Some years ago when I was in my first year in college, I heard Salome Bey sing for the first time. The moment was exciting. Salome’s filled the room and brought the theater to life. I was so that I decided to write an article about her.
I Salome Bey, telling her I was from Essence magazine, and that I wanted to meet her to talk about her career. She and told me to come to her studio next Tuesday. When I hung up, I was scared out of my mind. I I was lying. I was not a writer at all and hadn’t even written a grocery list.
I interviewed Salome Bey the next Tuesday. I sat there , taking notes and asking questions that all began with, “Can you tell me…” I soon realized that Salome Bey was one thing, but writing a story for a national magazine was just impossible. The was almost unbearable. I struggled for days with draft after draft. I put my manuscript (手稿) into a large envelope and dropped it into a mailbox.
It didn’t take long. My manuscript . How stupid of me! I thought. How could I in a world of professional writers? Knowing I couldn’t the rejection letter, I threw the unopened envelope into a drawer.
Five years later, I was moving to California. While my apartment, I came across the unopened envelope. This time I opened it and read the editor’s letter in :
Ms Profit,
Your story on Salome Bey is fantastic. Yet we need some materials. Please add those and return the article immediately. We would like to your story soon.
Shocked, it took me a long time to . Fear of rejection cost me dearly. I lost at least five hundred dollars and having my article appear in a major magazine. More importantly, I lost years of writing. Today, I have become a full – time writer. Looking back on this , I learned a very important lesson: You can’t to doubt yourself.
A．joy B．voice C．speech D．smile
A．Proud B．active C．satisfied D．moved
A．Visited B．emailed C．phoned D．interviewed
A．Agreed B．refused C．hesitated D．paused
A．Replied B．Discovered C．explained D．knew
A．Seriously B．patiently C．nervously D．quietly
A．Blaming B．fooling C．inviting D．urging
A．Pressure B．failure C．comment D．hardship
A．Finally B．Luckily C．Publicly D．Gradually
A．Disappeared B．Returned C．spread D．improved
A．Compare B．Struggle C．promote D．compete
A．Ignore B．deliver C．face D．receive
A．Decorating B．repairing C．cleaning D．leaving
A．Disbelief B．anxiety C．horror D．trouble
A．Secure B．related C．private D．reliable
A．Broadcast B．create C．publish D．assess
A．Recover B．prepare C．escape D．forget
A．Energetic B．endless C．typical D．enjoyable
A．Experience B．success C．benefit D．accident
A．attempt B．afford C．expect D．Pretend
We often see hitchhikers（搭便车的人）, standing by the side of the road, thumb sticking out, waiting for a lift. But it is getting nowadays. What killed hitchhiking? is often mentioned as a reason. Movies about murderous hitchhikers and real-life crime many drivers off picking up hitchhikers. no single women picked me up on my journey to Manchester reflects the safety fear: , strangely dressed man is seen as dangerous.
But the reason may be complex: hitchhiking happens where people don’t have cars and transport services are . Plenty of people hitchhike in Poland and Romania. Perhaps the rising level of car ownership in the UK means the few people lift hitchhiking are usually considered strange. Why can’t they cars? Why can’t they take the coach or the train?
Three-quarters of the UK population have a car; many of the will be quite old. The potential hitchhiking population is therefore small. my trip proves it’s still possible to hitchhike. The people who picked me up were very interesting lawyer, retired surgeon, tank commander, carpenter, man who live in an isolated farmhouse and a couple in the mountains. My conclusion is that only really interesting people are mad enough to pick up fat blokes(家伙) in red, spotted scarves. Most just wanted to do someone a good turn; a few said they were so surprised to see a hitchhiker that they couldn’t help .
The future of hitchhiking most lies with car-sharing organized over the Internet, via sites such as hitchhikers. org. But for now, you can still stick your thumb out (actually, I didn’t do much of that, just to hold up my destination sign) and people—wonderful, caring, sharing, unafraid people—will stop.
In the UK, with its cheap and reasonable rail service, I don’t think I’ll make a habit of it. But having enjoyed it so much, I’m ready now to do a big trip Europe and beyond. In the 1970s a female friend of my wife’s hitchhiked to India. How wonderful it would be to have another go, Afghanistan might be a challenge. I wish I’d got that tank commander’s mobile number.
