One day, a train was approaching the small town of Cheekyville. On the train was a   1  man with a big suitcase. He was called William Warbler and he looked very   2  indeed. But what made him most unusual was the fact that whenever he needed to   3  , he did so by singing opera. Even if someone said “good day” to him, he would clear his throat and   4  : “Goood dayyy to youuuuuu..... toooooo!”

Almost everyone considered William unusual, since no one could get a normal   5   word out of him. As no one knew how he made his living — he lived quite   6  , always wearing the same old second-hand suit — they often had no ___7__for him and sometimes even made fun of him.

William had been in Cheekyville for some years, when one day a rumor (謠言) spread that William had received a role in a very important   8  in the nation’s capital, that there had been posters everywhere advertising the event, and that it had been a great   9 . And to everyone’s surprise, when William was being interviewed by reporters, he answered their questions by speaking with good   10 , and with a clear and pleasant voice.

From that day on, William gave up   11  at all hours. Now he sang only during his stage appearances. People wouldn’t have thought him   12  if they had seen what William kept in his big suitcase. It was a large   13 , with a hand-carved message on it.

The message said, “Practice every second, for you never know when your   14   will come.” Little did people realize that he only got the role in the opera because the   15   had heard William singing while out buying a newspaper.

1. A. tall       B. sensitive    C. handsome    D. strange

2. A. common     B. concerned   C. wealthy     D. confident

3. A. appear     B. practice     C. communicate D. debate

4. A. whisper   B. respond      C. repeat     D. tease

5. A. advised   B. printed      C. written     D. spoken

6. A. simply     B. naturally    C. calmly      D. fortunately

7. A. mercy     B.  respect     C. trust       D. money

8. A. concert    B. documentary  C. opera      D. film

9. A. experience B. benefit      C. discovery   D. success 

10. A. movements B. manners     C. efforts    D. signs

11. A. pretendingB. recording   C. singing    D. wandering

12. A. mad       B. skillful    C. artificial  D. desperate

13. A. knife     B. stone        C. medal       D. diamond

14. A. solution  B. inspiration  C. performance D. chance

15. A. neighbor  B. visitor     C. director    D. Teacher

 

Success is often measured by the ability to overcome adversity（逆境）. But it is often the belief of others that gives us the courage（勇氣）to try.
J. K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter book series, began writing at age 6. Her good friend-Sean became the first person to encourage her and help her build the confidence that one day she would be a very good writer.
“He was the first person with whom I really discussed my serious ambition（志向） to be a writer. He was also the only person who thought I was bound to（注定）be a success at it, which meant much more to me than I ever told him at the time.”
Though there were many difficulties, Rowling continued her writing, particularly fantasy stories. But it wasn't until l990 that she first came up with the idea about Harry Potter. As she recalls（回憶）, it was on a long train journey from London to Manchester that “the idea of Harry Potter simply fell into my head. To my great disappointment, I didn't have a pen with me, and I was too shy to ask anybody if I could borrow one. I think, now, that this was probably a good thing, because I simply sat and thought, for four (delayed train) hours, and all the details came up in my brain, and this thin, black-haired, bespectacled（戴眼鏡的）boy who didn't know he was a wizard became more and more real to me.”
That same year, her mother died after a ten-year fight with serious diseases, which deeply affected her writing. She went on to marry and had a daughter, but separated from her husband shortly afterwards.
During this time, Rowling was diagnosed with depression（診斷患有抑郁癥）. Unemployed, she finished her first novel in area cafes, where she could get her daughter to fall asleep. After being refused by l2 publishing houses, the first Harry Potter novel was sold to a small British publishing house.
Now with seven books that have sold nearly 400 million copies in 64 languages, J. K. Rowling is the highest earning novelist in history. And it all began with her friend’s encouragement as well as her ambition to write.
【小題1】 Who believed J. K. Rowling was to be a good writer?

A．Her friend Sean.	B．Her mother.
C．Her daughter.	D．Her husband.

【小題2】 Rowling first came up with the idea about Harry Potter________.

A．a(chǎn)t the age of 6	B．on a train journey
C．a(chǎn)fter her mother's death	D．in her secondary school

【小題3】 She felt disappointed on the train because_________.

A．her train was delayed for four hours

B．she didn't have a pen with her

C．her mind suddenly went blank

D．no one would offer her help

【小題4】 It can be concluded from Paragraph 5 and 6 that Rowling is_________.

A．open-minded	B．warm-hearted
C．good-natured	D．strong-willed

【小題5】 The text mainly tells us_________.

