In the kitchen of my mother's houses there has always been a wooden stand with a small notepad and a hole for a pencil.
I’m looking for paper on which to note down the name of a book I am recommending to my mother. Over forty years since my earliest memories of the kitchen pad and pencil, five houses later, the current paper and pencil look the same as they always did. Surely it can't be the same pencil. The pad is more modern, but the wooden stand is definitely the original one.
“I'm just amazed you still have the same stand for holding the pad and pencil after all these years.” I say to her, walking back into the living-room with a sheet of paper and the pencil. “You still use a pencil. Can’t you afford a pen?”
My mother replies a little sharply. “It works perfectly well. I've always kept the stand in the kitchen. I never knew when I might want to note down an idea, and I was always in the kitchen these days. ”
Immediately I can picture her, hair wild, blue housecoat covered in flour, a wooden spoon in one hand, the pencil in the other, her mouth moving silently. My mother smiles and says, “One day I was cooking and watching baby     Pauline, and I had a brilliant thought, but the stand was empty. One of the children must have taken the paper. So I just picked up the breadboard and wrote it all down on the back. It turned out to be a real breakthrough for solving the mathematical problem I was working on.”
This story—which happened before I was born—reminds me how extraordinary my mother was, and is also a gifted mathematician. I feel embarrassed that I complain about not having enough child-free time to work. Later, when my mother is in the bathroom, I go into her kitchen and turn over the breadboards. Sure enough, on the back of the smallest one, are some penciled marks I recognize as mathematics. Those symbols have traveled unaffected through fifty years, rooted in the soil of a cheap wooden breadboard, invisible exhibits at every meal.
小题1:Why has the author's mother always kept the notepad and pencil in the kitchen?

A．To leave messages.

B．To list her everyday tasks.

C．To note down maths problems.

D．To write down a flash of inspiration（灵感）.

小题2:What is the author's original opinion about the wooden stand?

A．It has great value for the family.

B．It needs to be replaced by a better one.

C．It brings her back to her lonely childhood.

D．It should be passed on to the next generation.

小题3:The author feels embarrassed for ______.

A．blaming her mother wrongly

B．giving her mother a lot of trouble

C．not making good use of time as her mother did

D．not making any breakthrough in her field

小题4:What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．The mother is successful in her career.

B．The family members like traveling.

C．The author had little time to play when young.

D．The marks on the breadboard have disappeared.

小题5:In the author's mind, her mother is ______.

A．strange in behavior

B．enthusiastic about her research

C．fond of collecting old things

D．careless about her appearance

I remember my mother as a strong woman. She came to America when she was 12—old enough to remember her language, she achieved scores and grades high enough to be admitted to Duke University. With a degree in computer science, she finally became the manager of a company in New York. My mother could give fluent speeches, say “wolves” correctly.
It was my mother who always stressed the importance of language. From the time I was born, I was read to. I would fall asleep to the sounds of my parents’ voices, whether it was my dad’s softly accented, or my mother’s clear English. The flow of language was unbroken, and whether in Chinese or English, the stream of communication flowed through our house.
One October morning in sixth grade, after my mother had left to catch the train to the city, I left the house for the bus stop. I was surprised when I saw our car, the door hanging open. As I drew closer, I saw my mother lying on the ground.
In the hospital, it was hard to believe that the lady who lay before me was my mom. My mother could not remember my name. As the leaves changed colors, it became clear that the stroke had created a wall between my mother’s mind and mouth: her mind was not any less clear, but the words she spoke were not what she meant.
The battle my mother faced taught me the importance of language. Without it, identity does not exist; relationships cannot be formed; stories cannot be told; directions cannot be given, and knowing anything about anyone is impossible. Without language, communication cannot take place. Without language, one cannot express the beauty of a sunset or the kindness of a stranger. The world would pass us by in silence.
小题1: From where might the author’s mom come to America?

