I began working in journalism(新闻工作) when I was eight. It was my mother’s idea. She wanted me to “make something” of myself, and decided I had better start young if I was to have any chance of keeping up with the competition.
With my load of magazines I headed toward Belleville Avenue. The crowds were there. There were two gas stations on the corner of Belleville and Union. For several hours I made myself highly visible, making sure everyone could see me and the heavy black letters on the bag that said THE SATURDAY EVENING POST. When it was supper time, I walked back home.
“How many did you sell, my boy?” my mother asked.
“None.”
“Where did you go?”
“The corner of Belleville and Union Avenues.”
“What did you do?”
“Stood on the corner waiting for somebody to buy a Saturday Evening Post.”
“You just stood there?”
“Didn’t sell a single one.”
“My God, Russell!”
Uncle Allen put in, “Well, I’ve decided to take the Post.” I handed him a copy and he paid me a nickel(五分镍币). It was the first nickel I earned.
Afterwards my mother taught me how to be a salesman. I would have to ring doorbells, address adults with self-confidence, and persuade them by saying that no one, no matter how poor, could afford to be without the Saturday Evening Post in the home.
One day, I told my mother I’d changed my mind. I didn’t want to make a success in the magazine business.
“If you think you can change your mind like this,” she replied, “you’ll become a good-for-nothing.” She insisted that, as soon as school was over, I should start ringing doorbells, selling magazines. Whenever I said no, she would scold me.
My mother and I had fought this battle almost as long as I could remember. My mother, dissatisfied with my father’s plain workman’s life, determined that I would not grow up like him and his people. But never did she expect that, forty years later, such a successful journalist as me would go back to her husband’s people for true life and love.
【小题1】 Why did the boy start his job young?

Time is very important in our lives. It organizes our everyday moments. However, time never had any importance in my life until I received a watch from my father.
I received this gift on a cloudy day. I had to go to the airport at 9:00 a.m. to meet my uncle and take him to my father’s house. However, I was late because I was staying with my friends. Later on that day, around 11:00 a.m., I remembered my uncle, but I was very late for him. He had left the airport and taken a taxi to my father’s house.
I got to my father’s house at 2:00 p.m. and felt ashamed of myself at that moment. After I said “hello” to my angry father and tired uncle, my father asked me to sit next to him and gave me this watch. Then he said, “Essa, did you have fun with your friends today?”
“Yes, Dad, and I’m sorry about not meeting my uncle at the airport.”
“I hope today you learned something important, and this watch will be a reminder (提醒物) for you.” He told me to take this watch and use it as an organizer of my life.
I learned a very important lesson from my father: To respect time and never be late to do something. This watch is important to me, not because of its price, but because of the lesson that I learned from it.
49. The writer’s uncle came to visit them ______.
A. by car B. by air  C. by boat      D. by taxi
50. Why did Essa’s father get angry when Essa got to his house?
A. Essa often spent a lot of time with friends.
B. Essa cared little about other people.
C. Essa wasted too much time.  
D. Essa forgot an important thing.
51. Why did the father give Essa a watch?
A. To punish Essa.  B. To comfort Essa.
C. To teach Essa.           D. To praise Essa.
52. What did Essa think of the watch?
A. It was a priceless gift.       B. It was an useless gift.
C. It was a common gift.       D. It was a strange gift.

Part two: Cloze (20 items, 20 pts.)
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项
Yesterday I was fortunate enough to find one more person in our world who is kind and caring. It was about 11:00 p.m.   21   my telephone rang. The caller ID showed the number of a Best Western Hotel.   22  , I would ignore this type of call. For some reason,   23  , I went ahead and answered.
The man on the other end asked if I knew Samual K. I   24  , as he is my 91 – year – old grandfather. Still not   25   why I was the one that had been called, the caller went on to tell me that I was the only   26   listed in the phone book. He said his name was Mason and that he was the   27   at the Best Western Hotel. The   28   was that grandpa had no money with him, and that he couldn’t   29   any phone numbers, so Mason called all over the state trying to get help.
Grandpa told me that he just wanted me to tell Mason that he is a (n)   30   guy and would pay the money once he got home. But the man  in charge there was  31   because my grandfather seemed to be   32  . He had been going somewhere else when he got on the wrong bus and   33   100 miles from home.
Not wanting to turn him away and not wanting the police to   34   him to the police station, Mason,   35   any normal duty, not only took the time to   36   me, but also charged just $ 39 so that grandpa could   37   safely and comfortably overnight. (The rooms normally rent for about $ 140!) Besides, he had the staff of that hotel all   38   him until my uncle was able to drive the 100 miles to pick him up!
So, it’s just one more piece of   39   that proves that there are still good people out there; wherever you go, there is always one who   40  .
21．A．while       B．when C．after        D．before
22．A．Obviously B．Personally C．Actually   D．Generally
23．A．however   B．besides     C．otherwise  D．therefore
24．A．was   B．did    C．had   D．would
25．A．admitting  B．accepting  C．understanding   D．recognizing
26．A．neighbor   B．relative     C．colleague  D．friend
27．A．manager   B．waiter       C．leader       D．guest
28．A．disadvantage    B．question    C．problem    D．pity
29．A．write B．remember C．repeat       D．keep
30．A．easy – going    B．generous   C．forgettable       D．okay
31．A．concerned B．disappointed     C．convinced D．surprised
32．A．hurt  B．moved      C．annoyed    D．lost
33．A．went up    B．added up   C．ended up   D．sent up
34．A．take  B．bring C．invite       D．carry
35．A．except      B．against      C．beyond     D．from
36．A．contact     B．persuade   C．warn D．approach
37．A．leave B．live   C．adapt D．stay
38．A．look for    B．watch over       C．care about D．adjust to
39．A．news B．information      C．advice      D．evidence
40．A．minds       B．cares C．sees   D．matters

