I grew up in a house where the TV was seldom turned on and with one wall in my bedroom entirely lined with bookshelves, most of my childhood was spent on books I could get hold of. In fact, I grew up thinking of reading as natural as breathing and books unbelievably powerful in shaping perspectives（观点）by creating worlds we could step into, take part in and live in.

With this unshakable belief, I, at fourteen, decided to become a writer. Here too, reading became useful. Every writer starts off knowing that he has something to say, but being unable to find the right ways to say it. He has to find his own voice by reading widely and discovering which parts of the writers he agrees or disagrees with, or agrees with so strongly that it reshapes his own world. He cannot write without loving to read, because only through reading other people’s writing can one discover what works, what doesn’t and, in the end, together with lots of practice, what voice he has.

Now I am in college, and have come to realize how important it is to read fiction. As a law student, my reading is in fact limited to subject matter — the volume（量）of what I have to read for classes every week means there is little time to read anything else. Such reading made it all the clearer to me that I live in a very small part in this great place called life. Reading fiction reminds me that there is life beyond my own. It allows me to travel across the high seas and along the Silk Road, all from the comfort of my own armchair, to experience, though secondhand, exciting experiences that I wouldn’t necessarily be able to have in my lifetime.

1.What can be inferred about the author as a child?

2.The underlined word “voice” in the second paragraph most probably means _________.

3.What effect does reading have on the author?

4.Which of the following can be the best title of this text?

（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）

    I feel very happy to receive your letter and here I’d like to give you

some a       on how to learn English. Above all, don’t lose 76. ____________

heart. Many students find it _______ to learn English, especially

   77. ____________

_______ write good English compositions. In my opinion, if you

            78. ____________

want to _______(改善) your writing, you should learn by heart

                79. ____________

as many English expressions and sentence p        as possible.

            80. ____________

And at the same time try to use _______ in your compositions. I

                81. ____________

think just r       grammar rules is no use. And only by reading and

        82. ____________

writing a lot _______ you be able to learn English well in an effective

        83. ____________

way. I definitely _______(相信) the most important thing is that you

            84. ____________

should _______(继续) writing every day and never give up.

                85. ____________

The latest research suggests that the key factor separating geniuses from the merely accomplished is not I.Q., a generally bad predictor of success. Instead, it’s purposeful practice. Top performers spend more hours practising their craft. It you wanted to picture how a typical genius might develop, you’d take a girl who possessed a slightly above average language ability. It wouldn’t have to be a big talent, just enough so that she might gain some sense of distinction. Then you would want her to meet, say, a novelist, who coincidentally shared some similar qualities. Maybe the writer was from the same town, had the same family background, or shared the same birthday.

This contact would give the girl a vision of her future self. It would hive her some idea of a fascinating circle who might someday join. It would also help if one of her parents died when she was 12, giving her a strong sense of insecurity and fuelling a desperate need for success. Armed with this ambition, she would read novels and life stories of writers without end. This would give her a primary knowledge of her field. She’s be able to see new writing in deeper ways and quickly understand its inner workings.

Then she would practise writing. Her practice would be slow, painstaking and error-focused. By practising in this way, he delays the automatizing process. Her mind wants to turn conscious, newly learned skills into unconscious. Automatically performed skills. By practising slowly, by breaking skills down into tiny parts and repeating, she forces the brain to internalize a better pattern of performance. Then she would find an adviser who would provide a constant stream of feedback, viewing her performance form the outside, correcting the smallest errors, pushing her to take on tougher challenges. By now she is redoing problems—how do I get characters into a room—dozens and dozens of times. She is establishing habits of thought she can call upon in order to understand or solve future problems.

The primary quality our young writer possesses is not some mysterious genius. It’s the ability to develop a purposeful, laborious and boring practice routine; the latest research takes some of the magic out of great achievement. But it underlines a fact that is often neglected. Public discussion is affected by genetics and what we’re “hard-wired” to do. And it’s true that genes play a role in our capabilities. But the brain is also very plastic. We construct ourselves through behaviour.

1.The passage mainly deals with          .

A. the function of I.Q. in cultivating a writer

B. the relationship between genius and success

C. the decisive factor in making a genius

D. the way of gaining some sense of distinction

2.By reading novels and writers’ stories, the girl could         .

A. come to understand the inner structure of writing

B. join a fascinating circle of writers someday

C. share with a novelist her likes and dislikes

D. learn from the living examples to establish a sense of security

3.In the girl’s long painstaking training process, ________.

A. her adviser forms a primary challenging force to her success.

B. her writing turns into an automatic pattern of performance

C. she acquires the magic of some great achievement

D. she comes to realize she is “hard-wired” to write

4.What can be concluded from the passage?

A. A fuelling ambition plays a leading role in one’s success

B. A responsible adviser is more important than the knowledge of writing.

C. As to the growth of a genius, I.Q. Doesn’t matter, but just his/her effort.

D. What really matters is what you do rather then who you are.

根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

When you are hungry, what will you respond ? Have your favorite meal and stay quiet after that？   1   But it never lets you know，because you keep it busy thinking about your friends or favorite stars．So it silently serves your needs and never lets itself grow．When mind loses its freedom to grow，creativity sets a full stop．This might be the reason why we all sometimes think “What happens next？”, or “Why can’t I think？”

  2   Why reading but not watching TV？It is because reading has been the most educative tool used by us right from childhood．Since it develops other aspects of our life，we have to take help from reading．

When you read a book，of course you run your eyes through the lines and your mind tries to explain something to you．  3   Now this seed is unknowingly used by you to develop new ideas．If it is used many times，the same seed can give you great help to relate a lot of things，which you would have never thought of in your wildest dreams!

This is nothing but creativity． 4   Within no time you can start talking with your friends in English or any other language and never run out of the right words．

So, friends, do give food to your thoughts by reading, reading and more reading． 5   Go and get a book!

A．The interesting part of the book is stored in your mind as a seed．

B．Why not do some reading while you are hungry?

C．Just like your stomach, your mind is also hungry．

D．Now what are you waiting for?

E．Hunger of the mind can be actually solved through wide reading．

F．Reading can help you make more friends, too．

G．Also this makes a significant contribution to your vocabulary．

If you wish to become a better reader, here are four important points to remember about rate, or speed, of reading:
1. Knowing why you are reading—what you are reading to find out—will often help you to know whether to read rapidly or slowly.
2. Some things should be read slowly throughout. Examples are directions for making or doing something, arithmetic problems, science and history books, which are full of important information. You must read such things slowly to remember each important step and understand each important idea.
3. Some things should be read rapidly throughout. Examples are simple stories meant for enjoyment, news, and letters from friends, items, or bits of news from local, or hometown, paper, telling what is happening to friends and neighbors.
4. In some of your readings, you must change your speed from fast to slow to fast, as you go along. You need to read certain pages rapidly and then slow down and do more careful readings when you come to important ideas which must be remembered.
48. According to the passage, your reading speed depends on ________.
A. whether the reading material is easy or difficult
B. what you are reading
what your purpose in reading something is
D. both B and C
49. If one wants to be relaxed by reading, one should take up ________.
A. a story book             B. a book on science and technology
C. news, letters from friends D. some material full of information
50. Which of the following readings should you read slowly and carefully?
A. Fairy tales.                   B. Aesop’s Fables.
C. Directions for use of a machine D. An evening paper.
51. Which of the following can best express the main idea of the passage?
A. How to decide your reading speed.  B. How to raise your reading speed.
C. How to improve your reading skills.  D. How to choose your reading materials.