I was parked in front of the mall wiping off my car. Coming my way from across the parking lot was  1  society would consider a bum(無業(yè)游民). From the  2  of him, he had no car, no home, no clean clothes, and no money. He sat down in front of the bus stop but didn’t look like he could have enough money to even  3  the bus. “That’s a very pretty car,” he said. He was  4  but he had a(n)  5  of dignity around him. I said, “thanks,” and  6  wiping off my car. He sat there  7  as I worked. The  8  beg for money never came. As the silence between us widened something inside said, “ask him if he needs any help.” I was  9  that he would say “yes”. “Do you need any help?” I asked. He answered in three  10  but profound(深遠的) words that I shall never  11 . “Don’t we all?” he said.

I had been feeling high, successful and important  12  those three words  13  me like a shotgun. Don’t we all? I needed help. Maybe not for bus fare or a place to sleep, but I needed help. I  14  my wallet and gave him not only enough for bus fare, but enough to get a warm meal and  15  for the day. Those three little words still ring  16 . No matter how much you have, no matter how much you have  17 , you need help too. No matter how  18  you have, no matter how  19  you are with problems, even without money or a place to sleep, you can  20  help.

1. A. that              B. what             C. which            D. how  

2. A. expressions       B. manners          C. looks            D. attitudes 

3. A. ride              B. buy              C. drive            D. stop    

4. A. generous          B. disappointed     C. modern           D. ragged 

5. A. air               B. atmosphere       C. appearance       D. figure 

6. A. finished          B. stopped          C. continued        D. began 

7. A. quietly           B. casually         C. aimlessly        D. eagerly 

8. A. intenting         B. expected         C. boring           D. supposed 

9. A. afraid            B. glad             C. doubtful         D. sure

10. A. simple           B. complex          C. strange          D. rigid 

11. A. accept           B. forget           C. respond          D. choose  

12. A. unless           B. after            C. until            D. when  

13. A. fightened        B. moved            C. wounded          D. hit  

14. A. reached in       B. searched for     C. looked up       D. exposed to 

15. A. shelter          B. clothes          C. reward           D. blanket 

16. A. nice             B. ridiculous      C. true             D. proper 

17. A. submitted        B. devoted          C. applied          D. accomplished

18. A. few              B. many             C. little           D. enough 

19. A. loaded           B. puzzled          C. angry            D. unsatisfied 

20. A. receive          B. give             C. need             D. seek   

I must have been about fourteen then, and I put away the incident from my mind with

the easy carelessness of  youth. But the words, Carl Walter spoke that day, came back to me

years later, and ever since have been of great value to me.

Carl Walter was my piano teacher. During one of my lessons he asked how much practicing I

was doing. I said three or four hours a day.

"Do you practice in long stretches, an hour at a time?"

"I try to."

"Well, don't," he exclaimed. "When you grow up, time won't come in long stretches.    Practice in minutes, whenever you can find them five or ten before school, after lunch, between household tasks. Spread the practice through the day, and piano-playing will become a part of your life."

When I was teaching at Columbia, I wanted to write, but class periods, theme-reading, and committee meetings filled my days and evenings. For two years I got practically nothing down on paper, and my excuse was that I had no time. Then I remembered what Carl Walter had said. During the next week I conducted an experiment. Whenever I had five minutes unoccupied, I sat down and wrote a hundred words or so. To my astonishment, at the end of the week I had a rather large manuscript ready for revision, later on I wrote novels by the same piecemeal method. Though my teaching schedule had become heavier than ever, in every day there were idle moments which could be caught and put to use. I even took up piano--playing again, finding that the small intervals of the day provided sufficient time for both writing and piano practice.

There is an important trick in this time--using formula: you must get into your work quickly. If you have but five minutes for writing, you can't afford to waste four chewing your pencil. You must make your mental preparations beforehand, and concentrate on your task almost instantly when the time comes. Fortunately, rapid concentration is easier than most of us realize.

I admit I have never learnt how to let go easily at the end of the five or ten minutes. But life can be counted on to supply interruptions. Carl Walter has had a tremendous influence on my life. To him I owe the discovery that even very short periods of time add up to all useful hours I need, if I plunge（投入）in without delay.

