Once again, I was in a new school. So was a girl in my class named Lisa. That’s where the similarities ended.
I was tall and she was small. My thick black hair had been recently cut short into an untidy style. Her natural blonde hair flowed to her waist and looked great. I was 12 and one of the oldest in the class while she was 11 and the youngest. I was awkward and shy. She wasn’t. I couldn’t stand her, considering her my enemy. But she liked me and wanted to be friends.
One day, she invited me over and I said yes—I was too shocked to answer any other way. My family had moved six times in six years, and I had never managed to develop any friendships. But this girl who wore the latest fashions wanted me to go home with her after school.
She lived in a fun part of town that had two pizza places, an all-right bookstore, a movie theater and a park. As we walked from the school bus stop through her neighborhood, I tried to guess which house might be hers. Was it the white one with the perfect lawn or the three –story house with a front porch? I got very surprised when she led me into an old apartment building. She lived on the fourth floor in a two-room place with her mother, her stepfather, her two brothers and her sister.
When we got into the room she shared with her sister, she took out a big case of Barbies, which was my next surprise. I had never played with them. We sat on the floor, laughing as we made up crazy stories about the Barbies. We found out that we both wanted to be writers when we were older and both had wild imaginations. We had a great day that afternoon .
Lisa was loved by the whole neighborhood. The bookstore owners lent her fashion magazines; the movie theater gave her free tickets…. Soon I was included in her magic world. We slept over at each other’s houses and spent every free moment together.
Lisa, my first real friend since childhood, helped me get through the rough years of early adolescence and taught me an amazing and very surprising thing about making friends: your worst enemy can turn out to be your best friend.The writer and Lisa were similar in the way that .
| A．they were both new students |
| B．they had the same hair styles |
| C．they were both tall |
| D．they were of the same age |
One day Lisa invited the writer .
| A．to go to the movie |
| B．to go to walk in a park |
| C．to go to her home |
| D．to go to a pizza place |
In the passage the writer described Lisa as a girl who was .
| A．friendly and lovely | B．rich and happy |
| C．quiet and lonely | D．awkward and shy |
Which of the following did the writer learn from Lisa?
| A．How to make up stories. | B．How to deal with enemies. |
| C．How to live a better life. | D．How to make friends. |
It is widely known that any English conversation begins with The Weather. Such a fixation with the weather finds expression in Dr. Johnson's famous comment that “When two English meet, their first talk is of weather.” Though Johnson's observation is as accurate now as it was over two hundred years ago, most commentators fail to come up with a convincing explanation for this English weather speak.
Bill Bryson, for example, concludes that, as the English weather is not at all exciting, the obsession with it can hardly be understood. He argues that “To an outsider, the most striking thing about the English weather is that there is not very much of it.” Simply, the reason is that the unusual and unpredictable weather is almost un-known in the British Isles.
Jeremy Paxman, however, disagrees with Bryson, arguing that the English weather is by nature attractive. Bryson is wrong, he says, because the English preference for the weather has nothing to do with the natural phenomena. “The interest is less in the phenomena themselves, but in uncertainty.” According to him, the weather in England is very changeable and uncertain and it attracts the English as well as the outsider.
Bryson and Paxman stand for common misconceptions about the weather-speak among the English. Both commentators, somehow, are missing the point. The English weather conversation is not really about the weather at all. English weather-speak is a system of signs, which is developed to help the speakers overcome the natural reserve and actually talk to each other. Everyone knows conversations starting with weather-speak are not requests for weather data. Rather, they are routine greetings, conversation starters or the blank “fillers “. In other words, English weather-speak is a means of social bonding. The author mentions Dr. Johnson's comment to show that _________.
| A．most commentators agree with Dr. Johnson |
| B．Dr. Johnson is famous for his weather observation |
| C．the comment was accurate two hundred years ago |
| D．English conversations usually start with the weather |
What does the underlined word “obsession “most probably refer to?
| A．A social trend. | B．An emotional state. |
| C．A historical concept. | D．An unknown phenomenon. |
According to the passage, Jeremy Paxman believes that _________.
| A．Bill Bryson has little knowledge of the weather |
| B．there is nothing special about the English weather |
| C．the English weather attracts people to the British Isles |
| D．English people talk about the weather for its uncertainty |
What is the author's main purpose of writing the passage?
| A．To explain what English weather-speak is about. |
| B．To analyse misconceptions about the English weather. |
| C．To find fault with both Bill Bryson and Jeremy Paxman. |
| D．To convince people that the English weather is changeable. |
Dear Friend,
The recent success of children's books has made the general public aware that there's a huge market out there.
