In 1961 Obama was born in Hawaii, US. His father was an African and his mother was a white American. He grew up in Indonesia and Hawaii.
When Obama was 10 years old, he was one of the only three black students at his school in Hawaii. He felt very different from most other students. White girls wanted to touch his hair. A white boy even asked him what his father was.
“I lied to them that my father was a Kenyan prince. But I kept asking myself who I am," said Obama.
However, 37 years later, the boy made history. Obama became the first black president in US history.
Obama's unusual background made him wonder who he was. He once turned to alcohol to help forget this question.
With the help of his friends, Obama finally turned his life around at college. His hard work made him a star at Harvard. Later, he became the third black senator (参议员）in US history.
"Obama's success has made Martin Luther King's dream come true. That is: A man should not be judged by the colour of his skin, but by the content of his character," wrote ABC news.
【小题1】Obama was born in _______.

A．Britain

B．American

C．Kenya

D．Indonesia

【小题2】Which of the following is TURE according to the passage?

A．Obama's parents are both African

B．Obama was the first black senator in US history

C．Obama was once very depressed (压抑）because of his unusual background.

D．No other black students were in the school where Obama studied when he was ten.

【小题3】Obama became the first black president in US history when he was ______.

A．37

B．38

C．47

D．48

【小题4】From the passage we can learn that ______________.

A．Obama's father is a Kenyan prince.

B．Obama was a star in Harvard because he drank a lot

C．We should judge a person by what he did when he was young

D．Obama's success owes to his hard work

————.the website of www．google．com, and you will learn a lot about Obama’s first official visit to China．

    A．Searching                        B．To search                       

    C．Having searched                  D．Search

 

This is a part from US President Barack Obama’s speech on May 14 at Bamard College in New York.

… My last piece of advice – this is simple, but perhaps most important: 36. Nothing worthwhile is easy. No one of achievement has avoided failure – sometimes catastrophic failures. But they keep at it. They learn from mistakes. They don’t 37.

When I first arrived on this 38, I was with little money, fewer options. But it was here that I tried to find my place in this world. I knew I wanted to make a difference, but it was 39 how in fact I’d go about it. But I wanted to do my part to 40 a better world.

So even as I worked after graduation in a few 41 jobs here in New York, even as I went from motley (鱼龙混杂的)apartment to motley apartment, I 42.

… And I wish I could say that this perseverance came from some innate (天生的)toughness in me. But the truth is, it was 43. I got it from 44 the people who raised me. I grew up as the son of a single mom who struggled to put herself through 45 and make ends meet. She had a marriage that fell apart; 46 went on food stamps at one point to help us 47. But she didn’t quit. And she earned her degree, and made sure that 48 scholarships and hard work, my sister and I earned 49.

And 50, I met a woman who was assigned to advise me on my first summer job at a law firm. And she gave me such good advice that I married her. And Michelle and I gave everything we had to balance our careers and a 51 family. We made that marriage work.

… So 52 it’s starting a business, or running for office, or 53 an amazing family, remember that making your 54  on the world is hard. It takes patience. It takes commitment. It comes with plenty of 55 and it comes with plenty of failures.

1.                A．compete        B．persevere       C．struggle  D．preservation

 

2.                A．rest           B．decline         C．quit  D．regret

 

3.                A．campus         B．downtown       C．farm D．country

 

4.                A．confident       B．uncertain       C．ambitious D．proud

 

5.                A．shape          B．instruct         C．organize  D．lead

 

6.                A．amazing        B．disturbing       C．meaningful    D．unsatisfactory

 

7.                A．reached out     B．put out         C．gave out  D．made out

 

8.                A．presented      B．structured       C．learned   D．created

 

9.                A．copying        B．detecting       C．persuading    D．watching

 

10.               A．life            B．work           C．school D．business

 

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

 

12.               A．get by          B．come by        C．get along  D．come along

 

13.               A．during         B．through        C．across D．over

 

14.               A．mine          B．us             C．ours  D．hers

 

15.               A．for the time being B．long before     C．up to now  D．later on

 

16.               A．young          B．poor           C．weak D．strong

 

17.               A．as if           B．if             C．whether   D．unless

 

18.               A．rising          B．raising         C．arousing   D．arising

 

19.               A．view           B．stay           C．remark    D．mark

 

20.               A．goals          B．advantages      C．shortcomings   D．setbacks

 

 

You might say that Barack Obama was elected President of the US because he knows how to give a speech. In 2004, the little-known Obama gave a speech at the Democratic National Convention (民主党全国会议). It was a great speech — poetic, and inspiring. The people who heard it would remember it for a long time.

