When I was about 10, I had an enemy--a girl who liked to point out my shortcomings(缺点). Week by week her list grew: I was very thin, I wasn’t a good student, I talked too much, I was too proud, and so on. I tried to hear all this as long as I could. At last, I became very angry. I ran to my father with tears in my eyes.

He listened to me quietly, and then he asked. “Are the things she says true or not? Janet, didn’t you ever wonder what you’re really like? Well, you now have that girl’s opinion. Go and make a list of everything she said and mark the points that  are true. Pay no attention to the other things she said.”

I did as he told me. To my great surprise, I discovered that about half the things were true. Some of them I couldn’t change (like being very thin), but a good number I could — and suddenly I wanted to change.  For the first time I got a fairly clear picture of myself.

I brought the list back to Daddy. He refused to take it. “That’s just for you,” he said. “You k now better than anyone else the truth about yourself. But you have to learn to listen, not just close your ears in anger and feeling hurt. When something said about you is true, you’ll find it will be of help to you. Our world is full of people who think they know your duty. Don’t shut your ears. Listen to them all, but hear the truth and do what you know is the right thing to do.”

Daddy’s advice has returned to me at many important moments. In my life, I’ve never had a better piece of advice.

41. What does “Week by week her list grew” mean in the first paragraph?

A. As time went by, she discovered more shortcomings of mine.

B. She made a longer list of my shortcomings the next week.

C. She more and more disliked me as time went by. 

D. She added one more shortcoming on the list every week.

42. What did the father ask her daughter to do when she complained(抱怨)

about her “enemy”?

A. To pay no attention to her “enemy’s” gossiping.

B. To keep away from her “enemy” at school.

C. To write down what the girl said and accept the truth.

D. To do whatever she wanted to as usual.

43. Why did her father refuse to take the list her daughter made?

A. Because he wanted her daughter to perfect herself.

B. Because what the list said were not his shortcomings.

C. Because he thought the list didn’t belong to him.

D. Because he believed the list could be well kept by her.

44. Which do you think would be the best title for this passage?

A. Not an Enemy, But a Good Friend   

B. The Best Advice I’ve Ever Had

C. My Father and I                  

D. My Childhood

When I was about 12, I had an enemy, a girl who liked to point out my shortcomings.

Week by week her list grew: I was very thin, I wasn’t a good student, I talked too much, I was too proud, and so on. I tried to hear all this as long as I could. At last, I became very angry. I ran to my father with tears in my eyes.

He listened to me quietly, then he asked. “Are the things she says true or not? Janet, didn’t you ever wonder what you’re really like ? Well, you now have that girl’s opinion. Go and make a list of everything she said and mark the points that are true. Pay no attention to the other things she said.”

I did as he told me. To my great surprise, I discovered that about half the things were true. Some of them I couldn’t change (like being very thin), but a good number I could—and suddenly I wanted to change. For the first time I go to fairly clear picture of myself.

I brought the list back to Daddy. He refused to take it.“That’s just for you,” he said.“You know better than anyone else the truth about yourself. But you have to learn to listen, not just close your ears in anger and feeling hurt. When something said about you is true, you’ll find it will be of help to you. Our world is full of people who think they know your duty. Don’t shut your ears. Listen to them all, but hear the truth and do what you know is the right thing to do.”

Daddy’s advice has returned to me at many important moments. In my life, I’ve never had a better piece of advice.

Which do you think would be the best title for this passage?

A. Not an Enemy, but the Best Friend   B. The Best Advice I’ve Ever Had

C. My Father                      D. My Childhood

What does “Week by week her list grew” mean?

A. Week by week she discovered more shortcomings of mine and pointed them out to me.

B. She had made a list of my shortcomings and she kept on adding new ones to it so that it was growing longer and longer.

C. I was having more and more shortcomings as time went on.

D. Week by week, my shortcomings grew more serious.

Why did her father listen to her quietly?

A. Because he believed that what her daughter’s “enemy” said was mostly true.

B. Because he had been so angry with his daughter’s shortcomings that he wanted to show this by keeping silent for a while.

C. Because he knew that his daughter would not listen to him at that moment.

D. Because he wasn’t quite sure which girl was telling the truth.

What did the father do after he had heard his daughter’s complaint?

A. He told her not to pay any attention to what her“enemy” had said.

B. He criticized (批评) her and told her to overcome her shortcomings.

C. He told her to write down all that her“enemy” had said about her and pay attention only to the things that were true.

D. He refused to take the list and have a look at it.

       What should you think about in trying to find your career? You are probably better at some school subjects than others. These may show strengths that you can use in your work. A boy who is good at mathematics can use that in an engineering career. A girl who spells well and likes English may be good at office work. So it is important to do well at school. On the other hand, you may not have any specially strong or weak subjects but your records show a general satisfactory standard. Although not all subjects can be used directly in a job, they may have indirect value. Knowledge of history is not required for most jobs but if history is one of your good subjects you will have learned to remember facts and details. This is an ability that can be useful in many jobs.
Your school may have taught you skills, such as typing or technical drawing, which you can use in your work. You may be good at metal work or cookery and look for a job where you can improve these skills. 
If you have had a part-time job on Saturdays or in the summer, think what you gained from it. If nothing else, you may have learned how to get to work on time, to follow instructions and to get on with older workers. You may have learned to give correct change in a shop, for example. Just as important, you may become interested in a particular industry or career you see from the inside in a part-time job.  
Facing your weak points is also part of knowing yourself. You may be all thumbs when you handle tools. Perhaps you are a poor speller or cannot add up a column of figures. It is bitter to face any weaknesses than to pretend they do not exist. Your school record, for instance, may not be too good, yet it is an important part of your background. You should not be apologetic about it but instead recognize that you will have a chance of a fresh start at work.
51. We can infer from the first paragraph that_______.
A. learning better at school shows power in your job
B. the better you are at school subjects, the more helpful they are in your career
C. learning each subject well is an ability in many jobs
D. we should think about how to find our career
52. According to the passage, if a student’s school record is not good, he will _________.
A. have no hope in his future work
B. be hopeful to find a suitable job
C. regret not having worked harder at school
D. have an opportunity of a new beginning in his future work
53. All the subjects may have direct value for job hunting except___________.
A. mathematics          B. English          C. history           D. technical drawing
54. The underlined words "all thumbs" in Paragraph 4 most probably mean_________.
A. heavy-handed         B. the best            C. important       D. skilled
55. The passage mainly discusses ___________.
A. the relationship between school performance and career
B. how to get a job
C. how to show strengths in your work
D. working experience and knowledge at school

Your novel is perfect; I’ve never read _______ before.

A. the better one            B. the best one      C. a better one       D. a good one