What I Want for You and Every Child in America

　　　　　 　　　　　　　　　 by President-Elect Barack Obama

Dear Malia and Sasha,

I know that you’ve both had a lot of 　1 these last two years during the campaign, going to picnics and parades and state fairs, eating all sorts of junk food your mother and I probably shouldn’t have let you have. But I also know that it hasn’t always been easy for you and Mom, and that although you are both excited about that new puppy(幼犬), it doesn’t 2 for all the time we’ve been apart. I know 3 I’ve missed these past two years, and today I want to tell you a little more about why I decided to take our family on this journey.

When I was a young man, I thought life was all about me--about how I’d 4 my way in the world, become successful, and get the things I want. But then the two of you came into my 5 　with all your curiosity and mischief （捣乱） and those smiles that never 6 to fill my heart and light up my day. I soon found that the greatest joy in my life was the joy I saw in yours. That’s why I ran for President: because of what I want for you and for every child in this nation.

I want all our children to go to schools 7 of their potential---schools that challenge them, inspire them, and instill （灌输） in them a sense of 8 about the world around them. I want them to have the chance to go to college 9 their parents aren’t rich. And I want them to get good jobs: jobs that pay well and give them benefits like health care, jobs that let them have time to spend time with their own 10 .

I want us to 11 back the boundaries(界限) of discovery so that you’ll live to see new technologies and inventions that improve our lives and make our planet cleaner and safer. And I want us to push our own human boundaries to reach 12 the divides(分水岭) of race and region, gender and religion that 13 us from seeing the best in each other.

That was the 14 your grandmother tried to teach me when I was your age, reading me the opening lines of the Declaration of Independence and telling me about the men and women who marched for 15 because they believed those words put to paper two centuries ago should mean 16 .

She helped me understand that America is great not because it is perfect but because it can always be made better and that the 17 work of perfecting our union falls to each of us. It’s a duty we pass on to our children.

These are the things I want for you--- to 18 in a world with no limits on your dreams and no achievements beyond your reach. And I want every child to have the same 19 to learn and dream and grow that you girls have. That’s why I’ve taken our family on this great adventure.

I am so proud of both of you. I love you 20 you can ever know. And I am grateful every day for your patience, confidence, grace, and humor as we prepare to start our new life together in the White House.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 Love, Dad

