One day, Mr. Arnold was teaching a lesson, and things were going as normally as ever. He was explaining the story of mankind to his pupils. He told them that, in the beginning, men were nomads; they never stayed in the same place for very long. Instead, they would travel about, here and there, in search of food, wherever it was to be found. And when the food ran out, they would move off somewhere else.
He taught them about the invention of farming and keeping animals. This was an important discovery, because by learning to cultivate(耕作)the land, and care for animals, mankind would always have food steadily available. It also meant that people could remain living in one place, and this made it easier to set about tasks that would take a long while to complete, like building towns, cities, and all that were in them. All the children were listening attracted by this story, until Lucy jumped up:
“And if that was so important and improved everything so much, why are we nomads all over again, Mr. Arnold?”
Mr. Arnold didn’t know what to say. Lucy was a very intelligent girl. He knew that she lived with her parents in a house, so she must know that her family were not nomads; so what did she mean?
“We have all become nomads again,” continued Lucy, “The other day, outside the city, they were cutting the forest down. A while ago a fisherman told me how they fish. It’s the same with everyone: when there’s no more forest left the foresters go elsewhere, and when the fish run out the fishermen move on. That’s what the nomads did, isn’t it ?
The teacher nodded, thoughtfully. Really, Lucy was right Mankind had turned into nomads. Instead of looking after the land in a way that we could be sure it would keep supplying our needs, we kept developing it until the land was bare. And then off we would go to the next place! The class spent the rest of the afternoon talking about what they could do to show how to be more civilized.
The next day everyone attended class wearing a green T-shirt, with a message that said “I am not a nomad!”
And , from then on, they set about showing that indeed they were not. Every time they knew they needed something, they made sure that they would get it using care and control. If they needed wood or paper, they would make sure that they got the recycled kind. They ordered their fish from fish farms, making sure that the fish they received were not too young and too small. They only used animals that were well cared for, and brought up on farms.
And so, from their little town, those children managed to give up being nomads again, just as prehistoric men had done, so many thousands of years ago.
【小题1】From Paragraph 2, we can know that______ .

　　Many a young person tells me he wants to be a writer. I always encourage such people, but I also explain that there's a big difference between “being a writer” and writing. In most cases these individuals are dreaming of wealth and fame, not the long hours alone at a typewriter.“You've got to want to write,”I say to them,“not want to be a writer.”

　　The reality is that writing is a lonely, private and pooh-pay affair. Not every writer kissed by fortune there are thousands more whose longing is never rewarded. When I left a 20-year career in the US. Coast Guard to become a freelance writer, I had no prospects（前途）at all. What I did have was a friend who found me my room in a New York apartment building. It didn't even matter that it was cold and had no bathroom. I immediately bought a used typewriter and felt like a great writer.

　　After a year or so, however, I still hadn't got a break and began to doubt myself. It was so hard to sell a story, that hardly made enough to eat. But I knew I wanted to write, I had dreamed about it for years. I wasn't going to be one of those people who die wondering, “What if?” I would keep putting my dream to the test, even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of failure. This is the Shadowland of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there.

(1) The passage is meant to_______.

[　　]

A．warn young people of the hardships that a successful writer has to experience

B．advise young people to give up their idea of becoming a professional writer

C．show young people it's unrealistic for a writer to go for wealth and fame

D．encourage young people to pursue a writing career

(2) What can be concluded from the passage?

[　　]

A．Great writers often find their work interesting and rewarding.

B．A writer's success depends on luck rather than on effort.

C．Famous writers usually live in poverty and loneliness.

D．The chances for a writer to become successful are small.

(3) The underlined part refers to those________.

[　　]

A．who think too much of the dark side of life

B．who regret giving up their career halfway

C．who think a lot without making a decision

D．who are full of imagination even upon death

(4) “Shadowland”in the last sentence refers to________.

