Michael Jackson has been on the road of performing since he was five years old. For anyone who wants to know,the road to fame and fortune is a long,hard way to travel.

　　Michael remembers those early years when he was young. “My father was a machine oporator. ”he explained, “and he worked at a steel plant. My mother worked as Sears,a big department store. But they were both musicians. ”

　　Mr. Jackson realized that his sons had a lot of talent,and he knew he could train them to become fine musicians. In those days there were plenty of music groups and some of them were very good. He knew if his sons were to stand out,they would have to be the best.

　　Ptactice makes perfect. And the Jackson boys practised!Gradually the group took shape. When the Jacksons took their first professional job,their total pay was only five dollars!They kept on working. They played at parties. They entered bigger contests(比赛). They worked at clubs. Then word of this group began to get around. All of a sudden,the Jackson Five became popular in the country；their first album(歌曲集)sold a million copies!Michael,11 years old then,was the star. It just didn’t seem possible that so much talent could come from such a young performer.

　　Then Michael got a chance to do some solo songs. For the following years Michael has always been on the top. One million records of his was sold in New Zealand,which has only a total population of three million!

　　When Michael was eighteen,he entered another field of his career：acting. “I plan to stair in movies. ”he told his friends, “but of course,my first love is music. ”

　　Michael wrote a lot of his own songs. “Songs came about in the strangest ways,”he said, “I’ll just wake up from sleeping and there is a whole song coming into my head. And then I put it down on the paper. ”Whatever he is doing,it works!

　　Still,with all his success,Michael manages to keep his head calm. “I just do a different job from other people,”he said, “but it doesn’t make me think I’m better than other people. ”

　　To be quite honest,his fans just love to hear and watch him !

　　1．Michael Jackson began performing with________.

　　A．his father

　　B．his mother

　　C．his parents

　　D．his brothers

　　2．Mr. Jackson knew only when his sons were the best musicians could they________.

　　A．make a lot of money

　　C．be famous

　　D．support themselves

　　3．Which of the following is not mentioned in this passage?

　　A．When the group began to go round the world.

　　B．The songs sung by this group were very popular.

　　C．The Jacksons shocked the country.

　　D．People could hardly believe that young Michael was so talented.

　　4．Michacl Jackson wants to be________.

　　A．a solo singer and musician rather than a film star and actor

　　B．not only a film star and actor but a solo singer and musician

　　C．a solo singer as well as a musician

　　D．a film star as well as an actor

　　5．Michael means that he does something different from others,________.

　　A．so he is different from others

　　B．so he is better than others

　　C．still he is no better than others

　　D．he is as well as others

A

　　Michael Jackson has been on the road of performing since he was five years old. For anyone who wants to know,the road to fame and fortune is a long,hard way to travel.

　　Michael remembers those early years when he was young. “My father was a machine oporator. ”he explained, “and he worked at a steel plant. My mother worked as Sears,a big department store. But they were both musicians. ”

　　Mr. Jackson realized that his sons had a lot of talent,and he knew he could train them to become fine musicians. In those days there were plenty of music groups and some of them were very good. He knew if his sons were to stand out,they would have to be the best.

　　Ptactice makes perfect. And the Jackson boys practised!Gradually the group took shape. When the Jacksons took their first professional job,their total pay was only five dollars!They kept on working. They played at parties. They entered bigger contests(比赛). They worked at clubs. Then word of this group began to get around. All of a sudden,the Jackson Five became popular in the country；their first album(歌曲集)sold a million copies!Michael,11 years old then,was the star. It just didn’t seem possible that so much talent could come from such a young performer.

　　Then Michael got a chance to do some solo songs. For the following years Michael has always been on the top. One million records of his was sold in New Zealand,which has only a total population of three million!

　　When Michael was eighteen,he entered another field of his career：acting. “I plan to stair in movies. ”he told his friends, “but of course,my first love is music. ”

　　Michael wrote a lot of his own songs. “Songs came about in the strangest ways,”he said, “I’ll just wake up from sleeping and there is a whole song coming into my head. And then I put it down on the paper. ”Whatever he is doing,it works!

　　Still,with all his success,Michael manages to keep his head calm. “I just do a different job from other people,”he said, “but it doesn’t make me think I’m better than other people. ”

　　To be quite honest,his fans just love to hear and watch him !

　　1．Michael Jackson began performing with________.

　　A．his father

　　B．his mother

　　C．his parents

　　D．his brothers

　　2．Mr. Jackson knew only when his sons were the best musicians could they________.

　　A．make a lot of money

　　B．go out of their hometown

　　C．be famous

　　D．support themselves

　　3．Which of the following is not mentioned in this passage?

　　A．When the group began to go round the world.

　　B．The songs sung by this group were very popular.

　　C．The Jacksons shocked the country.

　　D．People could hardly believe that young Michael was so talented.

　　4．Michacl Jackson wants to be________.

　　A．a solo singer and musician rather than a film star and actor

　　B．not only a film star and actor but a solo singer and musician

　　C．a solo singer as well as a musician

　　D．a film star as well as an actor

　　5．Michael means that he does something different from others,________.

