How I Turned to Be Optimistic

   I began to grow up that winter night when my parents and I were returning from my aunt's house, and my mother said that we might soon be leaving for America. We were on the bus then . I was crying, and some people on the bus were turning around to look at me. I remember that I could not bear the thought of never hearing again the radio program for school children to which I listened every morning.

  I do not remember myself crying for this reason again. In fact, I think I cried very little when I was saying goodbye to my friends and relatives. When we were leaving I thought about all the places I was going to see-the strange and magical places I had known only from books and pictures. The country I was leaving never to come back was hardly in my head then.

   The four years that followed taught me the importance of optimism, but the idea did not come to me at once. For the first two years in New York I was really lost-having to study in three schools as a result of family moves. I did not quite know what I was or what I should be. Mother remarried, and things became even more complex for me. Some time passed before my stepfather and I got used to each other. I was often sad, and saw no end to "the hard times".

   My responsibilities in the family increased a lot since I knew English better than everyone else at home. I wrote letters, filled out forms, translated at interviews with Immigration officers, took my grandparents to the doctor and translated there, and even discussed telephone bills with company representatives.

   From my experiences I have learned one important rule: almost all common troubles eventually go away! Something good is certain to happen in the end when you do not give up , and just wait a little! I believe that my life will turn out all right, even though it will not be that easy.

How did the author get to know America?

 A. From her relatives.               B. From her mother.

 C. From books and pictures.          D. From radio programs.

Upon leaving for America the author felt_________________.

 A. confused          B. excited     C. worried      D. amazed

For the first two years in New York, the author___________________ .

 A. often lost her way                B. did not think about her future

 C. studied in three different schools    D. got on well with her stepfather

What can we learn about the author from paragraph 4?

  A. She worked as a translator.            

B. She attended a lot of job interviews.

  C. She paid telephone bills for her family.

  D. She helped her family with her English.

The author believes that _________________ .

  A. her future will be free from troubles 

B. it is difficult to learn to become patient

  C. there are more good things than bad things

  D. good things will happen if one keeps trying

Our daughter Kerrin, a student at Boston University, had been home for a week-end visit, and I dropped her off at the bus station just in time for her back to college. After Kerrin’s bus had gone and I was driving away, I noticed that she had left her purse on the passenger seat. Worried that she would arrive in Boston without money or keys to her room, I called my wife, Bette Jean, on the car phone, explaining why I would be late. As I was following the bus, Bette Jean phoned me back to say she had phoned the bus dispatcher（调度员）on the other line and he, in return, had phoned the bus driver on yet another phone. The driver asked me to wave out of my window to show where I was. Then he pulled over at a rest stop, and I did the same. Kerrin jumped off the bus, and I handed her the purse and went on my way.
【小题1】The writer saw his daughter’s purse right after       .

I began to grow up that winter night when my parents and I were returning from my aunt’s house, and my mother said that we might soon be leaving for America. We were on the bus then. I was crying, and some people on the bus were turning around to look at me. I remember that I could not bear the thought of never hearing again the radio program for school children to which listened every morning. I do not remember myself crying for this reason again. In fact, I think I cried very little when I was saying goodbye to my friends and relatives. When we were leaving, I thought about all the places I was going to see—the strange and magical places I had known only from books and pictures. The country I was leaving never to come back was hardly in my head then.

The four years that followed taught me the importance of optimism(乐观主义), but the idea did not come to me at once. For the first two years in New York I was really lost—having to study in three schools as a result of family moves. I did not quite know what I was or what I should be. Mother remarried, and things became even more complex for me. Some time passed before my stepfather and I got used to each other. I was often sad, and saw no end to “the hard times”.

My responsibilities(职责) in the family increased a lot since I knew English better than everyone else at home. I wrote letters, filled out forms, translated at interviews with immigration officers, took my grandparents to the doctor and translated there, and even discussed telephone bills with company representatives.

From my experiences I have learned one important rule: almost all common troubles eventually go away! Something good is certain to happen in the end when you do not give up, and just wait a little! I believe that my life will turn out all right, even though it will not be that easy.

1. How did the author get to know America?

A. From her relatives.     B. From her mother.    C. From books and pictures.   D. From radio programs.

2. For the first two years in New York, the author       .     .

A. often lost her way                   B. did not think about her job    

C. studied in three different schools        D. got on well with her new friends

3.What can we learn from the author from Paragraph 3 ?

A. She worked as a translator.               B. She attended a lot of job interviews.

C. She paid telephone bills for her family .     D. She helped her family with her English.

4.The author believes that     .

A. her future will be free from troubles .         B. it is difficult to learn to become patient.

C. there are more good things than bad things.    D. good things will happen if one keeps trying.

For those who are tired doing the laundry, Samsung has found an answer: a washing machine that can tell you when your laundry is done via a smartphone app(application).
Strange though it may seem — “my wife already does that” was a common response among attendees viewing the device when it was introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this week — Samsung is just one of many appliance makers racing to install (安装) a large number of internet-connected features in machines in an effort to make them “smart”.
Last year, it was a refrigerator that tweeted. This year, it’s Wi-Fi-enabled laundry machines and fridges that can tell you when your groceries are going bad.
The washers and dryers, available starting in the spring, connect to any smartphone through a downloadable application. The phone can then be used as a remote control, so the machines can be turned on and off while their owners is at work or on the bus.
Samsung says it’s not just something new — the app connection actually has some practical uses.
“If you started to dry clothes in the morning and forgot to take them out, you can go to your phone and restart your dryer for the time when come home, so your clothes are refreshed and ready to go,” said spokesperson Amy Schmidt.
The company also says that with electricity rate(电价)varying depending on the time of day, more control over when the machines are used can help save money.
Perhaps, but what they will probably really accomplish is what all good technologies do —enable laziness. Rather than getting up to check on whether the laundry is done, users will instead monitor it on their phones while watching TV.
【小题1】What can be inferred from the common response of the attendees at the CES?

The passengers on the bus watched sympathetically as the attractive young woman with the white cane（杖，手杖） made her way carefully up the steps. She 36 the driver and, using her hands to feel the  37 of the seats, walked down and found the  38 which the driver had told her was empty. Then she settled in.
It had been a year since Mary, 34,  39 a medical misdiagnosis (误诊), was suddenly thrown into a world of  40 . Mark, her husband, was an Air Force officer and he loved Mary with all his heart. He  41  her how to rely on her other  42 , specifically her hearing, to determine where she was and  43 to adapt herself to the new environment. He helped her befriend（友好对待） the bus drivers who could  44 for her, and save her a seat.
 45 , Mary decided that she was ready to try the  46 on her own. Monday morning, she said good-bye and for the first time, they went their  47  ways.
On Friday morning, Mary took the bus to work as usual. As she was  48 the bus, the driver said, “Boy, I  49 envy you.” Mary had no  50  what the driver was talking about, and asked, “What do you  51  ?”
The driver answered, “You know, every morning for the  52 week, a fine-looking gentleman  53  a military uniform has been standing across the corner  54 you as you get off the bus. He  55  you cross the street safely and he watches until you enter your office building. You are one lucky lady.”          
Tears of gratitude poured down Mary’s cheeks.