After my brother died in an accident, my mother was in deep sadness. I was only a four-year-old girl at the time, but I still understood the sudden shift in my mom’s attitude towards safety. Suddenly everything around us was potentially dangerous. Overnight, the world had gone from a playground to a dangerous zone. I grew up with a lot of limits and rules. I couldn’t walk home from school by myself, even though everyone I knew already did. I couldn’t go to summer camp because what if something happened to me?
As I got older, the list of things of fear got longer. My whole life was divided into “things you should avoid”, and “things you needed to do in order to have a good, long life.” I became a natural worrier. I worry about things like getting cancer, losing my wallet, car accidents, earthquakes, and losing my job — disasters big and small, real and imagined.
The funny part is that you’d never know it by looking at my life. In fact, I’ve developed a rule for myself: If it scares me, then I have to do it at least once. I’ve done lots of things that my mom would have worried about: I’ve ridden a motorcycle; I’ve traveled —a lot. I’ve performed stand-up comedy, and I’m planning my second wedding.
There’s something else I don’t usually talk about, but it’s a cornerstone in my belief: When I was 14, my mother died suddenly in a car accident. At my mom’s funeral I remember making a choice. I could either live out the rest of my life trying to be “safe” or I could be brave enough to live out a fulfilling, exciting and, yes, sometimes dangerous life.
I worry that I may have betrayed(背叛) my mother by writing her in this light, but she has been a driving force in my life and, in the end I think she would have been proud of me. Courage isn’t a natural character of human beings. I believe that using courage is like developing a muscle. The more often I do things that scare me or that make me uncomfortable, the more I realize that I can do a lot more than I originally thought I could do.
Even though I inherited (继承) my mother’s cautious nature. I’ve also come to believe that fear can be a good thing, if we face it. Believing that has made my world a less scary place.
【小题1】In the writer’s childhood, the limits and rules were used to ______.

Every American family has its own traditions on Thanksgiving Day, and mine is no different. Once the national holiday arrives, my mom rises early to make the meal. She puts a turkey in the oven, chops carrots and bakes pies. I’m sorry to say that the men in the family – my dad, my younger brother and myself – rarely pitch in to help. Our job is to wash the mountain of dirty dishes after the meal is over.

Around 2 pm every Thanksgiving Day, family members seat themselves around the kitchen table. Plates of turkey, vegetables, salad, rolls and pies cover it. At this point, we can hardly keep ourselves from drooling (流口水) all over our fancy clothes, but it’s not yet time to eat.

First, we must bow our heads, close our eyes and say a prayer of thanks aloud to God for giving us everything we have. Under normal circumstances, I would have no problem making a list of things I am thankful for. I grew up in a loving family. My parents, who aren’t wealthy, took out loans to help me pay for university.

But, the funny thing is, every time I sit down for Thanksgiving dinner and try to say a prayer of thanks, my mind usually goes blank. I think it has something to do with my growling (咕咕叫) stomach and all of that food sitting right there under my nose.

Eventually, though, we all finish our short prayers and dig in. To be sure, the day includes other highlights – visiting with family and watching football. But usually around 6 pm we are all ourselves stuffed like turkeys and thankful to have a nice warm bed to sleep in.

1.The purpose of the text is to ________.

A. tell what the family do for Thanksgiving Day

B. tell how the family spends Thanksgiving Day

C. introduce foods served on Thanksgiving Day

D. introduce the American Thanksgiving Day

2.On Thanksgiving Day the author’s family do the following except ________.

A. watching a movie                   B. making visits

C. having a big meal                   D. watching football

3.Why does the author’s mind usually “go blank” when saying a prayer of thanks?

A. He is too thankful to say a word.

B. His mind is on the food before him.

C. He feels too excited to speak.

D. He is shy to speak in public.

4.The underlined phrase “dig in” in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to “________”.

A. chat with others                   B. make a hole

C. mix things up                     D. start eating

5.What can we conclude from the text?

