When other nine-year-old kids were playing games, she was working at a petrol station . When other teens were studying or going out , she struggled to find a place to sleep on the street. But she overcame these terrible setbacks to win a highly competitive scholarship and gain entry to Harvard University . And her amazing story has inspired a movie , “ Homeless to Harvard : The Liz Murray Story” , shown in late April .
Liz Murray , a 22-year-old American girl, has been writing a real-life story of willpower and determination . Liz grew up in the shadow of two drug-addicted parents. There was never enough food or warm clothes in the house . Liz was the only member who had a job . Her mother had AIDS and died when Liz was just 15 years old. The effect of that loss became a turning point in her life. Connecting the environment in which she had grown up with how her mother had died , she decided to do something about it.
Liz went back to school. She threw herself into her studies, never telling her teachers that she was homeless . At night , she lived on the streets. “ What drove me to live on had something to do with understanding , by understanding that there was a whole other way of being . I had only experienced a small part of the society,” she wrote in her book Breaking Night .
She admitted that she used envy to drive herself on . She used the benefits that come easily to others , such as a safe living environment , to encourage herself that “ next to nothing could hold me down”. She finished high school in just two years and won a full scholarship to study at Harvard University . But Liz decided to leave her top university a couple of months earlier this year in order to take care of her father, who has also developed AIDS. “ I love my parents so much . They are drug addicts. But I never forget that they loved me all the time.”
Liz wants moviegoers to come away with the idea that changing your life is “ as simple as making a decision”.
1. The main idea of the passage is __________ .
A. how Liz managed to enter Harvard University
B. What a hard time Liz had in her childhood
C. why Liz loved her parents so much
D. how Liz struggled to change her life
2. In which order did the following things happen to Liz ?
a. Her mother died of AIDS.
b. She worked at a petrol station.
c. She got admission into Harvard University.
d. The movie about her life was put on.
e. She had trouble about finding a place to sleep .
A. b, a , e , c, d B. a , b , c , e , d
C. e , d, b , a , c D. b , e , a , d , c
3. What actually made her go towards her goal ?
A. Envy and encouragement.
B. Willpower and determination .
C. Decisions and understanding.
D. Love and respect for her parents.
4. When she wrote “ What drove me to live on … I had only experienced a small part of the society,she meant that __________ .
A. she had little experience of social life.
B. she could hardly understand the society.
C. she would do something for her own life.
D. she needed to travel more around the world.
Late that afternoon I took the train back to Sydney . There I found another surprise waiting for me . My room at the hotel had been given to somebody else and they had no room for me. Harkin had known my travel plans and had planned everything . How could he have booked the room only for three days ? There was nothing to be done but to find another hotel. The waiters were happy to find me a new hotel , and when I said that I was happy to stay at the airport , thinking it might be cheaper than staying in the city , they suggested the Holiday Inn at the airport . There was one small matter : the room rate was $ 300 per night . The best hotel in Katoomba had wanted only $ 145 . I asked if there was anything cheaper they might suggest but they warned that most hotels would already be full by this time.
The hotel was far from the train station , so I had to take a taxi , at $ 25 . On the way to the Holiday Inn , we passed a hotel just two blocks from the Holiday Inn that advertised a room rate of $ 104 . At the desk I asked if their room rate could go down a lot . “ No , this is a 4-star hotel,” the waiter told me . “ In that case ,” I replied , “ I’ll just walk the two blocks to the cheap hotel.” But she warned me that they were probably full and that if I didn’t take the room , it might not be available when I came back . Finally , I decided to take the room.
The room itself was big , but the air conditioning couldn’t keep up with the Australian heat . I couldn’t sleep until about 1:00 am.
1. Why did the writer have to look for another hotel ?
A. He didn’t book early. B. Harkin made a mistake.
C. He was short of money. D. He wasn’t well received.
2. How did the writer feel when hearing the room rate at the Holiday Inn ?
A. Nervous. B. Happy.
C. Surprised. D. Relaxed.
3. Why did the writer take the room finally ?
A. It’s a 4-star hotel . B. It’s around the station.
C. It was mid-night then. D. The room was in great demand.
4. What does the text mainly talk about ?
A. A hotel hunting experience. B. An unforgettable day.
C. A warm-hearted waiter. D. An introduction to hotels.
Sometimes your weakness can become your biggest strength. ____ the story of a 10-year-old boy for example , who decided to study judo (柔道) with a judo teacher despite the fact that he had his left arm because of a car accident .
The boy was doing well, so he couldn’t understand , , after three months of , the teacher had taught him only one move.
“ Sir ,” the boy finally said , “ I be learning more moves?” “This is the only move you know , but this is the only move you’ll need to know ,” the teacher replied. Not quite understanding , believing in his teacher , the boy kept training.
Several months later , the teacher took the boy to his first tournament (锦标赛) . Surprising , the boy easily won his first three matches. Still by his success , the boy was now in the finals .
This , his opponent (对手) was bigger , stronger , and more experienced . For a while , the boy to be in the disadvantage . Concerned that the boy might , the judge called a time-out . He was about to stop the match the teacher interrupted . “ No,” the teacher , “ Let him continue .”
, his opponent made the biggest mistake : he dropped his guard . Instantly , the boy used his move to throw him down . The boy had the tournament .
On the way home , the boy gathered to ask the teacher what was really his mind. “ Sir , how did I win the tournament with only one move ?”
“ You won for two reasons,” the teacher answered . “ First , you’ve almost one of the most difficult throws in all judo. Second , the only defense (防御) for all that move is for your opponent to take hold of your left arm..” The boy’s biggest weakness---- the loss of his left arm, had become his biggest strength.
1.A. TakeB. GiveC. ShowD. Make
2.A. injuredB. lostC. replacedD. broken
3.A. howB. whetherC. whyD. when
4.A. trainingB. matchesC. lecturesD. running
5.A. Needn’tB. Shouldn’tC. Mustn’tD. Wouldn’t
6.A. stillB. alsoC. evenD. ever
7.A. soB. butC. orD. and
8.A. themB. himC. himselfD. themselves
9.A. amazedB. excitedC. worriedD. pleased
10.A. wayB. manC. matchD. time
11.A. happenedB. appearedC. pretendedD. decided
12.A. become nervousB. feel tiredC. get hurtD. go sick
13.A. whileB. beforeC. whenD. until
14.A. orderedB. insistedC. explainedD. complained
15.A. Ever sinceB. By thenC. In timeD. Soon after
16.A. lostB. wonC. passedD. joined
17.A. courageB. strengthC. informationD. chance
18.A. inB. onC. forD. with
19.A. seenB. forgottenC. masteredD. remembered
20.A. knownB. interestingC. wrongD. clear
---Are you coming to Jeff’s party ?
---I’m not sure. I ____go to the movie instead.
A. must B. would C. should D. might
His movie won several awards at the film festival , _______ was beyond his wildest dream.
A. which B. that C. what D. it
--- Have you heard about the sinking of the South Korean Ship ?
--- Sure, it _______ the only thing on the news for the past three weeks.
A. has been B. is
C. would be D. had been