I don't know how I became a writer, but I think it was because of a certain force in me that had to
write and that finally burst through and found a channel.My people were of the working class of people.
My father, a stonecutter, was a man with a great respect and veneration (崇敬) for literature.He had a
tremendous memory, and he loved poetry, and the poetry that he loved best was naturally of the
rhetorical kind that such a man would like.Nevertheless it was good poetry, Hamlet's Soliloquy,
Macbeth, Mark Antony's "Funeral Oration", Grey's "Elegy", and all the rest of it.I heard it all as a
child; I memorized and learned it all.
     He sent me to college to the state university.The desire to write, which had been strong during all
my days in high school, grew stronger still.I was editor of the college paper, the college magazine, etc.,
and in my last year or two I was a member of a course in play writing which had just been established
there.I wrote several little oneact plays, still thinking I would become a lawyer or a newspaper man,
never daring to believe I could seriously become a writer.Then I went to Harvard, wrote some more
plays there, became obsessed with (著迷于) the idea that I had to be a playwright, left Harvard, had
my plays rejected, and finally in the autumn of 1926, how, why, or in what manner I have never exactly
been able to determine.But probably because the force in me that had to write at length sought out its
channel, I began to write my first book in London.I was living all alone at that time.I had two rooms-a
bedroom and a sitting room-in a litter square in Chelsea in which all the houses had that familiar, smoked
brick and creamyellowplaster look.

1.  We may conclude, in regard to the author's development as a writer, that his father________.

A.  made an important contribution
B.  insisted that he choose writing as a career
C.  opposed his becoming a writer
D.  insisted that he read Hamlet in order to learn how to be a writer

2.  The author believes that he became a writer mostly because of________.

A.  his special talent
B.  his father's teaching and encouragement
C.  his study at Harvard
D.  a hidden urge within him

3.  The author________.

A.  began to think of becoming a writer at Harvard
B.  had always been successful in his writing career
C.  went to Harvard to learn to write plays
D.  worked as a newspaper man before becoming a writer

4.  The author really started on his way to become a writer______.

A.  when he was in high school
B.  when he was studying at Harvard
C.  when he lived in London
D.  after he entered college

5.  What can we learn about the author's life in the autumn of 1926?

A.  He left Harvard and got married.
B.  He couldn't make up his mind what to do.
C.  He started his dream as a writer.
D.  He began to think seriously what to do.

                                             Making Peace with Your Parents
     As a teen, you're going through big changes physically and mentally.Your interests are expanding.
1.________
     Here is the challenge:Kids need to explore the world in new ways, and parents need to protect them
from the dangers in that world.These conflicts can easily set off fireworks in otherwise calm houses.
Sometimes conflicts can't be avoided.But by paying attention to the building blocks of successful
relationships, you can work towards making home a happy and healthy place for you and your parents.
     For instance, try to find a time to talk when your parents are not angry, tired, distracted or hungry.
A good time to talk is when you're all relaxed.Timing is everything.If the conversation begins to turn into
an argument, you'd better calmly and coolly ask to stop the conversation-for now.2.________Listen to
what your parents are saying, and repeat it back to them.This shows them that you're listening.
3.________
     Respect is the building block of good communication.People who respect each other and care about
each others'feelings can disagree without things getting ugly.
     4. ________How do you build trust?Trust comes by actually doing what you say you're going to do.
Some teens find that doing fun activities with their parents can improve their relationships.Sometimes we
forget that parents are more than rulemakers-they're interesting people who like to watch movies and go
shopping-just like their teenagers!
     What do you do if you  are trying your best, but your relationship with your parents continues to be
rocky?5.________You can find supportive adults, such as a teacher or a coach, who can lend an ear.
Remember you can only change your own behavior.Your parents are the only ones who can change
theirs.

A. It also gives them a chance to clear things up if you're not on the same page.
B. You can pick it up again when everyone's more relaxed.
C. And then you'll be able to accept what your parents say.
D. Faced with the challenge, children don't know what to do.
E. You are more likely to get along with your parents and have more independence if
     your parents believe in you.
F. And your desire to take control of your own life is growing.
G. You may consider seeking outside help.

