Jay Wilson was my English teacher at Lake Forest High School. It was him realized my potential in writing, and his made me a writer eventually.
He was kind to me, but I had no that he took particular notice of me. There were other kids in the class, and soon I fell back into my usual and thought that I was just a little over average in most things. Near the end of the term, we began to read the play--Macbeth. Believe me, this is not an easy play for high school students to understand, I spent a lot of time reading it. After working till the night before it was due, I wrote a paper about the — the first paper I typed on a typewriter — and turned it the next day.
I got a good on it, and below the grade Mr. Wilson wrote, “Sure you become a writer.” That was it. Those six words were written in his clear and neat handwriting. It was the first time he or anyone had in any way that writing was a option for me. We’d never had any writers in our family line, and we didn’t know any writers personally, even , so writing for a living didn’t seem something to me. But then, just like that, Jay Wilson tapped my hidden and let me see a wider world.
Over the next 10 years, I often about Mr. Wilson’s six words. Whenever I felt discouraged, it was those six words that came back to me and gave me . When a few instructors in college gently and not-so-gently tried to tell me I had no talent, I held Mr. Wilson’s before me to protect myself. I didn’t what anyone else thought. Mr. Wilson, head of the whole English department at Lake Forest High, I could be a writer. So I put my head down and struggled forward. 396
A．when B．who C．how D．where
A．knowledge B．confidence C．influence D．assignment
A．intention B．concern C．doubt D．sense
A．older B．smarter C．richer D．luckier
A．location B．position C．motivation D．qualification
A．so B．but C．or D．for
A．work B．term C．class D．play
A．on B．off C．in D．up
A．grade B．praise C．idea D．start
A．wonder B．hope C．make D．help
A．arranged B．persuaded C．announced D．indicated
A．career B．study C．hobby D．method
A．distantly B．frequently C．actually D．obviously
A．necessary B．precious C．different D．available
A．talent B．memory C．secret D．opinion
A．worried B．thought C．heard D．wrote
A．impression B．improvement C．imagination D．strength
A．actions B．wisdom C．words D．duty
A．care B．predict C．ignore D．learn
A．proved B．said C．promised D．answered
通读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后在各题所给的A、 B、C、D四个选项中，选出一个最佳答案。
One afternoon I was sitting at my favorite table in a restaurant, waiting for the food I had ordered to arrive. Suddenly I that a man sitting at a table near the window kept glancing in my direction, he knew me. The man had a newspaper in front of him, which he was to read, but I could that he was keeping an eye on me. When the waiter brought my the man was clearly confused by the way in which the waiter and I each other. He seemed even more puzzled as went on and it became that all the waiters in the restaurant knew me. Finally he got up and went into the . When he came out, he paid his bill and without another glance in my direction.
I called the owner of the restaurant and asked what the man had . “Well,” he said, “that man was a detective (侦探). He you here because he thought you were the man be . ” “What?” I said, showing my . The owner continued, “He came into the kitchen and showed me a photo of the wanted man. I say he looked very much like you! Of course, since we know you, we told him that he had made a ”. “Well, it’s really I came to a restaurant where I’m known,” I said. “ , I might have been in trouble. ”
A．knew B．understood C．noticed D．recognized
A．since B．even if C．though D．as if
A．flat B．open C．cut D．fixed
A．hoping B．thinking C．pretending D．continuing
A．see B．find C．guess D．learn
A．menu B．bill C．paper D．food
A．direct B．familiar C．strange D．funny
A．chatted with B．looked at C．laughed at D．talked about
A．the waiter B．time C．I D．the dinner
A．true B．hopeful C．clear D．possible
A．restaurant B．washroom C．office D．kitchen
A．left B．acted C．sat down D．calmed down
A．wanted B．tried C．ordered D．wished
A．met B．caught C．followed D．discovered
A．was to beat B．was dealing with C．was to meet D．was looking for
A．care B．surprise C．worry D．regret
A．must B．can C．need D．may
A．discovery B．mistake C．decision D．fortune
A．a pity B．natural C．a chance D．lucky
A．Thus B．However C．Otherwise D．Therefore
My job was to make classroom observations and encourage a training program that would enable students to feel good about themselves and take charge of their lives. Donna was one of the volunteer teachers who participated in this .
One day, I entered Donna’s classroom, took a seat in the back of the room and . All the students were working a task. The student next to me was filling her page with “I Can’ts.” “I can’t kick the soccer ball.” “I can’t get Debbie to like me.” Her page was half full and she showed no of stopping. I walked down the row and found was writing sentences, describing things they couldn’t do.
