"Everything happens for the best," my mother said whenever things weren't going my way. "Don't worry. One day your luck will change."

Mother was right, as I discovered after I had finished my college education, I had decided to try for a job in radio. One day, I wanted to host a sports programme. I went to Chicago and knocked on the door of every station. But I got turned down every time.

    In one station, a kind lady said my problem was that I hadn't got enough experience. "Get some work with a small station and work your way up," she said.

I went back home. I couldn't get a job there, either. Then my dad told me a businessman had opened a store and needed someone to help him. But again, I didn't get the job.

    I felt really down. "Your luck will change," Mom said to me. Dad lent me the car to help me to look for my job. I tried another radio station in Lowa. But the owner, a nice man, told me he had already had someone.

    As I left his office, I asked, "How can someone be a sports announcer(播音員) if he can't get a job in a radio station?"

    I was waiting for the lift when I heard the man call. "What did you mean? Do you know anything about football?" He put me in front of a microphone and asked me to try to imagine that I was giving my opinion on a football game, I succeeded.

    On my way home, Mom's words come back to me, "One day your luck will change, Son. And when it happens, it'll feel doubly good because of all the hard work you've had." At that moment I knew just what she meant.

16. What's the writer's ideal job?

   A. A sportsman.                  B. A shop assistant.

C. A sports announcer.             D. A businessman.

17. Why didn’t the writer get the job in Chicago?

A. Because he was too young.

B. Because he didn't get college education.

C. Because he's got a good-looking person.

D. Because he hadn't got enough experience.

18. The sentence "But I got turned down every time. "means"        ".

A. But I was refused every time

B. But I was successful every time

C. But I lost my way every time

D. But the door of every station was always closed

19. What made the writer succeed in the end?

   A. His mother’s words.              B. A kind lady’s help.

C. His father’s car.                   D. His own hard work.

20. What's the best title of this passage?

A. Mother's Words.                  B. Everything Happens for the Best.

C. No One Is Always Lucky.          D. To Find a Job in Radio Is Difficult.

There was a lovely vegetable patch (菜園). A large tree grew there. Both the patch and the tree gave the place a wonderful look, and they were the pride of the gardener. But no one knew that the vegetables and the tree couldn’t stand (忍受) each other. The vegetables hated the tree’s shadow (陰影), because it left them only just enough light to live. The tree, on the other hand, hated the vegetables because they drank nearly all the water, leaving him just enough to live.
The situation became so serious that the vegetables decided to use up all the water in the ground so that the tree would die. The tree answered back by not protecting the vegetables from the hot sun, so they began to dry up. Soon the vegetables were really weak, and the tree was drying up.
The gardener wondered why and stopped watering them. When he did that, both the tree and the vegetables realized that it was better to help each other. They learned how to live in harmony with those around them. So they decided to work together, using both the shade and the water to grow well. After seeing how well they were doing, the gardener gave the best care to his vegetable patch, watering and fertilizing (施肥) it better than any other patch for miles around.
【小題1】Why didn’t the vegetables and the tree get on well with each other?

"Everything happens for the best," my mother said whenever things weren't going my way. "Don't worry. One day your luck will change."
Mother was right, as I discovered after I had finished my college education, I had decided to try for a job in radio. One day, I wanted to host a sports programme. I went to Chicago and knocked on the door of every station. But I got turned down every time.
In one station, a kind lady said my problem was that I hadn't got enough experience. "Get some work with a small station and work your way up," she said.
I went back home. I couldn't get a job there, either. Then my dad told me a businessman had opened a store and needed someone to help him. But again, I didn't get the job.
I felt really down. "Your luck will change," Mom said to me. Dad lent me the car to help me to look for my job. I tried another radio station in Lowa. But the owner, a nice man, told me he had already had someone.
As I left his office, I asked, "How can someone be a sports announcer(播音員) if he can't get a job in a radio station?"
I was waiting for the lift when I heard the man call. "What did you mean? Do you know anything about football?" He put me in front of a microphone and asked me to try to imagine that I was giving my opinion on a football game, I succeeded.
On my way home, Mom's words come back to me, "One day your luck will change, Son. And when it happens, it'll feel doubly good because of all the hard work you've had." At that moment I knew just what she meant.
16. What's the writer's ideal job?
A. A sportsman.                  B. A shop assistant.
C. A sports announcer.             D. A businessman.
17. Why didn’t the writer get the job in Chicago?
A. Because he was too young.
B. Because he didn't get college education.
C. Because he's got a good-looking person.
D. Because he hadn't got enough experience.
18. The sentence "But I got turned down every time. "means"        ".
A. But I was refused every time
B. But I was successful every time
C. But I lost my way every time
D. But the door of every station was always closed
19. What made the writer succeed in the end?
A. His mother’s words.             B. A kind lady’s help.
C. His father’s car.                   D. His own hard work.
20. What's the best title of this passage?
A. Mother's Words.                 B. Everything Happens for the Best.
C. No One Is Always Lucky.         D. To Find a Job in Radio Is Difficult.

