I am a strong believer that if a child is raised with approval, he learns to love himself and will be successful in his own way.

　 Several weeks ago, I was doing homework with my son in the third grade and he kept standing up from his chair to go over the math lines. I kept asking him to sit down, telling him that he would concentrate better. He sat but seconds later, as if he didn’t even notice he was doing it, he got up again. I was getting frustrated, but then it hit me. I started noticing his answers were much quicker and accurate when he stood up. Could he be more intent while standing up？

This made me start questioning myself and what I had been raised to believe. I was raised to believe that a quiet, calm child was a sure way to success．This child would have the discipline to study hard, get good grades and become someone important in life.

Now those same people perhaps come to realize that their kids are born with their own sets of DNA and personality traits, and all you can do is loving and accepting them. As parents, throughout their growing years and beyond that, we need to be our kids' best cheerleaders, guiding them and helping them find their way.

　 I have stopped asking my son to sit down and concentrate. Obviously, he is concentrating just in his own way and not mine. We need to learn to accept our kids' ways of doing things. Some way may have worked for me but doesn't mean we need to carry it through generations. There is nothing sweeter than being individual and unique. It makes us free and happy and that's just the way I want my kids to live their own life.

41. At the beginning, the author tried to keep his son seated in order to make him________.

A. pay more attention to his study B. keep silent in the room

C. finish his homework on time　　　 　　　　　　　 D. get right answers

42. Inspired by the case of his son, the author began to doubt________.

A. the importance of parents B. the old form of education

C. the relationship between kids and their parents 　　　　 D. the good grades of some kids

43. According to the passage, which of the following statements is RIGHT?

A. We should help kids correct their wrong ways.

B. Parents should study their kids’ DNA.　　

C. Kids should be taught to behave themselves.

D. Parents should love and accept their kids.

44. The author has stopped asking his son to sit down because __________.

A. he has changed his traditional ideas　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. his son wants to be unique

C. his son doesn’t follow his advice　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. his son’s DNA is different

45. Which of the following would be the best title of the passage?

A. Study hard and you'll be successful　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. Be friendly to your children

C. Children's success in their own style　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. Parents' help with their children's study

I grew up in a house where the TV was seldom turned on and with one wall in my bedroom entirely lined with bookshelves, most of my childhood was spent on books I could get hold of. In fact, I grew up thinking of reading as natural as breathing and books unbelievably powerful in shaping perspectives (观点) by creating worlds we could step into, take part in, and live in.
With this unshakable belief, I, at fourteen, decided to become a writer. Here too, reading became useful. Every writer starts off knowing that he has something to say, but being unable to find the right ways to say it. He has to find his own voice by reading widely and discovering which parts of the writers he agrees or disagrees with, or agrees with so strongly that it reshapes his own world. He cannot write without loving to read, because only through reading other people’s writing can one discover what works, what doesn’t and, in the end, together with lots of practice, what voice he has.
Now I am in college, and have come to realize how important it is to read fiction (文学作品)．As a law student, my reading is in fact limited to subject matter—the volume (量) of what I have to read for classes every week means there is little time to read anything else. Such reading made it all the clearer to me that I live in a very small part in this great place called life. Reading fiction(小说) reminds me that there is life beyond my own. It allows me to travel across the high seas and along the Silk Road, all from the comfort of my own armchair, to experience, though secondhand, exciting experiences that I wouldn't necessarily be able to have in my lifetime

1. 1.

   What does the underlined word in paragraph 1 mostly probably mean?

   1. A.
      even
   2. B.
      almost
   3. C.
      tiredly
   4. D.
      gradually
2. 2.

   What can be inferred about the author as a child?

   1. A.
      He never watched TV
   2. B.
      He read what he had to
   3. C.
      He found reading unbelievable
   4. D.
      He considered reading part of his life
3. 3.

   The underlined word "voice" in the second paragraph most probably means “________________ ”

   1. A.
      an idea
   2. B.
      a sound quality
   3. C.
      a way of writing
   4. D.
      a world to write about
4. 4.

   What effect does reading have on the author?

   1. A.
      It helps him to realize his dream
   2. B.
      It opens up a wider world for him
   3. C.
      It makes his college life more interesting
   4. D.
      It increases his interest in worldwide travel
5. 5.

   Which of the following can be the best title of this text?

   1. A.
      Why do I read?
   2. B.
      How do I read?
   3. C.
      What do I read?
   4. D.
      When do I read?

When middle-aged Alex quit his job and made up his mind to become a self-employed writer, no one could tell for sure whether he would succeed or not.He found a cold storage room in a building, set up a used typewriter and settled down to work.

