When I was young, I wanted to be a model, so when a national competition was nearby, I asked my parents to take me for an audition(试演) and they agreed, I was selected and told I had potential. They said that for only $900 I could attend a weekend event that a number of the most famous modeling agenies(中介) from around the world would attend. At 13, my hopes of fame and fortune(名利) clouded my judgment and I begged my parents to let me go. We have never been rich, but they saw my enthusiasm and at last they agreed.

I imagined being signed by some famous model companies. For .months, any boredom or disappointment that I faced disappeared because I knew I would soon have the chance to be a real model. I thought I would appear in the covers of famous magazines!

Of course, I wasn't signed, but what hurt the most was being told that if I grew to 5'9' (about 1.75 meters) I could be a success. I sprayed for a growth spurt(冲刺) because I could not imagine giving up my dream. I met with a local modeling agency and the agent required $500 for classes, $500 for a photo shoot(拍摄), and $300 for other fees. My parents only agreed after hours and hours of my begging.

The agency sent me out on a few auditions but with every day I did not receive a call, I grew more disappointed. The final chance came in July after I had decided to focus on commercial modeling. There was an open call(公开挑it) in New York City. We spent hours driving and spent another few hours waiting, only to be told that I was too short, I could hardly stand it.

Years later, I realize that the trip to New York was good as it made me notice I didn't actually love modeling, just the idea of it.1 wanted to be special and I naively(天真地)decided to reach an impossible goal. The experience has made me stronger and that will help me in the future.

1.The author wanted to be a model, because_______.

A．she won a national contest

B．she wanted to be famous and rich

C．she was urged by some modeling agencies

D．she had full potential to be a successful model

2.The author's parents' attitude toward her dream is_______.

A．encouraging       B．doubtful          C．worried           D．excited

3.The author finally stopped dreaming to become a model mainly because_______.

A．her parents were strongly against it

B．she realized that it was impossible for her.

C．even a local modeling agency turned her down

D．she realized that she didn't actually love the idea of modeling

4.From her experience of struggling to be a model, the author learned that

A．where there is a will there is a way

B．being a model is not so easy

C．we should have our own judgment and should not just follow others

D．we might set unpractical goals but the experiences can help us grow.

缺词填空（根据短文内容及首字母提示，填入所缺单词）（共10空，每空1分，满分10分）

Many books have been written about “the art of giving”. But what about the art of r  1  ? Sometimes, receiving a gift can be difficult, especially when someone buys you a gift you don’t want!

“I remember when I was about twelve years old, my parents b  2  me a purple purse,” laughs Guo Xiaojing. “It really made me feel embarrassed(尴尬), because I thought the purse was really ugly！Still, I pretended (假装)that I liked it b  3  I knew it would make my parents happy!”

Han Ling agrees. “That sounds like my grandparents！A few years ago, my grandparents gave me an orange sweater f  4  my birthday. I used to wear it every time I visited them, but when I left their house, I took it off! Of course, this made me feel g  5  . It was a very nice thought, but my grandparents have different taste from me! I think it’s hard to buy clothes or other personal things for people.”

To make things easier, some people would rather just give money. In some cultures, h  6   , receiving money can make people uncomfortable. “When someone gives me money, it j   7    makes me think they’re being lazy,” says John Wilson. “In England, we have a saying: It’s the thought that counts. When s   8   gives me money, I feel they don’t think at all. I prefer to receive a gift that has some thought behind it. I don’t mind if it’s something I don’t need. If someone has thought about a g   9   for me, it always makes me happy.”

Different people have very different thoughts on this subject! So maybe the art of receiving is e 10   more difficult than the art of giving! What do you think?

When I was young, I wanted to be a model, so when a national competition was nearby, I asked my parents to take me for an audition(试演) and they agreed, I was selected and told I had potential. They said that for only $900 I could attend a weekend event that a number of the most famous modeling agenies(中介) from around the world would attend. At 13, my hopes of fame and fortune(名利) clouded my judgment and I begged my parents to let me go. We have never been rich, but they saw my enthusiasm and at last they agreed.
I imagined being signed by some famous model companies. For .months, any boredom or disappointment that I faced disappeared because I knew I would soon have the chance to be a real model. I thought I would appear in the covers of famous magazines!
Of course, I wasn't signed, but what hurt the most was being told that if I grew to 5'9' (about 1.75 meters) I could be a success. I sprayed for a growth spurt(冲刺) because I could not imagine giving up my dream. I met with a local modeling agency and the agent required $500 for classes, $500 for a photo shoot(拍摄), and $300 for other fees. My parents only agreed after hours and hours of my begging.
The agency sent me out on a few auditions but with every day I did not receive a call, I grew more disappointed. The final chance came in July after I had decided to focus on commercial modeling. There was an open call(公开挑it) in New York City. We spent hours driving and spent another few hours waiting, only to be told that I was too short, I could hardly stand it.
Years later, I realize that the trip to New York was good as it made me notice I didn't actually love modeling, just the idea of it.1 wanted to be special and I naively(天真地)decided to reach an impossible goal. The experience has made me stronger and that will help me in the future.
【小题1】The author wanted to be a model, because_______.