1. A. play　　　　　　 B. fun　　　　　　 C. pain　　　　　　 D. gain

2. A. take up　　　　　 B. pick up　　　　 C. make up　　　　　 D. put up

3. A. how much　　　 B. how many　　　 C. how soon　　　　 D. how long

4. A. lose　　　　　　 B. make　　　　　 C. take　　　　　　　 D. walk

5. A. world 　　　　　 B. family　　　　 C. position　　　　　 D. place

6. A. succeed　　　　 B. come　　　　　 C. tend　　　　　　　 D. fail

7. A. worth　　　　　 B. worthless　　　　 C. worthwhile　　　　 D. worthy

8. A. humor　　　　　 B. hatred　　　　　 C. wonder　　　　　 D. sadness

9. A. even if　　　　 B. as if　　　　　　 C. as long as　　　　 D. if

10. A. friends　　　　 B. kids　　　　　　 C. boys　　　　　　 D. girls

11. A. rush　　　　　 B. catch　　　　　 C. push　　　　　　 D. pull

12. A. to　 　　　　 B. in　　　　　　 C. into　　　　　　　 D. beyond

13. A. keep　　　　　 B. let　　　　　　 C. make　　　　　　 D. warn

14. A. way　　　　　 B. method　　　　　 C. means　　　　　 D. lesson

15. A. quantity　　　 B. quality　　　　　 C. equality　　　　　 D. quarter

16. A. everything　　 B. something　　　 C. anything　　　　　 D. nothing

17. A. unfinished　　 B. finished　　　　 C. unfinishing　　　　 D. finishing

18. A. wake up　　　 B. grow up　　　　 C. come up　　　　　 D. get up

19. A. difficulty　　　 B. barriers　　　　 C. anxiety　　　　　 D. chances

20. A. rather than　　 B. other than　　　　 C. less than　　　　 D. more than

B
One of my fondest memories as a child is going by the river and sitting idly on the bank. There I would enjoy the peace and quiet, watch the water rush downstream and listen to the chirps of birds and the rustling of leaves in the trees. I would also watch the bamboo(竹子) trees bend under pressure from the wind and watch them return gracefully to their upright or original position after the wind had died down.
When I think about the bamboo tree’s ability to bounce back or return to its original position, the word resilience （恢复力）comes to mind.  When used in reference to a person, this word means the ability to readily recover from shock, depression or any other situation that stretches the limits of a person’s emotions.
Have you ever felt like you are about to snap（突然折断）? Have you ever felt like you are at your breaking point? Thankfully, you have survived the experience to live to talk about it.
　　During the experience you probably felt a mix of emotions that threatened your health. You felt emotionally drained, mentally exhausted and you most likely endured（忍耐） unpleasant physical symptoms（症状）.
　　Life is a mixture of good times and bad times, happy moments and unhappy moments. The next time you are experiencing one of those bad times or unhappy moments that take you close to your breaking point, bend, but don’t break. Try your best not to let the situation get the best of you.
　　If the going gets tough and you are at your breaking point, show resilience. Like the bamboo tree, bend, but don’t break!
60．When the writer talks about the bamboo trees, he wants to tell us          .
A．he can’t forget those bamboo trees
B．he used to watch them bend under pressoure and return to their upright position
C．he still remembers the good days as a child
D．he admires the character of the bamboo trees
61．Which of the following is TRUE?
A．When you have overcome some depression, you show resilience.
B．When you are about to snap, we say you are resilient.
C．If you feel like you are at your breaking point, you are fortunate.
D．If you feel mentally exhausted, you are likely to experience pleasant physical symptoms.
62．What does the writer mean by saying “Try your best not to let the situation get the best of you?”
A．You should make the best of the situation.
B．You should try your best to get the best situation.
C．You should try your best not to be defeated by the situation.
D．You should try your best not to give up the best situation.
63．What would be the best title for the passage?
A．My fondest memories     B．Good times and bad times
C．Enjoy the peace and quiet       D．Bend, but don’t break

　                        　A
The nervous-looking young man had waited for a few moments outside the jeweler's shop before he got enough courage to enter．He was warmly greeted by a young assistant. James felt a rush blood to his face as he explained he would bring in his future wife to choose a birthday present．The assistant listened carefully and told him he'd better buy a necklace. He wasn't used to buying jewelry and was a little worried about overspending. After some discussion as to reasonable price and type（类型）, the assistant showed him dozens of necklaces and helped him to choose. At last James chose one and left the shop promising to return at five o'clock. When, half an hour later, James did return to the shop with his future wife, Laura, the assistant acted as if she had never seen him before. When she was asked to show them some necklaces, she first brought out some inexpensive ones for them to choose and then gave them the one she had prepared. A choice was soon made and they went away, satisfied. James would certainly come back to buy what he wanted when he got married.
【小题1】A good title（题目）for this passage is ________.

When I was a teenager, my dad did everything he could to advise me against becoming a brewer（酿酒人）. He’d　 36　 his life brewing beer for local breweries only to make a living, 37  were his father and grandfather before him. He didn’t want me　 38　 near a vat （酿酒用的桶）of beer.
　　So I did as he asked. I got good　 39　 , went to Harvard and in 1971 was accepted into a graduate program there that　 40　 me to study law and business at the same time.
　　In my second year of grade school, I began to realize that I’d　 41　 done anything but go to school. So, at 24 I decided to drop out.　 42　 , my parents didn’t think this was a great idea. But I felt strongly that you can’t 43 till you’re 65 to do what you want in life.
　　I packed my stuff into a bus and headed to Colorado to become an instructor at Outward Bound. Three years later, I was ready to go back to　 44　 . I finished Harvard and got a highly paid job at the Boston Consulting Group. Still, after working there five years, I　 45　 . Is this what I want to be doing when I’m 50? At that time, Americans paid　 46　 money of beer in low quality. Why not make good beer for　 47　 ? I thought.
　　I decided to give up my job to become　 48　. When I told Dad, he was　 49　 , but in the end he　 50　 me. I called my beer Samuel Adams,　 51　 the brewer and patriot who helped to start the Boston Tea party.　 52　 I sold the beer direct to beer drinkers to get 53　out. Six weeks later, at the Great American Beer Festival, Samuel Adams Boston Lager won the top prize for American beer. In the end I was destined to be a brewer. My 54　to the young is simple: Life is very　 55　 , so don’t rush to make decisions. Life doesn’t let you plan.