-----You’re so lucky.

-----What do you mean_______that?

A. for　 B. in　 C. of　 D. by

I left university with a good degree in English Literature, but no sense of what I wanted to do. Over the next six years, I was treading water, just trying to earn an income. I tried journalism, but I didn’t think I was any good, then finance, which I hated. Finally, I got a job as a rights assistant at a famous publisher. I loved working with books, although the job that I did was dull.
I had enough savings to take a year off work, and I decided to try to satisfy a deep-down wish to write a novel. Attending a Novel Writing MA course gave me the structure I needed to write my first 55,000 words.
It takes confidence to make a new start — there’s a dark period in-between where you’re neither one thing nor the other. You’re out for dinner and people ask what you do, and you’re too ashamed to say, “Well, I’m writing a novel, but I’m not quite sure if I’m going to get there.” My confidence dived. Believing my novel could not be published, I put it aside.
Then I met an agent（代理商）who said I should send my novel out to agents. So, I did and, to my surprise, got some wonderful feedback. I felt a little hope that I might actually become a published writer and, after signing with an agent, I finished the second half of the novel.
The next problem was finding a publisher. After two-and-a-half years of no income, just waiting and wondering, a publisher offered me a book deal — that publisher turned out to be the one I once worked for.
It feels like an unbelievable stroke of luck — of fate, really. When you set out to do something different, there’s no end in sight, so to find myself in a position where I now have my own name on a contract（合同）of the publisher — to be a published writer — is unbelievably rewarding（有回报的）.

1. 1.

   What does the underlined part in Paragraph 1 mean?

   1. A.
      I was waiting for good fortune.
   2. B.
      I was trying to find an admirable job.
   3. C.
      I was being aimless about a suitable job.
   4. D.
      I was doing several jobs for more pay at a time.
2. 2.

   The author decided to write a novel ______ .

   1. A.
      to finish the writing course
   2. B.
      to realize her own dream
   3. C.
      to satisfy readers’ wish
   4. D.
      to earn more money
3. 3.

   How did the writer feel halfway with the novel?

   1. A.
      Disturbed.
   2. B.
      Ashamed.
   3. C.
      Confident.
   4. D.
      Uncertain.
4. 4.

   What does the author mainly want to tell readers in the last paragraph?

   1. A.
      It pays to stick to one’s goal.
   2. B.
      Hard work can lead to success.
   3. C.
      She feels like being unexpectedly lucky.
   4. D.
      There is no end in sight when starting to do something.

I left university with a good degree in English Literature, but no sense of what I wanted to do. Over the next six years, I was treading water, just trying to earn an income. I tried journalism, but I didn’t think I was any good, then finance, which I hated. Finally, I got a job as a rights assistant at a famous publisher. I loved working with books, although the job that I did was dull.

I had enough savings to take a year off work, and I decided to try to satisfy a deep-down wish to write a novel. Attending a Novel Writing MA course gave the structure I needed to write my first 55,000 words.

It takes confidence to make a new start — there’s a dark period in-between where you’re neither one thing nor the other. You’re out for dinner and people ask what you do, and you’re too ashamed to say, “Well, I’m writing a novel, but I’m not quite sure if I’m going to get there. My confidence dived. Believing my novel could not be published, I put it aside.

Then I met an agent（代理商）who said I should send my novel out to agents. So, I did and, to my surprise, got some wonderful feedback. I felt a little hope that I might actually become a published writer and, after signing with an agent, I finished the second half of the novel.

The next problem was finding a publisher. After two-and-a-half years of no income, just waiting and wondering, a publisher offered me a book deal — that publisher turned out to be the one I once worked for.

It feels like an unbelievable stroke of luck — of fate, really. When you set out to do something different, there’s no end in sight, so to find myself in a position where I now have my own name on a contract of the publisher — to be a published writer — is unbelievably rewarding.

68. What does the underlined part in Paragraph 1 mean?

A. I was waiting for good fortune.

B. I was trying to find an admirable job.

C. I was being aimless about a suitable job.

D. I was doing several jobs for more pay at a time.

69. The author decided to write a novel _______.

A. to finish the writing course

B. to realize her own dream

C. to satisfy readers’ wish

D. to earn more money

70. How did the writer feel halfway with the novel?

A. Disturbed.          B. Ashamed.         C. Confident.        D. Uncertain.

71. What does the author mainly want to tell readers in the last paragraph?

A. It pays to stick to one’s goal.

B. Hard work can lead to success.

C. She feels like being unexpectedly lucky.

D. There is no end in sight when starting to do something.

阅读理解

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在正确选项上画勾。

　　We can make mistakes at any age. Some mistakes we make are about money. But most mistakes are about people. “Did Jerry really care when I broke up with Helen?” “When I got that great job, did Jim really feel good about it, as a friend? Or did he envy my luck?” “And Paulwhy didn't pick up that he was friendly just because I had a car?” When we look back, doubts like these can make us feel bad. But when we look back, It's too late.

　　Why do we go wrong about our friendsor our enemies? Sometimes what people say hides their real meaning. And if we don't really listen we miss the feeling behind the words. Suppose someone tells you, “You're a lucky dog.” that's being friendly. But “lucky dog”? There's a bit of envy in those words. Maybe he doesn't see it himself. But bringing in the “dog” bit puts you down a little. What he may be saying is that they doesn't think you deserve your luck.

　　“Just think of all the things you have to be thankful for” is another noise that says one thing and means another. It could mean that the speaker is trying to get you to see your problem as part of your life as a whole. But is he? Wrapped up in this phrase is the thought that your problem isn't important. It's telling you to think of all the starving people in the world when you haven't got a date for Saturday night.

　　How can you tell the real meaning behind someone's words? One way is to take a good look at the person talking. Do his words fit the way he looks? Does what he says agree with the tone of voice? His posture (姿态)? The look in his eyes? Stop and think. The minute you spend thinking about the real meaning of what people say to you may save another mistake.

1．This passage is mainly about ________.

[　　]

A．how to interpret what people say

B．what to do when you listen to others talking

C．how to avoid mistakes when you communicate with people

D．why we go wrong with people sometimes

2．According to the author, the reason why we go wrong about our friends is that ________.

[　　]

A．we fail to listen carefully when they talk

B．people tend to be annoyed when we check what they say

C．people usually state one thing but means another

D．we tend to doubt what our friends say

3．In the sentence “Maybe he doesn't see it himself.” In the second paragraph, the pronoun “it” refers to ________.

[　　]

4．When we listen to a person talking, the most important thing for us to do is ________.

[　　]

A．notice the way the person is talking

B．take a good look at the person talking

C．mind his tone, his posture and the look in his eyes

D．examine the real meaning of what he says based on his manner, his tone and his posture