Ayounggirliscallinganeighboras-优题课

That cold January night, I was growing sick of my life in San Francisco. There I was walking home at one in the morning after a tiring practice at the theater. With opening night only a week away, I was still learning my lines. I was having trouble dealing with my part-time job at the bank and my acting at night at the same time. As I walked, I thought seriously about giving up both acting and San Francisco. City life had become too much for me.
As I walked down empty streets under tall buildings, I felt very small and cold. I began running, both to keep warm and to keep away from any possible robbers. Very few people were still out except a few sad-looking homeless people under blankets.
About a block from my apartment, I heard a sound behind me. I turned quickly, half expecting to see someone with a knife or a gun. The street was empty. All I saw was a shining streetlight. Still, the noise had made me nervous, so I started to run faster. Not until I reached my apartment building and unlocked the door did I realize what the noise had been. It had been my wallet falling to the sidewalk.
Suddenly I wasn't cold or tired any more. I ran out of the door and back to where I'd heard the noise. Although I searched the sidewalk anxiously for fifteen minutes, my wallet was nowhere to be found.
Just as I was about to give up the search, I heard the garbage truck pull up to the sidewalk next to me. When a voice called from the inside, “Alisa Camacho？” I thought I was dreaming. How could this man know my name？ The door opened, and out jumped a small red-haired man with an amused look in his eyes. “Is this what you're looking for？” he asked, holding up a small square shape.
It was nearly 3 a.m. by the time I got into bed. I wouldn't get much sleep that night, but I had got my wallet back. I also had got back some enjoyment of city life. I realized that the city couldn't be a bad place as long as people were willing to help each other.
.. How did the writer feel when she was walking home after work？

A．Cold and sick	B．Lucky and hopeful
C．Satisfied and cheerful	D．Disappointed and helpless

. From the first paragraph, we learn that the writer was busy . .

A．solving her problem at the bank	B．taking part in various city activities
C．learning acting in an evening school	D．preparing for the first night show

.On her way home the writer ..

A．lost her wallet unknowingly

B．was stopped by a garbage truck driver

C．was robbed of her wallet by a man with a knife

D．found some homeless people following her

. In the fifth paragraph, why did the writer say she was dreaming？

A．Someone offered to take her back home	B．A red-haired man came to see her.
C．She heard someone call her name	D．Her wallet was found in a garbage truck

. From the text, we can infer that the writer ..

A．would stop working at night	B．would stay on in San Francisco
C．would make friends with cleaners.	D．would give up her job at the bank

I arrived at the bus station much too early for the London bus, which was not to leave until five to twelve. I pushed through the crowds, looking for somewhere to sit down. Scores of people were standing about, or struggling along with their bags and the cases to find the right lines. There was a party of school girls. I could see teachers trying to keep them in order. But there was nowhere for me to sit.
I stepped into the station buffet. I looked up at the clock there. It was only twenty to twelve. I found a seat opposite a large mirror on the wall. Just then a friend of mine called Jim came in and sat with me. "What time is your bus?" asked Jim. "Oh, there's a plenty of time yet," I answered. "Oh, I'll get some drinks then," said Jim. We talked while drinking. Then I looked at the clock again. "Good heavens! It's going backward!" I cried. "A moment ago it was twenty to twelve and now it's half past eleven." "You are looking at the clock in the mirror," said Jim. I could kick myself for being so stupid. I had not realized that the marks for one and eleven on the face of the clock were the same. The next bus was not to leave for another hour. I have never liked mirror since then.
. The London bus left ________.

A．at five to twelve	B．before five to twelve
C．after five to twelve	D．until five to twelve

.. The writer went to the station buffet because ________.

A．he was thirsty

B．he saw the station buffet was not so crowded

C．it was still early for his bus and he couldn't find a place to sit at the bus station

D．he had changed his mind; he wouldn't go to London

.. The writer sat ________.

A．behind a mirror	B．facing a mirror
C．under a mirror	D．near a mirror

. Jim came to the station buffet at about ________.

A．twenty to twelve	B．twenty past twelve
C．half past one	D．twenty past eleven

. What time was it when the writer looked at the clock again?
It was ________.