　　A．so he is different from others

　　B．so he is better than others

　　C．still he is no better than others

　　D．he is as well as others

Thanks a Million, Dad
I was born disabled.A difficult birth, feet first, my head stuck.By my first birthday, I couldn't stand or walk.
When I was three, the doctor told dad I had cerebral palsy （脑瘫）.A loss of oxygen to my brain had destroyed brain signals to the right side of my body.
But no son of my dad' s was going to be disabled.Every morning before breakfast and every evening before bed, my dad placed me on the bedroom floor to exercise my right leg.The muscles were shrunk and twisted together.Back and forth up and down, my dad pushed and pulled the muscles into shape.
But my dad' s exercise of passion didn't stop there.For my 13th birthday, he threw me a special party.When everybody was gone, he brought me to open a large box, it was a-set of boxing gloves.We put them on.My dad kept on beating me mercilessly.Each time I tried to get up, leather kissed my nose, eyes and jaw.I "begged him to stop. He said he beat me to get me ready for the tough world.
That same year, I was the only kid in my neighborhood that wasn't picked for Little League. Two weeks later.Dad started the Shedd Park Minor League, and every kid played.Dad coached us and made me a pitcher （棒球投手）.
The power of my dad' s love guaranteed I walked and more.In high school, I became a football star.
In 1997, a brain surgeon in San Jose told me I didn’t t have cerebral palsy after all.He explained how and where the doctor' s forceps （镊子） at birth had damaged my brain.
My dad never knew the whole truth since he passed away years ago.But all that counts is the bottom line.After all his madness, on this Father' s Day, like every Father' s Day, I' m no longer disabled.

1. 1.

   What caused the author' s disability?

   1. A.
      A failed operation.
   2. B.
      The doctor's forceps.
   3. C.
      An accident in a game.
   4. D.
      Shrunken and twisted muscles.
2. 2.

   What do we learn from the passage?

   1. A.
      The author has a talent for boxing.
   2. B.
      The author achieved a lot thanks to his father' s love.
   3. C.
      The author became a baseball star with the help of his father.
   4. D.
      The author doesn't think his father should be so strict with him.
3. 3.

   Paragraph 3 suggests that the author' s father____.

   1. A.
      wouldn't give up hope easily
   2. B.
      believed his son was a normal child
   3. C.
      blamed the doctors for his son' s disability
   4. D.
      couldn't accept the truth that his son was disabled
4. 4.

   The author wrote the passage to ____.

   1. A.
      remember his father
   2. B.
      encourage disabled children
   3. C.
      show the difficulty the disabled face
   4. D.
      give advice to the parents of disabled children

Thanks a Million, Dad
I was born disabled．A difficult birth, feet first, my head stuck．By my first birthday, I couldn't stand or walk．
When I was three, the doctor told dad I had cerebral palsy （脑瘫）．A loss of oxygen to my brain had destroyed brain signals to the right side of my body．
But no son of my dad' s was going to be disabled．Every morning before breakfast and every evening before bed, my dad placed me on the bedroom floor to exercise my right leg．The muscles were shrunk and twisted together．Back and forth up and down, my dad pushed and pulled the muscles into shape．
But my dad' s exercise of passion didn't stop there．For my 13th birthday, he threw me a special party．When everybody was gone, he brought me to open a large box, it was a-set of boxing gloves．We put them on．My dad kept on beating me mercilessly．Each time I tried to get up, leather kissed my nose, eyes and jaw．I "begged him to stop. He said he beat me to get me ready for the tough world.
That same year, I was the only kid in my neighborhood that wasn't picked for Little League. Two weeks later．Dad started the Shedd Park Minor League, and every kid played．Dad coached us and made me a pitcher （棒球投手）．
The power of my dad' s love guaranteed I walked and more．In high school, I became a football star．
In 1997, a brain surgeon in San Jose told me I didn’t t have cerebral palsy after all．He explained how and where the doctor' s forceps （镊子） at birth had damaged my brain.
My dad never knew the whole truth since he passed away years ago．But all that counts is the bottom line．After all his madness, on this Father' s Day, like every Father' s Day, I' m no longer disabled．
【小题1】What caused the author' s disability?

I told my friend Graham that I often cycle two miles from my house to the town centre but unfortunately there is a big hill on the route. He replied, “You mean fortunately.” He explained that I should be glad of the extra exercise that the hill provided.
My attitude to the hill has now changed. I used to grumble as I approached it but now I tell myself the following. This hill will exercise my heart and lungs. It will help me to lose weight and get fit. It will mean that I live longer. This hill is my friend. Finally I comfort myself with the thought of all those silly people who pay money to go to a gym and sit on stationery exercise bicycles when I can get the same value for free. I have a smile of satisfaction as I reach the top of the hill.
Problems are there to be faced and overcome. We cannot achieve anything with an easy life. Helen Keller was the first deaf and blind person to gain a university degree. Her activism and writing proved inspirational. She wrote, “Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experiences of trial and suffering can vision be cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved.”
One of the key factors of success in life is our attitude towards adversity (逆境). From time to time we all face hardships, problems, accidents, afflictions and difficulties. Some are of our making but many confront us through no fault of our own. While we cannot choose the adversity we can choose our attitude towards it.
Douglas Bader was 21 when in 1931 he had both legs cut off following a flying accident. He was determined to fly again and went on to become one of the leading flying aces in the Battle of Britain with 22 aerial victories over the Germans. He was an inspiration to others during the war. He said, “Don’t listen to anyone who tells you that you can’t do this or that. That’s nonsense. Make up your mind, and you’ll never use crutches (拐杖) or a stick, and then have a go at evening. Go to school, and join in all the games you can. Go anywhere you want to. But never, never let them persuade you that things are too difficult or impossible.”
The biographies of great people are full of examples of how they took steps to overcome the difficulties they faced. The common thread is that they did not become depressed. They chose their attitude. They chose to be positive. They took on the challenge. They won.
Nevertheless, there is still the problem of how you change your attitude towards adversity.
【小题1】The underlined word “grumble” in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to ________.