The trend in everyday conversation is to use grandiose(夸大的)words．“Outstanding” is the

new “good,” “amazing” is the new “OK, ” and “huge” is the new “big.”

　 I was in a restaurant in Washington D．C．last weekend and every question I asked was answered with exaggeration．

　 Me：How is the salmon?

　 Sever：Fantastic!

　 Me：Does it come with rice?

　 Sever：Absolutely!

　 Would a “good” and a “yes” have been enough? Of course!

　 My father is an average-sized man．He hasn’t gained weight or height for the past 30 years. Therefore, his size remains the same．However，in the same amount of time，his T-shirt size has gone from small to medium to large to extra large．

The reason for the exaggerated word is clear：we are bored with our lives. We want the next

—next thing now．Immediately!

　 And we also want others to think that we still care，that we can still be delighted，that we know that everything is just great．Even when deep inside we know it can’t be．Everything can’t be great．

I’m not a scientist，so many methods of proof leave little to be desired，or a lot to be desired，or an immensity(无限)．　

Listen to the voices around you．Listen to your own voices．There is nothing on the radio that is good or bad，weather is either beautiful or horrible．

Listen，the next time when someone asks you something and you agree，because when you

could simply say “yes”, instead you will say “absolutely’’ or “without doubt ” or “Oh，yeah，unquestionably ---- absolutely without doubt."

Have people forgotten what it is like to be OK? Simply OK with what they have and who they are? If everything is outstanding，if everything is the most amazing thing ever，is anything ever amazing at all?

1．By telling his experience in the restaurant，the author intends to ________．

　 A. show his interest in exaggerated words

　 B. prove that exaggerated words are widely used

　 C. blame the restaurant for using exaggerated words

　 D. tell us the food in the restaurant is extremely good

2．What do we know about the author’s father?

　 A. He has gained height and is now a tall man．

B. He likes following the fashion in clothing．

C. His weight is getting greater and greater．

D.The size of his T-shirt is described in exaggerated words．

3．So many people like using exaggerated words because_________．

　 A. they are not satisfied with being normal

　 B. they don’t want to be looked down upon by others

　 C. they want to be different from others

　 D. they are brave in telling their true feelings

4．According to the passage，if you approve of something，you’d better say “________”．

　 A. fantastic　 B. perfect　 C. OK　　　　 D. absolutely

 

You don’t expect your child to grow up to be a heroin addict．From the moment of her birth, you have hopes and dreams about the future，but they never include heroin addiction．That couldn’t happen to your child, because addiction is the result of a bad environment．bad parenting．There is most definitely someone or something to blame．

That’s what I used to believe．But after failed rehab and long periods of separation from my heroin-addicted daughter，after years of holding my breath，waiting for another relapse，I now believe  there is no blame．

After Katie admitted her addiction．I struggled to understand how this could have  happened to my daughter—a bright，beautiful，talented and most importantly，loved young woman．When the initial shock wore off,I analyzed and inventoried all the whys and hows of Katie’s addiction．I searched for someone or something to blame．I blamed her friends．I blamed her dad．I blamed our divorce．But mostly, I blamed myself．My desperate heart convinced me that I should have prevented Katie’s addiction．and that given another chance．I could correct my mistakes．

When Katie came home from rehab．I approached each day with the zeal of a drill sergeant. I championed the 12-step program and monitored her improvement daily as though curing heroin addiction was as simple as nursing a cold．I drove her to therapy sessions and AA meetings． I controlled everything and left nothing to chance. But in spite of my efforts，Katie didn’t get better．She left my home，lost again to the powerful grip of addiction．

In the long days，weeks and months that followed，I gathered bits and pieces of old beliefs and tried to assemble them into something whole．Sometimes I gave up．and sometimes I simply let go,Gradually, my search for blame changed to a longing for hope．I comforted myself with the only thing that still connected me to my daughter：love．

I thought about Katie every day，and I missed her．I cried．and worried about her safety and whereabouts. I wrote letters I knew she’d never see．Sometimes I woke up panicked in the middle of the night, certain that mother’s intuition(直觉)was preparing me for something bad．But through it all，I loved her.

I don’t know why or how my daughter became addicted to heroin：I do know that it doesn’t really matter．Life goes on and Katie is still my daughter．

Katie and I meet for breakfast on Friday mornings now．We drink coffee and talk．I don’t try to heal her. I just love her．Sometimes there is pain and sorrow，but there is no blame．I believe there is only love．

The reason why the daughter became a heroin addict was    ．

A．found by her mother at last     B．not mentioned in the passage

C．her friends’invitation    D．her parents’divorce

The underlined sentence means        ．

A．the mother tried to keep her daughter from heroin

B．Katie succeeded in giving up heroin

C．after rehab Katie couldn’t do any work

D．the mother gave Katie no chance to correct mistakes

We can infer from the passage that    ．

A．Katie was a bright，beautiful and talented woman

B．Katie and her mother didn’t love each other

C．the mother persuaded her daughter to give up heroin

D．the mother didn’t live with her daughter later

What’s the best title for the passage?

