I used to believe in the American dream that meant a job, credit, success．I wanted it and worked toward it like everyone else, all of us separately chasing the same thing．

One year, through a series of unhappy events, it all fell apart．I found myself homeless and alone．I had my truck and $56．I searched the countryside for some place I could rent for the cheapest possible amount．I came upon a deserted cottage in a small remote valley．I hadn't been alone for 25 years．I was scared, but I hoped the hard work would distract and heal me．

I found the owner and rented the place for $50 a month．The locals knew nothing about me．But slowly they started teaching me the art of being a neighbor．They dropped off blankets, tools and canned deer meat and began sticking around to chat．They would ask if I wanted to meet cousin Albie or go fishing．They started to teach me a belief in a different American dream, not the one of individual achievement but of neighborliness．Men would stop by with wild berries, ice cream, truck parts to see if I was up for courting．I wasn't, but they were civil anyway．The women on that mountain worked harder than any I'd ever met．They taught me how to store food in the stream and keep it cold and safe．I learned to keep enough for an extra plate for company．

What I had believed in, all those things I thought were necessary for a civilized life, were non-existent in this place．Up on the mountain, my most valuable possessions were my relationships with my neighbors．

After four years in that valley, I moved back into town．I saw a lot of people were having a really hard time, losing their jobs and homes．With the help of a real estate broker （房地产经纪人） I chatted up at the grocery store, I managed to rent a big enough house to take in a handful of people．It's four of us now, but over time I've had nine come in and move on to other places from here．We'd all be in shelters if we hadn't banded together．

The American dream I believe in now is a shared one．It's not so much about what I can get for myself; it's about how we can all get by together．

1．Before a series of unhappy events happened, the writer ____．

       A．had a well-paid job

       B．worked hard for his American dream

       C．worked hard and liked to share

       D．felt hopeless about his American dream

2．What does the underlined word "it" in the second paragraph refer to?

       A．The house．                                    B．The job．

     C．The company．                                 D．The American dream．

3．What does the underlined sentence "I learned to．．．" in Paragraph 3 most probably mean?

       A．The writer learned to run a company．

       B．The writer learned to share with others．

       C．The writer learned to keep enough plates．

       D．The writer learned to save money for his company．

4．Why did the writer rent a big house?

       A．To make some money．                   B．To show off his wealth．

       C．To share with those people in need．     D．To make friends with his neighbors．

5．The writer mainly tells us about _______．

       A．his unhappy experiences                  B．the friendly people in the valley

       C．the change of his living conditions                                     D．his new idea of the American dream

第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题，每题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
I used to believe in the American dream that meant a job, credit, success．I wanted it and worked toward it like everyone else, all of us separately chasing the same thing．
One year, through a series of unhappy events, it all fell apart．I found myself homeless and alone．I had my truck and $56．I searched the countryside for some place I could rent for the cheapest possible amount．I came upon a deserted cottage in a small remote valley．I hadn't been alone for 25 years．I was scared, but I hoped the hard work would distract and heal me．
I found the owner and rented the place for $50 a month．The locals knew nothing about me．But slowly they started teaching me the art of being a neighbor．They dropped off blankets, tools and canned deer meat and began sticking around to chat．They would ask if I wanted to meet cousin Albie or go fishing．They started to teach me a belief in a different American dream, not the one of individual achievement but of neighborliness．Men would stop by with wild berries, ice cream, truck parts to see if I was up for courting．I wasn't, but they were civil anyway．The women on that mountain worked harder than any I'd ever met．They taught me how to store food in the stream and keep it cold and safe．I learned to keep enough for an extra plate for company．
What I had believed in, all those things I thought were necessary for a civilized life, were non-existent in this place．Up on the mountain, my most valuable possessions were my relationships with my neighbors．
After four years in that valley, I moved back into town．I saw a lot of people were having a really hard time, losing their jobs and homes．With the help of a real estate broker （房地产经纪人） I chatted up at the grocery store, I managed to rent a big enough house to take in a handful of people．It's four of us now, but over time I've had nine come in and move on to other places from here．We'd all be in shelters if we hadn't banded together．
The American dream I believe in now is a shared one．It's not so much about what I can get for myself; it's about how we can all get by together．
56．Before a series of unhappy events happened, the writer ____．
A．had a well-paid job
B．worked hard for his American dream
C．worked hard and liked to share
D．felt hopeless about his American dream
57．What does the underlined word "it" in the second paragraph refer to?
A．The house．              B．The job．
C．The company．            D．The American dream．
58．What does the underlined sentence "I learned to．．．" in Paragraph 3 most probably mean?
A．The writer learned to run a company．
B．The writer learned to share with others．
C．The writer learned to keep enough plates．
D．The writer learned to save money for his company．
59．Why did the writer rent a big house?
A．To make some money．           B．To show off his wealth．
C．To share with those people in need．     D．To make friends with his neighbors．
60．The writer mainly tells us about ____．
A．his unhappy experiences          B．the friendly people in the valley
C．the change of his living conditions           D．his new idea of the American dream

