I’m trying to be a writer, but I can’t even start. What should I do?
Abraham, Nebraska
There are many ways to come up with ideas, one of which is to write down a list of your experiences, as well as things from your imagination. When you want to write, look in the notebook for ideas.
Books for writers often have good suggestions, too. One we like is Spilling Ink: A Yong Writer’s Handbook by Anne Mazer and Ellen Potter. Perhaps your library has it.
My classmates keep asking about a new movie I’ve seen. But I don’t want to spoil it for them. What should I do?
Corinne (by e-mail)
You could ask your classmates whether they are sure they want to know and if they insist, go ahead and tell them. You may be able to give them a general idea of the movie without revealing details of the ending.
I’m going to a soccer camp for youth, but I’m not sure if I’m good at soccer or if I’ll make friends.
Louise, New Hampshire
Soccer camp is for people who share an interest in the sport. No matter what a person’s ability is at the beginning, it’s likely that everyone will leave camp with improved skills.
Sharing a common interest may make conversations easier. Smile, be friendly, and have a sense of humor. Before long, you may find that you’ve made some good friends.
Someone invited me to a birthday party. When I got there, kids were doing stuff I’m not interested in, like watching scary movies. I told them my mom would pick me up, so I just left. Was I rude for doing that?
Sam (by e-mail)
You just did the right thing and that isn’t being rude.
We hope you’ll talk with your parents about this. They’re probably proud of what you did. They may have other suggestions for you, too. Talk about different situations that might come up and what would be the best way to handle (处理) them.
【小题1】Who is interested in Spilling Ink: A Yong Writer’s Handbook?

There are many ways to find a job. It can be as easy as walking into a neighborhood store to look at its announcement board. Local stores often have areas where people can put small signs telling what kind of service they need or can provide. Such services include caring for children or cleaning houses.
Or, job searchers can look in the newspaper. Local newspapers have employment announcements placed by companies seeking workers.
Another popular tool for finding jobs is the Internet. For example, people in four hundred and fifty cities around the world can use the Craigslist Web site to buy objects, meet people or find a job. Craigslist says that it receives two million new job listings each month.
Another useful way to find a job is through a college or university. For example, students at the University of Texas in Austin can go to the Career Exploration Center to get help in finding a job. Of course, looking for a job requires knowing what kind of work you want to do. For example, there is a book called “What Color is Your Parachute (降落伞)?” by Richard Bolles. This book has been helping people choose a career (职业) since it was first published in nineteen seventy.
Some experts also help people find jobs. Susan W. Miller owns a company called California Career Services in Los Angeles. She says her company helps people find jobs by first helping them understand their strengths, goals and interests. Then she provides them with methods and resources to help them find the right job.
【小题1】What is the passage mainly about?

When we learn English, we always find we have difficulties in remembering the names of the months. Therefore, if we know something about the history of the months, possible it won’t be very hard for us to remember them. The followed is one example. January was named by God Janus. He was a strange god because he has two faces. He could look in the two directions. He could look forward or backward at the same time. He was the god of endings and beginnings. January is the month that one looks forward to the New Year and thinks about the past year.

Now can you share us the stories about the rest of the months?

For hundreds of years, Japan has been hit, from time to time, by tsunamis（海啸）, which are caused by earthquakes or underwater volcanoes. The story of the boy Yuuki is the story of such a disaster.
Yuuki lived with his family in a seaside village, below a small mountain. One day, as he played on top of the mountain, Yuuki felt a small earthquake but it was not strong enough to frighten anybody. Soon after, however, Yuuki noticed the sea darken and begin running away from the shore very fast, leaving behind wide areas of beach that had never been seen before.
Yuuki remembered reading that just before a terrible tsunami, the sea suddenly and quickly rolls backward. He ran to the beach, warning the villagers who had gathered to admire the new beach land.
But no one listened. They laughed at him and continued playing in the new sand.
Desperate, Yuuki could think of only one thing to do. He lit a tree branch, raced to the rice fields and began burning the harvested rice. Then he called out, “Fire! Fire! Everyone run to the mountain! Now!”
When everyone reached the mountain top, a villager cried out, “Yuuki is mad! I saw him set the fire.” Yuuki hung his head in shame, but said nothing as the villagers screamed at him.
Just then, someone shouted, “Look!”
In the distance a huge dark wave of water was speeding towards the shore. When it hit the shore, it destroyed everything.
On the mountain everyone stared at the village ruins in terror.
“I'm sorry I burned the fields,” said Yuuki, his voice trembling.
“Yuuki,” the village chief answered. “You saved us all.”
The villagers cheered and raised Yuuki into the air. “We were going to celebrate our rice harvest tonight,” said one, “but now we’ll celebrate that we’re all still alive!”
【小题1】 Where was Yuuki when the earthquake struck?

My father never wanted his children to know what he did for a living．Dad worked in Plant C．Lying beside lake Erie, it saw him in at sunrise and out at nightfall．Sometimes my mother would take my siblings （兄弟姐妹） and me to the public beach in our hometown of Ashtabula． she'd gather us round and point to the smokestacks, coughing clouds into the sky．

"Wave to daddy!" she'd shout. Four little hands would shoot into the air．I never knew what Dad did in Plant C, but during 34 years of hard work, he had surgery （手术） on his shoulder and hand．At 48, he had his first heart attack．He retired in 1993, right after the last kid graduated from college．But the damage was done．A few years later, the next heart attack killed him．

I saw my dad in Plant C only once, when I took dinner to him．That night, I looked at my father, covered in sweat and coal, and for the first time I knew why he was so often angry for no reason．

Recently my father' s friend, Toby Workman, walked me there．I knew my father never wanted me to see it．At every station, he described the job and the danger．It was like listening to a foreign language．I walked past many DANGER signs．Toby put his hand on my shoulder．"look," he said, "you need to understand something．Your dad was a maintenance mechanic．He worked the most dangerous job．If something broke, he fixed it．"

A few days later, my daughter graduated from college．I gave her the hard hat Toby handed to me as I left, and this notes: " Whenever you feel something difficult, put this on, look in the mirror, and remember your roots．"

1.How many siblings does the author most probably have? ____．

A．Three siblings   B．Two siblings                  C．One sibling      D: Four siblings

2.Which of the following is TRUE of the facts about the author's father? ____

A．He didn't suffer a heart attack until he retired．

B．He worked in Plant C for 48 years in all．

C．He was hardly angry in his daily life．

D．He did physical work in Plant C.

3.When Toby Workman described the author' s father' s job, the author ____．

A．felt familiar with the job                  B．didn’t quite understand

C．wanted to learn a foreign language          D．decided to do the same work

4.The author gave her daughter the hat, hoping that her daughter could ____．

A．remember her grandfather                B．overcome all difficulties by wearing it

C．get encouraged by her grandfather          D．follow her grandfather' s work