B

I am a person who does not like to wait in line. However, I realize anger will get me nowhere. Considering this, I have decided to turn my frustration(沮丧) to productive ends. In short, I am constantly hunting around for what I call “waiting in line books”, especially those that are designed for being read in snippets(文摘), so there is no extended story line to lose track of. Another requirement is that they be small enough to slip neatly into my back pocket.

The other day I went to the supermarket and was surprised to see that the place was crowded with shoppers, but no worries. I parked my cart behind five others and pulled out my vocabulary builder. Within a few seconds I was totally absorbed, and rather than seething at the 15 minutes it took to advance to the cashier, I learned that nankeen is “a yellow cotton cloth”, or, in the plural, “trousers made of it”. The acquisition of new words led me into a place where I would otherwise not have enjoyed myself so much.

Once, at a yard sale, I found two small pocket books titled Sidelights on American History (copyright 1919). The seller approached as I looked through the pages. “You want them?”

“First I need to see if they fit,” I told him. He watched as I slipped Volume 1 into my back pocket. “Perfect. I’ll take them.”

10 minutes later, I was at the carwash, where the waiting line was six vehicles long. Thank goodness for my books! By the time my car was being soaped and power sprayed, I had learned about the Annapolis Convention, the early life of Aaron Bur.

The more the world demands that I wait, the more I learn from my waiting library. In fact, I have become so fond of my “waiting” books that my spirits actually rise when I see a long line I must stand in. It is most likely I would be regarded as a bookish, lonely soul. But little would they realize that I was enjoying the company of those “waiting” books. And just as Disraeli said, “Everything comes if a man will only wait”.

60. When buying a book the writer _____.

A. has his own rules                        B. prefers books of small size

C. chooses books by famous writers            D. has no particular appetite

61. The truth behind the story is that the writer wants to tell us _____.

A. reading is not only important but also practical

B. one is expected to learn to adjust oneself rather than complain

C. reading is the best way to kill time

D. knowledge is power and wisdom is fortune

62. The underlined expression in paragraph 3 “seething at” probably means _____.

A. angry at                   B. delighted at              C. surprised at        D. excited at

63. The sentence in Paragraph 2 “there is no extended story line to lose track of” shows that _____.

A. what the writer reads is not difficult to understand

B. the writer likes to read interesting stories while waiting in line

C. the writer can stop wherever needed with no plot to leave out

D. the writer does not necessarily reach his understanding

We have so many first days in our lives. First days are milestones(里程碑) in our lives. They 36 the beginning of a new experience or journey and they are also filled with　 37　 feelings. They can be a little frightening as we step into the unknown, but they can also inspire us as they give us fresh　 38 for the future.

I want to share a 39 that perfectly shows this point. Trisha was told that 40 is the key to knowledge. She watched her older brother 41 he read his schoolbooks and could hardly 42 the day when she would learn to read.

But after Trisha 43 started school, she found that she was not able to understand words like the other boys and girls. However hard she 44 , she saw only confusion. Trisha 45 , the teacher and the other children laughing at her, and she began to believe that she was not 　46 .

By the time Trisha entered the fifth grade, she had lost the 47 in herself. That was the year when she met Mr. Falker. He was 48 . He praised Trisha’s talents, and he wouldn’t tolerate the other children laughing at her. After some time, Mr. Falker 49 that Trisha didn’t know how to read, but he knew she could 50 some help.

He found an expert, and together they 51 with Trisha after school. They 52 her to understand words 　53 one day Mr. Falker handed her a book and she could read it all by herself. She didn’t even notice the tears in his eyes.

This is a true story. The little girl is Patricia Polacco, a famous 54 , and Thank you Mr. Falker is the twenty-sixth book that she has written. Mr. Falker gave her a fresh new 55 and made a difference in her life.

【小题1】A. cause　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. mark　　　　　　　　　　　 C. describe　　　　　　　　 D. show

【小题2】A. absurd　　　　　　　　　　　 B. strange　　　　　　　　　 C. mixed　　　　　　　　　　 D. strong

【小题3】A. blood　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. evidence　　　　　　　　 C. hope　　　　　　　　　　　 D. air

【小题4】A. belief　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. story　　　　　　　　　　　 C. view　　　　　　　　　　　 D. concern

【小题5】A. reading　　　　　　　　　　　 B. speaking　　　　　　　　 C. listening　　　　　　　　 D. thinking

【小题6】A. before　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. since　　　　　　　　　　　 C. as　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. though

【小题7】A. look for　　　　　　　　　　　 B. wait for　　　　　　　　　 C. ask for　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. wish for

【小题8】A. gradually　　　　　　　　　　 　 B. mostly　　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. finally　　　　　　　　　　 D. firmly

【小题9】A. breathed　　　　　　　　　　 　 B. tried　　　　　　　　　　　 C. managed　　　　　　　 D. pressed

【小题10】A. took off　　　 　　　　　　　　　　 B. stayed up　　　　　　　 C. kept on　　　　　　　　　 D. fell behind

【小题11】A. smart　　　　　　　　　　　 B. hard-working　　　　 C. healthy　　　　　　　　　 D. easy-going

【小题12】A. memory　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. balance　　　　　　　　 C. chance　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. confidence

【小题13】A. shy　　　　　　　　　　　　　 　 B. proud　　　　　　　　　　 C. different　　　　　　　　 D. strict

【小题14】A. doubted　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. witnessed　　　　　　　 C. represented　　　　　　　　 D. realized

【小题15】A. with　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. besides　　　　　　　　　 C. including　　　　　　　　 D. within

【小题16】A. sang　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. worked　　　　　　　　　 C. danced　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. chatted

【小题17】A. helped　　　　　　　　　　 B. forced　　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. begged　　　　　　　　　 D. allowed

【小题18】A. when　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. once　　　　　　　　　　　 C. until　　　　　　　　　　　 D. whether

【小题19】A. teacher　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. writer　　　　　　　　　　 C. expert　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. guide

【小题20】A. school　　　　　　　　　　　 B. start　　　　　　　　　　　 C. home　　　　　　　　　　 D. attention

I am one of those people who are terrible at saying no. I take on too many projects at once, and spend too much of my time doing things I’d rather not be doing. I get stuff done, but it’s not always the best I can do, or the best way I could spend my time.
That’s why my newest goal, both as a professional and a person, is to be a quitter.
Being a quitter isn’t being someone who gives up, who doesn’t see important things through to the end. I desire to be the opposite of that. The quitter I want to be is someone who gets out when there’s no value in what he’s doing, or when that value comes at the expense of something more important.
We get involved in something, realize we don’t want to be a part of it, but keep on going. We say “Well, I’ve already invested so much time in this, I might as well stick it out.” A friend of mine once told me, “I knew I was an adult when I could stop reading a book, even after getting 500 pages into it.” Odd though it sounds, we all tend to do this.
I propose the opposite: quit as often as possible, regardless of project status or time invested. If you’re reading a book, and don’t like it, stop reading. Cut your losses, realize that the smartest thing to do is stop before your losses grow even more, and quit. Instead of reading an entire book you hate, read half of a bad one and half of a good one. Isn’t that a better use of your time?
Step back for a second. Let’s learn how to say “no” at the beginning, or in the middle, and free up more of our time to do the things we’d like to be doing, and the things actually worth doing.
Saying no is hard, and admitting a mistaken yes is even harder. But if we do both, we’ll start to make sure that we’re spending our time creating value, rather than increasing our losses. Let’s be quitters together.
【小题1】The author wants to be a quitter, because he/she        .