And there's a growing need for new writers trained to create the $3 billion worth of children's books bought each year " ，plus stories and articles needed by over 650 publishers of magazines for children and teenagers.
Who are these needed writers? They're ordinary folks like you and me.
But am I good enough? I was once where you might be now. My thoughts of writing had been pushed down by self-doubt, and I didn't know where to turn for help.
Then, I accepted a free offer from the Institute to test my writing aptitude(潜能），and it turned out to be the inspiration I needed.
The promise that paid off
The Institute made the same promise to me that they will make to you, if you show basic writing ability ：
You will complete at least one manuscript (手稿)suitable to hand in to a publisher by the time you finish our course.
I really didn't expect any publication before I finished the course, but that happened. I sold three stories. And I soon discovered that was not unusual at the Institute.
Since graduation, I have authored 34 nationally published children's books and over 300 stories and articles.
Free test and brochure
We offer a free aptitude test and will send you a copy of our brochure describing our recognized home-study courses on the basis of one-on-one training.
Realize your writing dream today. There's nothing sadder than a dream delayed until it fades forever.
Sincerely,
Kristi Holl, Instructor
Institute of Children's Literature From the first three paragraphs, we learn that _________.
| A．children's books are usually bestsellers |
| B．publishers are making $3 billion each year |
| C．magazines for teenagers have drawn public attention |
| D．there is a growing need for writers of children's books |
When finishing the course, you are promised to _________.
| A．be a successful publisher |
| B．become a confident editor |
| C．finish one work for publication |
| D．get one story or article published |
Kristi Holl mentions her experience mainly to _________.
| A．prove she is a good instructor |
| B．promote the writing program |
| C．give her advice on course preparation |
| D．show she sold more stories than articles |
Imagination and fantasy can play an important role in achieving the things we fear. Children know this very well. Fred Epstein, in his book If I Make It to Five, tells a story he heard from one of his friends about Tom, a four-year-old boy with a cancer in his back bone. He came through several operations and a lot of pain by mastering his imagination.
Tom loved to pretend, and he particularly loved to play super-heroes. Dr. Epstein explained that it was actually a brilliant way for his young mind to handle the terrifying and painful life he led.
The day before his third trip to the operating room, Tom was terribly afraid. " Maybe I could go as Superman " ，he whispered to his mom. Hearing this, the mother hesitated for a while. She had a-voided buying the expensive costume (戏装），but finally she a-greed.
The next day Tom appeared as the powerful Superman, showing off through the hospital halls and coolly waving his hand to the people greeting him along the way. And Tom, with the strength of his fantasy, successfully made it through the operation.
The power of for imagination need not be reserved for children only. We all have the power to use our fantasies to attempt things we never thought possible, to go through those things that seem impossible, and to achieve what we never believed we could. Just as Dr. Epstein puts it, “If you can dream it, you can do it.”
It doesn't mean that you should dress as a superhero for your next job interview. But, next time you are tested in a way that seems impossible, imagine what it would take to overcome it. Become the person you need to become to win over your challenge and do it in your mind first. So, let your imagination run wild, and dare to dream. What do we know about Tom?
| A．He was seriously ill. | B．He was a dishonest boy. |
| C．He was crazy about magic. | D．He was Dr. Epstein's patient. |
What can be inferred about Tom's mother?
| A．She was a rich lady. |
| B．She refused Tom's request. |
| C．She wanted Tom to be a superhero. |
| D．She wanted to get Tom through the pain. |
When Tom went for the third operation, he _________.
| A．pretended to be painful | B．acted like a superhero |
| C．appeared in poor spirits | D．argued with his mother |
In the last paragraph, you are advised _________.
| A．to go through some difficult tests |
| B．to wake up from your wild dreams |
| C．to become a powerful person in your mind |
| D．to wear expensive clothes for job interviews |
What is the purpose of the passage?
| A．To tell us an interesting story. |
| B．To help us make right decisions. |
| C．To advise us to care about children. |
| D．To encourage us to use our imagination. |
In 1947 a group of famous people from the art world headed by an Austrian conductor decided to hold an international festival of music, dance and theatre in Edinburgh. The idea was to reunite Europe after the Second World War.
