The advertisement appeared in my e-mail—“1-800-Flowers: Mother’s Day Madness —for just $39.99！” I almost clicked on it, forgetting that those services would not be needed this year. My mother, Margaret Feiddman, died at the age of 89, and so this is my first Mother’s Day without my mom.

In my childhood, my mom appeared to be a typical suburban housewife of her generation. She sewed many of my sisters’ clothes, including both of their wedding dresses and boy’s suits for me. And on the side, she won several national bridge tournaments(桥牌锦标赛).

My mom left many indelible marks on me. The first was to never lose heart and to be independent. My dad died suddenly when I was 19. My mom worked hard for a couple of years. But in1975, I won a scholarship to study in Britain and my mom surprised us all by announcing that she decided to go with me. When I met difficulties, she always said: “You’re a man, so never lose heart, never be knocked down, and try your best to pursue(追求) your dreams.”

My mom’s other big influence on me is a sense of optimism. She had taken her knocks. But every time life knocked her down, she got up and kept on marching forward, encouraged by the saying that pessimists(悲观者) are usually right, optimists are usually wrong, but most great changes are made by optimists.

How I wish to listen to my mother’s words, and give my best regards on this Mother’s Day, but I have no chance now! My best friends, treasure(珍惜)your mother’s love!

1.The author mentioned the advertisement to ___.

A．show he’s tired of the advertisements

B．explain he missed his mother very much

C．make you believe that he was very kind

D．urge the readers to buy the present for their mothers

2.What experience of the author’s mother surprised the author?

A．That she volunteered to go to Britain with her son.

B．That she gained knowledge all by herself.

C．That she did all the housework by herself.

D．That she won several national bridge tournaments.

3.What dose the underlined word “indelible” in the 3rd paragraph probably mean?

A．be out of control                        B．be easy to remember

C．be destroyed easily                      D．be impossible to forget

4.We can know about the author’s mother that_____.

A．She encouraged the author to pursue his dreams

B．she felt very lonely in her late life

C．She never received a present from her children

D．she passed away before the author’s father

5.Which can be the best title for the passage?

A．My Great Mother                       B．Mother and I

C．Treasure Mother’s Love                 D．Mother’s Day Madness

 

In the darkness, she felt ________, but when she turned around, nobody was there.

A. to follow                                    B. following                          C. to be followed                D. being followed

 

She felt completely          during the vacation but now she has to go back to her work again.

A．at sea

B．at ease

C．at a loss

D．at risk

 

Success is often measured by the ability to overcome adversity. But, it is often the belief of others that gives us the courage to try.

J. K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter book series, began writing at age 6. In her biography, she remembers with great fondness when her good friend, Sean, whom she met in secondary school, became the first person to encourage her and help build the confidence that one day she would be a very good writer.

“He was the first person with whom I really discussed my serious ambition to be a writer. He was also the only person who thought I was bound to be a success at it, which meant much more to me than I ever told him at the time.”

Despite many setbacks Rowling persevered in her writing, particularly fantasy stories. But it wasn't until l990 that she first conceived the idea about Harry Potter. As she recalls, it was on a long train journey from London to Manchester that “the idea of Harry Potter simply fell into my head. To my immense frustration(沮丧), I didn't have a functioning pen with me, and I was too shy to ask anybody if I could borrow one. I think, now, that this was probably a good thing, because I simply sat and thought, for four(delayed train) hours, and all the details bubbled up in my brain, and this scrawny, black-haired, bespectacled boy who didn't know he was a wizard became more and more real to me.”

That same year, her mother passed away after a ten-year battle with multiple sclerosis, which deeply affected her writing. She went on to marry and had a daughter, but separated from her husband shortly afterwards.

During this time, Rowling was diagnosed with clinical depression. Unemployed, she completed her first novel in area cafes, where she could get her daughter to fall asleep. After being rejected by l2 publishing houses, the first Harry Potter novel was sold to a small British publishing house.

Now with seven books that have sold nearly 400 million copies in 64 languages, J. K. Rowling is the highest earning novelist in history. And it all began with her commitment to writing that was fostered by the confidence of a friend !

1.Who believed J. K. Rowling was to be a good writer?

A．Her friend Sean.    B．Her mother.        C．Her daughter.      D．Her husband.

2.Rowling first came up with the idea about Harry Potter         .

A．at the age of 6                          B．on a train journey

C．after her mother's death                  D．in her secondary school

3.She felt frustrated on the train because         .

A．her train was delayed for four hours

B．she didn't have a pen with her

C．her mind suddenly went blank

D．no one would offer her help

4.It can be concluded from Paragraph 5 and 6 that Rowling is         .

A．open-minded      B．warm-hearted      C．good-natured      D．strong-willed

5.The text mainly tells us         .

A．hardship makes a good novelist

B．the courage to try is a special ability

C．you can have a wonderful idea everywhere

D．encouragement contributes to one's success

 

 As a solo artist，Brightman has sold 26 million albums and two million DVDs in 34 countries. Her musical styles put opera, pop and jazz together. She is popular in the States but not here（Britain）—the image of her and her second husband, Andrew Lloyd Webber（he much older, she his muse) seems for ever frozen.

The 47-year-old singer talks about the new album Symphony that came out of a “very dark time”, including her decision to give up trying to have children. “People have suggested I could adopt,” Brightman says. “But work is central to my life now. And so I am going to put it to one side. After a while not having children becomes the normal and perhaps that might sound alarming, to parents especially, but I have never known anything different. I’m not hurt by not having children. My life and career are incredibly rich.”

Talking about growing up in a large family in Berkhamsted （father a property developer who later committed suicide）, she says: “I was gifted as a child, and very musical. I seemed to be good at anything to do with the arts. At 5 I understood the music I was dancing to and had an eye for costume.” She first appeared in a West End musical at 11 and hated boarding school.

Brightman led the saucy dance troupe（辣妹三人舞）Hot Gossip and had her first hit with I Lost My Heart to a Starship Trooper in 1978. At 18 she married a music manager called Andrew Graham Stewart. “I was probably in love but I can’t remember. Girls change such a lot between 18 and 22. It didn’t really work out.” In 1981 she was spotted by Lloyd Webber. She became his leading lady in Song and Dance, Requiem and Phantom of the Opera. They married in 1984.

Brightman says she felt hostility（敌意） “from the beginning. I haven’t tried to understand it. I’ve done very well everywhere else, especially the UK, where I now live. I just accept it for what it is. The more you are away from Britain, the more you appreciate it. But I don’t miss it, although I miss my family. Our profession can be uncomfortable but I enjoy what I do. I get on with it.”

1.The first paragraph tells us that ______.

A. Brightman is very popular around the world except in America

B. Brightman’s musical style is a mixture of opera, pop and jazz

C. the British people don’t like her for her style of music

D. Brightman is much older than Andrew Lloyd Webber

2.Brightman decided to give up having children because ______.

A. she could adopt one

B. her life and career were unbelievably rich without children

C. she felt it normal not to have children

D. she was too busy

3.The following statements are true except ______.

A. Brightman first appeared in a West End musical at 5

B. Brightman disliked life on campus

C. Brightman was very gifted when she was young

D. the saucy dance troupe made Brightman famous

4. The underlined word in the fourth paragraph probably means ______.

A. located                            B. admired          C. followed                         D. found

5.What does the author try to say in the last paragraph by quoting Brightman’s words?

A. Brightman has to accept the fact that she isn’t liked in Britain

B. Brightman lives in America but she loves her own country

C. The British coldness towards Brightman led to her hatred to her homeland

D. Brightman was at a loss why she was not welcome in Britain