Both my parents came from towns in Mexico. Then I was born in E1 Paso，Texas and when I was four, my family moved to a housing project in East Los Angeles.

Even though we struggled to make ends meet, my parents stressed to me and my four brothers and sisters how fortunate we were to live in a great country with limitless opportunities. They influenced us with the concepts of family, faith and nationalism.

I got my first real job when I was ten. My dad injured his back working in a cardboard­box factory and was retrained as a hairstylist. He rented space in a little shopping mall and gave his shop the fancy name of Mr.Ben’s Coiffure.

The owner of the shopping center gave Dad a discount on his rent for cleaning the parking lot three nights a week，which meant getting up at 3 a．m..To pick up rubbish, Dad used a little machine that looked like a lawn mower. Mom and I emptied garbage cans and picked up litter by hand. It took two to three hours to clean the lot. I’d sleep in the car on the way home.

I did this for two years，but the lessons I learned have lasted a lifetime. I acquired discipline and a strong work ethic(道德), and learned at an early age the importance of balancing life’s competing interests－in my case，school，homework and a job. This really helped during my senior year of a high school, when I worked 40 hours a week flipping burgers at a fast­food joint while taking a full load of college preparation courses.

The hard work paid off. I attended the U．S.Military Academy and went on to receive graduate degrees in law and business from Harvard. Later, I joined a big Los Angeles law firm and was elected to the California State Assembly(州议会)．In these jobs and in everything else I’ve done, I have never forgotten those nights in the parking lot. The experience taught me that there is dignity in all work and that if people are working to provide for themselves and their families that is something we should honor.

59. Before my father got injured，we________.

A. didn’t like living in the USA                   B. lived a poor but happy life

C. were lucky to move to the USA                 D. had many ways to make money

60. When he recovered，to make a living my father________.

A. ran a small shopping mall                  B. did a part­time job

C. worked as a barber                        D. became a street cleaner

61. Working in the parking lot for two years had taught me________.

A. how to obey school discipline             B. how to do two things well at a time

C. that discipline and work were of equal value 

D. that I must do as many things as possible at a time

62. The author tells us in the last paragraph that we should be proud of those who________.

A. have done all kinds of jobs                      B. are cleaning the parking lot

C. have achieved a lot in their lives               D. are bearing their responsibilities

阅读下面短文, 从短文后所给各题的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。

I’ll never forget my first job interview. It was a  36  position at an elementary school in my hometown. I was very  37  and worried, but I thought I had an “in” 38  I knew many people in this district. I felt  39  that the interview would be a piece of cake. I had  40  well for my interview; I had been  41  interview questions in front of my mirror for days. I wore my navy blue suit and took my  42 of lessons I had taught during student teaching. There was  43  I would not face this interview.

After arriving at the school about half an hour early, I waited  44  in the office. The secretary told me not to be nervous.“ Just  45   ,”he advised. When the time for my interview  46  came, I was so nervous that I didn’t think I could 47 any questions. Inside the interview room,  48  people sat at a round table: two teachers, two principals(校长),and a member of the school board .I had been 49  there would only be three people at the interview, and was overwhelmed(不知所措的)by the presence of  50  interviewers.

Once the interviewers started asking questions,  51  ,I answered with ease. Everyone smiled and we even  52  .After they finished asking questions, the  53  told me they would call me in two weeks. Two years later ,I ‘m still waiting for the 54  ! I eventually found out that it was my lack of  55  that kept me from getting the job offer.

  One night last February, a seventeen-year-old Duffy drove home along a winding road, he saw a strange light thrown against the tree. “I knew it wasn’t the moon”, he said. “I drive this road all the time and I notice little things out of place.”

     Duffy stopped his car and got out to examine. Below him far down in the deep valley lay a broken car with its headlights on. Thirty minutes earlier, a man had driven off the edge of the road, which has no guardrail. His car fell and rolled end over end, landing on its top more than two hundred feet below.

     Duffy rushed to call for help, then returned and got down to reach the injured driver. Snow covered the valley and the temperature was below freezing. After struggling back up the cliff, Duffy took off his jacket and shirt and wrapped the injured man in time, along with the blankets from his car.

      Life-saving deeds are starting to become usual action for Duffy, the oldest of seven children. When he was 12, he saved his ten-year-old brother from drowning. Two years ago, his three-year-old sister ate rat poison, and Duffy cleaned out her mouth, make her drink milk to protect her stomach and called doctors.

     “We have tried to teach the children good values, and it looks like we have got some reward for it.” His father says.

1..The strange light came from ________.

