2018-2019学年河北省辛集中学高一上学期第一次月考英语试题

2018-2019学年河北省辛集中学高一上学期第一次月考英语试题

‎2018-2019学年河北省辛集中学高一上学期第一次月考英语试题 ‎ ‎（考试时间：120分钟 试卷满分：150分）‎ 注意事项： ‎ 1. 本试卷由四个部分组成。其中，第一、二部分和第三部分的第一节为选择题。第三部分的第二节和第四部分为非选择题。‎ 2. 答卷前，考生务必将自己的姓名、准考证号填写在答题卡上。‎ 3. 回答选择题时，选出每小题答案后，用2B铅笔把答题卡上对应题目的答案标号涂黑；回答非选择题时，将答案写在答题卡上，写在本试卷上无效。‎ 4. 考试结束后，将本试卷和答题卡一并交回。‎ 第一部分　听力 (共两节，满分30分)‎ 做题时，先将答案标在试卷上。录音内容结束后，你将有两分钟的时间将试卷上的答案转涂到答题卡上。‎ 第一节 （共5小题；每小题1.5分，满分7.5分）‎ 听下面5段对话。每段对话后有一个小题，从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项，并标在试卷的相应位置。听完每段对话后，你都有10秒钟的时间来回答有关小题和阅读下一小题。每段对话仅读一遍。‎ 例：How much is the shirt?‎ A．￡19.15. B．￡9.18. C．￡9.15. ‎ 答案是B。‎ ‎1．Why does the man move to New York?‎ A．To work there. B．To look after parents. C．To make a trip.‎ ‎2．What are the two speakers talking about?‎ A．Buying a TV. B．TV channel. C．Sports meet. ‎ ‎3．Why will the woman leave before eleven?‎ A．To go home. B．To buy something. C．To make a work plan.‎ ‎4．What was the man doing at the moment?‎ A．He was listening to the radio. B．He was writing something. ‎ C．He was reading a book. ‎ ‎5．What is the weather like today?‎ A．It’s rainy. B．It’s cloudy. C．It’s sunny.‎ 第二节 （共15小题；每小题1.5分，满分22.5分）‎ 听下面5段对话或独白。每段对话或独白后有几个小题，从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项，并标在试卷的相应位置。听每段对话或独白前，你将有时间阅读各个小题，每小题5秒钟；听完后，各小题将给出5秒钟的作答时间。每段对话或独白读两遍。‎ 听第6段材料，回答第6至7题。‎ ‎6．What does Mr. Evans want to talk about? ‎ A．Having a meeting. B．Giving him some information.‎ C．Buying some new computers.‎ ‎7．When will Mr. Evans and the man meet? ‎ A．At 1:00 p.m. tomorrow. B．At 3:00 p.m. tomorrow.‎ C．At 3:00 p.m. the day after tomorrow.‎ 听第7段材料，回答第8至9题。‎ ‎8．Which festival is mentioned in the conversation?‎ A．Easter Day. B．New Year’s Day. C．Valentine’s Day. ‎ ‎9． Which city doesn’t the woman like?‎ A．New York. B．Las Vegas. C．New Orleans.‎ 听第8段材料，回答第10至12题。‎ ‎10．What does the man do on weekends?‎ A．Make short trips with friends. B．Make long trips in another city.‎ C．Go climbing with his parents.‎ ‎11．What does the woman like best?‎ A．Swimming and cycling. B．Swimming and sailing.‎ C．Sailing and cycling.‎ ‎12．What does the man like to do in his spare time?‎ A．Reading. B．Dancing. C．Planting.‎ 听第9段材料，回答第13至16题。‎ ‎13．When did the two speakers meet last time?‎ A．One and a half year ago. B．One year ago. C．Half a year ago.‎ ‎14．What gift does the woman give the boy?‎ A．A motor car. B．A racing car. C．A police car.‎ ‎15．How does the woman get here? ‎ A．By plane. B．By train. C．By bus.‎ ‎16．How long will it take to get home by car?‎ A．About half an hour. B．An hour. C．One and a half hour.‎ 听第10段材料，回答第17至20题。‎ ‎17．Where did Nat King Cole play the piano at first?‎ A．In a bar. B．In the cinema. C．At the concert. ‎ ‎18．Why did the lady ask the player to sing a song?‎ A．She had paid him for this. B．She knew him very well.‎ C．She wanted to have a change.‎ ‎19．What was Nat King Cole best known as later?‎ A．A pianist. B．A painter. C．A singer. ‎ ‎20．Why did Nat King Cole succeed?‎ A．The lady helped him a lot. B．He caught the chance.‎ C．He continued to play where he first played.‎ 第二部分 阅读理解 (共两节，满分40分)‎ 第一节 (共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分)‎ 阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。 ‎ A ‎ Friends play a very important part in everyone’s life. Friendship usually develops during childhood. New friends are made when you progress through school. Those friends that you make as a student can usually last long. Friends influence your development, maturity( 成熟) and sense of responsibility (责任). A familiar opinion is “You can tell a lot about a person by knowing who his friends are.” Friendship is based on common interests. If you like sports, most of your friends are likely to be active. If you enjoy reading and shopping, most of your friends do the same.‎ Some people call you their friends for the wrong reasons. These people are not really friends. They are superficial (表面的) only “ friends” on the outside, not the inside where it counts. Superficial friends only want to be your friends if it is to their advantage. True friends are there whether you are rich or poor. It is easy to have many so-called “friends” if you are rich. By this time you should be able to recognize your friends as the real or the “phoney”.‎ True friends are most special. Sometimes they might not easy to find, so you can consider yourself very lucky if you have one true friend. This friend is eager to help you whenever necessary. He or she knows you would do the same for them. A true friend is someone you can talk to about any subject or problem. You and your true friend have good understanding of each other. True friends support you, take your side, and build up your confidence.‎ ‎21. What’s the main idea of the first paragraph?‎ ‎ A. How to make true friends. ‎ ‎ B. What is friendship based on. ‎ ‎ C. We should make friends in our childhood.‎ ‎ D. Friends play a very important role in our life.‎ ‎22. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?‎ ‎ A . It is easy to have many true friends if you are rich.‎ B. If you have no music in you, none of your friends will be a music lover.‎ C. The friendship developing during your school days will be with you for a long time.‎ D. What you value above anything is the friendship developing during childhood.‎ ‎23. What does the underlined phrase “so -called ‘friends’”in paragraph 2 probably mean?‎ A. Friends in need. ‎ B. Fair- weather friends. ‎ C. Those who can help you.