Coming from the Bronx, Jennifer Lopez knew from an early age it would be tough to achieve her dream. In an interview in 2002 she remembered, “I had such a will in me. I had such a passion in me. I could overcome my situation. But a lot of people will get beaten down and be held back by that.” Lopez was not beaten by her situation. She worked hard dancing, singing, and acting in theaters and her hard work paid off with small roles in television and films.
Lopez’s big breakthrough came in 1996 when she played the main role in the movie Selena. For this movie, Lopez got paid $1 million and became the highest paid Latin actress of all time. Since then, she has had starring roles in several successful movies, including Out of Slight(1998) with George Clooney.
Then, Lopez turned her attention toward music. In 1999, she released first album, On the 6. Two songs from the album, “If You Had My Love” and “Waiting for Tonight,” both reached number one on the Billboard music charts. The album sold more than three million copies around the world.
After starring in The Cell (2000), Lopez released her second album, J. Lo, in 2001. The album went straight to the top of the Billboard chart. At the same time that her album came out, Lopez’s new movie, The Wedding Planner, opened in theaters. It became the number one movie at the box office. This meant that Lopez was the first entertainer to ever have a number one album and a number one movie at the same time! Like her first album, J. Lo went tripe-platinum.
But her entertainment career was not the only thing Lopez focused on that year. 2001 was also the year Lopez started her own line of clothing, called J.Lo, and she married Cris Judd, a dancer who performed in her videos. The marriage did not last long, and Lopez and Judd divorced nine months later.
In 2002, Lopez starred in the films Enough and Maid in Manhattan. Maid in Manhattan became Lopez’s biggest movie yet, earning $19 million during its first weekend in theaters. Lopez also put her third album, This Is Me… Then, and the single “Jenny from the Block” hit number one for a week. To go with her line of clothing, Lopez introduced her own perfume.
In an interview, Lopez was asked if she planned to do more acting, singing, designing, or something new. She answered, “Yes, yes, yes, and yes! All of those things. I love making music, I love doing movies and all the other things. I think that everyone should do everything that they have a passion for.”
【小题1】What is the main idea of the passage?

A．acting in the movie Selena	B．getting married to a dancer
C．releasing a second album	D．starring with George Clooney

Coming from the Bronx, Jennifer Lopez knew from an early age it would be tough to achieve her dream. In an interview in 2002 she remembered, “I had such a will in me. I had such a passion in me. I could overcome my situation. But a lot of people will get beaten down and be held back by that.” Lopez was not beaten by her situation. She worked hard dancing, singing, and acting in theaters and her hard work paid off with small roles in television and films.

Lopez’s big breakthrough came in 1996 when she played the main role in the movie Selena. For this movie, Lopez got paid $1 million and became the highest paid Latin actress of all time. Since then, she has had starring roles in several successful movies, including Out of Slight(1998) with George Clooney.

Then, Lopez turned her attention toward music. In 1999, she released first album, On the 6. Two songs from the album, “If You Had My Love” and “Waiting for Tonight,” both reached number one on the Billboard music charts. The album sold more than three million copies around the world.

After starring in The Cell (2000), Lopez released her second album, J. Lo, in 2001. The album went straight to the top of the Billboard chart. At the same time that her album came out, Lopez’s new movie, The Wedding Planner, opened in theaters. It became the number one movie at the box office. This meant that Lopez was the first entertainer to ever have a number one album and a number one movie at the same time! Like her first album, J. Lo went tripe-platinum.

But her entertainment career was not the only thing Lopez focused on that year. 2001 was also the year Lopez started her own line of clothing, called J.Lo, and she married Cris Judd, a dancer who performed in her videos. The marriage did not last long, and Lopez and Judd divorced nine months later.

In 2002, Lopez starred in the films Enough and Maid in Manhattan. Maid in Manhattan became Lopez’s biggest movie yet, earning $19 million during its first weekend in theaters. Lopez also put her third album, This Is Me… Then, and the single “Jenny from the Block” hit number one for a week. To go with her line of clothing, Lopez introduced her own perfume.

In an interview, Lopez was asked if she planned to do more acting, singing, designing, or something new. She answered, “Yes, yes, yes, and yes! All of those things. I love making music, I love doing movies and all the other things. I think that everyone should do everything that they have a passion for.”