     Making Peace with Your Parents
     As a teen,you're going through big changes physically and mentally.Your interests are
expanding.1.________
     Here is the challenge:Kids need to explore the world in new ways,and parents need to
protect them from the dangers in that world.These conflicts can easily set off fireworks in
otherwise calm houses.Sometimes conflicts can't be avoided.But by paying attention to the
building blocks of successful relationships,you can work towards making home a happy
and healthy place for you and your parents.
     For instance,try to find a time to talk when your parents are not angry,tired,distracted
or hungry.A good time to talk is when you're all relaxed.Timing is everything.If the
conversation begins to turn into an argument,you'd better calmly and coolly ask to stop
the conversation-for now.2.________Listen to what your parents are saying,and repeat
it back to them.This shows them that you're listening.3.________
     Respect is the building block of good communication.People who respect each other
and care about each others'feelings can disagree without things getting ugly.
4．________How do you build trust?Trust comes by actually doing what you say you're
going to do.Some teens find that doing fun activities with their parents can improve their
relationships.Sometimes we forget that parents are more than rulemakers-they're interesting
people who like to watch movies and go shopping-just like their teenagers!
     What do you do if youare trying your best,but your relationship with your parents
continues to be rocky?5.________You can find supportive adults,such as a teacher or a
coach,who can lend an ear.
     Remember you can only change your own behavior.Your parents are the only ones
who can change theirs.


A．It also gives them a chance to clear things up if you're not on the same page.
B．You can pick it up again when everyone's more relaxed.
C．And then you'll be able to accept what your parents say.
D．Faced with the challenge,children don't know what to do.
E．You are more likely to get along with your parents and have more independence if your
parents believe in you.
F．And your desire to take control of your own life is growing.
G．You may consider seeking outside help.

     Children become more generous as they get older, learning the principles of equality by the age of
eight. That may not be too surprising to anyone who has kids.
     Humans are born with a sense of fairness that most other animals seem not to share, but it's not been
clear exactly when this concept starts to develop.
     Dr.Alva Zhao and her colleagues conducted a series of tests to measure just how much children care
about equality at different ages.In three different versions of a game, children were asked to choose
between two ways of sharing a number of sweets with themselves and an unfamiliar partner.They could
choose, for example, between one for me and one for you, or just having one for themselves.
     At the age of three, children were "almost completely selfish", says Zhao.
     They refused to give sweets away even if it made no difference to themselves.But by the age of eight,
children generally preferred the fair option, sharing a prize equally rather than keeping it all to themselves.
     Several other factors influenced how fair the children were.The team found that children without
brothers or sisters were 28% more likely to share than children with brothers or sisters.On the other
hand, the youngest children in a family were 17% less willing to share than children who had only
younger brother or sister.
      In addition, if children knew that their partner was from the same playgroup or school, they were
more concerned about being fair.This suggests that being nice to people you know is something that
develops a sense of equality.

1. The main idea of the first paragraph is________.

A. parents know clearly when their kids are more willing to share
B. the kids' willingness of sharing is learned from their family
C. the older the kids are, the more selfish they will become
D. kids become more generous when they reach a certain age

2. The tests conducted by Dr.Alva Zhao and her colleagues were aimed at________.

A. how kids develop a quality of fairness in games
B. children's awareness of equality at different ages
C. the reasons why children care about equality
D. children's attitudes towards other partners

3. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A. Children under three know little about being fair.
B. Children above eight years old become less selfish.
C. Children with brothers or sisters tend to be more generous.
D. The youngest child in a family tends to be less generous.

4. We can learn that children care more about equality while with________.

A. unknown people  
B. nice people
C. familiar people
D. fair people

     The United Nations says more than 900 million people worldwide do not have enough to eat.Officials
say 100 million more could go hungry this year because of the food and financial crises.
      To deal with the situation, the UN World Food Program has started a project to help small farmers.
These farmers are mainly women.Many cannot produce enough food even to feed and support their own
families.
     The new effort is called Purchase for Progress, or P4P.It aims to connect local farmers with
dependable markets.That way, they could get a chance to sell their surplus (剩余) at competitive prices
.P4P will be tested in as many as 21 countries during the next five years.
     The biggest contributor to the project is Bill Gates, through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Another donor (捐款者) is the Howard Buffett Foundation, led by a son of the American investor
Warren Buffett.The government of Belgium is also supporting the project in a former colony (殖民地),
now the Democratic Republic of Congo.
     Together these donors have provided more than 76 million dollars for projects in Africa and Central
America.
      Purchase for Progress will work with United Nations agencies, governments and nongovernmental
organizations to help increase crop production.The World Bank Group and other partners are to help
train farmers in better crop management and marketing skills.
      The World Food Program says it expects to buy 40,000 tons of food in the first year using methods
carried out by the project.That will be enough to feed 250,000 people.
     P4P is expected to develop food cooperatives and longterm agreements for buying corn, wheat and
other food crops.About 350,000 farmers could be assisted.
     Officials say the project will change the way the World Food Program buys food in developing
countries.Executive Director Josette Sheeran says this is the first time her agency will buy a large amount 
 of food from small farmers.The agency has traditionally bought most of its food from developing
countries, but through larger trading organizations.

