“Everything happens for the best,” my mother said whenever I was disappointed. “Don’t worry. One day your luck will change.”
I didn’t pay attention to her words. After finishing my college education, I decided to look for a job in a radio station. I wanted to host a sports programme. I went to Chicago and knocked on the door of every station. But I got turned down every time.
In one station, a kind lady said to me that I hadn’t got enough experience. “Get to a small station and work for some time,” she said.
When I went back home, my dad told me that a businessman had opened a store and needed someone to help him. But again, I didn’t get the job.
I felt really down. “Your luck will change,” Mum said to me. Later, I tried another radio station in Iowa. But the owner, a nice man, told me he had already had someone to work for him. As I left his office, I asked, “How can someone be a sports announcer (播音员) if he can’t get a job in a radio station?”
I was waiting for the lift when I heard the man call, “What did you mean? Do you know anything about football?” He let me sit in front of a microphone and asked me to try to imagine that I was giving my opinion on a football game, and finally I succeeded.
On my way home, Mum’s words came back to me, “One day your luck will change, Son.”
【小题1】What was the writer’s ideal（理想的） job?

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项中选出最佳选项。

Dear Doctor，

　　My husband and I got married in 1995 and for the first ten years of our marriage I was very happy to stay home and raise our three children．Then four years ago，our youngest child went to school and I thought I might go back to work．

　　My husband was very supportive and helped me to make my decision．He emphasized all of the things l can do around the house，and said he thought I could be a great success in business．

　　After several weeks of job-hunting，l found my present job，which is working for a small public relations firm．At first，my husband was very proud of me and would tell his friends，“My clever little wife can run that company she's working for．”

　　But as his joking remark was close to reality，my husband stopped talking to me about my job．I have received several promotions and pay increases，and I am now making more money than he is．I can buy my own clothes and a new car．Because of our combined incomes，my husband and I can do many things that we had always dreamed of doing，but we don't do these things because he is very unhappy．

　　We fight about little things and my husband is very critical of me in front of our friends．For the first time in our marriage，l think there is a possibility that our marriage may come to an end．

　　I hove my husband very much，and I do not want him to feel inferior，but I also love my job．I think I can be a good wife and a working woman，but I don't know how．Can you give me some advice？Will I have to choose one or the other or can I keep both my husband and my new career？

　　Please help．

“DISTRESSED”

1．What do you think shows her husband was supportive？

[　　]

A．He took up all the work she used to do．

B．He made all the decisions for her．

C．He gave her encouragement．

D．All of the above．

2．Her husband ________when she first found her present job．

[　　]

A．was very critical of her

B．felt disappointed

C．was proud of her

D．was happy but critical

3．Her husband stopped talking to her about her job when________．

[　　]

A．she received promotions

B．she earned more money

C．her husband was unhappy

D．both A and B

4．The woman has a hard choice between________．

[　　]

A．husband and children

B．children and work

C．career and money

D．job and marriage

Not so long ago almost any student who successfully completed a university degree could find a good career quite easily．Companies toured the academic institutions, competing with each other to select graduates．However, those days are gone, even in Hong Kong, and nowadays graduates often face strong competition in the search for jobs．

Most careers organizations highlight three stages for graduates to follow in the process of securing a suitable career：recognizing abilities, matching these to available jobs and presenting them well to possible employers．

Job seekers have to make a careful assessment of their own abilities．One area of assessment should be of their academic qualifications, which would include special skills within their subject area．Graduates should also consider their own personal values and attitudes．An honest assessment of personal interests and abilities such as creative skills, or skills acquired from work experience, should also be given careful thought．

The second stage is to study the opportunities available for employment and to think about how the general employment situation is likely to develop in the future．To do this, graduates can study job and position information in newspapers, or they can visit a careers office, write to possible employers for information or contact friends or relatives who may already be involved in a particular profession．After studying all the various options, they should be in a position to make informed comparisons between various careers．

Good personal presentation is essential in the search for a good career．Job application forms and letters should, of course, be filled in carefully and correctly, without grammar or spelling errors．Where additional information is asked for, job seekers should describe their abilities and work experience in more depth, with examples if possible．They should try to balance their own abilities with the employer’s needs, explain why they are interested in a career with the particular company and try to show that they already know something about the company and its activities．

When graduates go to an interview, they should prepare properly by finding out all they can about the possible employer．Dressing suitably and arriving for the interview on time are also important．Interviewees should try to give positive and helpful answers and should not be afraid to ask questions about anything they are unsure about．This is much better than pretending to understand a question and giving an unsuitable answer．

1.“Those days are gone, even in Hong Kong” in Paragraph 1 suggests that__________．

