How I Turned to Be Optimistic

I began to grow up that winter night when my parents and I were returning from my aunt's house, and my mother said that we might soon be leaving for America. We were on the bus then. I was crying, and some people on the bus were turning around to look at me. I remember that I could not bear the thought of never hearing again the radio program for school children to which I listened every morning.

I do not remember myself crying for this reason again. In fact, I think I cried very little when I was saying goodbye to my friends and relatives. When we were leaving I thought about all the places I was going to see-―the strange and magical places I had known only from books and pictures. The country I was leaving never to come back was hardly in my head then.

The four years that followed taught me the importance of optimism, but the idea did not come to me at once. For the first two years in New York I was really lost―having to study in three schools as a result of family moves. I did not quite know what I was or what I should be. Mother remarried, and things became even more complex for me. Some time passed before my stepfather and I got used to each other. I was often sad, and saw no end to "the hard times."

My responsibilities in the family increased a lot since I knew English better than everyone else at home. I wrote letters, filled out forms, translated at interviews with Immigration officers, took my grandparents to the doctor and translated there, and even discussed telephone bills with company representatives.

From my experiences I have learned one important rule: almost all common troubles eventually go away! Something good is certain to happen in the end when you do not give up, and just wait a little! I believe that my life will turn out all right, even though it will not be that easy.

56. How did the author get to know America?

A.  From her relatives.                       B.  From her mother.

C.  From books and pictures.             D.  From radio programs.

57. Upon leaving for America the author felt_______.

A.  confused                           B. excited

C.  worried                             D  amazed

58. For the first two years in New York, the author _________.

A. often lost her way                               B. did not think about her future

C. studied in three different schools          D. got on well with her stepfather

59. What can we learn about the author from Paragraph 4?

A.  She worked as a translator.

B.  She attended a lot of job interviews.

C.  She paid telephone bills for her family.

D  She helped her family with her English.

60. The author believes that______.

A. her future will be free from troubles

B. it is difficult to learn to become patient

C. there are more good things than bad things

D. good things will happen if one keeps trying

I devote myself to music because of my grandmother. My mom and I lived with grandparents from the time I was two until I was eight. And even then, I was at their house before and after school every day while my mother was at work.

     Grandma loved music. It was her that first _31  me to Elvis Presley as a very young child, and once I heard his music, I was truly in 32 with it. Most five-year-olds ask for 33  for birthdays, but I wanted Elvis’albums. I would play them non-stop and 34 to the music in my grandma’s family room though my movements didn’t look good.

    Grandma played the piano and 35  me to sing “America the Beautiful” and “Somewhere over the Rainbow”. I 36 started playing music on the piano, and soon Grandma was paying for me to take piano lessons from a lady living in the 37 . I would come home from __38 and walk three houses down for my lesson. I _39 took about nine months of lessons, but it was enough to give me a(n) 40  and allow me to continue  to teach myself.

    Last month when I came home to visit Grandma in the hospital, I brought along my guitar with me. She was in a lot of pain, but the music seemed to _41 her soul. She had me sing some songs and when I started to sing “Somewhere over the Rainbow”, her weakened voice 42 in with mine for a few lines. That experience was one of the most 43 of my lifetime and one I will certainly cherish forever. I told her of my music career and she was very _44  and said, “That’s wonderful!” I _45 to play for her throughout the week I was home.

    My grandma passed away two days ago. In my opinion, part of her will live on through every song I write or sing in my life.

1.A. sent       B. left         C. remembered       D. introduced

2.A. debate     B. love         C. agreement        D. doubt

3.A. music          B. space        C. gifts            D. toys

4.A. wave           B. sleep        C. dance            D. play 

5. A. forced   B. prepared     C. enabled          D. taught

6.A. generally      B. finally      C. fortunately      B. suddenly

7.A. hotel          B. apartment   C. neighborhood     D. countryside 

8.A. school     B. hospital     C. street           D. office

9.A. exactly   B. only         C. completely       D. seldom

10.A. explanation   B. celebration   C. translation   D. foundation 

11.A. comfort       B. blame        C. attract          D. find

12.A. joined   B. poured       C. moved            D. fell

13.A. surprising   B. moving   C. puzzling         D. tiring 

14.A. sad           B. calm         C. bored            D. pleased 

15. A. refused      B. expected     C. continued        D. pretended

 “Fire! Fire!” What terrible words to hear when one wakes up in a strange house in the middle of the night! It was a large, old, wooden house and my room was on the top floor. I jumped out of bed, opened the door and stepped outside the house. There was full of thick smoke.

