When middle-aged Alex quit his job and made up his mind to become a self-employed writer, no one could tell for sure whether he would succeed or not．He found a cold storage room in a building, set up a used typewriter and settled down to work．
After a year or so, however, Alex began to doubt himself．He found it was difficult to earn his living by selling what he wrote．But Alex determined to put his dream to the test—even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of failure．This is the shadowland（虚幻世界）of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there．
One day Alex got a call, "We need an assistant, and we're paying $ 6,000 a year．” $ 6,000 was real money in 1960．It would enable Alex to get a nice apartment, a used car and more．Besides, he could write in his spare time．As the dollars were dancing in Alex's head, something cleared his senses．He had dreamed of being a writer? Full time．"Thanks, but no," Alex said firmly and swiftly, "I'm going to stick it out and write．"
After Alex got off the phone, he pulled out everything he had: two cans of vegetables and 18 cents．Alex put the cans and cents into a paper bag, saying to himself," There's everything you've made of yourself so far．I'm not sure I ever felt so low．"
Finally his work was published in 1970．Instantly he had the kind of fame and success that few writers ever experienced．The shadows had turned into focus of attention．
Then one day, Alex found a box filled with things he had owned years before．Inside was a paper bag with two cans and 18 cents．Suddenly he pictured himself working in that cold storage room．It reminds Alex, and anyone with a dream, of the courage and persistence it takes to stay the course in the shadowland．
1.Why did Alex give up his job?
A．Because he didn't like the working conditions．
B．Because he couldn't earn enough to make a living．
C．Because he wanted to be a full-time writer．
D．Because he felt he had no potential in his job．
2.What did Alex express when he answered the call?
A．He refused the job offer．
B．He was willing to give them a hand．
C．He expected them to pay him more money．
D．He would write in his spare time．
3.What kind of person is Alex?
A．Determined． B．Modest C．Shy． D．Brave．
4.Which of the following can summarize the passage best?
A．Look before you leap．
B．Two heads are better, than one．
C．Hold on to your dream, and it will come true．
D．A bird in hand is worth two in the bush．
完型填空（共20小题；每小题1．5分，满分30分）
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从36—55各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上涂黑。
When I was about five years old, I used to watch a bird in the skies of southern Alberta from the Blackfoot Blood Reserve in northern Montana where I was born．I loved this bird; I would 36 him for hours．He would 37 effortlessly in that gigantic sky, or he would come down and light on the 38 and float there beautifully．Sometimes when I watched him, he would not make a sound and liked to move 39 into the grasses．We called him meksikatsi, which in the Blackfoot language 40 “pink-colored feet”; meksikatsi and I became very good friends．
The bird had a very particular significance to me 41 I desperately wanted to be able to fly too．I felt very much as if I was the kind of person who had been born into a world where 42 was impossible．And most of the things that I 43 about would not be possible for me but would be possible only for other people．
When I was ten years old, something unexpected 44 my life suddenly．I found myself become an 45 child in a family I was not born into; I found myself in a 46 position that many native Americans find themselves in, living in a city that they do not understand at all, not in another culture but 47 two cultures．
A teacher of the English language told me that meksikatsi was not called meksikatsi, even though that is what 48 people have called that bird for thousands of years．Meksikatsi, he said, was really “duck”．I was very 49 with English．I could not understand it．First of all, the bird did not look like “duck”, and when it made a 50 , it did not sound like “duck”, I was even more 51 when I found out that the meaning of the verb “to duck” came from the bird．
As I 52 to understand English better, I understand that it made a great deal of 53 , but I never forgot that meksikatsi made a different kind of meaning．I 54 that languages are not just different words for the same things but totally different 55 , totally different ways of experiencing and looking at the world．
1.A．keep B．watch C．follow D．search
2.A．jump B．dive C．circle D．wander
3.A．nest B．hill C．water D．road
4.A．quickly B．naturally C．freely D．quietly
5.A．means B．reads C．shows D．states
6.A．though B．because C．while D．until
7.A．communicationB．imagination C．belief D．flight
8.A．dreamed B．worried C．knew D．argued
9.A．improved B．enriched C．changed D．ruined
10.A．educated B．adopted C．outgoing D．independent
11.A．weak B．comfortable C．terrible D．central
12.A．between B．against C．without D．beyond
13.A．most B．few C．their D．my
14.A．desperate B．bored C．uncomfortable D．disappointed
15.A．noise B．call C．decision D．choice
16.A．ashamed B．confused C．embarrassed D．frightened
17.A．tried B．came C．determined D．expected
18.A．evidence B．distinction C．profit D．sense
19.A．identified B．confirmed C．realized D．predicted
20.A．concepts B．regulations C．messages D．evaluations
Now in China some young people ______ important positions in the government．
A．hold B．seize C．catch D．grasp
Generally speaking, prices of daily goods ______ through the Internet are lower than store prices．
A．to buy B．are bought C．buying D．bought
The young man invited the lady to dance with him, but she ______ his invitation．
A．turned off B．turned out C．turned down D．turned away
-- What’s your plan for this winter vacation?
-- I’ll take an express train to Dalian for my holiday ______ school ends．
A．while B．until C．immediately D．unless
