Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who've had the most failures. J.K. Rowling's first Harry Potter book was refused 12 times before it finally came out. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team. He lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career. But he once said, "I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that's why I succeed."

These people succeeded because they understood that you have to let your failures teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently the next time. So if you get into trouble, that doesn't mean you're a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to act right. If you get a bad grade, that doesn't mean you're stupid, it just means you need to spend more time studying. No one's born being good at all things, You become good at things through hard work. You don't hit every note the first time you sing a song. You've got to practice.

Don't be afraid to ask questions. Don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn't a sign of weakness, it's a sign of strength because it shows you have the courage to admit when you don't know something, and that then allows you to learn something new. So find an adult that you trust - a parent, a grandparent or a teacher - and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals.

Now, your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have a good education. But you've got to do your part, too. So I expect all of you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things from each of you. So don't let us down. Don't let your family down or your country down. Most of all, don't let yourself down. Make us all proud.

   — By President Obama

52. The speaker mentioned J.K. Rowling and Michael Jordan to_______.

A. introduce two very successful people         B. show they were different from others

C. give examples of success after failures        D. explain why they failed many times

53. The speaker advised the listeners to do the following EXCEPT to_______.

A. let failures teach you                         B. hide your weakness

C. do a lot of practice                       D. ask adults for help

54. This speech is given to_______.

A. teachers                B. writers                         C. parents           D. students

 55. The main purpose of this speech is to_______.

A. push the listeners to work hard for their future   

B. show different ways of achieving success

C. encourage the listeners to do things differently   

D. teach the listeners how to be more creative

  I was in my third year of teaching writing at Ralph High School in New York, when one of my students, 15-year-old Mikey, gave me a note from his mother. It explained his absence from class the day before:

    "Dear Mr. McCort, Mikey's grandmother, who is eighty years of age, fell down the stairs from too much coffee and I kept Mikey at home to take care of her and his baby sister so I could go to my job. Please excuse Mikey and he'll do his best in the future. P.S. His grandmother is OK."

    I had seen Mikey writing the note at his desk. l said nothing. Most parental-excuse notes I received were penned by my students. The writers of those notes didn't realize that honest excuse notes were usually boring: "Peter was late because the alarm clock didn't go off."

    The students always said it was hard putting 200 words together on any subject, but when they produced excuse notes, they were excellent. So I decided to give the first class to study the art of the excuse note.

    “Today I'd like you to write 'An Excuse Note from Adam to God' or 'An Excuse Note from Eve to God'. "Heads went down. Pens raced across paper. They had to be asked to go to lunch by their friends.[来源:学|科|网Z

    The next day everyone had excuse notes. Heated discussions followed. But suddenly I saw the headmaster at the door. He entered the classroom and walked up and down, looking at papers, and then said. "I'd like you to see me in my office." My heart sank,

    When I stepped into his office, he came to shake my hand and said, "I just want to tell you that lesson, that task, was great. Those kids were writing on the college level. Thank you."

1.What did the writer do when he found the students dishonest?

A. He reported them to the headmaster.

B. He lectured them hard on honesty.

C. He had them take notes-n class.

D. He helped improve their writing skills.

2.We can learn that when Mikey was absent from the class, he was____.

A. somewhere enjoying himself

B. taking care of his baby sister

C. looking after his grandmother

D. studying the art of the excuse note

3.How did the writer usually find out his students' parental excuse notes were dishonest?

A. They were written in boring words.

B. He called their parents and found out the truth.

C. They were more like stories than facts.

D. The handwriting clearly looked like children's.

4.Which of the following is true?

A. The writer has many years of teaching experience.

B. The students are good at writing excuse notes.

C. The headmaster was angry with the writer.

D. Most of the excuse notes were written by the parents.

5.Which of the following best describes the writer as a teacher?

A. Honest.               B. Strict.                   C. Hardworking.    D. Wise.

Good news for all Chinese middle school students in the countryside. They don't have to pay for school education anymore.51-year-old Ren Yuqi is even happier than the students. It was Ren who suggested the idea to the government about this.

Ren is not a government official but the boss of a big company, in Hunan. He talks to the government as a deputy(代表) of the National People's Congress(NPC,全国人民代表大会). He is in Beijing for the NPC's meeting.

"This year I have 20 suggestions for making farmers' byes and the environment better. They all come from studying country people's lives," said Ren.

Ren went to several provinces to find out how people lived in the countryside. He saw that many children dropped out of school because they were poor. So at the last NPC meeting he                                                                                  suggested the government spend more money helping kids get back to school. Most of the NPC deputies agreed to it, so the government adopted it and made it law.

Ren, just like the other 2,977 NPC members, was elected by the Chinese people. The upper-level(较高级别的) deputies were chosen by the lower-level ones.

At NPC meetings deputies also take part in making and changing laws. They help decide on the state leaders and public policies(政策) as well.

1. What does the underlined word "adopted" mean in Chinese?

A. 吸取                           B. 放弃                       C. 按照                       D. 采纳

2. Many poor kids from the countryside can go back to school because        .

A. Ren Yuqi has paid the money for them

B. Ren Yuqi's idea has been adopted by the government

C. the government is so rich that it can afford all the kids' tuition fees (学费)

D. their parents have worked hard and made enough money

3. The underlined word "They" refers to (指)       .

A. suggestions                  B. deputies                    C. farmers                    D. people's lives

4. Who chooses the deputies of the NPC?

A. Students in the countryside.                             B. The government.

C. The Chinese people.                                         D. The bosses of some big companies.

5. How many deputies at the NPC meeting are there altogether according to the passage?

A.2,976                           B.2,977                        C.2,978                        D.2,979