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When I was fifteen, I announced to my English class that I was going to write and illustrate my own books. Half the students sneered. The rest nearly fell out of their chairs laughing. “Don’t be silly, only geniuses can become writers,” the English teacher said, “And you are getting a D this term.” I was so humiliated(羞辱) that I burst into tears.
That night I wrote a short sad poem about broken dreams and mailed it to the Capri’s Weekly newspaper. To my astonishment, they published it and sent me two dollars. I was a published and paid writer. I showed it to my teacher and fellow students. They laughed. “Just plain dumb luck,” the teacher said. I tasted success. I’d sold the first thing I’d ever written. That was more than any of them had done and if it was just dumb luck, that was fine with me.
During the next two years I sold dozens of poems, letters, jokes and recipes. By the time I graduated from high school, with a C minus average, I had scrapbooks filled with my published work. I never mentioned my writing to my teachers, friends or my family again. They were dream killers and if people must choose between their friends and their dreams, they must always choose their dreams.
I had four children at the time, and the oldest was only four. While the children slept, I typed on my ancient typewriter. I wrote what I felt. It took nine months, just like a baby.
A month later Crying Wind, the title of my book, became a best seller, was translated into fifteen languages and Braille and sold worldwide. I appeared on TV talk shows. I traveled from New York to California and Canada on promotional tours. My first book also became required reading in native American schools in Canada.
People ask what college I attended, what degrees I had and what qualifications I have to be a writer. The answer is: “None.” I just write. I’m not a genius. I’m not gifted and I don’t write right. To all those who dream of writing, I’m shouting at you: “Yes, you can. Yes, you can. Don’t listen to them.” I don’t write right but I’ve beaten the odds. Writing is easy, it’s fun and anyone can do it. Of course, a little dumb luck doesn’t hurt.
Why did many students laugh after hearing what the writer said?

A.Because they didn’t like him
B.Because they wished he could be successful as a writer
C.Because their teacher laughed, too
D.Because they felt it impossible for him to succeed

When the writer graduated from high school, ___________.

A.he had become a famous writer
B.he had made progress in his studies
C.his classmates and teachers changed their attitudes towards him
D.he decided he wouldn’t become a writer

What stopped him telling others about his writing?

A.The characters in his story. B.His teacher.
C.His early experience. D.His parents.

What can we infer from the passage?

A.It is difficult for a person, who cares about what others say, to succeed.
B.It is important for a person to tell others what he wants to do.
C.It is necessary for a person, who wants to succeed, to take others’ advice.
D.It is impossible for an ordinary person to be a writer in the future.

Which of the following is the best title?

A.A famous writer B.I Hate My Classmates and Teachers
C.I Never Write Right D.A Genius Can Be a Writer
科目 英语   题型 阅读理解   难度 中等
知识点: 日常生活类阅读
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A 400-pound adult male gorilla (大猩猩) escaped from his cage at the Buffalo Zoo on Monday. He bit a female zookeeper before being caught. The 24-year-old gorilla came out of his living quarters through an unlocked door on Monday morning. He ran into the space which was used by zoo workers but closed to the public.
A keeper who has cared for Koga since he arrived in 2007 was bitten on her hand and leg. Zoo officials said it was an act of excitement. “He was probably just as surprised coming face to face with her as she was with him,” Buffalo Zoo President Donna Fernandes said.
The keeper took refuge (庇护) inside the habitat of a female gorilla and her newborn baby. The keeper’s decision to lock herself inside the separate habitat likely kept her from being further harmed. The keeper had a good relationship with the mother who, like Koga, is a west lowland gorilla, native to West Africa and the Congo River Basin, according to Fernandes.
Several locked doors prevented Koga from running wildly through the zoo and beyond. The police sent in a team to make sure the area was safe while a vet (兽医) used a pipe to sedate (给……服镇静剂) Koga. The gorilla was dragged by the zoo staff back to his cage once the drugs took hold.
Visitors to the zoo were moved indoors and stayed there for about 45 minutes while the team was trying to catch the gorilla and send it back to his cage. “That was the scariest thing I’ve ever done in my career,” said the team’s captain Mark Maraschiello. “It’s a 400-pound gorilla. Nobody knew what harm he could do to us. He could have bitten my arm off easily,” Maraschiello added.
What is the main idea of this passage?

