A

On the first day of the 11th grade, our new math teacher Mr Washington asked me to go to the blackboard to do a math problem. I told him that I couldn’t do it. He asked, “Why not?” I paused, and then I said, “Because I’m educable mentally retarded (可教育智能迟滞).”

He came from behind his desk and looked at me. “Don’t ever say that again. Someone’s opinion of you does not have to become your reality,” he said.

It was a very special moment for me. Doctors said that I was educable mentally retarded in the fifth grade, and I was put back into the fourth grade. When I was in the eighth grade, I failed again.

But Mr Washington changed my life. This person always gave students the feeling that he had high expectations of them, and then all of the students did their best to live up to what those expectations were. He often said, “You have greatness within you.”

One day, I caught up with him in the parking place and said, “Mr Washington, is there greatness within me, sir?”

He said, “Yes, Mr Brown.”

“But what about the fact that I failed English, math, and history? What about that, sir? I’m slower than most kids.”

“It doesn’t matter. It just means that you have to work harder. Your grades don’t determine who you are or what you can produce in your life.”

“I want to buy my mother a house.”

“It is possible, Mr Brown. You can do that.” And he turned to walk away.

“Mr Washington?”

“What do you want now?”

“Uh, I’m the one, sir. One day you’re going to hear my name. I’m the one, sir.”

School was a real struggle for me. Mr Washington put many demands on me. He made me believe that I could do it. At the end of that year, I was on the honor roll for the first time in my life.

Years later, I produced five programs on public television. When one of my programs was shown on the educational television channel, I had some friends call him. I was sitting by the phone waiting when he called me. He said, “May I speak to Mr Brown, please?”

“Oh, Mr Washington, is that you?”

“Yes, it’s me. You were the one, weren’t you?”

“Yes, sir, I was.”

1.What does Mr Washington mean by saying “Someone’s opinion of you does not have to become your reality”?

A．You needn’t have the same opinion as others.

B．You should believe what other people say.

C．What other people say about you may not be correct.

D．The doctor made a mistake.

2. What happened to the author at last?

A．He entered a good university.              B．He earned much honor.

C．He got a good job.                       D．He made television programs.

3. In the passage, the author implies that _________.

A．people shouldn’t believe what doctors say

B．no one can be successful with hard work and confidence

C．no one is really educable mentally retarded

D．a good teacher can change a student’s life

4.The best title for the passage would be “__________”.

A．Don’t believe others                   B．I am the one

C．My best teacher                        D．I succeeded at last

I was hurrying to class one morning when Hillary Barnes, the most popular girl in school, stopped me. “Are you the twin who won the art contest?” she asked.

“No, that’s Christine. I’m Katie,” I said.

We’re not identical twins; we look quite different. Still, we’re the Carpenter Twins. It was making you angry having a twin straight out of a fairy tale. She could defeat Snow White in a beauty contest and attract friends like the Pied Piper! Compared to Christine, I felt like one of Cinderella’s stepsisters.

In math class I dug into my school bag, searching for my homework. “Here, Katie,” said Christine, offering a crumpled paper. “It was under your pillow.” “Thanks,” I said. She’d made my bed again! Truly she was an amazing sister. How could I be angry with her? It wasn’t her fault I was the one with wild, unmanageable hair and no talent.

The bell rang, and I slapped my math book shut. “Katie, don’t forget our basketball game after school,” reminded Christine.

“I won’t,” I said. Joining Christine’s basketball team was my latest effort to be like her. Though I’d practiced hard all season, my shots still bounced off the rim of the basket. I ran awkwardly when trying to dribble(运球) the ball. Once a pass I threw hit Coach Struthers in the shoulder, practically knocking her over.

This was a new day, a new game. As I was breathing slowly, thinking positive thoughts, Christine called, “Katie, here!” She threw me a ball. I jumped for it; it slipped through my fingers and flew into the bleachers. No one was seated right there, but my relief disappeared when the ball crashed into the tape recorder that was used to play The Star Spangled Banner before each game.

I apologized in a low voice as I picked up the broken pieces of the recorder. Coach looked at the mess and asked, “How are we going to play the song now?”

Christine suggested, “Let Katie sing it! She’s always singing at home.”

Coach asked, “Would you?” I found myself nodding. Coach announced the national anthem and everyone stood. Standing before a microphone, I looked at the flag and took a deep breath. The notes seemed to flow from deep inside me, and my voice was steady and clear. When I finished, the gym was silent. Then it filled with cheering. As the game started, teammates patted my back and gave me the “thumbs up” sign.

Laura Jamison said, “You should try out for the school musical!” I nodded and said that I might.

The next morning, Hillary Barnes stopped me in the hallway and asked, “Are you the twin who sings?”

“Yes, that’s me,” I answered, smiling as I walked to class.

The author wrote this story most likely to ______.

A．show that people are talented in different ways

B．explain why some people are not talented

C．inform readers about making the most of bad situations

D．persuade readers to always be kind to others

Which question does paragraph 6 answer?

A．How did Christine help Katie on the basketball court?

B．How often does the team practice?

C．How does Katie like Christine?

D．Why does Katie join the basketball team?

