阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

Nowadays lots of students ask their parents for money to buy things they like. For me, to ask for money is like entering a(n) _36__. I learned this from  37  .

       Last year my mother told me that the _ 38   way I would get a driver’s license before I turned eighteen depended on _ 39   I paid for the classes myself. “What?” I asked in _ 40   . But I knew _ 41   that my reasoning would have no_ 42   on the situation,  43__ by the look on my mother’s face.

      Three weeks later, I started working _ 44  a hostess at a factory, twice a week. A month later I paid $ 270 for driving lessons, and then over $ 20 to _ 45   my permit test. My pockets were empty _ 46   as soon as they were filled.

       My mother thought that I’d be _ 47   to do things without her help. The funny thing was that even though I was totally _ 48   in the beginning, I truly appreciated it, _ 49   if I had just been handed bills from her.

       When I realized that my mother wasn’t going to _ 50   something like a driver’s license, at first, it seemed as if she had __51__ an immovable block before me and I would never _ 52   it. But my mother was __53 _. She knew that I wanted a luxury（奢侈品）but _ 54   me to get it. That is as _ 55   as this ---- if I really want it, I’ll find a way to get it myself.

1.A. office                    B. prison                      C. battlefield                D. bank

2.A. facts                     B. experience                C. lessons                     D. quarrels

3.A. best                      B. proper                      C. same                        D. only

4.A. whether              B. that                          C. how                         D. when

5.A. trouble                  B. disbelief                   C. comfort                    D. horror

6.A. hurriedly            B. jokingly                   C. instantly                   D. surprisingly

7.A. effect                 B. sense                        C. effort                       D. result

8.A. judged          B. judging            C. to judge           D. being judged

9.A. with                   B. for                           C. like                          D. as

10.A. pass                    B. take                         C. hold                         D. gain

11.A. almost                 B. even                        C. still                         D. yet

12.A. ready                  B. likely                       C. unhappy                  D. unable

13.A. terrified               B. annoyed                   C. tired                        D. disturbed

14.A. more than           B. rather than                C. no more                   D. no longer

15.A. pay                         B. raise                        C. buy                          D. support

16.A. laid                         B. lay                           C. lied                          D. lain

17.A. get about             B. get by                     C. get through               D. get over

18.A. wise                    B. mistaken                  C. strict                        D. kind

19.A. dared                  B. hoped                      C. encouraged               D. expected

20.A. well                   B. far                           C. soon                        D. simple

 

When I decided to get married, my father decided to share some wisdom. “Lori, it is just as easy to love a rich man as it is to love a poor man, “ he said. My boyfriend didn’t have much money, but I loved him. “What?” I cried. “ How can you say that? I want to marry for love, NOT for money.” “ But why not marry someone you love who has money?” he asked. “Rich men are materialistic（物质主义的）. I’d rather marry a poor man who loves me,” I said and he gave in.

And as we went on, with my family growing, I learned why my father put such importance on money. We had to cover the rent, car, electricity, food, and medical bills. We were under lot of pressure. The worries over whether we would be asked to move out or if we had the money to wash our clothes at the Laundromat this week made me question if I did the right thing by marrying a “poor” man.

I realized that I had entered the ranks of the poor. Not that I’d ever been rich. Most of my life, I considered us in the lower middle-class rank. We had a house of our own, food on the table, cars, clothes, and money for college. But now, as I listened to an apartment neighbour talk about her monthly “Mother’s Day” gift, I realized she was talking about her welfare check（政府发放的救济金）. And another young mother tried to “help” me out by connecting me with a friend who stole baby clothes from a department store. “ For a small cut,” she said, “ I could return my ‘purchase’(购买的东西）for cash.” It made me sick. How poor was I?

I had a college education but wasn’t using it. I insisted on not missing a minute of our children’s childhood and it came at a price. My husband was working as hard as he could and it wasn’t enough. But somehow we made it.

The kids grew. Today, we look back and see the great values gained by going through those hard years. My children are not materialistic. They never thought they were poor growing up because we always managed to give a little bit of food, money, or clothes to the “poor”. They were satisfied with the simple things in life that come free such as a beach day or a horse back ride from their dad.

