I really love my job because I enjoy working with small children and like the challenges and awards from the job. I also think my work is important. There was a time when I thought I would never have that sort of career（职业）.
I wasn’t an excellent student because I didn’t do much schoolwork. In my final term I started thinking what I might do and found I didn’t have much to offer. I just accepted that I wasn’t the type to have a career.
I then found myself a job, looking after two little girls. It wasn’t too bad at first. But the problems began when I agreed to live in, so that I would be there if my boss had to go out for business in the evening. We agreed that if I had to work extra hours one week, she’d give me time off the next. But unfortunately, it didn’t often work out. I was getting very tired and fed up, because I had too many late nights and early mornings with the children.
One Sunday, I was in the park with the children, and met Megan who used to go to school with me. I told her about my situation. She suggested that I should do a course and get a qualification（资格证书）if I wanted to work with children. I didn’t think I would be accepted because I didn’t take many exams in school. She persuaded me to phone the local college and they were really helpful. My experience counted for a lot and I got on a part-time course. I had to leave my job with the family, and got work helping out at a kindergarten.
Now I’ve got a full-time job there. I shall always be thankful to Megan. I wish I had known earlier that you could have a career, even if you aren’t top of the class at school.
1.When staying with the two girls’ family，the author ________.
A. was paid for extra work B. often worked long hours
C. got much help from her boss D. took a day off every other week
2.Why did the author leave her first job？
A. She found a full-time job.
B. She was fed up with children.
C. She decided to attend a part-time course.
D. She needed a rest after working extra hours.
3.What has the author learned from her own experiences？
A. Less successful students can still have a career.
B. Qualifications are necessary for a career.
C. Hard work makes an excellent student.
D. One must choose the job she likes.
Daniel Defoe (about 1660～1731) was an important novelist in the English literature(文学). When he was young, he served as a soldier and had been to Spain, Italy, France and Germany. At the same time, he went in for politics. He cared much about the development of capitalism(资本主义). He had written a lot of articles against it and he was put into prison twice for that. It was not until that he was nearly sixty that he began to write the famous novel “Robinson Crusoe”, which was published in May, 1709. It spread so rapidly that the story was known to every household very soon.
“Robinson Crusoe” can be divided into three parts. The first part is about Crusoe’s three voyages, the second part about his hunting, hiding in caves farming and his hard struggles against nature on a small island, the third about the things which happened after his return from the island. The second part is the body of the novel, in which Robinson’s characters are clearly shown.
Defoe wrote his novel in a simple style and his language is easy to understand. His novel writing set a milestone of the modern English novel. In his later part of life, He was in poor health and lived very poorly. He died on April 24, 1731.
1.Deniel Defoe was ______ and the writer of ______.
A. an Englishman, “A Tale of Two Cities”
B. an American, “A Million Pound Note”
C. a Frenchman, “The Lost Necklace”
D. an Englishman, “Robinson Crusoe”
2.How old was he when he began to write his famous novel “Robinson Crusoe”?
A. He was in his sixties. B. He was in his fifties.
C. He was over 60. D. He was sixty.
3.Robinson Crusoe can be divided into ______ parts and the first is about _______.
A .two, his lonely life B. three, his characters
C. three, his journeys by sea D. four, his fame
4.“Every household” in this passage means ______.
A. all members of a family B. all people
C. every building D. persons living in the same house
5.What was Defoe’s contribution(贡献) to the English literature?
A. He wrote a very interesting story.
B. He made people happy while reading his story.
C. He set a milestone of the modern English novel.
D. He was active in politics and was against capitalism.
There is a wonderful story about a young girl who had no family and no one to love her.
One day, feeling very sad and lonely, she was walking through a grassland when she noticed a small butterfly caught in a thorn （荆棘） bush. The young girl carefully released the Butterfly. Instead of flying away, the little butterfly changed into a beautiful fairy. The young girl rubbed her eyes in disbelief.
“For your wonderful kindness,” the good fairy said to the girl, “I will give you any wish you would like.” The little girl thought for a moment and then replied, “I want to be happy.”
