The Washington Post—Yesterday, she was the meanest mom on the planet; today, the coolest.

Jane Hambleton, 48, has gained respectful attention from the public, especially parents when news of a classified ad she’s placed in a local newspaper was picked up by the Associated Press.

The text of the ad: “OLD 1999 Ford. Totally uncool parents who obviously don’t love teenage son, selling his car. Only driven for three weeks before found alcohol under front seat. $3,700．Call meanest mom on the planet.”

Sold! Hambleton, a radio DJ in Iowa, received some 70 calls from buyers, other parents,  emergency room workers, school teachers, and scores of others wanting to congratulate her for being so cool a mother.

For the record, Steven, a student at Briar Cliff University in Sioux, told his mother that the alcohol in the car did not belong to him, but to a friend. Hambleton believed him. However, it broke one of the two rules she set when she bought him the car at Thanksgiving: No alcohol, and keep it locked.

Steven was originally “very, very unhappy”, but he and Mom seem to have made things up. By the end of the week, they were appearing on “Good Morning America”, which got the television booking war started, including calls from folks from “Oprah”. All of this proves one thing: America needs this. Oh boy, don’t we need this kind of tough love, the kind that says: “I am not your friend. I am your mother. Eat your peas. Now.” ?

As for the car, it was purchased by another couple in Iowa who planned to give it to their 19-year-old son. Hambleton said: “Do not have any alcohol in that car. And if you do, don’t hide it under the front seat.”

1．Why did Jane decide to sell her son’s car?

   A．Because she is a mean mother to her teenage son.

   B．Because she wants to attract the media’s attention.

   C．Because she wants to teach her son a lesson.

   D．Because she wants to show others how to love their children.

2．Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

   A．About 70 people showed interest in buying the car.

   B．Jane feels sorry for selling her son’s car.

   C．Jane Hambleton thought her son was lying about the alcohol.

   D．Steven is no longer unhappy with his mother.

3．What does the writer mean by “eat your peas”?

   A．Mothers should encourage their children to eat more healthy food.

   B．Children should do whatever their mothers tell them to do.

   C．Parents should make their children do the right things even if they don’t want to.

   D．Children shouldn’t expect to make friends with their mothers.

4．The news attracted so much attention because _________.

   A．Hambleton put a short ad in the newspaper to sell her son’s car

   B．It’s a public concern that many American parents are too easy with their children

   C．Hambleton and her son appeared in a famous TV program

       D．Hambleton has become the coolest mother in the world

Wuthering Heights has a difficult narrative structure. The story begins in 1801. It is first narrated by Lockwood, a visitor staying in Thrushcross Grange, one of the two houses, where we can meet different characters in the novel. Lockwood is a narrow, dull man who is basically afraid of feeling; as a result, he is a bad man who lives emotionally through a dirty interest in the lives of others. It is this side of his character that leads into the main narrative stream of the novel. His interest in what he sees and experiences on his visits to Wuthering Heights leads him to encourage  Nelly Dean, the house-keeper at the Grange, to provide him with the information concerning the people that he has met: Heathcliff, Cathy, Hareton, Joseph and, of course, the ghost of Catherine.

Nelly Dean’s story forms the major part of the narrative. While Nelly is meant to be an objective narrator, she has a lot to do with what has happened over the past twenty-five years that have led to the present state of affairs. Therefore, as readers, we need to realize how Nelly presents events and characters and her own role in determining the course of events.

The final part of the novel concerns the immediate future and provides us with the results of Lockwood’s visit to the Heights and the appearance of Catherine’s ghost. It is narrated by both Lockwood and Nelly.

Finally, Isabella, the one time wife of Heathcliff, through a letter, narrates one middle part of the novel.

Although this narrative structure may, at first, be very difficult, it is necessary because in the world of the novel, time order of the years is not so important; the events of twenty-five years ago are as much a part of the present as those in which Lockwood finds himself in 1801.

47．From the first paragraph, we can know the first narrator is _____________.

       A．Lockwood                                          B．Thrushcross       

       C．Heathcliff                                            D．Nelly Dean

48．The house-keeper at the Grange satisfies Lockwood’s dirty desire by ____________.

       A．telling him the story of the ghost of Catherine

       B．providing him with the information of Wuthering Height

       C．encouraging him to know more about the people he has met

       D．showing him around the place he is visiting

49．What is special about the middle part of the novel?

       A．One part of it is narrated in the form of a letter.

       B．It describes how Isabella and Heathcliff got separated.

