Paul had just left college and was offered an interview for a position in a company in New York. As he needed to move from Texas to New York if he got the job, he wanted to talk about the decision with someone before accepting it. But his parents had died. He remembered that his father had suggested he should turn to an old friend of his family if he needed advice.
The older man said, “Go to New York and have the interview. But I want you to go on a train and I want you to get a private compartment(车厢). Don’t take anything to write with, anything to listen to or anything to read, and don’t talk to anybody except when you order the meal. Call me when you get to New York and I will tell you what to do next.”
At first, Paul followed the advice closely. The trip took two days. As he had brought along nothing to do, he quickly became bored. He realized he was being forced into quite time – he could do nothing but think. About three hours outside New York City he broke the rules, asked for a pencil and paper and kept writing down the thoughts until the train arrived in New York.
Paul called the family friend from the train station.
“Thank you, Uncle I know what you wanted. You wanted me to think. And now I know what to do.”“I guessed you could understand my idea, Paul,” came the reply, “Good luck.”
Now, years later, Paul runs a company in New York. And he always spends a couple of days being alone with no phone, no television and no people to think quietly.
【小题1】Paul would go to New York for __________.

My friends and I had just finished lunch at a hotel when it started to rain heavily. When it became lighter, I decided to get my   1  which was parked at my office three streets away.
My friends   2  that I shouldn’t go, mainly because I was seven months pregnant (怀孕的) then. I promised that I’d be very   3 . One of them wanted to come with me but I insisted that she stayed with another friend who needed help   4  her baby.
I walked out of the hotel and started making my way to the car. At the crossing, a van stopped and a man came out with an umbrella. Before I knew what was happening, he walked right   5  me and told me he’d escort (护送) me. Although I refused, he insisted that he would.
During our walk, he kept telling me to walk slower, as the ground was   6 . When we got to the car-park, I thanked him and he went away. I did not get his name and can   7  recognize (认出) him now. Did he stop for me? I’ll never know.
So how did I pay it forward? I was at home when I noticed two Indian workers   8  in the heavy rain. They were probably on their way to the working place near my home. I went out and passed them my   9 , telling them they should take and keep it. They were surprised by my action. They were very grateful to me, probably   10  why a stranger was offering such kindness. I was so relaxed and happy that day.

In 1961 Obama was born in Hawaii, US. His father is an African and his mother is a white American. He grew up in Indonesia and Hawaii.
When Obama was 10 years old, he was one of only three black students at his school in Hawaii. He felt very different from most other students. White girls wanted to touch his hair. A white boy even asked him what his father was.
“I lied to them that my father was a Kenyan prince（王子）. But I kept asking myself who I am,” said Obama.
However, 37 years later, the boy made history. Obama became the first black president（总统） in US history.
This unusual background（背景） made him wonder who he was. He once turned to alcohol (酒) to help forget this question.
With the help of his friends, Obama finally turned his life around at college. His hard work made him a star at Harvard. Later, he became only the third black senator (参议员) in US history.
“Obama’s success has made Martin Luther King’s dream come true. That is: A man should not be judged （判断）by the color of his skin, but by the content of his character,” wrote ABC news.
【小题1】Obama was born in _______________.
A Britain      B America      C Kenya        D Indonesia
【小题2】There was/were _______black students besides Obama at the school where he studied when he was ten.
A no           B one              C two          D three
【小题3】Obama became the first black president in US history when he was ______.
A 37            B 40               C 47           D 50
【小题4】Which of the following is true?
A Obama’s father was a Kenyan prince.
B Obama once forgot who his father was with the help of alcohol.
C Obama was so dishonest when he was young that nobody believed him.
D Obama changed his college life because of his friends’ help and his hard work
【小题5】From the passage we can see that____________.

What makes 15,000 men and women run for hours, and what makes them run through the streets on a cold day without coats? I was one of those runners.  The race is called marathon (马拉松).
I had never run more than eight miles before, and here I was training.  Since the race is in April, I had to run throughout the winter, and in Boston, winters are cold. For most people, just putting on their shirts, sweaters, jackets, and hats is exercise enough. I found myself out on the dark streets, running along ice sidewalks (人行道). Even in gloves, my fingers got so cold that they looked like red carrots. My nose didn’t get warm until lunchtime !
Finally, the big day arrived. The weather was cold, with ice and rain. Bang! The gun sounded, and we started. I didn’t go anywhere at first because I was standing behind so many people. I had to wait for them to move.
At first, the running was easy.  The other runners just seemed to pull me along. Somewhere around the 20-mile mark I even said to myself, "This is nothing, why did I train so hard?"
Then I hit "the wall". "The wall" is what marathon runners call the special point. I knew my body reached the point and I thought I couldn’t go any more. I was out of breath and my legs turned into pieces of wood.  I was almost falling down.  I can’t remember anything about the last five miles of the race.
I kept running though. At last, I heard a voice at the finishing line.
"You look good," my friend Ted said. "How did it feel?"
"Wonderful !" I replied.
For everything, if you devote yourself into it, there will be a way. I finished the race, at least, in my heart, I was the winner.
【小题1】Which one best describes the weather on the race day?