Mothers and daughters go through so much—yet when was the last time a mother and daughter sat down to write a book together about it all? Perri Klass and her mother, Sheila Solomon Klass, both gifted professional writers, prove to be ideal co-writers as they examine their decades of motherhood, daughterhood, and the wonderful ways their lives have overlapped (重叠).

　　Perri notes with amazement how closely her own life has mirrored her mother’s: both have full-time careers; both have published books, articles, and stories; each has three children; they both love to read. They also love to travel—in fact, they often take trips together. But in truth, the harder they look at their lives, the more they acknowledge their big differences in circumstance and basic nature.

　　A child of the Depression (大萧条), Sheila was raised in Brooklyn by parents who considered education a luxury for girls. Starting with her college education, she has fought for everything she’s ever accomplished. Perri, on the other hand, grew up privileged in the New Jersey suburbs of the 1960s and 1970s. For Sheila, wasting time or money is a crime, and luxury is unthinkable while Perri enjoys the occasional small luxury, but has not been successful at trying to persuade her mother into enjoying even the tiniest thing she likes.

　　Each writing in her own unmistakable voice, Perri and Sheila take turns exploring the joys and pains, the love and bitterness, the minor troubles and lasting respect that have always bonded them together. Sheila describes the adventure of giving birth to Perri in a tiny town in Trinidad where her husband was doing research fieldwork. Perri admits that she can’t sort out all the mess in the households, even though she knows it drives her mother crazy. Together they compare thoughts on bringing up children and working, admit long-hidden sorrows, and enjoy precious memories.

　　Looking deep into the lives they have lived separately and together, Perri and Sheila tell their mother-daughter story with honesty, humor, enthusiasm, and admiration for each other. A written account in two voices, Every Mother Is a Daughter is a duet (二重奏) that produces a deep, strong sound with the experiences that all mothers and daughters will recognize.

　　55. Why does Perri think that her own life has mirrored her mother’s?

　　A. They both have gone through difficult times.

　　B. They have strong emotional ties with each other.

　　C. They have the same joys and pains, and love and bitterness.

　　D. They both have experiences as daughter, mother and writer.

　　56. The word “luxury” in Paragraph 3 means ______.

　　A. something rare but not pleasant

　　B. something that cannot be imagined

　　C. something expensive but not necessary

　　D. something that can only be enjoyed by boys

　　57. What is Paragraph 4 mainly about?

　　A. The content of the book.

　　B. The purpose of the book.

　　C. The influence of the book.

　　D. The writing style of the book.

　　58. How are women’s lives explored in this book?

　　A. In a musical form.

　　B. Through field research.

　　C. With unique writing skills.

　　D. From different points of view.

We all have weaknesses and strengths, no matter who we are. Sometimes the weaknesses seem to outweigh the strengths and sometimes it’s the other way around. Some people get sick easily. Some struggle to manage their money properly. Some people are hopeless communicators and struggle with relationships.
Many people accept it as just bad luck, but not everyone. Some people facing huge limitations still manage to achieve surprising things. They rise above their weaknesses and do not allow them to limit their possibilities.
I attended a school prize-giving ceremony not so long ago and the guest speaker was Andrew Becroft, who had a severe stutter(口吃) as a child. Instead of allowing this to limit him, he chose to work hard to overcome it. He is now the Principal Youth Court Judge for New Zealand. Not only did he become successful, but he did so in a profession where he had to speak in front of others regularly.
Lots of people face far more significant limitaions than you do. They may be missing limbs or are born into extreme poverty. But no matter what the limitation you will always find people who have overcome it. Brett Eastburn has no arms or legs and yet is an inspirational speaker and also a very good wrestler. Ringo Starr, drummer for the Beatles, came from a very poor background. He was constantly plagued with illness as a child and spent large amounts of time in hospital. Mark Inglis lost both of
his legs below the knees in a mountaineering accident, but has since climbed Mt Everest.
Most of us will never have to face the challenges these people faced. Yet most of us will never achieve to the degree that these people have either, unless we choose to. If Mark Inglis can climb the highest mountain in the world without legs, _________ ?
【小题1】What is the main idea of Paragraph 1? (Within 8 words.)
_______________________________________________________
【小题2】Which sentence in the text is the cloest in meaning to the following one?
All of the people don’t think it unlucky to have weaknesses, although many may think so.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
【小题3】List three people who rose above their weaknesses according to the text. (Within 8 words.)
①_________________　　②______________　　③________________
【小题4】Fill in the blank in the last paragraph with proper words. (Within 6 words.)
_________________________________________________________________
【小题5】Translate the underlined sentence in Paragraph 4 into Chinese.
_________________________________________________________________

Hobbs was an orphan (孤儿）. He worked in a factory and every day he got a little money. Hard work made 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 a lawyer said to him, “One thousand dollars, and here is the money. ” As Hobbs took the package of notes, he was very dumbfounded. 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 in 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. Hobbs wanted to borrow money to ________.