1.What is the main idea of the passage?

A. Lopez is better at singing than acting.     

B. Lopez has done many things in her career.  

C. Lopez grew up in a poor family.

D. Lopez has had many problems in her personal life.

2.Which of the following was most important in helping her career take off?

A. acting in the movie Selena       B. getting married to a dancer

C. releasing a second album        D. starring with George Clooney

3.Which is NOT true about Lopez?

A. She has had several number one songs.

B. She was a famous singer before she started acting.

C. She wants to do other things besides acting and singing.

D. She wanted to be an entertainer when she was young.

4.“… J. Lo went triple-platinum.” What does this mean about the album?

A. It was made by an actor or actress.

B. It sold more than three million copies.

C. It had songs from a movie on it.

D. It sold most of its copies outside the United States.

    Rich or poor, we all have problems: that unfaithful mate, that irritating (恼人的) colleague, that persistent disease, the investment that is turning into a huge loss. How do we remain calm, positive and even elegant in the face of all these difficulties of life?

    That following suggestions may help.

    It comes with the pay. I have a friend who used to complain about her dead-end job and unreasonable boss. Sound familiar? One day I told her, “Look at it this way. You are getting paid for the annoyance as well as the work. It comes with the pay.” This has become my favorite saying for work-related frustrations. “Take every day as a bonus.” When we learn to treasure every moment of what we have, we begin to see life in a whole new perspective.

    It’s all in the mind. Sure, the psychologists tell us it is important we work at resolving problems. But they also say if you try to resolve a problem that would not go away, it would only compound (使更复杂) the frustration. If you tell yourself there isn’t a problem, there won’t be one. It’s all in the mind.

    Stop thinking about your own problem ---help others instead. A lady who is combating a life-threatening disease revealed she coped with her illness by making herself useful, by offering help to others in a similar situation. She has spoken to at least five other women with breast cancer. She says that the sharing has helped her to find fresh meaning in her own life.

    Never give up on your dream. Why do we give in and give up when meet difficulties? Is it because we have no confidence in our cause and no commitment (致力) for what we pursue? It was said that Albert Einstein’s last request on his death bed was to be given his equations and his unfinished statement declining the presidency of Israel. Einstein first picked up his equations and lamented to his son, “If only I had more mathematics!” What a great persistent spirit!

    One strong-hearted lady was the late head of the tragic Kennedy family, Rose Kennedy. She said this on nationwide television one week after losing yet another son to an assassin’s bullet---Boddy Kennedy: “And we go on our way with no regrets not looking backwards to the past, but we shall carry on with courage.”

    Not the end of the world. Do you know something else? I’ve learned that care as you might, love as you might, some people just don’t care back. And it’s not the end of the world. After all, it’s not the event that makes a person, is it? It’s what we do about that happens to us.

69. Which of the following may serve as an appropriate title for this passage?

  A. How to Face Problems                         B How to Resolve Problems

  C. How to Hold on to Your Dream             D. How to Remain Cheerful

70. “Take every day as a bonus” (in Paragraph 5) means _____.

  A. we should see life from a new perspective    

  B. we should treasure every day in our life.、

  C. we should regard every day as the last day    

  D. we should enjoy ourselves every day

71. Which of the following statements is NOT mentioned by the author?

  A. Helping others will make it easier for us to solve our own difficulties.

  B. We can learn to see life from a fresh light.

  C. We should have confidence in our cause so that we won’t give in easily.

  D. We should not be overwhelmed by problems in our life.

Rich or poor, we all have problems: that unfaithful mate, that irritating(恼人的) colleague, that persistent disease, the investment that is turning into a huge loss.

How do we remain calm, positive and even elegant in the face of all these difficulties of life?

The following suggestions may help.

It comes with the pay. I have a friend who used to complain about her dead-end job and unreasonable boss. Sound familiar? One day I told her. "Look at it this way. You are getting paid for the annoyance as well as the work. It comes with the pay."

This has become my favorite saying for work-related frustrations. "Take every day as a bonus." When we learn to treasure every moment of what we have, we begin to see life in a whole new perspective.

