2 . When I was in my first year of high school, I had a terrible time when every area of my life was a disaster. I felt so hopeless and alone that I thought everything was impossible.

On one such day, I was walking from class across the school to catch the school bus home, with my head down, fighting tears of total hopelessness, when a young man came down the sidewalk toward me. Though I had never seen him before, I did not want him to see that I was in such low spirits, so I turned my head away and hoped to hurry past. I thought he'd walk on by, but he moved until he was directly in front of me, waited until I looked up, and then smiled.

Looking into my eyes, this stranger spoke in a quiet voice："Whatever is wrong will pass. You're going to be OK, just hang on." He then smiled again and walked away.

I can't explain the effect of that man's unexpected kindness and caring! He gave me the one thing that I'd lost completely—hope. I looked for him in our school to thank him, but never saw him again.

That was thirty years ago. And I've never forgotten that moment. Over the years, whenever I see someone who is in trouble, I will always think of that young man and try to give a flash of hope in the dark wherever I can. I carry things for people when they are too heavy for them, sit with naughty babies in the waiting room while their mothers are busy, or talk to tired couples at the checkout line or it could be anything.

If you keep your head up, your heart will show you the place that needs hope.
1. Where did the writer meet with the young man？

A．In the school.

B．In the school bus.

C．In the classroom.

D．In the library.

2. From the passage we may infer that the author ________．

A．had known the young man for a long time

B．made friends with the young man afterwards

C．was grateful to that young man very much

D．avoided meeting the young man since then

3. The author has given a lot of help to others in order to ________．

A．show his sympathy to those who are badly ill

B．give others hope of life when they are in trouble

C．realize his promise made to the young man

D．get respect from those who were helped by him

4. It can be known from the passage that ________．

A．the young man always tried his best to help those who were in trouble

B．it was the young man's smile and words that made the author feel hopeful

C．the author had never been praised by others before he met with the young man

D．the author traveled to a lot of places to look for the young man but failed

3 . Around four years ago, I received a call from the principal of our school as to the “Parents View” talk the next morning. He asked me to speak to the group. After the call, my whole body became feverish and panicky. The time from his call to the next morning seemed like years. The whole night, I could not sleep with many ominous apprehensions in mind. One of them was to call the principal with regret and tell him that I could not come. Finally, I gathered some courage. I thought, “If I miss this opportunity, surely the school will never invite me again to any of their programs.”

I reached the school in time. Before my turn came, my whole body was trembling. When my turn came and I started speaking, my heartbeat increased and my mouth went dry. I wasn’t even able to read the written speech properly. I was not aware of where I was standing and what I was reading. That was the day when I realized my biggest weakness, Public Speaking.

After my speech，I met with the principal and explained what happened to me. He told me that this happens to everyone. Even great speakers faced the same things when they started. He suggested that I come again next time.

Around one month later, I was invited to refer to a topic on Motivation. This time I was feeling comfortable. My speech was appreciated by the principal as well as the teachers, because I was able to get my idea across to them. They encouraged and praised my efforts.

After the successful delivering, I became more confident. I said to myself, “If I can speak in front of such a learned audience, like the principal who educates others, I can now speak in front of others too.”

I started delivering lectures in my plant, on various topics like Self-Motivation, Personality Development, Personal Excellence, Spoken English and Presentation Skills. This has become a passion for me. I learned that everything is possible if we have the courage to take the first step.

1. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

A．Practice Makes a Man a Better Speaker.	B．Public Speaking Makes a Man Embarrassed.
C．Principal Provides the Best Chances.	D．Spoken English Develops in Speeches.

2. The author had bad feelings before the speech because ______.

A．he disliked the principal	B．he had got a high fever before that
C．he regretted turning down another invitation	D．he feared he couldn’t perform it properly

3. What does the underlined part “ominous apprehensions” in the first paragraph mean?

A．Unlucky opportunities.

B．Negative ideas.

C．Curious colleagues.

D．Happy comments.

4. What can we conclude from the passage?

A．Nothing is to be got without pains but poverty.

B．Knowledge makes one humble, while ignorance makes one proud.

C．A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

D．Necessity is the mother of invention.

4 . Twenty years ago, I drove a taxi for a living. One night I went to pick up a passenger at 2:30 AM. When I arrived to collect, I found the building was dark except for a single light in a ground floor window.
I walked to the door and knocked. “Just a minute,” answered a weak, elderly voice.
After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her eighties stood before me. By her side was a small suitcase.
I took the suitcase to the car, and then returned to help the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the car.
She kept thanking me for my kindness. “It’s nothing,” I told her. “I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated.”
“Oh, you’re such a good man,” she said. When we got into the taxi, she gave me an address, and then asked, “Could you drive through downtown?”
“It’s not the shortest way,” I answered quickly.
“Oh, I’m in no hurry,” she said. “I’m on my way to a hospice (临终医院). I don’t have any family left. The doctor says I don’t have very long.”
I quietly reached over and shut off the meter (计价器).
For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked, the neighborhood where she had lived, and the furniture shop that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.
Sometimes she’d ask me to slow down in front of a particular building and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.
At dawn, she suddenly said, “I’m tired. Let’s go now.”
We drove in silence to the address she had given me.
“How much do I owe you?” she asked.
“Nothing,” I said.
“You have to make a living,” she answered. “Oh, there are other passengers,” I answered.
Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly. Our hug ended with her remark, “You gave an old woman a little moment of joy.”
1. The old woman chose to ride through the city in order to ________.

A．show she was familiar with the city

B．see some places for the last time

C．let the driver earn more money

D．reach the destination on time

2. The taxi driver did not charge the old woman because he ________.

A．wanted to do her a favor

B．shut off the meter by mistake

C．had received her payment in advance

D．was in a hurry to take other passengers

3. What can we learn from the story?

A．Giving is always a pleasure.

B．People should respect each other.

C．An act of kindness can bring people great joy.

D．People should learn to appreciate others’ concern.