I used to hate being called upon in class mainly because I didn’t like attention drawn to myself. And   36   otherwise assignen（指定）a seat by the teacher, I always    37  to sit at the back of the classroom.
All this    38   after I joined a sports team. It began when a teacher suggested I try out for the basketball team. At first I thought it was a crazy   39   because I didn’t have a good sense of balance, nor did I have the   40  to keep pace with the others on the team and they would tease me. But for the teacher who kept insisting on my “   41  for  it”, I wouldn’t have decided to give a try.
Getting up t he courage to go to the tryouts was only the    42  of it! When I first started  43   
the practice sessions, I didn’t even know the rules of the game, much    44 what I was doing. Sometimes I’d get     45   and take a shot at the wrong direction—which made me feel really stupid.   46   , I wasn’t the only one “new” at the game, so I decided to    47    on learning the game, do my best at each prctice session, and not be too hard on myself for the things I didn’t    48  “just yet”.
I practiced and practiced. Soon I knew the   49  and the “moves”. Being part of a team was fun and moticating. Very soon the competitive   50  in me was winning over my lack of confidence. With time, I learned how to play and made friends in the   51    — friends who respect my efforts to work hard and be a team player. I never had so much fun!
With my    52   self-confidence comes more praise from teachers and classmates. I have gone from   “53”  in the back of the classroom and not wanting to call attention to myself,   54  
raising my hand — even when I sometimes wasn’t and not 100 percent   55  I had the right answer. Now I have more self-confidence in myself.
【小题1】  

John Steinbeck once said, “All American believe they are born fishermen. For a man to admit to a distaste in fishing would be like speaking publicly against mother-love or hating moonlight”.

I can’t say I’m the biggest John Steinbeck fan. Actually, the only thing I can ever remember reading by him was “The Pearl” when I was in middle school, but I couldn’t agree more with the man when it comes to fishing. When I am on a boat in the middle of the lay Lake, fishing off the shores of the Florida Keys for tarpon or catching rainbow trout in the Shoshone River of Wyoming. Fishing is my life.

According to the American Sports Fishing Association, the fishing industry brings in more than $ 116 billion per year from fishermen across the country.

Though a beautiful picture to imagine, fishing is much more than that. Fishing is a way of life from many people and a way to escape everyday stress. Being a fisherman makes me a member of a wonderful group of people extending to all walks of life. Even President Bush can be found fishing on his farm in Texas with his good friend Roland Martin when the jobs gets too stressful.

I can remember fishing with my grandfather when I was 5 years old on his boat at Lake Michel. Although I didn’t understand what I was doing, I did know that my grandfather was happy and that made me happy. Since then I’ve spent the past 16 years on the rivers and lakes of Alabama.

After days of practice, before and after work, I slowly developed an understanding of fishing. My boss, Ric Horst, took me back to the Shoshone, and I managed to bring in a 19-inch cutthroat trout. Fishing with Ric was a life-changing experience for me. He not only showed me how to fish correctly, but also told me how fishing could be a way to escape your problems.

Since then, prime-time season seems to take forever to arrive.

Now, with the ending of February and beginning of March is sight, the excitement of heading out to Lake Tus caloosa or Lake Lurleen before classes and catching something has finally returned.

What John Steinbeck said in the first paragraph implies that ______

A．American are believed to be the offspring of fishermen.     

B．it is unthinkable for an American to admit his dislike of fishing.

C．all American are expert at fishing.

D．those who dislike fishing would not love their mother.

The writer came to understand the real meaning of fishing ______.

A．when he was reading “The Pearl” by John Steinbeck   

B．when he went fishing with his grandfather at Lake Mitchell

C．after he had spent 16 years on the rivers and lakes of Alabama

D．after he went fishing with his boss, Ric Horst on the Shoshone

According to the author, ______.

A．people can get to know VIPs when fishing   

B．people can smooth away all the troubles by fishing      

C．fishing is a way of communication

D．fishing is a way of life for most American people

What is the purpose of the writing?

A．To describe the writer’s experience and understanding of fishing.      

B．To explain the reason why so many Americans like fishing.

C．To make others understand the industry of fishing.

D．To express his opinions about fishing in different time of the year.

1 

John Steinbeck once said, “All Americans believe they are born fishermen. For a man to admit to a distaste in fishing would be like denouncing (公开指责) mother – love or hating moonlight.”