It's all in the mind. Sure, the psychologists tell us it is important we work at resolving problems. But they also say if you try to resolve a problem that would not go away, it would only compound(使更复杂) the frustration.

If you tell yourself there isn't a problem, there won't be one. It's all in the mind.

Stop thinking about your own problem—help others instead. A lady who is combating a life-threatening disease revealed she coped with her illness by making herself useful, by offering help to others in a similar situation.

She has spoken to at least five other women with breast cancer. She says that the sharing has helped her to find fresh meaning in her own life.

Never give up on your dream. Why do we give in and give up when we meet difficulties? Is it because we have no confidence in our cause and no commitment for what we pursue?

It was said that Albert Einstein's last request on his death bed was to be given his equations and his unfinished statement declining the presidency of Israel.

Einstein first picked up his equations and lamented to his son, "If only I had more mathematics!" What a great persistent spirit!

One strong-hearted lady was the late head of the tragic Kennedy family, Rose Kennedy. She said this on nationwide television one week after losing yet another son to an assassin's bullet—Boddy Kennedy: "And we go on our way with no regrets not looking backwards to the past, but we shall carry on with courage."

Not the end of the world. Do you know something else? I've learned that care as you might, love as you might, some people just don't care back.

And it's not the end of the world. After all, it's not the event that makes a person, is it? It's what we do about that happens to us.

1. Which of the following may serve as an appropriate title for this passage?

A. How to Face Problems.               B. How to Resolve Problems.

C. How to Hold on to Your Dream.        D. How to Remain Cheerful.

2. "Take every day as a bonus" (Para.5, Line 1) is most likely to mean ______.

A. we should see life from a new perspective

B. we should treasure every day in our life

C. we should regard every day as the last day in our life

D. we should enjoy ourselves every day

3. Which of the following statements is NOT mentioned by the author?

A. Helping others will make it easier for us to solve our own difficulties.

B. We can learn to see life from a fresh light.

C. We should have confidence in our cause so that we won't give in easily.

D. We should not be overwhelmed by problems in our life.

4. The author seems not to believe that _______.

A. everyone living in this world, poor or rich, has some problems

B. we should not give in and give up in the face of difficulties

C. we must work hard at solving some problems which can't be solved easily

D. we should remain calm and positive when confronted with problems

My mother, Marisol Torres, came with her family to Australia in the early 1960s. Then my parents’ marriage ended and Mum began the study of precious stones. Her interest in opals (猫眼石) took her to the New South Wales remote town of Lightning Ridge. There were no luxuries (奢华的享受), but she was closer to nature and had a chance to find black opals and make some money.
My mother was beautiful with dark hair and brown eyes, but she was also quiet and shy. Early in the Ridge years, she kept to herself, but later, she started going to the neighbourhood centre to make friends.
It was her dream to mine, but her get-rich-quick thinking was unrealistic. She was cheated and she was never very successful. But she kept a sense of humour and a charming smile.
Then, just as friendships began to blossom, she was diagnosed with cancer and had to return south for treatment. She had the intention of cooking Spanish food as special treat for her Ridge friends, but died too soon. In her honour, my aunt, Marisa, and I fulfilled her desire when we visited the Ridge in March last year.
People who mine the Ridge come from a cross section of society, from lawyers to travels. Looks don’t mean much: it can be hard to tell who is millionaire and who is poor. Opals attracted Sebastian and Hanna Deisenberger to Lightning Ridge. They planned a two-year stay, but became permanent residents.
Then there’s Neil Schellnegger, 45, who moved to the area with his parents when he was a child. He lives with his son, Luke. Luke is a shy 19-year-old boy who enjoys helping his dad. They haven’t had much luck over the past couple of years, but their passion for opals conquers disappointment. They love the peaceful lifestyle.
Danny Hatcher, 38, is a second-generation miner and president of the Lightning Ridge Miners’ Association. He is an optimistic man, driven by the desire to find the perfect opal. “It’s magic,” he explains. “Once you start opal mining you don’t want to do anything else… There is always the potential for finding a million dollars. Nothing beats it.”
It’s a place where dreams --- spiritual or material --- can be fulfilled; a place, for one last bet in life.
【小题1】What made the author’s mother go to Lightning Ridge?