A. study abroad 　 B. work abroad

C. pay off the debts　 D. learn to paint pictures

2. What does the underlined word “dumbfounded” (in Paragraph 2） probably mean?

A. Surprised.　　 B. Frightened.

C. Satisfied. 　　 D. Excited.

3. With the money he got, at first Hobbs _______.

A. planned to have a happy life for a few days

B. decided to give up his work in the factory

C. was to give a dinner to his friends

D. had no idea what to do

4. Hobbs was asked to _________.

A. tell the lawyer what he did with the money after spending it

B. read his uncle’s will

C. tell the lawyer what was to be done with the money

D. buy some pictures

　　Some years ago, writing in my diary used to be a usual activity. I would return from school and spend the expected half hour recording the day’s events, feelings, and impressions in my little blue diary. I did not really need to express my emotions by way of words, but I gained a certain satisfaction from seeing my experiences forever recorded on paper. After all, isn’t accumulating memories a way of preserving the past?

　　When I was thirteen years old, I went on a long journey on foot in a great valley, well-equipped with pens, a diary, and a camera. During the trip, I was busy recording every incident, name and place I came across. I felt proud to be spending my time productively, dutifully preserving for future generations a detailed description of my travels. On my last night there, I wandered out of my tent, diary in hand. The sky was clear and lit by the glare of the moon, and the walls of the valley looked threatening behind their screen of shadows. I automatically took out my pen….

　　At that point, I understood that nothing I wrote could ever match or replace the few seconds I allowed myself to experience the dramatic beauty of the valley. All I remembered of the previous few days were the dull characterizations I had set down in my diary.

　　Now, I only write in my diary when I need to write down a special thought or feeling. I still love to record ideas and quotations that strike me in books, or observations that are particularly meaningful. I take pictures, but not very often—only of objects I find really beautiful. I’m no longer blindly satisfied with having something to remember when I grow old. I realize that life will simply pass me by if I stay behind the camera, busy preserving the present so as to live it in the future.

　　I don’t want to wake up one day and have nothing but a pile of pictures and notes. Maybe I won’t have as many exact representations of people and places; maybe I’ll forget certain facts, but at least the experiences will always remain inside me. I don’t live to make memories—I just live, and the memories form themselves.

　　51. Before the age of thirteen, the author regarded keeping a diary as a way of ______.

　　A. observing her school routine

　　B. expressing her satisfaction

　　C. impressing her classmates

　　D. preserving her history

　　52. What caused a change in the author’s understanding of keeping a diary?

　　A. A dull night on the journey.

　　B. The beauty of the great valley.

　　C. A striking quotation from a book.

　　D. Her concerns for future generations.

　　53. What does the author put in her diary now?

　　A. Notes and beautiful pictures.

　　B. Special thoughts and feelings.

　　C. Detailed accounts of daily activities.

　　D. Descriptions of unforgettable events.

　　54. The author comes to realize that to live a meaningful life is ______.

　　A. to experience it

　　B. to live the present in the future

　　C. to make memories

　　D. to give accurate representations of it

完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，共30分）
阅读下面短文，从短文后所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出可以填入空白出的最佳选项。
?After 42-year-old guy Tom had quitted his job, he began to make up his mind to become a freelance (self-employed) writer, no one could tell for sure whether he would succeed or not．He found a cold storage room in a building, set up a(n)  21  typewriter and settled down to work．
After a year or so, however, Tom began to  22  himself．He found it was difficult to earn his living by  23  what he wrote．But Tom determined to put his dream to the test —  24  it meant living with uncertainty and fear of  25 ．This is the shadowland of hope, and  26  with a dream must learn to live there．
One day Tom got a call, “We need a(n)  27 , and we’re paying $6,000 a year．” $6,000 was  28  money in 1960．It would enable Tom to get a nice apartment, a used car and more． 29 , he could write on the side． 30  the dollars were dancing in Tom’s head, something  31  his senses．He had dreamed of being a  32  — full time．“Thanks, but no,” Tom said  33 ．“I’m going to stick it out and write．”
After Tom got off the phone, he  34  everything he had: two cans of vegetables and 18 cents．Tom put the cans and cents into a  35  bag, saying to himself, “There’s everything you’ve made of yourself so far．”
　　Finally his work was  36  in 1970．Instantly he had the kind of fame and success that  37  writers ever experience．The shadows had turned into limelight．
　　Then one day, Tom  38  a box filled with things he had owned years before． 39  was a paper bag with two cans and 18 cents．Suddenly he  40 himself working in that cold storage room．It reminds Tom, and anyone with a dream, of the courage and persistence it takes to stay the course in the shadowland．