Both my parents came from towns in Mexico. Then I was born in E1 Paso，Texas and when I was four, my family moved to a housing project in East Los Angeles.

Even though we struggled to make ends meet, my parents stressed to me and my four brothers and sisters how fortunate we were to live in a great country with limitless opportunities. They influenced us with the concepts of family, faith and nationalism.

I got my first real job when I was ten. My dad injured his back working in a cardboard??box factory and was retrained as a hairstylist. He rented space in a little shopping mall and gave his shop the fancy name of Mr.Ben’s Coiffure.

The owner of the shopping center gave Dad a discount on his rent for cleaning the parking lot three nights a week，which meant getting up at 3 a．m..To pick up rubbish, Dad used a little machine that looked like a lawn mower. Mom and I emptied garbage cans and picked up litter by hand. It took two to three hours to clean the lot. I’d sleep in the car on the way home.

I did this for two years，but the lessons I learned have lasted a lifetime. I acquired discipline and a strong work ethic(道德), and learned at an early age the importance of balancing life’s competing interests－in my case，school，homework and a job. This really helped during my senior year of a high school, when I worked 40 hours a week flipping burgers at a fast??food joint while taking a full load of college preparation courses.

The hard work paid off. I attended the U．S.Military Academy and went on to receive graduate degrees in law and business from Harvard. Later, I joined a big Los Angeles law firm and was elected to the California State Assembly(州議會)．In these jobs and in everything else I’ve done, I have never forgotten those nights in the parking lot. The experience taught me that there is dignity in all work and that if people are working to provide for themselves and their families that is something we should honor.

59. Before my father got injured，we________.

A. didn’t like living in the USA                    B. lived a poor but happy life

C. were lucky to move to the USA                  D. had many ways to make money

60. When he recovered，to make a living my father________.

A. ran a small shopping mall                   B. did a part??time job

C. worked as a barber                         D. became a street cleaner

61. Working in the parking lot for two years had taught me________.

A. how to obey school discipline              B. how to do two things well at a time

C. that discipline and work were of equal value 

D. that I must do as many things as possible at a time

62. The author tells us in the last paragraph that we should be proud of those who________.

A. have done all kinds of jobs                       B. are cleaning the parking lot

C. have achieved a lot in their lives                D. are bearing their responsibilities

【小題1】B

【小題2】C

【小題3】B

【小題4】D

練習(xí)冊系列答案
相關(guān)習(xí)題

科目：高中英語 來源：2012屆浙江省名校新高考研究聯(lián)盟高三第二次聯(lián)考英語試卷（帶解析） 題型：閱讀理解

My father is a smart man. He spent many years of his life listening to people’s arguments, first as assistant district lawyer and then as a judge. My dad knows rubbish rhetoric when he hears it.
One of his favorite phrases is: “If you don’t have anything smart to say, then don’t say it at all.” Yet, for all of his legal training and life experience, he can’t help but keep talking about the Mega Millions jackpot.
We all know the odds(幾率)of winning the jackpot this evening with one ticket are extraordinarily low ... 1 in 175, 711, 536, to be exact. Still, people go out and buy hundreds of tickets with the hopes of becoming wealthier beyond their dreams. Why? There are two possible explanations for this “irrationality”(不理智).
One idea is that the way we calculate odds in our heads has nothing to do with mathematical odds in the traditional sense. We don’t go to the mathematical odds table and say, “Well, this would be a terrible investment. I think I’m better off putting my money in the bank!” Rather, it has everything with the ability to picture an event happening.
My father, for instance, watches the news every night and sees people winning the lottery(彩票). Therefore, he thinks the chance of him winning the lottery is much higher than they actually are.
The second thought is that the expected effect of playing cannot be represented merely by the odds. My father and, I’m sure, others get a thrill from the mere idea of winning. He loves imagining what it would be like to actually win and losing doesn’t really affect him. Sure, he’s disappointed, but it’s “better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.” When you combine the utility of thinking you can win with the utility of actually winning (no matter how small the chance of that occurring), it’s worth it for many people to spend the one dollar on a ticket.
My analysis is that both factors are at play in taking a chance on the lottery. My father and others really do underestimate the odds of winning, but the thrill of participation is not denied by a realistic assessment of the odds. Still, I would probably put my finger on the scale for the first explanation.
All told, a review of the odds of other events happening confirms that there just aren’t many events that occur with less frequency than your winning the Mega Millions jackpot. Look at the graph below, you may understand some:

In many ways, it’s like the lottery, something that features often on television and about which people fantasize, but that rarely happens.
So, when you watch, along with my Pa, to see if your lucky number is drawn this evening, keep in mind three things: that your number almost certainly won’t come up; that you are still going to have fun; and that, finally, a lot of other things are more likely to happen—but getting eaten by a shark isn’t one of them.
【小題1】It can be learned from the article that ________.

