When I was learning calligraphy my teacher told me a story．
A calligrapher taught handwriting．One or his students who often practised handwritihg with old sheets of newspaper complained that he made very little progress though he had learned it with the calligrapher for a long time．His teacher said to him,“Try to use the best paper．Maybe you’ll write better．”
The student did as he was told．It really worked．He made headway not long afterwards and felt curious．He asked his teacher about the reason．The calligrapher answered,“When you used old newspaper to practise handwriting ,you would think you were writing a draft．It didn’t matter if you wrote badly as old newspaper was plenty in supply．In that case you wouldn’t pay much attention to it．Now you use the best paper and you ’ll treasure it．Each time you write you feel strongly about the rarity of chances and you’ll devote to it with all your heart and soul ; you’ll do the handwritihg much more attentively than practising．Of course you’ve made rapid progress．”
Indeed , we spend our ordihary days just as they are worthless “ old newspaper ”．We don’t care if we scrawl and waste it ,thinking that it will come endlessly---the “ old newspaper ” is inexhaustible．In such a mood we may each day pass by opportunities but fail to catch any of them．
Life is not a military exercise but an actual war in which real weapons are used ．In everyday life there’s no chance for us to draft．That’s because what we call“draft” actually is the answer sheet we write that cannot be changed．
Every day of our life is something new．Let us take every day as a sheet of the best paper．
46．The calligrapher in the story told the student to write on the best paper because he thought     ．
A．the student would practise more carefully on the best paper
B．it was comfortable to write on the best paper
C．the student had enough money to buy the best paper
D．the student could write more on the best paper
47．The student didn’t make much progress at first because     ．
A．he regarded his writihg on old newspaper just as a draft
B．he was too poor to buy better paper to write on
C．he didn’t follow his teacher’s advice
D．he was not used to the calligrapher’s teaching manner
48．We learn from the passage that     ．
A．the student finally gave up
B．the student made rapid progress by practising more carefully
C．the caligrapher was strict with his students
D．old newspaper is not useful
49．Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A．What teachers say is always true．
B．Success calls for attentiveness．
C．Handwriting is easy to practise．
D．New things are always better than old ones
50．The writer want to tell us that     ．
A．there are some good ways to practice handwriting
B．life is like old newspaper
C．we should learn from the student in the story
D．life will not give us a chance to draw a draft

My mind went blank when I saw the gun pointing against the car window as we pulled out of the garage. This can’t be happening to me. Then I felt the gun, cold, against my head, and I heard my friend Jeremy saying, “What do you want? Take my wallet,” but at the time I thought of nothing.

I remember being a little annoyed when the gunman pulled me from the car by the hair. I remember the walk to the house --- Jeremy, me, the two men with two guns. I remember the fear and anger in the gunmen’s voices because Jeremy was being slow, and I remember wondering why he was being slow. I did not realize that Jeremy had thrown the keys into the bush. But I remember that sound of the gun hitting Jeremy’s head and the feeling as the man who had hold of my hair released me. And I remember the split second when I realized he was looking at Jeremy, and I remember wondering how far I could run before he pulled the trigger. But I was already running, and upon reaching the car across the street, I didn’t crouch(蹲伏) behind it but screamed instead.

I remember thinking there was something ridiculous and illogical about screaming “Help, help!” at eight o’clock on a Tuesday evening in December and changing my plea(恳求) to the more specific “Help, let me in, please let me in!” But the houses were cold, closed, unfriendly, and I ran on until I heard Jeremy’s screams behind me announcing that our attackers had fled.

The neighbors who had not opened their doors to us came out with baseball bats and helped Jeremy find his glasses and keys. In a group they were very brave. We waited for the police to come until someone said to someone else that the noodles were getting cold, and I said politely, “Please go and eat. We’re OK.”

I was happy to see them go. They had been talking of stricter sentences for criminals, of bringing back the death penalty(处罚) and how the President is going to clean up the country. I was thinking, they could be saying all of this over my dead body, and I still feel that stiffer sentences wouldn’t change a thing. In a rush all the anger I should have felt for my attackers was directed against these contented people standing in front of their warm, comfortable homes talking about all the guns they were going to buy. What good would guns have been to Jeremy and me?

People all over the neighborhood had called to report our screams, and the police turned out in force twenty minutes later. They were ill-tempered about what was, to them, much trouble about nothing. After all, Jeremy was hardly hurt, and we were hopeless when it came to describing the gunmen. “Typical,” said one policeman when we couldn’t even agree on how tall the men were. Both of us were able to describe the guns in horrifying detail, but the two policemen who stayed to make the report didn’t think that would be much help.

The policemen were matter-of-fact about the whole thing. The thin one said, “That was a stupid thing to do, throwing away the keys. When a man has a gun against your head you do what you’re told.” Jeremy looked properly embarrassed.

