When I was fifteen, I announced to my English class that I was going to write my own books. Half the students smiled unkindly,  36  nearly fell out of their chairs laughing. “Don’t be  37 , only geniuses can become writers,” the English teacher said, “And you are getting a D this term.” I was so ashamed I burst into  38 . That night I wrote a short sad poem about broken dreams and mailed it to the newspaper. To my  39 , they published it and sent me two dollars. I was a published and paid writer. I showed my teacher and fellow students. They laughed, “Just plain dumb luck,” the teacher said. I  40  success. I’d sold the first thing I’d  41  written. That was more than any of them had done and if it was just dumb luck that was fine with me.

     During the next two years I sold dozens of poems and letters. By the time I graduated from high school, I had scrapbooks (剪贴簿)  42  my published works. I never  43  my writing to my teachers, friends or my family  44  because they were dream killers.

I had four children at the time.  45  the children slept, I typed on my ancient typewriter. I wrote what I felt. It took nine months. I chose a  46  and mailed it. A month later I received a contract, an advance on payments, and a request to start  47  another book. Crying Wind, became a best seller, was translated into fifteen languages and sold worldwide. My first book also became  48  reading in native American schools in Canada.

     The  49  year I ever had as a writer I earned two dollars. In my best year I earned 36,000 dollars. People ask what college I  50 , what degrees I had and what qualifications I have to be a writer. The answer is: “None.” I just write. I’m not a genius. I use an electric typewriter that I paid a hundred and twenty nine dollars  51  six years ago. I do all the housework and  52  my writing in a few minutes here and there. I’ve written eight books. To all those who dream of writing, I’m shouting at you: “Yes, you can. Don’t listen to them.” I don’t write right  53  I’ve succeeded. Writing is  54 , it’s fun and anyone can do it.  55 , a little dumb luck doesn’t hurt.

	A. other	B. others	C. the other	D. the rest
	A. silly	B. curious	C. excited	D. depressed
	A. laughter	B. tears	C. song	D. cheers
	A. puzzlement	B.disappointment	C. expectation	D. astonishment
	A. tasted	B. met	C. accepted	D. considered
	A. yet	B. never	C. even	D. ever
	A. crowdedwith	B. filled with	C. combined with	D. linked with
	A. remembered	B. concluded	C. mentioned	D. described
	A. again	B. instead	C. still	D. merely
	A. Though	B. Before	C. Until	D. While
	A. writer	B. reporter	C. publisher	D. manager
	A. working on	B. going on	C. turning on	D. putting on
	A. requested	B. required	C. demanded	D. reminded
	A. busiest	B. worse	C. worst	D. highest
	A. attended	B. took	C. admitted	D. participated
	A. out	B. to	C. by	D. for
	A. keep	B. fit	C. save	D. hold
	A. or	B. so	C. and	D. but
	A. easy	B. hard	C. convenient	D. practical
	A. On the contrary	B. Of course	C. As a result	D. In this way

 

I am trying to muster(鼓起)the courage to toss away my mobile phone to enjoy a more peaceful and ring –free life．

Can you imagine not having your mobile phone? In our high-tech, in-a-hurry age, a cell-free life is a hard concept to swallow． Our mobile phones can now access the Internet, and many people feel the need to express their every thought on their blog pages． If I gave up my cellphone, people would think I was mad．

I wish I had the strength to toss away my technology ． I have an office phone, a home phone, e-mail and if people want to contact me． they can． If I’m out, people can leave a message． Do they really need to find me 24/7 ? However, I’m a bit like Frodo in the movie Lord of the Rings． The power of the ring is too strong and I can’t let it go．

Mobile phones have become necessary tools in our busy life． For most people , they hold all contacts and many of us don't write up address books any more． The latest phones carry our music, pictures, movies and everything else． We feel lost without this device and when we do misplace it , we feel cut off from our fellow,

“Where have you been?” said a friend, who saw me a week after I lost my cell, “I tried calling you , but you disappeared． You disappeared off the face of the Earth。” See, when you don’t have a mobile phone, you don’t exist．

I’m not really going to toss my mobile phone away, in fact． We humans are such social animals and mobile phones serve us well． So in 2009, I’ve dicided not to serve my mobile phone． Like all machine, I can always turn it off．

1．What does the underslined phrase“toss away”mean?

