Dear Cassy,
Thanks for reminding me by e-mail that you want to baby-sit our children. Although you are only 12 years old, my wife and I would be willing to consider your application（申请）if you can meet(满足) a few requirements:
1）Send us three letters from teachers who will prove that you have never failed to follow instructions perfectly in class and never failed to hand in your homework on time.
2）Send us a note from two doctors who will prove that you are in perfect health, have never been sick, and never will be sick.
3）Send us a document from your physical education teacher or team coach that proves that you can do each of the following: Run two miles in less than four minutes, climb an oiled rope to a height of twenty feet in thirty seconds while balancing a glass of water on your nose, and walk in bare feet over hot coals and broken glass without injury.
4）Send us notarized（得到公证的）letters from at least two mental health experts saying that you have never had an envious thought towards other people.
5）Play and defeat five expert chess players while blindfolded（蒙着眼睛）after going without sleep for 48 hours.
6)Wait patiently（耐心地）for two years while we have investigators（调查）certify（确保）that all your documents（文件）are real.
Your loving and trusting friends,
The SmithsThe Smiths send their message to Cassy by .
| A．e-mail | B．a letter | C．a newspaper | D．a report |
According to the first paragraph, .
| A．the Smiths must have had an advertisement made, saying that they want someone to look after their children |
| B．the Smiths have informed Cassy that they need some children |
| C．the Smiths have promised to provide what Cassy asked for |
| D．the Smiths would be very glad if Cassy can meet their requirements |
What is the attitude of the Smiths about hiring the 12-year old girl to look after their baby?
| A．The Smiths try to tell her how to baby-sit children. |
| B．The Smiths don’t think a girl is good for the job. |
| C．The Smiths don’t want to hire her. |
| D．The Smiths are willing to offer her the job. |
Which of the requirements mentioned by the Smiths do you think Cassy can meet?
| A．All of them | B．Half of them |
| C．None of them | D．Most of them |
The entertainment profession or “show business" attracts many young people. Unfortunately, only very few can hope to become famous and successful. Talent is not enough, because show business is as competitive as any other business .Without a good manager ,a performer can never hope to succeed .Fashion is important in this business, too. The best tailor in the world will never be a success if he makes old-fashioned clothes. In exactly the same way, a performer must change his “act" in order to follow the taste of the moment. This is true for actors, dancers and comedians, but perhaps most of all singers.
“Pop" stands for “popular" and a pop singer has to work very hard to become popular .He must either give the public what they already want, or he must find a new way of singing that will attract their attention. Even when he has succeeded, and his records are sold everywhere, he can not relax. Then he must work harder than ever because there are always younger singers trying to become famous and to steal some of the popularity.The life of a successful pop singer is not at all easy. He can only relax when he is alone, because everything he does is watched and reported in the special newspaper written for the “fans”. The fans are the most important people in the world for the singers. They buy his records, they go to his concerts and they make him rich and famous. But they can be very annoying, too. Sometimes their enthusiasm get so hysterical that they do anything to get a “souvenir"（纪念品）. They steal handkerchiefs, they tear off buttons, and they even cut off pieces of the unfortunate singer's hair. Many singers have been forced to hide. A pop singer has to spend a lot of money on clothes, because he must always look smart or at any rate different. He must have a luxurious car. And — most important — he must always keep smiling for the benefit of his public.Why must a pop singer have a good manager?___________.
| A．To protect him from his fans | B．To look after his business interests |
| C．To help him to change his “act" | D．So that he can relax |
Why must a pop singer work even harder when he has become famous?___________
| A．Because he wants to attract the attention of the public |
| B．Because he wants to sell more records |
| C．Because he wants to become popular |
| D．Because he wants to stay popular |
For a pop singer , the most important advantage of having fans is that____.
| A．they buy his CDs or VCDs. They go to his concerts, and watch his MTV |
| B．they watch him and report everything he does |
| C．they shout and cry very loudly during the performance |
| D．they make him rich and famous |
One of the keys to being successful is persistence（坚持）．Once you have determined exactly what you want to achieve, you must take active action in order to succeed.
One of the things you'll notice on your journey towards your goal are roadblocks. That is, you will come across obstacles（障碍） to discourage your progress. Actually, they are a part of life. Everyone would have every success they ever wanted if there were no obstacles. Your job is to be persistent and work through those obstacles. If you find little or no obstacles along the way, chances are that you are not really challenging yourself. And when you do reach your goal, you won't experience the feeling of "sweet success". Make your goal a challenging one!