Then the fat policeman came up and the thin one went to look around the outside of the house. “That was the best thing you could have done, throwing away the keys,” he said. “If you had gone into the house with them…” His voice became weaker. “They would have hurt her” --- he twisted his head toward me --- “and killed you both.” Jeremy looked happier. “Look,” said the fat policeman kindly, “there’s no right or wrong in the situation. There’s just luck.”

All that sleepless night I replayed the moment those black gloves came up to the car window. How long did the whole thing last? Three minutes, five, eight? No matter how many hours of my life I may spend reliving it, I know there is no way to prepare for the next time --- no intelligent response to a gun. The fat cop was right. There’s only luck. The next time I might end up dead.

And I’m sure there will be a next time. It can happen anywhere, anytime, to anyone. Security is an illusion(幻觉); there is no safety in locks or in guns. Guns make some people feel safe and some people feel strong, but they’re fooling themselves.

1.When the writer saw the gun pointing against the car window, ________.

A. she felt very annoyed  

B. she lost consciousness

C. she felt very much nervous  

D. she lost the power of thinking

2.What most possibly drove the two gunmen away?

A. Jeremy’s fighting                                                  B. The author’s screaming   

C. Their neighbour’s brave action                             D. The police’s arrival

3. When the author called for help, the neighbors didn’t come out immediately because ________.

A. they were much too frightened

B. they were busy preparing dinners

C. they needed time to find baseball bats

D. they thought someone was playing a trick

4.The author was happy to see the neighbors go because ________.

A. she hated to listen to their empty talk

B. she did not want to become an object of pity

C. she was angered by their being late to come to her help

D. she wanted to be left alone with Jeremy to get over the shock

5.The police were rather angry because ________.

A. the author was not hurt and gave a false alarm

B. they thought it was a case of little importance

C. the author and Jeremy could not tell the police anything

D. the gunmen had already fled when they arrived on the scene

6.What the author wants to tell us is that ________.

A. neighbors are not helpful in moments of difficulty

B. the police are not reliable when one is in trouble

C. security is impossible as long as people can have guns

D. preventing robbers entering your house is the best choice

One man tells of driving on a long and lonely road, the last 65 miles of it unpaved, in order to watch Indian dances in the state of Arizona．After the dances, he returned to his car only to find that it had a flat tire．He put on the spare and drove to the only service station in that town．

“Do you fix flats?” he inquired of the attendant．

“Yes,” came the answer．

“How much do you charge?” he asked．

With a twinkle in his eye, the man replied, “What difference does it make?”

This is what has been called a “Hobson’s choice”．A Hobson’s choice is a situation that forces a person to accept whatever is offered or go without．

According to Barbara Berliner, the phrase was inspired by sixteenth-century entrepreneur (企业家) Thomas Hobson．There was no choice by the customer — it was strictly Hobson’s choice．

But often we really have a choice, and the choice does make a difference．We may not always believe it．We may feel as if we have no choice, but almost always there is a choice in the matter．And when we realize that we do most things by choice, then we are taking control of our own lives．

Someone challenged me to try an experiment that completely changed my perspective(看法，观点)．“For the next seven days,” he said, “remove the words ‘I have to’ from your vocabulary and say ‘I choose to’．Don’t say, ‘I have to work late tonight’．Instead, say, ‘I choose to work late’．When you choose to do it, you take control of your life．Instead of saying ‘I have to stay home’, try ‘I choose to stay home’．The way you spend your time is your choice．You are responsible．You have control．”

In just seven days I was no longer saying “I have to” and I felt better about my decisions．I learned that there is very little in my life I actually have to do．You and I decide to do certain things because we believe that it will be for the best．When we remove “I have to” from our vocabularies, we take control．

Try it for a week and you see what happens．I think you’ll see it’s a change for the better．

66．What did the attendant mean by saying “What difference does it make”?

       A．The man shouldn’t come to the service station．

       B．The man didn’t need to pay for the work．

      C．There was no need f to fix the tire ．

       D．It was unnecessary for the man to ask about the price．

67．What is the situation where we have a “Hobson’s choice”?

      A．We should make preparations before a journey．

      B．We should often change our choice．

      C．We have no choice but to follow．

      D．We should think twice before taking action．

68．The author learnt from the experiment that he  _________．

      A．actually changed his attitudes towards life     B．could spend more time relaxing himself

      C．should take pleasure in helping others         D．could become more challenging

69．The purpose of writing this text is to _________．

      A．tell an interesting story about the author    B．explain what Hobson’s choice is

      C．accept others’ advice modestly              D．advise us to become active in life

70．What's the best title of this passage?