A．valuable B．hardly C．rare D．little
A．Fear B．Safety C．Allowance D．Expense
A．has put B．had been put C．has been put D．have put
A．What B．Which C．Whether D．That
A．no more B．no need C．no reason D．no doubt
A．a short B．a clumsy C．a small D．a large
A．most B．more C．very D．much
A．poor B．heavy C．busy D．convenient
A．seldom B．always C．still D．never
A．afford B．offer C．affect D．offend
A．effect to B．effect on C．access in D．access to
A．remain B．rest C．pedestrians D．citizens
A．While B．When C．Yet D．Though
A．living up B．lived down C．was living up D．was living down
A．stopping B．but stop C．stop D．stopped
A．likely B．certainly C．positively D．actively
A．pretending B．preparing C．preferring D．defending
A．vehicles B．coaches C．cars D．helicopters
A．across B．through C．for D．over
A．as B．though C．because D．when
A new mother was anxious to see her newly-born baby. But she was when the baby was in her arms. The baby had been born without ears.
With time going on, it that the baby' s hearing was perfect. It was only his that was damaged. When he rushed home from school one day and himself into his mother' s arms, she sighed, that his life was to be misfortunate.
He grew up and became a with his classmates. He might have been class president, that. The boy’s s father the family physician in secret if he could do to help his son. "I believed I could on a pair of outer ears, if they could be got," the doctor answered. So the began for a person who would ears.
Two years went by. Then the father said, "You are going to the hospital, son. Mother and I have someone who will give the ears you need. it a s a secret," said the father. The operation was very , and a new person appeared. " But I must know!" he urged his father. " Who gave me _? I could never do enough for him. " "I do not believe you could. " said the father.
The secret was for years till he stood with his father over his mother' s coffin. Slowly and , his father raised his mother' s thick brown hair to that his mother had no outer ears. "Mother said she was she never let her hair be cut," he whispered gently . "and nobody ever thought she was less did they?"
A．angiy B．confused C．astonished D．curious
A．turned out B．turned over C．took out D．took over
A．figure B．face C．ear D．appearance
A．threw B．got C．sent D．took
A．persuading B．knowing C．doubting D．wondering
A．enemy B．favorite C．stranger D．friend
A．ever since B．even if C．but for D．as for
A．asked B．advised C．ordered D．convinced
A．something B．everything C．anything D．nothing
A．transplant B．operate C．set D．fix
A．operation B．interview C．search D．examination
A．donate B．operate C．treat D．recover
A．So B．And C．But D．Or
A．normal B．useful C．difficult D．successful
A．so much B．so many C．too much D．too many
A．discussed B．hidden C．spread D．kept
A．desperately B．tenderly C．sadly D．excitedly
A．know B．find C．show D．notice
A．guilty B．glad C．worried D．regretful
A．beautiful B．ugly C．careful D．Fashionable
In the doorway of my home, I looked closely at my 23-year-old son, Daniel. In a few hours he would be flying to France to a different life. It was a transitional（过渡的）time in Daniel's life. I wanted to him some words of significance. But nothing came from my lips, and this was not the time I had let such moments pass.
When Daniel was five, I took him to the bus stop on his first day of kindergarten. He asked, “What is it going to be like, Dad? Can I do it?” Then he walked the steps of the bus and disappeared inside. The bus drove away and I said nothing. A decade later, a similar played itself out. I drove him to college. As I started to leave, I tried to think of something to say to give him and confidence as he started this new stage of life. Again, words me.
Now, as I stood before him, I thought of those opportunities. How many times have I let such moments ? I don't find a quiet moment to tell him what they have to me. Or what he might to face in the years ahead. Maybe I thought it was not necessary to say anything.
What does it matter in the course of a lifetime if a father never tells a son what he really thinks of him? as I stood before Daniel, I knew that it did matter. My father and I loved each other. Yet, I always never hearing him put his into words. Now I could feel my palms sweat and my throat tighten. Why is it so to tell a son something from the heart?
My mouth turned dry, and I knew I would be able to get out only a few words clearly. “Daniel,” I said, “If I could have picked, I would have picked you.” That's all I could say. He hugged me. For a moment, the world , and there were just Daniel and me. He was saying something, but tears misted my eyes, and I couldn't understand what he was saying. All I was of was the stubble（短须）on his chin as his face pressed mine. What I had said to Daniel was . It was nothing. And yet, it was .
