When I came out of my office, it was dark. In order to get home as soon as possible, I hired a taxi. The car was __(1)___ along the road, now well-lit, now sank in darkness. I broke the __(2)___ on purpose, __(3)___ that the driver might be too tired to drive,“When do you go back home in the evening?”

　　“Nine o'clock. I'll go after this trip.”

　　“Then when do you come out in the morning?”I __(4)___ another question.“Nine o'clock, too. And I go home for lunch and dinner, just as if I worked at an office.”His easiness surprised me, because every time I ride in a taxi, what I hear from the __(5)___ is only complaint（抱怨）. They complain that they __(6)___ work __(7)___, that it is __(8)___ to earn money, that they are bullied（欺侮）by the policemen, or that the corporation leaders are seated __(9)___ and enjoy the __(10)___ of others' work. It seems that they have a grievance（不满意）against everything. But this driver told me,“I find it __(11)___ to be a section chief as I was before. I don't like management work. I like driving, just for __(12)___. It's __(13)___ that I __(14)___ drive without a passenger. So I can earn two to three thousand yuan a month with ease. Any __(15)___? Yes, I never follow an empty taxi. If it goes __(16)___, I go northward. If it goes along the highway, I turn into a __(17)___ street. In this way I always get customers.”

　　His words showed his satisfaction with his life and the pride he __(18)___ in his job. Such feelings are __(19)___ among people nowadays as oxygen in high mountains. As an ancient saying __(20)___,“Neither joy in material gains nor grieve over personal setbacks（挫折）.”How many people nowadays can show high ideals by simple living and go far with a calm mind? I couldn't help feeling curious when I found such a state of mind in a stranger on a cold winter night.

完形填空

　　When I came out of my office, it was dark. In order to get home as soon as possible, I hired a taxi. The car was___1__along the road, now well-lit, now sank in darkness. I broke the___2___on purpose,___3___that the driver might be too tired to drive：”When do you go hack home in the evening?”

　　“Nine o'clock. I'll go after this trip.”

　　“Then when do you come out in the morning?”I___4___another question.“Nine o'clock, too. And I go home for lunch and dinner, just as if I worked at an office.“His easiness surprised me, because every time I ride in a taxi, what I hear from the___5____are only complaint（抱怨）.They complain that they___6___work___7____,that it is____8____to earn money, that they are bullied（欺侮）by the policeman, or that the corporation leaders are seated ____9____and enjoy the ___10____of others' work. It seems that they have a grievance（不满意）against everything. But this driver told me, “I find it___11___to be a section chief as I was before. I don't like management work. I liked driving, just for___12___. It's ___13___that I___14____drive without a passenger. So I can earn two to three thousand yuan a month with ease. Any___15___? Yes, I never follow an empty taxi. If it goes___16___,I go northward. If it goes along the highway, I turn into a___17___street. In this way 1 always get customers.”

　　His words showed his satisfaction with his life and the pride he___18___in his job. Such feelings are ___19___among people nowadays as oxygen in high mountains. As an ancient saying ___20___, “Neither joy in material gains nor grieve over personal setbacks（挫折）.”How many people nowadays can show high ideals by simple living and go far with a calm mind? I couldn't help feeling curious when I found such a state of mind in a stranger on a cold winter night.

Please excuse me if I’m a little sad today because Mark is leaving．You probably don’t know Mark，but you might be lucky enough to know someone just like him．He’s been the heart and soul of the office for a couple of years combining professional skills with a sweet and gentle nature．He’s never been all that interested in getting credit for the terrific work he does．He just wants to do his job，and to do it extremely well．

??? And now he’s moving on to an exciting new professional opportunity．It sounds like it could be the chance of a lifetime，and we’re sincerely pleased for him．But that doesn’t make it any easier to say goodbye to a dear friend and trusted colleague．

??? Life has a way of throwing these curve balls at us．Just when we start to get comfortable with a person，a place or a situation，something comes along to change the recipe．A terrific neighbor moves away．Someone in the family graduates．A child finds new love and loyalties through marriage．The family’s bread-winner is laid off．Our ability to cope with change and disruption determines our peace，happiness and contentment in life．

But how do we do that? According to the author of Ecclesiaste，comfort can be found in remembering that “to everything there is a season，and a time to every purpose under heaven．Let today embrace the past with remembrance，and the future with longing．’’

“Change，indeed，is painful，yet ever needful，”said philosopher Thomas Carlyle．“And if memory has its force and worth，so also has hope．”

??? We’re going to miss Mark．But rather than lose ourselves in the sadness of our parting，we’ll focus on our hopes for a brighter future——for him，and for us．And then we’ll go out and do everything we can to make that future happen．Until our plans change——again．

1.What will happen to Mark soon?

