My father was a foreman of a sugar-cane plantation in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. My first job was to drive the oxen that ploughed the cane fields. I would walk behind an ox, guiding him with a broomstick. For $ 1 a day, I worked eight hours straight, with no food breaks.

It was very tedious work, but it prepared me for life and taught me many lasting lessons. Because the plantation owners were always watching us, I had to be on time every day and work as hard as I could. I’ve never been late for any job since. I also learned about being respectful and faithful to the people you work for. More important, I earned my pay; it never entered my mind to say I was sick just because I didn’t want to work.

I was only six years old, but I was doing a man’s job. Our family needed every dollar we could make because my father never earned more than $ 18 a week. Our home was a three-room wood shack with a dirty floor and no toilet. Nothing made me prouder than bringing home money to help my mother, father, two brothers and three sisters. This gave me self-esteem(自尊心), one of the most important things a person can have.

When I was seven, I got work at a golf course near our house. My job was to stand down the fairway and spot the balls as they landed, so the golfers could find them. Losing a ball meant you were fired, so I never missed one. Some nights I would lie in bed and dreamt of making thousands of dollars by playing golf and being able to buy a bicycle.

The more I dreamed, the more I thought. Why not? I made my first golf club out of guava limb(番石榴树枝) and a piece of pipe. Then I hammered an empty tin can into the shape of a ball. And finally I dug two small holes in the ground and hit the ball back and forth. I practiced with the same devotion and intensity. I learned working in the field — except now I was driving golf balls with club, not oxen with a broomstick.

1. The writer’s first job was _______.

　 A. to stand down the fairway at a golf course

　 B. to watch over the sugar-cane plantation

　 C. to drive the oxen that ploughed the cane fields

　 D. to spot the balls as they landed so the golfers could find them

2. The writer learned that_______ from his first job.

　A. he should work for those who he liked most

　B. he should work longer than what he was expected

　 C. he should never fail to say hello to his owner

　 D. he should be respectful and faithful to the people he worked for

3. _______ gave the writer self-esteem.

A. Having a family of eight people

　 B. Owning his own golf course

　 C. Bringing money back home to help the family

　 D. Helping his father with the work on the plantation

4. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

　 A. He wanted to be a successful golfer.

　B. He wanted to run a golf course near his house.

　C. He was satisfied with the job he got on a plantation.

　D. He wanted to make money by guiding oxen with a broomstick.

Love Is Just a Thread

Sometimes I really doubt whether there is love between my parents. Every day they are very busy trying to earn money in order to pay the  ?　36　? tuition for my brother and me. They don't ?　37　? in the romantic ways that I read in books or  I see on TV. My father has a bad temper; it's easy for him to lose his temper.?

One day, my mother was sewing a quilt. I ?　38　? sat down beside her and looked at her.

“Is there any ?　39　? between you and Dad?” I asked her in a very low voice.

My mother stopped her work and raised her head with ?　40　? in her eyes. She didn't answer immediately. Then she bowed her head and continued to sew the quilt.

?　41　? at last I heard my mother say the following words:?

“Susan,” she said ?　42　?.“Look at this thread. Sometimes it appears, but most of it disappears in the quilt. The thread really makes the quilt strong and durable(耐用的).If life is a

?　43　?,then love should be a thread. It can ?　44　? be seen anywhere or ?anytime, but it's really there. Love is ?　45　?.”?

I listened carefully but I couldn't understand her until the next ?　46　?.At that time, my father suddenly got sick seriously. My mother had to stay with him in the hospital for a month. After they were ?　47　?,every day in the morning and dusk(黄昏),my mother helped my father walk ?　48　? on the country road. My father had never been so ?　49　?.Along the country road, there were many beautiful flowers, green grass and trees. The sun gently shone through the leaves. All of these ?　50　? the most beautiful picture in the world. The doctor had said my father would ?　51　? in two months. But after two months he still couldn't walk alone. We were all worried.?

“Dad, how are you feeling now?” I asked him one day.?

“Susan,”he said gently.“To tell you the truth, I just like ?　52　? with your mom. I like this kind of life.” ?　53　? from his eyes, I knew he loved my mother deeply.

Once I thought love meant flowers, gifts and sweet kisses. But from this ?　54　?,I understand that love is just a ?　55　? in the quilt of our life. Love is inside, making life strong and warm.

