I was not happy, for I wanted to travel．I wanted to see the world known to me only from books．My dream came  1 ．I left my native land and started  2  a journey  3 the Atlantic to the New World．I was young and my mind was full of noble ideas．

In the month of January 1853 I arrived in New Orleans．An hour  4  my arrival, I was already walking about the streets of the city, staring with interest at the new  5  around me．But soon my  6  turned to other things．

As I walked about the streets I began to understand my own  7  ．I had been one of the best students in college．But could I use the dry  8  I had received?

I had been taught the classic language． Now, in real life, they seemed useless to me． I  9   that I was  10  man, but mow understood that I really knew nothing．

The first six months I spent in New Orleans were a good school for me． I learned more of life   11  I had learned during many years of study at college．  12  the end of those six months I had very little money．After paying  13  my room I had only twenty-five dollars  14 in my pocket．I  15  to write home for more money and wait for  16 ．This would  17  many weeks, because there were no Atlantic steamers at the time．

I wanted to find a  18 , but my classic education had not  19  me for any kind of useful work． St． Louis seemed to be the best place and I thought I would go there．I had enough money for the passage, though I did not know  20  I would live afterwards．

1． A． to itself                B． true               C． to a reality           D． down

2． A． for                       B． on                  C． about               D． to

3． A． over                     B． across             C． from               D． above

4． A． ago                      B． before             C． after                      D． later

5． A． buildings              B． situation                C．scenes                    D． conditions

6． A． thoughts               B． head                  C． ideas           D． memory

7． A． carelessness        B． mistakes               C．shortcomings     D． uselessness

8． A． experience            B． knowledge          C． practice         D． skill

9． A． thought                B． wished             C． had thought      D． had wished

10． A． a learning            B． an educated           C． an honest         D． a perfect

11． A． as                      B． than                      C． though           D． after

12． A． In                      B． To                        C． On              D． By

13． A． for                     B． back               C． off              D． out

14． A． remained            B． existed                  C． staying           D． left

15． A． used                   B． hoped                  C． ought            D． had

16． A． a telegram           B． the bill                   C． an answer         D． the note

17． A． mean                  B． wait              C． spend             D． take

18． A． place                  B． job               C． way              D． friend

19． A． prepared             B． fitted              C． served            D．practiced

20． A． how                    B． for what          C． however            D． where

The life of an actor appears attractive and many young people dream about becoming one. But the truth is, it is very hard work. If you’re successful, there are deadlines to be met, appointments to keep and the press to deal with. If you’re not successful, then life is extremely tough.
I remember when I started out, I had to search the advertisement board at my drama school every day to look for acting jobs. Drama school was expensive and I needed extra cash to help pay the fees. I welcomed every small job. I played extras in many crowd scenes and became a confident participant in a lot of TV commercials for hair shampoo, soap and washing powder.
I had been working for about two years before I got my lucky break. One day, as I was passing the drama school, I decided to go in to check the notice board. There was nothing on it and I was just leaving when the secretary came along the corridor with a piece of paper. She asked me how I was and I told her life was hard and work was difficult to find. The next moment, she put the paper in my hand and walked away. My hands were shaking as I unfolded the paper, full of expectation. To my surprise, it was an audition (試演) for a clown（小丑）for the Canadian circus. I couldn’t stop myself from laughing. I had expected an audition with a famous director for a new film!
When I was at drama school, there had been a course in acrobatics and clown tricks. I had gained top marks in this course for originality and daring. Later I went to the audition feeling very strange. This was not what I’d had in mind when I enrolled in drama school. To my surprise, the job as a clown turned out to be exactly what I wanted. I loved every moment of getting dressed up and putting on the make-up. I had the opportunity to travel the world and I was more than an actor, I was an entertainer as well. I had visited over 32 different countries and entertained millions of people.
【小題1】The first paragraph is about how _______ it is to be an actor, whether you’re successful or not.