[　　]

A．the beautiful wonderland one often dreams about

B．the bright future that one is looking forward to

C．the state of uncertainty before one's final goal is reached

D．the wonderful world that exists only in one's imagination

　　Many a young person tells me he wants to be a writer. I always encourage such people, but I also explain that there's a big difference between “being a writer” and writing. In most cases these individuals are dreaming of wealth and fame, not the long hours alone at a typewriter.“You've got to want to write,”I say to them,“not want to be a writer.”

　　The reality is that writing is a lonely, private and pooh-pay affair. Not every writer kissed by fortune there are thousands more whose longing is never rewarded. When I left a 20-year career in the US. Coast Guard to become a freelance writer, I had no prospects（前途）at all. What I did have was a friend who found me my room in a New York apartment building. It didn't even matter that it was cold and had no bathroom. I immediately bought a used typewriter and felt like a great writer.

　　After a year or so, however, I still hadn't got a break and began to doubt myself. It was so hard to sell a story, that hardly made enough to eat. But I knew I wanted to write, I had dreamed about it for years. I wasn't going to be one of those people who die wondering, “What if?” I would keep putting my dream to the test, even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of failure. This is the Shadowland of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there.

(1) The passage is meant to_______.

[　　]

A．warn young people of the hardships that a successful writer has to experience

B．advise young people to give up their idea of becoming a professional writer

C．show young people it's unrealistic for a writer to go for wealth and fame

D．encourage young people to pursue a writing career

(2) What can be concluded from the passage?

[　　]

A．Great writers often find their work interesting and rewarding.

B．A writer's success depends on luck rather than on effort.

C．Famous writers usually live in poverty and loneliness.

D．The chances for a writer to become successful are small.

(3) The underlined part refers to those________.

[　　]

A．who think too much of the dark side of life

B．who regret giving up their career halfway

C．who think a lot without making a decision

D．who are full of imagination even upon death

(4) “Shadowland”in the last sentence refers to________.

[　　]

A．the beautiful wonderland one often dreams about

B．the bright future that one is looking forward to

C．the state of uncertainty before one's final goal is reached

D．the wonderful world that exists only in one's imagination

Johnny was a cashier (收银员) in a large store. Every night when he came home from work, he would find a saying for the day and print it out on fifty pages of paper. Johnny would cut out each saying and sign his name at the bottom of each one. Then he would put them in a paper bag and put the bag beside him at work. Each time he finished bagging someone’s purchases, he would put one of his saying pieces in the customer’s bag as well. It touched me to think that this young man —with a job that most people thought not important —had made it important by creating precious memories for all of his customers. A month later the store manager called me and said, "Barbara, you won’t believe what happened today. When I went up to where the cashiers were, I found Johnny’s line was three times longer than anyone else’s! So I got more cashiers out there and opened more lanes (通道), but no one would move. They all said they wanted Johnny’s saying for the day." The store manager continued, "I got a lump in my throat when a woman came up to me and said, 'I used to shop at your store only once a week, but now I come in every time I go by for Johnny’s sayings.’" A few months later, the store manager called me again. "Johnny has changed our store completely," he said. "All of our cashiers now have their own personal signatures (签名). Everyone’s having a lot of fun creating good memories. Our customers are talking about us in a good way and are coming back with their friends."
1. How did Johnny deal with his saying pieces?
A. He put them in customers’ pockets.
B. He had others hand them to customers.
C. He put them in customers’ shopping bags.
D. He handed them to customers before they left.
2. With those sayings Johnny ___________.
A. drew the other cashiers’ attention to himself
B. got paid more than before
C. made good memories for his customers
D. encouraged himself to work harder
3. What did the store manager see a month later?
A. All of his cashiers had their own personal signatures.
B. Many customers chose Johnny’s lane to pay for their goods.
C. The store went out of order because there were too many customers.
D. Customers asked for Johnny’s sayings instead of buying goods.
4. The underlined part in the passage showed the store manager _________.
A. didn’t know why this happened
B. felt a little uncomfortable
C. felt extremely sad
D. was moved by what Johnny had done