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.

6. 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

7. The author used to think of her mother's English as ________.

A. impolite       B. amusing

C. imperfect      D. practical

8. 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' mother had positive influence on her.

D. Broken English always reflects imperfect thoughts.

9. The author gradually realizes her mother's English is ________.

A. well structured    B. in the old style

C. easy to translate   D. rich in meaning

10. What is the passage mainly about?

A. The change 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.

I am a team leader in an insurance company. We are going through a lot of changes right now, which is   36  much stress for all of us.
A few weeks ago I was having a day so   37  that I even doubted if I had the ability to do this challenging work, and was about ready to change to a less stressful job   38  . Something happened that day to change my way of   39  and I am so appreciative of this young lady. I want to let her know that the small act   40  .
On the top of my cubicle (工作隔间) I have a small collection of lighthouses (灯塔) to let people know where I am sitting   41  my team members have to find me for emergencies.
That day I came into the office and was about to get the day   42  when Crystal came over. I asked if she needed anything. And she said, “I   43  you something.” I looked at her with a   44  look and said, “Well, thank you, but why   45  you buy me anything?” I had never spoke to this young lady   46 . She said, “Every day I stand up and look across the     47  and see your lighthouses. Then I feel I am not alone and I encourage myself that there are always   48  things in life. I saw this on the way to work and thought   49  would like it. I wish it would have the same   50  as your lighthouses do.” In her hand she had a small globe with a lighthouse and a ship on it. I gave her a hug and   51  her. I don’t think she knows how much that small act of   52  changed my day: I remained   53  the rest of the day.
For anyone that reads this, I hope you remember, no matter what the   54  is, you could change someone’s day,   55  even his views on life.

（贵州省乌沙中学09-10学年高三上学期期中考试）

E

If you want to teach your children how to say sorry, you must be good at saying it yourself, especially to your own children．But how you say it can be quite tricky．

If you say to your children “I am sorry I got angry with you, but …” what follows that “but” can make the apology ineffective: “I had a bad day” or “your noise was giving me a headache” leaves the person who has been injured feeling that he should be apologizing for his bad behavior in expecting an apology．

Another method by which people appear to apologize without actually doing so is to say “I’m sorry you’re upset”; this suggests that you are somehow at fault for allowing yourself to get upset by what the other person has done．

Then there is the general, all-covering apology, which avoids the necessity of identifying a specific act that was particularly hurtful or insulting, and which the person who is apologizing should promise never to do again．Saying “I’m useless as a parent” does not commit a person to any specific improvement．

These pseudo-apologies are used by people who believe saying sorry shows weakness．Parents who wish to teach their children to apologize should see it as a sign of strength, and therefore not resort to these pseudo-apologies．

But even when presented with examples of genuine contrition (悔悟)，children still need help to become aware of the complexities of saying sorry．A three-year-old might need help in understanding that other children feel pain just as he does, and that hitting a playmate over the head with a heavy toy requires an apology．A six-year-old might need reminding that spoiling other children’s expectations can require an apology．A 12-year-old might need to be shown that raiding the biscuit tin without asking permission is acceptable, but that borrowing a parent’s clothes without permission is not．

77．According to the author, “tricky” means __________．

A．simple             B．complicated             C．cautious           D．various

78．It is not advisable to use the general, all-covering apology because _______．

       A．it is only an empty promise                          B．it is not necessary

       C．it is neither clear nor effective        D．it is hurtful and insulting

79．In teaching children to say sorry ______．        

       A．parents should set them a good example       

B．parents should be patient and tolerant

       C．the significance of it should be involved       

D．their ages should be taken into account

80．According to the passage, apologizing properly is ________．  

       A．a social issue calling for immediate attention   

B．a big problem faced by every family

       C．a sign of social progress                               

D．not as simple as it seems

Growing up, I always dreamed of being a professional figure skater. After years of hard work, I am living proof that dreams can come true.
When I was born, my parents immediately noticed something  36  and the doctor said I couldn't skate. I, however,  37  trying skating in an ice rink (溜冰场), where local skaters  38  perform ice shows. I started taking group skating lessons, and performing on ice came naturally, but I have always been  39  to speak in group settings. One thing I've never been afraid of is  40  , though. I get nervous, but never  41  . For me, skating has been about being my personal best  42  beating others on the ice. 1 progressed through various  43 rapidly and gave my first ice performance at seven. Soon I started winning local and regional competitions. That's  44  being on the ice has always been the one place where I can  45   express my own emotions. The ice is like home.
When I was nine years old I began training  46 . I would wake up at four o'clock in the morning six days a week and skate for five hours. Then I'd go to school. Since  47  has always been important in my family, I had no  48  but to find creative ways to fit in school studies throughout my  49  career.
After graduating from high school, I moved to Canada and set out to train full-time to give my dreams a chance at reality. In 1992 I went to compete in the Olympic Games.  50 , not my coach or even my family, ever talked to me about winning a gold medal. In fact, I wouldn't even  51  myself to think about it. I thought that would disturb me.  52 , I went with the attitude that I wanted to enjoy the Olympic spirit.  53  the expectation of all the people, I won the gold medal and words couldn't describe the overwhelming mixture of emotions I felt. Then I truly understood what  54  most in achieving a dream is nor to  55  it when you 1ace difficulties, but strive to make it come true.