【正文】 out the course this year? A. It will run better. B. It will last longer. C. It will start earlier. 聽(tīng)第 10段材料，回答第 17至 20題。 A Do you remember the man who contributed a lot to the understanding of British and American English? Noah Webster, born on October 16, 1758, is known for The American Dictionary of the English Language. He has been called the “Father of American Scholarship and Education”. His “Blue Backed Speller” books were used to teach spelling and reading to five generations of American children. But how much do you know about him beyond that? At the age of 16, Noah Webster began attending Yale College. Unfortunately, he spent his four years at Yale during the American Revolutionary War, and, because of food shortages, many of his college classes were held in Glastonbury, Connecticut. Later, he served in the army. Having graduated from Yale in 1778, Webster wanted to continue his education in order to earn his law degree. He had to teach school in order to pay for his education. He set up many small schools that didn39。s first daily newspaper, American Minerva, and edited it for four years. For decades, he published textbooks, political essays, a report on some diseases, and newspaper articles for his party, He wrote so much that a modern list of his published works required 655 pages. Noah Webster died on May 28, 1843 and was buried in the Grove Street Cemetery. 21. What39。s college education. B. Webster39。s daily routines. D. Webster39。s life at Yale? A. Tiring. B. Tough. C. Smooth. D. Normal. 23. What did Noah want to be after graduation from Yale? A. A scholar. B. A teacher. C. A lawyer. D. A headmaster. 24. Why was Webster a good teacher? A. Because he often rewarded his students. B. Because he set up many small schools. C. Because he graduated from Yale College. D. Because he forced his students to learn. B Next Halloween, a small vegetable that looks like a pumpkin(南瓜 ) may appear in a garden near you. The vegetable is a type of pepper that is called” Lil’ Pumpkin” . It is very special because it has orange, pumpkinlike fruit. You might think that all vegetables are grown to provide food to eat. But some vegetables are growing mainly for the lively color and holiday spirit that they bring to gardens. These are called “ ornamentals（觀賞性植物） ” . Just like ornaments decorate a Christmas tree, they decorate a garden. The peppers were produced by Agricultural Research Service(ARS) scientists John Stommel and Robert Griesbach. Another pepper the scientists developed is called “ Pepper Jack” . Because Pepper Jack has orange and black coneshaped fruit, it might remind you of the popular Halloween treat “ candy corn.” Stommel says that vegetables crops such as peppers were first widely grown in Europe in the 15th century. At that time, people liked these crops more because they looked pretty than because they provided food. Back then, when a gardener grew plants for decoration and plants for food, the garden was called a “ potager” . An example of this is the large gardens on the lawns of castles and very large homes where kings and queens lived. One of those large royal homes was the French king’ s palace at Versailles during the 1600’ s. The palace is still there today, and people from all over the world still go there to visit and see the gardens. Today, Stommel says using vegetables as decorations in gardens has bee popular again. So you might be wondering, if these peppers are for decorations, can people eat them? Yes, but the fruit from both of these peppers is very pungent(辣 )！ These peppers have bee available at certain garden centers and stores around the country. These pretty peppers can be grown in containers and also in garden beds. They grow best with plenty of light and warm temperature, Stommel says. 25. The underlined word “ they” in Paragraph 2 refer to ___________. A. these trees B. these holidays C. these vegetables D. these scientists 26. IN Europe, vegetable crops were first grown mainly to _________. A. decorate people’ s gardens B. serve as a kind of royal food C. gain different food ingredients D. take the place of lawns 27. According to the text, a postager was _________. A. the place where kings and queens lived B. the garden in the French king’ s palace C. a place providing vegetables for the royal homes D. a garden with plants for decoration and for food 28. What does the text mainly talk about? A. Different kinds of peppers B. The history of peppers C. Peppers with Halloween spirit D. Food for the Halloween festival C How do successful people think? What drives them? Interviews and investigations indicate that there are several keys to success that successful people share. First of all, successful people never blame someone or something outside of themselves for their failure. They realize that their future lies in their own hands. They understand that they cannot control some things in life, such as nature, the past and other people. But in the meantime, they are well aware that they can control their own thoughts and actions. They take responsibility for their life and regard this as one of the most empowering things they can do. Perhaps what most separate successful people from others is that they live their life “on purpose” — they are doing what they believe they are put here to do. In their opinion, having a purpo