In the kitchen of my mother’s houses there has always been a wooden stand (木架) with a small notepad (记事本)　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 in those 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, as 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 travelled unaffected through fifty years, rooted in the soil of a cheap wooden breadboard, invisible (看不到的) exhibits at every meal.

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.

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.

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

4.What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．The mother is successful in her career.

B．The family members like travelling.

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

D．The marks on the breadboard have disappeared.

5.In the author’s mind, her mother is             .

A．strange in behaviour

B．keen on her research

C．fond of collecting old things

D．careless about her appearance

I have a friend named John Roberts who owns a horse ranch （牧马场）in San Ysidro.　　The last time I was there he shared a story with me. “It is a story about a young man who was the son of an itinerant horse trainer. When he was a senior，he was asked to write a paper about what he wanted to be and do when he grew up.”

That night he wrote a seven-page paper describing his goal of someday owning a horse ranch. He wrote about his dream in great detail and he even drew a diagram of a 200-acre ranch， showing the location of all the buildings，the stables and the track.　　

“The next day he handed it in to his teacher. Two days later he received his paper back. On the front page was a large red F with a note that read, ‘See me after class.’”

　　“The boy went to see the teacher after class and asked, ‘Why did I receive an F？’”

　　“The teacher said, ‘This is an unrealistic dream for a young boy like you. You have no money. You come from an itinerant family. You have no resources. Owning a horse ranch requires a lot of money. You have to buy the land. You have to pay for the original breeding stock and later you’ll have to pay large stud fees. There‘s no way you could ever do it.’ Then the teacher added， ‘If you will rewrite this paper with a more realistic goal, I will reconsider your grade.’”

　　“The boy went home and asked his father what he should do. His father said, ‘Look, son， you have to make up your own mind on this. However, I think it is a very important decision for you.’”

　　“Finally，after sitting with it for a week, the boy turned in the same paper, making no changes at all. He stated, ‘You can keep the F and I’ll keep my dream.‘”

　　John continued, “I tell you this story because you are sitting in the middle of my 200-acre horse ranch. I still have that school paper framed over the fireplace.” He added, “If I had changed my paper at that time, maybe we would not have the chance to be here talking about the dreams .”

1.What was the boy’s goal described in his seven-page paper? (No more than 6 words)

2.Why did the teacher give him a F”?                    (No more than 14 words)

3.How did John’s father respond to his son’s puzzlement?    (No more than10 words)

4.What can we learn from the article?                    (No more than 8 words.)

I grew up in a small town where the elementary school was a ten-minute walk from my house. Since it is not far away, I could go home for lunch and find my mother   36   for me.

At the time, I did not consider this a luxury(奢侈享受),    37  today it certainly would be. I took it for granted that mothers were the sandwich-makers and the   38   monitors(监督者). So I never   39  that this ambitious (雄心勃勃的) and clever woman,   40  had had a career before I was born, would spend almost every lunch hour throughout my elementary school years just with me.

I only knew that when the noon bell rang, I  41   race breathlessly home. My mother would be standing at the top of the stairs, smiling down at me with a look that suggested I was the only important thing she had on her  42  . For this, I am forever   43 .

One lunchtime when I was in the third grade will  44   me always. I had been picked to be the princess in the school play, and for weeks my mother had patiently helped me practise my  45   . But no matter how    46   I knew them at home,  47   I stepped on stage, every word  48   from my head.

Finally, my teacher took me aside and   49   that she had written a narrator's (叙述者 ) part to the play, and asked me to   50   roles.  Her words, kindly spoken,  51  hurt me, especially when I saw my part go to another girl.

I didn't tell my mother what had happened when I went home for lunch that day. But she   52   my unease（不安）, and instead of suggesting we practise my lines, she asked if I wanted to   53  in the yard.

       I watched my mother stop and bend down. "I think I'm going to  54  all these dandelions（蒲公英）," she said, pulling a flower up by its roots. "From now on, we'll have only roses in this garden."
　　"But I like dandelions," I protested（抗议）. "Yes, all flowers are beautiful—even dandelions." said mother. "Every flower gives pleasure in its own way, doesn't it?" she asked thoughtfully. I nodded, pleased that I had won her over. "And that is true of  55  too," she added. "Not everyone can be a princess, but there is no shame in that."
36. A. searching            B. preparing          C. looking                    D. waiting

