was how warm the people were in the house and how 11 of their heart was accessible.
Many parents are finding that family stories have surprising power to help children
12 hard times. Storytelling experts say the phenomenon reflects a growing 13 in telling tales, evidenced by a rise in storytelling events and festivals.
A university 14 of 65 families with children aged from 14 to 16 found kids’ ability to 15 parents’ stories was linked to a lower rate of anger and anxiety.
The 16 is telling the stories in a way children can 17 . We’re not talking here about the kind of story that 18 , “ When I was a kid, I walked to school every day uphill both ways, barefoot in the snow.” Instead, we should choose a story suited to the child’s 19 , and make eye contact (接触) to create “a personal experience”. We don’t have to tell children 20 they should take from the story and what the moral is.
1. A．missed B．lost C．forgot D．ignored
2. A．when B．while C．how D．why
3. A．friendless B．worthless C．penniless D．homeless
4. A．fetched B．allowed C．expected D．took
5. A．hope B．promise C．suggestion D．belief
6. A．tale B．agreement C．arrangement D．report
7. A．large B．small C．new D．grand
8. A．surprised B．annoyed C．disappointed D．worried
9. A．Therefore B．Besides C．Instead D．Otherwise
10. A．talked about B．cared about C．wrote about D．heard about
11. A．much B．many C．little D．few
12. A．beyond B．over C．behind D．through
13. A．argument B．skill C．interest D．anxiety
14. A．study B．design C．committee D．staff
15. A．provide B．retell C．support D．refuse
16. A．trouble B．gift C．fact D．trick
17. A．perform B．write C．bear D．question
18. A．means B．ends C．begins D．proves
19. A．needs B．activities C．judgments D．habits
20. A．that B．what C．which D．whom
We do some strange things when we don’t like the way our life is going．Too often we blame(责怪)someone else．‘‘I wish my parents were more understanding．”
“I have such a bad Chemistry teacher!”
“My friends are so boring and self-centered．They make my life worse and worse．’’
Blame! Blame! Blame!
It seems natural to sing this self-pitying song，but the truth is，if you don’t like your life，you should do something about it．No one else knows exactly how you feel or what you need．No one can read your mind correctly．You are the only one with the power to cheek your life，and if you want it to be different，you can change what you’re doing．
When you’re in trouble，don’t give away your power to decide how you feel about yourself. Choose how you want to think and act．Other people can’t make you unhappy or angry．They only act in their own way and then it’s up to you to decide how you will respond(回应)．For example，your friends go out to lunch without you and you feel very angry．How are you going to act? You may blame your friends，“They are not kind．Who needs them anyway?” Or you may tell your friends how you feel，listen to their explanation，and let them know you’d like to be invited next time．
When you decide everything in your own way，you’re getting hold of your own life and shaping(塑造)it according to your tastes and feelings．You can choose to be happy，to make friends and to build an interesting life．When you blame others for what is or isn’t happening in your life，you have stopped growing or learning．
One of the most important rules is that you can never change another person by your direct action．The only person you have the right to change is yourself．Once you change，the other person has something different to respond to and change is possible．If you want change in your life，begin with yourself．
1.What should we do if we don’t like our life?
A．Change what we’re doing． B．Read our minds correctly．
C．Sing that self-pitying song． D．Tell others what we want．
2.If the writer’s friends have dinner together without him，he may _________.
A．ask somebody else to talk to them
B．do the same thing to them in return
C．talk to them and try to find out why
D．forget it and be still friendly with them
3.What’s the writer’s idea about how to change others?
A．He thinks it’s impossible to change others．
B．He believes our love can change everything．
C．He chooses to talk with others directly．
D．He prefers to change ourselves first instead．
4.At the beginning of the passage three examples are given __________.
A．to support the idea that people often blame others
B．to suggest that there are various problems in people’s life
C．to show that not all chemistry teachers are fit for their job
D．to explain the reason why some people’s life is worse and worse
5.What’s the best title of the passage?
A．Blame! Blame! Blame! B．Who Controls My Life?
C．Change! Change! Change! D．What Makes Me Unhappy?
Five steps to take if your child is being bullied
51 The worst thing you can do is ignore it. Too often parents feel children and teens need to “work things out” on their own. If the problem is ignored, your child’s self-esteem will become unhealthy, he will be hurt mentally or physically, and he could become a bully himself.
Here are five steps you can take if your child is having problems with a bully:
52 This is an important first step and will help your child trust that you are able to help him with his problem. Accept what he has to say at face value by using your active listening skills.
Let your child know that he is not alone. 53 Reassure your child that he is not the problem. Nothing he did caused the bully to go after him.
If your child is being threatened in a physical or illegal way at school, report the problem. Your child may not want you to do this, or the school may not take it seriously, but violence cannot be tolerated. 54 You will need to model assertive (果断的) behavior by alerting those in charge where the bullying is taking place.
Teach your child assertive behavior and how to ignore routine teasing. Let them know it is okay to say “No.” sometimes even friends bully, so letting your child know they can be true to their own feelings and say “No” can go a long way.
55 Giving up possessions or giving in to a bully in anyway encourages the bully to continue. Identify ways for your child to respond to a bully---showing assertive but not aggressive behavior---and role-play them.
A. Believe what your child tells you.
B. Encourage your child not to give in to a bully.
C. Praise your child for being brave enough to talk about it.
D. Bullying is a terrible situation for a child to have to cope with.
E. If you choose not to do anything, that is what you’re teaching your child.
F. Most children have to deal with some type of bullying behavior at one time or another.
G. If your child comes to you because a bully is bothering him, you need to pay close attention to the problem.
When middle-aged Alex quit his job and made up his mind to become a self-employed writer, no one could tell for sure whether he would succeed or not．He found a cold storage room in a building, set up a used typewriter and settled down to work．
After a year or so, however, Alex began to doubt himself．He found it was difficult to earn his living by selling what he wrote．But Alex determined to put his dream to the test—even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of failure．This is the shadowland（虚幻世界）of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there．
One day Alex got a call, "We need an assistant, and we're paying $ 6,000 a year．” $ 6,000 was real money in 1960．It would enable Alex to get a nice apartment, a used car and more．Besides, he could write in his spare time．As the dollars were dancing in Alex's head, something cleared his senses．He had dreamed of being a writer? Full time．"Thanks, but no," Alex said firmly and swiftly, "I'm going to stick it out and write．"
After Alex got off the phone, he pulled out everything he had: two cans of vegetables and 18 cents．Alex put the cans and cents into a paper bag, saying to himself," There's everything you've made of yourself so far．I'm not sure I ever felt so low．"
Finally his work was published in 1970．Instantly he had the kind of fame and success that few writers ever experienced．The shadows had turned into focus of attention．
Then one day, Alex found a box filled with things he had owned years before．Inside was a paper bag with two cans and 18 cents．Suddenly he pictured himself working in that cold storage room．It reminds Alex, and anyone with a dream, of the courage and persistence it takes to stay the course in the shadowland．
1.Why did Alex give up his job?
A．Because he didn't like the working conditions．
B．Because he couldn't earn enough to make a living．
C．Because he wanted to be a full-time writer．
D．Because he felt he had no potential in his job．
2.What did Alex express when he answered the call?
A．He refused the job offer．
B．He was willing to give them a hand．
C．He expected them to pay him more money．
D．He would write in his spare time．
3.What kind of person is Alex?
A．Determined． B．Modest C．Shy． D．Brave．
4.Which of the following can summarize the passage best?
A．Look before you leap．
B．Two heads are better, than one．
C．Hold on to your dream, and it will come true．
D．A bird in hand is worth two in the bush．
