I did very badly at school. My headmaster thought I was 21 and when I was 14 he said, “You’re never going to be 22 but a failure.”

　　After five years of 23 jobs, I fell in love with a very nice middle-class girl. It was the best24 that could have happened to me. I25 I wanted to do something positive (積極的) with my life because I wanted to prove to26 that what people said about me was 27. Especially her mother, who had said to me, “Let’s28 it, you’ve failed at everything you’ve ever done.” So I tried hard with my29 and went to college. My first novel (小說)30 while I was at college.

　　After college I taught during the31 in high schools and attended evening classes at London University, where I got a 32 in history. I became a lecturer at a college and was thinking of33 that job to write full time 34 I was offered a part-time job at Leeds University. I began to feel proud of myself — 35 was a working-class boy who’d 36 school early, now teaching at the university.

　　My writing career (職業) took off when I discovered my own style. Now I’m rich and 37 , have been on TV, and met lots of film stars. 38 what does it mean? I39 wish all the people that have put me down had 40 : “I believe in you. You’ll succeed.”

　　1. A. bright B. useless C. simple D. hopeful

　　2. A. anything B. something C. everything D. nothing

　　3. A. low B. poor C. good D. useful

　　4. A. support B. happiness C. surprise D. thing

　　5. A. admitted B. decided C. planned D. told

　　6. A. me B. them C. her D. it

　　7. A. wrong B. right C. stupid D. faulty

　　8. A. see B. know C. understand D. face

　　9. A. experiment B. practice C. writing D. composition

　　10. A. came on B. came in C. came out D. came back

　　11. A. day B. night C. month D. year

　　12. A. graduation B. pass C. degree D. success

　　13. A. giving in B. giving back C. giving out D. giving up

　　14. A. while B. if C. when D. or

　　15. A. there B. here C. it D. that

　　16. A. left B. attended C. changed D. graduated

　　17. A. tired B. calm C. nervous D. famous

　　18. A. And B. But C. However D. Well

　　19. A. just B. exactly C. so D. very

　　20. A. praised B. said C. answered D. advised

　　答案與解析：

　　1.B 【解析】考查前后照應。useless無用的。從上文“I did very badly at school.”可以看出，作者給校長的印象是“無用”。

　　2. A 【解析】考查邏輯推理。根據never可判斷要選你not be anything but表示“除了……之外”的意思。

　　3. B 【解析】考查邏輯推理。根據上文中的badly可判斷出作者的學業很差。

　　4. D 【解析】考查語境理解。thing事情。句意為：愛上一個中年級的女孩對作者來說是最好的事情。

　　5. B 【解析】考查詞語辨析。decide決定;admit承認;plan計劃;tell告訴。根據其賓語可以判斷出這是作者做出的決定。

　　6. C 【解析】考查前后照應。her指上文提到的那個中年級的女孩。

　　7. A 【解析】考查語境理解。向女孩證明人們說的是錯誤的。

　　8. D 【解析】考查語境理解。句意為：讓我們正視這件事吧，你做每件事都是失敗的。故選face。

　　9. C 【解析】考查前后照應。根據下文中的“my first novel”可判斷出作者要用自己的寫作來證明別人的話是錯誤的。

　　10. C 【解析】考查詞語辨析。come out出版，發行;come on繼續前進;come in進來;come back回答。句意為：第一本小說是在上大學時出版發行的。

　　21. A 【解析】考查前后照應。根據下文“attended evening classes”可判斷出是在白天教學。

　　22. C 【解析】考查固定搭配。在歷史學方面獲得學位用get a degree in history來表達。

　　23. D 【解析】考查詞語辨析。give up放棄;give in屈服;give back還回;give out分發。句意為：作者考慮辭去工作做一名專業作家。

　　24. C 【解析】考查語境理解。when此處意為：就在這時。句意為：這時得到一份兼職工作。

　　25. B 【解析】考查語境理解。here is (are, was, were) 這兒有。

　　26. A 【解析】考查邏輯推斷。從上文可以看出由于作者在學校里成績很差，過早地離開了學校。

　　27. D 【解析】考查前后照應。famous出名。根據下文“have been on TV，and met lots of film stars”可判斷出作者出了名。

　　28. B 【解析】考查語法規則。but表示轉折。雖然出了名，但這意味著什么呢?however表示“然而”時，要用逗號與句子分開。

　　29. A 【解析】考查語境理解。just僅僅，只是。表達了作者唯一的希望。

　　30. B 【解析】考查前后照應。根據直接引語可確定選said。