A．China

B．England

C．Russia

D．Canada

小题2:From the second paragraph, we can know ________.

A．the author was taught to read since she was born

B．the author’s father spoke English poorly

C．the author couldn’t fall asleep without being read to

D．the author’s parents taught her language by talking a lot

小题3:According to the last two paragraphs, the author’s mom was unable to _______.

A．think clearly	B．express herself well
C．speak	D．open her mouth

小题4:The underlined word “stroke” in the 4^th paragraph most probably refers to ______.

A．an accident

B．a hit

C．an illness

D．a robbery

小题5:This passage is mainly about _________.

A．a strong mother

B．the importance of language

C．a family disaster

D．the significance of teaching language

Oprah Winfrey, born in 1954, is all American talk show host, best known for her multi-award-winning talk show. She is also, according to some assessments, the most influential woman in the world. It's no surprise that her endorsement(认可)can bring overnight sales fortune that defeats most, if not all, marketing campaigns. The star features about 20 products each year On her “Favorite Things” show. There’s even a term for it: the Oprah Effect.
Her television career began unexpectedly. When she was 16 year old, she had the idea of being a journalist to tell other people’s stories in a way that made a difference in their lives and the world. She was on television by the time she was 19 years old. And in 1986 she started her own television show with a continuous determination to succeed at first.
TIME magazine wrote, “People would have doubted Oprah Winfrey’s swift rise to host of the most popular talk show on TV. In a field dominated by white males, she is a black female of big size. As interviewers go, she is no match for Phil Donahue. What she lacks in journalistic toughness, she makes up for in plainspoken curiosity, rich humor and, above all understanding. Guests with sad[stories to tell tend to bring out a tear in Oprah’s eye. They, in turn, often find themselves exposing things they would not imagine telling anyone, much less a national TV audience.”
“I was nervous about the competition and then I became my own competition raising the bar every year, pushing, pushing, pushing myself as hard as I knew. It doesn't matter how far you might rise. At some point you are bound to fall if you’re constantly doing what we do, raising the bar. If you're constantly pushing yourself higher, higher the law of averages, you will at some point fall. And when you do, I want you to know this, remember this: there is no such thing as failure. Failure is just life trying to move us in another direction” as Oprah addressed graduates at Harvard on May 30, 2013.
小题1:The Oprah Effect refers to _______

A．the effect on a business	B．the power of Oprah’s opinions
C．the impact on talkshows	D．the assessment of Oprah’s talk show

小题2:What can be inferred about Oprah’s television career?

A．She once gave up on her choice

B．Her swift success has been expected.

C．It lives up to her parents’ expectation.

D．She must have been challenged by white males.

小题3:The message from Oprah to graduates at Harvard is that _______.

A．success comes after failure

B．failure is nothing to fear

C．there is no need to set goals too high

D．pushing physical limits makes no sense

小题4:Which of the following best describes Oprah Winfrey?

A．Dull and pushy.	B．Honest but tough.
C．Caring and determined.	D．Curious but weak.

Once I invited a group of friends round to my house, telling them that I was going to record their speech. I said I was interested in their regional accents, and that it would take only a few minutes. Thus, on one evening, three people turned up at my house and were shown into my front room. When they saw the room they were a bit alarmed, for it was laid out as a studio. In front of each easy chair there was a microphone at head height, with wires leading to a tape-recorder in the middle of the floor. I explained that all I wanted was for them to count from one to twenty. Then we could relax and have a drink.
I turned on the tape-recorder and each in turn seriously counted from one to twenty in their best accent. When it was over, I turned the tape-recorder off and brought round the drinks, and for the rest of the evening there was general cheerful conversation—interrupted only by the fact that I had to take a telephone call in another room, which unfortunately lasted some time.
Or at least that was how it would appear. For, of course, the microphones were not connected to the tape-recorder in the middle of the room at all but to another one, which was turning happily away in the kitchen. The participants, having seen the visible tape-recorder turned off, paid no more attention to the microphones which stayed in front of their chairs, only a few inches from their mouths, thus giving excellent sound quality. And my lengthy absence meant that I was able to obtain as natural a piece of conversation as it would be possible to find.
I should add, perhaps, that I did tell my friends what had happened to them, after the event was over, and gave them the choice of destroying the tape. None of them wanted to—though for some years afterwards it always seemed to be my round when it came to the buying of drinks. Linguistic research can be a very expensive business.
小题1:The writer asked his friends to count from one to twenty because _______. 

