I was in my third year of teaching writing at Ralph High School in New York, when one of my students, 15-year-old Mikey, gave me a note from his mother. It explained his absence from class the day before:

    "Dear Mr. McCort, Mikey's grandmother, who is eighty years of age, fell down the stairs from too much coffee and I kept Mikey at home to take care of her and his baby sister so I could go to my job. Please excuse Mikey and he'll do his best in the future. P.S. His grandmother is OK."

    I had seen Mikey writing the note at his desk. l said nothing. Most parental-excuse notes I received were penned by my students. The writers of those notes didn't realize that honest excuse notes were usually boring: "Peter was late because the alarm clock didn't go off."

    The students always said it was hard putting 200 words together on any subject, but when they produced excuse notes, they were excellent. So I decided to give the first class to study the art of the excuse note.

    “Today I'd like you to write 'An Excuse Note from Adam to God' or 'An Excuse Note from Eve to God'. "Heads went down. Pens raced across paper. They had to be asked to go to lunch by their friends.[来源:学|科|网Z

    The next day everyone had excuse notes. Heated discussions followed. But suddenly I saw the headmaster at the door. He entered the classroom and walked up and down, looking at papers, and then said. "I'd like you to see me in my office." My heart sank,

    When I stepped into his office, he came to shake my hand and said, "I just want to tell you that lesson, that task, was great. Those kids were writing on the college level. Thank you."

1.What did the writer do when he found the students dishonest?

A. He reported them to the headmaster.

B. He lectured them hard on honesty.

C. He had them take notes-n class.

D. He helped improve their writing skills.

2.We can learn that when Mikey was absent from the class, he was____.

A. somewhere enjoying himself

B. taking care of his baby sister

C. looking after his grandmother

D. studying the art of the excuse note

3.How did the writer usually find out his students' parental excuse notes were dishonest?

A. They were written in boring words.

B. He called their parents and found out the truth.

C. They were more like stories than facts.

D. The handwriting clearly looked like children's.

4.Which of the following is true?

A. The writer has many years of teaching experience.

B. The students are good at writing excuse notes.

C. The headmaster was angry with the writer.

D. Most of the excuse notes were written by the parents.

5.Which of the following best describes the writer as a teacher?

A. Honest.               B. Strict.                   C. Hardworking.    D. Wise.

It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time

I really only meant it as a joke.   I wasn't trying to steal anything honestly.

My friend Matthew started bringing his new cell phone to class last week. He was walking around bragging (吹嘘) about it to everyone. He was saying, "My cell phone can download (下载) the newest 41 off the internet. "Then he 42 everyone by downloading a game and starting to play it. The pictures and sound were really 43 .

44 class, he would use his cell phone to watch TV. The rest of us didn't have a phone like 45 , so we had to crowd around him. I was just trying to see the screen, 46 there were so many other kids that I could not see it clearly. I was getting really jealous (嫉妒).

But then yesterday, he forgot his cell phone at the end of class. He left it right on his desk. 47 noticed it was there except me. I decided to teach him a lesson. I took his phone quietly off the desk, and put it in my own bag. My 48 was to give it back to him the next day. I 49 wanted to see his reaction (反应). Maybe he would stop being such a show-off.

But this morning he rushed into class, screaming and yelling (吼叫). He was very 50 and almost mad. He started accusing (指责) different people of 51 his phone, but I had it in my 52 the whole time. He even started fighting with another classmate 53 Matthew was sure that person had taken it. The teacher sent them to the headmaster's office. They 54 got in a lot of trouble. Now I don't know what to 55 ! If I tell him that I took the cell phone, he'll think I stole it. If I don't tell him, then I really did steal it. How did I get into such a trouble?

1.A. ads B. songs C. films D. games

2.A. gave B. showed C. lent D. asked

3.A. good B. bad C. noisy D. unclear

4.A. After B. During C. In D. From

5.A. hers B. ours C. his D. theirs

6.A. and B. but C. then D. so

7.A. Everybody B. Somebody C. Anybody D. Nobody

8.A. plan B. suggestion C. dream D. action

9.A. always B. hardly C. just D. sometimes

10.A. happy B. quiet C. sad D. angry

11.A. losing B. stealing C. playing D. using

12.A. desk B. hand C. bag D. pocket

13.A. if B. because C. until D. though

14.A. both B. all C. neither D. none

15.A. say B. take C. see D. do

Three rich ladies met every day by the river. They sat there and talked the w   71    day. Once, they quarreled. One of them said, "Look, how white and beautiful my hands are!" A   72    one said, "My hands are more beautiful." The third one said. “Mine a   73    the most beautiful." Just then, an old woman beggar（乞丐） came up to them. "Beautiful ladies," she said, "I'm old and can't work. I'm hungry.  Please give me something to eat."

