Passage 1

As far back as he could remember, Larry had wanted to go to Hollywood and become a film star. The young man's hopes for success were broken again and again. However, Hollywood was just everything to him. When he first came to California? Larry had decided never to give up and return home without success. Therefore, he kept on trying. "Some day," he told himself, "my big chance would come."

    Larry found a job—parking cars at one of Hollywood's big restaurants. His pay was low, but since the guests were kind enough to give him more money, he managed to make a living. One day he recognized an important film director driving into the parking lot and getting out of his car. Larry had recently heard that the man was ready to make a new picture.

    Larry got into the car and prepared to drive it on into the lot and park it. Then he stopped, jumped out, and ran over to the director. "Excuse me, sir, but I think it's only fair to tell you that it's now or never if you want me in your next picture. A lot of big companies are after me."

Instead of pushing away the boy, the director laughed, then wrote something on a card and handed it to the young man. "Come and see me tomorrow."

    Larry got a small part in the director's next film. He was on his way!

A. helped him make a lot of money

B. brought him the hope to be a film star

C. made him fail again and again in getting into Hollywood

D. gave him few chances to meet stars

A. he needed a driver very much

B. Larry would become a star

C. some big companies would give him a job

D. Larry expressed his hope in a wise way

A. the film director knew Larry's hard experience before

B. Larry managed to be a part in the new film

C. the job parking cars could bring young people everything

D. the new film was not so important for the director

A. he gave up and returned home

B. he began to work towards success

C. he drove the director's car to Hollywood

D. he had a long way to go to be in the film

A. it was hard for Larry, to find a job in a restaurant in Hollywood

B. Larry was so lucky to meet the director in the parking lot

C. why Larry could remember many things before

D. how Larry succeeded- in his new life in Hollywood

Passage 2

Linda Evans was my best friend—like the sister I never had. We did everything together: piano lessons, movies, swimming, horseback riding.

When I was 13, my family moved away. Linda and I kept in touch through letters, and we saw each other on special time—like my wedding (婚礼) and Linda’s. Soon we were busy with children and moving to new homes, and we wrote less often. One day a card that I sent came back, stamped “Address (地址) Unknown. ” I had no idea how to find Linda.

Over the years, I missed Linda very much. I wanted to share (分享) happiness of my children and then grandchildren. And I needed to share my sadness when my brother and then mother died. There was an empty place in my heart that only a friend like Linda could fill.

One day I was reading a newspaper when I noticed a photo of a young woman who looked very much like Linda and whose last name was Wagman — Linda’s married name. “There must be thousands of Wagmans,” I thought, but J still wrote to her.

She called as soon as she got my letter. “Mrs Tobin!” she said excitedly, “Linda Evans Wagman is my mother. ”

Minutes later I heard a voice that I knew very much, even after 40 years, laughed and cried and caught up on each other’s lives. Now the empty place in my heart is filled. And there’s one thing that Linda and I know for sure: We won’t lose each other again!

A. at the age of 13

B. before she got married

C. after they moved to new homes

D. before the writer’s family moved away

A. got married

B. had little time to do so

C. didn’t like writing letters

D. could see each other on special time

A. was in trouble

B. didn’t know Linda’s address

C. received the card that she sent

D. didn’t have a friend like Linda to share her happiness or sadness

A. read the newspaper

B. heard Linda’s voice on the phone

C. met a young woman who looked a lot like Linda

D. wrote to the woman whose last name was Wagman

A. for about 40 years

B. for about 27 years

C. since they got married

D. since the writer’s family moved away

Passage 3

Abdul Sadiq, an Afghanistan's only professional cyclist, began by training his daughter. And when she competed successfully abroad, he set up the team. It is the world's most unlikely sporting team, because the sport breaks taboos in a country where in many traditional communities, women are not allowed out of the house.

    The head coach faces frequent threats and the girls' families do not always approve "If it's not their fathers trying to stop them, it's a brother or uncle."

    Two members of the team, Massouma, 18, and Zarab, 17, are sisters. Their father and their brothers approve, but they know that their uncles complain to their father. "They will never come in front of us to say ‘Why are you cycling?', but they say bad words to our father," she said. His team have, however, competed and won regionally against Bangladesh and Pakistan.