A．he wanted to record the numbers for his research

B．he wanted to find out whether the tape recorder was working

C．he wanted to make his friends relax before real recording started

D．he wanted his friends to think that was all he wanted to record

小题2:The writer went into another room to ________.

A．get a natural recording of his friends’ conversation

B．stay away from too much drinking with his friends

C．bring a telephone into the front room

D．answer a long distance phone call

小题3:The writer turned off the tape-recorder because _______.

A．he had to answer a phone call

B．he wanted his friends to enjoy some drinks

C．he thought the tape-recorder might bother his friends

D．he wanted to make his friends believe he had finished the recording

小题4:Which one is true according to the passage?

A．The writer destroyed the tape.

B．The writer’s friends destroyed the tape.

C．The writer did tell his friends what had happened.

D．The writer’s friends like to drink.

Working Christmas Day
It was unusually quiet in the emergency room on December 25．I was a nurse      that day, sighing about having to work on Christmas．Just then five bodies showed up at my      ，a pale woman and four small children．
“Are you all     ? ” I asked doubtfully．
“Yes．”the woman said     and lowered her head．
But when it came to the     of their problems，things got a little strange．Two of the chlidren had headaches,      weren’t accompanied by the normal symptoms of being ill．Two children had earaches，but only one could tell me which ear was     ．The mother complained of a      but seemed to work to produce it．
“It may be a little while      a doctor sees you．” I explained．
“Take your time；it’s warm here．”She      ．
Whne they were waiting，I checked the chart．They had no      —they were homeless．The waiting room was warm．I looked out at the      by the Christmas tree．The youngest one was saying      to her mother．The oldest one was looking at the Christmas tree．
I went back to the nurses’ station and      the homeless family in the waiting room．The nurses，complaining about the working Christmas，began to feel pity for a family just trying to get      on Christmas．The team went into action，as we do when there’s a      emergency, but this was a Christmas emergency．
We      a simple dinner for our Christmas guests in the hospital cafeteria．They needed     ，so we collected from different departments candies and other things     that could be presents．
As the family walked to the door to leave，the four-year-old came running     , gave me a hug and whispered，” Thanks for being our angel today．”

小题1:	A．on business B．on holiday C．on duty D．on purpose

小题2:	A．desk B．book C．computer D．chair

小题3:	A．cold B．well C．sick D．poor

小题4:	A．highly B．secrecy C．happily D．weakly

小题5:	A．treatments B．descriptions C．suggestions D．solutions

小题6:	A．or B．but C．and D．thus

小题7:	A．controlled B．reflected C．attacked D．affected

小题8:	A．break B．trouble C．mistake D．cough

小题9:	A．before B．after C．until D．unless

小题10:

A．hesitated B．announced C．responded D．regretted

小题11:

A．identity B．address C．money D．problem

小题12:

A．nurses B．doctors C．patients D．family

小题13:

A．something B．nothing C．everything D．anything

小题14:

A．informed B．mentioned C．rejected D．criticized

小题15:

A．relaxed B．busy C．free D．warm

小题16:

A．mental B．physical C．medical D．vital

小题17:

A．shared B．enjoyed C．prepared D．delivered

小题18:

A．medicine B．courage C．houses D．presents

小题19:

A．cheap B．available C．healthy D．convenient

小题20:

A．back B．forward C．around D．away

On Nov．18，1995，Itzhak Perlman，the violinist，came on stage to give a concert at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City．
If you have ever been to a Perlman concert，you know that getting on stage is no small achievement for him．He was stricken with polio(小儿麻痹症)as a child，and so he has braces(支架)on both legs and walks with the aid of two crutches(双拐)．
He walks painfully, yet majestically, until he reaches his chair．Then he sits down，slowly, puts his crutches on the floor, undoes the clasps on his legs，tucks one foot back and extends the other foot forward．Then he bends down and picks up the violin, puts it under his chin，nods to the conductor and proceeds to play．
But this time，something went wrong．Just as he fmished the first few bars(小节)，one of the strings on his violin broke．You could hear it snap(嘣断)---it went off like gunfire across the room．There was no mistaking what that meant．There was no mistaking what he had to do．
We figured that he would have to get up，put on the clasps again，pick up the crutches and limp his way off stage-to either find another violin or else find another string for this one．But he didn’t．Instead．he waited a moment，closed his eyes and then signaled the conductor to begin again．
The orchestra began，and he played from where he had left off．And he played with such passion and such power and such purity as they had never heard before．
When he finished, there was an awesome silence in the room．And then people rose and cheered．He smiled，wiped the sweat from this brow, raised his bow to quit us，and then he said in a quiet tone．“You know, sometimes it is the artist’s task to find out how much music you can still make with what you have left．’’
小题1:By saying “getting on stage is no small achievement for him”, the author really means     .

A．it’s very difficult for Itzhak Perlman to play the violin with three strings

B．it’s not easy for Itzhak Perlman to get on the stage because he is disabled

C．it’s not easy for ltzhak Perlman to face such a large audience

D．it’s really great achievements for ltzhak Perlman to play the violin with three strings

小题2:When one of the strings broke，people thought Itzhak Perlman would         .

A．go on playing with the remaining three strings

B．give up playing

C．change or repair his violin

D．get off the stage with shame

小题3:Itzhak Perlman   when one of the strings of the violin broke．

A．gave up playing

B．didn’t know what to do

C．went on playing the same piece of music

D．went on playing a different piece of music

小题4:What did the audience feel when Itzhak Perlman finished playing?

A．Surprised．

B．Disappointed．

C．Moved．

D．Satistied．

小题5:Itzhak Perlman can be best described as a man who is    ．

A．clever

B．strong willed

C．humourous

D．quite skilled

One evening I was resting in a cafe. I       a pair of newly bought white leather shoes, which were rather expensive. Then a boy came to me.
He was in a(n)          shirt, looking pale and about eleven. No sooner had I begun to speak than he opened the        i n his hand and took out the tools of shoe-polishing. He       down, took off my leather shoes, and began to shine them. 
He was busy doing his work        heavy rain began to pour down.People rushed to the café for        from the rain.More and more people crowded        and gradually separated the boy from me.
Hours passed, and it turned     .I had no shoes on my feet and          where the boy had been.I thought he would not         my shoes, and I would have to go home on my bare feet.
When it was near midnight the        ended, and there were fewer and fewer people in the café. The café was to be       .I had to move to the door, head       . just as I went to the gate, I       found that a boy of about eleven, looking very familiar, was sleeping at the        with his head leaning against a boxand his upper body being       . he held a package made of his shirt tightly in his arms.
I shook him slightly and woke him up. He       up and rubbed his eyes for a while before he recognized me.Then he opened the package      , gave me my leather shoes, and apologized to me shyly.I        him and wrapped him with his unfit shirt, which had wrapped my leather shoes. On my way home, the        of the boy stayed in my mind.