第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题，每题2分，满分40分）

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

I used to believe in the American dream that meant a job, credit, success．I wanted it and worked toward it like everyone else, all of us separately chasing the same thing．

One year, through a series of unhappy events, it all fell apart．I found myself homeless and alone．I had my truck and $56．I searched the countryside for some place I could rent for the cheapest possible amount．I came upon a deserted cottage in a small remote valley．I hadn't been alone for 25 years．I was scared, but I hoped the hard work would distract and heal me．

I found the owner and rented the place for $50 a month．The locals knew nothing about me．But slowly they started teaching me the art of being a neighbor．They dropped off blankets, tools and canned deer meat and began sticking around to chat．They would ask if I wanted to meet cousin Albie or go fishing．They started to teach me a belief in a different American dream, not the one of individual achievement but of neighborliness．Men would stop by with wild berries, ice cream, truck parts to see if I was up for courting．I wasn't, but they were civil anyway．The women on that mountain worked harder than any I'd ever met．They taught me how to store food in the stream and keep it cold and safe．I learned to keep enough for an extra plate for company．

What I had believed in, all those things I thought were necessary for a civilized life, were non-existent in this place．Up on the mountain, my most valuable possessions were my relationships with my neighbors．

After four years in that valley, I moved back into town．I saw a lot of people were having a really hard time, losing their jobs and homes．With the help of a real estate broker （房地产经纪人） I chatted up at the grocery store, I managed to rent a big enough house to take in a handful of people．It's four of us now, but over time I've had nine come in and move on to other places from here．We'd all be in shelters if we hadn't banded together．

The American dream I believe in now is a shared one．It's not so much about what I can get for myself; it's about how we can all get by together．

56．Before a series of unhappy events happened, the writer ____．

       A．had a well-paid job

       B．worked hard for his American dream

       C．worked hard and liked to share

       D．felt hopeless about his American dream

57．What does the underlined word "it" in the second paragraph refer to?

       A．The house．               B．The job．

     C．The company．             D．The American dream．

58．What does the underlined sentence "I learned to．．．" in Paragraph 3 most probably mean?

       A．The writer learned to run a company．

       B．The writer learned to share with others．

       C．The writer learned to keep enough plates．

       D．The writer learned to save money for his company．

59．Why did the writer rent a big house?

       A．To make some money．            B．To show off his wealth．

       C．To share with those people in need．     D．To make friends with his neighbors．

60．The writer mainly tells us about ____．

       A．his unhappy experiences           B．the friendly people in the valley

       C．the change of his living conditions            D．his new idea of the American dream

We can make mistakes at any age. Some mistakes we make are about money. But most mistakes are about people. "Did Jerry really care when I broke up with Helen? ""When I got that great job, did Jim really feel good about it as a friend? Or did he envy my luck?"When we look back, doubts like these can make us feel bad. But when we look back, it's too late.

Why do we go wrong about our friends or our enemies? Sometimes what people say hides their real meaning. And if we don't really listen we will miss the feeling behind the words. Suppose someone tells you, "You're a lucky dog." That's being friendly. But "lucky dog"? There's a bit of envy in those words. Maybe he doesn't see it himself. What he may be saying is that he doesn't think you deserve your luck.

"Just think of all the things you have to be thankful for" is another noise that says one thing and means another. It could mean that the speaker is trying to get you to see your problem as part of your life as a whole. But is he? Wrapped up in this phrase is the thought that your problem isn't important. It's telling you to think of all the starving people in the world when you haven't got a date for Saturday night.

How can you tell the real meaning behind someone's words? One way is to take a good look at the person talking. Do his words fit the way he looks? Does what he says agree with the tone of voice? His posture (姿态)? The look in his eyes? Stop and think. The minute you spend thinking about the real meaning of what people say to you may save another mistake.

1. According to the passage, the reason why we go wrong about our friends is that ________ .

A. we fail to listen carefully when they talk

B. we tend to be annoyed when we check what they say

C. they sometimes state one thing but mean another

D. we tend to doubt what our friends say

2. What does the underlined word "it" in the second paragraph refer to?

A. Being friendly. B. A bit of envy. C. A lucky dog. D. The good luck.

3. This passage is mainly about ________ .

A. how to tell the real meaning behind our words

B. what to do when you listen to others talking

C. how to avoid mistakes when communicating with people

D. why we must know the wrong things