A friend is better than fortune. A friend is worse than poison in some cases.
The two sentences above have opposite meanings and seem to be unreasonable, but they can be explained as follows: the first refers to all good friends who drive us towards good while the second all bad ones who lead us into bad ways.
My ideal friend is of course a good friend whose goodness is shown below — he has no bad habits, such as smoking and drinking. He lives in frugality (节俭). He studies hard so as not to waste his golden time. At home he honors his parents and loves his brothers; at school he respects his teachers and shares the feelings of his classmates. He treats those truly who are true to him. In a word, he has all the good characteristics that I don’t have. I can follow him as a model. With his help I can be free from all difficulties.
Indeed, if I have such a person as my friend, I shall never fear difficulty and I shall never know the existence of the word “failure”.
1.This passage tells us ____.
A. how to make friends with others B. how to help friends
C. what kind of person the writer’s friend is
D. what kind of person we should make friends with
2.According to the writer, an ideal friend refers to _______.
A. a friend without bad habits B. a famous man
C. a perfect man D. a respectable man
3.From the passage we can learn that ________.
A. the writer and his ideal friend have a lot to learn from each other
B. the writer has a lot to learn from his ideal friend
C. the writer’s ideal friend has a lot to learn from him
D. the writer has only a little to learn from his ideal friend
4.From the second paragraph, we can infer the writer is sure that _______.
A. friendship means a great deal to him
B. nothing can be done without friends
C. he who does not smoke or drink must be a good friend
D. good friends should always help each other
The Price of a Dream
I grew up poor, living with my wonderful mother. We had little money but plenty of love and attention. I was 36 and energetic. I understood that no matter how poor a person was, he could still 37 a dream.
My dream was to be a sportsman. 38 I was sixteen, I had started playing baseball. I could throw a ninety-mile-per-hour fastball and hit anything that moved on the football field. I was also 39 . My high-school coach was Ollie Jarvis, who not only believed in me, but taught me 40 to believe in myself. He 41 me the difference between having a dream and realizing the dream. One particular 42 with Coach Jarvis changed my life forever.
It was the summer between my junior and senior years, and a friend recommended (推荐) me for a summer job. This meant a chance for money in my pocket—money for a new bike and new clothes, and the 43 of savings for a house for my mother. Then I realized I would have to 44 summer baseball to deal with the work schedule, and that meant I would have to tell Coach Jarvis I wouldn’t be playing.
When I told Coach Jarvis, he was as 45 as I expected him to be. “You have your whole life to work,” he said. “Your playing days are limited. You can’t 46 to waste them.” I stood before him with my head hanging, trying to think of the 47 that would explain 48 him why my dream of buying my mom a house and having money in my pocket was worth facing his 49 in me.
“How much are you going to make at this job, son?” he asked. “Three twenty-five an hour,” I replied.
“Well,” he asked, “is $3.25 an hour the 50 of a dream?”
That simple question made it 51 to me the difference between 52 something right now and following a dream. I 53 myself to sports that summer, and within the year I was 54 by the Pittsburgh Pirates to play baseball, and was 55 a $20,000 contract. In 2000, I bought my mother the house of my dream!
1.A. happy B. polite C. shy D. honest
2.A. lose B. have C. make D. need
3.A. By the time B. The time C. At one time D. At a time
4.A. right B. popular C. lucky D. confident
5.A. how B. why C. when D. whether
6.A. gave B. taught C. brought D. asked
7.A. accident B. matter C. problem D. experience
8.A. aim B. idea C. start D. purpose
9.A. keep up B. put up C. give up D. pick up
10.A. mad B. happy C. frightened D. shameful
11.A. adopt B. afford C. affect D. effect
12.A. answers B. excuses C. words D. ways
13.A. for B. to C. on D. in
14.A. sadness B. regret C. hopelessness D. disappointment
15.A. source B. prize C. price D. allowance
16.A. direct B. clear C. clean D. straight
17.A. wanting B. changing C. dreaming D. choosing
18.A. provided B. devoted C. headed D. imagined
19.A. worked B. mentioned C. fired D. hired
20.A. paid B. got C. offered D. signed
-- Would you help sweep the floor?
-- _____ I’d rather water the flowers.
A. Not particularly B. Don’t mention it. C. Anything but that. D. With pleasure.
-- Come on, please give me some ideas about the project.
-- sorry, with so much work _____ my mind, I almost break down.
A. filled B. filling C. to fill D. being filled
After the new technique was introduced, the factory produced _____ cars in 2010 as the year before.
A． as twice many B．as many twice C．twice as many D．twice many as
_____ of her skirt is different _____ that of mine.
A. A color; in B. The color; with C. A color; between D. The color; from
