When I was fifteen months old．I fell on a glass rabbit which cut my eye badly enough to blind it．And as I grew，this sightless eye , in so many ways controlled me that I walked with my face looking at the floor so people would not see the ugly me．

Yet Mama would hold me in her arms and stroke my hair and say，“If you hold your head up high，it will be OK．And people will see your beautiful soul．”She continued this message whenever I wanted to hide．

As a little child，I thought Mama meant，“Be careful or you will fall down or bump into something because you are not looking．”As a teenager, I found that my mama’s words helped me begin to realize that by letting people look at my face，I let them recognize the intelligence and beauty behind my eyes．

In high school I was successful both academically and socially．I was even elected class president，but inside me I still felt like a freak(畸形人)．When things got really bad，I would cry to my mama and she would look at me with loving eyes and say, “Hold your head up high and face the world．Let them see the beauty that is inside．”

When I met the man who became my partner for life，we looked each other straight in the eye，and he told me I was beautiful inside and out．Mama’s love and encouragement were the spark that gave me the confidence to overcome my own doubt．

“Hold your head up high” has been heard many times in my home．Each of my children has felt its invitation．The gift my mama gave me lives on in another generation．

1.What is TRUE of the writer’s eyes?

     A．She was blind in one eye when she was born．

B．Her blindness was caused by a traffic accident．

     C．She became blind in one eye because of a fall．

D．She lives unhappily because of her blindness．

2.When the writer was a high school student，she ________ ．

      A．was proud of her beauty that was inside

B．was active in taking part in social activities

      C．was filled with doubts and worries about her sightless eye

      D．was good at her study but sometimes lacked confidence

3.What does the underlined word “invitation” mean?

      A．encouragement    B．advantage    C．warmth    D．weight

4.What’s the author’s purpose in writing the passage?

      A．To show the power of confidence．          

B．To express her attitude to her mom．

      C．To explain how to build confidence．          

D．To inspire people to face difficulties

A week ago, I had the great pleasure of reading an e-book, When Money Talks, Listen! By Rich Ezzo．It took only about an hour to read.

   When I first received a copy, I thought it was a Get Rich Quick type of publication．Nothing is wrong with Get Rich Quick, but my mind just doesn’t chase after dreams of wealth．I think that if God ever wants me to be rich, he knows where to find my purse.

   When I began reading When Money Talks, Listen!, I was overjoyed to find that Rich Ezzo isn’t money hungry either．He, too, is hungry far more important than money．

Since I love this e-book so much, why wait a week to write the review? Simple．I wanted to see if the effect it had on me was a keeper．After reading the last word of the e-book, I totally agreed with the subtitle which promised to forever change the way we thought about money．I had so many thoughts running around my mind that I had to install(安装) a stoplight to stop some while others made their way into the picture, then I yielded(让路) them as a few ones arrived in town．I had a mental traffic jam, which only goes to show how slow the traffic usually is．

   It has been a week and the effect is the same．I truly do look at money differently and have even done a few things differently this week．This is an e-book you’ll want to read, I promise．I often recommend books to my daughter, and this is one that I didn’t just “suggest”---I left it open at the bottom of the computer and told each one, “Read it, you’ll love it.”

   I would never point someone in a direction I wouldn’t go myself．I urge you to visit the author’s website, Myster Money, and to download the e-book．You won’t regret it.

The author wrote this passage to _________　

       A．strongly recommend an e-book.

　    B．show the author's attitude to money.

　    C．introduce the general idea of an e-book.

　    D．point out Rich Ezzo isn't money hungry.

According to the passage, a Get Rich Quick type of publication ______.

       A．is what the author really cares for

       B．deals with how to make money

       C．is also an e-book written by Rich Ezzo

       D．is more popular than e-books

The author didn't write the review as soon as he finished reading the book because________．

　    A．he was too excited to write anything

　    B．he was not sure whether he did well

　    C．he had to wait for Rich Ezzo's permission

　    D．he wondered if the book would have long influence on him

By saying the underlined sentence in Paragraph 4, the author probably __________.

　    A．shows that the book brought him many new thoughts

　    B．shows how bad the traffic is in town

　    C．describes the difficulty in understanding the book

　    D．explains it's hard to change one's attitude to money

Which of the following is supported by the passage?

      A．The author had known Rich Ezzo before.

　    B．The author hasn't dreamed of getting rich immediately.

　    C．The author always prefers e-books to paper books.

　    D．The author likes Get Rich Quick-type of publications.