We had our worries, but we still treasured our very favorite part of the day when we’d nest (栖息地）under the covers and talked about our future, the kids and how much we loved each other. Sure our financial(财政的) troubles caused a lot of fights, but we didn’t leave each other. We began to live a better life. We moved to a better community(社区）with good schools for the kids. And soon, we’ll face a new challenge with wealth. But we’ll never give up.

My father died three years ago. Before he died, he knew I made the right choice. I’m proud of my decision.

1..The writer argued with her father because _________________.

A．she thought her father didn’t love her at all

B．her father thought her boyfriend was too materialistic

C．her father wanted her to marry a rich man while she didn’t

D．she thought her father loved her boyfriend’s money more than him.

2..After getting married, the writer questioned if she had done the right thing to marry her husband because___________.

A．she was often scolded(责骂)by her father

B．she found her husband was irresponsible(不负责任的）

C．he didn’t think her husband loved her deeply

D．they lived a poor life with children to support

3..After their children were born, the writer_______________.

A．often regretted not using her college education

B．worked very hard in order to make more money

C．had to steal baby clothes from a department store

D．looked after her children as a professional (职业的,专业的）housewife

4.. Why didn’t the writer’s children think they were poor growing up?

A．Because the writer always gave them whatever they wanted

B．Because the writer and her children often helped other people.

C．Because the writer didn’t let her children play with their rich neighbours

D．Because the writer let her children have a good life through receiving help from others.

5..What do you think is the theme(主题）of the story?

A．Women should always make a decision by themselves

B．Listening to the old is important when people get married

C．Money doesn’t matter as much as love in marriage

D．Children don’t mind whether they have a poor family or not

 

Writer and power chair adventurer Mary Laver has not walked for twenty years. Yet the cheerful and positive 60 year old is not only refusing to let her disability get her down ---- she is also planning to cross the length of Britain in a power wheelchair.
Getting ready for the trip is not easy. She has already run into many problems - not least officials and organizations who view her as a health and safety risk. One police officer wrote to Mary requesting:
1. The proposed route through our area with road numbers.
2. The dates and times each day that this will be taking place.
3. The location details of the proposed overnight stops.
4. The names and mobile phone contact details of the Support Crew.
Another police officer asked her to travel off road! As Mary told me, this was unacceptable - as a power wheelchair user with limited movement she needs to be"gettable".
There are other problems in her way though - she is, after all, in her 60’s and has severe rheumatoid arthritis(风湿性关节炎). However, unlike many other people with arthritis, she is no longer in pain.
"When you are in a power chair and it is going at eight miles an hour, believe me it feels fast … to me it is the Formula One(一级方程式赛车) chair of electric wheelchairs."
At the end of the interview, I asked Mary if she had a message for any other power chair users who wanted to do a challenge, and her reply was simple："Just do it!"
【小题1】What is Mary Laver planning to do？

A．Travel to write a power wheelchair adventure.

B．Travel across Britain in a power wheelchair.

C．Prove she can do what a man can in driving.

D．Try a fast Formula One power chair sport.

【小题2】Why did a police officer write to Mary requesting the four points? 

A．He tried to stop her.	B．Mary’s adventure is valueless.
C．The power chair is too fast.	D．He wanted to ensure her safety.

【小题3】The underlined word “She needs to be gettable” in the passage probably means          “_______”

A．She’ll have a try whatever difficulties she may have.

B．A road for a power wheelchair user is a must for her.

C．Mary has to jump off her wheelchair once on the road.

D．With rheumatoid arthritis, she need some field help.

【小题4】When Mary said “Just do it !” at the end of the interview, she meant “_______”

A．Be brave though disabled.	B．Fear no challenges at all.
C．Take action right away.	D．Make it whoever you are.

I used to watch her from my kitchen window. She seemed so small as she muscled her way through the crowd of boys on the playground. The school was across the street from our home and I would often watch the kids as they played during break. I remember the first day I saw her playing basketball. I watched in wonder as she ran circles around the other kids. She managed to shoot jump shots just over their heads and into the net. The boys always tried to stop her but no one could. I began to notice her at other times, basketball in hand, playing alone.

