In the fall of 1985，I was a brighteyed girl heading off to Howard University, aiming at a legal career and dreaming of sitting on a Supreme Court bench somewhere. Twentyone years later I am later I am still a brighteyed dreamer and one with quite a different tale to tell.
My grandma, an amazing woman, graduated from college at the age of 65. She was the first in our family to reach that goal. But one year after I started college, she developed cancer. I made the choice to withdraw from college to care for her. It meant that school and my personal dream would have to wait.
Then I got married with another dream: building my family with a combination of adopt and biological children. In 1999, we adopted our first son. To lay eyes on him was fantastic...and very emotional. A year later came our second adopted boy. Then followed son No. 3. In 2003, I gave birth to another boy.
You can imagine how fully occupied I became, raising four boys under the age of 8！Our home was a complete zoo...a joyous zoo. Not surprising, I never did make it back to college fulltime. But I never gave up on the dream either. I had only one choice: to find a way. That meant talking as few as one class each semester.
The hardest part was feeling guilty about the time I spent away from the boys. They often wanted me to stay home with them. There certainly were times I wanted to quit.But I knew I should set an example for them to follow through the rest of their lives.
In 2007, I graduated from the University of North Carolina. It took me over 21 years to get my college degree!
I am not special, just singleminded. It always struck me that when you"re looking at a big challenge from the outside it looks huge, but when you"re in the midst of it, it just seems normal. Everything you want won"t arrive in your life on one day. It"s a process. Remember；little steps add up to big dreams.
小题1:When the author went to Howard University, her dream was to be ________.| A．a writer | B．a teacher | C．a judge | D．a doctor |
小题2:Why did the author quit school in her second year of college?| A．She wanted to study by herself. | | B．She fell in love and got married. | | C．She suffered from a serious illness. | | D．She decided to look after her grandma. |
小题3:What can we learn about the author from Paragraphs 4 and 5?| A．She was busy yet happy with her family life. | | B．She ignored her guilty feeling for her sons. | | C．She wanted to remain a fulltime housewife. | | D．She was too confused to make a correct choice. |
小题4:What does the author mostly want to tell us in the last paragraph?| A．Failure is the mother of success. | | B．Little by little，one goes far. | | C．Every coin has two sides. | | D．Well begun, half done. |
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小题1:C
小题2:D
小题3:A
小题4:B |
小题1:答案 C [细节理解题。由第一段中的．..aiming at a legal career and dreaming of sitting on a Supreme Court bench somewhere.可推断出作者当时志在从事与法律相关的职业，并希望在最高法院有一席之地。judge指“法官”。]
小题2:答案 D [细节理解题。根据第二段中But one year...I made the choice to withdraw from college to care for her.可知作者放弃学业是为了照顾她的奶奶。]
小题3:答案 A [推理判断题。从第四段作者的描述You can imagine how fully occupied I became...Our home was a complete zoo—a joyous zoo.以及第五段的描述可感受到作者虽然繁忙但快乐的情感。]
小题4:答案 B [细节理解题。本段最后一句话Remember：little steps add up to big dreams.体现了作者对于实现梦想的看法。这句话与选项B含义一致，都是告诉我们：不积跬步，无以至千里。] |
核心考点
试题【In the fall of 1985，I was a brighteyed girl heading off to Howard University, a】；主要考察你对
题材分类等知识点的理解。
[详细]举一反三
The American newspaper publisher Arthur Sulzberger Sr died at the age of 86.Mr Sulzberger led The New York Times for more than three decades，before passing the business to his son.He took over the paper in 1963 when it was in financial trouble，and transformed it into the heart of a multibillion dollar media empire.
His family announced he had died at his home in Southampton，New York State，after a long illness.His son，Arthur Sulzberger Jr，said in a statement that his father，whom he referred to by his childhood nickname of Punch，was “one of our industry’s most admired executives”．“Punch，the old Marine captain who never backed down from a fight，was an absolutely fierce defender of the freedom of the press，” he said.
The New York Times was bought by Mr Sulzberger Sr’s grandfather Adolph Ochs in 1896.During Mr Sulzberger’s tenure，The New York Times won 31 Pulitzer prizes.