       C．It is the most difficult part in the novel.

       D．One part of it suggests Catherine has been dead

50．This passage is quite probably ____________.

       A．a piece of news                                   B．a reading guide

       C．a writing guide                                    D．an advertisement of a novel

A
Nate suffered a hard blow when he lost his job. His boss had spoken rudely, “Your services are no longer needed.” Nate left the building filled with despair. By the time he reached home, he was in a deep depression. When he entered his house, he blurted out to his wife Sophia, “I lost my job. I am a complete, utter failure.” A tense silence followed. Then a smile crept across Sophia’s face. “What great news!” she responded.
“Now you can write the book you have always wanted to write.”
“But I have no job and no prospect of a job,” YC he objected, completely without hope. “If I struggle to be an author, then what will we live on? Where will the money come from?” Sophia took her husband by the hand and led him to the kitchen. Opening a drawer, she took out a box that was full of cash. “Where on earth did you get this?” Nate gasped. “To whom does it belong?”
“It’s ours!” Sophia replied. “I always knew that one day you would become a great writer if only you were given the chance. From the money you gave me for housekeeping every week, I have saved as much as I could so you would have your chance. Now there is enough to last us a whole year.”
What a surprise! What encouragement! What a wife! The unemployed husband did concentrate on writing that year, and the novel he wrote became a literary masterpiece. The book is The Scarlet Letter. Sophia had an even greater achievement, and she turned Nathaniel Hawthorne from a poor clerk into a world famous master.   

1. 1.

   Which of the following can be inferred from the first paragraph?
   

   1. A.
      Sophia was very disappointed to hear the news  
   2. B.
      Nate was too sad to speak any more
   3. C.
      Sophia was thinking of how to encourage Nate  
   4. D.
      Neither husband nor wife had any idea what to do
2. 2.

   Sophia saved money because ______.
   

   1. A.
      she knew her husband would lose his job one day  
   2. B.
      she knew their life would be in difficulty
   3. C.
      she was very careful with money  
   4. D.
      she was trying to help her husband in every possible way
3. 3.

   From the passage we can know that Sophia was ______.
   

   1. A.
      kind and brave                                   
   2. B.
      careful and encouraging
   3. C.
      friendly and warm-hearted                   
   4. D.
      honest and determined
4. 4.

   What would be the best title for the passage?
   

   1. A.
      Sophia’s Achievement.                       
   2. B.
      A great writer’s struggle to success.
   3. C.
      Great encouragement in hard times.     
   4. D.
      Failure is the mother of success.

Nate suffered a hard blow when he lost his job. His boss had spoken rudely, “Your services are no longer needed.” Nate left the building filled with despair. By the time he reached home, he was in a deep depression (沮丧). When he entered his house, he told his wife Sophia, “I lost my job. I am a complete failure.” Silence followed, but then a smile appeared on Sophia’s face. “What great news!” she said.

“Now you can write the book you have always wanted to write.”

“But I have no job and no future,” he said, without any hope. “If I struggle to be an author, then what will we live on? Where will the money come from?” Sophia took her husband by the hand and led him to the kitchen. Opening a drawer, she took out a box that was full of money. “Where on earth did you get this?” Nate gasped (喘息, 气喘). “To whom does it belong?”

“It’s ours!” Sophia replied. “I always knew that one day you would become a great writer if only you were given the chance. From the money you gave me for housekeeping every week, I have saved as much as I could, so you would have your chance. Now there is enough to last us a whole year.”

What a surprise! What encouragement! What a wife! The unemployed husband did devote himself to writing that year, and the novel he wrote became a literary masterpiece (名著). The book is The Scarlet Letter. Sophia had an even greater achievement, and she turned Nathaniel Hawthorne from a poor clerk into a world famous master.

1. Which of the following can be inferred from the first paragraph?

A. Sophia was very disappointed.　　　 B. Nate was too sad to speak any more.

C. Sophia tried to encourage Nate.　　　　 D. Both had no idea of what to do next.

2. Sophia saved money because she __________.

A. knew Nate would lose job one day　 B. was sure their life would be in difficulty

C. was very careful with money　　　　 D. helped her husband in every possible way

3. From the passage we can know that Sophia was __________.

A. so much kind and brave　　　　　 B. careful and encouraging

C. friendly and warm-hearted　　　　　 D. honest and determined

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

A. Sophia’s great achievement.　　　　　 B. A great writer’s struggle to succeed.

C. Great success for hard times.　　　 D. Failure will certainly lead to success.