A few years ago, I moved into a new house in Los Angeles. Soon after, a family moved in next door. It wasn’t the best of times for me. I had just divorced(离婚) from my second wife, and I wasn’t working. I’d come home each day and sit by myself in the backyard. One night, I heard someone from the yard next door, “Tom ! How are you, Tom? ” 

I couldn’t see anybody through the trees, but I answered, “I’ m good.”

“Good!” said the voice.

“What’s your name?” I asked.

“Eric.” Then I heard someone say, “Eric, don’t bother him.”

“Okay!” Eric said. “Talk to you tomorrow!”                                                                           

Months later, on Halloween, we finally met face to face. Eric came to the door dressed like a rap star. We became friends. We’d hang out in our yards, and Eric, who was almost 17 at the time and look liked a 13-year-old, would tell me his ideas and dreams. Eric’s dad, Alec Gores, is a billionaire(亿万富翁), the head of Gores Technology Group.

One day, Alec called me and said, “I know you are an actor. My son’s an actor, too. And he’s very good. I want you to write a movie for him. He wants to do something like True lies.” That’s the movie I made in 1994. His father has given Eric the great gif of confidence. He believes he can do anything he wants. He also offered to fund the movie. And that’s how The Kid & I, which opens in November, began.

Well, I really have to say that opportunity(机会)lies anywhere.

1.What do we learn about the writer when he had just moved into his new house in Los Angele?

2.The writer of this passage is a(an)        .  

3.What do we learn about Eric from the passage?

4.The second last paragraph(倒数第二段)mainly tells us        .

5.From his experience in Los Angeles, the writer learnt that        . 

Are you sometimes a little tired and sleepy in the early afternoon? Many people feel this way after lunch. They may think that eating lunch is the cause of the sleepiness. Or, in summer, they may think it is the heat. However, the real reason lies inside their bodies. At that time – about eight hours after you wake up – your body temperature goes down. This is what makes you slow down and feel sleepy. Scientists have tested sleep habits in experiments where there was no night or day. The people in these experiments almost always followed a similar sleeping pattern. They slept for one long period and then for one short period about eight hours later.

In many parts of the world, people take naps(小睡) in the middle of the day. This is especially true in warmer climates(气候), where the heat makes work difficult in the early afternoon. Researchers are now saying that naps are good for everyone in any climate. A daily nap gives one a more rested body and mind and therefore is good for health in general. In countries where naps are traditional (传统的), people often suffer less from problem such as heart disease.

Many working people, unfortunately, have no time to take naps. Though doctors may advise taking naps, employers do not allow it! If you do have the chance, however, here are a few tips about making the most of your nap. Remember that the best time to take a nap is about eight hours after you get up. A short sleep too late in the day may only make you feel more tired and sleepy afterward. This can slao happen if you sleep for too long. If you do not have enough time, try a short nap – even ten minutes of sleep can be helpful.

1. Why do people feel sleepy in the early afternoon according to the text?

A. They eat too much for lunch.            B. They sleep too little at night.

C. Their body temperature becomes lower.  D. The weather becomes a lot warmer.

2. If you get up at 6:30 am, what is the best time for you to take a nap?

A. About 12:30 pm.                 B. About 1:30 pm.

C. About 2:30 pm                  D. About 3:30 pm

3. What would be the best title for the text?

A. Just for a Rest               B. All for a Nap

C. A Special Sleep Pattern.             D. Taking Naps in Warmer Climate.

Some people bring out the best in you in a way that you might never have fully realized on your own. My mom was one of those people.

My father died when I was nine months old, making my mom a single mother at the age of eighteen. While I was growing up, we lived a very hard life. We had little money, but my mom gave me a lot of love. Each night, she sat me on her lap and spoke the words that would change my life, “Kemmons, you are certain to be a great man and you can do anything in life if you work hard enough to get it.”

At fourteen, I was hit by a car and the doctors said I would never walk again. Every day, my mother spoke to me in her gentle, loving voice, telling me that no matter what those doctors said, I could walk again if I wanted to badly enough. She drove that message so deep into my heart that I finally believed her. A year later, I returned to school — walking on my own!

When the Great Depression (大萧条) hit, my mom lost her job. Then I left school to support the both of us. At that moment, I was determined never to be poor again.

Over the years, I experienced various levels of business success. But the real turning point occurred on a vacation I took with my wife and five kids in 1951. I was dissatisfied with the second-class hotels available for families and was angry that they charged an extra $2 for each child. That was too expensive for the average American family. I told my wife that I was going to open a motel (汽车旅馆) for families that would never charge extra for children. There were plenty of doubters at that time.

Not surprisingly, mom was one of my strongest supporters. She worked behind the desk and even designed the room style. As in any business, we experienced a lot of challenges. But with my mother’s words deeply rooted in my soul, I never doubted we would succeed. Fifteen years later, we had the largest hotel system in the world — Holiday Inn. In 1979 my company had 1,759 inns in more than fifty countries with an income of $ 1 billion a year.

