2 . “Be proud of what you do,” my father always told me, “whether you are a boss or a cleaner.” When I was 15, I got a summer job in a hospital. I was told that my duties would include sweeping floors. I smiled and remembered Dad's words. Even though my job was the lowest, it made me feel excited. I saw it as a challenge because it was my first job. I learned to be on time and tried to do everything well. In return, I was treated with respect by doctors, nurses and patients. Each morning I imagined that the dirty dishes would make patients more sick if I were not there to wash them clean. After breakfast was done, I started sweeping the floors of all patient rooms and cleaning the toilets. Though I was tired, I wanted the job to be done well. Hearing people say “That young boy really does a good job”, I was filled with pride.

Working in the hospital taught me that being proud of one's job is important. It does not matter whether the job is sweeping floors or managing a large business. Through every job I have ever had, my father's words have always stayed with me. I was a good cleaner, and now I'm a good manager. I think Dad would be proud of me all the time.

1. The writer's first job was a ________.

A．boss	B．manager
C．cleaner	D．doctor

2. Which of the following didn't the writer do in the hospital according to the passage?

A．Washing dishes.	B．Looking after patients.
C．Cleaning toilets.	D．Sweeping the floor.

3. When the writer was in the hospital, he________.

A．worked hard	B．wasn't tired
C．made the patients sick	D．did everything

4. From the passage we know that ________ .

A．the writer's father always stayed with him

B．the father didn't like the writer's first job

C．the writer wasn't proud of his first job

D．the father's words encouraged the writer to do everything well

3 . When I was 12 years old, I already knew that my teen years were going to be the worst years of my life. I was a total outsider, bullied （欺凌）at school. I felt completely alone in my small town.

But by starting to do volunteer work when I was 14, I turned my problem into a passion for helping others. The opportunity to practice kindness made me feel like my life had a greater purpose. The more positive energy 1 shared, the more kindness and appreciation I received, I realized that my purpose in life would be to reach out to people, specifically teenagers, and help them feel less alone.

Books were my true friends back then. I was so thankful that the authors wrote those books. The kindness they offered me with their books saved my life. One of my biggest dreams was to become an author so I could write books that would help other teenagers the way those books helped me.

After surviving the terrible experiences at school and at home, 1 made a choice to take the optimistic, positive road in the next steps of my journey. My dream career, one I thought was only possible for the authors I loved, is what I am doing now. I have been a full-time author of teen novels since 2007 and am grateful for this amazing opportunity to reach out to readers every single day.

Kindness saved me when I needed help the most. Even small acts of kindness can change someone's life. You never know what someone else is going through. But by practicing daily kindness, you become an architect of positive change.

1. What was the author's life like when he was 12?

A．Boring.

B．Peaceful.

C．Joyful.

D．Unhappy.

2. What benefit did the author get from the volunteer work?

A．It helped him find the goal of life.

B．It made him energetic in his life.

C．It helped to shape his dream career.

D．It helped him understand others' lives better.

3. The reason why the author chose writing as his job is that ________.

A．he was inspired by his teacher.

B．he found he had a talent for writing.

C．he could pass positive energy to readers.

D．he wanted to share his teenage experiences.

4. What is the author's purpose in writing the passage?

A．Say 'no' to bullies bravely.

B．Make positive changes in our lives.

C．Treat others with kindness in daily life.

D．Learn to care more about others' feelings.

4 . Shortly before Christmas last year, one of Brazilian pianists Joao Carlos Martins invited his friends to a bar near his home. He wanted to show them the best gift he had received: a new pair of gloves. They are not just any gloves, however. The special bionic devices（仿生设备）let the 79-year-old pianist play with both hands for the first time in more than 20 years.

By his retirement（退休） last March, Martins had received 24 medical operations to try to reduce pain caused by a disease and from a series of accidents. Before the gloves, which were especially developed for him, Martins could only play songs slowly with his thumbs and, sometimes, his pointer fingers.

However, one designer believed Martins’ retirement had come too early. The designer, Ubirata Bizarro Costa, created special bionic gloves for Martins’ hands. The gloves help move his fingers up after they press（按） on the piano keys. Costa said he created early models based on images of Martins’ hands, but he said those models were not good. He then decided to tell Martins about his work. Costa and Martins then spent several months testing several kinds of models. Finally, the perfect model came in December, and cost only $125.

These days, Martins never takes off his new gloves, even when he goes to sleep. Martins said, “I have received more than 100 devices in the last 50 years. None of those devices worked well or long enough, but these gloves do.”

The new gloves have given Martins a new goal. He hopes to play the piano at New York’s Carnegie Hall in October. He is already set to conduct a concert celebrating the 60^th anniversary of his first appearance there.

1. What do we know about Martins?

A．He hates playing the piano in bar.

B．He has been fired by a music company.

C．He has received the best present in his life.

D．He often discusses with his friends about music.

2. What caused the pianist’s pain?

A．A failed operation.	B．His friend’s death.
C．The new pair of gloves.	D．A disease and some accidents.

3. How did Costa and Martins create the perfect bionic gloves?

A．By testing different models.	B．By pressing Martins’s fingers.
C．By examining Costa’s hands.	D．By working with other companies

4. What does Martins think of the special pair of gloves?

A．They are useless.	B．They are frightening.
C．They are strange.	D．They are satisfying.