I can’t say that I’m the biggest John Steinbeck fan. Actually, the only thing I can ever remember reading by him was “The pearl” when I was in middle school, but I couldn’t agree more with the man when it comes to fishing. Whether I am on a boat in the middle of the Lay Lake, fishing off the shores of the Florida Keys for tarpon or catching rainbow trout in the Shoshone River of Wyoming, fishing is my life.

According to the American Sports Fishing Association, the fishing industry brings in more than $ 116 billion per year from fishermen across the country.

Though a beautiful picture to imagine, fishing is much more than that. Fishing is a way of life for many people and a way to escape everyday stress. Being a fisherman makes me a member of a wonderful group of people extending to all walks of life. Even President Obama can be found fishing on his farm in Texas with his good friend Roland Martin when the job gets too stressful.

I can remember fishing with my grandfather when I was 5 years old on his boat at Lake Mitchell. Although I didn’t understand what I was doing, I did know that my grandfather was happy and that made me happy. Since then I’ve spent the past 16 years on the rivers and lakes of Alabama.

After days of practice, before and after work, I slowly developed an understanding of fishing. My boss, Ric Horst, took me back to the Shoshone, and I managed to bring in a 19–inch cutthroat trout. Fishing with Ric was a life–changing experience for me. He not only showed me how to fish correctly, but also told me how fishing could be a way to escape your problems.

Since then, prime–time season seems to take forever to arrive.

Now, with the ending of February and beginning of March in sight, the excitement of heading out Lake Tuscaloosa or Lake Lurleen before classes and catching something has finally returned.

1.What John Steinbeck said in the first paragraph implies that ______________.

         A．Americans are believed to be the offspring of fishermen

         B．it is unthinkable for an American to admit his dislike of fishing

         C．all Americans are expert at fishing

         D．those who dislike fishing would not love their mother

2.．The writer came to understand the real meaning of fishing ______________.

         A．when he was reading “The pearl” by John Steinbeck

         B．when he went fishing with his grandfather at Lake Mitchell

         C．after he had spent 16 years on the rivers and lakes of Alabama

         D．after he went fishing with his boss, Ric Horst on the Shoshone

3.What can be inferred from the text?

         A．The author is at most 21 years old.

         B．The author regards fishing as a very important part in his life.

         C．The author agreed with John Steinbeck the most when he was in middle school.

         D．President Obama often goes fishing in public in order to collect idea for his job.

4.．According to the author, __________________.

         A．people can get to know VIPs when fishing.

         B．people can smooth away all the troubles by fishing

         C．Fishing is a way of communication

         D．Fishing is a way to make a living for most American people

5.．What is the purpose of the writing?

         A．To describe the writer’s experience and understanding of fishing.

         B．To explain the reason why so many Americans like fishing.

         C．To make others understand the industry of fishing.

         D．To express his opinions about fishing in different time of the year.

She was so angry at all ______ I was doing ______ she walked out.

A. that; which     B. that; that   C. which; that     D. which; as to

You Are Going Places
One day I came home from school, changed my clothes and got ready for work．I work at a local restaurant in town as a cashier, seater and waiter．
I went to work feeling  31  . And to make matters worse, I was busy that evening．It' s the same thing over and over again． 32 with customers who complain about their food and where they are  33  is too big or too small．Little things like that tend to  34 a lot of us  35 but we manage to deal with it．
Three elderly ladies walked in and sat by the windows．It happened to be the very  36 near where I keep the dirty  37 in the boxes．Trying to keep up with all the dirty tables, customers leaving and coming in and  38 running all over the house, it was crazy． 39 these elderly women were watching  40 I was working to make sure every table was clean and ready for the next customers．
When they  41 their meals, I took their plates back to the kitchen．They talked to me for a while about school, how I was doing, what  42 I was in and what I planned to do in the future．
43 they were leaving, they walked past me and one of them said to me in a  44 and gentle voice, "You are going places．And that was it．They left the  45 and I had tears in my eyes, because they gave me  46 to believe in myself．They  47 my spirit from being down and gave me a  48 to keep on working hard．
People used to tell me that I could not have a career in  49 until I had a degree．I'm now a co-anchor （联合主持人）of a student-produced television  50  . And the best thing is: I'm only 17 years old and I am a senior in high school．