　　 After a year or so, however, Alex began to doubt himself.He found it was difficult to earn his living by selling what he wrote.But Alex determined to put his dream to the test—even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of failure.This is the shadowland(虚幻世界)of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there.

　 　One day Alex got a call, “We need an assistant, and we're paying $ 6,000 a year.” $ 6,000 was real money in 1960.It would enable Alex to get a nice apartment, a used car and more.Besides, he could write in his spare time.As the dollars were dancing in Alex's head, something cleared his senses.He had dreamed of being a writer? Full time.“Thanks, but no,” Alex said firmly and swiftly,“I'm going to stick it out and write.”

　 　After Alex got off the phone, he pulled out everything he had: two cans of vegetables and 18 cents.Alex put the cans and cents into a paper bag, saying to himself,“There's everything you've made of yourself so far. I'm not sure I ever felt so low.”

　　 Finally his work was published in 1970.Instantly he had the kind of fame and success that few writers ever experienced. The shadows had turned into focus of attention.

　 　Then one day, Alex found a box filled with things he had owned years before.Inside was a paper bag with two cans and 18 cents. Suddenly he pictured himself working in that cold storage room. It reminds Alex, and anyone with a dream, of the courage and persistence it takes to stay the course in the shadowland.

56．Why did Alex give up his job?

A. Because he didn't like the working conditions.

B. Because he couldn't earn enough to make a living.

C. Because he wanted to be a full-time writer.

D. Because he felt he had no potential in his job.

57．What did Alex express when he answered the call?

A. He refused the job offer.

B. He was willing to give them a hand.

C. He expected them to pay him more money.

D. He would write in his spare time.

58. What kind of person is Alex?

A. Determined.　　 B. Modest.　　 C. Shy.　　 D. Brave.

59. Which of the following can summarize the passage best?

A. Look before you leap.

B. Two heads are better, than one.

C. Hold on to your dream, and it will come true.

D. A bird in hand is worth two in the bush.

60. Which sentence is true according to the passage?

A. Ales found it was easy to earn his living by selling what he wrote.

B. Ales never double himself.

C. Ales got a job paying more than $6000 for him.

D. Ales want to be a self-employed writer.

　 My 10-year-old Donna said, “Mom, I made a new friend at school today. Can she come over tomorrow?” Donna was a shy girl and I wanted her to make some friends to bring her out of her shell.

“Sure, honey, that sounds great.” I said, thinking back to my own best friend, Lillian. We lived across the street from each other in Washington Heights, New York. We met at the age of 10, too. Like my daughter, I was shy, but Lillian drew me out. She was one of the friendliest people in school, with shiny black hair and a mile-wide smile.

In senior high school, Lillian went on a trip to Florida. This was the first time we had to be away from each other for a few days. “I’ll be back soon.” she told me. But three days later, Lillian’s sister told me that she had fallen into a river and hadn’t come out any more. Soon, my family moved to New Jersey. Whenever I thought of her, tears came into my eyes.

The next day Donna brought her new friend home. “Hi, Mrs. Loggia.” the little girl said. Her hair was so shiny and black and she shot me a big smile. “My name is Laura.”

My daughter’s new friend was so much like Lillian. I was still puzzled (迷惑) when Laura’s mom came to pick her up later that afternoon. I opened the door to let her in. “Judy!” she cried. “It’s me, Lillian’s sister, from Washington Heights.” Yes, my daughter’s friend looked familiar. She was Lillian’s niece.

46. The underlined words in the first paragraph “to bring her out of her shell” mean _____.

A. to help her become less shy　　　 　　　　 B. to help her become smart

C. to help her live happily　　　 　　　 D. to help her walk out of her house

47. Laura looked familiar to the writer because she ____________.

A. was Lillian’s niece　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. was as old as her daughter　 　　　　　 　

C. was from Washington Heights　 D. had shiny black hair and a big smile, too 　

48. Why did the writer lose her best friend?　 Because ____________.

A. she moved to New Jersey　　 　　　 B. they were different from each other

C. her best friend travelled to Florida　　 D. her best friend lost her life on a trip

49. “I knew we would be best friends forever.” is a sentence from the passage and should be put at the end of _______．

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

50. We can infer (推断) from the passage that______.

A. Laura is outgoing 　　　　　　　　 B. Laura helps Donna a lot

C. Laura and Donna are of the same age　 D. Judy moved to New Jersey because of Lillian’s death