A．a(chǎn)dversity makes a good novelist

B．the courage to try is a special ability

C．you can have a wonderful idea everywhere

D．encouragement helps one succeed

We were on the way from Hutchinson to Chicago for a short spring break. For many years I had wanted to take my family on the train. We all had been to Chicago four years ago, and the kids loved it. Chicago is one of my favorite cities, too, so the thought struck me again last fall to ride the train to Chicago. Of course, flying would have been faster. But I don’t think flying is easier, especially these days, with all the security and waiting in lines at airports.
Though we were tired in the middle of the night, the kids got on the train with the exhilaration of this adventure. “We’re moving,” my son William shouted happily with big eyes as the train began to pull away from the Hutchinson station.
I removed my shoes and lay down to try to finish my night’s sleep. The sleeper car would have better enabled that, but the ordinary train seats were not too bad. An airline flight is a more miserable experience for me: not enough room, two hours of pain with my knees almost touching my chin, the hard seatback in front cracking my kneecaps (膝蓋) with every move of the body planted in front of me. On the train I could almost outstretch all of my 6-foot-2-plus body in the generous legroom.
The journey didn’t feel at all as long as it was. We all found the train ride a joy. The car ride would have felt every minute of 13 hours. But on the train you are free to walk around, sit in the observation carriage for a while and enjoy the scenery out the windows, have a nice meal in the dining car, read a book, or play a board game.
In short, the train is all about enjoying the trip, which isn’t something I do so much when traveling by airline or by car, when the trip seems more of a mission (任務(wù)) to get there than an experience to enjoy along the way.
Chicago offers much to do for a family. This time, getting there was half the fun.
【小題1】We can learn from the first paragraph that _____.

A．the kids love the train journey

B．Chicago is one of the kid’s favorite cities

C．the author didn’t enjoy the long train journey

D．it was the first time that the kids were taken on the train

【小題2】What does the underlined word “exhilaration” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Excitement.

B．Relaxation.

C．Tiredness.

D．Worry.

【小題3】In the third paragraph, an airline flight experience is mentioned to show _____.

A．a(chǎn)n airline flight is easier	B．a(chǎn) train ride is too long
C．a(chǎn)n airline flight is miserable	D．a(chǎn) train ride is more comfortable

【小題4】Which of the following words best describes the whole family’s feeling about the train journey?

A．Moved.

B．Delighted.

C．Disappointed.

D．Nervous.

It is only _____ from my home to the train station.

A．ten minutes walk

B．ten-minutes walk

C．ten minutes ‘s walk

D．ten minutes’ walk

 

Success is often measured by the ability to overcome adversity. But, it is often the belief of others that gives us the courage to try.

J. K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter book series, began writing at age 6. In her biography, she remembers with great fondness when her good friend, Sean, whom she met in secondary school, became the first person to encourage her and help build the confidence that one day she would be a very good writer.

“He was the first person with whom I really discussed my serious ambition to be a writer. He was also the only person who thought I was bound to be a success at it, which meant much more to me than I ever told him at the time.”

Despite many setbacks Rowling persevered in her writing, particularly fantasy stories. But it wasn't until l990 that she first conceived the idea about Harry Potter. As she recalls, it was on a long train journey from London to Manchester that “the idea of Harry Potter simply fell into my head. To my immense frustration(沮喪), I didn't have a functioning pen with me, and I was too shy to ask anybody if I could borrow one. I think, now, that this was probably a good thing, because I simply sat and thought, for four(delayed train) hours, and all the details bubbled up in my brain, and this scrawny, black-haired, bespectacled boy who didn't know he was a wizard became more and more real to me.”

That same year, her mother passed away after a ten-year battle with multiple sclerosis, which deeply affected her writing. She went on to marry and had a daughter, but separated from her husband shortly afterwards.

During this time, Rowling was diagnosed with clinical depression. Unemployed, she completed her first novel in area cafes, where she could get her daughter to fall asleep. After being rejected by l2 publishing houses, the first Harry Potter novel was sold to a small British publishing house.

Now with seven books that have sold nearly 400 million copies in 64 languages, J. K. Rowling is the highest earning novelist in history. And it all began with her commitment to writing that was fostered by the confidence of a friend !

1.Who believed J. K. Rowling was to be a good writer?

A．Her friend Sean.    B．Her mother.        C．Her daughter.      D．Her husband.

2.Rowling first came up with the idea about Harry Potter         .

A．a(chǎn)t the age of 6                          B．on a train journey

C．a(chǎn)fter her mother's death                  D．in her secondary school

3.She felt frustrated on the train because         .

A．her train was delayed for four hours

B．she didn't have a pen with her

C．her mind suddenly went blank

D．no one would offer her help

4.It can be concluded from Paragraph 5 and 6 that Rowling is         .

A．open-minded      B．warm-hearted      C．good-natured      D．strong-willed

5.The text mainly tells us         .

A．hardship makes a good novelist

B．the courage to try is a special ability

C．you can have a wonderful idea everywhere

D．encouragement contributes to one's success