Money was a constant source of tension and stress when I was growing up. My parents were, well-educated and hard-working, but they lived from paycheck to paycheck. When I was 13, they split up. Then my momto raise three kids, often relying on free lunch tickets and food stamps. As my motherretirement age, she was filled withover the fact that she hadn’t saved enough for her golden retirement years,she often sighed. My father had always beento work—we had alwayshe’d work less and spend more time with us. But he is just a workaholic(工作狂). My parents were trying so hard to make ends meet, so I couldn’t become aon them. As a result, Icollege and spent the next couple of years drifting from one minimum wage job to another. Imy broken-down car, went to work on foot, reduced myby sharing a one-bedroom apartment with three other women, and got free food during Happy Hour at our local bar. I learned to do whatever it took to. One night, while I was working at a donut shop and34coffee for a homeless customer, Ithat I was one paycheck away from being homeless myself. That was my wake-up. Motivated by fear of an uncertain, I opened the Yellow Pages(电话黄页),professional dog trainers and negotiated an unpaid apprenticeship(学徒工作). Less than a year later, I wasby a dog trainer, and I loved the work. A couple of years later, I started my own dog-training school, which luckily turned out to be. My efforts paid off. Though I didn’t have rich parents to rely on, I discovered the power of asking for what I want.
试题分析：为了减轻家庭负担，作者选择了辍学，并开始工作，后来作者有参加了技能培训，最终通过不懈努力获得了成功。 【小题1】.考查形容词和语境理解。 A. clever 聪明的B. careful小心的C. greedy贪婪的D. powerless无力的。根据My parents were, well-educated and hard-working,得知父母接受过良好的教育，工作努力。得知他们是很聪明的人。选A。. 【小题2】考查动词和语境理解。. A. hoped 希望B. struggled斗争；吃力C. attempted试图D. refused拒绝。根据often relying on free lunch tickets and food stamps妈妈要经常靠免费的午餐票和食品券生活，因为她在离婚后抚养三个孩子很吃力。选B. 【小题3】考查动词和语境理解。A. counted数数B. imagined想象C. mentioned 提及D. approached接近。As my motherretirement age,这里是指妈妈在接近退休的时候。妈妈没有攒够钱很担心。选D。 【小题4】考查名词和语境理解。. A. curiosity好奇B. disagreement不同意 C. anxiety焦虑D. happiness快乐。妈妈没有攒够钱很担心。很焦虑。选C.。 【小题5】考查连词和语境理解。 A. if 如果B. so 因此C. but但是D. because因为。因为作者家里生活困难，所以妈妈没有攒够钱。上下句是因果关系。选B.。 【小题6】考查形容词和语境理解。. A. addicted上瘾的 B. similar相似的C. related 相关的D. familiar熟悉的。根据But he is just a workaholic(工作狂).爸爸是个工作狂，得知爸爸对工作很上瘾。 选A.。 【小题7】考查动词和语境理解。. A. believed相信B. guessed猜想C. said说出D. wished希望。根据下一句But he is just a workaholic(工作狂).爸爸是个工作狂，得知孩子们希望爸爸少工作一会儿多陪陪他们。选D。 【小题8】考查副词和语境理解。A. though尽管B. yet 然而C. instead相反D. too也。希望爸爸少工作相反多陪陪他们。选C.。 【小题9】考查名词和语境理解。 A. danger危险B. burden 负担C. challenge挑战D. threat威胁。作为孩子，看到父母忙于奔波才能是收支相抵。不想成为父母的负担。选B. 【小题10】考查动词短语和语境理解。. A. dropped out of 退出；辍学B. was admitted into 录取C. went in进入D. went through经历。根据spent the next couple of years drifting from one minimum wage job to another.推断出作者从大学辍学，开始多年的低薪水工作漂泊。选A.。 【小题11】考查动词短语和语境理解。. A. paid for支付B. cleaned out清理C. gave away 赠送；放弃D. fixed up修理。根据went to work on foot,步行上班，得知作者放弃了自己的破车。选C.。 【小题12】考查名词和语境理解。. A. clothes衣服B. dinner 晚餐C. weight 重量D. rent租金。sharing a one-bedroom apartment with three other women,和另外三个女士合住一间公寓是为了减少房租。选D。 【小题13】考查动词和语境理解。 A. survive 幸存；生存B. work工作C. play玩耍D. pay支付。做着做这些事情都是为了生存。选A.。 【小题14】考查动词和语境理解。. A. buying 购买B. making制作C. tasting品尝D. smelling闻起来。while I was working at a donut shop，当时作者在炸面包圈店工作，在给一个无家可归的顾客做咖啡。选B.。 【小题15】考查动词和语境理解。. A. recalled回想B. promised允诺C. feared恐惧D. realized意识到。I was one paycheck away from being homeless myself.我意识到我只是一个有份薪水才没有没落成无家可归的人。选D。 【小题16】考查名词和语境理解。 A. sign标记B. hit击中C. call 电话；警觉D. period 时期。根据That was my wake-up.得知这对作者来说是个警钟。选C.。 【小题17】考查名词和语境理解。. A. future 未来B. job工作C . mood心情D. family家庭。Motivated by fear of an uncertain,由于作者担心自己不确定的未来，她拨打了一个电话。选A.。 【小题18】考查动词和语境理解。. A. searched寻找B. phoned 打电话C. invited邀请D. persuaded说服。根据I opened the Yellow Pages(电话黄页),professional dog trainers。得知作者当时打开电话黄页拨通了专业驯狗师的电话。选B.。 【小题19】考查动词和语境理解。. A. honored尊敬B. reminded 提醒C. hired 雇佣D. moved感动。根据and I loved the work.做了一年学徒后，作者被驯狗师雇佣了。并且她很热爱这份工作。选C.。 【小题20】考查形容词和语境理解。. A. hard 难的B. tiring 累人的C. efficient 高效的 D. successful成功的。A couple of years later, I started my own dog-training school, which luckily turned out to be. My efforts paid off.作者自己在几年后开办了自己的训狗学校。我的努力总算是有回报了。得知幸运的是学校办得很成功。选D。 考点：故事类文章