A jobless man applied for the position of “office boy” at Microsoft. The HR manager interviewed him and then watched him cleaning the floor as a test.
“You are employed,” he said. “Give me your e-mail address and I’ll send you the application to fill in, as well as date when you may start. ”
The man replied, “But I don’t have a computer, neither an e-mail. ”
“I’m sorry,” said the HR manager. “If you don’t have an e-mail, that means you do not exist. And who doesn’t exist cannot have the job. ”
The man left with no hope at all. He didn’t know what to do, with only ten dollars in his pocket. He then decided to go to the supermarket and buy 10kg tomatoes. He then sold the tomatoes from door to door. In less than two hours, he succeeded to double his capital. He repeated the operation three times, and returned home happily with 60 dollars.
The man realized that he can survive in this way, and started to go every day earlier, and return late. Thus, his money doubled or tripled every day. Shortly, he bought a cart, then a truck, and then he had his own fleet of delivery vehicles. Five years later, the man is one of the biggest food retailers in the US.
He started to plan his family’s future and decided to have a life insurance. He called an insurance broker and chose a protection plan.
When the conversation was concluded the broker asked him his e-mail. The man replied, “I don’t have an e-mail. ”
The broker answered curiously, “You don’t have an e-mail, and yet have succeeded to build an empire. Can you imagine what you could have been if you had an e-mail?” The man thought for a while and replied, “Yes, I’d be an office boy at Microsoft!”
【小题1】Why can’t the man have the job at Microsoft?

Although he had______ many severe tests during his lifetime, he succeeded at last.

A. passed through    B. gone through    C. got along     D. got through

Dr. Glenn Tisman, a cancer specialist, knew his young neighbor, Ray Bateman, had an unusual mind. But he had no idea at the time that 12 - year – old Ray had the ability to become his partner in cancer research.

Ray’s parents remembered that at age four, Ray surprised them by fixing a broken vacuum cleaner（吸尘器）. When he was ten, he speedily constructed the family color television from a kit. Later, he succeeded in assembling（组装） a complex stereo system after two experts had failed to do the job.

When Ray was ten, he convinced his parents to buy him a computer. In a short time, Ray was able to do amazing things with the computer. Ray shared his enthusiasm for computers with Dr. Tisman, who used a computer for his research. The two discussed computers and medicine frequently. Amazingly, Ray understood the biology and chemistry related to Dr. Tisman’s medical research without any previous instruction.

Ray then worked with Dr. Tisman after school. He helped conduct research with the equipment and kept it in working order. The purpose of the research was to test the effectiveness of mixing an old cancer drug with certain vitamins. Ray analyzed patient test results by computer, while Dr. Tisman handled all patient contact. Together, they came up with solid research that helped advance cancer treatment.

In 1988, 14 - year - old Ray went with Dr. Tisman to a meeting of the American Federation for Clinical Research（AFCR）, where Ray presented their initial research findings. Using terminology（术语） beyond the grasp of most kids his age, Ray told the scientists how the new drug mixture caused fewer and milder side effects for cancer patients.

A year later, Ray returned to the meeting to update the findings of his and Dr. Tisman’s research. By then, he had become well - known for his devotion to finding cures for sick patients. Stories about him appeared in hundred of newspapers around the world. He appeared on television newscasts and talk shows.

Ray continued to spend most free hours working with Dr. Tisman. The two began studying the effects of vitamins on babies inside the womb（子宫）. However, Ray’s main interest remained cancer treatment, and he continues his research today.

1.According to the passage, Ray______.

A. is a boy of many gifts

B. is very helpful to his parents

C. learned fast under Dr. Tisman’s instruction

D. stopped working with Dr. Tisman after his success

2.What do we know about Dr. Tisman?

A. He succeeded in finding cures for cancer.

B. He made a new discovery in cancer treatment.

C. He convinced Ray to become a partner of him.

D. He taught Ray knowledge related to his research.

3.What made Ray first known to the medical world?

A. His presentation at AFCR.

B. His great skills in computer.

C. His devotion to cancer research.

D. His appearance on television newscasts.

4.Dr. Tisman’s research is aimed at ______.

A. providing different cancer treatments

B. proving the effects of vitamins on babies

C. finding the side effects of a cancer drug

D. testing the effectiveness of a new drug mixture

Jack Baines is a self-made millionaire, but his beginnings were very lowly. He was the youngest of eight children. His father had a  16  in a cotton mill (纱厂), but he was often  17  to work because of poor health. The family couldn’t  18  to pay the rent or bills, and the children often went  19 . After leaving school at the age of 14, Jack was  20  what to do when Mr Walker, his old teacher, offered to lend him ￡100 to start his own 21 .
　　It was just after the war. Raw materials were not enough, and Jack saw a  22 in scrap metal(废弃金属). He bought bits of metal and stored it in an old garage. When he had built up a large amount, he sold it and  23  plenty of money.
　　Jack  24  working hard. After one year he succeeded in  25  the ￡100.
　　By the time Jack was 30 years old he had  26  his first million, and he wanted to  27  this achievement by doing something “ 28 ”. With all his money it was  29  to build a beautiful home for himself and his parents. In 1959, “Baines Castle” was built in the  30  of the Lancashire countryside. It was one of the finest buildings in the country.
　  Jack has recently sold “Baines Castle” for ￡500 million,  31  Jack still can’t get used to  32  the good life. He can  33  be found drinking with the locals at the local pub（酒吧）.
“I remember being very  34  as a child, but never  35  as a child,” says Jack, “and I will never forget where I came from and who I am.”

第二部分：阅读理解：（共15小题，每小题2分，满分30分）
阅读下面的短文，然后从A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
My father came to the United States as a Ukrainian immigrant （移民）when he was 14 years old. Unable to speak English but willing to do anything to succeed, he learned the language, and became a barber. He put his two daughters, my sister and me, through college during a time when most people thought that women didn’t need an education and that they should be satisfied by getting married and having children.
I was preparing to get married and my father was trying to practice the polka, a must at any Ukrainian wedding. But he couldn’t do it! He had lost the mobility（活动能力）in his leg and suffered a brain tumor（瘤）. He was forced to retire as a result of paralysis（瘫痪）of his right arm and leg. Dad had always worked two jobs and spent his spare time working around the house. Now his life came to a sudden stop. Yet never once did he complain. He bought rubber balls and spent his days trying to regain his hand mobility by squeezing those balls over and over.
After his second brain operation, he chatted pleasantly in the hospital room until a nurse flew into the room, waving her finger at me, and yelling, “You’d better tell your father to stay in bed. He is paralyzed and will never walk again. I am sick of picking him up and you’d better warn him to stay put!” My father smiled. He spent a great deal of time on the floor that year, but he eventually got up and walked.
My father lived nineteen more years after that second brain operation. He bought himself a motorized scooter（单脚滑行车）and spent years moving around the streets of Philadelphia. He was proud, free and always smiling.
56.In what way was the father different from most other people in his time?
A. He succeeded immigrating to the US.     
B. He learned the new language easily and quickly.
C. He achieved his life goal by working as a barber.   
D. He tried to offer his daughters the education chance.
57.   The underlined word “polka” in Paragraph 2 probably refers to ________.
A. a song     B. a dance         C. a rubber ball       D. a new language
58.   The author’s father played with rubber balls to ________.
A. kill his too much spare time     B. reduce his work pressure
C. get his hand mobility back       D. recover from the brain tumor
59.   What can we learn from the passage?
A. Love can create wonders.          B. Failure is the mother of success.
C. Father’s love is the most valuable.   D. Never give up your life and dream.