A．experience B．spend C．enjoy D．shape
A．show B．give C．leave D．instruct
A．last B．first C．very D．next
A．on B．into C．down D．up
A．sign B．scene C．scenery D．sight
A．interest B．instruction C．courage D．direction
A．failed B．discouraged C．struck D．troubled
A．future B．embarrassing C．obvious D．lost
A．last B．pass C．fly D．remain
A．counted B．meant C．valued D．eared
A．think B．want C．expect D．wish
A．But B．And C．Instead D．So
A．wondered B．regretted C．minded D．tried
A．views B．actions C．feelings D．attitudes
A．important B．essential C．hard D．complex
A．disappeared B．changed C．progressed D．advanced
A．sensitive B．convinced C．aware D．tired
A．by B．against C．on D．with
A．clumsy B．gentle C．clever D．moving
A．none B．all C．anything D．Everything
阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。
When I entered the classroom, our teacher announced we were going to have a math test. I took a look at the full of what looked like hieroglyphs(象形文字) to me and began to . I did the best that I could, and then left my to put my paper in a pile on the front desk with a(n) .
I returned to my seat and then an idea came to mind. I where the teacher was before I made my . She was walking in the of the room with her back turned. I left my seat and went back to the pile of test papers already handed and when I picked up my paper I also the paper right below it before returning to my seat. When I looked at the paper I had taken, I discovered it was the work of the girl in our class. I copied her answers to my paper.
The next day the teacher handed back our papers turning them facedown on everyone’s desk. When I my paper over, I was to see an “F” on it. After class I went to the girl whose answers I had and said to her, “That math test was difficult. I it. I guess we need to study more.” Her was, “Not me, I got every question and got an A”.
The teacher knew. She never embarrassed me in front of the class and me to keep my dignity(尊严). I made a to myself never ever to cheat again. I would remember to always be in the things I do. I never forgot that teacher who failed me when, really, I had failed myself.
A．blackboard B．paper C．book D．picture
A．think B．cry C．worry D．sleep
A．seat B．classroom C．partner D．teacher
A．joy B．sign C．idea D．problem
A．believed B．found C．ignored D．checked
A．choice B．mind C．move D．comment
A．front B．middle C．back D．outside
A．out B．in C．over D．on
A．saw B．brought C．remembered D．included
A．extra B．new C．clean D．difficult
A．tallest B．oldest C．prettiest D．smartest
A．got B．turned C．put D．took
A．shocked B．angry C．happy D．excited
A．copied B．read C．marked D．examined
A．knew B．made C．failed D．lost
A．reply B．attitude C．opinion D．purpose
A．ready B．right C．done D．good
A．told B．reminded C．allowed D．advised
A．speech B．joke C．wish D．promise
A．honest B．friendly C．careful D．hopeful
阅读下面短文,从短文后各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出可以填入空白处的最佳选。
A man worked in a post office. His job was to handle all the that had unclear addresses. One day he came across a letter which was to God. He opened it and it , "Dear God, I am an 83-year-old woman and I live on a very small pension (养老金).
Yesterday someone stole my . There was a hundred dollars in it, which was all the money I had until my next pension comes. Next Thursday is Thanksgiving Day, and I have invited my last two friends for . Without that money, I have to buy food with. I have no family to , and you are my only . Can you please help me?" The man was . He went around and showed the letter to the other workers. Each of them their wallets and donated a few dollars. By the time he his showing, he had collected 96 dollars. then he sent it to the old woman in the name of God. Thanksgiving Day came and went, and the workers forgot about it. Then one day, there came another letter from the old lady to God. All the gathered around while the letter was . It said, "Dear God, how can I ever thank you enough for what you have done for me? Because of your kindness, I was able to a lovely dinner for my friends. We had a very day, and I told my friends about your gift. Thank you very much!" Seeing this, all the workers felt with the nice thing they had done. They looked into each other’s eyes and smiled.
A．stamps B．money C．mail D．postcards
A．spoken B．written C．recorded D．pointed
A．noticed B．talked C．told D．read
A．purse B．clothes C．house D．food
A．borrowed B．earned C．left D．paid
A．fun B．dinner C．travel D．visit
A．nothing B．something C．anything D．everything
A．live in B．live on C．turn to D．turn back
A．family B．hope C．luck D．partner
A．excited B．worried C．surprised D．moved
A．gained B．touched C．played D．searched
A．finished B．planned C．started D．gathered
A．So B．As C．And D．But
A．usually B．gradually C．especially D．easily
A．workers B．friends C．officers D．guests
A．sent B．replied C．received D．opened
A．bring B．choose C．prepare D．enjoy
A．nice B．strange C．common D．formal
A．traditional B．wonderful C．expensive D．extra
A．useful B．confident C．hopeful D．pleased