Since 2004, Obama has written and delivered thousands of speeches. There are usually praised for two reasons: he treats the audiences like intelligent adults, and he is able to express complicated ideas in a straightforward, natural way.

Before becoming President, Obama was a lawyer, a college professor, and a successful writer – his two memoirs (回忆录) have become best sellers. The skills he needed to succeed in his previous jobs have also contributed to his success as a speechmaker.

As a lawyer, Obama learned how to make strong, convincing arguments. As a professor, he learned how to explain complex subjects in ways that helped students understand without boring them. As a writer, he learned how to use languages to have a powerful influence on his audience. A famous American musician even turned one of Obama’s early speeches into a song during the election campaign.

Secret weapons of Obama

Writing team: Obama has a team of people who write his speeches. The writers chat with Obama for hours about what he wants to say. Then listen to recordings of past presidential addresses and seek advice from advisers. Obama usually edits and rewrites the drafts several times.

Make fun of the guests: Obama starts his speech by gently making fun of his guests. His opening lines attract the audience’s attention while giving them an opportunity to relax and laugh at themselves and each other.

Make fun of himself: Obama laughs at his past mistakes and is never afraid of showing them to the public.

Obama delivers speeches to audiences large and small. He can make his audiences laugh or cry. His speeches are always thoughtful, well written and just right for each occasion.

1.The third and fourth paragraph mainly talk about _______.

A．why Obama’s speeches are praised

B．how Obama acquired his speaking ability

C．what subjects Obama’s speeches are about

D．Obama’s success as a writer and a lawyer

2.What do we know about Obama’s writing team according to the passage?

A．They always seek advice from the ordinary people.

B．They analyze the speeches given by former US Presidents.

C．They usually have to finish writing a speech in a short time.

D．They try not to mention Obama’s past mistakes in the speeches.

3.When delivering a speech, Obama __________.

A．usually starts with some famous saying

B．sometimes turns his speech into a song

C．sometimes shares a joke with the audience

D．is very strict most of the time

4.What’s the author’s attitude towards Obama’s speeches?

A．negative

B．indifferent(漠不关心的)

C．positive

D．doubtful

 

Barack Obama makes his first trip to Asia as president this week, leaving behind a host of domestic (国内的) problems with the visit that recognizes the region’s economic and diplomatic importance. “Obama”s trip includes stops in Japan, Singapore, China and South Korea, and his message will be simple, says Nicolas Lardy at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. “Well, I think his broadest aim is to convince Asians that the United States is fully committed to the region that we have an agenda that’s much broader than they saw over the past eight years of the very heavy focus on anti-terrorism.”
Obama’s first stop is Japan, where he meets with the new Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama who has promised to steer a diplomatic course more independent of Washington. While Japan is seen as a getting-to-know-you stop, when Obama heads to the Singapore for the APEC meeting, he will likely face pressure on trade. “Many Asians are concerned about what US trade policy will be, and they’ve been somewhat alarmed by the fact that the president really hasn’t set out very much revision for what US trade policy is in his administration.”
But the critical leg of the trip will come in China, his third stop where Obama will have to navigate the complex relationship with the country that is the largest holder of US debt. “As you say, you know, if you owe the bank one dollar, it’s your problem, if you owe the bank, you know, 3 million dollars, it’s the bank’s problem, so it’s similar with China. I mean they have no interest in trying to use the influence with us, because eventually, they’re the one that they own all those dollars.”
Also on the table will be North Korea and Iran’s nuclear ambitions as well as cooperation on Afghanistan.
With Obama enjoying sky high popularity level in the countries he is visiting, detailed results may be beside the point, given that Obama is still in his first year in office, analysts say this trip is mostly about laying the ground work for the future.
【小题1】From the second paragraph, we can infer that       .

A．Japan has not been the closest friend of America

B．Japan and Singapore will give America some pressure on trade

C．Japan is concerned about what US trade policy will be

D．Japan decides not to rely on America too much

【小题2】What can you infer about China’s relation with America in the third paragraph?

A．China will sell all its shares in US national debt.

B．It will hurt China if the value of the dollar falls.

C．China will not be the largest debt holder of US.

D．China is US’ s overseas bank where US can borrow money.

【小题3】The author develops the passage mainly       .

A．by examples	B．by cause and effect
C．by comparison	D．by order in time