The adolescent girl from Tennessee was standing on the stage of a drama summer camp in New York.But the girl didn't feel joyful.She was not the leggy,attractive Hollywood type.In fact,she described herself as stupid. This girl was Reese Witherspoon,who had wanted to be a country singer and admired and respected Dolly Patton very much. That day at the end of the camp her coaches told her to forget about singing.They suggested she think about another career.She took their words to heart.After all,why shouldn't she believe the professionals? But back at home in Nashville,her mother--a funny,happy,optimistic woman--wouldn't let her feel depressed.Her father,a physician,encouraged her to achieve in schoo1.So she worked hard at everything and was accepted at Stanford University. And at 1 9,she got a part in a low-budget movie called Freeway, which prepared for her role in the movie Pleasantville.But her big break came with Legally Blonde. "If you can't sing and you aren't charming,play to your strengths.If you're going to make it in this business,better focus on what you're good at,"she told the interviewer later. And then came the offer that took her back to her Nashville--playing the wife of a country star Johnny Cash,a singing role. All of a sudden the old fears learned on that summer stage were back.She was so nervous on the stage.But she didn't give up on the movie or herself.She spent 6 months taking singing lessons again.She learned to play the Autoharp.And the hard work built up her confidence. Last March,Reese Witherspoon walked up on another stage,the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood,and accepted the Oscar as Best Actress for her heartbreaking,heartwarming singing role as June Carter Cash in Walk the Line. What can we learn from Reese's experience? A) Two heads are better than one. B) When in Rome,do as the Romans do. C) Where there is a will,there is a way. D) Hope for the best,and prepare for the worst.
C
Erik Weihenmayer was born with an eye disorder. As a child his eyesight became worse and then, at the age of 13, he lost his sight completely. However, he did not lose his determination to lead a full and active life Erik became an adventurer. He took up parachuting, wrestling and scuba diving. He competed in long-distance biking, marathons and skiing. His favorite sport, thought, is mountaineering. As a young man, Erik started to climb mountains. He reached the summit of Mount McKinley in 1995 and then climbed the dangerous 1000-metre rock wall of EI Capitan. Two years later, while climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Kenya with his girlfriend, they stopped for a time at 13,000 feet above sea level-in order to get married. In 1999, he climbed Aconcagua, the tallest mountain in South America. And then , on May 25, 2001, at the age of 33, Erik successfully completed the greatest mountaineering challenge of all. He climbed Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world. Erik invented his own method for climbing mountains. He carries two long poles: one to lean on and the other to test the way ahead of him. The climber in front of him wears a bell to guide him. Erik is a good team member. He does his share of the job, such as setting up tents and building snow walls. Although he could not enjoy the view, Erik felt the excitement of being on the summit of Everest. He hopes that his success will change how people think about the blind. "When people think about a blind person or blindness, now they will think about a person standing on the top of the world. When was Erik born? A) In 1967. B) In 1995. C) In 1968.. D) In 1969.
C
Q: Every English learner hopes to find a patient native speaker who will politely correct mistakes and teach him some useful new vocabulary. But native speakers can be hard to find. If you're having trouble communicating in English, American situation comedies are one good way to help. They can not only give you a lot of information about American culture, but also offer some useful daily expressions. Watching them will help you enlarge your vocabulary and teach you correct language usage in different situations. Best of all, situation comedies are a fun way to learn. The Apprentice The American reality TV show is hosted by the famous businessman Donald Trump. It's based on the idea of the final job interview for the final job. The show picks 16 people to compete for a job with Trump's business. Those who fail their weekly tasks have to meet with Trump. They have to explain why they should not be fired . The Apprentice is useful for English students who want to learn how to make up a persuasive argument. For example, rather than say "I think I did a good job", one may also learn to throw off the possibility of uncertainty by saying, "I did a good job." Desperate Housewives (DH) Desperate Housewives is set in an invented American town, Wisteria Lane. It follows a group of middle-aged women as they go through their daily family lives. But in fact, those women live a life of lies, secrets, criminal acts, and mystery. This program is good at expressing the funny life of American neighbors. And, it's the perfect comedy series for foreign learners wanting to see how to hold a relaxed daily conversation. Another reason for watching DH is to learn some expressions American families use that are not in your English language textbooks. For example, the mothers often use words such as "sport" and "you guys" to speak about their kids. We can learn from the passage that The Apprentice _ . A) tells a story of school life B) is about real life C) has 15 actors D) is about some businessmen
A: B
Q: There once was a king who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The king looked at all the pictures, but there were only two he really liked and he had to choose between them. One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror, for peaceful towering mountains were all around it. Over head was a blue sky with white clouds. All who saw this picture thought it was a perfect picture of peace. The other picture has mountains too. But these were rough and bare. Above was an angry sky from which rain fell and in which lightening played. Down the side of mountain ran a waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all. But when the king looked, he saw behind the waterfall a tiny bush growing in a _ in the rock. In the bush a mother bird had built her nest. There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird on her nest... perfect peace. Which picture do you think won prize? The king chose the second picture. Do you know why? " Because ," explained the king, " peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace. The king's words suggested that _ . A) silence means peace. B) real peace means keeping calm in a wild situation. C) real peace means struggling against difficult situations. D) Peace only exists in your heart.
A: B