Ole Bull was a very famous violinist from Norway. He really liked to play the violin. But his father thought that playing the violin was not useful. So his father sent him to university to study. However, playing the violin was his dream. He didn’t want to give up his dream. So he left university before he finished his studies and spent all his time and energy practicing the violin. Unfortunately, his violin teacher was not very good. So when it was time for him to start his concert tour, he still couldn’t play the violin very well.
Therefore, a Milan newspaper critic1 criticized him and said that he was an untrained violinist. The critic said, “If he is gold, he is not ready to shine2 yet.”
When facing this kind of problem, some people may become very angry and some people try to learn from it. Fortunately, Ole Bull belonged to the second group. He went to the newspaper office and found the critic. Instead of being angry, he talked about his mistakes with the man and listened to the man’s advice.
After he met the critic, he gave up the rest of his concerts. Then he went back to practice the violin with the help of good teachers. In the end, he got great success when he was only 26. He also became one of the most famous violinists in the world.
1.Why didn't Ole Bull's father like him to play the piano?
A. Because he thought playing the violin was useless.
B. Because his father thought playing the violin would cost lots of money.
C. Because his father thought he couldn't play the violin well.
D. Because his father thought he couldn't make his dream come true.
2.What does the underlined part "If he is gold, he is not ready to shine yet." mean?
A. Gold always shines no matter where it is.
B. He is an excellent violinist.
C. He doesn't play the violin very well.
D. If he sells gold, he will make a lot of money.
3.What was Ole Bull's attitude towards the critic's article?
A. Angry. B. Excited. C. Modest. D. Worried.
4.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Without a good teacher, one can't succeed.
B. The critic's advice helped Ole Bull a lot.
C. Ole Bull got success after many years' hard practice at last.
D. The critic helped Ole Bull find a famous teacher.
5.What can we learn from the passage?
A. Becoming a violinist can make a lot of money.
B. When we meet problems, we should learn to face them.
C. Old Bull was a famous American pianist.
D. You can be famous easily if you play the violin.
My young daughter and I were flying to Miami for holiday. The plane was totally 36 . We couldn’t get seats together and were separated by the aisle. I asked two men if they would like to change 37 with us, so that we could be together. They 38 .
At the same time, a mother 39 three children also had the same problem as us. The mother 40 her baby, but her young son and his older brother were separated from her. She was very concerned about the boys sitting with 41 . She was very worried, but 42 helped her. Suddenly a man said, “I think we can help you.” Then he and his group managed to make enough space for the 43 .
My young daughter, however, was afraid of not being next to a window or her mom. I told her I couldn’t do anything; we had to sit 44 we were. Amazingly, the man sitting next to me turned to me and said he really liked the seat near the aisle, so we changed seats and continued our trip 45 .
Would that man give us his seat if the others hadn’t done so for the mom and her children? I don’t know. Perhaps kindness is contagious.
1.A. crowded B. uncomfortable C. full D. noisy
2.A. money B. seats C. minds D. ideas
3.A. agreed B. refused C waited D. nodded
4.A. with B. except C. next to D. besides
5.A. held B. raised C. carried D. brought
6.A. friends B.waitresses C.strangers D.relatives
7.A. somebody B. anybody C. everybody D. nobody
8.A. family B. home C. house D. team
9.A. that B. what C. where D. when
10.A. sadly B. hurriedly C. slowly D. happily
-- Can you tell me __________________?
--Sure. For two years.
A.when you bought this MP5 B. how long you have had this MP5
C. how soon you will buy a new MP5 D. where you bought this MP5
Have you heard of Zhai Mo ______became the first Chinese person to travel around the world in a sailboat?
A. that B. whose C. which D. whom
-Kate dances so well. Has she ever been trained?
--No. He learns all by herself. She ______ goes to any training class.
A. usually B. often C. never D. even
When I meet difficulties, my mother always tells me __________ in myself and not to give up.
A. believe B. to believe C. believing D. believed
