Ms Tan,you've referred to your new novel as your eighth book.

That's because it took me six or seven attempts at a second novel before I started and completed this one.

●Why do you think you had so many false starts?

I would say that my reasons were wrong:I was trying to prove that I wasn't just a mother-daughter storyteller,or I was trying to prove that I didn't just have to write about things that were strictly Chinese or Chinese-American.Those were never the right reasons for writing those early stories.And I could never come up with other,better reasons for continuing them.

●What kept you going on this book?

This book was different because it was based on my mother's real life.The reason for writing it became more personal and emotional.After The Joy Luck Club came out,my mother was always explaining to people that she wasn't any of the mothers in that book.And at one point she said to me,“Next book tells my true story.”And then she started telling me things I never knew before.She also told me many,many stories,because my mother doesn't generalize.The book really grew out of that.

●Have you ever visited China?

Yes.I've been there twice:about three years ago and then again last November,both times with my mother and my husband.

●Was it difficult to capture the Chinese-American dialect without sounding like a parody(拙劣的模仿)?

No,because it's the language I've heard all my life from my mother.She speaks English as it's direct translation from Chinese.But it's more than that:Her language also has more imagery than English.

●Can you think of an example?

Somebody might say to me,“Don't work so hard.You'll kill yourself.”My mother will say to me,“Why do you press all your brains out on this page for someone else?”So it's very vivid.That's the way she talks.

●Have many readers told you that the Chinese mother in your book reminded them of the typical Jewish(有癖好的)mother?

Many people have told me that.I think the mother-daughter relationship is very intense in both cases.Culturally there is an acceptance that mothers have the power to tell their children,especially their daughters,how to conduct their lives—not simply up until the time they are 18,but for the rest of their lives.However,when children grow up in a different culture from their parents',they tend to keep more secrets from their parents.The children think,“They just wouldn't understand that I had to do this.”And that can really create a gap,and it can grow as the number of secrets grows.

1.Based on the questions in this interview,what do you think Ms Tan's profession is?

A.A journalist.           B.A storywriter.

C.An interviewer.                    D.An interviewee.

2.What's TRUE about Tan's second book?

A.It's about her real life in America.

B.The name of the book is The Joy Luck Club.

C.It is the result of many times of careful thought.

D.It includes many works of her mother.

3.Which question is NOT answered in the interview?

A.How does she think of her mother's language?

B.How many books does she plan to write?

C.When did she visit China?

D.How is generation gap created?

4.The last paragraph mainly talks about ________.

A.how to keep secrets from parents

B.how to deal with the mother-daughter relationship

C.how to conduct the lives

D.how the generation gap comes about

We live in a very competitive world. Everybody seems to be competing with someone at some level. Each week we spend hours playing or watching others compete in sporting activities all over the world. We cannot help being impressed by the level of excellence that these people achieve.
In sport and business, competition encourages excellence in performance. Where there is no competition, improvement in performance is less likely. Some level of competition is a have-to in all aspects of life.
The following story makes this point.
As two friends are hiking in the forest they come across a huge, ferocious and obviously hungry bear. Its next meal has just come into sight, and they are it! The first friend calculates that the bear will catch them in 27.3 seconds. At that point, she panics, realizing there is no escape. She faces her friend, with the fear of death in her eyes. To her amazement, she observes that her friend is not scared at all. On the contrary, her friend is quickly but calmly taking off her hiking boots and putting on running shoes. “What do you think you’re doing?” the first hiker says to her companion. “You’ll never be able to run faster than that bear”. “That’s true,” says the companion, “but all I have to do is escape, faster than you.”
We all compete when the motivation is strong enough. However, competition is not the real purpose of life. Fulfilling the measure of our creation can only be achieved individually.
Most of time, we are not in competition with any other person, so we do not have to compare ourselves with others. There is only one person that can fulfill our role and that is us. This means that others cannot beat us to the finish line because there is no race. This is not to say that others do not have a similar role to us, but it is never the same. This is important to understand if we are going to enjoy life. Every human being is unique and cannot be cloned. In this, I am not referring to the body, only to the spirit, soul, or the essence of a person.
【小题1】The first four paragraphs tell us that competition       .

