“I grew up on Jackson’s music and I still have all his stuff on My iPod. I think that Michael Jackson will go down in history as one of our greatest entertainers. His brilliance as a performance also was paired with a tragic and in many ways，sad personal life.”
Michael Jackson was a singer，songwriter，dancer and celebrity icon with a vast catalog of hit records and countless awards to his credit. Beyond that，he had transfixed the world like few entertainers before or since. As a solo performer，he had enjoyed a level of superstardom previously known  ——Barack Obama
only to Elvis Presley，the Beatles and  Frank Sinatra.
Michael Jackson was unquestionably the biggest pop star of the 80s’，and certainly one of the most popular recording artists of all time.
Michael Joseph Jackson was born on August 29,1958.The fifth and youngest son of steelworker Joe Jackson，Michael displayed a talent for music and dance from an extremely young age. His father began to organize a family musical group around his three eldest sons in 1962，and Michael joined them the following year，quickly establishing himself as a dynamic stage performer. Dubbed the Jackson 5，the group signed to Motown in 1968 and issued their debut single in October 1969，when Michael was just 11 years old. I Want You Back，ABC，The Love You Save and I’ll Be There all hit number one in 1970，making the Jackson 5 the first group in pop history to have their first four singles top the charts. Later in 1972，Jackson had his first number one solo single，Ben. In 1977，he met producer/composer Quincy Jones for the first time. With Jones producing，Jackson recorded his first solo album as an adult，Off the Wall.
Released（发行） in 1982，the Quincy Jones produced Thriller refined the strengths of Off the Wall：the dance and rock tracks were more driving，the pop tunes and ballads softer and more soulful，and all of it was recognizably Michael. There was no surprise that Thriller was a hit；what was a surprise was its staying power .Jackson’s duet with McCartney，The Girl Is Mine，was a natural single choice，and it peaked at number two；then Billie Jean and the Van Halen track Beat It both hit number one，for seven and three weeks respectively.
Michael Jackson died from heart disease on June 25 at age 50.
【小题1】What does Barack Obama mean by saying “His brilliance as a performance also was paired with a tragic and in many ways，sad personal life”？

A friend of mine was fond of drawing horse. He drew the horses very well, but he always began the tail. Now it is the Western rule to begin at the head of the horse, that is why I was surprised. It struck me that it could not really make any difference whether the artist begins at the head or the tail or the belly(肚子) or the foot of the horse, if he really knows his business. And most great artists who really know their business do not follow other people's rule. They make their own rules. Every one of them does his work in a way peculiar( 奇特的) to himself; and the peculiarity means only that he finds it more easy to work in that way.
Now the very same thing is true to literature. And the question, "How shall I begin?" only means that you want to begin at the head instead of beginning at the tail or somewhere else. That is, you are not yet experienced enough to trust to your own powers. When you become more experienced you will never ask the question, and I think that you will often begin at the tail -- that is to say, you will write the end of the story before you have even thought of the beginning.
【小题1】A friend of the writer's drew the horses ____.

