2 . "Keep your eyes open. This is where the Ewoks live.'' The one-hour drive outside of San Francisco, covered in clouds along windy roads, has inspired my husband to say this sentence at least a dozen times.

We finally arrive at Muir Woods National Park. I explain the strange green stuff on trunks of trees as we pass by--mos (苔藓), something my 5-year-old son Cole has never seen in the desert where we live.

"Mom, are Ewoks real? I think they maybe aren't real. " There's a question in Cole's voice,like he's trying on this idea.

We've been down the road of pretending versus reality before, what with all the talk of superheroes and such around our house. "I think you are right. Ewoks are just in the movies. But it would be cool if they were real, right ?"

Cole's silent for a while, thinking. "I just saw an Ewok’s ear back there!" Coles spotted an additional Ewok arm and one full body of the tiny hairy creatures. It does indeed look like we are in the Ewok forest of Star Wars.

Cole's imagination is more than I can understand. What do plants eat? Which is the best planet? Which rocks float? He loves life. He loves his inner world and outer existence equally.

I hear a lot of worry from parents about media sucking the souls from our children, taking away their time for creative play. For us, this hasn’t been the case. Cole and his brother are quite knowledgeable in the realities of life when it comes to Angry Birds, Curious George, and the adventures of Indiana Jones. These characters, and others of their own invention, live in my home like visitors, joining us on walks and outings. I appreciate them, though not all the time, for the company they give my sons and their busy minds.

I think of media characters as an add-on to already busy minds, by carefully monitoring who gets invited into our lives, they become part of the parenting team. They teach loyalty adventure, curiosity--lessons I'm trying to convey, but in a much cooler way than I can.

Pretence is awesome. It provides practice for real life without the ordinary interfering.

1. Where are the family heading for?

A．The cinema.

B．A park.

C．San Francisco.

D．A desert.

2. What can we know about Cole from the passage?

A．He is proud of himself.	B．He is full of curiosity.
C．He is courageous.	D．He is considerate.

3. What do many parents think of their children playing via media?

A．It wastes children's time.

B．It can make their children relaxed.

C．It can engage their children in learning actively.

D．It can accompany their children in their absence.

4. What's the authors attitude to the media characters in parenting children?

A．Indifferent.

B．Critical.

C．Supportive.

D．Disapproving.

3 . Ten years ago I was visiting Costa Rica when I found I was in a bad situation. I only knew basic Spanish, and the only _______ I had was some coins and a return ticket to Guatemala in two weeks.

With the coins, I managed to arrive at Santa Rosa by bus. It was _______ in the middle of the night, but I could see some _______ in the distance, so I _______   toward them.

I went _______ door to door, explaining my situation. “I can _______ and clean and look after your kids, I can do anything, can you give me a _______ ?” Everybody replied saying “Oh my gosh, but we are so _______. We have no extra food. Maybe you can try the next _______.”

Finally, I arrived at a Chinese restaurant, the owner of which was incredibly ______________ . She told me that her son had a(n) ______________ experience. At that time, some other people were very kind to him, and she remembered how ______________ that made her feel. She called the Red Cross to ______________me. With their help, I spent my ______________ days in Costa Rica.

I’ve ______________ all over the world. But this was one of the best trips, the best two ______________ I ever had in my traveling life.

At first, I felt ______________ and stupid for not traveling with a clear plan. But then I realized that when you’re in a position to be able to ______________, it actually makes people feel happier. Being able to receive kindness is a ______________ for other people as well. And kindness ______________ more kindness in small ripples (涟漪).

1.

A．possession

B．file

C．choice

D．fortune

2.

A．busy

B．dark

C．hot

D．cold

3.

A．stores

B．bus-stops

C．bookshops

D．houses

4.

A．wandered

B．fled

C．walked

D．jumped

5.

A．knocking

B．hitting

C．answering

D．kicking

6.

A．cook

B．fish

C．swim

D．fight

7.

A．coffee

B．bed

C．tip

D．job

8.

A．unlucky

B．poor

C．mean

D．hard

9.

A．company

B．factory

C．restaurant

D．family

10.

A．honest

B．polite

C．kind

D．easygoing

11.

A．similar

B．different

C．relaxing

D．pleasant

12.

A．tough

B．grateful

C．awkward

D．warm

13.

A．seize

B．check

C．find

D．rescue

14.

A．passing

B．remaining

C．rewarding

D．exciting

15.

A．surveyed

B．driven

C．studied

D．traveled

16.

A．days

B．weeks

C．months

D．years

17.

A．fortunate

B．optimistic

C．guilty

D．curious

18.

A．offer

B．help

C．receive

D．repay

19.

A．gift

B．talent

C．chance

D．character

20.

A．proves

B．reflects

C．forces

D．inspires

4 . Once when I was facing a decision that involved high risk, I went to a friend. He looked at me for a moment, and then wrote a sentence containing the best advice I’ve ever had: Be bold and brave — and mighty forces will come to your aid.

Those words made me see clearly that when I had fallen short in the past, it was seldom because I had tried and failed. It was usually because I had let fear of failure stop me from trying at all. On the other hand, whenever I had plunged into deep water, forced by courage or circumstance, I had always been able to swim until I got my feet on the ground again.

Boldness means a decision to bite off more than you can eat. And there is nothing mysterious about the mighty forces. They are potential powers we possess: energy, skill, sound judgment, creative ideas — even physical strength greater than most of us realize.

Admittedly, those mighty forces are spiritual ones. But they are more important than physical ones. A college classmate of mine, Tim, was an excellent football player, even though he weighed much less than the average player. “In one game I suddenly found myself confronting a huge player, who had nothing but me between him and our goal line,” said Tim. “I was so frightened that I closed my eyes and desperately threw myself at that guy like a bullet — and stopped him cold.”

Boldness — a willingness to extend yourself to the extreme—is not one that can be acquired overnight. But it can be taught to children and developed in adults. Confidence builds up. Surely, there will be setbacks (挫折) and disappointments in life; boldness in itself is no guarantee of success. But the person who tries to do something and fails is a lot better off than the person who tries to do nothing and succeeds.

So, always try to live a little bit beyond your abilities—and you’ll find your abilities are greater than you ever dreamed.

1. Why was the author sometimes unable to reach his goal in the past?

A．He faced huge risks.

B．He lacked mighty forces.

C．Fear prevented him from trying.

D．Failure blocked his way to success.

2. What is the implied meaning of the underlined part?

A．Swallow more than you can digest.

B．Act slightly above your abilities.

C．Develop more mysterious powers.

D．Learn to make creative decisions.

3. What can be learned from Paragraph 5?

A．Confidence grows more rapidly in adults.

B．Trying without success is meaningless.

C．Repeated failure creates a better life.

D．Boldness can be gained little by little.

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

A．To encourage people to be courageous.

B．To advise people to build up physical power.

C．To tell people the ways to guarantee success.

D．To recommend people to develop more abilities.