When I was three years old, my parents discovered I was totally deaf. But instead of sending me to a school for the deaf, they decided to “mainstream” me. All of my peers and teachers world have normal hearing.
I was the only deaf child at Blue Creel Elementary School. From almost the first day there, the other kids made fun of me mainly because of my hearing aid and the way I talked. And I also had difficulty with most of my school work.
When the other kids made fun of me, I was sure that I was a bad person. I saw myself as a boy who wasn’t smart enough to keep up with the class.
Mrs. Jordan, my 5th grade teacher, changed all of that with a simple three-word phrase.
One morning, she asked the class a question. I read her lips from my front-row seat and immediately raised my hand because I was sure I had the right answer. But when she called on me, I was afraid. Here was an opportunity to impress the powerful teacher and show her I was worthy of her love. Maybe even impress my classmates a little. I didn’t want to blow it. despite my fears, I took a deep breath and answered Mrs. Jordan’s question.
I will never forget what happened next. Mrs. Jordan enthusiastically slammed （跺动）her right foot on the floor and turned her tight hand around in full circle until it pointed directly at me. With sparking eyes and a wide smile she cried, “THAT’S RIGHT STEPHEN!”
For the first time in my young life, I was a star. I sat a little taller in my chair.
From that day forward, my grades and speech improved greatly. My popularity among my peers increased. It was all because Mrs. Jordan believed in me and wasn’t afraid to express it. “THAT’S RIGHT STEPHEN!”
【小题1】What does the underlined word “mainstream”(in Para 1) mean?

O. Henry was a pen name used by an American writer of short stories. His real name was William Sydney Porter. He was born in North Carolina in 1862. As a young boy he lived an exciting life. He did not go to school for very long, but he managed to teach himself everything he needed to know. When he was about 20 years old, O. Henry went to Texas, where he tried different jobs. He first worked on a newspaper, and then had a job in a bank. When some money went missing from the bank, O. Henry was believed to have stolen it. Because of that, he was sent to prison. During the three years in prison, he learned to write short stories. After he got out of prison, he went to New York and continued writing. He wrote mostly about New York and the life of the poor there. People liked his stories, because simple as the tales were, they would finish with a sudden change at the end, to the reader’s surprise.

1.In which order did O. Henry do the following things?

a. Lived in New York.   b. Worked in a bank.      c. Travelled to Texas.

d. Was put in prison.    e. Had a newspaper Job.    f. Learned to write stories.

A．e. c. f. b. d. a                           B．c. e. b. d. f. a

C．e. b. d. c. a. f.                           D．c. b. e. d. a f.

2.People enjoyed reading O. Henry’s stories because__________.

A．they had surprise endings                 B．they were short

C．they showed his love for the poor           D．they were about New York City

3.O. Henry went to prison because__________ .

A．people thought he had stolen money from the newspaper

B．he broke the law by not using his own name

C．he wanted to write stories about prisoners

D．people thought he had taken money that was not his

4.What do we know about O. Henry before he began writing?

A．He was well-educated.                   B．He was not serious about his work.

C．He was devoted to the poor.               D．He was very good at learning.

5.Where did O. Henry get most material for his short stories?

A．His life inside the prison.                  B．The newspaper articles he wrote.

C．The city and people of New York.            D．His exciting early life as a boy.

Mark Twain left school when he was twelve. He had little school education. In spite of this, he became the most famous writer of his time. He made millions of dollars by writing. His real name was Samuel Langhorne Clemens, but he is better known all over the world as Mark Twain, his penname.

Mark Twain was born in 1835 and he was not a healthy baby. In fact, he was not expected to live through the first winter. But with his mother’s care, he managed to survive. As a boy, he caused much trouble for his parents. He used to play jokes on all his friends and neighbors. He didn’t like to go to school, and he often ran away from home. He always went in the direction of the nearby Mississippi(密西西比河). He was nearly drowned nine times.

