1 . Many years ago, when we were a young couple with two small children, aged 2 and 4, we were practically impecunious. My parentsinlaws lived from hand to mouth, so we didn't expect any help from them. My parents lived a great distance away, and I was too ashamed to let them know about our situation.
My husband was trying to earn a living with an old pickup truck, carrying groceries for local shopkeepers, but it was constantly breaking down. It took almost all the money we had to have it fixed. The truck was also the only means of transportation for us.
We lived in the countryside, and we always used the back door because the driveway led to it. One winter evening, I stepped outside to take a bag of trash to the barrel and almost tripped over something. It was nearly dark, and I had to bend down to see what it was. I could hardly believe my eyes. There sat a large basket loaded with food.
It was heavy, so I called my husband to carry it into the house. Once inside, we discovered two loaves of bread, some butter, several cans of vegetables, a can of orange sauce, and a large turkey. There was so much that I couldn't remember it all, but it was everything we needed to fix a wonderful dinner — everything except potatoes.
A little while later I remembered that I hadn't taken the trash to the barrel. By now it was dark, so I had to turn on the yard light — and that's when I spotted a small bag of potatoes sitting on the porch.
That dinner was the best I could remember.
We weren't able to thank our donators, though, because we never found out who had been so generous in helping a struggling young family. Whoever it was, we are forever grateful.
1. Which of the following can replace the underlined word “impecunious” in Paragraph 1?| A．Generous. | B．Cautious |
| C．Stubborn. | D．Penniless. |
| A．By selling food door to door. | B．By delivering goods. |
| C．By starting a garage. | D．By working as a shop assistant. |
| A．She was annoyed. | B．She was terrified. |
| C．She was astonished. | D．She felt a sense of relief. |
| A．A struggling young couple | B．A tale of potatoes |
| C．A helping hand in time | D．A reward from a stranger |
2 . We are sitting at lunch when my friend casually mentions that she and her husband are thinking of “starting a family. ” What she means is that her biological clock has begun its countdown and she is considering the possibility of motherhood.
“We’re taking a survey，’’ she says，half jokingly. “Do you think I should have a baby?”
“It will change your life，’’ I say carefully.
“I know，” she says, “No more sleeping in on Saturdays，no more relaxing vacations. ”
But that is not what I mean at all I look at my friend，trying to decide what to tell her.
I want her to know what she will never learn in childbirth classes. I consider warning her that she will never read a newspaper again without asking “What if that had been my child?” That when she sees pictures of starving children, she will look at the mothers and wonder if anything could be worse than watching your child die.
I feel I should warn her that no matter how many years she has invested in her career, she will be professionally disturbed by motherhood She might successfully arrange for child care, but one day she will be waiting to go into an important business meeting, and she will think about her baby’s sweet smell. She will have to use every ounce of discipline to keep from running home，just to make sure he is all right.
I want her to know that however decisive she may be at the office, she will second- guess herself constantly as a mother. That her life，now so important, will be of less value to her once she has a child. That she will give it up in a moment to save her child, but will also begin to hope for more years，not so much to realize her own dream，but to watch her child realize his.
My friend’s surprised look makes me realize that tears have formed in my eyes. “You’ll never regret it，” I say finally.
1. According to the author, what will happen to her friend once she has a child?| A．She will never read a newspaper again. |
| B．She will become less disciplined at work. |
| C．Her physical condition will become worse. |
| D．Her child will distract her from her career. |
| A．Child. | B．Dream. |
| C．Life. | D．Value. |
| A．Objective. | B．Supportive. |
| C．Disapproving. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．The Worry of a Would-be Mother | B．The Survey of Childbirth |
| C．The Secret of a Successful Mother | D．The Meaning of Motherhood |
3 . My First Marathon（马拉松）
A month before my first marathon, one of my ankles was injured and this meant not running for two weeks, leaving me only two weeks to train. Yet, I was determined to go ahead.
I remember back to my 7th year in school. In my first P.E. class, the teacher required us to run laps and then hit a softball. I didn’t do either well. He later informed me that I was ＂not athletic＂.
The idea that I was ＂not athletic＂ stuck with me for years. When I started running in my 30s, I realized running was a battle against myself, not about competition or whether or not I was athletic. It was all about the battle against my own body and mind. A test of wills!
The night before my marathon, I dreamt that I couldn’t even find the finish line. I woke up sweating and nervous, but ready to prove something to myself.
Shortly after crossing the start line, my shoe laces(鞋带) became untied. So I stopped to readjust. Not the start I wanted!
At mile 3, I passed a sign: ＂GO FOR IT, RUNNERS!＂
By mile 17, I became out of breath and the once injured ankle hurt badly. Despite the pain, I stayed the course walking a bit and then running again.
By mile 21, I was starving!
As I approached mile 23, I could see my wife waving a sign. She is my biggest fan. She never minded the alarm clock sounding at 4 a.m. or questioned my expenses on running.
I was one of the final runners to finish. But I finished! And I got a medal. In fact, I got the same medal as the one that the guy who came in first place had.
Determined to be myself, move forward, free of shame and worldly labels(世俗标签), I can now call myself a ＂marathon winner＂.
1. A month before the marathon, the author ____________.| A．was well trained | B．felt scared |
| C．made up his mind to run | D．lost hope |
| A．To acknowledge the support of his teacher. |
| B．To amuse the readers with a funny story. |
| C．To show he was not talented in sports. |
| D．To share a precious memory. |
| A．He made it. | B．He quit halfway. |
| C．He got the first prize. | D．He walked to the end. |
| A．A man owes his success to his family support. |
| B．A winner is one with a great effort of will. |
| C．Failure is the mother of success. |
| D．One is never too old to learn. |
