Jimmy is an automotive mechanic, but he lost his job a few months ago. He has a good heart, but always feared applying for a new job.

One day, he gathered up all his strength and decided to attend a job interview. His appointment was at 10 am and it was already 8:30. While waiting for a bus to the office where he was supposed to be interviewed, he saw an elderly man wildly kicking the tyre of his car. Obviously there was something wrong with the car. Jimmy immediately went up to lend him a hand. When Jimmy finished working on the car, the old man asked him how much he should pay for the service. Jimmy said there was no need to pay him; he just helped someone in need, and he had to rush for an interview. Then the old man said, “Well, I could take you to the office for your interview. It’s the least I could do. Please. I insist.” Jimmy agreed.

Upon arrival, Jimmy found a long line of applicants waiting to be interviewed. Jimmy still had some grease(油垢) on him after the car repair, but he did not have much time to wash it off or have a change of shirt. One by one, the applicants left the interviewer’s office with disappointed look on their faces. Finally his name was called. The interviewer was sitting on a large chair facing the office window. Rocking the chair back and forth, he asked, “Do you really need to be interviewed?” Jimmy’s heart sank. “With the way I look now, how could I possibly pass this interview?” he thought to himself.

Then the interviewer turned the chair and to Jimmy’s surprise, it was the old man he helped earlier in the morning. It turned out he was the General Manager of the company.

“Sorry I had to keep you waiting, but I was pretty sure I made the right decision to have you as part of our workforce before you even stepped into the office. I just know you’d be a trustworthy worker. Congratulations!” Jimmy sat down and they shared a cup of well-deserved coffee as he landed himself a new job.

1.Why did Jimmy apply for a new job?

A. He was out of work

B. He was bored with his job

C. He wanted a higher position

D. He hoped to find a better boss

2. What did Jimmy see on the way to the interview?

A. A friend’s car had a flat tire

B. a wild man was pushing a car

C. a terrible accident happened

D. an old man’s car broke down

3.How did Jimmy feel on hearing the interviewer’s question?

A. He was sorry for the other applicants

B. There was no hope for him to get the job

C. He regretted helping the old man

D. The interviewer was very rude

4. A. What can we learn from Jimmy’s experience？

A. Where there is a will, there’s a way

B. A friend in need is a friend indeed

C. Good is rewarded with good.

D. Two heads are better than one

 

Where do most writers get their ideas? For Yoshiko Uchida, it all began with Brownie, a five-month-old puppy. So excited was Yoshiko by Brownie’s arrival that she started keeping a journal, writing about all the wonderful things Brownie did and the progress he made.

Soon she was writing about other memorable events in her life, too, like the day her family got their first refrigerator. She also began writing stories, thanks to one of her teachers. Yoshiko wrote stories about animal characters such as Jimmy Chipmunk and Willie the Squirrel. She kept on writing, sharing the kitchen table with her mother, who wrote poems on scraps of paper and the backs of envelopes.

Yoshiko grew up in the 1930s in Berkeley, California. Her parents, both of whom had been born in Japan, provided a loving and happy home for Yoshiko and her sister. They also provided a stream of visitors to their home who later found their way into Yoshiko’s stories. One visitor who later appeared in several of Yoshiko’s stories was the bad-tempered Mr. Toga, who lived above the church that her family attended. Mr. Toga would scold anyone who displeased him. The children all feared him and loved to tell stories about how mean he was and how his false teeth rattled (咯咯响) when he talked.

Yoshiko also included in her stories some of the places she visited and the experiences she had. One of her favorite places was a farm her parents took her to one summer. The owners of the farm, showed Yoshiko and her sister how to pump water from the well and how to gather eggs in the henhouse. They fed the mules that later pulled a wagon loaded with hay while Yoshiko and the others rode in the back, staring up at the stars shining in the night sky. Yoshiko, who lived in the city, had never seen such a sight. As Yoshiko gazed up at the stars, she was filled with hope and excitement about her life. The images of that hayride stayed with her long after the summer visit ended, and she used them in several of her stories.

The experiences Yoshiko had and the parade of people who marched through her young life became a part of the world she created in over twenty books for young people, such as The Best Bad Thing and A Jar of Dreams. Because of such books, we can all share just a little bit of the world and the times in which this great writer grew up.

The author tells about Mr. Toga’s false teeth in Paragraph 3 in order to ____________.

