1 . Late last year, I needed to transport some furniture from our house to my son’s flat in central London. I should have paid a man to do it, but foolishly confident in my driving ability, I decided to hire a lorry and drive it myself.
Moving the lorry backward in my yard, I crashed into a small shed, causing permanent damage. Fortunately, I owned the shed. I loaded up with the furniture and set out. By now it was rush hour. My nerves broke down, as I drove the huge lorry through the streets nervously.
At last I arrived at Charlotte Street and found an available parking space. I moved the lorry into it only to notice three people at a pavement cafe waving to me. I got out, trembling violently, like one who had just finished a stormy Atlantic crossing. “You’ve hit the car parked behind you,” they said. I examined the car. There were white scratches on its front face. It bore a disabled sign. So, now I was a bad driver and a bad man. Under the severe look of the three, I left an apologetic note on the damaged car’s windscreen, giving my phone number.
I unloaded the furniture, dripping the sweat, wanting only to escape from the monster. I drove it back to its base at Edgware. On arrival, the boss told me I must fill it up with petrol before returning it. “Just charge me,” I cried, still shaking with fear. He stared at me with understanding. No doubt he’d witnessed others in this state before. “How about I drive you to a petrol station, you fill up, and I drive it back?” he asked.
He danced the great lorry through the traffic so carefully that it would have shamed me if I had not been so grateful.
1. The man felt ______ to have delivered the furniture himself.| A．grateful | B．regretful |
| C．proud | D．confident |
| A．he caused a terrible traffic accident |
| B．driving the lorry was too difficult for him |
| C．he was afraid to see the three people |
| D．the furniture was too heavy for him |
| A．he made the traffic accident on purpose |
| B．he parked the big lorry on the pavement |
| C．he shouldn’t have driven the lorry himself |
| D．he shouldn’t have caused trouble for the disabled |
| A．it was exciting to drive a lorry | B．it was hard to avoid accidents |
| C．being too confident is foolish | D．the boss was expert in driving |
2 . We were sitting in her classroom, giggling each other and talking about the latest information of the day. Mrs Virginia De View, whose physical appearance made her an easy target for snickers (窃笑) and cruel jokes among students, cleared her throat and asked us to be silent.
“Now, Mrs.” Virginia De View said smiling, “we are going to discover our professions.” The class seemed to be greatly surprised. We were only 13 and 14 years old!
“Yes, you will all be searching for your future professions.”she said.
“You will have to do a research paper on your upcoming career. Each of you will have to interview someone in your field, plus give an oral report.”
Finally, I picked print journalism, and interviewed a true-blue newspaper reporter in the flesh. After a few days, I gave my oral report totally from memory in class. I got an A on the entire project.
Years later, I forgot all about Virginia De View and the careers we selected. I was in college looking around for a new career. but with no success. Then I remembered Virginia De View and my desire at 13 to be a journalist. And I called my parents. They didn't stop me. They just reminded me how competitive the field was. This was true. But journalism did something to me; it was in my blood. For the past 12 years, I've had the most incredible and satisfying reporting career .
I get asked all the time: “How did you pick journalism?”
“Well, you see, there was this teacher...” I always start out. Virginia Deview will probably never know without her help, I would not have become a journalist and a writer. I wonder now how many other students benefited from that career project.
I believe that when people reflect back over their school days, there will be their very own Virginia De View. Perhaps you can thank her before it's too late.
1. What did the students think of Mrs Virginia's project in her class?| A．Harmful | B．Crazy |
| C．Beneficial | D．Flexible |
| A．Career planning | B．Oral ability |
| C．Paper research | D．Interviewing skills |
| A．He keeps in touch with Mrs. Virginia. |
| B．He practiced as a journalist in college. |
| C．His parents were against his decision. |
| D．He enjoys working as a journalist |
| A．To express gratitude to Mrs. Virginia. |
| B．To give an oral report on selecting a career. |
| C．To show challenges he me as a reporter. |
| D．To look for his previous classmates. |
