Most people have ambitions（雄心）. An ambition is something we wantto do, want to be or want to have. A student’s ambition, for example, might be to pass his or her exams and then get a good job. A player’s ambition could be to win an important competition. A businessman’s ambition is usually to make a lot of money.

    Not all ambition are about success at work, however. Some people just want to be good people, have a family or help others.

    Ben’s ambition is to be a sports writer. He writes sports for his class newspaper. He likes most sports, and swimming and football are his favorites. Trudy’s ambition is to be a concert pianist. She is very serious about it and practices every day with her best friend Lily. It is very important to her.

    Harry’s ambition changes every day! One day he wants to be an astronaut. The next day he wants to be a pop singer. The next day hen wants to drive a racing car（赛车）. His mother would be happy if his ambition was to get up in time for school every day!

    What ‘s your ambition?

根据短文内容，选择正确答案。

It’s hard to make friends if you stay at home alone all the time. Go out of the house and do things to keep in touch with other people. It’s easier to make friends in this way.

Don’t be afraid to show people what you’re really good at. Talk about the things you like and do best. People can be interested in you if there is something interesting about you.

Watch their eyes when you talk to them. Through this way, they can find it easier to talk to you, or people may think you’re not interested in them and may not be interested in you.

Be a good listener. Let people talk about themselves before talking about “me, me, me ”. Ask them lots of questions. Show an interest in their answers.

Try to make friends with the kind of people you really like, respect, and admire, not just with those who are easy to meet. Be friendly to a lot of people. You’ll have a bigger group of people to choose from and have more chances for making friends.

根据短文内容判断正（T）误（F）.

In choosing a friend, one should be very careful. A good friend can help you study. You can have fun together and make each other happy. Sometimes you will meet fair-weather friends. They will be with you as long as you have money or luck, but when you are down, they will run away. How do I know when I have found a good friend? I look for certain qualities of character, especially understanding, honesty and reliability (可靠).

　　Above all else, I look for understanding in a friend. A good friend tries to understand how another person is feeling. He is not quick to judge. Instead, he tries to learn from others. He puts himself in the other personˈs place, and he tries to think of ways to be helpful. He is also a good listener.

　　At the same time, however, a good friend is honest. He does not look for faults in others. He notices their good points. In short, a friend will try to understand me and accept me.

　　Another quality of a friend is reliability. I can always depend on a good friend. If he tells me he will meet me somewhere at a certain time, I can be sure that he will be there. If I need a favor, he will do his best to help me. If I am in trouble, he will not run away from me.

　　There is a fourth quality that makes a friend special. A special friend is someone with whom we can have fun. We should enjoy our lives, and we would enjoy our friendship. That is why I especially like friends who are fun to be with. A good friend likes the same things I like. We share experience and learn from each other. A good friend has a good sense of humor, too. He likes to laugh with me. That is how we share in the joy of being friends. And I know that he is looking for the same quality in me.

　　When I meet someone who is reliable, honest, and understanding, I know Iˈve found a friend!

From my father I have learned a lot. And I’m very thankful to him. I remember when I was a child my father always got up very early, quietly putting on his clothes and going off to work. To arrive in time to open his tiny store at 8:30, he needed to leave our apartment at 6:30. After all, he had to take a bus and then the subway. The last journey was a long walk through a neighborhood much of which was full of the smell of rubbish. I learned: it is very important to work. No excuse.

When I was 12, I would, on some Saturdays, go to my father’s store to help out. After helping set up the outside clothing display, for the rest of the day, I’d watch to make sure no one stole anything. When I noticed someone looking unusual or strange, I would look the person in the eye, smile and say, “May I help you?” Usually that worked, but sometimes, someone would run off with something. The first time, I ran after the thief but my father shouted, “Martin, stop! There is no need to do that.” It’s true that safety is more important than money.

After 10 years of hard work, he saved up enough money to buy his first car, a cheap one—he wouldn’t buy one until he could afford to pay for it without borrowing money. I learned: buy only what you can afford. Buyingnecessaryfood and clothing won’t make us go in debt(债务). The unnecessary things won’t give us happiness, which comes from achievement only.

Every year when Mother’s Day cards show up in the stores, I remember the woman who brought me into this world and often threatened to take me out. I remember her on other days, too, but especially on Mother’s Day. She never cared much about gifts. I could just send a card and give her a call and she would be happy.

She died nearly 20 years ago of lung cancer after smoking for most of her 70 years. A few months later, I was in a store picking out a Mother’s Day card when suddenly realized I had no one to send it to. I could send cards to several women who’d been like mothers to me. I loved them dearly. But there was only one woman I called “Mama”. And she was gone.

Each Mother’s Day, I pick a different theme, a different part of who she was that I want to recall. This time it’s some of the things she said. For example:

“You will have children one day and you will know how I feel.” It was a threat more than a promise. She was right. I did.

“You’ve got to learn to see danger.” I did that the minute I gave birth to my first child.

