Many years ago, Dad worked as a farmhand（农场工人）. At that time, he had a horse. Every Saturday he   1 to the town after dinner and spent a few hours on social 2  with other farmhands, such as drinking, chatting, and playing cards in the café. On Saturday evenings, the café was   3   because many farmhands were there. Before midnight Dad returned home on his horse, quite satisfied（满意）with his   4  . In his words, he  5   thought of changing his job.

At the age of 31, Dad married my mother who was a school teacher. In the following spring I came  6   into the world. Life became hard, so my mother felt unsatisfied. She told Dad that they must make a  7  .

My mother had  8  of how some famous persons, especially Thomas Edison who was born in a poor family, fought against fate and achieved greatness and fame. And she   9  that I would some day become a great leader，ruling men or cities and Dad should be a successful businessman. So she persuaded Dad to give up his job as a farmhand, sell his horse and   10  a small business of his own. And I went to high school and college. She even sent me abroad for  11  education when I graduated from college. Under the drive of my mother’s hope, Dad and I   12   what we have today. Dad runs a big international   13  and I am a successful lawyer enjoying great fame in my country,   14  not a leader as my mother expected.

Dad said, without my mother, we wouldn’t be what we are today; at least, he would remain a farmhand.  15  he got a lesson of life —sometimes we really need drive from outside.

1  A．rode                  B．walked                        C．ran                  D．drove

2  A．conversations  B．games                         C．relationships          D．activities

3  A．cold                  B．crowded                      C．quiet                 D．dirty

4  A．horse             B．entertainment                C．life                   D．beer

5  A．often                   B．ever                        C．never                  D．sometimes

6  A．laughing                B．singing                      C．sleeping               D．crying

7  A．living         B．change                        C．decision              D．house

8  A．dreamed        B．heard                        C．thought              D．spoken

9  A．cared                 B．knew                        C．forgot               D．hoped

10  A．start                 B．find                        C．design                 D．sell

11  A．farther               B．higher                       C．easier                 D．closer

12  A．showed               B．kept                        C．lost                  D．achieved

13  A．farm                    B．school                      C．company            D．cafe

14  A．though              B．if                             C．and                  D．since

15  A．So                   B．However                      C．Or              D．Because

The students in America usually begin high school at the age of 13 or 14. Some leave at the age of 16. But most finish the 4-year high school study. They do not get their first full-time work or begin college studies until they are 17 or 18 years old.

The high school day is about 7 hours long. Part of the day is made into classes of about 50 minutes long. The students have lunch in the middle of the day. American students study English, history, math, science, art and languages. Some also learn job skills. They can learn how to use a computer or how to mend a car. Other students may learn by working in an office, a hospital or other places one day a week.

Jean Wilton Anderson is 16 years old. She lives with her parents and 2 younger brothers in Bethesda, Maryland, near Washington D.C. Jean studies at Whitman High School. There are about 1500 students at the school. Most of them will go up to colleges.

Jean wakes up early every morning. She begins school at about 7:30. This is her third year of high school. Every day she takes classes to learn English, world history, physics and trigonometry. （三角）She also has a class about different religions（宗教）. And she plays the violin in music classes. School ends at about 2 o’clock in the afternoon. Yet, Jean stays 2 or more hours longer every day for sports. Jean arrives home at about 5 o’clock in the afternoon. She eats dinner. Then she starts her homework. She also spends a lot of time talking on the telephone with her friends. Students in America have their way of talking. They use the word “like” all the time. Jean and her girlfriends wear blue jeans and shirts or sweaters every day. The boys at her school also wear blue jeans. But they like to wear blue jeans that are several sizes too large for them.

Like students of her age in most part of the country, Jean began driving a car when she was 16 years old. She does not have her car. Most of the students in high school have their own car. Many of them drive their cars to school every day.

1. When the students in America finish their high school, they ________.

A. are usually 17 or 18 years old          B. try to find the full-time work

C. all begin their college studies            D. are ready to leave the country

2. Jean Wilton Anderson _________.

A. has a four-people family                         B. lives in the city of Washington

C. has studied in her school for 3 years              D. will go up to a college

3. On a school day Jean Wilton Anderson ___________.

A. has to get to school before 7:30 in the morning

B. takes classes for 10 subjects in the school

C. does some sports and homework after class

D. Spends hours on the phone with her classmates

4. Which of the following is NOT true?

A. Students in high schools use the word “like” very often.

B. The boy students wear blue jeans as the girls.

C. Many high school students go to school in their own car.

D. Boy students wear jeans of larger size because they grow fast.

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Answers To All Your Travel
Jun， Korea Posted: 3 days ago	Question: First trip to the USA For my new job, I will travel to the United States next month and meet my American boss. This will be my first trip to the USA. I’m worried about correct business behavior and manners. My boss invited me to his home for dinner. Do you have any advice? Reply
Sue, Miami Posted: 3 days ago	Re: First trip to the USA It’s a good idea to bring a small gift or something from your country. Don’t be surprised if your boss opens the gift right away. In the USA, people often open a gift when they receive it. In Korea, that is not polite, but it’s appropriate in the USA. Reply
Sam, Los Angeles Posted: 2 days ago	Re: First trip to the USA Americans use their hands to eat some kinds of food, such as pizza and fried chicken. Watch your American hosts, and do what they do. Reply
Kathryn, New York Posted: 12 hours ago	Re: First trip to the USA In Korea and Japan, it’s the custom to remove your shoes before entering a house. In the United States, you usually don’t take your shoes off. Once I was travelling in Japan and entered a house with my shoes on by mistake. Oops! Reply
Lee, Korea Posted: 2 hours ago	Re: First trip to the USA Many Americans are very informal at home. One time I went to dinner at the home of an American business partner, I was surprised that everyone stood and talked in the kitchen while the husband and wife cooked dinner. Besides, unlike in Korea, everyone took part in the dinner table conversation, even the man’s wife and children. Reply
Andrew, Washington Posted: 2 hours ago	Re: First trip to the USA I agree with Lee. I was surprised that American men often cook and that both the husband and wife come to dinner table and talk. You probably won’t speak about business during dinner, so my advice is to know some good topics of conversation. For example, you can talk about travel, food, music, or sports. Of course, it’s good to ask about your boss’s family. But it’s not polite to question about age, salary, religion, or politics.