But the t   74    ladies gave her nothing. They only asked her to tell them who h   75   the most beautiful hands.

A peasant woman (农妇) was also sitting by the river. She was poor and her hands were rough（粗糙） because of h   76    work. The old woman beggar came up to her and said, "I'm hungry. Please give me something to eat." The peasant woman took out her only cake she had and gave the beggar a h   77   .

The old woman beggar ate it and drank some water. Then she took the peasant woman by the hand, brought her b   78    the rich ladies and said, "Now, I shall tell you whose hands are the most beautiful. The hands of the poor peasant woman are rough because of work, but they give us food; they are m    79    more beautiful than your hands which have never d 80    anything."

A woman saw three old men sitting outside. She said," I don' t think I know you, but you must be very hungry. Please come in and have something to___1____ . ""We don't go into a house ___2___," they answered. "Why is that?" she asked. One of the old men said, "His name is Wealth (财富) this is Success, and I am Love. Now go in and___3___with your family which one of us you want in your house. "The woman went in and told her family all that happened. She said, "Let's invite Wealth. We have been so___4___ . " Her husband disagreed, "My dear, why don't we invite Success? Don't you want me to be a successful man?" Then her daughter asked, "Would it be___5__ to invite Love? Our life will then be filled with love!" In the end, the family decided to take the ___6___advice.So the woman went out and asked, "Which one of you is___7___? Please come in and be our guest. " Love got up and started walking to the house. The other two also got up and ___8___ him. Surprised, the lady asked Wealth and Success, " I____9___invite Love. Why are you coming along?" The two old men answered, "If you invited Wealth or Success, the other two would have to___10____,  but as you invite Love, wherever he goes, we go with him. Where there is Love, there is Wealth and Success. "

"Everything happens for the best," my mother said whenever things weren't going my way. "Don't worry. One day your luck will change."

Mother was right, as I discovered after I had finished my college education, I had decided to try for a job in radio. One day, I wanted to host a sports programme. I went to Chicago and knocked on the door of every station. But I got turned down every time.

    In one station, a kind lady said my problem was that I hadn't got enough experience. "Get some work with a small station and work your way up," she said.

I went back home. I couldn't get a job there, either. Then my dad told me a businessman had opened a store and needed someone to help him. But again, I didn't get the job.

    I felt really down. "Your luck will change," Mom said to me. Dad lent me the car to help me to look for my job. I tried another radio station in Lowa. But the owner, a nice man, told me he had already had someone.

    As I left his office, I asked, "How can someone be a sports announcer(播音员) if he can't get a job in a radio station?"

    I was waiting for the lift when I heard the man call. "What did you mean? Do you know anything about football?" He put me in front of a microphone and asked me to try to imagine that I was giving my opinion on a football game, I succeeded.

    On my way home, Mom's words come back to me, "One day your luck will change, Son. And when it happens, it'll feel doubly good because of all the hard work you've had." At that moment I knew just what she meant.

16. What's the writer's ideal job?

   A. A sportsman.                  B. A shop assistant.

C. A sports announcer.             D. A businessman.

17. Why didn’t the writer get the job in Chicago?

A. Because he was too young.

B. Because he didn't get college education.

C. Because he's got a good-looking person.

D. Because he hadn't got enough experience.

18. The sentence "But I got turned down every time. "means"        ".

A. But I was refused every time

B. But I was successful every time

C. But I lost my way every time

D. But the door of every station was always closed

19. What made the writer succeed in the end?

   A. His mother’s words.              B. A kind lady’s help.

C. His father’s car.                   D. His own hard work.

20. What's the best title of this passage?

A. Mother's Words.                  B. Everything Happens for the Best.

C. No One Is Always Lucky.          D. To Find a Job in Radio Is Difficult.