   A．I Have To            B．I Choose To          C．Hobson’s Story       D．Fix a Flat Tire

If I ever end up in a police missing-persons report, it will be because I went out to run some errands （跑差事） for my wife and never returned．

My adventure begins when I announce that I am going out to get a haircut, or to pick up my suit at the cleaner’s, or to do something that shouldn’t take very long．

As I look for my car keys, my wife utters （说出） those terrible words: “While you’re out …” This is a signal for me to make sure the car has enough gas for a cross-country trip because God knows when I will come back．

Of course my wife runs 95 percent of the errands, or that she is the one who keeps the household running smoothly．If it were up to me, the whole family would come to an end．The simple reason is that I am not good at doing anything more complicated than going out to get a haircut．

Here is what often happens:

“I’m going out to get a haircut,” I announce．

“While you’re out,” my wife says, “can you drop off the movie we rented last week? It’s due back today and I don’t want to pay a late charge．” “Sure,” I say．

Then she adds, “And stop at the post office for a book of stamps．” At last, I become nervous．I can handle a haircut and two errands．One more errand and I’m finished．

“And stop at the vet’s to pick up a bag of dog food．”

It doesn’t matter if all of these places are in the same shopping center （they aren’t）．Three errands are more than my brain can process （处理）．So I write them down．

“You mean you can’t remember three little errands?” my wife asks unbelievably．

Sadly, I can’t．I can remember to return the movie because it will be in the car． But with no visible reminders of my other two errands, I will almost certainly forget one of them．

I have to figure out where to go first．Should I get a haircut and then run my errands?

Should I stop at the post office first, get a haircut and then go to the video store and the vet’s on my way home?

Later in the day, I return home．With no small amount of pride, I hand her the book of stamps and the bag of dog food．She holds up a small box and says, “You forgot to give the movie back．”

It’s the story of my life: In one ear and out of the other．

1．The use of the word “terrible” in paragraph 3 shows that the writer ______．

A．does not love his wife

B．has deep hatred for his wife

C．gets frightened by his wife’s voice

D．is anxious about his wife’s request

2．The wife asks her husband to do three things after his haircut because ______．

A．she thinks they are easy errands

B．she likes to do housework at home

C．she is not satisfied with her lazy husband

D．she does not want to do these things herself

3．Why does the husband write down the three things?

A．He is serious．                          B．He is joking．

C．He is forgetful．                        D．He is foolish．

4．When the husband returns home, he is ______．

    A．rather tired       B．very happy          C．rather proud               D．very nervous

“It’s the best…uhh…What? You don’t want it?...,”the inexpertienced young man uttered,his hope dashed.
“Again,you disappointed me,Andrew.When are you going to learn? You have to be sure and confident. And think how best to make him part with his money. Apply yourself, Son. All your college education will not help if you don’t put your mind to selling. Think on your feet. Use psychology,” Andrew spoke with diffidence overwhelmed by his father’s criticism.
“You’ve been in this shop for six months and you haven’t succeeded in selling a single computer. I tell you what. I’ll give you one more chance. I’ll give you another three more weeks. If you still can’t make one sale, I’ll call in your elder brother to replace you. He will also take over the shop when I retire. There. I’ll just give you one last chance to prove yourself,” said Mr. Whitely, his patience wearing thin.
Andrew’s heart missed a beat. This time he would have to do it. Do or Die! A sense of urgency gripped him. Somehow he must prove himself to his father.
It was now the end of the day and the shop was being closed. The assistant employed by his father, called Mike, chuckled and put his arms round poor Andrew to comfort him,“ Sort it out yourself. It’s gotta come from yourself.” he said.
The shop was located in a bustling shopping center. Andrew left the shop and walked round the complex aimlessly and by chance entered a large bookstore. He glanced at the books and was about to leave when his eyes caught some interesting titles:‘ How to increase your confidence,’‘ The art of communication,’‘How to sell well’amongst others.
The next minute he was out of the store with the shopping bag bugling with books. In his apartment (for he loves separately from his parents and little sister),he settled himself in his easy chair and devoured the contents of the books, one by one. His keen intelligence enabled him to focus the details that matter and pick out the ideas and techniques expounded.In a week his image underwent a transformation. Gone was the stubble that used to give him an untidy image likened to a heroin addict.He was also smartly dressed now. Instead of his usual slurred speech and incoherence ,he spoke with clarity, purpose and forcefulness.He was more convincing and persuasive. Above all, confidence flowed from his being and he seemed to have learned a few tricks of the selling trade. He worked hard at his sales pitch and one day he succeeded in selling a computer. His first sale. He had finally achieved the quota of one sale within the given time frame of three weeks. The job, the shop, was his. He had to thank Mike for it. And now he had to go beyond his first successs and score, consistently and persistently. Nevertheless he had proved himself at last and the future looked bright and promising.
【小题1】
We learn from the story that at the beginning Andrew’s father_________.