One day I asked her why she practiced so much. Without a moment of hesitation she said, “I want to go to college. The only way I can go is to get a scholarship. I am going to play college basketball. I want to be the best. My Daddy told me if the dream is big enough, the facts don’t count.” Well, I had to give it to her—she was determined. I watched her through those junior high years and into high school. Every week, she led her school team to victory.

One day in her senior year, I saw her sitting in the grass, head in her arms. I walked across the street and sat down in the cool grass beside her. Quietly I asked what was wrong. “Oh, nothing,” came a soft reply, “I am just too short.” The coach told her that at 5’5” she would probably never get to play for a top ranked team—much less offered a scholarship—so she should stop dreaming about college. She was heartbroken and I felt my own throat tighten as I sensed her disappointment. I asked her if she had talked to her dad about it yet. She told me that her father said those coaches were wrong. They just did not understand the power of a dream. He told her that if she truly wanted a scholarship and that nothing could stop her except one thing — her own attitude.

The next year, as she and her team went to the Northern California Championship game, she was offered a scholarship and on the college team. She was going to get the college education that she had dreamed of.

41．The author was probably the girl’s        .

A．neighbor                 B．friend                     C．mother              D．teacher

42．Why was the girl heartbroken?

A．She was considered too short to be a top player.

B．Her coach stopped her training because of her height.

C．She couldn’t be on a college basketball team.

D．She wouldn’t be admitted by an ideal college.

43．We can learn from the passage that        .

A．her family wouldn’t like to pay her college fee

B．her father forced her to play basketball in collage

C．being a top basketball player can win you a scholarship for college

D．she wouldn’t like to turn to his father for help when in difficulty

44．Which word can best describe her father?

A．Encouraging.          B．Optimistic.              C．Stubborn.               D．Cruel.

45．Which proverb best matches the story?

A．Practice makes perfect.

B．Rome was not built in a day.

C．Where there is a will, there is a way.

D．Pride comes before a fall.

A lot of management training each year for Circle K Corporation, a national chain of convenience stores. Among the topics we address in our course is the retention（保护力） of quality employees-a real challenge to managers when you consider the pay scale（标准）in the service industry. During these discussions, I ask the participants（参加者）, “What has caused you to stay long enough to become a manager?” Some time back a new manager took the question and slowly, with her voice almost breaking, said, “It was a ＄19 baseball glove.”

Cynthia told the group that she originally took a Circle K clerk job as an interim（临时的） position while she looked for something better. On her second or third day behind the counter, she received a phone call from her nine-year-old son, Jessie. He needed a baseball glove for Little League. She explained that as a single mother, money was very tight, and her first check would have to go for paying bills. Perhaps she could buy his baseball glove with her second or third check. When Cynthia arrived for work the next morning, Patricia, the store manager, asked her to come to the small room in the back of the store that served as an office. Cynthia wondered if she had done something wrong or left some part of her job incomplete from the day before. She was concerned and confused.

Patricia handed her a box. “I overheard you talking to your son yesterday,” she said, “and I know that it is hard to explain things to kids. This is a baseball glove for Jessie because he may not understand how important he is, even though you have to pay bills before you can buy gloves. You know we can’t pay good people like you as much as we would like to; but we do care, and I want you to know you are important to us.”

The thoughtfulness, empathy and love of this convenience store manager demonstrates vividly that people remember more how much an employer cares than how much the employer pays. An important lesson for the price of a Little League baseball glove.

Among many of the problems in the service industry, talked about in this passage, is         .

       A．how to ensure his employees’ high pay

       B．how to attract more customers

       C．how to look carefully after the employees

       D．how to keep the good employees from leaving

Although a new manager, Cynthia would do her job well in keeping quality employees because she         .

       A．had mastered all the courses for the manager

       B．had already formed good relationship with the employees

       C．know the way how to deal with her employees

       D．had her own personal experience

This passage shows us that to run a business well it is necessary for managers to let their employees know         .

       A．how much they can get for their job.

       B．what good positions they can get later

       C．they are very necessary to the business  

       D．they are nice as well as useful

The story told in this passage tells us that employees care about         .

       A．only how large a pay they can get

       B．love from the managing people rather than only money

       C．if their children could be properly taken care of

       D．what position they can be offered