There are two kinds of people in the world. Those of the first kind are born idlers (游手好闲者), taking interest in nothing. It seems what they live for is to pass time idly. They simply don’t know why they have to do so, nor will they bother to ask. The other kind are those who take things seriously and never wish to idle away their life. But only a part of the second group are eager enough to make success. All the others fail to make enough effort to make their dreams come true. 
Why do things so happen to them? What are the reasons?
I later find out that some people are determined. They are “igniters” that catch fire of their own, giving light and heat. But that’s not the case with others. They may be fuels but not igniters. As pieces of wood or coal, they need a match or a lighter to make them burn so that their energy can be released to give off light and heat.
The majority of people need some igniter to light them. Thus igniter becomes a must for those people to succeed. Unless a suitable igniter comes their way, they will always remain idle like cold unused firewood or coal.
Fortunately, such an igniter is not difficult to meet. One may find it in an instructive book, a film story, a few words of a close friend, some advice of a good teacher, a pleasant journey, or an unexpected love.
Any of these, coming at the right time, can serve as an igniter to start one’s enthusiasm for learning or for a better career, to turn him from a passive state of waiting to an active state of pursuing, to lend him strength to go ahead bravely. In that case, what he has prepared for years will be quickly turned into fruitful reality.
Such an igniter may turn up of itself, but most likely we have to find it ourselves. Never let a chance slide away, for it is the key to your success.
【小题1】 According to the text, “________” are the persons that can light many people so that their energy can be released to give off light and heat.

In the United States and several other countries, 2.5 million children play baseball in an organization called Little League. They play on teams in their hometowns. Their parents and other adults in the community coach or instruct them and serve as umpires to make sure that everyone follows the rules. Local businesses give money for the ball fields and the uniforms. Local teams compete against each other and the winners get to play teams that are more distant. Eventually, the top teams go to the Little League World Series.

One hundred years after Abner Doubleday invented baseball in Cooperstown, New York, in 1839, Little League got started in Pennsylvania. Three men started the game for neighborhood boys with a smaller playing field and fewer innings than adult baseball. Little League became popular after World War II when the game spread across the United States. By 1955 it was played throughout North America and within five years it had spread to Europe. Children’s baseball really caught on in Japan and Taiwan of China and teams from those areas won the World Series seven out of eight years. After this, the organization tried banning foreign teams from the World Series, but the ban came to an end after one year.

At first, Little League was only for boys aged nine to twelve. However, in 1974, the parents of girl baseball players brought a law suit. The courts ruled that Little League had to include both boys and girls. Later Little League added on softball and other games for teenagers up to age eighteen. Occasionally a Little Leaguer becomes a professional player. For example, Gary Carter went from Little League to play nineteen seasons in the Major Leagues, ten of them as an All-Star player. But, by and large, youngsters play baseball for fun and because their parents are proud of them.

1.The mothers and fathers of Little League players ______.

A. help run the games          B. travel in coaches

C. give the teams money        D. play in the World Series

2.In what year was Little League established?

A. 1839      B. 1939      C. 1955    D. 1960 

3.Why do most players take part in Little League?

A. To play in the Major League.

B. To have fun and please their parents.

C. They expect a profit from All-Star games

D. They want to learn how to serve as umpires.

4.What is true about players today?

A. Little League is only for neighbourhood boys.

B. Girl players have to buy their suits.

C. Girls and boys can participate to age eighteen.

D. Children can only play until age twelve.

根据短文内容，从短文的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项，选项中有两项为多余选项。
Every boy and every girl expects their parents to give them pocket money． Why do their parents just give them a certain amount?    1  
The amount of money that parents give to their children to spend as they wish differs from family to family．   2  Some children get weekly pocket money． Others get monthly pocket money．
First of all, children are expected to make a choice between spending and saving． Then parents should make the children understand what is expected to pay for with the money． At first, some young children may spend all of the money soon after they receive it． Parents are usually advised not to offer more money until it is the right time．  3  
In order to encourage their children to do some housework, some parents give pocket money if the children help around the home． Some experts think it not wise to pay the children for doing that．   4  
Pocket money can give children a chance to experience three things they can do with the money． They can spend it by giving it to a good excuse． They can spend it by buying things they want．   5  Saving helps children understand that costly goals require sacrifice（牺牲）． Saving can also open the door to future saving and investing（投资）for children．