Born in New York City,5 February 1926，Sr served in Marine Corps during World War Ⅱ and Korean War，joined The New York Times in 1951 after graduating from Columbia College，took over as publisher in 1963 after his brotherinlaw died suddenly，stepped down in 1997 and passed stewardship to his son，Arthur Sulzberger Jr.
He oversaw a huge circulation boost at the paper，and increased its parent company’s annual revenues (年收入) from $100m in 1963 to $1.7bn by the time he stepped down in 1997.He also led the paper through highlevel clashes with the political establishment.In 1971，The Times published a series of stories saying that politicians had systematically lied over the US involvement in Vietnam.The source was thousands of leaked government documents known as the Pentagon Papers.The Nixon administration demanded that the paper stop publishing the stories on grounds of national security.But the paper refused，and then won the subsequent court case by arguing that the First Amendment of the US Constitution (宪法) guaranteed free speech.The case is seen as a landmark in the history of free speech in the US.Mr Sulzberger said he read more than 7,000 pages of the Pentagon Papers before personally deciding to publish them.
His family still holds a controlling stake (控股权) in The New York Times.He was a strong believer in family ownership of newspapers.He once joked：“My conclusion is simple.Nepotism works.”
小题1:When did Arthur Sulzberger Sr die?| A．In 1997. | B．In 2012. | | C．In 1963. | D．In 1971. |
小题2:Punch，the old Marine captain was actually________.| A．Arthur Sulzberger Jr | | B．Adolph Ochs | | C．Arthur Sutzberger Sr’s father | | D．Arthur Sulzberger Sr |
小题3:Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?| A．Arthur Sulzberger Sr took over The New York Times from his brotherinlaw. | | B．Arthur Sulzberger Jr’s grandfather bought The New York Times. | | C．Arthur Sulzberger Sr resigned when The New York Times was in financial trouble. | | D．Arthur Sulzberger Jr took over The New York Times after graduating from Columbia College. |
小题4:In the political case in the 1970s，Mr Sulzberger________.| A．failed the case in the end | | B．lost the controlling stake in The New York Times | | C．gave in to the government | | D．succeeded in guarding free speech of the paper |
小题5:What does the underlined word “Nepotism” probably refer to?| A．Friendship. | B．Politics. | | C．Family ownership | D．Freedom of speech. |
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Lilly was a French Canadian girl who grew up in the farming community.When she was 16，her father____her to drop out of school to contribute to the family income.With English as her second language and____education，the____didn’t look bright for Lilly.
Lilly’s father was a stubborn man who___took “no” for an answer.He____Lilly to find a job.With small hope of gaining____，each day she would just ride to the city，walk____about and return home at dusk.
On one of her____，Lilly saw a sign at a big company.___，she knocked on the very first door.In her____English，Lilly told the office manager she was interested in the secretarial position.The manager ____to give the girl a chance.He directed her to type a letter，and then____.Lilly looked at the clock and saw it was 11∶40 am.She thought everyone would be leaving for____at noon，when she could____away in the crowd.But she knew she should____the letter.
On her first try，Lilly____one line of five words and made four mistakes.On her second attempt，she completed a full paragraph，but still made many mistakes.She looked at the clock：11∶55—five minutes to____.Just then the manager walked in.He came directly to Lilly，read the letter and said，“Lilly，you’re doing____work！”
With those simple words of encouragement，her desire to escape disappeared and her____began to grow.Lilly thought，“Well，if he thinks it’s good，then it must be good.I think I’ll stay！” Lilly did stay—all because someone had given a____and uncertain girl the gift of selfconfidence when she knocked on the door.