A.is necessary though harmfulB.only exists in sports and business
C.is a fight against oneselfD.is unavoidable and beneficial
【小题2】Why is the story of two friends told in the passage?
A.To advise friends to be loyal even in competition.
B.To expose the weak side of friendship when tested.
C.To support the author’s own argument on competition.
D.To persuade people to beat others, even friends.
【小题3】From the last two paragraphs we learn that       .
A.there is more to life than just competition
B.we don’t have to compete since we are all different
C.we have to beat others in order to survive
D.competition plays an important role in social development
【小题4】As a whole the passage advises the readers to       .
A.realize we are living in a world of competition
B.face competition in a balanced state of mind
C.have a strong sense of being a possible winner
D.value friendship however fierce competition may be

Hello, Chicago. If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy(民主),tonight is your answer.
……
I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn’t start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington. It began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston. It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give $ 5 and $ 10 and $ 20 to the cause.
It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation’s apathy(冷漠), who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep.
It drew strength from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on doors of perfect strangers, and from the millions of Americans who volunteered and organized and proved that more than two centuries later a government of the people, by the people, and for the people has not perished(消失)from the Earth.
This is your victory.
And I know you didn’t do this just to win an election. And I know you didn’t do it for me.
You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime—two wars, a planet in peril(危亡), the worst financial crisis in a century.
Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us.
……
The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term. But, America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there.
I promise you, we as a people will get there.
【小题1】 This passage is most probably taken from a (an)_______.

A.reportB.lectureC.speechD.announcement
【小题2】Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A.The speaker has won an election campaign which is quite important for him.
B.The speaker feels they are unlikely to make their ancestors’ dream come true.
C.The speaker thinks America is a nation that lacks democracy.
D.The speaker’s campaign was launched in the nation’s capital.
【小题3】The purpose of the speaker is to do the following except______.
A.expressing thanks to his supporters
B.discussing the challenges that lie ahead
C.urging Americans to unite for the bright future of the nation
D.warning the people against two terrible wars in store
【小题4】We can see from the passage that the speaker is a (an)_______person.
A.unreliableB.determinedC.narrow-mindedD.humorous

  I still remember the days when l was a youthful student in an engineering school.I lived a casual life,without caring about the future.I smoked,drank with friends and made girl friends.Little did I realize that casualness would certainly lead to loss.

    Two years had passed and l was staring down a report card that highlighted FAII in more than half the subjects.I didn’t care,at least not till my dad found out about it.You see.I studied in India and unlike the United States where the students are expected to finance their own education,my dad financed me.

    Then came the day when my dad found out my habit of smoking.He lost his temper but he just told me,“Son,your allowance is cut in half from this moment on”.It hit me like a roundhouse kick(回旋踢) from Bruce Lee.I was jolted(震摇)out of my bones!I couldn’t comprehend how to pay off the debts that I had accumulated in college.I owed everybody money:the grocery store,the bars.the restaurants,my friends,etc.I was living a life filled with credit.

    When I went back to college,I knew that if I don’t change the way I live my life I won’t be able to pay everybody off.So I decided to make some changes.drastic changes.I quit smoking,cut off from my friends who led me down the wrong road,starting hanging out in libraries and reading my engineering books.

    One year later,I went from a miserable failure to a magna curn laude(优等成绩).Life was never the same again.This incident made me know that anything is possible if you take action and do something about it,however small or large.Even today it still motivates me when I feel that l’m about to lose or give up.It reminds me that I can do it!

1.The author wrote this text with the purpose of       

    A.introducing his university life to the teenage readers

    B.showing you can overcome any difficulty if you take action

    C.calling on the readers not to develop bad habits in college

    D.introducing his university life to the teenage readers

2.The author didn’t care about his study until     

    A.he was in heavy debt he couldn’t bear             B.he decided to give up smoking

    C.his allowance was cut in half   D.he entered the engineering school

3.The underlined sentence in the last paragraph means that the author     

    A.removed his bad habits and didn’t lead a casual life

    B.never hung out with his friends but studied all day

    C.began to live a happy life due to his good grades

    D.paid off his debt and life wasn’t hard for him any more

4.Which of the following statements is TRUE?

    A.The author did well in making good friends in the school.

    B.The author made great progress with the help of his friends.

    C.Students were encouraged to do part-time jobs in Indian schools.

    D.Students tended to earn money for college expenses in America.

 

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