If you take the time to study any successful person, you will learn that the vast majority of them have had more "failures" than they have had "successes". This is because successful people are persistent; the more they stumble（绊倒）and fall, the more they get right back up and get going again. On the other hand, people that don't get back up and try again, never reach success. For example, Walt Disney was turned down 302 times before he got financing for his dream of creating the "Happiest Place on Earth". Today, due to his persistence, millions of people have shared "the joy of Disney".
Having known these facts, keep in mind that you must constantly reevaluate（再评估）your circumstances and the approach you are using to reach your goal. There is no sense in being persistent at something that you are doing incorrectly! Sometimes you have to modify（修改）your approach along the way. Every time you do something you learn from it, and
therefore find a better way to do it the next time.
Today is the day to begin your journey, using consistency and persistency, towards tomorrow's successes!The author seems to hold the belief that.
| A．challenges we come across are beneficial |
| B．obstacles will surely lead to someone’s success |
| C．the more obstacles we have, the more discouraged we feel |
| D．it’s rewarding to enjoy the feeling of“sweet success” |
Which can be inferred from the text?
| A．Making a practical goal will ensure your success. |
| B．Having a beautiful picture will lead to your success. |
| C．Never giving up in face of failure may contribute to your success. |
| D．Suffering from more failures will make you disappointed. |
What must you reevaluate constantly?
| A．Attitudes and skills. | B．Circumstances and ways. |
| C．Roadblocks and challenges. | D．Failures and successes. |
What’s the text mainly about?
| A．Persistence makes for success | B．Overcome obstacles |
| C．Challenge yourself | D．Failure is the mother of success |
New picture
The National Gallery now has a fine still life by the 18th century Dutch painter Jan van Os．This large picture （89.1 cm x 71cm） of flowers and fruit is painted in light bright colours on wood．It is one of the first pictures of this type in the Gallery．The picture is signed and dated 1777 and 1778．It is not unusual for a picture to be dated two years: the artist waited for particular flowers to come out in their different seasons in order to paint them．This picture was given to the Gallery by Miss Violet Churchman in memory of her sister Ida Nancy. It is now on show in Room 25.
Special exhibition
The exhibition "Painting in Spain During the Late 18th Century" opened in the Sunley Room on 15 March．Recently the Gallery has bought works by three Spanish painters of this period—Paret, Melendez and Francisco Bayeu, who are the focus of the exhibition．These three artists are also joined by Francisco's brother Ramon, by Antonio Gonzalez and two Italians who worked in Spain during these years—Corrado Giaquinto and Giovanni Battista Tiepolo．The exhibition runs until 31 May.
Lecture news Lectures will be given along with the special exhibition every Wednesday．On 8 April, Lizzie Barker will discuss the work of Melendez, while on 15 April, Sarah Symmons will lecture on Luis Patter．On 22 and 29 April, Juliet Wilson will talk about Francisco Bayeu．On 25 April, a Saturday, Erika Langmuir will explain how artists often "tell a story" through their pictures.What does "still life" in Paragraph 1 probably mean?
| A．A painting of unmoving objects． | B．A picture of a country scene. |
| C．A drawing done in pencil． | D．A portrait shown in a public place. |
How many artists' paintings are on show at the special exhibition?
| A．Three． | B．Five． | C．Seven． | D．Eight. |
Which speaker will lecture on a general topic rather than on particular artists?
| A．Juliet Wilson． | B．Lizzie Barker. |
| C．Sarah Symmons． | D．Erika Langmuir. |
Where will this passage most probably be found?
| A．In the booklet of a gallery． | B．In a textbook. |
| C．In an academic magazine． | D．In a picture album. |
Would you believe that the first outstanding deaf teacher in America was a Frenchman? His name was Laurent Clerc. He became a friend of Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and together they founded America's first school for the deaf.
Laurent Clerc was born in a small village near Lyons, France, on December 26, 1785. When he was one year old, he fell into a fire, losing both his hearing and his sense of smell.
At 12, Laurent entered the Royal Institution for the Deaf in Paris where he did well in his studies. After he graduated, the school asked him to stay on as an assistant teacher.
Meanwhile, in America, Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet was studying to be a minister. He was very concerned about the lack of educational opportunities for the deaf. Therefore, in 1815, Gallaudet sailed to London, England to seek ideas on how to teach deaf people. While he was there, he met a French educator of the deaf who invited him to go to Paris to spend three months learning at the Royal Institution for the Deaf, the school where Laurent Clerc was teaching. Gallaudet accepted the offer. The two worked and studied well together. When the time came for Gallaudet to return, he asked Clerc to come with him. Clerc accepted on one condition: that he would stay in America only a short time.
