When I was twelve years old, my family were the first black people to move into an all white part of Grand Rapids, Michigan． Many of our new neighbors weren’t very welcoming．Some of them said angrily that we should return to where we came from．The children sometimes threw stones at me or drove me home from school．

Most of my teachers simply took no notice of me, but not Dorothy Bean, my history teacher．Miss Bean was angry at how badly I was being treated, but she didn’t say this to me．Miss Bean showed her respect for me by teaching me just like anyone else．Instead of being unnoticed, I was given a chance to show that I was clever．Miss Bean was the first teacher who ever made me think for myself．She always wanted to know what I thought about difficult questions．Was Thomas Jefferson right to buy Louisiana from France? Why? She expected me to have my own idea．Miss Bean was teaching me that thinking for oneself was the real key to education．

One day, when I was not paying attention in class, Miss Bean suddenly threw an eraser at me．The eraser hit me right on the hand and sent my pencil flying．The whole class were very surprised at first, then started laughing．This event became famous in the school and, because it happened to me, the students wanted to get to know me．So that’s the story of how Dorothy Bean made me her target（靶子）, and how I became just another kid in school．

1． The author and his family were not welcomed by the local people because ________．

A． they returned from another country            B． they had different skin colour

C． they spoke a different language                   D． they moved to a wrong place

2． From the end of the first paragraph we know that ________．

A． children are more friendly to strangers

B． American schools are not safe for kids

C． children often follow their parents’ behavior

D． fighting each other is part of children’s nature

3． At school most of his teachers ______ the author．

A． were cold to    B． didn’t notice     C． threw things at   D． got angry with

4． Miss Bean respected the author by ________．

A． giving him chances to answer questions      B． hitting him with a eraser

C． giving him extra lessons                             D． treating him as one of her students

5． To Miss Bean the most important thing for a student is to ________．

A． pay close attention to what the teacher says

B． learn to think and have one’s own idea

C． keep silent and unnoticed in class

D． get special attention from the teacher

I keep a two-dollar bill (纸币) in my wallet． My mother gave it to me when I was six years old．The bill goes with me wherever I go because I believe luck would    1    me everywhere．

Whenever I felt there was a trouble, I would reach my two-dollar bill and put it on the table，I would watch it for several hours and could always come up with    2    ．

When I began to look for my first job, I was thirty years old and very    3   ．The thought of being interviewed for a job was scary but I had to work．Mrs. Martin, the office manager, asked me some questions and the interview was over．As I got    4    her office, I said, "Mrs. Martin, I know that I am not the best applicants (申请者), but please give me a chance．I learn quickly and can be a very able member of your team．"

That evening I received a phone call from Mrs. Martin．"Gina," she said．"You were not the best applicant, but you have so much confidence in yourself that we have    5   to give you a chance．" "Thank you so much, Mrs. Martin!" I said．I was so excited that I forgot to say   36  to Mrs. Martin．

I took out my two-dollar bill．"Thanks, Mom．I am going to    7    it, "I said out loud so my mother could hear me．

At that moment, I remember the time she pulled all of us into the living room and said, "You are all clever in my    8    , but if you fail once, don't give up．You will be successful．" I still think of Mom every day and keep my two-dollar bill in my wallet． At a family reunion (团聚) years later, I found that my brothers and sisters    9    had two-dollar bills in their wallets．We laughed and talked about how    10    this gift from Mom had been to each of us．

1．A．bring                 B．take                 C．follow                    D．find

2．A．an answer          B．a chance          C．an idea                    D．a decision

3．A．sad                   B．lonely              C．weak                   D．shy

4．A．out of                B．into                 C．from                      D．around

5．A．liked                  B．decided            C．offered                D．needed

6．A．hello                  B．sorry               C．goodbye                 D．thanks

7．A．get           B．do                    C．have                       D．make

8．A．head                  B．eye                  C．mind                   D．thought

9．A．each                  B．all                    C．most                   D．both

10．A．special             B．surprised          C．cheap                         D．expensive