| 小题1: | | A．reminded | B．forced | | C．encouraged | D．helped |
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| 小题2: | | A．poor | B．formal | | C．good | D．modern |
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| 小题3: | | A．advice | B．promise | | C．future | D．change |
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| 小题4: | | A．always | B．usually | | C．sometimes | D．rarely |
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| 小题5: | | A．warned | B．told | | C．allowed | D．begged |
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| 小题6: | | A．employment | B．experience | | C．judgment | D．independence |
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| 小题7: | | A．carefully | B．happily | | C．aimlessly | D．rapidly |
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| 小题8: | | A．steps | B．trips | | C．purposes | D．choices |
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| 小题9: | | A．Bravely | B．Proudly | | C．Calmly | D．Cautiously |
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| 小题10: | | A．broken | B．perfect | | C．written | D．fluent |
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| 小题11: | | A．refused | B．decided | | C．pretended | D．failed |
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| 小题12: | | A．stopped | B．continued | | C．left | D．sighed |
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| 小题13: | | A．lunch | B．life | | C．fun | D．luck |
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| 小题14: | | A．break | B．slip | | C．pass | D．drive |
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| 小题15: | | A．read | B．write | | C．attempt | D．deliver |
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| 小题16: | | A．went over | B．picked up | | C．gave away | D．got through |
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| 小题17: | | A．freedom | B．success | | C．discussion | D．reward |
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| 小题18: | | A．terrible | B．excellent | | C．honest | D．easy |
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| 小题19: | | A．belief | B．patience | | C．confidence | D．strength |
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| 小题20: | | A．shy | B．lonely | | C．selfless | D．modest |
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My sister and I were flying from our home in Kansas to a summer camp in Minnesota. Our plane had a two-hour at the airport in Omaha, where I saw a toy airplane that I really . I had $10 and I had no idea what I needed to at camp, but I spent $8 on the airplane anyway.
When we reached the camp, I discovered that there were no showers! , we bathed in a lake every night. I needed to buy soap. Because the regular soap I brought had chemicals that could the fish. The special soap cost $4 at the camp store. After buying the plane, I had $2 left, so I couldn’t buy the soap.
After a few days, I was a . Sally, our camp teacher, asked me if I needed some soap. When I her that I had spent my soap money on a toy airplane, she laughed and said, “You need to budget.” She then explained that a budget was a(n) for spending money to help make sure you save enough for things you — like soap — before you buy fun things — like . Sally gave me her extra soap, which I took.
When I returned home from , I decided to make my budget. Every week I spent time writing down everything I bought, and some weeks, I would have more in my “Money In” account I did odd jobs (零活) around the house.
Budgeting was , especially when my friends bought soda at the store after school and I couldn’t because I had spent all my “Want to Spend” money. But I with it, and by the next summer, I had enough money to buy a Paula Pilot doll at Omaha Airport, as well as at the camp store to Sally!
| 小题1: | | A．rest | B．trip | C．flight | D．stop |
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| 小题2: | | A．made | B．wanted | C．left | D．remembered |
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| 小题4: | | A．Besides | B．However | C．Instead | D．Anyhow |
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| 小题5: | | A．special | B．common | C．small | D．expensive |
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| 小题6: | | A．catch | B．raise | C．hurt | D．control |
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| 小题7: | | A．hero | B．mess | C．star | D．failure |
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| 小题8: | | A．warned | B．told | C．suggested | D．reminded |
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| 小题9: | | A．plan | B．idea | C．example | D．promise |
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| 小题10: | | A．lose | B．gather | C．need | D．hate |
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| 小题11: | | A．chemicals | B．clothes | C．bills | D．toys |
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| 小题12: | | A．fortunately | B．cautiously | C．unhappily | D．gratefully |
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| 小题13: | | A．school | B．airport | C．camp | D．hospital |
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| 小题14: | | A．daily | B．weekly | C．monthly | D．yearly |
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| 小题15: | | A．so | B．and | C．because | D．until |
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| 小题16: | | A．hard | B．boring | C．safe | D．fresh |
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| 小题17: | | A．dealt | B．began | C．agreed | D．stuck |
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| 小题18: | | A．received | B．saved | C．earned | D．borrowed |
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| 小题19: | | A．fish | B．water | C．soap | D．soda |
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| 小题20: | | A．apologize for | B．call on | C．care for | D．pay back |
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Woman Uses Daughter"s Key to "Steal" Car