A．the Mega Millions jackpot is the last lottery to win in the world
B．a(chǎn) judge in that country can’t talk about lottery because it is illegal
C．the writer doesn’t buy lottery, for he never hopes to become rich
D．In spite of little possibility, a lot of people spend money on lottery
【小題2】The function of the graph is to ________.
A．show chances that those things take place are fewer
B．support the writer’s arguments on the lottery tickets
C．indicate no one can win the Mega Millions jackpot
D．say shark attack death will seldom happen this year
【小題3】Which of the following do you think the writer would probably agree with?
A．If one has mathematical odds, he can win the prize more easily.
B．Only those who have irrationality buy hundreds of lottery tickets.
C．The Mega Millions jackpot is very popular in the writer’s country.
D．Winning lottery is a shortcut to achieve the dream of being rich.
【小題4】The underlined phrase “at play” in the 7th paragraph most probably means ________.
A．effectiveB．ridiculousC．contradictoryD．a(chǎn)stonishing
【小題5】What do you think is the best title?
A．The Popular Mega Millions JackpotB．Lottery is Merely a Trick
C．Mega Million is Like a Shark AttackD．Be rich, Buy Lottery Soon

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解

My father is a smart man. He spent many years of his life listening to people’s arguments, first as assistant district lawyer and then as a judge. My dad knows rubbish rhetoric when he hears it.
One of his favorite phrases is: “If you don’t have anything smart to say, then don’t say it at all.” Yet, for all of his legal training and life experience, he can’t help but keep talking about the Mega Millions jackpot.
We all know the odds(幾率)of winning the jackpot this evening with one ticket are extraordinarily low ... 1 in 175, 711, 536, to be exact. Still, people go out and buy hundreds of tickets with the hopes of becoming wealthier beyond their dreams. Why? There are two possible explanations for this “irrationality”(不理智).
One idea is that the way we calculate odds in our heads has nothing to do with mathematical odds in the traditional sense. We don’t go to the mathematical odds table and say, “Well, this would be a terrible investment. I think I’m better off putting my money in the bank!” Rather, it has everything with the ability to picture an event happening.
My father, for instance, watches the news every night and sees people winning the lottery(彩票). Therefore, he thinks the chance of him winning the lottery is much higher than they actually are.
The second thought is that the expected effect of playing cannot be represented merely by the odds. My father and, I’m sure, others get a thrill from the mere idea of winning. He loves imagining what it would be like to actually win and losing doesn’t really affect him. Sure, he’s disappointed, but it’s “better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.” When you combine the utility of thinking you can win with the utility of actually winning (no matter how small the chance of that occurring), it’s worth it for many people to spend the one dollar on a ticket.
My analysis is that both factors are at play in taking a chance on the lottery. My father and others really do underestimate the odds of winning, but the thrill of participation is not denied by a realistic assessment of the odds. Still, I would probably put my finger on the scale for the first explanation.
All told, a review of the odds of other events happening confirms that there just aren’t many events that occur with less frequency than your winning the Mega Millions jackpot. Look at the graph below, you may understand some:

In many ways, it’s like the lottery, something that features often on television and about which people fantasize, but that rarely happens.
So, when you watch, along with my Pa, to see if your lucky number is drawn this evening, keep in mind three things: that your number almost certainly won’t come up; that you are still going to have fun; and that, finally, a lot of other things are more likely to happen—but getting eaten by a shark isn’t one of them

  1. 1.

    It can be learned from the article that ________

    1. A.
      the Mega Millions jackpot is the last lottery to win in the world
    2. B.
      a judge in that country can’t talk about lottery because it is illegal
    3. C.
      the writer doesn’t buy lottery, for he never hopes to become rich
    4. D.
      In spite of little possibility, a lot of people spend money on lottery
  2. 2.

    The function of the graph is to ________

    1. A.
      show chances that those things take place are fewer
    2. B.
      support the writer’s arguments on the lottery tickets
    3. C.
      indicate no one can win the Mega Millions jackpot
    4. D.
      say shark attack death will seldom happen this year
  3. 3.

    Which of the following do you think the writer would probably agree with?

    1. A.
      If one has mathematical odds, he can win the prize more easily
    2. B.
      Only those who have irrationality buy hundreds of lottery tickets
    3. C.
      The Mega Millions jackpot is very popular in the writer’s country
    4. D.
      Winning lottery is a shortcut to achieve the dream of being rich
  4. 4.

    The underlined phrase “at play” in the 7th paragraph most probably means ________

    1. A.
      effective
    2. B.
      ridiculous
    3. C.
      contradictory
    4. D.
      astonishing
  5. 5.

    What do you think is the best title?

    1. A.
      The Popular Mega Millions Jackpot
    2. B.
      Lottery is Merely a Trick
    3. C.
      Mega Million is Like a Shark Attack
    4. D.
      Be rich, Buy Lottery Soon

查看答案和解析>>

同步練習(xí)冊答案