It was my ninth time standing in front of a Nashville manager to sing a few songs and try for a record deal. The first eight times didn't lead to   36  . Music was my favorite, but I didn't have the right   37  . My hair was out of date; I wasn't pretty; I was a little old and too heavy.

I've always been a   38  . Most of the people I knew growing up in small villages of Illinois struggled just like me. If you weren't a pig farmer or corn farmer, the   39   you could hope for was to learn a(n)   40   that could take you out of there.

That's   41   I learned to sing songs. Now I was in the middle of the second song. I glanced up at the manager, who was sitting behind his desk. He didn't appear   42   at all. I was nervous. About one minute later, I saw him write something down. From where I stood, I could   43  see him write the letter N,   44   by the letter O.

“That's it,” I thought. “He is passing on me.” He folded the paper while I went on with my third and last song.

I was sure the guy   45   me and could not   46   to get out of there. As we said good-bye, he said, “ I want you to have this.” He gave me the   47  . I didn't understand.

Though my hands were   48  , I found the courage to read the note. It didn't say “NO”. It said “NOW”.

My dream of becoming a singer was starting to   49   . I still had to write, sing and record an album, of course. But my whole life   50   .

短文填词（满分5分，每小题0.5分）

1.When I found out that my train would be three hours late, I changed my idea and would take a bus _____(代替).

2.I was about to rush out of the train station ______ a

3.well-dressed old man took me ____ the arm, "Young

4.lady," said the gentleman, "Shouldn't you f____ out

5.the bus schedule before you rush out to c   (赶上)the

6.bus ". I stared at him with my mouth o    . How did  he

7.read my m______? Before I could say a word, he added, 

8. "You see, my train is ______(也) running late. The same idea

9.came to me. But I think a good conversation can help ____

10.the time. B_____ you know it, your train will be there." 

Each time I see a balloon, my mind flies back to a memory of when I was a six-year-old girl. It was a rainy Sunday and my father had recently died. I asked my mom if Dad had gone to heaven. “Yes, honey. Of course.” she said.

    “Can we write him a letter?”

    She paused, the longest pause of my short life, and answered, “Yes.”

    My heart jumped. “How? Does the mailman go there?” I asked.

    “No, but I have an idea.” Mom drove to a party store and returned with a red balloon. I asked her what it was for.

    “Just wait, honey. You’ll see.” Mom told me to write my letter. Eagerly, I got my favorite pen, and poured out my six-year-old heart in the form of blue ink. I wrote about my day, what I learned at school, how Mom was doing, and even about what happened in a story I had read. For a few minutes it was as if Dad were still alive. I gave the letter to Mom. She read it over, and a smile crossed her face.

    She made a hole in the corner of the letter where she looped (缠绕) the balloon string. We went outside and she gave me the balloon. It was still raining.

    “Okay, on the count of three, let go. One, two, three.”

The balloon, carrying my letter, darted upward against the rain. We watched until it was swallowed by the mass of clouds.

Later I realized, like the balloon, that Dad had never let his sickness get him down. He was strong. No matter what he suffered, he’d persevere, dart up, and finally transcend this cold world and his sick body. He rose into sky and became something beautiful. I watched until the balloon disappeared into the gray and white and I prayed that his strength was hereditary. I prayed to be a balloon.

1.What does the underlined sentence imply?

A. When the girl asked if they could write to her father, her mother felt it hard to answer.    

B. When the girl asked if they could write to her father, her mother thought her a creative girl.

C. When the girl asked if they could write to her father, her mother believed it easy to do so.        

D. When the girl asked if they could write to her father, her mother found it easy to lie.

2.When the girl was told that she could send a letter to her father, she _________.

A. jumped with surprise                     B. became excited

C. didn’t know how to write                           D. was worried that it couldn’t be delivered

3.In the eyes of the author, what was the rain like?

A. An incurable disease.                              B. An unforgettable memory.

C. The hard time her father had.        D. The failures her father experienced.

4.What would be the best title for the passage?

A. An unforgettable experience.                     B. The strong red balloon.

C. Fly to paradise.                       D. A great father.

第二节：书面表达（满分25分）
假设你是李华。你班最近就“大学生是否经济独立”话题展开讨论，大家发表了不同的看法。请你根据下面所给内容，写一封信给《21世纪报高中生版》”Your Words”栏目，反映讨论情况。