It quickly attracted famous names such as Alec Guinness, Richard Burton, Dame Margot Fonteyn and Marlene Dietrich as well as the big symphony orchestras (交响乐团）. It became a fixed e-vent every August and now attracts 400，000 people yearly.
At the same time, the “Fringe " appeared as a challenge to the official festival. Eight theatre groups turned up uninvited in 1947，in the belief that everyone should have the right to perform, and they did so in a public house disused for years.
Soon, groups of students firstly from Edinburgh University, and later from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, Durham and Birmingham were making the journey to the Scottish capital each summer to perform theatre by little-known writers of plays in small church halls to the people of Edinburgh.
Today the " Fringe " ，once less recognized, has far outgrown the festival with around 1，500 performances of theatre, music and dance on every one of the 21 days it lasts. And yet as early as1959，with only 19 theatre groups performing, some said it was get-ting too big.
A paid administrator was first employed only in 1971，and to-day there are eight administrators working all year round and the number rises to 150 during August itself. In 2004 there were 200places housing 1，695 shows by over 600 different groups from 50different countries. More than 1. 25 million tickets were sold. What was the purpose of Edinburgh Festival at the beginning?
| A．To bring Europe together again. |
| B．To honor heroes of World War Ⅱ. |
| C．To introduce young theatre groups. |
| D．To attract great artists from Europe. |
Why did some uninvited theatre groups come to Edinburgh in 1947?
| A．They owned a public house there. |
| B．They came to take up a challenge. |
| C．They thought they were also famous. |
| D．They wanted to take part in the festival. |
Who joined the “Fringe “after it appeared?
| A．Popular writers. |
| B．University students. |
| C．Artists from around the world. |
| D．Performers of music and dance. |
We may learn from the text that Edinburgh Festival _________.
| A．has become a non-official event |
| B．has gone beyond an art festival |
| C．gives shows all year round |
| D．keeps growing rapidly. |
I was working with a client who was completely burned out on her career and life and then ready for a career change. As we were talking, she said, “I just wish I had meaningful work. I don't feel like I am making a difference. I am just wasting my life. “This is the theme I hear most often from clients who have been in the work-force a while. All of us want to feel like we are making a difference. We want to believe our work means something. The problem comes in defining “meaningful work “. What is it? That answer is different for everyone. For some meaningful work might be helping others organize their office. For others it may mean making a million dollars.
What really matters is how you see it. What is meaningful work to you? Take out a piece of paper and answer these questions. How do you define meaningful work? When do you feel like you are really making a difference? What work have you done so far that feels the most meaningful? Write down whatever comes to mind.
It is very easy to start judging yourself as being selfish. Stop! Allow yourself to be honest. The fact is when Picasso painted; he was doing it because he liked to paint. He was not thinking. “Oh, I hope this brings joy to others' lives.” He painted because he wanted to. When Beethoven composed, he did it because he loved music. Even scientists searching for a cure for cancer are immersed in their work because it fascinates them.
It is easy to downplay the importance of work that feels meaningful. I remember Tony Robbins told a story of talking with the owner of a major company. The man said to Tony, " I wish I could do what you do because it makes such a difference in people's lives. " Tony said, " You've got to be kidding！ Look at what a difference you make. You provide work, health insurance and security for thousands of people ！”Don’t underestimate the value you provide.
Take a look at what you have written about meaningful work. Do you see any themes? How do you wish to contribute to this world? Whatever you choose, remember that the greatest gift you can give is to find work that makes you feel fulfilled and joyful. Honor your preferences because giving your gifts to the world, whatever they look like, is the most meaningful action you can ever take. Which should come first to see whether you are doing something meaningful?
| A．What is meaningful work to you? |
| B．Where can you find meaningful work? |
| C．How do you wish to contribute to the world? |
| D．How can you make a difference in your work? |
What does the writer mean by mentioning the famous people?
| A．Famous people are selfish to start work for themselves. |
| B．Doing meaningful work requires our interest in it. |
| C．Interest is the best teacher in learning. |
| D．Honesty makes for the greatest people. |
When you “downplay “the value of your work, you tend to think it is _________.
| A．quite different | B．very successful |
| C．not meaningful | D．less important |
According to the passage, what meaningful job does the writer advise us to take?
| A．The one which is popular in society. |
| B．The one which brings you profits. |
| C．The one which wins you fame. |
| D．The one which interests you. |