A．He will pass away．????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? B．He will leave for a new job．

C．He will get married．????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? D．He will stay with us forever．

2.The underlined word “credit” in Para．1 probably means __________ ．

A．praise????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? B．criticism

C．opportunity ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? D．job

3.From the passage，we can learn that __________ ．

A．any change will make us upset any time

B．it is easy to say goodbye to a dear friend and trusted colleague

C．our happiness depends on our ability to deal with change

D．comfort can be found in remembering the sadness

4.The best title of the passage may be __________ ．

A．My Friend Mark????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? B．Focusing on Future

C．Always Changing????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? D．A Sad Story

In 1974, after filling out fifty applications, going through four interviews, and winning one offer, I took what I could get ----- a teaching job at what I considered a distant wild area: western New Jersey. My characteristic optimism was alive only when I reminded myself that I would be doing what I had wanted to do since I was fourteen ------- teaching English.
School started, but I felt more and more as if I were in a foreign country. Was this rural area really New Jersey? My students took a week off when hunting season began. I was told they were also frequently absent in late October to help their fathers make hay on the farms. I was a young woman from New York City, who thought that “Make hay while the sun shines” just meant to have a good time.
But, still, I was teaching English. I worked hard, taking time off only to eat and sleep. And then there was my sixth-grade class ---- seventeen boys and five girls who were only six years younger than me. I had a problem long before I knew it. I was struggling in my work as a young idealistic teacher. I wanted to make literature come alive and to promote a love of the written word. The students wanted to throw spitballs and whisper dirty words in the back of the room.
In college I had been taught that a successful educator should ignore bad behavior. So I did, confident that, as the textbook had said, the bad behavior would disappear as I gave my students positive attention. It sounds reasonable, but the text evidently ignored the fact that humans, particularly teenagers, rarely seems reasonable. By the time my boss, who was also my taskmaster, known to be the strictest, most demanding, most quick to fire inexperienced teachers, came into the classroom to observe me, the students exhibited very little good behavior to praise.
My boss sat in the back of the room. The boys in the class were making animal noises, hitting each other while the girls filed their nails or read magazines. I just pretended it all wasn’t happening, and went on lecturing and tried to ask some inspiring questions. My boss, sitting in the back of the classroom, seemed to be growing bigger and bigger. After twenty minutes he left, silently. Visions of unemployment marched before my eyes.
I felt mildly victorious that I got through the rest of class without crying, but at my next free period I had to face him. I wondered if he would let me finish out the day. I walked to his office, took a deep breath, and opened the door.
He was sitting in his chair, and he looked at me long and hard. I said nothing. All I could think of was that I was not an English teacher; I had been lying to myself, pretending that everything was fine.
When he spoke, he said simply, without accusation, “You had nothing to say to them.”
“You had nothing to say to them”. he repeated.” No wonder they are bored. Why not get to the meat of literature and stop talking about symbolism. Talk with them, not at them. And more important, why do you ignore their bad behavior”? We talked. He named my problems and offered solutions. We role-played. He was the bad student, and I was the forceful, yet, warm, teacher
As the year progressed, we spent many hours discussing literature and ideas about human beings and their motivations. He helped me identify my weaknesses and strengths. In short, he made a teacher of me by teaching me the reality of Emerson’s words: “The secret to education lies in respecting the pupil.”
Fifteen years later I still drive that same winding road to the same school. Thanks to the help I received that difficult first year, the school is my home now.
【小题1】 It can be inferred from the story that in 1974 ________________.

