“Everything happens for the best,” my mother said whenever I faced disappointment. “If you can carry on, one day something good will happen.”
After graduating from college in 1932, I decided to try for a job in radio, then work my way up to sports announcer(播音员). I took the bus to Chicago and knocked on the door of every station. But I was refused every time. In one studio, a nice lady told me that big stations didn’t want to accept inexperienced persons. “Go to the countryside and find a small station that’ll give you a chance,” she said.
I returned home, Dixon in Illinois. While there were no radio-announcing jobs in Dixon, my father said Smith Ward had opened a store and wanted a local sportsman to manage its sports department. Since I had played high school football in Dixon, I applied(申请). The job sounded just right for me. But I still failed in the interview. At that moment, mom’s words came to my mind: “Everything happens for the best.” Dad offered me a car to look for a job. I tried WOC Radio in Davenport in Iowa. The program director, named Peter MacArthur, told me they had already hired an announcer.
As I left his office, I felt sad. I asked aloud, “How can a man become a sports announcer if he can’t get a job in a radio station?”
I was waiting for the lift when I heard MacArthur calling, “What did you say about sports? Do you know anything about football?” Then he made me stand before a microphone and asked me to broadcast an imaginary game. As a result, I did a wonderful job and was told to broadcast Saturday’s game!
On my way home, I thought of my mother’s words again: “Everything happens for the best if you carry on. One day something good will happen.”
【小题1】After the writer graduated from college, he tried to look for a job in        at first.

When I tidied up（整理）some old boxes under my bed, I found an old letter for me from my best friend. Her name was Minnie.

In the letter, Minnie wrote, “I am really sorry about before. Tell me if you will be my best friend again and tell me if you accept（接受）my apology . ”I wrote, “YES. I will be your best friend. ”

The twelve-year-old letter made me remember the time that Minnie and I spent together. We often wrote to each other during that time. One minute, Minnie and I would be playing happily together; the other moment we would get into arguments. But things would always be better again. She gave me a doll（洋娃娃）for my tenth birthday. I still keep it.

Finally things changed. We stopped writing letters to each other after she moved away, and I could no longer ride my bike to her house. Years later, she invited me to her sixteenth birthday party. I don’t see Minnie very often from then on. But I’ll always keep the letter and I’ll never forget the time we spent together.

1.Minnie wrote the letter to       .

A．say sorry to the writer                    B．thank the writer

C．invite the writer to her party               D．say goodbye to the writer

2.The writer got the letter      years ago.

A．10               B．12               C．14               D．16

3.The underlined word “apology” means “    ” in Chinese.

A．劝告             B．帮助             C．道歉             D．祝福

4.Which of the following is TRUE, according to the passage?

A．The writer never had arguments with Minnie.

B．Minnie gave the writer a doll on one of her birthdays.

C．Minnie still writes letters to the writer.

D．The writer often rides her bike to Minnie’s house.

5.The writer wrote the passage to tell us about her      with Minnie.

A．old boxes         B．letter             C．birthday party      D．friendship

Passage 2
Dear Linda,
I have been in England three months now. I hope you don't think I've forgotten you. There have been so many places to see and so many things to do that I've not had much time for writing letters.
I shall soon be starting my studies at King's College. So far I've been learning about England and British ways of living. I won't tell you about London. There are plenty of books you can read and plenty of pictures you can look at. I'm sure you'll be more interested to know what I think about the life here.
I find some of the customs (风俗) new and interesting. People here do not shake hands as much as we do in Europe. During the first few weeks I was often surprised because people did not put out their hands when I met them. Men raise their hats to women but not to each other.
Yours,
Alice
【小题1】The writer came to London from _________.
A. Asia
B. Europe
C. America         
【小题2】The writer __________.
A. has never been of England
B. came to England three months ago  
C. will come to England in three months
【小题3】She has _________.
A. not written any letters
B. a little time to write letters
C. no time to write letters    
【小题4】She came to England to _________.
A. study
B. make a living
C. learn British ways of living
【小题5】 Englishmen ___________.
A. do not often shake hands with friends when they meet
B. often shake hands with friends when they meet
C. do not raise their hats to friends when they meet

When I was a boy, I was a football fan. I played football with some other boys in the backyard all the time. My mom was worried that I would get ill in the hot summer.
One day my brother gave me a new football. I came into the yard and played it excitedly. But suddenly, the ball flew through the window and nearly hit my dad. Dad said nothing. He took my football and cut it in half.
I didn’t cry because I knew how terrible my mistake was. I didn’t expect (期待) to get another football. But to my surprise, Dad bought me another one the next month and told me to be more careful. I was really thankful for my father’s forgiveness (宽恕). He showed me that even when I made a mistake, he still loved me and gave me another chance.
Parents always give us their unconditional (无条件的) love and forgiveness. We should always give our love and forgiveness to them, too.
【小题1】The writer played football in the backyard all the time because ________.