I used to believe in the American dream that meant a job，credit and success. I wanted it and worked toward it like everyone else, all of us separately chasing the same thing.
One year, through a series of unhappy events, it all fell apart. I found myself homeless and alone. I had my truck and $ 56. I searched the countryside for some place I could rent for the cheapest possible amount. I came upon a deserted cottage in a small remote valley.I hadn't been alone for 25 years. I was scared, but I hoped the hard work would distract and heal me.
I found the owner and rented the place for$ 50 a month.The locals knew nothing about me. But slowly they started teaching me the art of being a neighbor. They dropped off blankets, tools and canned deer meat and began sticking around to chat. They would ask if I wanted to meet cousin Albie or go fishing. They started to teach me a belief in a different American dream, not the one of individual achievement but of neighborliness. Men would stop by with wild berries, ice cream or truck parts to see if I was up for courting. I wasn't, but they were civil anyway.The woman on that mountain worked harder than any I'd ever met. They taught me how to store food in the stream and keep it cold and safe._I_learned_to_keep_enough_for_an_extra_plate_for_company.
What I had believed in, all those things I thought were necessary for a civilized life, were nonexistent in this place.Up on the mountain, my most valuable possessions were my relationships with my neighbors.
After four years in that valley, I moved back into town. I saw a lot of people were having a really hard time, losing their jobs and homes. With the help of a real estate broker (房地产经纪人) I chatted up at the grocery store, I managed to rent a big enough house to take in a handful of people. It's four of us now，but over time I've had nine come in and move on to other places from here. We'd all be in shelters if we hadn't banded together.
The American dream I believe in now is a shared one. It's not so much about what I can get for myself; it's about how we can all get by together.
1.Before a series of unhappy events happened, the writer________.
A．had a wellpaid job B．worked hard for his American dream
C．worked hard and liked to share D．felt hopeless about his American dream
2.What does the underlined word “it” in the second paragraph refer to?
A．The house. B．The job.
C．The company. D．The American dream.
3.
4.
Learning to save money when you're young is an important lesson. All good lessons and habits begin early, and saving is a skill that everyone __36__. Many people—adults included—do not have a good __37__ of saving for the long run.
I have been _38__ to learn this lesson early because I have had a grass cutting business since I was 10 years old. 39__ the money I make I spend about 10 percent and save the other 90.
Making sure you save and don't spend too much is a good way to __40__ wealth. I have put my earnings in a bank. Many teens I know spend all the money they earn so it never has a chance to _41__. Young people should __42_ that their teenage years are a great time to begin saving.
If you have a job at high school, you _43__ have fun with some of the money. But you should also save some __44__ it will grow. Then you can begin planning for your future. When you spend money, you not only lose that money, __45__ lose the interest you could have earned by saving it.
After high school, college is __46__， with expenses such as food and rent. If you can __47__ a good percentage of the money you earn as a teen, going to college and buying a house will be much easier. If you are in your thirties without any savings, you will always have to __48__.
Later in life it can be hard to start saving _49__ general cost of living is more expensive and you may only have enough to pay your _50__. If you want to buy a house and have a family, you need money to start with, which __51__ saving.
Many say money cannot make you happy, and this is true. But money can help you to lead a __52__ life.
Saving early will mean you will have to work for fewer years when you are older. It will also __53___ you to spend time doing the things that you want to do.__54__， it will mean you can live the way you want to without 55__.
1.A. needs B. likes C. arranges D. expects
2.A. knowledge B. experience C. form D. sense
3.A. foolish B. fundamental C. lucky D. grateful
4.A. With B. Of C. In D. From
5.A. divide up B. build up C. keep up D. make up
6.A. break B. run C. make D. grow
7.A. recognize B. realize C. research D. doubt
8.A. must B. dare C. should D. may
9.A. so that B. in case C. in that D. but for
10.A. but B. and C. also D. or
11.A. expensive B. cheap C. boring D. bitter
12.A. hold out B. hold up C. hold onto D. hold back
13.A. survive B. struggle C. tolerate D. die
14.A. if B. as long as C. while D. since
15.A. bills B. taxes C. attention D. consequences
16.A. results from B. gets from C. comes from D. escapes from
17.A. happy B. simple C. miserable D. secure
18.A. forbid B. allow C. Advise D. request
19.A. In addition B. Above all C. On the contrary D. Believe it or not
20.A. consulting B. worrying C. resting D. thinking
A killer whale at Sea World Orlando jumped out of its tank on Wednesday and fatally attacked a worker as horrified visitors________.
A. has been looking up B. looked on C. had looked off D. was looking in
——The Thirteen Women in Nanjing directed by Zhang Yimou is said to be well worth seeing.
——You must be kidding! It’s one_____in at least a year.
A. Completed B. completing C. to be completed D. having been completed
The worsening of global warming, _____human activities are to blame, has led to frequently extreme weather.
A. by which B. for which C. that D. what
English-born Paul made_____across the globe after he correctly forecast how Germany would fare(进展) in seven matches in the World Cup.
A. targets B. headlines C. reputation D. selections