A．give away      B．get away     C．break away      D．throw away

2．The writer mentions Frodo to        

A．show it is difficult to get rid of the mobile phone

B．show how much he likes Frodo

C．suggest a cell-free life is what he wants

D．introduce a film character to us

3．What do we know about mobile phones in the 4 th paragraph?

A．Mobile phones can do anything for us ．

B．Mobile phones have become very important in our life

C．We could not live without mobile phones

D．We would be cut off by our fellow without mobile phones

4．What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．The writer is not really going to toss his mobile phone away．

B．When you don't have a mobile phone, you don’t exist．

C．The writer decides not to serve his mobile phone

D．We humans can control ourselves and machines will．

 

 

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。

E

    It’s not that hard to be a better writer. Seriously, it’s especially true if you’re starting as a non-writer who’s just trying to be competent for day-to-day tasks.

    1．Have a Structure．   1    Your body should consist of paragraphs that are grouped according, to topic, each one dealing with a single element of your subject．

    2．  2   When you say a car runs "fast" , don't leave it at that．Show me how fast it is by ; detailing the vehicle' s top speed and acceleration, along with listing other cars it leaves in the dust．Do the same with every other significant modifier（修饰语） you use．

    3．Don't pad words．  3   Most of the time, this ends up turning what' s essentially nice; writing into unreadable nonsense．You' 11 see this with heavy use of unnecessary adjectives and adverbs, along with useless phrases that can easily be cut off without losing meaning．

    4．Choose good words．Sometimes, the way your text reads comes down to word choice．Don't say " converse" when you can say " speak" ; don' t write " adjudicate" when you say "decide"．  4 

    5．Use a writing software．Notice that we didn't give any advice on grammar．That's because using a quality proofreading software can help you on that end．  5 

    A．Try not to use adjectives and adverbs without providing an explanation．

    B．Don't let anything keep you from it!

    C．Many inexperienced writers tend to pad words to meet word count goals．

    D．Regardless of what you do, your writing should have an introduction and a conclusion．

    E．Basically, put your words to good use and find words that will make the experience easier for your readers．

    F．Some ideas can be quite correct．

    G．Sure, a few mistakes might slip in now and then, but a good tool will take care of most of them．

 

 

How to Make a Budget

Most likely, you aren’t the family breadwinner. But doing a small job or getting a weekly allowance (零花钱) would put some money in your pocket. For kids and grown-ups alike, money is easy to spend. If you aren’t careful, it can be gone in no time.

Being responsible with your money is an important skill to learn ----and the sooner you start the better. Whether you are tracking your spending or saving for something special, creating a budget can help you deal with your expenses and plan for the future. All you need are paper and a pencil --- and some self-control.

First, take a look at our sample monthly budget. Then, use a separate sheet of paper to plan your own. In the first two columns (栏), list your sources (来源) of income and how much you expect to earn from them. In the third and fourth columns, list what you expect to spend your money on and the amount.

The left-hand total should be more than or equal to the right-hand total. If it is, you have an effective budget.

Sample Monthly Budget

Monthly  Income	Amount	Monthly Expenses	Amount
Allowance	$20.00	Snacks	$26.00
Money earned selling drinks	$25.00	Music downloads	$12.00
Money earned babysitting	$12.50	Movies	$18.00
Money earned delivering newspapers	$30.00	Video rentals	$10.00
Total:	$87.50	Total	$66.00

Budgets are not complex, but sticking to them can be tough. When planning your budget, be

realistic about your expenses. If you know that you drop $18 at a movie, don’t write $12 in

that space simply because you wish you were spending less

If you are eyeing a big purchase, such as a $150 skateboard, spend less and save more until you have the total amount. No matter how attractive it may be, avoid spending your savings. One day, you will thank yourself!

