Do you wake up in the morning dreading the moment that your feet have to hit the floor for you to get ready for work? If that’s the case, join most of Americans. Very few people wake up to that annoying alarm clock and spring out of bed excited about having to go to work.

As if that were not enough, most of us have to fight traffic getting there, usually an hour’s drive. Then, when we get to work, we have to fight with unruly co-workers or a nagging boss. And to make matters worse, you have to fight the same traffic going in the opposite direction just to get back home.

Making dinner, fixing plates, eating and then straightening up afterwards is a job within itself. If that sounds like your life, you probably have a J-O-B. you know what J-O-B stands for? Just Over Broke, that’s what! With a job, most Americans are living paycheck-to-paycheck and hating every minute of it. I know because I was doing the same thing: trading time for money. And, I came to a conclusion that it stinks (糟糕透了)! Big time!

Looking around at my co-workers, friends and relatives, I saw that they were all doing the same thing I was doing. They were complaining about the same things I was complaining about : not having enough time or money. And, I decided that I wanted to do something different.[来源:学*科*

So, I started a home-based business. There are several to choose from. The extra income has done so much for our family. We can vacation more. We have been able to give more. And, we’ve even been able to do something calling save! It’s been amazing.

Therefore, if you’re sick and tired of being sick and tired, it’s time you make a change, too. The definition of insanity (疯狂) is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. I know you aren’t stupid. If you continue to do what everyone else is doing: trading time for money, you’re going to keep getting what everyone else is getting: being broke and not having the time to do what is really important to you.

Do your due diligence. Find a home-based business that works well for you. Go to work, and live the life you’ve always imagined!

According to Paragraph 1, which of the following statements is TRUE about most Americans?

   A. Most Americans are excited to go to work every day.

   B. Most Americans are used to sleeping in the morning.

   C. Most Americans are tired of having to go to work every morning.

   D. Most Americans have alarm clocks to wake them up in the morning.

By writing the first three paragraphs, what feeling does the writer express?

   A. Regret.               B. Joy.                  C. Pride.               D. Dissatisfaction

What does “something different” in Paragraph 4 refer to?

   A. To set up a business at home.            B. To complain about life and work.

   C. To spend more time on holidays.              D. To resign from the former job and get a new one.

My grandmother was an iron-willed woman, the feared head of the family. When I was five years old, she invited some friends to her apartment for a party. 26the guests was a neighborhood big shot(大亨). They had a little girl about my age who was27 and very much used to getting her own way.

Grandmother spent a lot of time with the big shot and his family. She 28 them the most important members of her social circle and tried hard to please them. At one point during the party, I 29my way to the bathroom and closed the door behind me. A minute or two later, the little girl 30the bathroom door and simply walked in. I was still sitting down. “Don’t you know that little girls aren't31to come into the bathroom when a little boy is using it!?” I shouted. The32I had piled upon her shocked the little girl. Then she started to cry. She tearfully33to her parents and my grandmother. Grandmother was waiting for me when I left the bathroom. I received the longest, sharpest34. After her scolding was over and I had been dismissed, the party 35.

Twenty minutes later, all that changed. Grandmother walked by the bathroom and noticed a flood of water36out from under the door. She37the bathroom door and saw that the sink and tub were plugged(塞)up and that the taps 38at full blast (拧到最大). Everyone knew who did it. The guests quickly formed a39wall around me, but Grandmother was40 angry that she almost got to me anyway.

My grandfather took me41to the window. He was a kind and gentle man, full of wisdom and patience.42did he raise his voice to anyone, and never did he43 his wife. He looked at me with much curiosity, 44 angry or upset.

“Tell me,” he asked, “why did you do it?”

“Well, she shouted at me 45,” I said earnestly. “Now she's got something to shout about.”

Grandfather didn’t speak right away. He just sat there, looking at me and smiling. “Eric,” he said at last, “you are my revenge(复仇).”

26. A. Between             B. Among             C. Around             D. Beside

27. A. spoiled               B. harmed             C. liked                D. concerned

28. A. imagined            B. told                  C. evaluated           D. considered

29. A. made                 B. found              C. pushed             D. wound

30. A. closed                B. opened             C. beat                 D. tapped

31. A. expected            B. asked                      C. supposed          D. told

32. A. happiness           B. depression               C. embarrassment D. anger

33. A. complained               B. apologized      C. replied             D. referred

34. A. cry                    B. blame               C. comment         D. demand

35. A. picked up            B. broke down              C. carried on          D. took off

36. A. moving              B. stirring            C. floating            D. streaming

37. A. pushed open       B. pulled down     C. shut up             D. knocked at

38. A. had gone             B. were going        C. went                D. had been going

39. A. productive          B. hard                 C. protective         D. rough

40. A. so                      B. too                   C. as                    D. very

41. A. by his hand               B. by the hand       C. by surprise        D. with anxiety

42. A. Often                 B. Sometimes        C. Always             D. Rarely

43 A. argue with           B. talk with           C. put up with       D. come to terms with

44. A. other than           B. instead of          C. rather than         D. more than

45. A. for something    B. for nothing       C. without doubt   D. with sympathy

It was because it had been raining for several days, leading to a flood over the fields and the villages that many people fell _______ without foods and shelters.

短文改错（共10小题，每小题1分，满分10分）

For most people, it is almost impossible to operate on a computer without a mouse, let alone surf the Internet. A well-chosen mouse is really handy, flexible and convenience in controlling the screen. Without the functions of inserting, deleting, moving and copying, it enables us to edit text, browse web pages and download that we want. It can even bring us a flood of musics, movies and PC games. Just imagining, all that can be done with a cute mouse.

A convenient tool can certain make our work easier, and it doesn’t always help in a positive way. Too much ready information on our fingertips leaves a little room for knowledge pursuing. Too many ready answers make us less excited in finding truth. Relying too much on mouse clicking make us much lazier and less creative.