Derrius Quarles, 19, had an unhappy childhood. But the Chicago teen didn’t give up. He tried his best and won $1 million in college scholarships (奖学金)! Now Derrius is a successful college student with a bright future.

    When Derrius was 4, his father was killed. His mother couldn’t take care of him because of taking drugs. Derrius and his 9-year-old brother sometimes had to steal food to eat. Derrius felt different from other kids. In seventh grade, Derrius went to live in a foster home (寄养家庭). His foster parents weren’t nice to him. They told him that he’d never be anything in life.

    Derrius didn’t do his best in school. The summer after ninth grade, that changed. Derrius had signed up for a biology class. He didn’t go to class the first day. On the second day, he showed up late. His teacher took him outside. She told him he was smart, but that he was wasting his potential (潜力). The talk inspired him and he planned to prove that he could be anything if he worked hard enough.

    Adults at a summer program helped Derrius find out about scholarships he could earn to pay for college. In his senior year, Derrius filled out lots of applications. He told his friends, “You’re not going to see me for a long time.” Derrius’s hard work paid off. He won more than $1 million in scholarships! He has a lot to be proud of. But he’s most proud of helping others. Derrius gives speeches to teens, telling them how to find scholarships. In high school, Derrius got help buying a computer. He wanted to help others who needed them. Last year, he gave two laptops to high school students. There’s a lot of work in his future. Derrius doesn’t mind — hard work has got him where he is today. He knows it can take him anywhere.

1.From Paragraphs 2 and 3, we can learn that Derrius _____.

    A. always studied hard in school

    B. lived in the same foster home with his brother

    C. hated his parents very much

    D. was encouraged a lot by his biology teacher

2.The underlined word “it” in the last paragraph refers to _____.

A. great success    B. a scholarship

C. hard work        D. a computer

3. What kind of person do you think Derrius is?

A. Lazy but kind-hearted.

B. Selfish and naughty.

C. Confident but troublesome.

D. Determined and generous.

4.What does the author want to tell us?

    A. The way to win a scholarship to a college.

    B. The importance of family background.

    C. Never forget people who have helped you.

D. Hard work pays off sooner or later.

A quick look at an e-reader

New, High-Contrast（高对比度） E-Ink Screen

50% better contrast than any other e-reader. The clearest text and sharpest images.

Read in Bright Sunlight

Unlike LCD screens, its screen reads like real paper, with no glare. Read as easily in bright sunlight as in your living room.

Lighter Than a Paperback

Weighing only 8.5 ounces and 1/3 of an inch thick, it is lighter than a paperback and thinner than a magazine.

Holds 3,500 Books

We doubled its storage so you can carry up to 3,500 books.

Battery Life of Up to One Month

A single charge lasts up to one month with wireless off. Keeping wireless always on, it can go for up to three weeks without recharging.  

Books in 60 Seconds

With fast, free wireless delivery, you can start reading books in less than 60 seconds. No computer required.

______

Over 670,000 books, including 107 of 111 New York Times Best Sellers, plus audiobooks, periodicals and blogs. For non-U.S. customers, content availability varies.

Free, Out-of-Copyright Books

Over 1.8 million free, out-of-copyright, pre-1923 books are available such as Pride and Prejudice.

Low Book Prices

Over 550,000 books are $9.99 or less, including 73 New York Times Best Sellers of the present time.

Free Book Samples (样品)

Download and read first chapters for free before you decide to buy.

1.If you want to use the e-reader longer, you should ______.

    A. charge it frequently          B. keep wireless off

    C. use it in bright sunlight     D. read in a quiet room

2.Which of the following can best fill in the blank in the text?

    A. Large selection.     B.Excellent service.

C. Reasonable prices.   D.Interesting content.

3.What is this text，mainly about?

A.What an e-reader is.

B.Who needs an e-reader.

C.How to use an e-reader.

D.The advantages of an e-reader.

Mom noticed that something was wrong when I started getting so thirsty. I’d have a lot to drink before bed, which was unusual for me. One time, I opened a big container of apple juice and kept refilling my glass. Before I knew it, I’d drunk the entire container! My mom called my doctor. I then had a few blood tests, and the results were certain — I had diabetes (糖尿病), which meant that the amount of sugar in my blood was very high. That can be dangerous, so I had to learn how to control my blood-sugar level.