A. On Thanksgiving Day, men do nothing but eat.

B. The author is a middle school student.

C. The author’s family is not rich, but it’s a loving one.

D. Thanksgiving Day falls on Thursday of December.

In January 1986 I saw a show about cartooning called “Funny Business” on TV. I had always wanted to be a __36__but never knew how. So I wrote to the host of the_37_, cartoonist Jack Cassady, asking for advice on entering the profession(职业).
Two weeks later I got a (n) __38__letter from Jack, answering my questions about materials and process(过程). He also __39__ me not to get discouraged if I was refused__40__. He said the cartoon samples（样本） I sent him were good and worthy of publication（出版）.
I got very __41__, finally understanding how the whole process__42__. I sent my best cartoons to Playboy and New Yorker, ___43___ the magazines rejected（拒绝）me immediately. Discouraged, I put my art supplies in the box and__44__to forget all about cartooning.
To my__45__, in June 1987 I got another letter from Jack, although I hadn’t even__46__ him for the former advice. Here’s what he said:
Dear Scott,
I was reviewing my “Funny Business” mail file when I again came__47__ your letter and your cartoons. I remember answering you letter.
I’m writing to encourage you to submit(提交) your ideas to various publications again. I hope you have __48__ done so and are making progress and having some__49__ too. Sometimes encouragement in the funny business is hard to come by. That’s__50__ I am encouraging you to hang in there and keep drawing.
I wish you good luck.
Sincerely,
Jack
I was deeply__51__because Jack had nothing to gain—including my thanks. I acted on his__52__, took out my art supplies and inked the sample strips(漫画连载) that__53__ became Dilbert.
I feel__54__that I wouldn’t have tried cartooning again if Jack hadn’t sent the second letter. As Dilbert became more successful I came to __55__ Jack’s simple act of kindness.

Every American family has its own traditions on Thanksgiving Day, and mine is no difference. Once the national holiday arrives, my mom rises early to make the meal. She puts a turkey in the oven, chops carrots and bakes pies. I’m sorry to say that the men in the family – my dad, my younger brother and myself – rarely pitch in to help. Our job is to wash the mountain of dirty dishes after the meal is over.
Around 2 pm every Thanksgiving Day, family members seat themselves around the kitchen table. Plates of turkey, vegetables, salad, rolls and pies cover it. At this point, we can hardly keep ourselves from drooling (流口水) all over our fancy clothes, but it’s not yet time to eat.
First, we must bow our heads, close our eyes and say a prayer of thanks aloud to God for giving us everything we have. Under normal circumstances, I would have no problem making a list of things I am thankful for. I grew up in a loving family. My parents, who aren’t wealthy, took out loans to help me pay for university.
But, the funny thing is, every time I sit down for Thanksgiving dinner and try to say a prayer of thanks, my mind usually goes blank. I think it has something to do with my growling (咕咕叫) stomach and all of that food sitting right there under my nose.
Eventually, though, we all finish our short prayers and dig in. To be sure, the day includes other highlights – visiting with family and watching football. But usually around 6 pm we are all ourselves stuffed like turkeys and thankful to have a nice warm bed to sleep in.
【小题1】The purpose of the text is to ________.

Every American family has its own traditions on Thanksgiving Day, and mine is no different. Once the national holiday arrives, my mom rises early to make the meal. She puts a turkey in the oven, chops carrots and bakes pies. I’m sorry to say that the men in the family – my dad, my younger brother and myself – rarely pitch in to help. Our job is to wash the mountain of dirty dishes after the meal is over.

Around 2 pm every Thanksgiving Day, family members seat themselves around the kitchen table. Plates of turkey, vegetables, salad, rolls and pies cover it. At this point, we can hardly keep ourselves from drooling (流口水) all over our fancy clothes, but it’s not yet time to eat.

First, we must bow our heads, close our eyes and say a prayer of thanks aloud to God for giving us everything we have. Under normal circumstances, I would have no problem making a list of things I am thankful for. I grew up in a loving family. My parents, who aren’t wealthy, took out loans to help me pay for university.

But, the funny thing is, every time I sit down for Thanksgiving dinner and try to say a prayer of thanks, my mind usually goes blank. I think it has something to do with my growling (咕咕叫) stomach and all of that food sitting right there under my nose.

Eventually, though, we all finish our short prayers and dig in. To be sure, the day includes other highlights – visiting with family and watching football. But usually around 6 pm we are all ourselves stuffed like turkeys and thankful to have a nice warm bed to sleep in.

The purpose of the text is to ________.

A. tell what the family do for Thanksgiving Day

B. tell how the family spends Thanksgiving Day

C. introduce foods served on Thanksgiving Day

D. introduce the American Thanksgiving Day

On Thanksgiving Day the author’s family do the following except ________.

A. watching a movie                   B. making visits

C. having a big meal                   D. watching football

Why does the author’s mind usually “go blank” when saying a prayer of thanks?

A. He is too thankful to say a word.

B. His mind is on the food before him.

C. He feels too excited to speak.

D. He is shy to speak in public.

The underlined phrase “dig in” in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to “________”.

A. chat with others                   B. make a hole

C. mix things up                     D. start eating

What can we conclude from the text?

A. On Thanksgiving Day, men do nothing but eat.

B. The author is a middle school student.

C. The author’s family is not rich, but it’s a loving one.

D. Thanksgiving Day falls on Thursday of December.