Which detail from the story supports the idea that Katie does a good job singing at the basketball game?

A．She looks at the flag and takes a deep breath.

B．A teammate says she should try out for the school musical.

C．Coach Struthers asks her to sing before the game. 

D．Her sister says she is always singing at home.

Based on the event described in this story, Katie can best be described as ______

A．foolish          B．cheerful    C．clumsy     D．jealous

The story I am going to tell you happened about three years ago when I started to learn how to drive. At first, I was very frightened, and I thought I could never learn how to drive a car. Driving a car frightened me because in my home country women never drive, but in the United States every woman has to know how to drive. My husband paid an instructor to teach me how to drive. After that, my husband practiced with me for a long time. My husband always told me that I had to learn. It was important to me and my family.
However, I couldn’t get my license right away. I failed my driving test two times. After practicing for a long time, I decided to go for my third driving test. I had failed my first test because I was very nervous. Everybody encouraged me to continue practicing. Three weeks later, I decided to try it again, but I failed again. After that, I was very embarrassed（困窘的）, and I said I couldn’t get it, so I stopped practicing for a while.
Not knowing how to drive was bad because I couldn’t do anything. I had two kids, my husband works, and I have to take care of everything. Driving was so necessary that I decided to try it again. And finally, that time, I passed the test. Now I have my license. I know how to drive, and it has changed my life in some important ways. Now I’m driving to the college, learning English and hoping I will get a good job in the future.
【小题1】Why did the author think that she could never learn how to drive a car?

The story I am going to tell you happened about three years ago when I started to learn how to drive. At first, I was very frightened, and I thought I could never learn how to drive a car. Driving a car frightened me because in my home country women never drive, but in the United States every woman has to know how to drive. My husband paid an instructor to teach me how to drive. After that, my husband practiced with me for a long time. My husband always told me that I had to learn. It was important to me and my family.

However, I couldn’t get my license right away. I failed my driving test two times. After practicing for a long time, I decided to go for my third driving test. I had failed my first test because I was very nervous. Everybody encouraged me to continue practicing. Three weeks later, I decided to try it again, but I failed again. After that, I was very embarrassed（困窘的）, and I said I couldn’t get it, so I stopped practicing for a while.

Not knowing how to drive was bad because I couldn’t do anything. I had two kids, my husband works, and I have to take care of everything. Driving was so necessary that I decided to try it again. And finally, that time, I passed the test. Now I have my license. I know how to drive, and it has changed my life in some important ways. Now I’m driving to the college, learning English and hoping I will get a good job in the future.

1.Why did the author think that she could never learn how to drive a car?

2. The underlined word “instructor” in the first paragraph probably means __________.

3. How many persons in the author’s family are mentioned except the author herself?

4.The passage mainly shows us that the author failed for quite a few times but she never gave up and __________.

5.The best title of this passage should be “__________”.

The story I am going to tell you happened about three years ago when I started to learn how to drive. At first, I was very frightened, and I thought I could never learn how to drive a car. Driving a car frightened me because in my home country women never drive, but in the United States every woman has to know how to drive. My husband paid an instructor to teach me how to drive. After that, my husband practiced with me for a long time. My husband always told me that I had to learn. It was important to me and my family.
However, I couldn’t get my license right away. I failed my driving test two times. After practicing for a long time, I decided to go for my third driving test. I had failed my first test because I was very nervous. Everybody encouraged me to continue practicing. Three weeks later, I decided to try it again, but I failed again. After that, I was very embarrassed（困窘的）, and I said I couldn’t get it, so I stopped practicing for a while.
Not knowing how to drive was bad because I couldn’t do anything. I had two kids, my husband works, and I have to take care of everything. Driving was so necessary that I decided to try it again. And finally, that time, I passed the test. Now I have my license. I know how to drive, and it has changed my life in some important ways. Now I’m driving to the college, learning English and hoping I will get a good job in the future.

1. 1.

   Why did the author think that she could never learn how to drive a car?

   1. A.
      Because she was not an American woman.
   2. B.
      Because she was afraid of a car or a bus.
   3. C.
      Because in her own country women never drive.
   4. D.
      Because her husband didn’t know how to teach her.
2. 2.

   The underlined word “instructor” in the first paragraph probably means __________.

   1. A.
      someone who teaches a special skill
   2. B.
      someone who teaches a sport skill
   3. C.
      someone who teaches in an American college
   4. D.
      the information telling you how to drive a car
3. 3.

   How many persons in the author’s family are mentioned except the author herself?

   1. A.
      2
   2. B.
      3
   3. C.
      4
   4. D.
      5
4. 4.

   The passage mainly shows us that the author failed for quite a few times but she never gave up and __________.

   1. A.
      she succeeded in driving her car to send her two children
   2. B.
      she succeeded in driving to the college to get a good job
   3. C.
      she succeeded in driving to the college and learned English
   4. D.
      she succeeded in passing driving test and got her license in the end
5. 5.

   The best title of this passage should be “__________”.

   1. A.
      My Driving License
   2. B.
      My Husband and I
   3. C.
      Passing the Test
   4. D.
      Never Give Up