36. A. expensive    B. low     C. cheap  D. high

37. A. play     B. talk     C. act      D. perform

38. A. silently B. carefully    C. certainly     D. happily

39. A. money  B. love    C. time    D. distance

40. A. surprise       B. pride   C. disappointment  D. satisfaction

41. A. So       B. But     C. And    D. For

42. A. sadly    B. excitedly    C. regretfully  D. thoughtfully

43. A. trouble B. pleasure     C. quilt   D. cloth

44. A. hardly  B. often   C. always       D. ever?

45. A. valuable      B. inside  C. true    D. priceless

46. A. winter  B. autumn      C. summer      D. spring

47. A. free      B. back   C. fine    D. ready?

48. A. continuously       B. worriedly   C. constantly   D. slowly?

49. A. gently  B. perfect       C. pleased       D. thankful

50. A. put up  B. took up      C. made up     D. set up?

51. A. run      B. recover      C. Stand  D. work

52. A. walking       B. living  C. sitting D. chatting?

53. A. Examining   B. Seeing       C. Noticing     D. Reading

54. A. practice       B. observation C. experience  D. activity?

55. A. thread  B. thing   C. jewel  D. light

Eric Seal thought the poor dog at his feet was perhaps five weeks old. Sometime during the night, the little female had been 　16 at the Seals front gate. “We can’t just turned her　 　17 ” his wife, Jeffrey said, “I’ll feed her and get her 18 up. Then we’ll find a home for her.”

Standing between them, the puppy seemed to 　19 that her fate was being decided. Her tail wagged 　20 she looked from one to the other. Finally, Eric shrugged his shoulders, “Okay, if you want to fool with her, 　21 ” Eric continued, “one other thing, let’s wait a few days to put her in the doghouse with Tex. We don’t want Tex 22 to anything. He has all the troubles he can handle.”

Tex, the six-year-old cattle dog --- the Seals had raised from a puppy, 　23 he already shared his doghouse with a yellow cat, happily moved over and made room for the new puppy the Seals called Heinz. Not long before Heinz showed up, the Seals had noticed that Tex 　24 to be losing his eyesight. When they brought Tex to a specialist in Dallas, doctors there determined that Tex was already 　25 . It was soon obvious that the little puppy 　26 be a large dog --- too large to continue sharing a doghouse with Tex and the yellow cat. One weekend the Seals built　 　27 doghouse next to the one the dogs had shared.

It was then they 　28 that what they had supposed was puppy playfulness actually had a purpose. 　29 any training or coaching, Heinz had become Tex’s “seeing eye” dog. Each evening when the dogs 　30 for the night, Heinz gently took Tex’s nose in her mouth and　 　31 him into his house. In the morning, she got him up and guided him out of the house again. On sunny days, Tex 　32 stretched out on the driveway, if a car was coming, Heinz would wake him up and guided him 　33 danger.

The Seals were surprised, without any training, the young dog had devised 　34 means were necessary to help, guide and protect her blind companion. It was clear that Heinz shared 　35 her eyes with Tex; she shared her heart.

