My father was a foreman of a sugar-cane plantation in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. My first job was to drive the oxen（牛） that ploughed the cane fields. I would walk behind an ox, guiding him with a broomstick. For $ 1 a day, I worked eight hours straight, with no food breaks.
It was very tedious work, but it prepared me for life and taught me many lasting lessons. Because the plantation owners were always watching us, I had to be on time every day and work as hard as I could. I’ve never been late for any job since. I also learned about being respectful and faithful to the people you work for. More important, I earned my pay; it never entered my mind to say I was sick just because I didn’t want to work.
I was only six years old, but I was doing a man’s job. Our family needed every dollar we could make because my father never earned more than $ 18 a week. Our home was a three-room wood shack with a dirty floor and no toilet. Nothing made me prouder than bringing home money to help my mother, father, two brothers and three sisters. This gave me self-esteem(自尊心), one of the most important things a person can have.
When I was seven, I got work at a golf course near our house. My job was to stand down the fairway and spot the balls as they landed, so the golfers could find them. Losing a ball meant you were fired, so I never missed one. Some nights I would lie in bed and dreamt of making thousands of dollars by playing golf and being able to buy a bicycle.
The more I dreamed, the more I thought. Why not? I made my first golf club out of guava limb(番石榴树枝) and a piece of pipe. Then I hammered an empty tin can into the shape of a ball. And finally I dug two small holes in the ground and hit the ball back and forth. I practiced with the same devotion and intensity. I learned working in the field — except now I was driving golf balls with club, not oxen with a broomstick.
1.The word “tedious” in Paragraph 2 most probably means _______.
A. difficult B. boring C. interesting D. unusual
2.The writer learned that_______ from his first job.
A. he should work for those who he liked most
B. he should work longer than what he was expected
C. he should never fail to say hello to his owner
D. he should be respectful and faithful to the people he worked for
3._______ gave the writer self-esteem.
A. Having a family of eight people
B. Owning his own golf course
C. Bringing money back home to help the family
D. Helping his father with the work on the plantation
4.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A. He wanted to be a successful golfer.
B. He wanted to run a golf course near his house.
C. He was satisfied with the job he got on a plantation.
D. He wanted to make money by guiding oxen with a broomstick.
完形填空 (共15小题；每小题1分，共15分)
On a hot summer day in south Florida, a little boy decided to go for a swim in the lake behind his house. In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out of the 36 door, leaving behind his shoes, socks, and shirt as he went.
He 37 into the water, not realizing that as he swam to the middle of the lake, a(n) 38 was swimming toward the 39 . His mother in the house saw the two. Full of 40 , she ran toward the water, screaming at her son as loudly as she could. Hearing her voice, the little boy became 41 and made a U-turn to swim hurriedly to his mother. But it was too late. Just as he reached her, the crocodile 42 him. The mother grabbed her little boy by the 43 just as the crocodile seized his legs.
The crocodile was 44 stronger than the mother; but the mother was much too 45 to pull her son back. A farmer heard the 46 , raced from his truck, took aim and shot the crocodile.
Remarkably, a few weeks later, the little boy 47 . His legs were extremely scarred by the attack of the animal. 48 , on his arms, were deep scratches where his mother’s fingernails dug into his flesh(肉体) in her 49 to hang on to the son she loved.
The newspaper reporter, who 50 the boy after the accident, asked if he would show him his scars（疤痕）: The boy, with obvious 51 , said to the reporter, “But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my mom would not let go.”
You and I can 52 with that little boy. We have scars, too. Not from a crocodile, but the scars of a painful 53 . some of those scars are ugly and have 54 us deep regret. But , some wounds, my friend, are because our relatives have 55 to let go. In the course of your struggle, they have been there holding on to you.
1.A. back B. front C. open D. closed
2.A. swam B. flew C. went D. drived
3. A. child B. fish C. animal D. crocodile
4. A. shore B. centre C. middle D. lake
5. A. shock B. surprise C. fear D. joy
6.A. realized B. alarmed C. cleared D. pleased
7. A. hold B. arrived C. closed D. reached
8.A. body B. head C. arms D. hands
9. A. less B. much C. little D. few
10. A. hurried B. worried C. eager D. anxious
11. A. screams B. shouts C. voices D. sound
12.A. lived B. saved C. rescued D. survived
13. A. And B. Therefore C. But D. However
14.A. force B. power C. effort D. strength
15.A. asked B. interviewed C. questioned D. reported
16.A. regret B. pride C. joy D. worry
17.A. agree B. disagree C. admire D. respect
18.A. past B. future C. memory D. reminder
19. A. kept B. made C. left D. led
20.A. accepted B. delayed C. denied D. refused
The competition between the 2 restaurants was______.
A. in B. on C. away D. out
—Excuse me, sir, ________
—I’d like a cup of coffee and two pieces of bread.
A. what do you want? B. may I have your order?
C. this table is reserved. D. I would like to serve you.
When they met ten years later, they talked happily about the people and the things ________ they remembered on the school football team.
A. who B. which C. what D. that
He couldn’t ______ the fact that the money was found in his house.
A. answer for B. leave for C. account for D. care for