Who is the passage written for?w

   A. Children.      B. Parents.        C. Breadwinners.       D. Bank managers.

The purpose of making a budget is to help people _________.

   A. learn to be realistic             B. increase their saving

   C. manage their money well        D. test their power-control

What should people do when planning a budget?w

   A. Fill in the expenses as they really are.

   B. Avoid spending money on expensive things.

   C. Set aside a fixed amount of money as savings.

   D. List income and expenses on two pieces of paper.

Which of the following budgets is effective?

   A.

Monthly  Income	Amount	Monthly Expenses	Amount
Allowance	$20.00	Money earned walking dogs	$20.00
Bus fares	$40.00	Movies	$28.00
Total:	$60	Total	$48.00

B.

Monthly  Income	Amount	Monthly Expenses	Amount
Allowance	$20.00	Movies	$30.00
Money earned washing cars	$10.00	Bus fares	$10.00
Total:	$30.00	Total:	$40.00

C.

Monthly  Income	Amount	Monthly Expenses	Amount
Allowance	$27.50	Money earned selling drinks	$22.00
Money earned babysitting	$22.50	Birthday gifts	$28.00
Total:	$50.00	Total:	$50.00

D.

Monthly  Income	Amount	Monthly Expenses	Amount
Allowance	$26.00	Video rentals	$22.00
Money earned doing yard work	$24.00	Birthday gifts	$28.00
Total:	$50.00	Total:	$50.00

When I was fifteen, I announced to my English class that I was going to write my own books. Half the students smiled       , and even worse, the rest nearly fell out of their chairs laughing. “Don’t be        . Only geniuses can become writers.” the English teacher said, “And you are getting a D this term.” I was so       that I burst into tears. That night I wrote a short          poem about broken dreams and mailed it to the newspaper. To my      , they published it and sent me two dollars. I was a published and paid writer. I showed my teacher and fellow students. They laughed, “Just plain dumb luck,” the teacher said. I tasted       ; I’d sold the first thing I’d ever written. That was more than any of them had done and if it was just dumb luck, that was fine with me.

During the next two years, I sold dozens of poems and letters. By the time I graduated from high school, I had scrapbooks (剪贴簿)       with my published works. I never       my writing to my teachers, friends or my family again  because they were dream        .

 I had four children at the time. While the children slept, I typed on my ancient typewriter. I wrote what I felt. It took nine months. I chose a       and mailed it. A month later I received a contract, an advance on payments, and a request to start       another book. Crying Wind, which became a best seller, was translated into fifteen languages and sold worldwide. My first book also became required        in native American schools in Canada.

      In the       year I ever had as a writer I earned two dollars. In my best year I earned 36,000 dollars. People ask what college I       , what degrees I have and what qualifications I have to be a writer. The answer is: “None.” I just write. I’m not a genius. I use an electric typewriter that I paid a hundred and twenty nine dollars for six years ago. I do all the housework and fit my writing in a few minutes here and there. I’ve written eight books. To all those who dream of writing, I’m shouting at you: “Yes, you can. Don’t listen to them.” I don’t write right but I’ve succeeded. Writing is        ; it’s fun and anyone can do it. Of course, a little dumb luck doesn’t hurt.

1.A. unkindly     B. happily C. willingly         D. crazily

2.A. curious       B. depressed     C. excited D. silly 

3.A. unlucky      B. ashamed        C. moved  D. unconfident

4.A. sad     B. innocent        C. disappointing         D. puzzling

5.A. puzzlement         B. expectation  C. astonishment         D. disappointment

6.A. coldness    B. failure   C. success D. prejudice

7.A. furnished   B. linked   C. combined      D. filled

8.A. remembered     B. concluded     C. described      D. mentioned

9.A. killers         B. makers C. designers      D. creators

10.A. writer       B. reporter        C. publisher       D. manager

11.A. working on       B. going on        C. turning on     D. putting on

12.A. writing     B. reading C. selling   D. buying

13.A. busiest     B. unluckiest     C. worst    D. highest

14.A. worked    B. attended       C. admitted        D. participated

15.A. easy          B. hard      C. convenient   D. practical