Charlie Vansant, a college student of Athens, Ohio who reported that his car was stolen, got a surprise when he learned a woman had mistaken it for her daughter"s car and taken it－using her key．
Kate Anderson became an accidental car thief when picking up her daughter"s car near an Ohio University building last week．Anderson spotted the nickel-~ay Toyota Camry（银灰色丰田凯美瑞）and used her daughter"s key to unlock the car, start the engine and drive home-without realizing that the car wasn"t her daughter"s．
When Charlie Vansant left class a short time later, he found only an empty parking spot．He first assumed the car had been towed, but when the police couldn"t find a record of it, they took a theft report．
The morning after Anderson took the car, her daughter discovered the Camry in the driveway wasn"t hers．Anderson said she was able to find Vansant"s name on paperwork in the glove compartment and look up his phone number on the website for the university．
When Anderson told Charlie the car was in her driveway, "It sounded real suspicious at first, like may be she wanted to hold the thing for ransom（赎金）,”said Vansant．He eventually went to the house with a police officer, where he was reunited with his car．According to police report, the ease was closed "because of mistaken car identity", Anderson wasn"t charged．
Vansant seemed to blame the car company more than the "thief"．"Her key fit not only my lock, but my ignition（点火装置）as well - so high-five for Toyota．I guess．" he said．
小题1:What does the underlined word "towed" mean in paragraph 3 ?| A．removed | B．damaged | C．stolen | D．sold |
小题2:Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?| A．Mrs．Anderson"s daughter discovered the car her mother drove was not hers． | | B．Mrs．Anderson stole Charlie"s car at the request of her daughter． | | C．Charlie had thought he had to give Anderson money to get his car back． | | D．Mrs．Anderson used her daughter"s key to unlock Charlie"s car and drive home． |
小题3:What does Charlie mean by "h~-five for Toyota"?| A．He is blaming Toyota for the poor quality of car keys． | | B．He should thank Toyota for returning his car． | | C．He wants to celebrate with Toyota for getting his car back． | | D．He thinks highly of Toyota for producing large quantities of cars． |
小题4:What is likely to happen next according to the passage?| A．Mrs．Anderson was charged with stealing a car． | | B．Charlie blamed Mrs．Anderson for mistakenly taking his car． | | C．Charlie would ask the Toyota Company to give him an explanation． | | D．The Toyota Company would give Charlie a new car as compensation． |
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It is a wonderful morning, as I write this: hot, but without being too hot．Outside my window, I can see the sunniest sky of the year reflected in a huge natural expand of water．It is the kind of sun that makes you well aware of summer"s temporary nature a reminder that if I am ever to go around to book this year"s holiday, time is running out．
It is now close to four years since I last took a holiday．This is because I have come to the conclusion, over the course of my adult life, that I am not very good at it．You might say this sounds like saying you are not very good at drinking tea or listening to music．What could possibly be difficult about the natural act of putting your working life on hold for a couple of weeks and going somewhere to do nothing?
So what is my problem? On the surface, I"m probably a bit of homebody．And I just find the pressure of being on holiday too severe: it always feels like having a gun held to my head and being forced to have fun．Somehow, packing a carefully itemized（详细列举的）list of possessions and meeting a scheduled flight has none of the excitement of suddenly deciding to take a day off and driving somewhere for the fun of it．
Thankfully, I am not alone． This summer, most of my friends have decided not to have a break． And a recent survey highlighted the downside（负面）of holidays, with the results showing that nearly two thirds of people found that the calming effects of a holiday wore off within 24 hours, as stress levels returned to normal．And this year"s the Idler magazine published its hook, Awful Holidays．Here you will find a list of the five most ecologically-damaging vacations it"s possible to take, along with 50 horrible holidays experiences voted for on the idler website． Over the last decade, The Idler has become well known for promoting the idea of an easy, lazy life．The leisure（休闲）industry might seem an unlikely target of its criticism, but Dan Kienan, the book " s editor, says that he was flooded with entries from readers for his list of awful holidays．
小题1:According to the first paragraph we can know that the writer ．| A．has a strong desire to book a holiday | | B．wishes that the weather would change | | C．finds it is too late to enjoy the sunshine | | D．realizes it"s time to decide whether to go on a holiday |
小题2:The reason why the writer dislikes going on holidays is that ．| A．it usually costs too much money | | B．he is tired of making preparations too much for holidays | | C．it is far less enjoyable than breaks planned in advance | | D．he feels embarrassed when other people are having fun but he isn"t |
小题3:We can learn from the survey that ．| A．most people pretend to enjoy their holiday | | B．all people fail to relax while they are on holiday | | C．a lot of people feel that the benefits of going on holidays are limited | | D．many people have made the same decision as the writer and most of his friends |
小题4:The writer takes the book of Awful Holidays as an example to ．| A．damage the reputation of the magazine | | B．prove the idea of living an easy, lazy life to be wrong | | C．indicate that his dislike of holidays is widely shared | | D．focus entirely on bad personal experiences of holidays |
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