    My eating habits had to change in a big way. With diabetes, I can’t eat a lot of sugar or carbohydrates (碳水化合物). I have to figure out exactly how much sugar I plan to eat, and then I get an injection of insulin (注射胰岛素) before the meal to help my body process the food. Also, I test my blood-sugar level often. I’m always trying to keep my blood sugar at a healthy level. The level can drop when I exercise, but that doesn’t keep me out of gym class or off the basketball court — I just keep some juice boxes around to boost my blood sugar if I need to.

    It’s a lot of work — and not a lot of fun — to keep track of everything, but I’ve gotten used to my new habits. I was a little scared at first because I wasn’t sure how my life would change. Once I knew what I needed to do, though, it wasn’t a big deal. My life is different now from what it was before, but it has become completely regular to me.

1.The first paragraph is mainly about _____.

    A. who found the author had diabetes

    B. the author’s life before having diabetes

    C. how the author was found to have diabetes

    D. the author’s eating habits before having diabetes

2.What did the author do after knowing she had diabetes?

    A. She stopped playing basketball in the gym.

    B. She controlled her blood-sugar level strictly.

    C. She stopped eating food with natural sugar.

    D. She tested her blood-sugar level before every meal.

3.What does the underlined word “boost” in Paragraph 2 mean?

    A. Increase.      B. Control.      C. Absorb.     D. Test.

4.What’s the author’s attitude toward her having diabetes now?

A. Worried.     B. Frightened.    C. Pessimistic.  D. Positive.

When my mom came home from the hospital with twins, I was excited at the very beginning. I couldn’t 36  to play with them and be the best big sister ever.

    Everyone was coming over to our house to hold the babies and  37  presents to the babies and talk nonstop how  38  the babies were. Then they’d pull out their cameras, and just  39  I was about to say “cheese”, they’d run over to my perfectly perfect little brothers and take  40  of them. At that time I was thinking, “Why can’t I be little again so I can be the one getting all the 41 ?”

    When my aunt Camille got  42 , my mom spent forever finding the perfect clothes for them. On the day of the  43 , my twin brothers had the cutest and prettiest clothes. And then there was me, just sitting and watching in my  44  dress.

    After the ceremony, all I  45  was how sweet and lovely the twins were.

  I definitely  46  that they were wonderful, but I couldn’t help feeling  47  and invisible (看不见的).

    There was a big   48  after the wedding. Aunt Camille and her nice new  49  had the first dance, and then everyone started  50  like crazy including me. I  51   my uncomfortable dress shoes, and I danced and danced and danced! It  52  one of the most fun times I’ve had in my entire life.

    The very  53  part was when my aunt and I took my twin brothers by the hands and  54  them some dance moves. Teaching them was such a cool thing. I 55  then what a huge waste of time feeling jealous is when you can kick off your shoes and enjoy life!

1. A. go            B. wait            C. stand          D. help

2.A. make         B. create        C. give           D. show

3.A. lovable        B. smart           C. active         D. strong

4. A. since        B. after        C. before         D. as

5.A. care         B. photos          C. advantage        D. measures

6.A. support        B. attention       C. impressions   D. opportunities

7.A. married        B. praised         C. elected       D. promoted

8.A. performance    B. celebration     C. wedding       D. concert

9.A. ugly      B. attractive      C. new            D. regular

10.A. thought       B. heard           C. remembered    D. reminded

11.A. agreed        B. ignored         C. forgot         D. expected

12.A. satisfied B. foolish         C. unimportant   D. excited

13.A. cake          B. party           C. surprise       D. gift

14.A. friend        B. husband         C. baby           D. partner

15.A. singing       B. drinking        C. dancing        D. chatting

16.A. took off      B. took over       C. took up       D. took in

17.A. encouraged    B. became          C. wasted        D. appeared

18.A. nervous       B. curious         C. best           D. quietest

19.A. taught        B. passed          C. lent           D. warned

20.A. imagined      B. calculated      C. announced      D. realized

There is something wrong with my washing machine and it requires _____.

A. repairing    B. to repair    C. being repaired       D. having repaired

We walked a long way to see him off, only _____ that he had just left.

A. found        B. to find     C. finding      D. having found

The pen my brother gave me as a birthday gift _____ smoothly. I do like it.

A. wrote    B. is writing    C. is written    D. writes

I want to be a volunteer some day. I feel _____ is my duty to help others.

A. this      B. that     C. them       D. it

    Mother kept me _____ during the summer holiday, for I failed my maths exam.

A. study      B. studying       C. to study      D. studied

—If you don’t hurry, I’ll go without you.

    —_____ I’m nearly ready.

    A. I don’t get it.           B. Get a move on.

C. That’s a good point.      D. Hang on a minute.