小题1:	A．took B．wore C．mended D．owned

小题2:	A．old B．unfit C．small D．dirty

小题3:	A．bag B．package C．box D．suitcase

小题4:	A．seated B．bent C．put D．looked

小题5:	A．when B．after C．because D．since

小题6:	A．protection B．rest C．hide D．preparation

小题7:	A．out B．away C．in D．off

小题8:	A．dark B．light C．dim D．bright

小题9:	A．thought B．wondered C．guessed D．imagined

小题10:

A．shine B．keep C．return D．carry

小题11:

A．rain B．coffee C．time D．work

小题12:

A．opened B．locked C．stopped D．closed

小题13:

A．lowered B．dropped C．raised D．held

小题14:

A．shortly B．surprisedly C．sadly D．immediately

小题15:

A．table B．door C．bed D．cafe

小题16:

A．wet B．bare C．pale D．cold

小题17:

A．stayed B．say C．jumped D．got

小题18:

A．finally B．suddenly C．unfriendly D．hurriedly

小题19:

A．recognized B．forgave C．paid D．inspired

小题20:

A．feature B．shirt C．image D．form

“A” for Attitude
English was always my favorite subject. In my freshman year of high school, I could write a killer composition. In my second year, my teacher        me to give spelling tests to the class. I had a      time of my junior year. Mrs Alexander        me to sit at her desk and take over the class when she had to leave the room. Only my senior English class was       , as we had a teacher right out of college who expected       work. Every student received a "C" or "D" grade the first quarter. But English was still my favorite subject.
I graduated from high school,      early and had children.       about my English, I often helped my kids with their English homework. And I wrote long articles and beautiful poetry as a columnist for a newspaper. Fifteen years later, I went to college, and because I had been an "A" student, I remained an "A" student. I       up to my own expectations.
Yesterday, I        my high school report cards when I was reading old papers. That bundle of report cards        back the old days. I remembered sitting in my advisor's office, explaining that I had always be       at English, and recommending that I did not deserve a '"D" from that inexperienced teacher of my senior year. The advisor was        but unable to change a(an)     . Reading through my old report cards revealed something else too. I wanted to       them or hide them. I was not an "A" student in high school English! Somehow, I had         myself of this, when the grades clearly reflected an average student with an       "A" or "B" but mostly "C” _S.
Had I lived up to those grades and       myself according to those letters, I would have never confidently sought my writing career. Had I       my early grades instead of myself, I would have allowed my fear of failure to       enthusiasm and damage my creativity. Instead, I       my younger self as an "A" English student, except for that undeserved "D".

小题1:	A．scolded B．allowed C．ordered D．reminded

小题2:	A．bad B．complex C．terrible D．wonderful

小题3:	A．approved B．appointed C．expected D．urged

小题4:	A．flexible B．creative C．disappointing D．controversial

小题5:	A．college-level B．based C．difficult D．easy

小题6:	A．married B．worked C．succeeded D．progressed

小题7:	A．Sad B．Confident C．Anxious D．Curious

小题8:	A．added B．lived C．grew D．went

小题9:	A．counted B．remembered C．approached D．discovered

小题10:

A．brought B．turned C．held D．kept

小题11:

A．nervous B．good C．poor D．terrible

小题12:

A．impolite B．impatient C．inexperienced D．sympathetic

小题13:

A．grade B．figure C．paper D．entry

小题14:

A．tear B．fire C．cry D．escape

小题15:

A．warned B．reminded C．informed D．convinced

小题16:

A．average B．enthusiastic C．outstanding D．occasional

小题17:

A．considered B．denied C．reflected D．described

小题18:

A．abandoned B．given C．believed in D．doubted

小题19:

A．change B．risk C．defeat D．reminded

小题20:

A．looked B．viewed C．sang D．criticized

I did very badly at school. My headmaster thought I was       and when I was 14 he said, “You’re never going to be         but a failure.”
After five years of         jobs, I fell in love with a very nice middle-class girl. It was the best        that could have happened to me. I        I wanted to do something positive (积极地) with my life because I wanted to prove to       that what people said about me was       . Especially her mother, who had said to me, “Let’s         it, you’ve failed at everything you’ve ever done.” So I tried hard with my        and went to college. My first novel        while I was at college.
After college I taught during the         in high schools and attended evening classes at London University, where I got a         in history. I became a lecturer at a college and was thinking of        that job to write full time         I was offered a part-time job at Leeds University. I began to feel         of myself — here was a working-class boy who’d         school early, now teaching at the university.
My writing career (职业) took off when I discovered my own style. Now I’m rich and       , have been on TV, and met lots of film stars.         what does it mean? I         wish all the people that have put me down had       : “I believe in you. You’ll succeed.”

