My newly-rented small apartment was far away from the centre of London and it was becoming essential for me to find a job, so finally I spent a whole morning getting to town and putting my name down to be considered by London Transport for a job on the underground. They were looking for guards, not drivers. This suited me. I couldn’t drive a car but thought that I could probably guard a train, and perhaps continue to write my poems between stations. The writers Keats and Chekhov had been doctors. T.S. Eliot had worked in a bank and Wallace Stevens for an insurance company. I’d be a subway guard. I could see myself being cheerful, useful, a good man in a crisis. Obviously I’d be overqualified but I was willing to forget about that in return for a steady income and travel privileges — those being particularly welcome to someone living a long way from the city centre.

The next day I sat down, with almost a hundred other candidates, for the intelligence test. I must have done all right because after about half an hour’s wait I was sent into another room for a psychological test. This time there were only about fifty candidates. The interviewer sat at a desk. Candidates were signaled forward to occupy the seat opposite him when the previous occupant had been dismissed, after a greater or shorter time. Obviously the long interviews were the more successful ones. Some of the interviews were as short as five minutes. Mine was the only one that lasted a minute and a half.

I can remember the questions now: “Why did you leave your last job?” “Why did you leave your job before that?” “And the one before that?” I can’t recall my answers, except that they were short at first and grew progressively shorter. His closing statement, I thought, revealed a lack of sensitivity which helped to explain why as a psychologist, he had risen no higher than the underground railway. “You’ve failed the psychological test and we are unable to offer you a position.”

Failing to get that job was my low point. Or so I thought, believing that the work was easy. Actually, such jobs — being a postman is another one I still desire — demand exactly the sort of elementary yet responsible awareness that the habitual dreamer is least qualified to give. But I was still far short of full self-understanding. I was also short of cash.

1.The writer applied for the job chiefly because _________.

A．he could no longer afford to live without one

B．he wanted to work in the centre of London

C．he was not interested in any other available job

D．he had received some suitable training

2.The writer thought he was overqualified for the job because _________.

A．he often traveled underground            B．he had written many poems

C．he had worked in a company             D．he could deal with difficult situations

3.What does the writer realize now that he did not realize then?

A．How unpleasant ordinary jobs can be

B．How unsuitable he was for the job.

C．How difficult it is to be a poet

D．How badly he did in the interview.

4.The length of his interview meant that _________.

A．he did not like the interviewer at all

B．he had not done well in the intelligence test

C．he was not going to be offered the job

D．he had little work experience to talk about

5.What’s the writer’s opinion of the psychologist?

A. He was rather unsympathetic.           B. He was unhappy with his job.

C. He was quite inefficient.               D. He was very aggressive（有进取心的）.

 

When I was eight years old, I had a big accident. I get scared even now when I think about that time. There were many people skating near my house, and seeing them skate so wonderfully, I couldn’t wait to have a try, just a piece of cake, I thought .

I went with a friend who was very skillful. He spent a long time teaching me how to skate , but I still didn’t learn much , which made him very angry. Finally , he left me and skated all around. I skated alone and soon got bored because I kept falling down so I took off my skates and just walked around on the ice in my shoes. It was cold and my feet were frozen.

Suddenly, I stepped on something that was not hard. What was it ? It was a weak place in the ice . When I stepped there, I sank under the ice. I thought that I was going to die, but I did my best to grab something to get out from under the ice. I would have climbed out myself by grabbing the edge of the ice, but at that time I was only a child of eight . I cried out.

Fortunately, someone helped me. He grabbed my arms and pulled me up. Those several minutes seemed a year to me. I thanked him. At that time, my friend came back. I was annoyed at him because he was supposed to take care of me, but he didn’t. He was embarrassed. When I took a taxi home, the taxi driver was surprised and asked what had happened. I didn’t want to say anything because I was tired and scared. Since then, I have never touched skating.

1.At first the writer thought that skating _________________.

A．was hard to learn

B．was only suitable to watch

C．was easy to learn

D．can only be done with support

2. Why did the writer’s friend leave and skate alone? ___________

A．He wanted to show off his skating skill before the writer.