A big, mighty(高大的) tree stood in a forest. Its branches(樹枝) spread out and its roots (根) went deep in the earth. A lot of people came here to have a rest under it. And a lot of birds stood on its branches to sing and dance. The big tree was very proud all the time.
At the foot of the tree, there was a little plant. The plant was thin, and seemed to be blown down by any of a little wind.
One day, the two neighbors were having a little chat.
“Well, little one,” said the tree to the plant, “why not put your feet deeply in the earth, and raise your head high in the air as I do?”
“I see there is no need to do so,” said the plant with a smile. “In fact, I think I may be safer in this way.”
“Safer?” said the tree. “Are you safer than I am? Do you know how deep my roots are in the earth and how strong my branches are? Who can possibly pull me out by the roots or bow my head to the ground?” And the tree didn’t want to say anything to the weak plant.
But the tree was to regret its words very soon. One evening, a great hurricane(颶風(fēng)) came. It blew the trees off their roots and almost destroyed the forest completely. It uprooted（將……連根拔起）the mighty tree and blew it away with great force.
When the storm had gone, the villagers living nearby came to check the damage. The mighty tree lay on the ground, but the little plant still stood there.
【小題1】Who was the big tree’s neighbor?

“Everything happens for the best,” my mother said whenever things weren’t going my way. “Don’t worry, one day your luck will change.”

Mother was right, as I discovered after I had finished my college education. I had decided to try for a job in radio. One day, I wanted to host(主持) a sports program. I went to Chicago and knocked on the door of every station. But I got turned down every time.

In one station, a kind lady said my problem was that I hadn’t got enough experience. “ Get some work with a small station and work your way up,” she said.

I went back home. I couldn’t get a job there, either. Then my dad told me a businessman had opened a store and needed someone to help him. But again, I didn’t get the job.

I felt really down. “ Your luck will change,” Mom said to me. Dad lent me the car to help me to look for my job. I tried another radio station in Iowa. But the owner, a nice man, told me he had already had someone.

As I left his office, I asked, “How can someone be a sports announcer(播音員) if he can’t get a job in a radio station?”

I was waiting for the lift when I heard the man call. “ What did you mean? Do you know anything about football?” He put me in front of a microphone and asked me to try to imagine that I was giving my opinion on a football game, I succeeded.

On my way home, Mom’s words came back to me, “One day your luck will change, Son. And when it happens, it’ll feel doubly(加倍的) good because of all the hard work you’ve had.” At that moment I knew what just what she meant.

1. What’s the writer’s ideal (理想的) job?

A. A sportsman   B. A shop assistant    C. A sports announcer   D. A businessman

2.Why didn’t the writer get the job in Chicago? 

A. because he was too young              B. Because he didn’t get college education

C. Because he’s got a good-looking person   D. Because he hadn’t got enough experience

3.Which of the following is true according to the article?

A. You just need wait for some time, then luck will come.

B. Luck will come if you try your best to do everything.

C. It’s important for you to wait for luck.

D. You should trust your mother.

4.The sentence “But I got turned down every time.” Means “______”

A. But I was refused every time      B. But I was successful every time

C. But I lost my way every time      D. But the door of every station was always closed

5.What’s the best title of this passage?

A. Mother’s words            B. Everything Happens For The Best 

C. No One Is Always Lucky     D. To Find A Job In Radio Is Difficult