A. show health care was not good enough in Berkeley during the 1930s

B. provide an interesting detail in Yoshiko’s life and stories

C. show Yoshiko’s young life was difficult and frightening

D. tell about a beloved relative who helped Yoshiko learn how to write

In Paragraph 4 “the stars” probably refer to ____________.

A. family relationships                               B. terrors in the night

C. limitless possibilities                              D. sacrifices to benefit others

What does the underlined part in the last paragraph mean?

A. Yoshiko loved to write about parades.

B. Yoshiko met many interesting people.

C. Yoshiko liked to go for long walks with others.

D. Yoshiko preferred to talk to her pets instead of to people.

What is the main idea of this story?

A. People who live in the city should spend as much time as they can in the country.

B. Writers like Yoshiko Uchida must communicate with as many writers as possible.

C. Those who move to the United States often miss their homelands for many years.

D. Writers like Yoshiko Uchida look to the richness of their lives for material.

Which are you more likely to have with you at any given moment-your cell phone or your wallet? Soon you may be able to throw your wallet away and pay for things with a quick wave of your smart phone over an electronic scanner.
In January, Starbucks announced that customers could start using their phones to buy coffee in 6,800 of its stores. This is the first pay-by-phone practice in the U.S., but we’re likely to see more wireless payment alternatives as something called near field communication (NFC) gets into America’s consumer electronics. Last December, some new smart phones which contain an NFC chip were introduced to the public.
Already in use in parts of Asia and Europe, NFC allows shoppers to wave their phones a few inches above a payment terminal – a contact- free system built for speed and convenience. But before NFC becomes widely adopted in the U.S., a few problems need to be worked out, like who will get to collect the profitable transaction（交易）fees. Although some credit card providers have been experimenting with wave-and- pay systems that use NFC-enabled credit cards, cell phone service providers may try to muscle their way into the point-of-sale（POS）market. Three big cell phone service providers have formed a joint venture（合资企业）that will go into operation over the next 15 months. Its goal is “to lead the U.S. payments industry from cards to mobile phone.”
The other big NFC issue, apart from how payments will be processed, is security. For instance, what’s to stop a thief from digitally pick-pocketing you? “We’re still not at the point where an attacker can just brush against you in a crowd and steal all the money out of your phone,” says Jimmy Shah. A mobile- security researcher, “Users may also be able to set transaction limits, perhaps requiring a password to be entered for larger purchases.”
Still uneasy about this digital-wallet business? Keep in mind that if you lose your smart phone, it can be located on a map and remotely disabled. Plus, your phone can be password protected. Your wallet isn’t.
【小题1】What is predicted to happen in the U.S.?

A．The expansion of cell phone companies.

B．The boom of pay-by-phone business.

C．The disappearance of credit cards.

D．The increase of Starbucks sales.

【小题2】The NFC technology can be used to __________.

A．ensure the safety of shoppers

B．collect transaction fees easily

C．make purchase faster and simpler

D．improve the quality of cell phones

【小题3】Three cell phone service providers form a joint venture to __________.

A．strengthen their relationship

B．test the NFC technology

C．sell more cell phones

D．get a share in the payments industry

【小题4】According to the passage, what can users do if they lose their smart phones?

A．Stop the functioning of their phones.

B．Set up a password.

C．Get all the money out of their phones.

D．Report it to the bank.

Fifteen years spent in the field of education has provided me with many treasured moments. One of the most unforgettable       when I was teaching second        , 10 years ago.

In May I decided to plan something special for the children: a Mother’s Day tea. We had put our heads together to       ideas of how to       our mothers. We practiced singing songs, memorized poems and wrote cards. We decided to hold our tea the Friday before Mother’s Day.  I was surprised and      to learn that every mother was planning to attend. I     invited my own mother.

Finally, the big day arrived. Each child      up at our classroom door, expecting the arrival of his or her mom.     it got closer to starting time, I looked around and my eyes quickly found Jimmy. His mother hadn’t shown up and he was looking       . 

I took my mother by the hand and walked over to Jimmy. “Jimmy,” I said, “I have a bit of problem here and I was     if you could keep my mother       while I’m busy.”

My mom and Jimmy sat at a table. Jimmy       my mom her treats, presented her with the gift I had made, just as we had       the day before. Whenever I looked over, my mother and Jimmy were in deep       .

Now 10 years later, I work with students of all ages, educating them about the environment. Last year, I took a senior class on a field trip, and there was Jimmy. I had the students complete an outline of the day’s     and an evaluation of our trip. Then I collected the students’ booklets and checked them to see if       was completed. When I came       Jimmy’s page, he had written “Remember our Mother’s Day tea we had in second grade, Mrs. Marra? I do! Thanks for all you did for me, and thank your mother, too.”