B．He was disappointed at the writer’s performance.

C．He was too tired to go on teaching the writer.

D．He found he had no gift for teaching others to skate.

3. According to the writer, if an adult sank under the ice, he would _____________.

A．grab the edge of the ice and get out.

B．have courage to call for help

C．wait until people came to help

D．not like to accept others’ help

4.What effect did the accident have on the writer?

A．He broke away from his irresponsible friend.

B．He didn’t dare to skate any longer

C．He fell ill because of staying under ice too longer.

D．He lost interest in all kinds of sports.

 

“I don’t speak English”-these are the first words I learned when I came to America. Soon I was able to pronounce the four words clearly, and said them whenever an American tried to talk to me. This answer was very effective（有效的）at ending our conversation and saving me from another uncomfortable situation, or I would have to communicate in a language that I was not familiar with.

Before coming to the States, I thought I knew English pretty well. But the truth is that the grammar and vocabulary-based English that is taught in schools overseas（海外的）is not the English people speak in America.

But fear not! Once you are in America, you can immediately begin to bridge the gap（弥补差距）between the learned English that you already know, and the spoken English that is all around you. To do this, first of all, it is important not to fear when you realize that you may not be as prepared for daily communication as you thought. For me, as soon as I stopped worrying about my accent and started speaking, I made rapid progress. Often the people didn’t notice my mistakes because they were so glad to finally be able to communicate with me.

Another good idea is to listen carefully and pay attention to the way in which ideas are expressed. For example, if you are working hard and you want to stop working and rest for a little while, you can either say “I would like to stop working and rest for a while” or “I want to take a quick break from work.” The first sentence, I quickly learned, sounds dry and too formal for any kind of communication, while the second is an idiom（成语）that is widely used in American English conversation.

Finally, use what you already know---the vocabulary, the grammar and the spelling. Try to use these into the spoken language for more impressive and accurate（精确）speaking results.

1.What’ s the main idea of this passage?

A．You’d better say “I don’t speak English” in the USA.

B．How you can improve your spoken English in the USA.

C．Idioms are widely used to express your ideas in the USA.

D．Listening is the best way to improve your spoken English in the USA.

2.At first the writer preferred to use the sentence “I don’t speak English” to       .

A．admit he is a foreigner

B．save much time for himself

C．prevent himself from being laughed at

D．avoid getting upset in communicating with others

3.What’s the problem with the English taught outside the English-speaking countries?

A．It is quite different from what the natives speak. 

B．It is taught in boring and wrong grammar.

C．It has nothing to do with English.

D．It has too small a vocabulary.

4.When did the writer make rapid progress in spoken English?

A．As soon as he paid attention to the way Americans spoke.

B．The minute he found what has been learned useless.

C．The moment he got rid of the fear of speaking.

D．Immediately he arrived in the USA.

5.All the following are tips given buy the writer EXCEPT “       .”

A．speaking bravely                                    B．listening carefully

C．using what you have learned                    D．making few mistakes

 

Last January I was given a chance to work in another country. At first, I lived a  36   life, but soon I met a group of new friends and they were really nice.

Then something   37   happened. One of our friends suffered from kidney stones (肾结石), which had to be   38   surgically as soon as possible. But it was not as   39   as that! Our friend could not   40   the operation, which put him into deep   41  . I didn’t know how to help him because I didn’t have any money either.   42  , I never lost hope. Instead I tried to think of other   43  and told him not to worry because everything would be all right.

Before I left the hospital, I talked to the surgeon and asked him to do the surgery, saying I would pay the expenses the next day   44    I had that kind of money. Well, I must have been   45   because the surgeon agreed to do it! But how was I going to get that much money?

All I knew was that I needed to help my friend! Although it could be   46   to deal with this kind of situation, I decided to make some efforts. I tried to borrow money but failed. I tried   47   my things but no one wanted them. Then I had the idea of talking to my    48  . I asked him if I could have my next two months’ salary in advance—without even thinking on how I would   49   for two months with no money. He was surprised and asked me the reason. I told him that I had a friend who was really in need.   50   I convinced him too and then he gave my two months’ salary without any   51  !