小题1:	A．bright B．simple C．useless D．hopeful

小题2:	A．anything B．something C．everything D．nothing

小题3:	A．low B．poor C．good D．useful

小题4:	A．support B．happiness C．surprise D．thing

小题5:	A．agreed B．decided C．planned D．told

小题6:	A．me B．them C．her D．it

小题7:	A．wrong B．right C．stupid D．faulty

小题8:	A．see B．know C．face D．understand

小题9:	A．experiment B．practice C．writing D．composition

小题10:

A．came on B．came in C．came out D．came back

小题11:

A．day B．night C．month D．year

小题12:

A．graduation B．pass C．degree D．success

小题13:

A．giving in B．giving back C．giving out D．giving up

小题14:

A．while B．if C．when D．or

小题15:

A．shy B．proud C．happy D．surprised

小题16:

A．left B．attended C．changed D．graduated

小题17:

A．tired B．calm C．nervous D．famous

小题18:

A．And B．But C．However D．Well

小题19:

A．just B．exactly C．so D．very

小题20:

A．praised B．said C．answered D．advised

When I was a child, I was shocked at the idea that my sisters could be my best friends. Now, I wouldn’t have it any other way. At the time, the idea of my two sisters being my closest friends seemed strange to me. We fought all the time over toys, food, attention, what to watch on television—you name it, and we quarreled about it at some point. How could my sisters be my best friends? They weren’t the same age as I. We all had our own friends in school.
My mother never let the three of us forget that sisters are lifelong friends. Her wish like most parents’ was to give us something that she never had. Growing up as an only child, she longed for (渴望) siblings. When she gave birth to three daughters, the fulfillment (实现) of her dream had only just begun. She had given each of us a gift and she wanted to make sure we did not take that gift for granted. She would frequently tell us how lucky we were. But there were other, more subtle (难以察觉的) ways that she encouraged us to grow closer. She never showed favoritism to one daughter over the other, as not to cause jealousy or bitterness between sisters. She constantly took us places together—skating, shopping and swimming, so that we developed common interests. And when we were teenagers, Mom always punished us equally, giving us yet another bonding (密切相连) experience.
We didn’t always get along beautifully and fought just like any other siblings. But somewhere in between Mom’s lectures, the family vacations and the shared memories, we realized that our mother was right. Today I share things with my sisters that I do with no one else. My sister Cindy and I ran the New York City Marathon together, side by side, even holding hands when we crossed the finish line. When my sister Karen got married, I was her maid of honor(伴娘). Cindy and I traveled through Europe together and even shared an apartment for two years. The three of us trust each other with our greatest secrets.
It was twenty-three years ago that my mother first asked me who my two best friends were. Today she doesn’t have to. She already knows.
小题1:As a child, the author was shocked at her mother’s idea because ________.

A．her sisters seemed strange to her

B．her sisters didn’t like to be her friends

C．none of the girls had their own friends

D．they didn’t have much in common

小题2:The underlined word “siblings” in the passage probably means _________.

A．sisters

B．parents

C．daughters

D．friends

小题3:How did the author’s mother encourage her three daughters to grow closer？

A．She punished her daughter differently.

B．She showed equal love to her daughters.

C．She encouraged her daughters to do sports.

D．She often took her daughters to many places.

小题4:The best title of the passage could be ________.

A．The Greatest Gift	B．Mother’s Love
C．Growing Experiences	D．Unforgettable Memories