The meaning of “stretch” in the underlined part is the same as that in sentence “        ”.

A．The forests in the north of the province stretch for hundreds of miles.

B．Bob worked as a government official for a stretch of over twenty years.

C．My family wasn’t wealthy by any stretch of the imagination.

D．During his senior year his earnings far enough to buy an old car.

Which of the following statements is true?

A．The writer didn’t completely take the teacher’s words to heart at first.

B．Carl Walter has had a great influence on the writer's life since he became a student.

C．The writer owes great thanks to his teacher for teaching him to work in long stretches.

D．Rapid concentration is actually more difficult than most people imagine.

We can infer that the writer             . 

A．has new books published each year however busy his teaching is

B．is always tired of interruptions in life because his teaching schedule is always heavy

C．has formed a bad habit of chewing a pencil while writing his novels

D．can find sufficient time for mental preparations beforehand, so he's devoted to work   instantly

What is the best title of this passage?

A．Concentrate on Your Work            B．A Little at a Time

C．How I Became a Writer              D．Good Advice Is Most Valuable

    I must have been about fourteen then, and I put away the incident from my mind with the

easy carelessness of  youth. But the words, Carl Walter spoke that day, came back to me years

later, and ever since have been of great value to me.

Carl Walter was my piano teacher. During one of my lessons he asked how much practicing I was doing. I said three or four hours a day.

"Do you practice in long stretches, an hour at a time?"

"I try to."

"Well, don't," he exclaimed. "When you grow up, time won't come in long stretches.    Practice in minutes, whenever you can find them five or ten before school, after lunch, between household tasks. Spread the practice through the day, and piano-playing will become a part of your life."

When I was teaching at Columbia, I wanted to write, but class periods, theme-reading, and committee meetings filled my days and evenings. For two years I got practically nothing down on paper, and my excuse was that I had no time. Then I remembered what Carl Walter had said. During the next week I conducted an experiment. Whenever I had five minutes unoccupied, I sat down and wrote a hundred words or so. To my astonishment, at the end of the week I had a rather large manuscript ready for revision, later on I wrote novels by the same piecemeal method. Though my teaching schedule had become heavier than ever, in every day there were idle moments which could be caught and put to use. I even took up piano--playing again, finding that the small intervals of the day provided sufficient time for both writing and piano practice.

There is an important trick in this time--using formula: you must get into your work quickly. If you have but five minutes for writing, you can't afford to waste four chewing your pencil. You must make your mental preparations beforehand, and concentrate on your task almost instantly when the time comes. Fortunately, rapid concentration is easier than most of us realize.

I admit I have never learnt how to let go easily at the end of the five or ten minutes. But life can be counted on to supply interruptions. Carl Walter has had a tremendous influence on my life. To him I owe the discovery that even very short periods of time add up to all useful hours I need, if I plunge（投入）in without delay.

56．The meaning of “stretch” in the underlined part is the same as that in sentence “        ”.

      A．The forests in the north of the province stretch for hundreds of miles.

       B．Bob worked as a government official for a stretch of over twenty years.

       C．My family wasn’t wealthy by any stretch of the imagination.

       D．During his senior year his earnings far enough to buy an old car.

57．Which of the following statements is true?

　　A．The writer didn’t completely take the teacher’s words to heart at first.

　　B．Carl Walter has had a great influence on the writer's life since he became a student.

　　C．The writer owes great thanks to his teacher for teaching him to work in long stretches.

　　D．Rapid concentration is actually more difficult than most people imagine.

58．We can infer that the writer             . 

       A．has new books published each year however busy his teaching is

      B．is always tired of interruptions in life because his teaching schedule is always heavy

      C．has formed a bad habit of chewing a pencil while writing his novels

       D．can find sufficient time for mental preparations beforehand, so he's devoted to work   instantly

59．What is the best title of this passage?