    "We want to go cycling because we want to be heroes one day," said 16-year-old Jella, one of the latest riders. In one of the mildest and driest winters for many years, training has gone on without stopping. And next spring, the girls will go up into the mountains. "We say that women should not sit at home, they need to come out and do sports," said Abdul Sadiq, And 18- year-old Zainab said she wished that she could just go cycling alone on the street one day. "It's my ambition, and I hope that one day girls will be allowed to go cycling on the streets, not having a coach, or anyone with them, and they will not have problems," she said.

A. A teacher

B. A cyclist

C. A reporter

D. A driver

A. 禁忌

B. 警告

C. 符号

D. 风俗

A. Massouma and Zarab's parents approve of their joining the team

B. Massouma and Zarab's uncles are against their cycling

C. Massouma and Zarab don't want to join the team

D. Massouma and Zarab are both very old

A. Her mother approving her cycling

B. Going cycling alone on the street

C.Joining the team

D. Winning against Bangladesh and Pakistan

A. In a storybook

B. In a fashion magazine

C. In a travel guide book

D. In a sports newspaper

Passage 4

Easy Ways to Keep Your Brain Sharp

Everyone is forgetful, but as we age, we start to feel like our brains are slowing down a bit—and that can be a very annoying thing. __1__ . Read on for some techniques worth trying.

1． __2__ 

People who regularly made plans and looked forward to upcoming events had a 50 percent reduced chance of Alzheimer's disease（阿尔茨海默病）, according to a recent study. _3__ Something as simple as setting a goal to have a weekly coffee date with a friend will do. There's evidence that people who have a purpose in life or who are working on long or shortterm goals appear to do better. In other words，keep your brain looking forward.

2．Go for a walk.

Mildly raised glucose（葡萄糖）levels can harm the area of the brain that helps you form memories and physical activity can help get blood glucose down to normal levels. In fact, exercise produces chemicals that are good for your brain. __4__  

3．Learn something new.

Take a Spanish class online, join a drawing club, or learn to play cards. A study found that mental stimulation limits the weakening effects of aging on memory and the mind. But the best thing for your brain is when you learn something new and are physically active at the same time.  __5__Or go dancing with your friends.

  For a long time I saw happiness as a huge banner (旗帜) across the finish line of a long race.I felt that only when I_1_certain things could I finally be happy in my life. Most of the time I felt like a tortoise believing that being slow and__2__would win the race. At other times I would  __3__ like a rabbit trying different side roads at a dangerous__4__ hoping to reach that banner a little faster. __5__ ，I began to see that no matter how long I raced towards it，the banner was never any closer .I finally decided to __6__ and take a break. It was then that I saw my __7__ sitting beside me.

It had been with me as I__8__ hard to support my family, as I played with my children and heard their laughter and even when I was sick with my wife at my side looking after me.It had been with me as I raced towards that stupid banner.I just didn’t have the__9__ to see it.

There is an old Chinese proverb that says，“Tension is who you think you should be.__10__is who you are.”Perhaps we all should stop our race towards the perfect life we think we should have and __11__ the life we have now.Happiness will never be found under some banner far away.It will be found__12__your own heart，soul and mind.It will be found when you__13__that others love you just as you do.

Don’t be a tortoise or a rabbit when it comes to your happiness.Be a playful puppy and carry your stick of __14__ with you everywhere you go. __15__  yourself out of the race and realize that when it comes to love and happiness，you are already there.

A.forgot

B.missed

C.overcame

D.accomplished

A.safe

B.steady

C.calm

D.quiet

A.act

B.run

C.jump

D.walk

A.place

B.height

C.speed

D.time

A.Generally

B.Gradually

C.Fortunately

D.Firstly

A.settle in

B.start off

C.stop by

D.sit down

A.happiness

B.goal

C.success

D.friendship

A.studied

B.fought

C.exercised

D.worked

A.courage

B.chance

C.wisdom

D.strength

A.Stress

B.Relaxation

C.Failure

D.Pain

A.enjoy

B.change

C.improve

D.create

A.from

B.on

C.over

D.in

A.realize

B.believe

C.hope

D.admit

A.sorrow

B.responsibility

C.fortune

D.joy

A.Carry

B.Make

C.Push

D.Take