A.A zoo keeper was injured while working at the zoo.
B.A zoo keeper forgot to lock the door of a gorilla’s cage.
C.A 400-pound gorilla ran wildly in the zoo after breaking his cage.
D.A 400-pound gorilla bit a zoo keeper after escaping from his cage.

According to Donna Fernandes, the gorilla bit the zoo keeper because .

A.he was too angry to see the zoo keeper
B.he was too excited to see the zoo keeper
C.he didn’t want to be sent back to the cage
D.he wanted to find some delicious food

What did the zoo keeper do after being bitten by the gorilla?

A.She asked another gorilla to protect her.
B.She tried her best to comfort him.
C.She locked herself in a cage of another gorilla.
D.She called the police and asked them to rescue her.

According to the last paragraph, how did Mark Maraschiello feel when he was trying to catch the gorilla?

A.Excited. B.Calm.
C.Angry. D.Frightened.

Americans do many different things during their vacations. Some people stay at home and enjoy time with their families. They may go to a local swimming pool, zoo or museum. Other people travel to enjoy large national parks, the mountains, the ocean, or large amusement parks. Many people visit interesting American cities or historic areas. Some people visit family members in other states. Still other Americans visit foreign countries.
Recently there is a new use for vacation time — learning about a new kind of job. This program is called Vocation Vacations. People pay between six hundred and five thousand dollars to work at a job for a few days or a week.
Brian Kurth of Portland, Oregon, started Vocation Vacations. He says it serves a valuable purpose. It gives people a chance to try out a job they always wanted without leaving their present job.
People use Vocation Vacations to try many kinds of jobs around the United States. These are jobs that anyone can learn to do. For example, they can learn how to make beer, wine, cheese or cakes. They can help train dogs or horses. They can learn how to be a hunting and fishing guide or a gardener. They can work with a sports announcer, television producer, wedding planner or photographer. Or they can learn how to operate a very small hotel, called a “bed and breakfast”.
Vocation Vacations recently added several new jobs. They include comedians, dog-sled (雪橇) drivers and hair stylists. The company says the most popular job so far is winemaking.
The Vocation Vacations Website recently asked visitors what prevents them from working at their dream job. More than two thousand people answered. Forty-two percent said the main block is money. Lack of the right education or experience was the answer given by twenty-five percent. Other answers included fear of failure and lack of family support.
From the first paragraph we can learn that on holiday .

A.Americans often try out new jobs
B.Americans prefer to travel
C.what Americans usually do
D.how Americans enjoy themselves at home

What is “Vocation Vacations” according to the passage?

A.The best way of enjoying time with one’s family.
B.A program of learning a new job on holiday.
C.A chance to learn how to operate a hotel.
D.The most popular jobs around the US.

It seems that most of the jobs in Vocation Vacations are .

A.difficult B.boring
C.expensive D.enjoyable

When people take the jobs in vocation vacations, .

A.they can choose many kinds of them
B.they can get some money for their work
C.they must have much experience
D.they must have a lot of money

The mother of the 13-year-old Dutch girl Laura Dekker, whose plans to make a solo sailing trip around the world have recently made world headlines, has spoken out against the trip. “It breaks my heart to think that because of this I could lose contact with my daughter,” she said in an interview. “I have never before made such a difficult decision. But I must accept the consequences. I would rather have a live daughter who I will never see again than a dead daughter.”
It is the first time that Laura’s mother, Babs Müller, has spoken out against the trip. Laura’s parents are divorced and the girl has lived with her father since she was six. Her father Dick Dekker supports Laura’s plans. However, the Dutch Child Protection Board has decided to place the girl under supervision (监督) for two months to ascertain whether she is mentally and physically capable of undertaking the journey.
Ms Müller says she is confident that Laura is technically capable of making the journey. “She can sail like the devil. That’s not the problem.” However, she is afraid of the problems a 13-year-old girl can encounter in the harbors of Third-World countries and of the psychological (心理上的) pressure of being alone for such a long period on the ocean. “The most important thing, in my eyes, is that she is not yet an adult.”
Ms Müller says she told Laura once before that she was opposed to the idea. Her daughter replied, “If you forbid me, you will have ruined my entire life. Then I’ll never want to see you again.” However, Laura’s mother says that reports that a camera team is planning to follow her around the world could change her opinion about the trip.
Laura Dekker’s plans to sail solo around the world .

