When I entered Berkeley College, I hoped to earn a scholarship. Having been a straight A student, I believed I could ____ tough subjects and really learn something. One such course was World Literature given by Professor Jayne. I was extremely interested in the ideas he ____ in class.
When I took the first exam, I was ____ to find a 77, Cplus, on my test paper, ____ English was my best subject. I went to Professor Jayne, who listened to my arguments but remained ____.
I decided to try harder, although I didn't know what that ____ because study had always been easy for me. I read the books more carefully, but got another 77. Again, I ____ with Professor Jayne. Again, he listened patiently but wouldn't change his ____.
One more test before the final exam. One more ____ to improve my grades. So I redoubled my efforts and, for the first time, ____ the meaning of the word “thorough”. But my ____ did no good and everything ____ as before.
The last hurdle(障碍) was the final. No matter what ____ I got, it wouldn't cancel Cpluses. I might as well kiss the ____ goodbye.
I stopped working hard. I felt I knew the course material as well as I ever would. The night before the final, I even ____ myself to a movie. The next day I decided for once not to ____ much about the result of the test.
A week later, I was surprised to find I got an A. I hurried into Professor Jayne's office. He ____ to be expecting me. “If I had given you the Apluses you ____， you wouldn't have continued to work as hard.”
I stared at him, ____ that his analysis and strategy(策略) were correct. I had worked my head ____， as I had never done before.
I was speechless when my course grade arrived：Aplus. It was the only Aplus given. The next year I received my scholarship. I've always remembered Professor Jayne's lesson：you alone must set your own standard of excellence.
1.A.take B．discuss C．cover D．get
2.A.sought B．presented C．exchanged D．obtained
3.A.shocked B．worried C．scared D．anxious
4.A.but B．so C．for D．or
5.A.unchanged B．unpleasant C．unfriendly D．unmoved
6.A.reflected B．meant C．improved D．affected
7.A.quarreled B．reasoned C．bargained D．concerned
8.A.attitude B．mind C．plan D．view
9.A.choice B．step C．chance D．measure
10.A.memorized B．considered C．accepted D．learned
11.A.ambition B．confidence C．efforts D．methods
12.A.stayed B．went C．worked D．changed
13.A.grade B．answer C．lesson D．comment
14.A.scholarship B．course C．degree D．subject
15.A.helped B．favored C．treated D．relaxed
16.A.care B．ask C．cheat D．produce
17.A.happened B．proved C．pretended D．seemed
18.A.valued B．imagined C．expected D．welcomed
19.A.remembering B．guessing C．supposing D．realizing
20.A.out B．over C．on D．off
They can be seen more frequently than ever before on college campuses, wearing flannel(法兰绒) and thickframed glasses while listening to music. One might find them playing unusual musical instruments, shopping at secondhand stores or expressing themselves in other unique ways.
They call themselves hipsters. Being “hip” used to mean following the latest fashion. But gradually the word has become a sign of “being cool, unique and unusual”．
Hipsters value independent thinking, progressive politics, an appreciation of creativity and intelligence. Hipsters take pains and pride in not being mainstream. However, their culture has become quite trendy. This irony(讽刺) is central to their culture and offers an interesting conflict.
“I do take things in the mainstream with a positive attitude，” says Ben Polson, a college student at Brown University. “But sometimes I also question what determines popularity, especially regarding music.” Polson represents many hipsters.
When lessknown bands become popular, they often lose their former fan base in exchange for a new one. There is a famous hipster saying that goes, “I used to like that band before it got popular，” Polson quoted.
According to Polson, bands' music changes when they go mainstream. They become less experimental, doing things just to save popularity and fans. The original elements that we were drawn to slowly disappear for the sake of popularity.
Many young adults have started to view hipsters' outlook as cool and they are adopting hipsters' antimainstream culture mind to themselves. This has led to specialized brands, stores and music for the hipster consumers. But on the other hand, some such stores, including clothing labels Urban Outfitters and American Apparel, have gained mainstream popularity. This has seemingly made the antimainstream culture become weaker.
“A lot of people that are selfdefined hipsters aren't really hipsters. They're just trying to act as hipsters to seem cooler，” says Amanda Leopold, a college student from Oberlin College, US. Although Leopold has many unusual tastes and seems quite individualist, she refuses to classify herself as a hipster.
1.In the passage, hipsters refer to people ________.
A．who are fans of pop music
B．who study in different colleges
C．who appear cool and unusual
D．who try to attract others
2.According to the author, ________.
A．hipsters are the pioneers of the mainstream
B．hipsters are unhappy with the mainstream
C．hipsters' culture exists mainly in music field
D．hipsters' culture can also become popular
3.What is the main idea of the seventh paragraph?
A．Urban Outfitters and American Apparel are famous clothing labels.
B．Hipster consumers have more specialized brands, stores and music.
C．Antimainstream culture can gain mainstream popularity.
D．The culture of hipsters is becoming more and more terrible.
4.When describing hipsters, the author speaks ________.
A．in an ironic voice B．in an objective voice
C．in an angry voice D．in a funny voice
We always want what we cannot have. When we're young, we want to stay out late, have romantic relationships, and be ____. However, when we're ____， we want to go back to being young and we ____ the days when we didn't have to worry about complex love affairs, ____ pressure, and money problems.
Young people believe adulthood ____ freedom from parents and schoolwork. When they get older, they feel that ____ is freedom from work pressure and family responsibilities. To ____ this feeling, people say, “The grass is always ____ on the other side of the fence.”
As ____， we like to be like adults but as young adults, we ____ to be young again. We think about staying out late and ____ our own money to spend. Suddenly, they see that love can result in ____ hearts; staying out late makes it hard to get ready for ____ the next morning. They find out that adult life is not as ___ as they thought it would be and suddenly, ____ becomes very scary.
Life is ____. It gives us time to ____ but also requires us to work. The time will come when we must grow up and we will always look back wishing we ___ being young a bit longer. That time will not come back. It is normal to want what we cannot have but the ___ is that to be happy is to appreciate what we have. That is the first step to grow up. ____ life becomes more complex, we will not regret the time we wasted wishing we were adults.
1.A.comfortable B．dependent C．independent D．polite
2.A.older B．defeated C．married D．confident
3.A.like B．forget C．regret D．miss
4.A.study B．job C．age D．health
5.A.creates B．shows C．means D．limits
6.A.childhood B．adulthood C．parenthood D．neighborhood
7.A.reduce B．describe C．experience D．understand
8.A.greener B．thinner C．yellow D．colorful
9.A.researchers B．teenagers C．adults D．elders
10.A.wish B．decide C．return D．stop
11.A.making B．having C．worrying about D．showing off
12.A.healthy B．ambitious C．broken D．excited
13.A.breakfast B．school C．exercise D．work
14.A.rich B．busy C．poor D．easy
15.A.life B．love C．career D．future
16.A.long B．short C．fair D．beautiful
17.A.study B．think C．play D．live
18.A.stopped B．enjoyed C．imagined D．tried
19.A.reason B．result C．dream D．truth
20.A.If B．When C．Unless D．Before
As is known to all, one of the many benefits of ________ adventure travel is teaching children how to cope with ________ unexpected.
A．the; / B．/; an C．the; the D．/; the
—I'm going to Paris next week.
—What a ________！So am I.
A．pity B．coincidence
C．accident D．chance
Half of ________ surveyed in 16 countries say they go first to their closest friend to share their deepest wishes and darkest fears.
A．these B．some C．ones D．those