37. A. although             B. if                      C. unless                      D. since

38. A. housework          B. homework         C. house                       D. garden

39. A. hoped                 B. hated                C. questioned                D. found

40. A. whom                 B. that                   C. who                         D. which

41. A. would                 B. should               C. might                       D. could

42. A. mind                  B. way                  C. life                          D. side

43. A. angry                 B. puzzled             C. interested                 D. grateful

44. A. pay off              B. refer to             C. stay with                  D. date from

45. A. dancing                     B. singing              C. papers                      D. lines

46. A. difficultly           B. slowly               C. easily                       D. lowly

47. A. immediately        B. quickly             C. unluckily                  D. actually

48. A. took                   B. got                   C. disappeared                     D. came

49. A. believed              B. wondered          C. expressed                 D. explained

50. A. join                    B. change                     C. provide                    D. improve

51. A. already               B. never                C. hardly                      D. still

52. A. watched                     B. observed           C. sensed                      D. avoided

53. A. walk                   B. read                  C. recite                       D. practice

54. A. bring in                     B. dig up               C. bring back                D. take on

55. A. life                            B. dandelions         C. roses                        D. people

In the kitchen of my mother’s houses there has always been a wooden stand (木架) with a small notepad (记事本)　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 in those 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, as 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 travelled unaffected through fifty years, rooted in the soil of a cheap wooden breadboard, invisible (看不到的) exhibits at every meal

1. 1.

   Why has the author’s mother always kept the notepad and pencil in the kitchen?

   1. A.
      To leave messages
   2. B.
      To list her everyday tasks
   3. C.
      To note down maths problems
   4. D.
      To write down a flash of inspiration
2. 2.

   What is the author’s original opinion about the wooden stand?

   1. A.
      It has great value for the family
   2. B.
      It needs to be replaced by a better one
   3. C.
      It brings her back to her lonely childhood
   4. D.
      It should be passed on to the next generation
3. 3.

   The author feels embarrassed for             

   1. A.
      blaming her mother wrongly
   2. B.
      giving her mother a lot of trouble
   3. C.
      not making good use of time as her mother did
   4. D.
      not making any breakthrough in her field
4. 4.

   What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

   1. A.
      The mother is successful in her career
   2. B.
      The family members like travelling
   3. C.
      The author had little time to play when young
   4. D.
      The marks on the breadboard have disappeared
5. 5.

   In the author’s mind, her mother is             

   1. A.
      strange in behaviour
   2. B.
      keen on her research
   3. C.
      fond of collecting old things
   4. D.
      careless about her appearance

How to Be a Winner

　　Sir Steven Redgrave

　　Winner of 5 Olympic Gold Medals

　　“In 1997 I was found to have developed diabetes（糖尿病）．Believing my career（职业生涯）was over, I felt extremely low．Then one of the specialists said there was to no reason why I should stop training and competing．That was it — the encouragement I needed． I could still be a winner if I believed in myself．I am not saying that it isn’t difficult sometimes．But I wanted to prove to myself that I wasn't finished yet． Nothing is to stand in my way．”

　　Karen Pickering

　　Swimming World Champion

 “I swim 4 hours a day, 6 days a week．I manage that sort of workload by putting it on top of my diary．This is the key to success-you can’t follow a career in any field without being well-organized．List what you believe you can achieve．Trust yourself, write down your goals for the day, however small they are, and you’ll be a step closer to achieving them．”

　　Kirsten Best

　　Poet & Writer

“When things are getting hard, a voice inside my head tells me that I can’t achieve something．Then, there are other distractions, such as family or hobbies．The key is to concentrate．When I feel tense, it helps a lot to repeat words such as ‘calm’, ‘peace’ or ‘focus’, either out loud or silently in my mind．It makes me feel more in control and increases my confidence．This is a habit that can become second nature quite easily and is a powerful psychological（心理的） tool”

1．What does Sir Steven Redgrave mainly talk about?

　　A．Difficulties influenced his career．

　　B．Specialists offered him medical advice．

　　C．Training helped him defeat his disease．

　　D．He overcame the shadow of illness to win．

2．What does Karen Pickering put on top of her diary?

　　A．Her training schedule．                        B．Her daily happenings．

　　C．Her achievements．                             D．Her sports career．

3．What does the underlined word “distractions” probably refer to？

　　A．Ways that help one to focus．

　　B．Words that help one to feel less tense．

　　C．Activities that turn one's attention away．

　　D．Habits that make it hard for one to relax．

4．According to the passage, what do the three people have in common?

A．Courage．              B．Devotion．             C．Hard work．      D．Self-confidence．