Most recently, it's very common in students who need a parent present for job interviews. Naturally, it's easy to blame the students in these situations, but the bigger problem is us. We—as parents—are so eager to shelter our kids that we fail to realize that this in itself is harming them. As the mother of two young sons, I have to remind myself constantly that the biggest responsibility I have as a parent is to help them develop the skills needed to live in, to live without me. So, I'll let them fail．
I'll let them fail because as long as they are safe and warm inside their comfort zones, they will never grow. And failure along with loss, heartbreak, disappointment, etc.—will be part of growth for them. Call me the anti-tiger mom, but leaving them alone is, my way of helping them become equipped to fit in this world as we know it today. From terrorism and seemingly endless natural disasters, to our national debt and beyond, if we expect the next generation to stand up to the very real problems of our time, we need to stop feeding them and start teaching them how to fish.
My children now are becoming little masters of compromise, but they try to negotiate everything now. It's a small price to help them learn a skill they'll use for the rest of their lives, including when I don't accompany them on job interviews.
【小题1】Why do parents accompany their kids on job interviews?

 As an English teacher, I’ve been lucky enough to travel to many countries all over the world. I’ve seen people celebrate everything from the arrival of new babies to the delivery of new cars. I’ve attended weddings, parties and religious celebrations in countries such as Argentina and Japan, and I’ve noticed that gold---the metal or the colour of it---is always part of cultural events, traditions and celebrations.

It makes me wonder: Why do people love gold?

For some people, gold seems to be a status(地位)symbol. Indian businessman Datta Phuge loves gold so much that he even bought a shirt made of gold at a cost of $250,000. I’m not sure I’d spend so much money on a shirt, would you? But Datta Phuge has his reason .He explains,“ Some people want to own an Audi or a Mercedes. I choose gold.”

For other people, gold is an investment(投资). The price of gold generally increases over time and in European markets, it reached even $1,500 per ounce in 2011.

And for many people, a family heirloom（传家宝）brings together status and investment. My mother has a gold bracelet（手镯）that was given to her by her grandmother who, in turn, inherited it from her own grandmother. It’s quite a heavy piece and probably worth quite a lot of money. But its mental value is greater than its value in dollars. It’s a beautiful object that holds many family memories. When the time comes, my mum will give the bracelet to me, and one day, I’ll pass it on to the younger generation.

Therefore, status and investment are good reasons to value gold. However, I think that the real reason why people love gold is that it can be made into beautiful objects. Think about Tutankhamen’s death mask. Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?

People love gold because it holds their minds, their imaginations and, above all, their hearts.

1.The main idea of the first paragraph is that______.

A. the author has traveled to many countries  

B. people celebrate almost everything

C. there are many ways to use gold               

D. people all over the world love gold

2.Datta Phuge bought a shirt made of gold because________.

A. gold is a status symbol to him           B. he loves this kind of shirt

C. people there love gold so much      D. he is a successful businessman

3.According to the passage, in Europe,gold could be________per ounce in 2010.

A. $1,550            B. $1,500         C. $1,450            D. $1,600

4.The gold bracelet is the heirloom for the author’s family mainly because______.

A. it’s worth a lot of money                B. it brings status and investment

C. it’s a beautiful object                    D. it holds family memories

5.In the author’s opinion, the real reason why people love gold is that________.

A. it is a status symbol to some people         

B. it can be made into beautiful objects

C. it can be passed on to the younger generation

D. it can bring people a lot of money