“Everything happens for the best,” my mother said whenever things weren’t going my way. “Don’t worry, one day your luck will change.” Mother was right, as I discovered after I had finished my college education. I had decided to find a job in radio. One day, I wanted to host(主持) a sports program. I went to Chicago and knocked on the door of every station. But I got turned down every time.
In one station, a kind lady said my problem was that I hadn’t got enough experience. “ Get some work with a small station and work your way up,” she said.
I went back home. I couldn’t get a job there, either. Then my dad told me a businessman had opened a store and needed someone to help him. But again, I didn’t get the job.
I felt really down. “ Your luck will change,” Mom said to me. Dad lent me the car to help me to look for my job. I tried another radio station in Iowa. But the owner, a nice man, told me he had already had someone.
As I left his office, I asked, “How can someone be a sports announcer(播音员) if he can’t get a job in a radio station?”
I was waiting for the lift when I heard the man call. “ What did you mean? Do you know anything about football?” He put me in front of a microphone and asked me to try to imagine that I was giving my opinion on a football game, I succeeded.
On my way home, Mom’s words came back to me, “One day your luck will change, Son. And when it happens, it’ll feel doubly(加倍的) good because of all the hard work you’ve had.” At that moment I knew what just what she meant.
【小题1】What’s the writer’s ideal job?

阅读下面短文，在表格内的空白处填入合适的答案（每格限填一词）。
Why you should think big  
If you have something valuable in mind, a service to offer, or an idea to develop, then you present it to everyone to increase its scope(范围). Why not make full use of it?
The fact is, when you have a strong enough vision(远见), you may have the courage. And then you simply have to pursue it, however crazy it might seem to others.
Remember that everything starts small
Rome wasn’t built in a day. Everything starts small. Scientists say that everything in the universe came from a smaller unit than you can possibly imagine. So it doesn’t matter where you are at present, because from small beginnings come great things.
Think bigger by enlisting(争取) others
To think big, you need to see yourself as a small part of a greater whole. Enlist people who are better than you. If you’re not the most organized person, don’t just be unhappy about it; find someone who is better.
Big thinkers know their personal limitations(局限性). Gather people around you who can do what you can’t do to make sure your dream grows.
Think big by focusing on future regrets(遗憾)
There is an old saying, “We regret not the things we did do, but the things we didn’t.” You’ll never know how far it could go unless you see how far you can take something.
If you have big plans, just close your eyes. And strongly imagine how regretful you will be if you don’t try or attempt properly.
Feel that it is your human duty to think big
When something is probably a real service to mankind, then it is a human duty to think and act big. Even if you don’t succeed at last, it is still valuable to think big.

More than anything else in the world, Lion liked being King of the jungle.  He walked around, showing off his power and pride.
Each day Lion took a long lazy sleep under the shade of his favourite tree.  He always dreamed of weaker animals bowing(鞠躬) before him.
One day Mouse ran through the jungle and tripped over Lion’s huge paws.  Lion woke up with a start.  “How dare you wake me up! ”  he shouted angrily.  Lion grabbed Mouse with one paw.  “On the second thought, I’m in the mood for the snack, and you’ll make a delicious meal.”, he said.
Mouse cried out, “King Lion, please spare（饶恕） me! If you let me live, I’ll always remember your kindness.  And, some day, I might be able to help you.”
“ How could such a powerless little mouse ever help me?” That thought made Lion laugh so much that he decided to let Mouse go.  A week later, Lion was walking through the jungle on the way to his favourite tree when he stepped onto a hunter’s net.  The net scooped him up. No matter how he twisted and turned, he couldn’t escape.
When Mouse heard Lion’s frightened shouts, he raced to help. Mouse quickly chewed（咬）through the ropes to make a hole in the net.  Soon, Lion moved out and was free. Lion looked down at the little mouse. “Thank you for saving my life,” said Lion, smiling his widest smile.  “I was mistaken.  You are not a powerless little mouse.  You are a great friend!”
【小题1】 What did Lion do each day?