A．More love，less blame    B．The reason of Katie’s heroin addiction

C．My daughter     D．Katie’s life

 

You don’t expect your child to grow up to be a heroin addict．From the moment of her birth, you have hopes and dreams about the future，but they never include heroin addiction．That couldn’t happen to your child, because addiction is the result of a bad environment．bad parenting．There is most definitely someone or something to blame．

That’s what I used to believe．But after failed rehab and long periods of separation from my heroin-addicted daughter，after years of holding my breath，waiting for another relapse，I now believe  there is no blame．

After Katie admitted her addiction．I struggled to understand how this could have  happened to my daughter—a bright，beautiful，talented and most importantly，loved young woman．When the initial shock wore off,I analyzed and inventoried all the whys and hows of Katie’s addiction．I searched for someone or something to blame．I blamed her friends．I blamed her dad．I blamed our divorce．But mostly, I blamed myself．My desperate heart convinced me that I should have prevented Katie’s addiction．and that given another chance．I could correct my mistakes．

When Katie came home from rehab．I approached each day with the zeal of a drill sergeant. I championed the 12-step program and monitored her improvement daily as though curing heroin addiction was as simple as nursing a cold．I drove her to therapy sessions and AA meetings． I controlled everything and left nothing to chance. But in spite of my efforts，Katie didn’t get better．She left my home，lost again to the powerful grip of addiction．

In the long days，weeks and months that followed，I gathered bits and pieces of old beliefs and tried to assemble them into something whole．Sometimes I gave up．and sometimes I simply let go,Gradually, my search for blame changed to a longing for hope．I comforted myself with the only thing that still connected me to my daughter：love．

I thought about Katie every day，and I missed her．I cried．and worried about her safety and whereabouts. I wrote letters I knew she’d never see．Sometimes I woke up panicked in the middle of the night, certain that mother’s intuition(直觉)was preparing me for something bad．But through it all，I loved her.

I don’t know why or how my daughter became addicted to heroin：I do know that it doesn’t really matter．Life goes on and Katie is still my daughter．

Katie and I meet for breakfast on Friday mornings now．We drink coffee and talk．I don’t try to heal her. I just love her．Sometimes there is pain and sorrow，but there is no blame．I believe there is only love．

1.The reason why the daughter became a heroin addict was    ．

A．found by her mother at last      B．not mentioned in the passage

C．her friends’invitation          D．her parents’divorce

2.The underlined sentence means        ．

A．the mother tried to keep her daughter from heroin

B．Katie succeeded in giving up heroin

C．after rehab Katie couldn’t do any work

D．the mother gave Katie no chance to correct mistakes

3.We can infer from the passage that    ．

A．Katie was a bright，beautiful and talented woman

B．Katie and her mother didn’t love each other

C．the mother persuaded her daughter to give up heroin

D．the mother didn’t live with her daughter later

4.What’s the best title for the passage?

A．More love，less blame    B．The reason of Katie’s heroin addiction

C．My daughter              D．Katie’s life

   

 

在某访谈节目中，五位嘉宾分别回答了来自主持人的五个问题，对少年儿童提出建议。请从下列提问（A, B, C, D, E和F）中选出与嘉宾的回答相匹配的问题。
Questions:

A．Whatwouldyousaytoteenswhoaresufferingfromdepression?	B．Doyouhaveanysuggestionsforsomeoneinterestedinyourjob?
C．Doyouhaveanysolutionsforteens’writingdifficulty?
D．What advice can you give a young person on how to be a filmmaker or a writer?