Last year, I met a little boy to whom my heart went out. He would talk to me every single day, and always seemed to have a smile on his face. His problem was that he stuttered (口吃) extremely badly when he tried to talk. It was really hard to understand what he was saying, although he loved to tell big tales!
One morning, I was talking to the teachers who ran the school store. The boy stopped by and said hello to all of us. Afterwards they told me that the boy would stop every day to ask if they would be there the next day. But of course, he never had money to buy anything.
I decided that I would get him a little something just as a surprise. So I picked out a pencil, a rubber, and a small notebook for just $1.00. I cannot describe the look on his face when I gave him the three little things. Then, without a stutter, he loudly said, "Thank you so much!" and just kept repeating, "Thank you! Thank you!" He gave me a big hug before going off to class.
I was touched to see someone appreciate something that much. As he walked off, he was showing his new stuff to other kids walking to class. I have to say that I have never spent a dollar that would mean so much to me.
【小题1】Why did the boy never buy anything from the store?

Christopher Thomas, 27, was a writer by night and a teacher by day when he noticed he was always tired and was losing weight fast. Diagnosed with diabetes(糖尿病), Thomas would need to inject himself with insulin(胰岛素) three times a day for the rest of his life or risk nerve damage, blindness, and even death. And if that weren't bad enough, he had no health insurance.  After a month of feeling upset, Thomas decided he'd better find a way to fight back. He left Canton, Michigan for New York, got a job waiting tables, nicknamed himself the Diabetic Rockstar , and created diabeticrockstar.com, a free online community for diabetics and their loved ones—a place where over 1,100 people share personal stories, information, and resources.     
Jason Swencki?s son, Kody, was diagnosed with type diabetes at six. Father and son visit the online children's forums(论坛) together most evenings. "Kody gets so excited, writing to kids from all over," says Swencki, one of the site's volunteers. "They know what he's going through, so he doesn't feel alone."   Kody is anything but alone: Diabetes is now the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, with 24 million diagnosed cases. And more people are being diagnosed at younger ages.      
These days, Thomas's main focus is his charity?慈善机构?, Fight It, which provides medicines and supplies to people—225 to date—who can't afford a diabetic's huge expenses. Fight-it.org has raised about $23,000—in products and in cash. In May, Thomas will hold the first annual Diabetic Rockstar Festival in the Caribbean.      
Even with a staff of 22 volunteers, Thomas often devotes up to 50 hours a week to his cause, while still doing his full-time job waiting tables. "Of the diabetes charities out there, most are putting money into finding a cure," says Bentley Gubar one of Rockstar's original members. "But Christopher is the only person I know saying people need help now."
【小题1】Which of the following is true of Christopher Thomas?

In England three foreign gentlemen came to a bus stop. They studied the information on the post sign and decided which bus to take. About five minutes later the bus they wanted came along. They prepared to get on. Suddenly people rushed onto the bus and tried to push them out of the way. Someone shouted insulting remarks about the foreigners. The bus conductor   came rushing down the stairs to see what all the trouble was about. The three foreign gentlemen looked puzzled and ashamed. No one had told them about the British custom of lining up for a bus so that the first person who arrived at a bus-stop is the first person to get on the bus.

Learning the language of a country isn’t enough. If you want to ensure a pleasant visit, find out as much as possible about the manners and customs of your hosts. You will probably be surprised just how different they can be from your own. A visitor to India would do well to remember that people there consider it impolite to use the left hand for passing food at table. The left hand is supposed to be used for washing yourself. Also in India, you might see a man apparently（显然地）shaking his head at another and assume (认为) that he is disagreeing. But in many parts of India a rotating (旋转) movement of the head is a gesture that express agreement or acceptance. Nodding your head when offered a drink in Bulgaria is likely to leave you thirsty. In that country you shake your head to express “yes” — a nod means “no”.

In Europe it is quite usual to cross your legs when sitting talking to someone, even at an important meeting. Doing this when meeting an important person in Thailand, however, could cause offence (冒犯). It is considered too informal an attitude for such an occasion. Also when in Thailand avoid touching the head of an adult — it’s just not done.

Attitudes to women vary considerably（相当地）around the world. In Japan, for example, it is quite usual for men to plan evening entertainments for themselves and leave their wives at home.

Knowing about customs and attitudes is useful when you are travelling, but you also need to know the language used to express different degrees of formality (礼节).

1.The three foreign gentlemen looked puzzled and ashamed because __________________.

2. According to the passage, which attitude to women is usual in Japan?

3.What’s the meaning of the underlined word “insulting” in Para. 1 ?

4. From the passage, we know that shaking head means Yes in ______________.

5.The underlined sentence “Nodding your head when offered a drink in Bulgaria is likely to leave you thirsty.” means ____________.