By this time the activity aroused my , so I decided to check with the teacher to see what was going on I noticed she too was busy writing. “I can’t get John’s mother to come for a parents’ meeting.” I felt it best not to .
After another ten minutes, the students were to fold the papers in half and bring them to the front. They placed their “I Can’t” statements into an empty shoebox.Then Donna hers. She put the lid(盖子) on the box, tucked it under her arm and headed out the door. Students followed the teacher. I followed the students. Halfway down the hallway Donna got a shovel(铁铲) from the tool house, and then marched the students to the farthest corner of the playground. There they began to . The box of “I Can’ts” was placed at the of the hole and then quickly covered with dirt.At this point Donna announced, “Boys and girls, please join hands and your heads.” They quickly formed a circle around the grave.
Donna delivered the eulogy (悼词). “Friends, we gathered here today to the memory of ‘I Can’t.’ He is by his brothers and sisters ‘I Can’ and ‘I Will’.May ‘I Can’t’ rest in . Amen!”
She turned the students and marched them back into the classroom. They celebrated the of “I Can’t”. Donna cut a large tombstone from paper. She wrote the words “I Can’t” at the top and the date at the bottom, then hung it in the classroom. On those rare occasions when a student and said, “I Can’t,” Donna pointed to the paper tombstone. The student then remembered that “I Can’t” was dead and chose other statement.
A．job B．project C．observation D．course
A．checked B．noticed C．watched D．waited
A．on B．with C．as D．for
A．scenes B．senses C．marks D．signs
A．nobody B．somebody C．everyone D．anyone
A．curiosity B．suspect C．sympathy D．worry
A．and B．or C．but D．so
A．insert B．interrupt C．talk D．request
A．taught B．shown C．forced D．instructed
A．added B．wrote C．made D．folded
A．cry B．pray C．dig D．play
A．back B．bottom C．top D．edge
A．drop B．raise C．fall D．lift
A．keep B．thank C．forgive D．honor
A．remembered B．punished C．removed D．replaced
A．silence B．heart C．peace D．memory
A．down B．up C．off D．around
A．birth B．passing C．loss D．starting
A．awoke B．reminded C．forgot D．apologized
A．simply B．hardly C．seriously D．angrily
When I stopped by to get a newspaper, a tall, sincere man came over to me asking for help with directions. With a printout of Google maps, he was looking for a on the main street, but just couldn't find it. After checking out his written directions, I mapped it on my phone and showed him where he needed to go.
He, in , mentioned that he had tried going there, but there was no such street number and he just couldn't locate his hotel. I it again for him. He thanked me with a big smile, shook my hand, and . I got into my car and he got into his, and we ways. As I drove to the next grocery store and went in, I sensed wrong about the directions－so I Googled the address again and _ that he was looking for the right address but in a city half an hour away!
it had been several minutes, and in the peak rush hour time, the chances of finding him a mile away－where he was surely still looking around－were . But I thought I'd give it a（an） and set off in that direction. I'd noticed what his car looked like, and was just about to give up. I parked my car as I considered what else I could do－ , like magic, he drove right by and pulled over into a nearby parking spot, still about where the hotel was.
When I next to him, he couldn't believe it: " did you find me?!" he asked. "I'm not sure, but I that you are in the wrong city!" I showed him the right directions, and after more and a handshake, we . ' Likely that we'll never meet again, and that makes it much more _ .