The two men set sail on June 18, 1816. The voyage across the Atlantic Ocean took 52 days; however, Clerc and Gallaudet put the time to good use. Clerc studied English, and Gallaudet studied sign language. They discussed the school for the deaf which they planned to open. On the long trip, they had many conversations about education and deafness. The year after they arrived, they founded a school for the deaf in Harford, Connecticut.
At the school, Clerc led a busy life. He taught signs to Principal Gallaudet; he taught the pupils; and he taught hearing men who came to the school to study deaf education.
In 1819, Clerc married Eliza Crocker Boardman, one of his pupils. They had six children. He retired from teaching in 1858. Although he had intended to return to France, he never did. He died on July 18, 1869 in the United States.Why did Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet sail to London?
| A．He needed to finish his studies to become a minister. |
| B．It was the easiest way to get to France. |
| C．He wanted to study their system of deaf education. |
| D．He wanted to marry Alice Cogswell. |
On their trip from Paris to America, Clerc and Gallaudet ___________.
| A．played cards and socialized |
| B．studied and discussed their plans for a deaf school |
| C．founded a school for the deaf |
| D．Gallaudet studied English and Clerc studied Sign Language |
Which is the right order of the things Clerc did？
| A．met Gallaudet, moved to America, got married, went to school in Paris. |
| B．met Gallaudet, went to school in Paris, moved to America, got married. |
| C．went to school in Paris, met Gallaudet, moved to America, got married. |
| D．got married, went to school in Paris, met Gallaudet, moved to America. |
The main idea of this passage could best be stated as_________.
| A．Clerc managed his time well, and was able to teach a lot of information in a short period of time |
| B．Thomas Gallaudet was grateful to Clerc for all that he taught him |
| C．Clerc preferred teaching deaf students to hearing students |
| D．Clerc, an educated Frenchman, had a great impact on American Deaf Education |
TODAY, Friday, November 12
JAZZ with the Mike Thomas Jazz Band at The Derby Arms. Upper Richmond Road West, Sheen.
DISCO Satin Sounds Disco. Free at The Lord Napier, Mort lake High St., from 8a. m. to 8p.m.
Tel: 682—1158.
SATURDAY, November 13
JAZZ Lysis at The Bull’s Head, Barnes. Admission 60p.
MUSICAL HALL at The Star and Garter, Lower Richmond Road, Putney, provided by the Aba Daba Music Hall company. Good food and entertainment fair price. Tel: 789—6749.
MFAMILY night out? Join the sing-along at The Black Horse. Sheen Road, Richmond. The John Bennett Big Band at The Bull’s Head, Barnes. Admission 80p.
ATHE DERBY ARMS, Upper Richmond Road West, give you Joe on the electric accordion(手风琴).
Tel: 789—4536
SUNDAY, November 14
DISCO Satin Sounds Disco, free at The Lord Napier, Mort Lake High Street, from 8 am to 8 p.m.
FOLK MUSIC at The Derby Arms, Upper Richmond Road. The Short Stuff and residents the Norman Chop Trio. Non-remembers 70p. Tel: 688—4626. HEAVY MUSIC with Tony Simon at The Bull, Upper Richmond Road. Where and when can you hear the Norman Chop Trio?
| A．At the Bull’s Head on Sunday. |
| B．At the Derby Arms on Sunday. |
| C．At the Bull on Saturday. |
| D．At the Black Horse on Saturday. |
Where and when can you hear the Mike Thomas Jazz Band?
| A．At the Derby Arms on Friday. |
| B．At the Black Horse on Friday. |
| C．At the Star and Garter on Saturday. |
| D．At the Derby Arms on Sunday. |
You want to enjoy the electric accordion on Saturday. Which telephone number do you have to ring to find out what time it starts?
| A．789—6749. | B．789—4536. | C．682—1158. | D．688—4626. |
You want to spend the Saturday by joining the entertainment with your family. Where should you go?
| A．Disco at The Lord Napier. |
| B．The sing-along at The Black Horse. |
| C．The electric accordion at The Derby Arms. |
| D．Jazz at The Bull’s Head. |
You want to spend the same day at two different places and don’t want to cross any street. Which of the following is your best choice?
| A．The sing-along at the Black Horse and Jazz at The Bull’s Head. |
| B．The sing-along at The Black Horse and Folk Music at The Derby Arms. |
| C．Folk Music at The Derby Arms and Heavy Music with Tony Simon at The Bull. |
| D．Musical Hal lat The Star ＆Garter and Disco at The Lord Napier. |