某网站上组织了一次讨论，其中David, Joe, Sophie, Michael与Bauer的观点颇具代表性。以下是他们各自的观点。阅读下面发表在该网站上的6段留言（A、B、C、D、E和F），选择与其观点一致的表述，并在答题纸上将该项标号涂黑。选项中有一项是多途选项。
【小题1】David believes people shouldn't smoke in public places as it harms others.
【小题2】Joe insists that smokers should put the cigarette ends where they should go．
【小题3】Sophie holds that this question should call for a further argument．
【小题4】Michael thinks cigarette taxes should be raised for free healthcare for nonsmokers．
【小题5】Bauer thinks that victims of second - hand smoking should leave smoking areas to avoid harm．
A
The stupid thing is, I often see people smoking and then they throw the cigarette ends away from them when they have finished, not even stopping them but it just seems like once they have finished, they don't want it near them, perhaps they ought to have to carry their own ash trays in their pockets．
B
In many places, there are no non - smoking bars or restaurants．Unless people refuse to go out with friends who smoke, they cannot avoid passive smoking．Society accepts that adults can decide to harm themselves．so long as they do not harm others．This is why the suggestion is not arguing that people should be banned from smoking in private．Passive smokers do choose to breathe in other people's smoke．If they do not want to smoke passively, they do not need to go to places where smoking is allowed．There is therefore no reason to prevent smoking in public．
C
I'm only for smoking because not only do nice people and many friends and family of mine smoke, but this debate needs someone to take the side of the smoker．Otherwise we're just picking on a set of people．The only comment so far for smoking has been that clever one about how they pay for it．Smoking has its good points, whether it is giving job opportunities to millions of people, or getting extra breaks at work．Anyway, I do have a lot to say against smoking too, but again, debate．
D
What I care about is whether people can get free healthcare．Some people deliberately take dangerous toxins into their bodies because they're "addicted" while there are other people like my uncle who died of lung cancer and he never smoked in his life．It makes you wonder why cigarettes are so cheap．Surely all the taxes from cigarettes ought to go to help people who don't smoke．Perhaps we ought to sort things out．
E
Completely against it．I work in a bar and 1 get so sick of coming home smelling like a bonfire． And if that isn't enough, I'm probably going to get lung cancer from those idiots that decide to excite themselves．However,! do understand that for some older smokers it is a habit because they may have been smoking long before they knew it was bad for them．I do think there's no excuse for my generation to do it though and if they want to die, then go to do it in your own home．
F
Phil and I had a good argument today in the pub．He made the comment, "If he wants to smoke and kill himself, he can!", about which I said "You want to get on your motorbike and risk death, fine", which are basically the same thing．He made the point that he's a good driver and it's not his fault if he gets hurt, but at the end of the day, his fault or not, he knows he could get killed, and he's still taking the risk of being on a bike．I think it's a sick thing to say, being honest! If people want to put something in their mouth and blow on it, they should be allowed without having things like that being said ! It's a free country!

Hobbs was an orphan(孤儿). He worked in a factory and every day he got a little money. Hard work changed him thin and weak. He wanted to borrow a lot of money to learn to paint pictures, but he did not think he could pay off the debts.One day the lawyer said to him, “One thousand dollars, and here is the money.” As Hobbs took the package of notes, he was very dumbfounded（目瞪口呆的）. He didn’t know where the money came from and how to spend it. He said to himself, “I could go to find a hotel and live like a rich man for a few days; or I give up my work in the factory and do what I’d like to do: painting pictures I could do that for a few weeks, but what would I do after that? I should have lost my place of the factory and have no money to live on. If it were a little less money, I would buy a new coat, or a radio, or give a dinner to my friends. If it were more, I could give up the work and pay for painting pictures. But it’s too much for one and too little for the other.”

“Here is the reading of your uncle’s will（遗嘱）,” said the lawyer, “telling what is to be done with this money after his death. I must ask you to remember one point. Your uncle has said you must bring me a paper showing exactly what you did with his money, as soon as you have spent it.”

“Yes, I see. I’ll do that.” said the young man.

1.He wanted to borrow money because he wanted to_____.

2.Hobbs was dumbfounded on receiving the money because he thought_____.

3.With the money he got, first Hobbs_____.

4.What Hobbs was asked to do was_____.

5.What Hobbs really loved to do was_____.