       A．Concentrate on Your Work           B．A Little at a Time

       C．How I Became a Writer           D．Good Advice Is Most Valuable

For a long time, a boy wondered why his next-desk-pal was always the first in the class, whereas he could only rank the 21st. At home, he asked his mom, “Am I more stupid than other kids? How come I always lag behind? I just can’t come up with an answer.” Mom was aware that her son’s self-respect had been damaged by the ranking system, but she didn’t know what to say to help.
She was tempted (想要) to say that intelligence differs and that yes, her son’s friend really was the smarter boy. But that would have so upset her son. Thank goodness she resisted the temptation to say it.
Her son and his friend went on to high school that year, but despite trying as hard as he could, her son’s friend still outdid him. But she was proud of her boy for his hard work, sincerely proud. It was around this time she decided to take him on a trip to the seaside. On the trip, she at last found an answer for him.
Today her son no longer cares about rankings. He doesn’t have to, for he himself is now the top of the class – at the top national university he attends. Invited to speak to his old high school, he mentioned a valuable childhood experience: “Once, on a trip to the sea, my mother and I were lying on the beach. She pointed to the sea and said to me: ‘Do you see the seabirds fighting for food out there? When a wave comes near, the little birds rise quickly. The “clumsy” seagulls (海鷗) are far less agile (靈活的) and have to struggle to get away from the wave. But these “clumsy” birds prove to have the biggest, strongest wings, which open the widest and allow the bird to travel the furthest. When the season changes, they leave for foreign shores, leaving the little birds behind. Son, I have a feeling that you are one of those seagulls.”
【小題1】 From the first paragraph, we could conclude the mother ______.

    I must have been about fourteen then, and I put away the incident from my mind with the
easy carelessness of  youth. But the words, Carl Walter spoke that day, came back to me years
later, and ever since have been of great value to me.
Carl Walter was my piano teacher. During one of my lessons he asked how much practicing I was doing. I said three or four hours a day.
"Do you practice in long stretches, an hour at a time?"
"I try to."
"Well, don't," he exclaimed. "When you grow up, time won't come in long stretches.    Practice in minutes, whenever you can find them five or ten before school, after lunch, between household tasks. Spread the practice through the day, and piano-playing will become a part of your life."
When I was teaching at Columbia, I wanted to write, but class periods, theme-reading, and committee meetings filled my days and evenings. For two years I got practically nothing down on paper, and my excuse was that I had no time. Then I remembered what Carl Walter had said. During the next week I conducted an experiment. Whenever I had five minutes unoccupied, I sat down and wrote a hundred words or so. To my astonishment, at the end of the week I had a rather large manuscript ready for revision, later on I wrote novels by the same piecemeal method. Though my teaching schedule had become heavier than ever, in every day there were idle moments which could be caught and put to use. I even took up piano--playing again, finding that the small intervals of the day provided sufficient time for both writing and piano practice.
There is an important trick in this time--using formula: you must get into your work quickly. If you have but five minutes for writing, you can't afford to waste four chewing your pencil. You must make your mental preparations beforehand, and concentrate on your task almost instantly when the time comes. Fortunately, rapid concentration is easier than most of us realize.
I admit I have never learnt how to let go easily at the end of the five or ten minutes. But life can be counted on to supply interruptions. Carl Walter has had a tremendous influence on my life. To him I owe the discovery that even very short periods of time add up to all useful hours I need, if I plunge（投入）in without delay.
56．The meaning of “stretch” in the underlined part is the same as that in sentence “       ”.
A．The forests in the north of the province stretch for hundreds of miles.
B．Bob worked as a government official for a stretch of over twenty years.
C．My family wasn’t wealthy by any stretch of the imagination.
D．During his senior year his earnings far enough to buy an old car.
57．Which of the following statements is true?
　　A．The writer didn’t completely take the teacher’s words to heart at first.
　　B．Carl Walter has had a great influence on the writer's life since he became a student.
　　C．The writer owes great thanks to his teacher for teaching him to work in long stretches.
　　D．Rapid concentration is actually more difficult than most people imagine.
58．We can infer that the writer             . 
A．has new books published each year however busy his teaching is
B．is always tired of interruptions in life because his teaching schedule is always heavy
C．has formed a bad habit of chewing a pencil while writing his novels
D．can find sufficient time for mental preparations beforehand, so he's devoted to work   instantly
59．What is the best title of this passage?
A．Concentrate on Your Work           B．A Little at a Time
C．How I Became a Writer                 D．Good AdviceIs Most Valuable