1. From the passage, we know that________.

A. in all 900 million people worldwide lack food
B. a project has been started to help women farmers
C. there are only two donors to help the project
D. some farmers still cannot support their families

2. According to the passage, ________will work hard to deal with the situation.

A. the United Nations
B. the combined efforts
C. some governments
D. some nongovernmental organizations

3. Which of the following will NOT be done to help small farmers?

A. To donate money.
B. To reform the way of food purchase.
C. To provide them with food.
D. To buy a large amount of food from them.

4. What's the best title for this passage?

A. Project to Help Small Farmers
B. Contribution to Small Farmers
C. Food Problems
D. P4P Is Being Carried Out

     Lisa, a 25year old from Beijing, recently places a number of very unpleasant statements on the
Internet regarding the elderly.They include things like "don't  rely on others", "don't expect others to
help", "don't be talkative", and "dont't be so stubborn". The underlying message was that elderly
people should not take advantage of their old age to demand special favours from others, particularly
from the young.This of course flies_in_the_face_of the Chinese tradition of respecting the elderly.But,
in my opinion, Lisa's "requests" might not be totally unreasonable.Old people do sometimes behave
like they're "stubborn"and "talkative". Still, the young woman is rudely insensitive to why the elderly
behave that way.As people get old, they become increasingly weakened physically.So it's natural for
them to ask for more help from others.As their memories decline, they tend to be talkative because
they easily forget what has just been said.The American psychologists D. R.Atkinson and G. Hackett
said that the brain is characterized by flexibility.It has the ability (most pronounced up to the age of 12)
to change itself as a result of experience.But, as the brain ages, this flexibility decreases.As a result, the
elderly are often inflexible in their ways.
     Therefore, old people need real care and deserve to be taken care of.Many have devoted most of
their lives to the wellbeing of the family or social.Their aging is no reason for showing prejudice (偏見)to
them.  According to Chinese tradition, older people are to be respected.As are Westerners.
     I live in the US for eight years, and in Hong Kong for 13.Never have I seen or heard anyone who
would openly tell old people "to behave themselves".
    We may encourage old people to be more selfreliant.But rudely demanding that they do so is ageism.
That's where the difference lies.

1. What does Lisa think of the elderly?

A. The elderly hate to rely on the others.
B. The elderly should take advantage of their old age.
C. They are not talkative but stubborn.
D. The elderly always demand special favors from the young.

2. The underlined part in the first paragraph can be replaced by"________".

A. expresses the apparent meaning of
B. shows disagreement with
C. deals with the surface meaning of
D. draws a conclusion from

3. What's the writer's attitude towards this problem?

A. The young woman is too sensitive to why the elderly behave that way.
B. The elderly naturally ask for more help from others, because their brain is characterized by flexibility.
C. The elderly are often inflexible in their ways, which makes the young suffer.
D. The elderly deserve to be taken care of and we shouldn't show our prejudice because of their aging.

4. The last three paragraphs really want to show that________.

A. we should respect the elderly
B. the people in the US or Hong Kong respect the older people
C. old people should be encouraged to be more selfreliant
D. different ideas about the elderly are allowed to exist

     1. ________This was not because the woods and fields were always far away, but because they were too far from the city to permit people to make a day trip between morning and nightfall.
     2. ________He decided to turn his little school into a dormitory (宿舍樓) for the summer holidays.Anyone who brought his sleeping bag and cooking equipment along could stay there for a very small quantity of money.The idea was a success.A few years later, the school house was much too small to hold the many young people who wanted to stay there.3.________.This was the first hostel (青年招待所).
     Today, young students and workers of every country can meet in the hostel and get to know each other.When young people arrive at the hostel, they have only to show their cards of membership in a hostel organization in their own country.4.________
     Often, at the evening meal, a group of boys and girls from various parts of the country or world will happen to meet at the same hostel.They may put their food together and prepare a dinner with many kinds of dishes.Sometimes a program will be organized after the meal with dances, songs, or short talks followed by a question period.5.______For this reason, a few weeks spent "hosteling" can be just as useful a part of one's education as classes in school.

A. In 1970, a young German school master had an idea which changed this situation.
B. People can stay in the hostel if they brought enough equipment with them.
C. One can learn a lot about other places, just by meeting people from those places
D. As a result, a dormitory was set up in an old castle nearby.
E. For years, children in the industrial areas of Europe seldom left their cities to see the
    beauties of the countryside.
F. More and more young people went to the hostel for summer holidays.
G. This card will permit them to stay in a hostel all over the world for very low prices.