There was a boy in India who was sent by his parents to a boarding school. Before being sent away this boy was the    26   student in his class. He was at the top in every    27  . He was a champion.
But the boy    28   after leaving home and attending the boarding school. His    29   started dropping. He hated being in a group. He was    30   all the time. And there were especially dark times when he felt like    31   himself. All of this because he felt    32   and that no one loved him.
His    33   started worrying about the boy. But    34   they did not know what was wrong with him.    35   his dad decided to travel to the boarding school and talk with him.
They sat    36   the bank of the lake near the school. The father started asking him    37   questions about his classes, teachers and    38  . After some time his dad said, “Do you know, son,   39   I am here today?”
The boy    40  , “to check my grades?”
“No, no” his dad replied, “I am here to tell you that you are the most important person for me. I want to see you happy. I don’t care about grades. I care about    41  . I care about your happiness. YOU ARE MY   42  .”
These words caused the boy’s eyes to fill with tears. He    43   his dad. They didn’t say anything to each other for a long time.
Now the boy had everything he wanted. He knew there was someone on this    44   who cared for him deeply. He    45   the world to someone. And today this young man is in college at the top of his class and no one has ever seen him sad!

There was a boy in India who was sent by his parents to a boarding school. Before being sent away this boy was the    26   student in his class. He was at the top in every    27  . He was a champion.

But the boy    28   after leaving home and attending the boarding school. His    29   started dropping. He hated being in a group. He was    30   all the time. And there were especially dark times when he felt like    31   himself. All of this because he felt    32   and that no one loved him.

His    33   started worrying about the boy. But    34   they did not know what was wrong with him.    35   his dad decided to travel to the boarding school and talk with him.

They sat    36   the bank of the lake near the school. The father started asking him    37   questions about his classes, teachers and    38  . After some time his dad said, “Do you know, son,   39   I am here today?”

The boy    40  , “to check my grades?”

“No, no” his dad replied, “I am here to tell you that you are the most important person for me. I want to see you happy. I don’t care about grades. I care about    41  . I care about your happiness. YOU ARE MY   42  .”

These words caused the boy’s eyes to fill with tears. He    43   his dad. They didn’t say anything to each other for a long time.

Now the boy had everything he wanted. He knew there was someone on this    44   who cared for him deeply. He    45   the world to someone. And today this young man is in college at the top of his class and no one has ever seen him sad!

    There was a boy who was sent by his parents to a boarding school（寄宿學校）.   26   being sent away, this boy was the   27  student in his class. He was at the top in every   28  always with high marks.
     But the boy changed after   29  home and attending the boarding school. His grades started   30  .He hated being in a   31  . He was lonely all the time. And there were especially dark times when he  32  committing suicide（自殺）. All of this was because he felt   33   and no one loved him.
     His parents started   34  about the boy. But they even did not know what was   35  with him. So his dad decided to travel to the boarding school and   36  him.
     They sat on the bank of the lake near the school. The father started asking him some questions about his classes, teachers and  37  .After some time his dad said, “Do you know, son, why I am here today?”
     The boy answered back, “To  38    my grades ?”
     “No, no .” his dad replied. “I am here to tell you that you are the most  39  person for me. I want to see you  40  . I don’t care about grades. I care about you. I care about your happiness. YOU ARE MY LIFE.”
      These words  41  the boy’s eyes to be filled with tears. He  42  his dad. They didn’t say anything to each other for a long time.
      Now the boy had  43  he wanted . He knew there was someone on this earth who cared for him deeply. He  44  the world to someone and today this young man is in college at the top of his class and no one has ever seen him  45  !
26. A．After        B．Before         C．When             D．While
27. A．hardest      B．naughtiest       C．brightest           D．dullest
28. A．exam        B．a(chǎn)ctivity        C．game              D．class
29. A．coming      B．returning       C．leaving             D．reaching

30. A.rising         B.increasing        C reducing             D.dropping
31. A．group       B．term           C．company           D．party

32. A.led to         B. felt like         C.thought back          D.looked for
33. A.worthless      B．careless        C．concerned          D．a(chǎn)nnoyed
34. A．caring       B．turning         C．worrying           D．speaking
35. A．crazy       B．true            C．possible            D．wrong

36.A.talk with       B. listen to         C. tell to               D.care about

37. A.family        B.friends           C. study               D. grades

38. A.realize        B.analyze          C.  check              D.test

39. A.outstanding    B.important         C.famous              D.familiar

40. A.happy         B.excellent         C.interested            D. satisfied

41. A.caused        B.wanted           C.encouraged           D.forced

42.A.answered      B.ignored           C.hated                D.hugged

43. A．nothing      B．something       C．everything          D．a(chǎn)nything

44. A．showed      B．meant          C．intended            D．expressed
45．A．sad        B．a(chǎn)ngry           C．pleasant            D．joyful

