Life is hard at present. Hardly 　　 by　　  some price or other going up.

Alice Walker makes her living by writing, and her poems, short stories, and novels have won many awards and fellowships for her. She was born in Eatonton, Georgia. She went to public schools there, and then to Spelman college in Atlanta before coming to New York to attend Sarah Lawrence college, from which she graduated in 1966. For a time she lived in Jackson, Mississippi, with her lawyer husband and a small daughter. About Langston Hughes, American Poet, here first book for children, she says, “After my first meeting with Langston Hughes I vowed I would write a book about him for children someday. Why? Because I, at 22, knew next to nothing of his work , and he didn’t scold me; he just gave me a stack of his books. And he was kind to me; I will always be grateful that in his absolute warmth and generosity he fulfilled my deepest dream ( and need) of what a poet should be.?”
“To me he is not dead at all. Hardly a day goes by that I don’t think of him or speak of him. Once, just before he died, when he was sick with the flu, I took him a sack full of oranges. The joy I felt in giving that simple gift is undiminished by time. He said he liked oranges, too.”
【小题1】What is the main topic of the passage?

C

True End of an Era

SURPRISE, surprise---David Beckham is in the news again! Sure, the England football star was never one to shy away from the headlines. But this time it seems people are talking as much about what Beckham is not doing as what he is.

Beckham won’t be playing for England at the 2010 World Cup in South AfricA． An injury he picked up while playing for AC Milan will likely rule the 34-year-old out for four months. It could be a sad end to the career of a player who has given his all to England since his debut (首次登场) in 1996. But rather than feeling sorry for the loss, some people are finally calling for us to move on from the Beckham obsession (着迷).

“The romantic wish of him seizing the day and inspiring England to glory was poppycock (胡扯),” according to an editorial in the Guardian. It argued that Beckham is past his best and would only have played a minor role at the World Cup anyway. But you might not have guessed it from the reaction of the rest of England.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown sent Beckham a “get well soon” message, and a Scottish poet even wrote a poem about the injury, comparing Beckham to the Greek hero Achilles.

But is it possible to forget about Beckham? Over his career Beckham has embodied (体现) everything the English like to think is good about their country. Beckham was never the most naturally gifted of footballers, but he reached the top through hard work and determination. He never gave up, even when things looked hopeless. And even as a superstar, he never forgot where he came from.

For this, the English took him to their hearts. Not a day goes by without seeing Beckham’s name in the newspapers, but the reality is his fantastic career is coming to the enD．Of course, it is sad that he’ll miss the World Cup, but this is a chance for England to find a new hero.

As a global icon(偶像) we will certainly miss him playing for England in South Africa this summer. But I think it’s time we finally give Beckham a break from the headlines.

Choose the best answer:

66．Which of the following may not be a result of Beckham’s injury?

A．Not being able to take part in the 2010 World Cup in South AfricA．

B．Not being able to play for England for four months.

C．People forgetting him.

D．This injury perhaps ending his career.

67．______ gave Beckham a negative evaluation.

A．Gordon Brown              B．An editorial in the Guardian

C．A Scottish poet              D．Most British people

68．Which is not the reason for it being hard for people to forget Beckham?

A．He has embodied British good characteristics and traits (特征).

B．He is one of the most naturally gifted footballers.

C．He is determined to achieve his goals.

D．He always remembers his country.

Alice Walker makes her living by writing, and her poems, short stories, and novels have won many awards and fellowships for her. She was born in Eatonton, Georgia. She went to public schools there, and then to Spelman college in Atlanta before coming to New York to attend Sarah Lawrence college, from which she graduated in 1966. For a time she lived in Jackson, Mississippi, with her lawyer husband and a small daughter. About Langston Hughes, American Poet, here first book for children, she says, “After my first meeting with Langston Hughes I vowed I would write a book about him for children someday. Why? Because I, at 22, knew next to nothing of his work , and he didn’t scold me; he just gave me a stack of his books. And he was kind to me; I will always be grateful that in his absolute warmth and generosity he fulfilled my deepest dream ( and need) of what a poet should be.?”

“To me he is not dead at all. Hardly a day goes by that I don’t think of him or speak of him. Once, just before he died, when he was sick with the flu, I took him a sack full of oranges. The joy I felt in giving that simple gift is undiminished by time. He said he liked oranges, too.”

1.What is the main topic of the passage?

2.In the passage, Alice Walker is described as _____.

3.Before attending college, Alice Walker went to school in _____.

4.The word “vowed” the first paragraph is closest in meaning to _____.

5.It can be inferred from the passage that Alice Walker was 22 years old when _____.

Sometime today—perhaps several times—Dick Winter will think about the 19-year-old who saved his life.

Because of this young man, Winter enjoys things like friendships, colours and laughter every day.

The young man saved Winter's life by signing an organ donor card(器官捐献卡).

“I can't say thank you enough,” Winter said yesterday at a news conference marking the tenth anniversary of the Multi Organ Transplant program at Toronto General Hospital.

What Winter knows of the 19?year?old who saved his life is only that he died in a car accident and that his family was willing to honour his wishes and donate

 his organs for transplantation.

His liver(肝脏) went to Winter, who was dying from liver trouble. “Not a day goes by that I don't think of what a painful thing it must have been for them，”Winter said yesterday.

“They are very, very special people.”

Winter, 63, is fitter now than he was 10 years ago, when he got the transplant. He has five medals from the 1995 World Transplant Games in swimming and hopes to

 collect some more next year in Japan.

“At one time, we were probably strange people in the eyes of other people. Now it's expected you should be able to go back and do everything you did before, only better.”

The biggest change for Winter, however, isn't that he has become a competitive athlete. The biggest change is how deeply he appreciates every little thing about

his life now.

“I have no time for arguments,” said Winter.

“You change everything. Material things don't mean as much. Friendships mean a lot.”

Also at yesterday's news conference was Dr Gray Levy, Winter's doctor.

Levy said he has bitter?sweet feelings when he looks at Winter and hears of his athletic exploits.

Levy knows that for every recipient(接受者) like Winter, there are several others who die even though they could be saved because there aren't enough donated organs.

“For every Mr Winter,we have five to 10 people that will never be given the chance that Mr Winter was given，” Levy said.

Levy said greater public awareness and more resources are needed. He noted that in Spain and the United States, hospitals receive 10,000 per donor to cover the costs of the operating room, doctors, nurses and teams to work with the donors' families.

1.Which of the following is true about the 19-year-old?

A.He died of liver trouble.

B.He got wounded in a battle.

C.He was willing to donate his organs.

D.He became a recipient of a prize.

2.What do we learn about Dick Winter?

A.He is becoming less competitive now.

B.He is always thinking about his early life.        

C.He knows all about the young man and his family.

D.He values friendships more than material things. 

3.Dr Levy would agree that ________.

A.Spanish hospitals have more favorable conditions for organ transplant

B.the Canadian public have realised the importance of organ donation

C.Spanish hospitals received more money from the donors

D.Canadian hospitals now have enough donated organs

4.What's the author's purpose in writing this article?

A.The public should give more support to organ transplant.

B.Transplant patients are thankful for the help they receive.

C.Transplant can change a patient's life greatly.

D.It is not easy to get organs for transplant.