       A．finding a good career used to be easier in Hong Kong than elsewhere

    B．now everyone in Hong Kong has an equal chance of finding a good job

　　C．graduates now face stronger competition in Hong Kong than elsewhere

    D．even in Hong Kong companies tour universities trying to select graduates

2.It is implied in Paragraph 3 that graduates should_____________．

    A．aim to give a balanced account of what the employer needs

    B．consider careers which suit their values, interests and abilities

    C．stress their personal attitudes and values in job applications

    D．recognize their own abilities regardless of what the employer looks for

3.According to Paragraph 4, graduates should______________．

    A．find a good position and then compare it with other careers

    B．ask friends or relatives to secure them a good job

    C．get information about a number of careers before making comparisons

    D．study the opportunities and the kinds of training that will be available

4.In the last paragraph, the writer seems to suggest that ________________．

    A．interviewees should appear humble if they can’t give an answer

    B．dressing properly is more important than being able to give an answer

    C．it is better for interviewees to be honest than to pretend to understand

D．it is a good idea for interviewees to be boastful in their answers

What made Joan Ryan decide to be a sports writer?“Ten years ago, I was ?　36　? news stories at the Orlando Sentinel in Florida—my first job ?　37　? college. I didn't know any female sports writers. But I wanted to be ?　38　?.?　39　?,the best writing in the paper was sports.”

“Furthermore, I had the ?　40　?.I grew up in a(n) ?　41　? family: Three boys and three girls and a coach for a dad.”?

Soon after describing her ambition to a coworker, the ?　42　? of her paper reassigned Joan to the sports ?　43　?.She started out by editing other people's stories,?　44　? within a year, she was writing her own sports column.?

Today, Joan is the sports ?　45　? for the San Francisco Examiner in California. When she ?　46　? her job eight years ago, she was the ?　47　? woman sports writer on any major American newspaper.

Was it tough to ?　48　? as a female sports writer??　49　?!Take, for example, the first time Joan tried to get an interview in the men's locker room. “It was the U.S. Football League. I wanted to interview one of the players—Joe Cribbs, because he had just broken a finger. As soon as I ?　50　? into the locker room ?　51　? all sports writers interview athletes—the room went ?　52　?.Guys started yelling at me—closing in on me. It was really frightening. One guy was sitting on a bench in front of me, tapping up his ankle,?　53　? a long-handled razor for cutting the tape. Suddenly, I felt something move up my leg. It was the ?　54　? of the razor. I yelled at him and walked out.”

Joan ?　55　? interviewing Cribbs—outside the locker room.“In retrospect(回忆),I feel this was a defining moment for me as a journalist. I went back and wrote my story and made my deadline. Now I know that nothing can interfere with getting the story.”?

36. A. writing B. finding       C. editing       D. sending?

37. A. in B. out of C. into    D. before?

38. A. one      B. the one       C. it D. that?

39. A. However     B. Therefore   C. Above all   D. First of all?

40. A. knowledge   B. experience  C. Background       D. interest?

41. A. big       B. athletic       C. athrete       D. warm?

42. A. editor   B. Manager     C. Director     D. workmate?

43. A. column B. field   C. department D. paper?

44. A. and      B. So      C. however     D. but?

45. A. columnist    B. writer C. journalist    D. female?

46. A. did       B. left     C. landed D. wanted?

47. A. abed     B. only    C. brave  D. wisest?

48. A. work    B. writer C. interview    D. pioneer?

49. A. You bet       B. You believe       C. Unbelievable     D. You guess?

50. A. stepped B. entered       C. rushed D. moved?

51. A. that      B. which C. where D. when?

52. A. warm   B. crazy  C. down  D. full?

53. A. held     B. playing      C. used    D. using?

54. A. cap      B. cover  C. handle D. movement?

55. A. started  B. ended up C. Made     D. wrote??

What should you think about when you try to find your career? You are probably better at some school subjects than others, and these may show strengths that you can use in your work. A boy who is good at mathematics can use that in engineering career. A girl who spells well and likes English may be good at office work. So it is important to know the subjects you do well in at school. On the other hand, you may not have any specially strong or weak subjects but your records show a general satisfactory standard. Although not all subjects can be used directly in a job, they may have indirect value.

　  Your school may have taught you skills, such as typing or technical drawing, which you can use in your work. You may be good at mental work or cookery and look for a job where you can improve these skills.

If you have had a part-time job on Saturdays or in summer, think what you gained from it. If nothing else, you may have learned how to get to work on time, to follow instructions and to get on with older workers. You may have learned to give correct change in a shop, for example. Just as important, you may become interested in a particular industry or career you see from the inside in a part-time job.

　  Facing your weak points is also part of knowing yourself. You may be all thumbs when you handle tools; perhaps you are a poor speller or cannot add up a column of figures. It is bitter to face any weaknesses than to pretend they do not exist. Your school records, for instance, may not be very good, yet it is an important part of your background. You should not feel sorry about it but instead recognize that you will have a chance of a fresh start at work.

1.In the writer’s opinion, for a student to have a part-time job is probably ________.

A. a good way to find out his weak points

B. one of the best ways of earning extra money

C. of great use for his work in the future

D. a waste of time he could have spent on study    

2.If a student’s school record is not good, according to the passage, he ________.

A. may do well in his future work

B. won’t be able to find a suitable job

C. may be a complete failure in the future

D. will regret not having worked harder at school     

3. The whole passage centers around ________.

A. looking for a part-time job

B. developing one’s abilities at school

C. gaining much knowledge by working hard at school

D. knowing yourself before trying to choose a career