E. Do you have any advice to offer others wishing to become a writer and doctor? 
F. After all these years in the limelight, how do you deal with critics?
1._________________________________________
George Lucas’ answer 
Well, I would say you have to be persistent first of all, because it’s a very hard thing to get into, and it’s very hard to make it because the odds are against you. So you have to really love it; kids who get into it because they think they’re going to make a lot of money or be famous or tell a lot of people what to do all the time will never make it. But if you’re obsessed with film and you love to tell stories and you love writing in that medium, then that will give you the strength to be persistent and make it happen.
2. _________________________________________
Tom Fontana’s answer
I’ve never had writer’s block. I’m trying my luck because I’m hoping never to have it. As far as suggestions, I don’t know. If you write at the same time every day, your brain and your heart will be there, ready to go to work. It’s like how you eat at the same time over the course of the day – you should be available to write at the same time every day. If you have nothing to write, you should still write. Whether you write your name 100 times or describe a banana. If you write for five minutes, and you just get the words down, at least you’re doing something.
3. _________________________________________
Drew Barrymore’s answer
I would just say to persevere and find people who are safe and honest and who will give you tough love and guide you through, because you really can’t do everything on your own. You need love and support around you, and to believe that you will get past these hard times. You will overcome. Things will get better. Life is a series of ups and downs, and the good news is that when you’re in a low, it will always go up again. Life is not a free journey. There are a lot of lessons you have to learn along the way, but just appreciate the gift of it and find people who will be honest with you.
4. _________________________________________
Richard Seltzer’s answer 
Become a doctor first because a writer doesn’t make a living – you have to support yourself and your family. But writing is a very individual thing. It’s like your fingerprint – on one else has exactly your style. A lucky writer will discover his or her style but an unlucky one will always be trying to force himself into an unnatural writing style. It’s uncomfortable, and for them, writing is painful. I’ve never suffered. My life has been a series of small, everyday events. If I feel I have rendered on little bit of life in the most compelling language I can find and am satisfied with it, that is an event I cherish.
5. _________________________________________
Ms. Jamie Hobart’s answer 
It is a long road after medical school and internship but my job is different every day and very interesting. Not everyone can do this job. Autopsies are very different from any other medical job. Here we don't really let anyone under 18 watch or participate in an autopsy. So take a basic anatomy course in college and if you don't mind the cadavers, then you might follow it further. You have to have a very strong stomach and a strong interest in the science. If you decide you really like forensics (the work of scientists who examine evidence in order to help the police solve crimes) but don’t want to do autopsies there are lots of other things in the forensic field like the DNA labor various evidence – related specialties.

在某访谈节目中，五位嘉宾分别回答了来自主持人的五个问题，对少年儿童提出建议。请从下列提问（A, B, C, D, E和F）中选出与嘉宾的回答相匹配的问题。

Questions:

A．Whatwouldyousaytoteenswhoaresufferingfromdepression?   B．Doyouhaveanysuggestionsforsomeoneinterestedinyourjob?

C．Doyouhaveanysolutionsforteens’writingdifficulty?

D．What advice can you give a young person on how to be a filmmaker or a writer?   

E. Do you have any advice to offer others wishing to become a writer and doctor? 

F. After all these years in the limelight, how do you deal with critics?

1._________________________________________

George Lucas’ answer 

Well, I would say you have to be persistent first of all, because it’s a very hard thing to get into, and it’s very hard to make it because the odds are against you. So you have to really love it; kids who get into it because they think they’re going to make a lot of money or be famous or tell a lot of people what to do all the time will never make it. But if you’re obsessed with film and you love to tell stories and you love writing in that medium, then that will give you the strength to be persistent and make it happen.

2. _________________________________________

Tom Fontana’s answer

I’ve never had writer’s block. I’m trying my luck because I’m hoping never to have it. As far as suggestions, I don’t know. If you write at the same time every day, your brain and your heart will be there, ready to go to work. It’s like how you eat at the same time over the course of the day – you should be available to write at the same time every day. If you have nothing to write, you should still write. Whether you write your name 100 times or describe a banana. If you write for five minutes, and you just get the words down, at least you’re doing something.

3. _________________________________________

Drew Barrymore’s answer

I would just say to persevere and find people who are safe and honest and who will give you tough love and guide you through, because you really can’t do everything on your own. You need love and support around you, and to believe that you will get past these hard times. You will overcome. Things will get better. Life is a series of ups and downs, and the good news is that when you’re in a low, it will always go up again. Life is not a free journey. There are a lot of lessons you have to learn along the way, but just appreciate the gift of it and find people who will be honest with you.

4. _________________________________________

Richard Seltzer’s answer 

Become a doctor first because a writer doesn’t make a living – you have to support yourself and your family. But writing is a very individual thing. It’s like your fingerprint – on one else has exactly your style. A lucky writer will discover his or her style but an unlucky one will always be trying to force himself into an unnatural writing style. It’s uncomfortable, and for them, writing is painful. I’ve never suffered. My life has been a series of small, everyday events. If I feel I have rendered on little bit of life in the most compelling language I can find and am satisfied with it, that is an event I cherish.

5. _________________________________________

Ms. Jamie Hobart’s answer 

It is a long road after medical school and internship but my job is different every day and very interesting. Not everyone can do this job. Autopsies are very different from any other medical job. Here we don't really let anyone under 18 watch or participate in an autopsy. So take a basic anatomy course in college and if you don't mind the cadavers, then you might follow it further. You have to have a very strong stomach and a strong interest in the science. If you decide you really like forensics (the work of scientists who examine evidence in order to help the police solve crimes) but don’t want to do autopsies there are lots of other things in the forensic field like the DNA labor various evidence – related specialties.