16. A. caught　　　　　　　　　　　 B. held　　　　　 　　 C. found　　　　 　　 D. left

17. A. out　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. in　　　　　　 　　 C. away　　　　 　　　 D. down

18. A. clean　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. keep　　　　　 　　 C. give　　　　 　　　　 D. stand

19. A. sense　 　　　　　　　　　 B. smell　　　　 　　　 C. tend　　 　　　　　　　 D. train

20. A. for　　　 　　　　　　　　　　 B. as　　　　　　 　　 C. so　　　　　　 　　 D. since

21. A. go on　　　 　　　　　 B. go up　　　　 　　 C. go ahead　　　 　 D. go down

22. A. left　　　 　　　　　　　　　　 B. exposed　　　 　　 C. come　　　　　 　 D. gone

23. A. although　 　　　　　　 B. when　　 　　　　　　　 C. which　　　　 　　 D. however

24. A. happened　 　　　　　　　　　　 B. appeared　　　 　　 C. supposed　　　 　 D. thought

25. A. recovered 　　　　　　　 B. all right　　　　 　　 C. blind　　　　 　　　 D. kind

26. A. might　　 　　　　　　 B. should　　　　　　　　　　 C. would　　　　　　　　　　 D. had to

27. A. other　　 　　　　　　　 B. some　　　　　 　 C. one　　　　　 　　　 D. another

28. A. recognized 　　　　　　 B. thought　　　　 　　 C. wondered　　　 　　 D. doubted

29. A. With　　　　 　　　　 B. Because of　　 　　 C. Without　　　 　　 D. Instead of

30. A. stayed up　　 　　　　 B. settled in 　　　　　 C. watched out　　　　　　 D. lay down

31. A. forced　　　 　　　　 B. carried　　　　 　　 C. put　　　 　　　　　 D. let

32. A. slept　　　 　　 　　 B. walked　　　 　　　 C. ran　　　　　　 　 D. sat　

33. A. into　　　　 　　　　　 B. out of　　　　　 　 C. without　　　　 　 D. from behind　

34. A. no matter why　　　　　 B. no matter how　　　　 C. wherever　　　　　　　　 D. whatever

35. A. the same as　 　　　　　 B. as well as　　 　　　 C. more than　　 　　　 D. rather than

Several years ago, a friend of mine and her husband were invited to spend the weekend at the husband’s employer’s home. My friend, Arlene, was nervous, because the boss was very 1 , with a fine home, and cars that 2 more than her house. The boss was a generous 3　 , and took them to the 4 restaurants. Arlene knew she would 5 have the opportunity to go to such places again, so she was 6 herself greatly. They were about to 7 a good restaurant that evening when the boss stopped suddenly, looking 8 at the road. Arlene wondered if she was supposed to 9 him. There was nothing on the 10 except a penny. The boss reached down and 11 the penny. He smiled, and then put it in his 12 as if he had found a great treasure. Why would a man like this pick up a single 13 ? Why would he even take the time to 14 ? When they were in the restaurant she could 15 it no longer. She mentioned that her daughter had once had a coin 16 , and asked if the penny had some value. A 17 crossed the man’s face as he took the penny out of his pocket. "Look at it," he said, "'In God We Trust’." "In America, for those who trust in God, the name of God is holy, even on a coin. 18 I find a coin I see those words. They can be 19 on every single American coin, but people never seem to 20 them! For a short time, at least, I cherish (珍惜) each one as if it were gold."

1. A. mean 　　　　　　　　 B. wealthy　　　　　　 C. popular 　　　　　 D. modest

2. A. indicate　　　　 　 B. expect　　　 　 C. cost 　　　　　　　 D. equip

3. A. host 　　　　　　　　　 B. waiter 　　　　　　 C. resident　　　　　　 D. guest

4. A. nearest　　　　 　 B. oldest 　　　　　　　　　　 C. finest 　　　　　　 　　D. warmest

5. A. often 　　　　　 　　B. already　　　　　　 C. never 　　　　　　 　　D. ever

6. A. enjoying 　　　　　　 B. improving　 　　 C. promoting 　　D. blaming

7. A. praise　　　　　 　 B. leave 　　　 　　C. enter 　　　 　　D. reserve

8. A. up 　　　　　　　 B. down 　　　　　　　　　　 C. close 　　　 　　D. far

9. A. support 　　　 B. pass 　　　　　　　 C. shout 　　　　　　 　　D. challenge

10. A. ground 　　　　　　　　　　 B. restaurant 　　C. bill 　　　　　　　　 D. car

11. A. saved up 　　　　　 B. applied for 　　　　　　 C. picked up 　　D. hunted for

12. A. pocket 　　　　　　 　　B. wallet 　　　　　　 C. bag　　　　　　　　　 D. hat

13. A. treasure 　　　　　　 B. word 　　　　　　　 C. note　　　　　　　　 D. penny

14. A. stop 　　　　　　　　 B. prevent　　　　　　 C. wait　　　　　　　　 D. Maintain

15. A. stand 　　　　 　　B. keep 　　　　　　　 C. doubt 　　　　　　 　　D. avoid

16. A. box 　　　　　　　　　 B. collection 　　C. competition 　　 D. memory

17. A. smile 　　　　 　　B. frown 　　　　　　　　　　 C. sign　　　　　　　　 D. Tear

18. A. Whenever　　　　　 B. However　　　　　 C. Whatever　　　　 D. Whoever

19. A. registered　　 　 B. printed 　　　　　　 C. found 　　　　　　　　　　 D. produced

20. A. notice　　　　 　 B. appreciate 　　C. share 　　　 　　D. seize