A. The bright moon.           B. Duffy’s car.

C. The broken car in the valley   D. an unknown place

2..The phrase” landing on its top” means the car lay_________.

A. on the top of the cliff    B. with its wheels upward 

C. with its head upward    D. on the road as usual

3.. Duffy wrapped the man because_________.

A. he was badly injured    B. he had lost too much blood  

C. he had nothing on      D. it was too cold that day

4.. From the above article, we can see Duffy has saved ________ at least.   A. two     B. three     C. four      D. five

Dear Cassy,

Thanks for reminding me by e-mail that you want to baby-sit our children. In spite of the fact that you are only 15 years old, my wife and I would be willing to consider your application if you can meet a few modest requirements:

1. Submit three letters from teachers who will prove that you have never failed to follow directions perfectly in class and never failed to hand in the homework on time.

2. Submit a note from two doctors which says that you are in perfect health, have never been sick, and never will be sick.

3. Submit a document (文件) from your physical education teacher or team coach that proves that you can do each of the following: Run two miles in less than nine minutes, climb an oily rope to a height of twenty feet in thirty seconds while balancing a glass of water on your nose, and walk in bare feet over hot coals and broken glass without complaint or injury.

4. Submit letters from at least two mental health experts saying that you have never had a bad thought towards any living being or not living object.

5. Play and defeat five expert chess players with your eyes covered after going without sleep for 48 hours.

6. Wait patiently for two years while we make sure that all your documents are true.

                                            Your loving and trusting friends,

                                                    The Smiths

1.From the letter we can know that ______.

   A. Cassy wrote to the Smiths twice               B. Cassy loves children very much

   C. Cassy will be in perfect health          D. Cassy does very well in her studies

2. Which of the following can most probably replace the underlined word “submit”?

   A. write            B. report            C. hand in       D. recommend (推荐)

3.What can we infer from this text?

   A. Their children are hard to baby-sit.        B. Their children are well educated.

   C. Cassy is good at doing many things.       D. Cassy won't get the job as a baby-sitter.

4. Which of the following words can best describe the Smiths?

   A. Humorous.     B. Patient.              C. Honest.        D. Kind-hearted.

Have you ever been to the beautiful country of Holland and its capital Amsterdam? Anyone who has traveled to Amsterdam would probably agree on one thing: Amsterdam's story is a tale of two cities -- one during the day and a completely different one at night．

    During the day, the largest city in the Netherlands sits quietly on the Amstel River．You can rent a bicycle, visit the Van Gogh or Anne Frank museum, or take a water taxi．But when the sun goes down, the partying begins．In the big clubs and in coffee shops, tourists gather to hang out, talk politics and smoke．

    Several areas of the city clearly show the two worlds that rule Amsterdam．And they're all within a short cab ride of each other．For example, Dam Square attracts daytime sightseers to its festivals, open markets, concerts and other events．Several beautiful and very popular hotels can be found there．And there's the Royal Palace and the Magna Plaza shopping mall．

    But at night party-seekers come to the square．Hip hop or funk music is heard there．．So if you come, be ready to dance．The clubs don't shut down until 4 am．

    And while you're there, check out the various inexpensive ways to tour the city．Don't worry about getting lost．Although Dutch is the official language, most people in Amsterdam speak English and are happy to help you with directions．And you'll notice that half the people in the streets are on bicycles they rent．

    Amsterdam also has a well-planned canal system．For about 10 dollars, you can use the canal bus or a water taxi to cruise（巡游） the "Venice of the North"．

    The city has a historic past．One impressive place to visit is the Anne Frank House on Nine Streets．It was there that the young Jewish girl wrote her famous diary during World War II．Visitors can view Anne's original diary and climb behind the bookcase to the room where she and her family hid from the Nazis for two years．

1.What means of transport is not available to visitors in Amsterdam?

A．A carriage．           B．A bicycle．     C．A canal bus．    D．A water taxi．

2.When getting lost, a visitor can ask natives for directions in _______．

    A．only Dutch                            B．Dutch or English

    C．only English                           D．Spanish and English

3.What can you learn about by visiting the Anne Frank House?

    A．The experience of a beautiful girl survivor．

    B．The glorious past of Amsterdam．

    C．The life of Jewish during World War Ⅱ．

    D．The suffering of the Dutch in wars．

4.The passage is intended to _______．

    A．call up people’s memories of World War Ⅱ

    B．tell readers what A Tale of Two Cities is about

    C．instruct visitors what to do and see in Holland

    D．offer readers some information about Amsterdam