By choosing to let go of the past, we sweep out all the ashes that weigh us down and affect every aspect of our health, and our peace of mind.
My friend Jean was divorced after a thirty-year marriage that produced three daughters, one son and eight grandchildren. Because she actually raised them single-handedly, Jean was hurt and angry that the children didn't take her part after the divorce. For months she refused to attend any family celebration to which her former husband Jim was invited. When I reasoned that her children’s understanding of the relationship with and between the parents was probably altogether different from hers, she stuck to the belief that she was right.
One day Jean called in tears. “Saturday is my granddaughter's birthday, and I want to be with her, but I can’t bring myself to face my former husband.”  “Jim isn't the problem,” I said gently, “it's false pride. Instead of holding on to the painful past, which is over and done, let the feelings go and get on with your life. You're depriving yourself of the joy of sharing in these important occasions, while Jim feels free to experience them. Tell me, would you rather be right, or be happy?”
That must have done the trick because when Saturday arrived, Jean appeared at her daughter's home carrying her famous chocolate-chip cookies and a beautiful birthday
cake.
How great it feels to let go! And the more we practice the art of letting go of all negativity, the better able we become to devote our thoughts, our time, and our energy to living joyfully in the present, what ever age we happen to be.
【小题1】 It can be inferred that ____.

A．Jim did very little to bring up the children during their marriage.

B．The writer thought Jean and Jim shouldn't have divorced.

C．The children were on their father's side and didn't invite Jean to any family celebration.

D．Jean had been too tough on Jim before they divorced.

My newly-rented small apartment was far away from the centre of London and it was becoming essential for me to find a job，so finally I spent a whole morning getting to town and putting my name down to be considered by London Transport for a job on the underground. They were looking for guards，not drivers．This suited me．I couldn’t drive a car but thought that I could probably guard a train，and perhaps continue to write my poems between stations．The writers Keats and Chekhov had been doctors．T.S. Eliot had worked in a bank and Wallace Stevens for an insurance company．I’d be a subway guard．I could see myself being cheerful，useful，a good man in a crisis. Obviously I’d be over qualified but I was willing to forget about that in return for a steady income and travel privileges-those being particularly welcome to someone living a long way from the city centre．

The next day I sat down，with almost a hundred other candidates，for the intelligence test．I must have done all right because after about half an hour’s wait I was sent into another room for a psychological test．This time there were only about fifty candidates．The interviewer sat at a desk．Candidates were signaled forward to occupy the seat opposite him when the previous occupant had been dismissed，after a greater or shorter time．Obviously the long interviews were the more successful ones．Some of the interviews were as short as five minutes．Mine was the only one that lasted a minute and a half．

I can remember the questions now：“Why did you leave your last job?”“Why did you leave your job before that?”“And the one before that?”I can’t recall my answers，except that they were short at first and grew progressively shorter．His closing statement，I thought，evealed(揭示)a lack of sensitivity which helped to explain why as a psychologist，he had risen no higher than the underground railway．“You’ve failed the psychological test and we are unable to offer you a position．”

Failing to get that job was my low point．Or so I thought，believing that the work was easy．Actually，such jobs—being a postman is another one I still desire—demand exactly the sort of elementary yet responsible awareness that the habitual dreamer is least qualified to give．But I was still far short of full self-understanding．I was also short of cash．

【小题1】The writer applied for the job chiefly because         .

       A．he wanted to work in the centre of London

       B．he could no longer afford to live without one

       C．he was not interested in any other available job

       D．he had received some suitable training

【小题2】The writer thought he was overqualified for the job because         .

       A．he often traveled underground

       B．he had written many poems

       C．he could deal with difficult situations

       D．he had worked in a company

【小题3】The length of his interview meant that         .

       A．he was not going to be offered the job

       B．he had not done well in the intelligence test

       C．he did not like the interviewer at all

       D．he had little work experience to talk about

【小题4】What does the writer realize now that he did not realize then?

       A．How unpleasant ordinary jobs can be

   B．How difficult it is to be a poet

       C．How unsuitable he was for the job

       D．How badly he did in the interview

【小题5】What’s the writer’s opinion of the psychologist?