A.made her parents divorce
B.have attracted wide attention
C.made her father unhappy
D.were a difficult decision to make

It can be inferred that Laura Dekker and her mother .

A.are angry with Dick Dekker
B.had a quarrel
C.lost touch with each other
D.are all good sailors

We can learn that the Dutch Child Protection Board .

A.will train Laura for two months
B.will help Laura realize her dream
C.cares about Laura’s safety
D.doesn’t believe in Laura at all

What does the underlined part “opposed to” mean?

A.Against. B.Shocked by.
C.Beyond. D.Satisfied with.

American black bears appear in a variety of colors despite their name. In the eastern part of their range(地理分布区), most of these bears have shiny black fur, but in the west they grow brown, red or even yellow coats. To the north, the black bear is actually gray or white. Even in the same litter(窝), both brown and black furred bears may be born.
Black bears are the smallest of all American bears, ranging in length from 5 to 6 feet, weighing from 300 to 500 pounds. Their eyes and ears are small and their eyesight and hearing are not as good as their sense of smell. Like all bears, the black bear is shy, clumsy(笨拙的) and rarely dangerous. However, if cornered, me black bear can become a fearful enemy.
Black bears feed on leaves, roots, fruit, insects, fish and even larger animals. One of the most interesting characteristics of bears, including the black bear, is their winter sleep. Unlike many other animals, bears do not actually hibernate(冬眠). Although the bear does not eat during the winter months, its temperature remains almost normal, and it breathes regularly four or five times per minute.
Most black bears live alone, except during the mating season (交配李节). A litter of one to four cubs is born in January or February and they remain with their mother until they are fully grown or about one and a half years old. Black bears can live as long as thirty years in the wild, and even longer in game preserves set aside for them.
What do we know about the fur color of American black bears?

A.Most of them have black fur.
B.Their fur color depends on their living range.
C.They change their fur color throughout their life.
D.They are always of the same fur color as their brothers.

American black bears have a good sense of .

A.smell B.hearing
C.eyesight D.taste

Which of the following is TRUE about American black bears?

A.Their way of “hibernating” is unique.
B.They are able to live at most thirty years.
C.They are regarded as the smallest bear in the world.
D.The babies can soon live by themselves after birth.

Last month, Justin Valdez, a college student, was shot in a subway station in San Francisco. The surveillance video(监控录像) showed that before Justin was killed, the killer pulled out his gun several times, and even wiped his nose with it. However, nobody noticed the killer. The surrounding passengers all focused on their cell phones.
We may see the same scene everywhere in our life: in subway stations, restaurants, elevators and so on, people are watching their cell phones. From a family reunion to a date with a friend, people couldn’t stop checking their twitter and facebook on the cell phones and ignoring the persons in front completely, Phubbing(低头症) not only involves young people, but also the elderly and kids.
“Phubbing” is a new term which comes from the words “phone’’ and “snub(冷落)”. It describes the habit of snubbing someone in favor of a cell phone. The word “phubbing” was included in the Australian National Dictionary in 2012. Obviously, the indifference冷漠) and rudeness of the information age are spreading globally. A Stop Phubbing campaign website has been set up. You can find the slogan of the website as follows: “stop twittering, stop posting photos…enjoy your food, enjoy the music and respect others.”
Phubbing appears harmless. However, it does influence our life. Jimmy, an epicure(美食家), wrote in his blog: “I can no longer focus on what I am eating since I started twittering. My skill of food photography has improved very fast, while my interest in food drops as a result.”
Let us put down our cell phones and re-enjoy the real taste of our food and the warmth of interpersonal communication.
The case of Justin Valdez is given in the first paragraph to show .

A.gun violence happens easily in the US
B.phubbing may lead to terrible disasters
C.the killer didn’t mean to kill him
D.the killer had made a careful plan

What will probably happen when you ask a phubbing person for help?

A.He will give you an immediate reply.
B.He will stop looking at his cell phone.
C.He will pay no attention to you.
D.He will be very angry with you.

Jimmy’s words suggest that .

A.phubbing is actually harmless
B.phubbing stops people enjoying their life
C.phubbing affects people’s eating habits the most
D.phubbing helps people improve their photographic skills

What is the text mainly about?

A.How the word “phubbing” came into being.
B.The popular campaign of stop phubbing.
C.The meaning of the word “phubbing”.
D.The great harm of phubbing.

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