I told him I really enjoyed what he had written. He looked rather embarrassed and     his own thanks and walked away. Suddenly he ran back and gave me a big hug. “Thanks again. No one even knew my mother didn’t      it.”

I ended my workday with a hug from a teenage boy who had       stopped hugging teachers years ago.

1.A. lasted        B. happened    C. experienced D. described

2.A. school        B. class      C. grade    D. lesson

3.A. pay attention to B. look forward to     C. get on with    D. come up with

4.A. love   B. please   C. respect D. admire

5.A. astonished         B. worried         C. relieved        D. interested

6.A. even  B. ever      C. still        D. once

7.A .followed    B. held      C. kept      D. lined

8.A. As      B. Although       C. While    D. Because

9.A. wild   B. curious C. strange D. upset

10.A. considering      B. wondering    C. asking   D. doubting

11.A. connection       B. care      C. company      D. concern

12.A. served     B. supplied        C. assigned        D. applied

13.A. taught      B. studied C. practiced      D. told

14.A. mind         B. thought          C. agreement    D. conversation

15.A. feeling     B. behavior        C. event   D. action

16.A. something        B. everything    C. anything        D. nothing

17.A. by    B. to C. on          D. over

18.A. announced       B. delivered      C. stated   D. whispered

19.A. make        B. get         C. do          D. take

20.A. probably          B. exactly  C. rarely   D. eagerly

 

Several years ago, while attending a communication course, I experienced a most unusual process. The instructor asked us to list ___1___ in our past that we felt ___2___ of, regretted, or incomplete about and read our lists aloud.

This seemed like a very ___3___ process, but there’ s always some ___4___soul in the crowd who will volunteer. The instructor then ___5___ that we find ways to ___6___ people, or take some action to right any wrong doings. I was seriously wondering how this could ever ___7___ my communication.

Then the man next to me raised his hand and volunteered this story: “Making my ___8___, I remembered an incident from high school. I grew up in a small town. There was a Sheriff ___9___ of us kids liked. One night, my two buddies and I decided to play a ___10___ on him.

After drinking a few beers, we climbed the tall water tank in the middle of the town, and wrote on the tank in bright red paint: Sheriff Brown is a s.o.b.(畜生). The next day, almost the whole town saw our glorious ___11___. Within two hours, Sheriff Brown had us in his office. My friends told the truth but I lied. No one ___12___ found out.”

“Nearly 20 years later, Sheriff Brown’s name ___13___ on my list. I didn’t even know if he was still ___14___. Last weekend, I dialed the information in my hometown and found there was a Roger Brown still listed. I tried his number. After a few ___15___, I heard, “Hello?” I said, “Sheriff Brown?” Paused. “Yes.” “Well, this is Jimmy Calkins.”

“And I want you to know that I did it？”Paused. “I knew it!” he yelled back. We had a good laugh and a ___16___ discussion. His closing words were: “Jimmy, I always felt bad for you ___17___ your buddies got it off their chest, but you were carrying it ___18___ all these years. I want to thank you for calling me...for your sake.”

Jimmy inspired me to ___19___ all 101 items on my list within two years, and I always remember what I learned from the course: It’s never too late to ___20___the past wrongdoings.

1. A. something         B. anything            C. somebody         D. anybody

2. A. ashamed          B. afraid              C. sure              D. proud

3. A. private           B. secret               C. interesting          D. funny

4. A. foolish           B. polite              C. simple            D. brave

5. A. expected           B. suggested            C. ordered            D. demanded

6. A. connect with       B. depend on          C. make apologize to    D. get along with

7. A. improve          B. continue           C. realize              D. keep

8. A. notes              B. list                      C. plan                     D. stories

9. A. any               B. most               C. none               D. all

10. A. part              B. game               C. trick               D. record

11. A. view            B. sign               C. attention            D. remark

12. A. also                B. even                C. still                D. ever

13. A. appears          B. considers            C. presents             D. remembers

14. A. angry           B. happy              C. doubtful          D. alive

15. A. words           B. rings               C. repeats             D. calls

16. A. cold             B. plain               C. nervous            D. lively

17. A. in case           B. so long as         C. unless               D. because

18. A. around             B. out                            C. on                 D. away

19. A. build up         B. make up            C. clear up            D. give up

20. A. regret            B. forgive           C. right             D. punish