I began to run, but as I was still only half-awake, instead of going towards the stairs I went in the opposite direction. The smoke grew thicker and I could see fire all around. The floor became hot under my bare feet. I found an open door and ran into a room to get to the window. But before I could reach it, one of my feet caught in something soft and I fell down. The thing I had fallen over felt like a bundle of clothes, and I picked it up to protect my face from the smoke and heat. Just then the floor gave way under me and I crashed to the floor below with pieces of burning wood all around me.

I saw a doorway in fire, then I put the bundle over my face and ran. My feet burned me terrible, but I got through. As I reached the cold air outside, my bundle of clothes gave a thin cry, I nearly dropped it in my surprise. Then I was in a crowd gathered in the street. A woman in a night-dress and a borrowed man’s coat screamed as she saw me and came running madly.

She was the Mayor’s wife, and I had saved her baby.

1.When the fire arose in the middle of the night, the author was _______.

A．at home          B．sleeping           C．sitting in bed       D．both A and B

2.The author saved the baby _____.

A．because he was very brave.

B．because he liked the baby very much.

C．but he just happened to save it.

D．because it was the Mayor’s baby.

3.He ran in the wrong direction because he _______.

A．was a stranger there                     B．could see nothing

C．was not completely awake                 D．Both A and C

4.He put the bundle over his face and ran in order to ______.

A．save the baby                          B．call for help

C．protect his face                         D．run quickly

5.Form which group of words, we can learn the fire took place out of people’s surprise?

A．old and wooden house, a bundle

B．crashed to, fell down

C．terrible, half-awake

D．bare feet, a borrowed man’s coat

I’m Monty Don. Though I’m a host and writer now, I had an unhappy study experience actually. I changed   21  many times.
I first went to school at five. None of my teachers or classmates liked me, because I always gave them a lot of   22 . I once put a worm in a girl's pocket. When I was seven, I was asked to      23   the school. Then I was sent off to a boarding school. I missed my   24  very much at first; I didn't want to leave once I returned home. Later I met a very   25  teacher, who cared for me and helped me with study. He was also the   26  person to encourage me to act and write. At 13, I moved to Malvern College, but I was kicked out at 15 for   27  school rules. Then I went to another school where I failed my English A level. In fact, I didn't like studying.
I finally   28  that life shouldn't be like this. So I retook the  29  and got an A grade. And more   30 , I made a decision: to go to college, so I began to   31  for the entrance exam. I   32  passed the exam and went to Cambridge to read English. I met my wife there and I was   33  I made that decision, otherwise I wouldn't have had a happy family. Looking back on what I've   34 , I come to know that if you devote yourself to it, nothing is   35 .

“Fire! Fire!” What terrible words to hear when one wakes up in a strange house in the middle of the night! It was a large, old, wooden house and my room was on the top floor. I jumped out of bed, opened the door and stepped outside the house. There was full of thick smoke.
I began to run, but as I was still only half-awake, instead of going towards the stairs I went in the opposite direction. The smoke grew thicker and I could see fire all around. The floor became hot under my bare feet. I found an open door and ran into a room to get to the window. But before I could reach it, one of my feet caught in something soft and I fell down. The thing I had fallen over felt like a bundle of clothes, and I picked it up to protect my face from the smoke and heat. Just then the floor gave way under me and I crashed to the floor below with pieces of burning wood all around me.
I saw a doorway in fire, then I put the bundle over my face and ran. My feet burned me terrible, but I got through. As I reached the cold air outside, my bundle of clothes gave a thin cry, I nearly dropped it in my surprise. Then I was in a crowd gathered in the street. A woman in a night-dress and a borrowed man’s coat screamed as she saw me and came running madly.
She was the Mayor’s wife, and I had saved her baby.
【小题1】When the fire arose in the middle of the night, the author was _______.