After his father’s death, Mark Twain began to work for a printer, who only provided him with food and clothing. Then, he worked as a printer, a river-boat pilot and later joined the army. But shortly after that he became a miner. During this period, he started to write short stories. Afterwards he became a full time writer.

In 1870, Mark Twain got married. In the years that followed he wrote many books including Tom Sawyer in 1876, and Huckleberry Finn in 1884, which made him famous, and brought him great fortune.

Unfortunately, Mark Twain got into debts in bad investments(投资) and he had to write large numbers of stories to pay these debts. In 1904, his wife died, and then three of his children passed away.

At the age of 70, his hair was completely white. He bought many white suits and neckties. He wore nothing but white from head to foot until his death on April 21, 1910.

1.In his childhood, Mark Twain, ________.

A. learned a lot at school                                       

B. he often went swimming with other boys

C. his mother often worried about his safety    

D. he often played games with other boys

2.Which of the following shows the right order about Mark Twain?

a. He became a miner.                          b. He worked as a printer.

c. He got into debts.                       d. His father died.

e. He became a full-time writer.         F. He joined the army.

A. a—d—b—c—e—f                   B. d—b—f—a—e—c

C. d—a—f—e—b—c          D. c—b—d—f—e—a

3.In order to make a living, Mark Twain _______.

A. first worked as a printer

B. did many kinds of work

C. wrote stories in the beginning

D. joined the army after he worked in a mine

4.From the passage we can see that Mark Twain _______.

A. had a happy childhood

B. was a good boy and always did what he was asked

C. was very naughty when he was young

D. lived a pleasant life

Mark Twain，an American writer, published more than 30 books, hundreds of

short stories and essays and gave lectures around the world throughout his career. 

Mark Twain left school when he was twelve. He had little school education. Thou

gh he had little school education, he became the most famous writer of his time

. He made millions of dollars by writing. His real name was Samuel Langhorne Cl

emens, but he is better known all over the world as MarkTwain, his penname. 

Mark Twain was born in 1835 and he was not a healthy baby. In fact, he was not

expected to live through the first winter. But with his mother's tender care,

he managed to survive. As a boy, he causedmuch trouble for his parents. He use

d to play jokes on all of his friends and neighbors. He didn't like to go to sc

hool, and he constantly ran away from home. He always went in the direction of

the nearby Mississippi. He was nearly drowned nine times. After his father's d

eath in 1847, Mark twain began to work for a printer, who only provided him wit

h food and clothing. Then, he worked as  a river-boat pilot (领航

员)and later joinedthe army. But shortly after that he became a miner. During t

his period, he started to write short stories. Afterwards he became a full-time

writer.

In 1870, Mark Twain got married. In the years that followed he wrote many books

including Tom Sawyer in 1876, and Huckleberry Finn in 1884, which made him fam

ous, and brought him a great fortune. Unfortunately, Mark Twain got into debts

in bad investments（投资） and he had to write

large numbers of stories to pay these debts. In 1904, his wife died and then on

e of their childrenpassed away.At the age of 70, his hair was completely white.

He bought many white suits and neckties. Hewore nothing but white from head to

foot until his death on April 21, 1910.

1. When Mark Twain was a little baby,          .

A．his mother thought he would die

B．he was as active as other boys

C．he was not strong enough

D．he was always in hospital

2. In his childhood,        .

A．Mark Twain learned a lot at school

B．Mark Twain often went swimming with other boys

C．Mark Twain often played games with other boys

D．Mark Twain’s mother often worried about his safety

3. In order to make a living, Mark Twain       .

A．often ran away from home.

B．first worked for a printer.

C．wrote stories in the beginning.

D．joined the army after he worked in a mine.

4. In the later years of his life, Mark Twain      .

A．continued writing until his death.

B．wrote many stories and earned a lot of money.

C．must have been very sad because he lost his wife and one of his children.

D．lent too much money to others.