1 . Many years ago, I was fresh out of school and working in Denver. One day, I drove to my parents’ home in Missouri for Thanksgiving Day. Suddenly, I found the gas was running out. I stopped, wondering what I was supposed to do. A car pulled up behind me and an old couple came out. They offered to pull my car to a gas station. When we said good- bye to each other. the husband gave me his business card.
When I arrived home, I wrote him and his wife a thank-you note. I soon received a note saying that helping me had made their holiday meaningful.
Years later, I drove to a nearby town for a meeting in the morning. In the late afternoon, I returned to my car and found that the battery was dead. Then I noticed that the Friendly Ford Dealership — a shop selling cars — was right next door. I walked over and found a salesman waiting beside the door.
“Would you please do me a favor?” I asked and explained my trouble. He quickly drove a pickup truck to my car and started it. He would accept no payment. When I got home, I wrote a note to thank him. I received a letter back from the salesman. He said no one had ever taken the time to write him a note of thanks and it meant a lot.
Although it is easy to say thanks to others, it means so much.
1. Why did the author drive to his parents’ home in Missouri?| A．To repair his car. | B．To see a friend. |
| C．For Thanksgiving Day. | D．For a meeting. |
| A．An old couple helped him go to a gas station. |
| B．He had a word with a policeman nearby. |
| C．He pushed his car to a car dealership. |
| D．He called up his best friend for help. |
| A．The author got a gas from the old couple. |
| B．The author’s car battery was dead. |
| C．The author wrote a letter to the old couple. |
| D．The author bought a car from the dealership. |
| A．moved | B．worried | C．nervous | D．sad |
| A．how to write a thank-you note | B．how to deal with car problems |
| C．the kind-heartedness of old people | D．the importance of expressing thanks |
2 . “Where is the light?” My dad used to ask me the question when I was little. It’s one of those questions that parents often use to find out how smart their young children are. During my teenage years, my dad jokingly told me that he thought I was going to be dimwitted(愚蠢的) because I pointed at him whenever he asked me where the light was.
Dad is from a rural area about 230 kilometers north of the capital Manila, and where most people live off the land, raising and selling livestock and poultry. His father, an artist and street magician, died when he was very young. To make ends meet, his mother went about town and washed laundry in various households. My dad found himself alone—lack of nurturing (养育) and love, short of family bonds.
Dad loved reading and always looked for opportunities to educate himself. One day, when my father was 16 and out of work, a stranger saw him sitting under a tree, absorbed in a book. He approached Dad and asked him why he wasn't in school. Dad replied that he had no money for college. The stranger saw his desire to study and recommended him to University of the Cordilleras as a working student. He also gave Dad a job in a local factory. Thanks to the warm-hearted stranger, Dad got his Bachelor of Arts degree, then went on to study law and became a successful lawyer. He wrote a widely-read textbook on Philippine law.
Looking at my father now, I can see how he was able to overcome so many obstacles. He is by nature a hardworking man, pouring his energy into his career without forgetting his family. He values education—when we were younger, he would tell me and my brother to constantly seek improvement in ourselves through learning.
Like a light, he shines with dignity and respect because of his achievements, but his light radiates the brightest for maintaining our family as a cohesive (有凝聚力的)unit with love and faith as its foundation.
There are times when my dad kids around and asks me, using my childhood nickname, “Sasi, where's the light?”
I just smile, and point at him.
1. What joke did Dad play on the writer?| A．He considered her a little foolish. | B．He treated himself as the light. |
| C．He turned the light on to be dim for her. | D．He asked her to answer many difficult questions. |
| A．Dad got along well with his father | B．Dad didn’t have a happy childhood |
| C．Dad was particular about his clothes | D．Dad used to wander in the market |
| A．He got much money from a stranger. | B．He won a scholarship by studying hard. |
| C．He paid his fees by doing a part-time job. | D．He earned money by writing books on law. |
| A．chose careers for his children | B．taught his children by himself at home |
| C．acted as the light in his children’s lives | D．worked too hard to look after his children |
| A．To stress the importance of the light. | B．To recall a question asked by her dad. |
| C．To introduce the benefit of a close family. | D．To praise her dad for his effort to achieve his goals. |
After an exhausting swim practice on a cold winter evening, I received an invitation from my friend Lucy, asking me to attend a dance. At the top of the invitation, Young Angels was written across the page. Young Angels was organizing a dance to raise money for community service projects. I thought it was such a great idea that I not only wanted to attend it, but also wanted to become involved.
This was over two years ago and since then, I have become a lead member in Young Angels of America. At each dance, teens not only have fun with their friends but are also informed about different charities. Knowing that I have taught others how they can get involved makes me feel satisfied and delighted.