5 . Like many young people, I dreamed of growing up and becoming a successful writer one day. My first part-time job came when I was 18 years old. I was working in a paint factory. Because of the terrible smell of paint, it became normal for me to temporarily pass out during my lunch time.

I discovered content mills, where a writer could devote his time to writing soul-destroying online copy. It provided a little pay, but I wouldn’t faint. So I quit my day job. But it is difficult to work from home. At times, I would lose all passion for writing 500 words about a bed for a few pounds, but the terrible smell of paint reminded me to get back to writing.

Several months later, the money got better. I was given consistent work writing for one of the largest entertainment websites in the world. The job was simple: I complained about everything that was wrong with society and they paid me£ 50 for each article. A guy from the website asked if would be interested in leaving my small town life to move to the big city of Manchester to become a professional writer for them. I accepted,

After a pretty successful year, I was offered a promotion. Just 18 months earlier, I was suffering from the smell of paint on a daily basis and now I was managing a team of nine writers. I had come a long way.

1. What happened to the writer when he was in a paint factory?

A．He became unconscious due to the bad smell of paint.	B．He lost his breath during lunch time.
C．He loved his part-time job.	D．He passed out for a long time.

2. Which of the following can be learned according to the text?

A．The writer quit his job to get a higher salary.

B．The writer declined to become an in - house writer.

C．The writer was in charge of a team of 9 writers now.

D．The writer fainted daily due to the bad pay.

3. Why did the writer once lose love for writing?

A．The smell of paint was unpleasant.	B．He lost consciousness while writing.
C．He was given consistent work.	D．He was given a little pay for writing

4. What does the writer mainly want to express?

A．A man can do no more than he can.

B．Follow dreams and never give up.

C．The last leg of a journey just marks the halfway point.

D．No pains, no gains.

6 . As a volunteer teacher, I moved into an apartment with eagerness. Sorting all the necessary paperwork out, I got ready to start my work. Great, or so I thought. At 4 a.m. And at several intervals after that, I was rudely awoken by the cock that lives opposite me. Fantastic! I now have 5 extra alarms every morning.

In the following weeks, I also started to notice a trend. Things in my flat started to break at the rate of one object per day, like the hot water line, bowls, cups, shower, doors or glass shelves. Yes, I am clumsy but things just fell apart.

If it wasn't broken, it would either be dirty or missing. Using my washing basket for the first time was pretty disgusting. When I took out my clothes, they were swiftly followed by a hundred or so bugs that were living in the bottom.

As for the general lack of equipment in the house, there was no oven, tin opener, or sharp knives. It turns out making a vegetarian burger from scratch wasn't the best idea. I had a small microwave and a grill. I thought the general understanding was never to put metal in a microwave but I went on. Smoke soon started to appear. I'm not quite sure if it was the burger or the grill but as soon as I opened the door, the electricity cut out. I spent the following 10 minutes in a dark, smoky room hunting for the power switch using the light from my mobile phone, which broke the week after and left me without a connection to the outer world.

Luckily, I'm now borrowing a phone and my luck has returned. No more things have broken (probably because there is nothing left to break). I am learning how to adapt to life with limited, broken utensils(用具)。

1. How did the author feel about her new life upon her arrival?

A．She was nervous to kick off the new job.

B．She was annoyed with the rude students.

C．She was full of enthusiasm about her new life.

D．She was satisfied with five alarm clocks in her room.

2. What was the trend in the following weeks?

A．Her flat became dirtier.	B．She developed disability.
C．Things began to go wrong.	D．More clothes needed mending.

3. What happened when the author was making a burger?

A．She suffered a big fire.	B．She made a terrible mistake.
C．She was seriously injured.	D．She broke her phone accidentally.

4. What can be inferred about the author from the end of the passage?

A．She will go on living here.	B．She will resign from her job.
C．She will move into a new flat.	D．She will buy new daily necessities.

7 . An old lady in a plane had a blanket(毯子)over her head and she did not want to take it off. The air hostess spoke to her, but the old lady said, “I have never been in a plane before, and I am frightened. I am going to keep this blanket over my head until we are back on the ground again!”
Then the captain came. He said, “Madam, I am the captain of this plane. The weather is fine, there are no clouds in the sky, and everything is going very well. ”But she continued to hide.
So the captain turned and started to go back. Then the old lady looked out from under the blanket with one eye and said, “I am sorry, young man, but I don’t like planes and I am never going to fly again. But I’ll say one thing, ”She continued kindly, “You and your wife keep your plane very clean!”
1. An old lady had _________.

A．glasses	B．a blanket over her head
C．a coat	D．a basket

2. She didn’t want to ________.

A．turn it off	B．take it off
C．talk about it	D．get it on

3. _________ spoke to her.

A．Her husband	B．One of her friends
C．The air hostess	D．The man next to her

4. The old lady had never been _________ before.

A．abroad

B．in hospital

C．in a plane

D．home

5. The woman didn’t like planes and she was never going ________.

A．to fly again	B．to travel
C．to go abroad	D．to go home