       A．He was very aggressive

       B．He was unhappy with his job

       C．He was quite inefficient

       D．He was rather unsympathetic

第二节完型填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从36—55各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项
I hadn’t really planned on taking a trip this time of year, and yet I found myself packing rather hurriedly. I knew in   36   that this trip was going to be unpleasant.
I’m talking about my annual Guilt Trip. I got tickers to fly there on WISH – I – HAD’ airlines. I   37   my baggage all the way, which was weighted down with a thousand   38   of ‘what might have been’. No one greeted me at the ‘Regret City’ International Airport.
As I   39   into the Last Resort Hotel, I noticed to miss that great   41   occasion.
Many leading citizens went there. First, there was the ‘Should – Have - Done’ family.   42   came the ‘I – Wish’ family. Of course, the ‘Opportunities’ family, ‘Missed and Lost’, surely made an   43  . They each had a dad story to share. ‘It’s – Their - Fault’ treated us with stories about   44  things had failed in his life, and each story was applauded by ‘Don’t – Blame - Me’ and ‘I – Couldn’t – Help – It.’
To make a long   45   short, I became very depressed at the party   46  .
But as I though about all the stories of failures   47  from the past, it occurred to me that all of this trip and ‘pity party’ could have been cancelled by ME!
I truly realized that I didn’t have to be there to be   48  . One thing kept going through my mind – I can’t change yesterday, but I   49   have the power to make today a wonderful day. Knowing this, I left ‘Regret City’ immediately. Am I sorry for   50  I’ve made in the past? YES! But there is no physical way to undo them.
So, if you’re planning a trip to ‘Regret City’, please cancel all your reservations now.   51  , take a trip to a placed called ‘Starting Again’, which I like so much that I’ve made it my   52   residence. My neighbors, the ‘I – Forgive - Myselfs’ and the ‘New - Starts’ are so very helpful.
By the way, you don’t have to carry   53   heavy baggage, because the load is lifted from your shoulders   54   arrival. Surely you’ll find this great town – it’s in your own heart. Look me up if you’re ready for a (n)   55   changer in your life. I live on ‘I – CAN – DO – IT ’ Street.
36．A．person         B．time         C．advance       D．secret
37．A．grasped       B．held         C．lifted         D．dragged
38．A．inspirations      B．prescriptions    C．memories     D．souvenirs
39．A．checked       B．prepared      C．reserved       D．accessed
40．A．creating       B．hosting        C．introducing      D．participating
41．A．political       B．social              C．historical     D．cultural
42．A．There          B．Thus         C．Finally        D．Then
43．A．achievement     B．appearance       C．appointment     D．announcement
44．A．where          B．whether       C．how         D．which
45．A．story         B．event         C．comedy       D．tragedy
46．A．after all       B．in public      C．ever since     D．as usual
47．A．brought back    B．taken down      C．kept up        D．carried on
48．A．motivated     B．depressed     C．refreshed     D．impressed
49．A．could              B．might          C．did           D．do
50．A．attempts      B．preparations     C．mistakes      D．efforts
51．A．Instead        B．Nevertheless     C．Therefore     D．However
52．A．independent     B．mature         C．permanent     D．dynamic
53．A．away         B．through       C．out           D．around
54．A．beyond        B．upon         C．under              D．above
55．A．total         B．abrupt         C．punctual      D．severe

I am my mother’s third child. When I was born, her doctor gently explained to my mother that my left arm was __16__, below the elbow(肘部). Then he gave her some __17__:“Don’t treat her any __18__ from the other girls. Demand more.” And she __19__!
My mother had to work to __20__ our family. There were five girls in our family and we all had to __21__. Once when I was about seven, I came out of the __22__,“Mom, I can’t peel (削……皮) potatoes. I only have one hand. “You get back to peel those potatoes, and don’t ever use that as a(n) __23__ for anything again!” Of course I could peel potatoes with my good hand, while holding them down with my __24__ arm. There was always a __25__ , and Mom knew it, “If you try hard __26__,” she ‘d say, “you can do anything.”
Once in the second grade, our teacher had each of us race across the monkey bars(高低杠). When it was my turn, I __27__ my head. Some kids __28__ . I went home crying. After work the next afternoon, Mom __29__ me back to the school ground. “ Now, __30__ up with your right arm”, she advised. She stood by __31__ I practiced, and she __32__ me when I made progress. I’ll never forget the __33__ time I was crossing the bars. The kids were standing there with their mouths open.
It was the way with everything. When I __34__ I can’t handle things, I see Mom’s smile again. She had the heart to __35__ anything. And she taught me I could, too.