Gabriel Garcia Márquez ,who was awared the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982，passed away at the age of 86 on April 17，2014. The world paused to remember the cultural giant .
Garcia Márquez was born in Colombia ,but he spent most of his adult life in Mexico City . As one of the most famous writers ,he was widely regarded as “a giant of 20th-century literature ” . Garcia Márquez wrote in a style  called “magical realism ”In such works,people live a daily life in a certain period of time in history . But meanwhile ,magical things happen to them .
Garcia Márquez is best known for his 1967 novel ,One Hundred Years of Solitude ,which has sold about 50 million copies . It tells the tale of the small and isolated town of Macondo which was separated from the outside world –of its founding and its troubled history over a hundred years . The story is a metaphor for the development of Colombia since the 19century . As Colombian President Juan Manuel Santons said , Garcia Márquez wrote about “the very essence of the Latin American beings ” .
【小题1】Garcia Márquez was born in the year _________.

"Make-A-Wish” is one of the world's most well-known charities(慈善机构) . It makes wishes come true for childrenwho have serious illnesses. It gives them hope and joy and helps them forget about their health problems and have fun.
It all started in 1980 in Phoenix, Arizona. Christopher was a 7-year-old boy who was very sick. He always dreamed ofbecoming a police officer. Tommy Austin and Ron Cox, two police officers, made his wish come true. They gaveChristopher a tour of the city in a police helicopter(直升飞机)and made a real police uniform(制服) for him.
There are four kinds of wishes children usually have:
I wish to go. Children usually want to travel or go to a concert, a game or a park.
I wish to meet. Children sometimes want to meet their favourite actors, singers or players.
I wish to be. Some children wish to become actors, singers or police officers.
I wish to have. They often want to have a computer, a game, a bike or many other things.
Let’shope more wishes Mill come true in the future. People who work in the charity always try for the best. Almost25 ,000 Volunteers (志愿者) help, work or give money. Will you be one of them?
【小题1】"Make-A-Wish" is a charity to help _______.

One young excellent person was trying to find a high position in a big company. It was the director who would make the final decision.
The director discovered that the young man did an excellent job in his college, which interested him a lot.[来
The director asked, “Who paid for your college?”
The young man answered, “My father passed away when I was one year old, so it was just my mother.”
“What did your mother do?” The director seemed surprised.
“She is a clothes cleaner,” the young man answered, with no feeling.
“Have you ever helped your mother wash some clothes before?”
“Never. My mother always wanted me to study and read more books. She could wash clothes faster than me,” the young man seemed puzzled (迷惑) when answering.
“Well, now I need you to do something. When you go back home today, clean your mother’s hands and see me tomorrow.”
The youth was happy when hearing this because he felt that his chance of getting the job was great. When he went home, he happily asked his mother to let him clean her hands. His mother felt strange but happy. With mixed feelings, she showed her hands to the kid.
The young man cleaned his mother’s hands, with tears falling. It was the first time he noticed that his mother’s hands were so wrinkled (皱的), and there were so many wounds. This pair of hands enabled him to go through college. This pair of hands was the price that his mother had to pay for his life and his future.
The next morning, the director asked the young man, “Now tell me what you learned yesterday.”
After hearing what he said, the director knew the young man had learned his lesson. “This is the man whom I am looking for. We want you to be our member.”
【小题1】Did the young man do quite well in college?
__________, ______________________________________________.
【小题2】Who paid for the young man’s college?
_________________________________________________________.
【小题3】Why hadn’t the young man helped clean the clothes before?
________________________________________________________.
【小题4】What did the director ask the young man to do when he went back?
_________________________________________________________.
【小题5】Why did the mother feel strange but happy when her son wanted to wash her hands?
_________________________________________________________.
【小题6】The young man had learned his lesson. What can you learn from his lesson?
__________________________________________________________.

Some people make you feel comfortable when they are around. You spend an hour with them and feel as if you have known them half your life. These people have something in common. And once we know what it is, we can try to do it ourselves.
How is it done? Here are several skills that good talkers have. If you follow the skills, they'll help people feel relaxed and make friends with them quickly.
First of all, good talkers ask questions. Almost anyone, no matter how shy he is, will answer a question. One well-known businesswoman says, "At business lunches, I always ask people what they did that morning. It's a common question, but it will get things going." From there you can move on to other matters—sometimes to really personal questions. And how he answers will let you know how far you can go.   
Second, once good talkers have asked questions, they listen to the answers. This point seems clear, but it isn't. Your questions should have a point and help to tell what sort of person you are talking to. And to find out, you really have to listen carefully and attentively. Real listening at least means some things. First it means not to change the subject of conversation. If someone sticks to one topic, you can take it as a fact that he's really interested in it. Real listening also means not just listening to words, but to tones of voice. If the voice sounds dull, then, it's time for you to change the subject.
Finally, good talkers know well how to deal with the moment of parting. If you're saying good-bye, you may give him a firm handshake and say, "I've really enjoyed meeting you." If you want to see that person again, don't keep it a secret. Let people know what you feel, and they may walk away feeling as if they've known you half their life.
【小题1】Asking questions might be a quite good and suitable way _______.