（2）When I was six, I went to a local grade school．In grade school, I was __36__ the other kids because of my speech and reading __37__．All the kids would shout, “You are a dummy, you are a dummy,” and so on．I thought they were __38__ because all my grades showed it．I had no self-confidence．
Through the first five years of grade school, I was small and very clumsy．I would __39__ cups and trays in the cafe, and sometimes __40__ myself and fall onto the floor when I walked．In sixth grade, I became interested in __41__．The class had its annual field day．Each class would have its own teams __42__ against each other．I went out for all of the __43__．I was not the best __44__ I was not bad．The thing that I could do was run and run fast．This __45__ the other kids because I was so clumsy, and then __46__ a lot more name-calling from the kids．When somebody else won a race, the kids told how __47__ he was．When I won, they called me __48__; I did not know why they were doing this．I think that it was unfair, and it __49__ me．
Between seventh and eighth grade, I started to __50__．In three months, I grew seven inches．At the start of eighth grade, I began to play football．I was much bigger than everybody else; I was __51__than most of the backs we played against．The other team would not __52__ the ball towards me, so I just ran them __53__．It was the first time in my life that I was really good at something and __54__ it．It was a new feeling of __55__．
36．A．above       B．before      C．behind      D．among
37．A．materials  B．questions  C．skills     D．problems
38．A．right     B．wrong      C．rude     D．foolish
39．A．clean     B．drop     C．keep     D．serve
40．A．trip      B．help     C．enjoy     D．hurt
41．A．studies      B．sports       C．programs  D．matches
42．A．stand     B．fight     C．quarrel     D．compete
43．A．teams       B．subjects    C．tests     D．grades
44．A．because    B．if         C．but       D．and
45．A．interested  B．shocked    C．delighted  D．disappointed
46．A．happened  B．continued  C．made     D．came
47．A．famous     B．good     C．happy       D．strange
48．A．names      B．numbers   C．classmates D．leaders
49．A．frightened B．ashamed   C．hurt      D．worried
50．A．progress   B．change      C．grow     D．play
51．A．faster          B．firmer      C．cleverer    D．harder
52．A．push     B．run       C．hand     D．catch 
53．A．back     B．down     C．off       D．away
54．A．judged      B．recognizedC．decided     D．knew
55．A．courage    B．sadness     C．pride     D．regret

I have always really loved receiving my monthly pocket money form my dad. After getting the money I would be very excited and would rush off to my friend’s place where after much consideration we would decide what to do with it and where to spend it. Mostly it would go for the ice cream treats（请客；款待） or jam sessions with our favorite people around. Girls will manage to find some way of budgeting so the money we save can be used for other purposes.
I think that the best way to enjoy your pocket money would be to enjoy those treats that come occasionally. Since just mere pocket money would be not enough, many girls are doing a part time job of some form so that a larger amount of money can be collected. The best use of pocket money is to spend it in such a way that it involves lots of fun with your closest friends. Those treats are no fun if done alone. Company, especially good company can work wonders for providing you the best relaxation that you need. It is also best to spend your pocket money on things that otherwise parents end up refusing. When you use your pocket money to get this sense of achievement you will just feel so crazily happy.
I remember the time when a friend and I were just so tired of our everyday monotonous life that we decided to go out, have some great food and then head out to the beach and have those lovely grape and mango ice-creams. And we did exactly that. That day has just been one of the most refreshing days of my life. I think the true meaning of pocket money is to be able to maximize your fun at a minimal cost!
【小题1】The writer thinks he can get greatest fun from pocket money by ________,.

Whenever my kids have a party at school, I am the mom who always signs up to bring the juice boxes. It’s not because I’m   26  or that I don’t care if my kids have a good party. I am just not good at making homemade bread into holiday-themed shapes like other mothers.   27 , I’m happy to try, even though it’ll   28  me a long time to do it.
People say that housewives should have the   29  to make delicious meals, keep their houses clean, and   30  every minute of their child’s life. Their words used to   31  me a lot. I felt that I should also be able to do those things as a housewife. So   32  I couldn’t make the turkey-shaped cookies, I   33  feeling like a failure as a mom.
After many   34  attempts at baking, and many afternoons spent crying over my inabilities as a mother, I finally accepted the   35  that my lot(命运) in life is to be the juice box mom. I worked hard to be the   36  one in the elementary school. And after one of my daughter’s class parties, it   37 . Her teacher stopped me as I was leaving and said,＂Thank you so much for always bringing   38  drinks. Sometimes parents forget that other children will also   39  class parties, and they end up being left out because we don’t have enough   40  for everyone.＂
I just accepted her appreciation, rather than telling her that I brought extra drinks because I could   41  remember how many kids were in the class. But her   42  taught me an important lesson: I’m not a failure as a mom.
Not everyone is cut out to be a(n)   43  mom. I believe it’s okay to be the juice box mom. I may not bake cookies and decorate them beautifully, but I   44  something to drink. And I think that’s just as   45 .