A．museum B．parking spot C．hotel D．grocery store
A．constantly B．exactly C．absolutely D．completely
A．relief B．panic C．delight D．puzzlement
A．confirmed B．evaluated C．analyzed D．adjusted
A．took off B．took up C．took down D．took over
A．lost B．parted C．fought D．pushed
A．nothing B．anything C．something D．everything
A．realized B．considered C．determined D．acknowledged
A．Hopefully B．Unbelievably C．Consequently D．Unfortunately
A．big B．vital C．slim D．Obvious
A．beginning B．end C．change D．try
A．hardly B．merely C．regularly D．occasionally
A．while B．before C．when D．since
A．at a loss B．at a risk C．at ease D．at peace
A．put out B．put up C．pulled down D．pulled in
A．Where B．Why C．When D．How
A．tried out B．figured out C．burst out D．carried out
A．luck B．smiles C．greetings D．praise
A．left together B．returned home C．waved goodbye D．rushed away
A．useful B．sweet C．common D．wrong
How far would you walk to learn about something that interested you? When he was young, Jacob Lawrence often walked more than sixty from his home in the Harlem section of New York City to the Metropolitan Museum of Art．Jacob wanted to be a（n） ，and he believed that studying the famous paintings in that museum would help him．
It was 1930,when many people were out of work, money was and people suffered a lot．Still the streets were with energy and color．As he walked through Harlem, Jacob looked hard at the people, the churches, and barbershops and so on．He those images in his mind, along with the images of paintings he saw in the ．
Jacob came from a poor family．His mother believed there was little chance her son could grow up to be a successful painter．She wanted him to aim for something more ．But Jacob's teacher, Alston, in an art program saw that he was talented．Alston him how to use paints to make stage sets．
As time passed, Alston let Jacob rent work space in his own studio． That was an exciting place for a young black man to become an artist．Many creative people there to talk about art, literature and history．From their ,Jacob learned that history books often the accomplishments of African Americans．He decided to paint a sel1es of pictures describing the story of a black hero．He Toussaint, who had helped free his people French ruling．
Many people admired Jacob's pictures, but he needed admiration．To help his family, he often had to work at jobs that him away from painting．Then something encouraging happened．An artist named Augusta got Jacob a job．For eighteen months, Jacob was given a to paint pictures． For the first time, he felt like a artist．
A．steps B．blocks C．buildings D．avenues
A．artist B．tutor C．scholar D．official
A．swinging B．existing C．hanging D．twisting
A．blank B．loose C．tough D．tight
A．lined B．decorated C．associated D．filled
A．stored B．received C．created D．remembered
A．museum B．studio C．church D．street
A．whether B．which C．that D．when
A．precious B．practical C．standard D．flexible
A．recommended B．reminded C．provided D．showed
A．hesitating B．struggling C．marching D．participating
A．settled B．wandered C．gathered D．rushed
A．experiences B．performances C．accents D．conversations
A．acknowledged B．accused C．ignored D．witnessed
A．chose B．accepted C．counted D．employed
A．against B．from C．for D．with
A．more than B．rather than C．other than D．less than
A．broke B．gave C．permitted D．took
A．award B．title C．salary D．prize
A．permanent B．popular C．positive D．professional
English was always my favorite subject. In my freshman year of high school, I could write a killer composition. In my second year, my teacher me to give spelling tests to the class. I had a time of my junior year. Mrs Alexander me to sit at her desk and take over the class when she had to leave the room. Only my senior English class was , as we had a teacher right out of college who expected work. Every student received a "C" or "D" grade the first quarter. But English was still my favorite subject.
I graduated from high school, early and had children. about my English, I often helped my kids with their English homework. And I wrote long articles and beautiful poetry as a columnist for a newspaper. Fifteen years later, I went to college, and because I had been an "A" student, I remained an "A" student. I up to my own expectations.
Yesterday, I my high school report cards when I was reading old papers. That bundle of report cards back the old days. I remembered sitting in my advisor's office, explaining that I had always be at English, and recommending that I did not deserve a '"D" from that inexperienced teacher of my senior year. The advisor was but unable to change a （an） . Reading through my old report cards revealed something else too. I wanted to them or hide them. I was not an "A" student in high school English! Somehow, I had myself of this, when the grades clearly reflected an average student with an "A" or "B" but mostly "C” S.
Had I lived up to those grades and myself according to those letters, I would have never confidently sought my writing career. Had I my early grades instead of myself, I would have allowed my fear of failure to enthusiasm and damage my creativity. Instead, I my younger self as an "A" English student, except for that undeserved "D".
A．scolded B．allowed C．ordered D．reminded
A．bad B．complex C．terrible D．wonderful
A．approve B．appointed C．expected D．urged
A．flexible B．creative C．disappointing D．controversial
A．college-level B．based C．difficult D．easy
A．married B．worked C．succeeded D．progressed
A．Sad B．Confident C．Anxious D．Curious
A．added B．lived C．grew D．went
A．counted B．remembered C．approached D．discovered
A．brought B．turned C．held D．kept
A．nervous B．excelled C．poor D．terrible
A．impolite B．impatient C．inexperienced D．sympathetic
A．grade B．figure C．paper D．entry
A．tear B．fire C．cry D．escape
A．warned B．reminded C．informed D．convinced
A．average B．enthusiastic C．outstanding D．occasional
A．considered B．defined C．reflected D．described
A．abandoned B．given C．believed in D．doubted
A．change B．risk C．defeat D．reminded
A．looked B．viewed C．sang D．criticized