There was a boy in India who was sent by his parents to a boarding school. Before being sent away this boy was the brightest student in his class. He was at the top in every competition. He was a champion.
But the boy changed after leaving home and attending the boarding school. His grades started dropping. He hated being in a group. He was lonely all the time. And there were especially dark times when he felt like killing himself. All of this was because he felt worthless and that no one loved him.
His parents started worrying about the boy. But even they did not know what was wrong with him. So his dad decided to travel to the boarding school and talk with him.
They sat on the bank of the lake near the school. The father started asking him casual questions about his classes, teachers and sports. After some time his dad said, “Do you know son, why I am here today?”
The boy answered back, “to check my grades?”
“No, no” his dad replied, “I am here to tell you that you are the most important person for me. I want to see you happy. I don’t care about grades. I care about you. I care about your happiness. YOU ARE MY LIFE.”
These words caused the boy’s eyes to fill with tears. He hugged his dad. They didn’t say anything to each other for a long time.
Now the boy had everything he wanted. He knew there was someone on this earth who cared for him deeply. He meant the world to someone. And today this young man is in college at the top of his class and no one has ever seen him sad!
Thanks a lot, dad. YOU ARE MY LIFE.
【小題1】The boy changed after he went to the boarding school because________.

There was a boy in India who was sent by his parents to a boarding school. Before being sent away this boy was the brightest student in his class. He was at the top in every competition. He was a champion.

But the boy changed after leaving home and attending the boarding school. His grades started dropping. He hated being in a group. He was lonely all the time. And there were especially dark times when he felt like killing himself. All of this was because he felt worthless and that no one loved him.

His parents started worrying about the boy. But even they did not know what was wrong with him. So his dad decided to travel to the boarding school and talk with him.

They sat on the bank of the lake near the school. The father started asking him casual questions about his classes, teachers and sports. After some time his dad said, “Do you know son, why I am here today?”

The boy answered back, “to check my grades?”

“No, no” his dad replied, “I am here to tell you that you are the most important person for me. I want to see you happy. I don’t care about grades. I care about you. I care about your happiness. YOU ARE MY LIFE.”

These words caused the boy’s eyes to fill with tears. He hugged his dad. They didn’t say anything to each other for a long time.

Now the boy had everything he wanted. He knew there was someone on this earth who cared for him deeply. He meant the world to someone. And today this young man is in college at the top of his class and no one has ever seen him sad!

Thanks a lot, dad. YOU ARE MY LIFE.

1.The boy changed after he went to the boarding school because________.

A．his grades were not as good as before       B．his classmates didn’t like him

C．his father seldom went to see him           D．he felt no one cared about him

2.The father went to the boarding school to_________.

A．know if he was still the best student

B．find out what was wrong with his son

C．a(chǎn)sk some questions about his classmates

D．talk with the boy’s teacher about his grades

3.The underlined word “ casual” in Paragraph 4 means _______.

A．unimportant       B．strange           C．special            D．difficult

4.The passage mainly tells us never to _________.

A．send a small boy to a boarding school

B．care too much about a student’s grades

C．pay no attention to the power of caring

D．miss the chance to say thanks to our fathers

There was a boy who was sent by his parents to a boarding school (寄宿學校).   36   being sent away, this boy was the   37   student in his class. He was at the top in every   38   always with high marks.

But the boy changed after   39   home and attending the boarding school. His grades started   40  . He hated being in a   41  . He was lonely all the time. And there were especially dark times when he   42   committing suicide (自殺). All of this was because he felt   43   and no one loved him.

His parents started   44   about the boy. But they even did not know what was   45   with him. So his dad decided to travel to the boarding school and   46   him.

They sat on the bank of the lake near the school. The father started asking him some casual questions about his classes, teachers and   47  . After some time his dad said, “Do you know, son, why I am here today?”

The boy answered back, “To   48   my grades?”

“No, no,” his dad replied. “I am here to tell you that you are the most   49   person for me. I want to see you   50  . I don’t care about grades. I care about you. I care about your happiness. YOU ARE MY LIFE.”

These words   51   the boy’s eyes to be filled with tears. He   52   his dad. They didn’t say anything to each other for a long time.

Now the boy had   53   he wanted. He knew there was someone on this earth who cared for him deeply. He   54   the world to someone. And today this young man is in college at the top of his class and no one has ever seen him   55  !