The fairy leaned toward her and whispered in her ear. Then the fairy disappeared.
As the little girl grew up, there was no one in the land as happy as she. Everyone asked her secret of happiness .She would only smile and answer, “The secret of my happiness is that I listened to a good fairy when I was a little girl.”
When she was very old and on her deathbed， the neighbors all gathered around her， thinking that her unbelievable secret of happiness would die with her. “Tell us, please,” they begged, “Tell us what the good fairy said.” The lovely old woman simply smiled and said,“She told me that everyone, no matter how secure（可靠的） they seemed, no matter how old or young, how rich or poor, had need of me.”
1.Why did the girl feel sad and lonely？
A. There were many friends to love her. B. There was nobody to love her.
C. There was nothing to do. D. Seeing the butterfly was caught.
2.Noticing the butterfly was caught by the thorn, the girl ______.
A. helped the butterfly escape from the thorn
B. felt sorrow, but she didn’t go up to help it
C. fell down on it too
D. failed to help it release from the thorn
3.The butterfly ______ after it was saved by the little girl.
A. flied away B. still died
C. changed into a fairy D. was more beautiful than before
4.The only thing that the little girl wanted was________.
A. to be rich B. to have her own parents
C. to have a lot of friends D. happiness
5.The neighbors all gathered around the old happy woman when she was dying，because ______.
A. they loved this woman deeply and they didn’t wanted her to die
B. the woman had lots of money to be shared as soon as she died
C. they wanted to know the secret of her lifetime happiness
D. they wanted to pray for her after her death
Once a beautiful diamond necklace of a king was lost. The king then offered a 1for $50,000 for anybody who found it.
One day a clerk was walking along a 2next to an industrial(工业的) area, which was completely 3and smelly. Suddenly, he saw something 4in the river and when he looked carefully, he saw the diamond necklace. He decided to try and catch it so that he could get the 5. He put his hand in the dirty river and grabbed at (抓住) the necklace, but somehow 6it. He then walked in the water and put his whole arm in. But 7, he still missed it! He came out, feeling 8.
Then again he saw the necklace, 9there. This time, he dived into the river. He searched everywhere and yet he 10.
Just then an old man who was 11, saw him, and asked him what was the matter. The clerk didn’t want to 12the secret with him, so he 13to tell him anything. But the old man could see the clerk was 14and promised he would not tell anyone about it. The clerk then decided to put some 15in the old man. He talked about the necklace and 16he tried to catch it, but 17failing . The old man suggested that perhaps he should try 18upward, toward the branches of the tree, instead of in the river. The clerk looked up, and 19enough, the necklace was hanging on a 20. He had been trying to get a reflection (倒影) of the real necklace all the time.
Material happiness is just like the polluted river, because it is a reflection of the true happiness in the spiritual world.
1.A. competition B. notice C. reward（回报） D. gift
2.A. playground B. beach C. street D. river
3.A. destroyed B. polluted C. filled D. connected
4.A. waving B. swimming C. shining D. moving
5.A. money B. power C. treasure D. pleasure
6.A. missed B. followed C. touched D. caught
7.A. jokingly B. naturally C. strangely D. gradually
8.A. afraid B. bored C. guilty D. depressed（沮丧）
9.A. up B. right C. over D. out
10.A. waited B. left C. started D. failed
11.A. coming back B. passing by C. getting up D. sitting down
12.A. share B. report C. hide D. announce（宣布）
13.A. managed B. determined C. refused D. offered
14.A. interested B. surprised C. scared D. troubled
15.A. happiness B. faith（信任）C. luck D. courage
16.A. how B. where C. when D. whether
17.A. forgot B. minded C. kept D. enjoyed
18.A. stepping B. jumping C. climbing D. looking
19.A. straight B. true C. far D. near
20.A. branch B. house C. stick D. wire
Some researchers believe that there is no doubt_______ a cure for AIDS will be found.
A. which B. that C. what D. whether
It’s Dec.20. Christmas is just________ the corner.
A. on B. at C. around D. off