The most memorable experience of my time in Young Angels was the Middle School Winter Dance in 2007, when we had a special child help organize the dance and participate in the event. This child was Lily. Lily had a dreadful disease that will eventually kill her. Lily had the best attitude towards life: she enjoyed every moment and made the best of it. Lily got me inspired to help others and never take any moment for granted.
I now have a dream, I want to inspire as many children as possible to volunteer. So many kids don’t realize how easy it is to make a difference to the world. I am only 15 years old and I have organized over five events, getting nearly 1,000 children involved. I want to be the angel to inspire that passion in others to make the difference that I feel as I have made to my community.
1. What’s the purpose of the dance organized by Young Angels?2. How did the author feel about her influence on others?
3. What does the underlined word “dreadful” in Paragraph 3 mean?
4. What is the author’s dream?
5. What do you think of the author’s dream?
4 . Half a year before graduation from college, my son David began to seek a job. Due to the financial crisis, the competition was ever-fierce. My son targeted a company that was located in a coastal city. It was intended to employ only one person among more than twenty people. I said to David, “You should not have too much hope for fear that you would feel terribly disappointed when you fail." He said to me, "I am not afraid of disappointment. As long as I try, there will always be hope!"
Three young men could enter the final round, which would later decide one person to be employed, Everything seemed to go quite well and David entered the final round in a week. Unexpectedly, the interview was unbelievably simple, during which the interviewer only chatted with them for a while. The interview strategies my son prepared were not useful at all. The interviewer said the company would inform them of the result in 3 days. On the morning of the third day, David received the text from the company that he was not employed. David felt disappointed.
In nightfall that day, David suddenly told me excitedly on phone that he had been employed. Greatly surprised, I asked him, "What's the whole matter?" David told me that he received another text saying that he was employed. David felt very confused about it. Later he found out the first text sent to him was also part of the test in the interview. Three men received the same text this morning and only David's reply was satisfying to the company. I asked my son, “How did all of you reply?" My son said, "One did not reply. The other said "goodbye" and I said "thank you"."
Only then did I know that my son's “hope" came in that way. That is, when you feel disappointed, do not forget to say “Thank you" to the one who disappoints you. Actually, it is a piece of cake to say "Thank you". Saying “Thank you" shows respect for others' work and demonstrates your grand generosity. Therefore, while under the same condition, you will get the upper hand in terms of opportunities compared with others!
1. What can we learn about David from Paragraph 1?| A．He was not hopeful of getting the job. |
| B．He wasn't afraid of failure. |
| C．He wanted to work for a company in the local city. |
| D．David was eager to find a job because of the pay. |
| A．The result was announced on the spot. |
| B．The three young men performed equally well. |
| C．David's preparations for the interview were not used. |
| D．David was nervous because the competition was really fierce. |
| A．Puzzled. | B．Thankful. | C．Nervous. | D．Pleased. |
| A．The author thought it's not easy to say thank you. |
| B．The author believed it's helpful to say thank you. |
| C．The author was sure that his son would get the job. |
| D．The author was disappointed when his son was not employed. |
| A．Never Give Up Hope |
| B．A Young Man And His Hope |
| C．The Magic Power of "Thank You" |
| D．Sunshine Always Appears After Storm |
I’m a 34-year-old man, married, lived in a nice house, and have a successful career as an educational consultant. But my life was not always so great. I had a learning disability from an early age. I went to a special school where I got plenty of extra help. Still, I suffered the rest of my school days in public schools.
My life improved remarkably when I discovered art. The art world gave me a chance to express myself without words. I went to a workshop and gradually got good at making things with clay(黏土). Here I learned my first important lesson: disabled as I was in language. I could still be smart and well express myself with clay. And my confidence came along.
I got my next lesson from rock climbing. It was a fun thing but I was scared from the start. I soon noticed it wasn’t a talent thing; it was practice. So I did it more. After about five years of climbing, I found myself in Yosemite Valley on a big wall. I learned that if you fall in love with something and do it all the time, you will get better at it.
Later I decided to apply my previous experience to learning how to read and write. Every day I practiced reading and writing, which I used to avoid as much as possible. After two hard years, I was literate.
Having gone through the long process with art, rock climbing, and reading and writing, now I’ve got to a point in my life where I know I am smart enough to dive into an area that is totally unknown, hard, but interesting.
1. What made the author’s school days difficult? (No more than 5 words)
2. Why did art give the author confidence? (No more than 10 words)
3. What lesson did the author learn from rock climbing? (No more than 15 words)
4. What is the meaning of the underlined part in Paragraph 4? (No more than 5 words)
5. How does the author’s story inspire you to overcome difficulties in life? Put it in your own words. (No more than 20 words)