“Pretty is as pretty does.” I’m still working on that one.

When I begged her not to send my brother, who was seven years old and totally blind, to board at the state school, she said: “They’ll teach him to read Braille. If he’s ever going to have a life, he’s got to learn to read.” I didn’t know at the time those were the truest words I’d ever hear.

When I was a teenager and dared to suggest that she should get a life, she replied:” I work five days a week, clean my house on Saturday, go to church and visit my mama every Sunday. I don’t need a life. I need help.”

One Christmas, when we fell on hard times, she said:” Life is a bank. Sometimes you give, other times you take. Either way, it’s all the same bank. But try to remember how hard it is to take, because one day, you will do the giving.

My mother was a very smart woman. I remember my mother. And someday, when I’m gone, I hope my children will remember me.

It was June 15, and in two days I would be turning 30. I was afraid that my best years were now behind me. So I asked my neighbor Nicholas, a 79-year-old man:“What was the best time of your life?”

Without hesitation（犹豫）, Nicholas said,“Well, Joe, this is my philosophical（哲学的）answer to your philosophical question:

“When I was a child in Austria and everything was taken care of for me by my parents, that was the best time of my life.

“When I was going to school and learning the things I know today, that was the best time of my life.

“When I got my first job and had responsibilities（责任）and got paid for my efforts, that was

the best time of my life.

“When I met my wife and fell in love, that was the best time of my life.

“When World War II came, my wife and I had to flee Austria to save our lives. When we were together and safe on a ship to North America, that was the best time of my life.

“When we came to Canada and started a family, that was the best time of my life.

“When I was a young father, watching my children grow up, that was the best time of my life.

“And now, Joe, I am 79 years old. I have my health, I feel good and I am in love with my wife just as I was when we first met. This is the best time of my life.”

Today was October 15th, 2015. I went to Chicago again by plane. Every time I took a plane, I felt really excited because I would always remember what happened three years ago.

At that time, I went to Chicago on business for a few days. I put down my bag and sat in my seat. Just before the plane took off, a line of soldiers got on it and filled all the empty seats.

After flying for about an hour, lunches were ready for $5 each. As I wanted to buy one, I heard the soldier ask another one if he planned to buy lunch. “No, that seems a lot of money for just a lunch. I’ll wait till we get to Chicago.” His friend agreed.

I looked around at the other soldiers. No one was buying lunch. I walked to the back of the plane and handed the flight attendant* a $50 bill. “Take a lunch to all those soldiers.” I said. After we finished eating, I went again to the back of the plane. A man stopped me. “I saw what you did. I want to be part of it. Here, take this.” He handed me $25. Soon after I returned to my seat, I saw the Flight Captain walking towards me and said, “I want to shake your hand. I used to be a soldier in the army. Once, someone bought me a lunch. It was an act of kindness I never forgot.” I was embarrassed* when all of the passengers cheered for me. Later I walked to front of the plane to relax my legs. A man sitting about six rows in front of me also wanted to shake my hand. He left another $25 inmy hand.

When we landed in Chicago, I picked up my bag. While waiting, a man stopped me and put something in my shirt pocket. Another $25! At that time I saw the soldiers get together for their trip, I walked over to them and handed them$75. “It will take you some time to reach the training field. You still need to have some sandwiches.” I said.

These soldiers gave everything to our country. I could only give them a couple of meals. It seemed so little.

A friend’s grandfather came to America from England. He went into a cafeteria（自助餐厅）in Manhattan to get something to eat. He sat down at an empty table and waited for someone totake his order. Of course nobody did. At last, a woman with a plate full of food sat down in front of him and told him how a cafeteria worked. “Start out at the end,” she said, “Just go along the line and pick out whatever you want. At the other end they’ll tell you how much you have to pay.”

“I soon learned that’s how everything works in America,” the grandfather told a friend. “Life is like a cafeteria here. You can get anything you want only if you like to pay the money. You can even get success, but you’ll never get it if you wair for someone to bring it to you. You have to get up and get it yourself.

I didn’t think the passion（激情）was important for my life until that day.

One day I went out with my mum. I was bored. Then, as my mum stopped at a red light, someone on the side of the road caught my eye. It was a man wearing old clothes. He was homeless. That didn’t interest me, for I had seen many like him before.

But in some way he was different. This man was not sad to sit there. He had a radio in his hand and was dancing happily to the music. The radio seemed to be the most important thing.

“Mum, why does that man have a radio even thought he’s homeless?” I asked.

“He bought it,” she answered. I was still puzzled.

“But if he’s homeless, why doesn’t he use the money to buy food or clothes? He wasted it on something he doesn’t need.”

“Well, Sarah, sometimes food and clothes aren’t the most important things. We need happiness, too.”

That man must care enough about music to buy a radio instead of food or clothes. I soon realized that happiness is the key to life. Without it, there’s nothing to look forward to. A passion gives a person the happiness they need to keep going. We all need a passion.