Upon getting the money, I ran to the hospital and paid all the bills. My friend didn’t know how to thank me. I just said, “Come on! Give me a   52  !”

Friendship may not only be found at the happy moment but sometimes you can find it on the   53   time in your life! I’ve done a good thing by being a (an)   54   friend and I think it is well worth the   55 .

1.A. private            B. lonely         C. colorful               D. normal

2.A. strange            B. wrong                C. unexpected      D. unfair

3.A. removed            B. reduced            C. examined        D. lifted

4.A. terrible           B. painful       C. simple                 D. special

5.A. stand      B. consider               C. perform             D. afford

6.A. anxiety            B. confusion             C. embarrassment D. dissatisfaction

7.A. Thus           B. Otherwise      C. However           D. Therefore

8.A. reasons           B. choices        C. symptoms      D. expectations

9.A. even if             B. as if         C. so that                 D. in case

10.A. encouraging     B. annoying          C. astonishing     D. convincing

11.A. challenging       B. disturbing     C. amazing             D. scaring

12.A. saving            B. handling        C. donating          D. selling

13.A. colleague          B. relative              C. boss                D. surgeon

14.A. adapt             B. survive         C. continue           D. wander

15.A. Luckily     B. Slightly        C. Constantly         D. Occasionally

16.A. analysis         B. dignity                C. hesitation     D. remark

17.A. favor             B. hug           C. promise         D. reply

18.A. best          B. longest              C. strangest               D. toughest

19.A. supportive        B. sensitive        C. aggressive        D. attentive

20.A. tolerance          B. sympathy             C. pressure         D. effort

 

D

At the railway stations all across Britain next week, groups of students will gather with their backpacks to wait for the trains that will carry them home for Christmas. This is a large movement of human beings as before, but with more contradictory traffic flows, so that trains filled with the young pass each other travelling in every direction.

At first, I went home every weekend with my washing, but then those visits became less regular. How did I let my parents know I was coming? They had no phone. Perhaps I wrote to them (“Expect me with dirty shirts this Friday afternoon”), but more likely I didn’t let them know, and just turned up or didn’t turn up, not understanding that my parents’ hopes of seeing me were a greater disappointment of my carelessness than a spoiled tea.

And in all this I suspect I was typical (有代表性的), at least of young men. As for our fathers and mothers, none of them talked of “empty-nest syndrome (综合症)”, even though its possible effect that the main human duty is to protect and feed the young would have suited their generation better than ours. Then, the feeling of loss went without a name. Today, it’s a condition with remedies, which will make parents feel more enjoyable in their life, The Mayo Clinic, for example, suggests you try to maintain regular contact with your children through “visits, phone calls, emails, texts or video chats”. If you feel unhappy, lean on (depend on … for support) loved ones or your mental health providers. Above all, stay positive: “Thinking about the extra time and energy that you might have to devote to your marriage or personal interests after your last child leaves home, it might help you adapt to this major life change.”

What can’t be denied, however, is that children often leave home. In modern societies, this is what they do. Christmas is the very time they can be depended on to return. For the non-religious, that may be this season’s true comfort and significance.

1.The main reason for the busy traffic across Britain next week is that _______.

A．young students will travel home for Christmas.

B．young people will travel in every direction.

C．it is a large movement of human beings

D．the traffic flows will be more contradictory

2.From the second paragraph we can learn that the writer _______.

A．went home every week to wash dirty clothes

B．understood his parents’ desire of seeing him

C．didn’t understand his parents’ feelings

D．went home to see his parents regularly

3.The underlined word “remedies” in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to _______.

A．reasons           B．excuses           C．habits            D．solutions

4.From the last paragraph we know that _______.

A．in modern society, children should leave home

B．Christmas is likely a time for family reunion

C．the significance of Christmas is celebration

D．Christmas is not a comfort for the non-religious

5.From the passage we can infer that by writing the article the writer is to _______.

A．persuade the young to show concern for their parents

B．ask the young to go home regularly

C．make the young understand their parents’ interest

D．enable the young to be more independent