You may not have started out life in the best situation. But if you can find a task in life worth working for and believe in yourself, nothing can stop you.

1.What Kemmons’ mom often told him during his childhood was ______.

A．caring            B．moving           C．encouraging       D．interesting

2.According to the author, who played the most important role in making him walk back to school again?

A．Doctors.          B．Nurses.           C．Friends.           D．Mom.

3.What caused Kemmons to start a motel by himself?

A．His terrible experience in the hotel.

B．His previous business success of various levels.

C．His mom’s support.

D．His wife’s suggestion.

4.Which of the following best describes Kemmons’ mother?

A．Modest, helpful, and hard-working.

B．Loving, supportive and strong-willed.

C．Careful, helpful and beautiful.

D．Strict, sensitive and supportive.

5.Which of the following led to Kemmons’ success according to the passage?

A．Self-confidence, hard work, higher education and a poor family.

B．Mom’s encouragement, clear goals, self-confidence and hard work.

C．Clear goals, mom’s encouragement, a poor family and higher education.

D．Mom’s encouragement, a poor family, higher education and opportunities.

Two years after the First World War (1914-1918), a small group of soldiers left the army and returned to their hometown in France. Most of them lived well, but one of them was poor. His name was Clinton. Once a year they had supper in Barton’s house. Barton was very rich.

One evening Barton showed his friends a large gold coin at the supper table. The coin was passed around and praised by everyone. At the same time they were talking and talking. They soon forgot about the coin. After supper, Barton asked for his coin, but nobody could tell where it was. It was lost. One man said that everyone must be searched. One by one they turned their pockets inside out. Only Clinton refused, however. “I didn’t steal the coin, and I will not be searched,” he said. After that, people turned their heads away from Clinton when they met him. He grew poorer. Soon his wife died.

A few years later, Barton had his house repaired. The lost coin was found under the floor. Barton felt sorry and went to Clinton to apologize. “But,” he asked, “you knew the coin was not in your pocket. Why did you refuse to be searched?” “Because I was a thief,” Clinton answered. “My pockets were full of food at that time. I had taken some food from the table to carry to my hungry wife and children.”

1.The story took place ________.

A. in 1920　　　    B. after 1945　　　 C. in 1950　　  D. 1916

2.The coin was passed and praised because ________.

A. Clinton was rich　　　　　                       B. the supper was good

C. it was a large gold coin　                           D. they were happy

3.Everyone was to be searched because _________.

A. they were thieves　　　                          B. the gold coin was lost

C. Clinton stole the gold coin                      D. they stole the gold coin

4.Clinton refused to be searched because _________.

A. he was afraid to be found that there was some food in his pockets

B. he didn’t steal the coin　

C. he was poor enough

D. the gold coin was in his pocket

5.“After that, people turned their heads away from Clinton when they met him.” From the sentence we know that _____.

A.  people thought of him as a beggar　

B.  people took no notice of him

C.  people look down upon him　　　

D. Clinton refused to see his friends

My neighbor’s children love playing hide-and-seek (捉迷藏) as all children do, but no one   36   that a game they played last week would be reported in the local newspaper.

One afternoon, they were playing in the vacant lot (空地)down by the corner. Young Paul, who is only five years old, found the perfect place to   37  . His sister, Natalie, had   38   her eyes and was counting to ten when Paul noticed the mail box at the corner and that the metal door was standing open. The mailman had just   39   several bags of mail and had carried them to his truck which was standing a few feet away. Paul climbed   40   the mail box and pulled the door closed so hard that it   41  . Soon realizing what he had done, he became   42   and started crying. At that time, Natalie was looking for him everywhere but could not find him. It was   43   that she happened to stand at the corner for a minute and heard her brother’s cries. She   44   ran to tell the mailman who hurried back from his   45   to unlock the metal door. Paul was now   46  , but he had such a bad fright that he could not stop crying. The mailman, however, soon found a way of making him   47   again. He told him that the next time he wanted to hide in a mail box, he should remember to put a stamp on himself!

1.A. realized          B. warned          C. imagined         D. wondered

2.A. hide              B. watch           C. rest             D. sleep

3.A. opened            B. shut            C. raised           D. wiped

4.A. lost              B. found           C. taken out        D. put in

5.A. through           B. over            C. out of           D. into

6. A. broke            B. fell down       C. opened           D. locked

7. A. surprised        B. frightened      C. excited          D. angry

8.A. lucky             B. a pity          C. possible         D. strange

9.A. suddenly          B. slowly          C. immediately      D. carelessly

10. A. home            B. truck           C. mail box         D. post office

11. A. found           B. hidden          C. happy            D. free

12.A. laugh            B. cry             C. climb in         D. play