—I saw Jane and her boyfriend in the park at eight yesterday evening.

—Impossible.She _______ TV with me in my home then.

A.watched                               B.had watched

C.would watch                           D.was watching

My mother-in-law, Dorothy, is showing me the red notebook that’s almost as precious to her as my husband’s baby pictures. Inside the notebook is a list of the books she has read since 2007. For some people waking up in the middle of the night is a terrible thing. But for my mother-in-law, that time is a gift. At 87, she is getting the education she never had by working her way through great literature. She has now read close to 100 books, including every single novel by Anthony Trollope, Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Edith Wharton, Henry James and Thomas Mann.

My mother-in-law discusses her passion with the enthusiasm of a young girl, although she can also be a very tough critic, writing “VG’ for “ very good” in the margins next to her favorites. So far, only a handful of books have received the top prize.

Born in Ridgefield, Conn, Dorothy was the youngest daughter of an Italian gardener. She taught herself English by reading The New York Times. Eager to come to Manhattan, she became a nurse, married a dentist and spent the next several decades keeping the house and raising a family. In her later years, she put her nursing skills to good use by taking care of my father-in-law, who had lung cancer. There were many trips to the emergency room in the middle of the night and then a long hospital stay. She stayed awake to watch over him for 15 hours a day. Always a light sleeper, she developed sleeplessness as a result of the stress.

It worsened after he died. Deeply sad and lonely for the first time in her life, she began waking up around 2am. Julian and Sylvia, the elderly couple next door suggest she read literature. And so Julian, a great lover of literature, became her “professor”, providing books from his large library. Suddenly the terrifying hole turned onto a world of amazing characters.

Why is Dorothy considered a tough critic?

   A. Because no books are inspiring enough in her eyes.                        

B. Because only a few books are thought highly of by her.

   C. Because she only reads books by famous writers.                         

D. Because she finds fault with every book she reads.

It can be inferred from the passage that _____.

   A. the books Dorothy has read were bought by her husband.                   

B. the couple next door are college professors.

   C. the author loves literature too.                                         

D. Dorothy was a great wife.

The underlined part “the terrifying hole” in the last paragraph refers to _____.

   A. the frightening death                                                    

B. Dorothy’s lack of education

   C. waking up in the middle of the night                                    

D. a hole in a book that Dorothy read

What helped Dorothy get over the sadness and loneliness of losing her husband?

   A. Living with her son.                                                  

B. Reading literature.

   C. Seeing her son’s baby pictures.                                         

 D. Talking with neighbors.

There are two basic ways to see growth: one as a product, the other as a process. People have generally viewed personal growth as an external (外在的) result or a product that can easily be identified and measured．The worker who gets a rise, the student whose grades improve, the foreigner who learns a new language—all these examples of people who have measurable results to show for their efforts．

  By contrast (对照) , the process of personal growth is much more difficult to determine, since it is a journey and not the specific signposts or landmarks along the way．The process is not the road itself, but the attitudes, feelings people have , and their caution or courage, as they meet with new experiences and unexpected difficulties．In this process, the journey never really ends；there are always new ways to experience the world, new ideas to try, new challenges to accept．

  In order to grow, to travel new roads, people need to have a willingness to take risks, to face the unknown, and to accept the possibility that they may “fail” at first．How we see ourselves as we try a new way of being is necessary for our ability to grow．Do we see ourselves as quick and curious? If so, we tend to take more chances and be more open to unfamiliar experiences．Do we think we’re shy and indecisive? Then our sense of fear can cause us to hesitate, to move slowly, and we think we are slow to adapt change or that we’re not smart enough to deal with a new challenge．Then we are likely to take a more passive role or not try at all．

  These feelings of insecurity and self-doubt are both unavoidable and necessary if we are to change and grow．If we protect ourselves too much, then we stop growing．We become trapped inside a shell of our own making．

1.In the author’s eye, one who views personal growth as a process would ______． 

A．succeed in climbing up the social ladder

B．grow up from his own achievements

C．face difficulties and take up challenges

D．aim high and reach his goal each time

2.Which of the following can be viewed as the process of personal growing?

A．Our manager was always willing to accept new challenges．

B．Jane won the first prize in the speech competition．

C．Jerry picked up French during his stay in Paris．

D．Father’s salary rose from 5, 000 to 7,000．

3.For personal growth, the author is in favor of all the following EXCEPT _______．

A．being curious about more changes  

B．being quick in self-adaptation

C．having an open mind to new experiences 

D．staying away from failures and challenges

4.The best title for this passage should be ______．

A．Facing New Challenges        B  Growth—Product or Process

C．Two Basic Ways of Growth     D  Overcoming Internal Fear

1.According to the message board,Orinon Books_______.

A.opposes the reading of original classics

B.is embarrassed for cutting down classics

C.thinks cut-down classics have a bright future

D.is cautious in its decision to cut down classics

2.In Mr.Edwards’ opinion,Orion Group is shortening classics to_______.

A.make them easier to read

B.meet a large demand in the market

C.increase the sales of literary books

D.compete with their original versions

3.By describing the shortened classics as “a breath of fresh air”,Ms.Weir_______.

A.speaks highly of the cut-down classics

B.shows gailty of the original classics

C.feels guilty of not reading the classics

D.disapproves of shortening the classics

4.Mr.Crockatt seems to imply that_______.

A.reading the classic works is a confusing attempt

B.shortening the classics does harm to the original

C.publishing the cub-down classics is a difficult job

D.editing the classic works satisfies children’s needs