I started learning English when I was 6 years old. For 8 years I learned English the way everybody else did — by going to English classes. It was useless. I did everything that the

In 1993, I went to the best high school in Wroclaw. It was a special program with a lot of English classes. I owe (感激) a lot to the people I met there, both students and teachers. My first
two years in high school were very important for my English. My English teacher, Mr. Janusz Laskosz, gave me a lot of good advice, especially on pronunciation and vocabulary. My talented (多才多艺的) friends, Wojtek and Michael Ryszard, who are my partners now, were both fantastic English learners. What’s more, every time I heard them speak, they seemed to have a bigger vocabulary. I wanted to be as good as them, so I studied harder. And my English improved. Wojtek and Michal also introduced me to SuperMemo, which has been very important in my life. And, of course, I could discuss the English language with them, which was a great thing.
【小题1】The writer studied hard at English in the first eight years,  ______________.

My friend Peter was kind and lovely. But as a student, he was bad at math, English and science because he didn't have an aptitude(资质)for that kind of study.
One day we were playing football and the ball got stuck in a tree. Peter climbed the tree to get it, and one of the teachers, John Marston was looking out of the window, noticed that he was a talented climber. Mr Marston was an expert (专家)in climbing. He had climbed many mountains.
One weekend Mr Marston invited Peter to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. Peter really enjoyed the climbing. Mr Marston told Peter he was a very talented climber for his age. Peter left school three years later with no qualifications (毕业证)，but he kept climbing regularly until he became very good at it. In his early twenties, he became a professional climber. He said, “I’ll always remember Mr Marston because he showed me I had an ability which no one else, including me, knew about."
【小题1】Did Peter know he had an ability to climb at first?
_____________________________________.
【小题2】Which subject was Peter not good at?
_________________________________.
【小题3】When did Peter and Mr Marston climb Mount Kilimanjaro?
_________________________________.

The talented boy _________ write lyrics when he was at the age of ten.

            A. may                      B. could                   C. must

A blind schoolgirl has become the youngest interpreter (口译员) when she is only ten years.
Alexia Sloane is from Cambridge. She was told by the doctor she had a brain tumor (脑癌) when she was on holiday "with her parents in France. After that the two-year-old girl became blind.
Though the little girl can't see anything, she has great talent for languages and at the age of 10 she is already fluent (流利的) in English, French, Spanish and Chinese-and is learning German.
Now her dream of working as an interpreter has come true. East of England MEP (欧盟议员) Robert Sturdy invited her to the European Parliament (议会). "Usually a person who enters the European Parliament should be 14 at least. So it was amazing for Alexia to work there at the age of 10. " said Alexia's mother Isabelle. Alexia can speak three languages since birth. As her mum is hah" French and half Spanish and her dad Richard is English. " She has always been very good at languages and shown an interest from a very young age. " added Isabelle, who also has a four-year-old daughter Melissa.
Alexia has dreamed of becoming an interpreter since she was six and chose to go to the European Parliament as her prize when she won the Young Achiever Community Award of the Year (年度青年成就奖). She asked if she could learn from the interpreters and HEP Robert Sturdy agreed to take her along as his guest. " It was fantastic and I decided to become an interpreter, "said Alexia. "Nothing can stop me. "

1. 1.

   How old is the youngest interpreter according to the passage?

   1. A.
      4.
   2. B.
      6.
   3. C.
      10.
   4. D.
      14.
2. 2.

   When did Alexia Sloane become blind?

   1. A.
      When she was born.
   2. B.
      After she had a brain tumor.
   3. C.
      After she became an interpreter.
   4. D.
      When she was on holiday with her parents.
3. 3.

   Who offered Alexia the chance of working as an interpreter?

   1. A.
      Richard.
   2. B.
      Isabelle.
   3. C.
      Melissa.
   4. D.
      Robert Sturdy.
4. 4.

   What is right about Alexia Sloane?

   1. A.
      She can speak five language fluently.
   2. B.
      She is a talented language learner.
   3. C.
      She is the only child in the family.
   4. D.
      She went to France on holiday after she won the award.
5. 5.

   What do you think is the meaning of the sentence "Nothing can stop me. "?

   1. A.
      Never give up.
   2. B.
      Believe in yourself.
   3. C.
      Nothing is impossible.
   4. D.
      Failure is the mother of success.

Steve Jobs, co-founder and former CEO of US technology giant Apple, has died at the age of 56. Mr Jobs had announced he was suffering from cancer in 2004. Apple said he had been "the source of countless innovations（创新）that enrich and improve all of our lives" and had made the world "immeasurably（无法衡量的）better".
Tributes(赞美之辞) have been made by technology company bosses and world leaders, with US President Barack Obama saying the world had "lost a visionary（有远见卓识的人）". "Steve was among the greatest of American innovators —— brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world, and talented enough to do it," said Mr Obama.
A statement from Mr Jobs's family said they were with him when he died peacefully on Wednesday. "In his public life, Steve was known as a visionary; in his private life, he loved his family deeply," they said, requesting privacy and thanking those who had "shared their wishes and prayers" during his final year.
Apple said the company had "lost a visionary and creative genius(天才) and the world have lost an amazing human being". Tim Cook, who was made Apple's CEO after Mr Jobs stood down in August, said his predecessor had left behind "a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple". Flags are being flown at half mast outside the Apple headquarters（总部） in Cupertino, California, while fans of the company have left tributes outside Apple shops around the world.
The heads of other leading technology companies have also paid tribute, including Microsoft boss Bill Gates, who said "For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it's been a great honour. I will miss Steve very much."
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg thanks Mr Jobs for "showing that what you build can change the world" while Sony Corp president and CEO Howard Stringer said: "The digital age has lost its leading light." South Korea's Samsung, which is involved in a case with Apple over patents(专利), admired Mr Jobs for his "Completely new and different changes to the IT industry".
【小题1】Hearing of Steve Jobs’ death, the heads of other leading technology companies have paid tribute and __________.