I am a writer. I spend a great deal of my time thinking about the power of language — the way it can evoke(唤起) an emotion, a visual image, a complex idea, or a simple truth. Language is the tool of my trade. And I use them all — all the Englishes I grew up with.

Born into a Chinese family that had recently arrived in California, I’ve been giving more thought to the kind of English my mother speaks. Like others, I have described it to people as “broken” English. But I feel embarrassed to say that. It has always bothered me that I can think of no way to describe it other than “broken”, as if it were damaged and needed to be fixed, as if it lacked a certain wholeness. I’ve heard other terms used, “limited English,” for example. But they seem just as bad, as if everything is limited, including people’s perceptions (认识) of the limited English speaker.

I know this for a fact, because when I was growing up, my mother’s “limited” English limited my perception of her. I was ashamed of her English. I believed that her English reflected the quality of what she had to say. That is, because she expressed them imperfectly, her thoughts were imperfect. And I had plenty of evidence to support me: the fact that people in department stores, at banks, and at restaurants did not take her seriously, did not give her good service, pretended not to understand her, or even acted as if they did not hear her.

I started writing fiction in 1985. And for reasons I won’t get into today, I began to write stories using all the Englishes I grew up with: the English she used with me, which for lack of a better term might be described as “broken”, and what I imagine to be her translation of her Chinese, her internal(内在的) language, and for that I sought to preserve the essence, but neither an English nor a Chinese structure: I wanted to catch what language ability tests can never show; her intention, her feelings, the rhythms of her speech and the nature of her thoughts.

1.By saying “Language is the tool of my trade”, the author means that       .

2.The author used to think of her mother’s English as      .

3.Which of the following is TRUE according to Paragraph 3?

4.What is the passage mainly about?

I was successful at my job. I worked very hard, but it 36  me and my family a fabulous (极好的) lifestyle. I’d worked for the same company for twenty years and had worked my way up to department director.  37 , one afternoon last May, I was called to the office, and it was  38  explained to me that they were letting me go. I just sat there  39  they talked on and all I could think was, “I’ve  40 .”  I’d been so well respected, but  41  I was of no value.

For six weeks, I was in a very  42  place. I wandered around my house like a zombie (僵尸). I could 43 things needed doing, but would not do anything. My beliefs in looking forward and seeing the positive (积极的) in everything  44  me.

Then, in late June, my youngest son’s football team made the city cup final. The year before, he’d been very sad when I  45  the same final, so he was  46  when I told him I’d go. Not only did they win, but the look on his face as he saw me  47  him on was unbelievable, From then on, I spent the summer enjoying my some and their passions (激情). I attended match after match and performances of my elder son’s band — I  48  went to another city to watch him play. These moments were so  49 . My life had been so much devoted to  50  for so long, and I felt  51  that my sons were happy to welcome me into their world.

 52 , being unemployed gave me back a sense of purpose --- I was someone’s mum! I felt a sense of being  53  Again. Now I feel more positive about my professional  54  and I’m getting on better with my family than I ever have. Losing my job made me realize just how  55  it is to achieve real balance in life.

— Could you be so kind as to close the window?

—              .

Maria has written two novels , both of _______  made into television.

----- Hi, Tracy, you look tired.

------ I ________ the living room for three hours.

He was busy writing a story , only _______ once in a while to smoke a cigarette.

— Hi, Torry, can I use your  computer for a while this afternoon?

—Sorry.           .

All the dishes in this menu, if otherwise______, will serve two to three people.

I have always been honest and straightforward, and it doesn’t matter ______ I’m talking to.

Eating too much fat can _____ to heart disease and high blood pressure.