Sarah ran in, shouting, “Look what I found!”  Over the top of the paper I was reading; came a terrible thing that caused me to jump. It was a snake skin found in our garden.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” said my seven-year-old daughter.
I opened my eyes widely and looked at the snake skin in fear（恐惧地）. I didn’t think it was beautiful, but I learned never to appear nonchalant(冷漠的)with children. Everything they see for the first time is important to their sense of beauty; they see only excellence in the world.
“Why does it do this?”  Sarah asked.
“Snakes shed(蜕) their skins because they need to renew themselves,”  I explained.
“Why do they need to renew（使更新） themselves?” Sarah asked.
“We often need to shed our skins, those coatings that we cover ourselves with,” I said to my daughter. “We leave some things and find other thing unwanted or unnecessary. This snake no longer needs this skin. It is probably too little for him, and he probably doesn’t think he looks as smart in it as he once did. ”
As we talked, I knew that she began to understand. Although she couldn’t understand clearly, she would know that renewal is part of progress; that we need to take a good look at ourselves, our rooms, schoolwork and spirit, and see what we need to keep and what we need to leave.  I was careful to tell that this is a natural way, not one to be forced.
“Snakes don’t peel off their skins when they like them. “I explained. “It happens as a natural thing of their growth. ”
“I see, Dad,” said Sarah as she held the snake skin, and then ran off.
I hoped she would remember this; we need to throw some away because they are worthless or unnecessary. Then we can store them as memories in our deep hearts.
【小题1】Father jumped up when her daughter came to him with a snake skin because ＿＿＿＿＿＿.

Anne and Joseph are talking about an interesting question. Why do some people change their names? There can be many reasons. Hanna changed her name to Anne because she thought it would be easier for people to remember. On the other hand , Joseph is thinking about changing his name to an unusual name because he wants to be different.
People have a lot of reasons for changing their names. Film stars, singers, sportsmen and some famous people often change their names because they want names that are not ordinary, or that have special sound. They chose the “new names ” for themselves instead of the names their parents gave them when they were born.
Some people have another reason for changing their names. They have moved to a new country and want to use a name that is usual there. For example, Li Kaiming changed his name to Ken Lee when he moved to the United States. He uses the name Ken at his job and at school. But with his family and Chinese friends, he uses Li Kaiming. For some people, using different names makes life easier in their new country.
In many countries , a woman changes her family name to her husband’s after she got married. But today, many women are keeping their own family name and not using their husband’s. Sometimes, women use their own names in some situations and their husbands’ in other situations. And some use both their own names and their husbands’.
【小题1】Hanna changed her name to____________

Johnny, a lizard (蜥蜴），lived between some rocks in the country, where he liked sunbathing every morning. One day, he felt so       that he didn’t notice some boys coming up behind him. The boys caught Johnny, and he could only escape from their hands by losing his       and running to hide.
The children watched his tail moving about, but they soon threw the tail away and left. Johnny came out to       his tail, but could find no       of it. Feeling so sad, he decided to       doing everything else in his life and spending all his time finding his tail. Days and months passed, and Johnny kept looking, asking everyone       they had seen his tail. However, there was      no news about it.
One day, he asked a boy and the boy       replied, “Why do you need two tails?” After hearing this, Johnny turned back and saw that he had grown a new, stronger tail. He suddenly realised how       it had been to waste so much time on a problem like it. Johnny headed for home.
    , he suddenly found his old tail on the roadside. Although it       terrible, Johnny was still excited to have it back. He picked it up and was about to       his journey. Just at that moment, an idea hit him that he shouldn’t look at the past and worry about it since it was not useful for      .
He then decided to       his old tail there, leaving with it all his past worries. As he continued his journey, all he took with him were thoughts of the present and the dreams of the       .
As we know, it’s not good to look at the past, unless it helps in the future. Let the past go with the wind.