A．half past eleven	B．twelve thirty
C．twelve twenty	D．eleven thirty

LONDON (Reuters Life!) ---- Forget about talking your children into considering life as a doctor or a teacher and start training them for the talent show.
A survey of British parents showed the aspirations (志向) of their children are greatly different from what they dreamed about when considering who they wanted to be when they grew up.
Although astronaut (宇航员) still remains fairly high on the list of careers (事业) kids dream about these days, others like doctor and teacher have been taken the place of by the desire (欲望) to win good name and money as a sporting hero, pop star or actor.
The parents of children aged 5 to 11 said the choice of lawyer had dropped by only one place on a top 10 list to sixth, while teacher had dropped to ninth from top in the last 25 or more years.
The survey for British TV channel “Watch” found a great difference between the genders (性别) of today’s young people when compared with their parents’ dreams 25 years or more ago.
Playing professional football, being an astronaut and joining the firefighting service topped the boys’ choices, while girls are more likely to be dreaming of taking to the stage as a pop star or actress or joining the medical profession.
When asked what they would like their children to do for a living, today’s parents still like the academic (学术的) professions (职业), with law and medicine scoring highly, while being a boss came third.
Parents also praised job happiness above wealth (财富) when it comes to their hopes for their children.
Nearly 70 percent of the parents surveyed thought that they failed to follow their dreams when it came to their career, with 37 percent thinking it was caused by a lack of aspiration and not having the necessary conditions.
1.From the passage we know that most parents still hope that in the future their children can take up ______.
A. jobs such as musicians, singers and dancers
B. jobs related to academic professions like lawyers and doctors
C. jobs in which they will not be endangered
D. jobs which will be well paid only
2.The first paragraph is to advise parents to ______.
A. change their children’s dreams B. correct their children’s dreams
C. follow their children’s dreams D. forget their children’s dreams
3.According to the survey for British TV channel “Watch”, which of the following is the boys’ best career choice?
A. A pop star B. An actor C. A doctor D. A firefighter
4.What can be learnt from the passage?
A. Parents’ hope for their children’s career did not change too much.
B. Parents pay much attention to the income of their children.
C. Less than half of the parents who were surveyed didn’t follow their dreams.
D. Most parents didn’t have the necessary conditions to realize their dreams.
5.What is the main idea of the passage?
A. Many reasons cause the change of children’s dreams.
B. Parents’ dreams are different from children’s.
C. Parents are changing their own dreams.
D. Children’s dreams are always changing.

The other day I heard a few local musicians talking:
"I hate all the pianos in this town and I hate that rubbish they play on the radio. They cannot even understand rhythm (韵律)."
"Nobody wants to pay musicians anything. I’m sick of all the people who want you to play without paying you."
One younger musician said, "There are several clubs who want me to play for a few nights a month, and I’m trying to find other places to play. I’m also planning to join in several summer festivals this year."
I really liked what the younger musician said so I made friends with him.
Attitudes are important. Whether they’re positive (积极的) or negative (消极的), they’re all rubbing off on you. If you’re around people who are always complaining or blaming (责备) others, it is possible that you will start doing the same as well. If you spend lots of time with people who don’t support (支持) your dreams, it is time to take a look at the people you call "friends".
There is an easy exercise you can try. Make a list of the people who you often stay with, and simply stop spending time with the negative ones on your list. Set a new standard for yourself and don’t become friends with people who fall below that standard.
Of course, this exercise is entirely different from making friends only for the good of oneself. We really should try to help and spend time with those who are working towards a goal or dream.
The musicians’ conversation at the beginning is there to show that ______.

A．musicians’ living conditions are not good

B．people in that town have poor taste in music

C．young people are more likely to succeed

D．different people have different attitudes

The underlined part "they’re all rubbing off on you" in Paragraph 6 means ______.

A．they’ll push you ahead

B．they’ll help you realize your dreams

C．they’ll keep you from moving on

D．they’ll have an influence (影响) on you

By doing the exercise mentioned in Paragraph 7, you can ______.

A．improve your ability to make friends

B．make the right kind of friends

C．develop a better relationship with your friends

D．make some new friends with the same interests as you

We can get the following information from the passage EXCEPT ______.

A．the younger musician is a positive person and would be a good friend

B．one should avoid (避免) making friends with people who have lots of
difficulties

C．the exercise can help you keep close to really helpful friends

D．one will start complaining if one spends too much time with negative people

Until late in the 20th century most Americans spent time with people of different generations. Now middle-aged Americans may not keep in touch with old people until they are old themselves.
That's because we group people by age. We put our three-year-olds together in day-care centers, our 13-year-olds in schools and sport activities, and our 80-year-olds in senior citizen homes. Why?
We live far away from the old for many reasons. Young people sometimes avoid the old to get rid of fears of becoming old and dying. It is much harder to watch someone we love disappear before our eyes. Sometimes it’s got hard that we stay away from the people who need us the most.
Fortunately, some of us have found our way to the old. And we have discovered that they often save the young.
A reporter moved her family into a block filled with old people. At first her children were disappointed. But the reporter made banana bread for the neighbors and had her children send it and visit them. Soon the children had many new friends, with whom they shared food, stories and projects. "My children have never been lonely, "the reporter said.
The young, in turn, save the old. Once I was in a rest home (an organization where old people are cared for) when a visitor showed up with a baby, she was immediately surrounded. People who hadn't gotten out of bed in a week suddenly were ringing for a wheelchair. Even those who had seemed asleep woke up to watch the child. Babies have an astonishing power to comfort and cure.
Grandparents are a special case. They give their grandchildren a feeling of security and continuity. As my husband put it "My grandparents gave me a deep sense that things would turn out right in the end." Grandchildren speak of attention they don't get from worried parents. "My parents were always telling me to hurry up, and my grandparents told me to slow down," one friend said. A teacher told me she can tell which pupils have relationships with grandparents: they are quieter, calmer and more trusting.
Now in an American family, people can find that___________.