When I was nine years old, I wrote my first poem. My mother read the little poem and cried. “Buddy, it’s a beautiful, beautiful poem!” My mother poured out her praise.
“What time will Father be home?” I asked. I could hardly wait to show him my poem. My father had begun his movie career as a writer. He would be able to appreciate（欣赏）my poem even more than my mother. I confidently put the poem right on my father’s plate on the dining table.
My mother said he would be home around 7. But My father got home an hour later than expected. He sat down at the table and noticed his plate. “What is this?” I heard him say.
“Ben, Buddy has written his first poem. And it’s beautiful, so amazing!” Mother said.
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to decide that for myself,” Father said.
I kept my face lowered to my plate. It was only 10 lines long. But it seemed to take hours. “I think it’s bad,” my father said. I couldn’t look up. My eyes were getting wet.
“Ben, sometimes I don’t understand you,” my mother was saying. “This is just a little boy. He needs encouragement.”
“I don’t know why,” my father held his ground. “Isn’t there enough bad poetry(诗歌) in the world already? No law says Buddy has to become a poet.”
I ran from the dining room, threw myself on the bed and cried.
A few months later, I read that first poem. It was a bad poem. I worked up the courage to show him a short story. My father thought it was not good but hopeful. I was learning to rewrite.
As I worked my way into other books and plays and films, I realized how lucky I was to have a mother who said, “Buddy, it’s wonderful!” and a father who shook his head “I think it’s bad.” Both are love that forces me to improve. In fact, all of us in life need both loving force.
1. What did the mother think of the Buddy’s poem?
A. She was so moved that she cried.
B. She thought the poem was well written.
C. She considered Buddy had no talent for poetry.
D. She believed Buddy needed advice from his father.
2.The underlined sentence “My father held his ground” may means ________.
A. My father began to explain his reasons
B. My father got so angry that he stood up
C. My father refused to change his thoughts
D. My father threw my poem on the ground
3.From the passage, we can infer that Father is ________.
A. loving and strict B. careful and strict
C. careful and rude D. careless and strict
4.Which of the following is right?
A. A few months later, the writer stopped writing.
B. After years the writer hated his father very much.
C. That day Father didn’t come home until a quarter past eight.
D. The writer was confident that Father would praise his poem.
◆The Big Cake Show comes to the WestPoint Arena in Exeter, England, March 21-22. Hopefully, cakes of all sizes will be on sale and on show. An impressive list of famous cook sharing their great knowledge and skill includes Mary Berry, Paul Hollywood and Gregg Wallace. Tickets, from ￡12, can be bought online (bigcakeshow.com).
◆From January 27 to March 8, RHS Garden Wisley in Surrey, England has some special guests to brighten the winter: beautiful butterflies. Butterflies in the Glasshouse introduces a group of butterflies from other countries feeding on fruit and the juice-rich plants of the Exotic Zone, Tickets for adults are ￡13.20, for children are ￡6.60. For a family with 2 adults and 2 children, they should pay ￡32.75 in total. For groups of more than 10 adults, each should pay ￡10.80 (rhs.org.uk/wisley).
◆The week-long London Wine Week starts from May 18. Buy a ￡5 wristband (手带) to get a pocket-sized guidebook and discounted（折扣）wine at a around the capital. Partnering with
London’s best bars and restaurants, we will be organizing events such as master classes and meet-the-maker time, and there will be a special offer to wristband wearers ( londonwineweek.com ).
◆The World Shakespeare Festival begins in April, with everything from foreign productions of Shakespearean plays at Shakespeare's Globe to Shakespearean plays at the Royal Opera House. Plays will run until the end of the year in London, Birmingham, Newcastle and Gateshead. And there’s a programme of events such as director talks and family workshops. Prices start from ￡60 (worldshakespearefestival.org. uk).
1.Perhaps Paul Hollywood is ___________.
A. the event organizer
B. a beautiful butterfly
C. a famous cook
D. the cake show host
2.If you want to buy wine at lower prices, you should _____________.
A. pay ￡5 for a card
B. buy a wristband first
C. get a guidebook
D. eat in London’s restaurants
3.Which of the following activities lasts for the longest time?
A. The Big Cake Show.
B. The London Wine Week.
C. Butterflies in the Glasshouse.
D. The World Shakespeare Festival.
完形填空
阅读下列短文，从文后各题所给四个选项中选出一个最佳答案。
Lang Lang went to a piano school in Beijing when he was just eight. “You need fortune(运气) ,” said his father. “But if you don’t work hard, no ________ will come.”
What made him sad was that his piano teacher in Beijing didn’t like him. “You have no talent. You will never be a pianist. ” ________ a nine-year-old boy, Lang Lang was badly hurt. He decided that he didn’t want to be a ________ any more. Then, he didn’t touch the piano. ________ , his father didn’t push, but waited．
Luckily, the next day, his teacher asked him to ________ some holiday songs. He didn’t want to, but as he placed his fingers on the piano keys, he ________ that he could show others that he had talent. That day he told his father ________ he had been waiting to hear---that he wanted to study with a new teacher. From that point on, everything changed!
He started ________ competitions. In the 1994 International Competition for Young Pianists, when it was ________ that Lang Lang had won, he was too ________ to hold back his tears. Soon ________ was clear that he couldn’t stay in China forever---he had to play on the world big stages. In 1997 Lang Lang ________ again, this time to Philadelphia, U．S. There he spent two years practicing, and had worked hard enough for fortune to take over. After his ________ performance at Chicago’s Ravinia Festival, gigs（特邀演出）started ________ . Lang Lang finally worked to reach the place where fortune spots（发现）him, and lets him ________.
1.A. exercise B. fortune C. knowledge D. wealth
2.A. Like B. With C. To D. As
3.A. singer B. pianist C. composer D. player
4.A. Hopefully B. Sadly C. Wisely D. Painfully
5.A. play B. sing C. write D. study
6.A. seemed B. attended C. noticed D. realized
7.A. that B. what C. how D. when
8.A. receiving B. accepting C. winning D. beating
9.A. told B. mentioned C. announced D. shouted
10.A. excited B. encouraged C. scared D. worried
11.A. this B. it C. that D. what
12.A. started B. left C. moved D. supposed
13.A. successful B. cheerful C. careful D. meaningful
14.A. pulling B. breaking C. falling D. pouring
15.A. know B. shine C. admire D. develop
--- I think Running Man is the most popular TV game show now.
--- ______.
A. I can’t agree more B. That’s all right.
C. Never mind D. I’m glad to hear that
---Sandy doesn’t like horror films.
---________．
A. So do I B. Neither do I C. So I do D. Neither I do
--- May I use your computer?
--- Sorry, it doesn’t work. It _______ mending.
A. remembers B. reminds C. receives D. requires