In 1974, after filling out fifty applications, going through four interviews, and winning one offer, I took what I could get ----- a teaching job at what I considered a distant wild area: western New Jersey. My characteristic optimism was alive only when I reminded myself that I would be doing what I had wanted to do since I was fourteen ------- teaching English.

School started, but I felt more and more as if I were in a foreign country. Was this rural area really New Jersey? My students took a week off when hunting season began. I was told they were also frequently absent in late October to help their fathers make hay on the farms. I was a young woman from New York City, who thought that “Make hay while the sun shines” just meant to have a good time.

But, still, I was teaching English. I worked hard, taking time off only to eat and sleep. And then there was my sixth-grade class ---- seventeen boys and five girls who were only six years younger than me. I had a problem long before I knew it. I was struggling in my work as a young idealistic teacher. I wanted to make literature come alive and to promote a love of the written word. The students wanted to throw spitballs and whisper dirty words in the back of the room.

In college I had been taught that a successful educator should ignore bad behavior. So I did, confident that, as the textbook had said, the bad behavior would disappear as I gave my students positive attention. It sounds reasonable, but the text evidently ignored the fact that humans, particularly teenagers, rarely seems reasonable. By the time my boss, who was also my taskmaster, known to be the strictest, most demanding, most quick to fire inexperienced teachers, came into the classroom to observe me, the students exhibited very little good behavior to praise.

My boss sat in the back of the room. The boys in the class were making animal noises, hitting each other while the girls filed their nails or read magazines. I just pretended it all wasn’t happening, and went on lecturing and tried to ask some inspiring questions. My boss, sitting in the back of the classroom, seemed to be growing bigger and bigger. After twenty minutes he left, silently. Visions of unemployment marched before my eyes.

I felt mildly victorious that I got through the rest of class without crying, but at my next free period I had to face him. I wondered if he would let me finish out the day. I walked to his office, took a deep breath, and opened the door.

He was sitting in his chair, and he looked at me long and hard. I said nothing. All I could think of was that I was not an English teacher; I had been lying to myself, pretending that everything was fine.

When he spoke, he said simply, without accusation, “You had nothing to say to them.”

“You had nothing to say to them”. he repeated.” No wonder they are bored. Why not get to the meat of literature and stop talking about symbolism. Talk with them, not at them. And more important, why do you ignore their bad behavior”? We talked. He named my problems and offered solutions. We role-played. He was the bad student, and I was the forceful, yet, warm, teacher

As the year progressed, we spent many hours discussing literature and ideas about human beings and their motivations. He helped me identify my weaknesses and strengths. In short, he made a teacher of me by teaching me the reality of Emerson’s words: “The secret to education lies in respecting the pupil.”

Fifteen years later I still drive that same winding road to the same school. Thanks to the help I received that difficult first year, the school is my home now.

1. It can be inferred from the story that in 1974 ________________.

A．the writer became an optimistic person

B．the writer was very happy about her new job

C．it was rather difficult to get a job in the USA

D．it was easy to get a teaching job in New Jersey

2.According to the passage, which of the following is most probably the writer’s problem as a new teacher?

A．She had blind trust in what she learnt at college.

B．She didn’t ask experienced teachers for advice.

C．She took too much time off to eat and sleep.

D．She didn’t like teaching English literature.

3.What is the writer’s biggest worry after her taskmaster’s observation of her class?

A．She might lose her teaching job.

B．She might lose her students’ respect.

C．She couldn’t teach the same class any more.

D．She couldn’t ignore her students’ bad behavior any more.

4.Which of the following gives the writer a sense of mild victory?

A．Her talk about symbolism sounded convincing.

B．Her students behaved a little better than usual.

C．She managed to finish the class without crying.

D．She was invited for a talk by her boss after class.

5.The students behaved badly in the writer’s classes because

A．They were eager to embarrass her.

B．She didn’t really understand them.

C．They didn’t regard her as a good teacher.

D．She didn’t have a good command of English.

6.The taskmaster’s attitude towards the writer after his observation of her class can be described as________________.

A．cruel but encouraging                    B．fierce but forgiving

C．sincere and supportive                   D．angry and aggressive