‎ D. Those who often gives you money.‎ ‎24. What’s the author’s attitude towards “true friends” according to paragraph 3?‎ A. True friends are too difficult to find.‎ B. You can only share sadness with a true friend.‎ C. You can only share happiness with a true friend.‎ D. True friends will stand by you whatever happens.‎ ‎ B I speak Spanish, because I was born in Spain. But then at primary school I had to learn Russian, and at high school, I was taught how to speak German. But I always wanted to speak English.‎ At last I came to America. Everywhere there was English! But even if I heard and felt its presence, it was hard for me to understand it and express myself in it. The few lessons of English that I had taken in Spain gave me only a chance to introduce myself, and I didn’t even know how to buy things and ask directions.‎ To talk to somebody, I went to a high school to take a course in English for foreigners. Disappointingly, it took almost an hour to get through the process of introducing ourselves. Everyone had to learn something that I had already known from my books – the English alphabet (字母表) and numbers. I thought it was a waste of time, so I quit.‎ ‎ After a month, I tried again, but this time at college. After 15 minutes of introducing ourselves, a teacher gave us a lecture about the history of English. Then we were told that it was very important to know English in an English-speaking country. It took three hours for the teacher to tell us this. Again, I quit.‎ But I didn’t stop looking for something or someone that would help me to achieve my goal, and I found a tutor from Literacy Volunteers of America. But I still wasn’t happy with the classes. And when it was my turn to give a speech, I was happy to use all the long, complicated words that I had learned from one of my English books. When I had finished, my tutor said “Well, I think I have to learn English before coming to teach you!” This time, the tutor quit!‎ ‎25. How many languages has the writer learned?‎ ‎ A. Two. B. Three. C. Four. D. Five.‎ ‎26. Why did the author leave the high school?‎ A. Because no one wanted to talk to him.    ‎ B. Because the lessons were too easy. ‎ C. Because everyone had to learn the English alphabet and numbers.‎ D. Because the courses were prepared for the natives.‎ ‎27. Which of the following words can be used to describe the writer?‎ A. Cheerful.    B. Crazy. C. Friendly.   D. Serious.‎ ‎28. What is the main idea of the passage?‎ A. The writer learnt many foreign languages.‎ B. The writer tested the teachers’ English abilities.‎ C. The writer struggled for a proper way to learn English.‎ D. The writer researched different ways of learning English.‎ ‎ C Use your American Express Card to enjoy a one-day visit to any one of America’s greatest museums below, and you will not want to miss their exciting special exhibitions (展览). ‎ Boston ‎ Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Chairs ‎ February 11 -- May 8, 2017 ‎ Italian  furniture  expert  Fausto  Calderai and Indian photographer Dayanita Singh  present an ‎ exhibition of chairs from the museum’s collection and“chair photographs”from around the world. ‎ They are presented in a Venetian-style hall housing world-famous masterpieces. For more information: www.gardnermuseum.org ‎ New York ‎ The Noguchi Museum Noguchi and Graham ‎ May 1 -- December 1, 2017 ‎ Noguchi’s long-term co-work with dancer Martha Graham is regarded by many as a high point in the history of both modern dance and art.The exhibition highlights nine of the sets created throughthis co-work. For more information: www.noguchi.org ‎ Philadelphia ‎ Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts January 11--April 10, 2017‎ Founded in 1805, the Pennsylvania Academy has been home to America’s artists for more than 200 years. The Academy  collects and exhibits  a great number of  works of famous American ‎ artists, and it is also well-known for training fine artists. 2017 at the Academy begins with the largest American collection in history. For more information: www.pafA.org Seattle ‎ Seattle Museum of Glass ‎ March 7- May 7, 2017‎ This exhibition includes over 200 pieces of beautiful glass from Murano, the island of  glass ‎-blowers near Venice, Italy. Watch live glass-blowing shows in the Hot Shop and see other modern glass exhibitions. For more information: www.museumofglass.org ‎ ‎29. Which of the following websites offers information about the furniture show? ‎ A. www.gardnermuseum.org  ‎ B. www.noguchi.org  ‎ C. www.pafA.org ‎ D. www.museumofglass.org ‎30. We learn from the text that Martha Graham is_____. ‎ A. a glassblower B. a photographer  C. a painter  D. a dancer  ‎ ‎31. What do Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and Seattle Museum of Glass have in common?‎ A. Both have a history of over 200 years.‎ B. Both include arts from foreign countries.‎ C. Both open in April.‎ D. Both train fine artists.‎ D ‎ Perhaps you have heard a lot about the Internet, but what is it, do you know? The Internet is a network. It uses the telephone to join millions of computers together around the world.‎ Maybe that doesn’t sound very interesting. But when you’re connected to the Internet, there are a lot of things you can do. You can send e-mails to your friends, and they can get them in a few seconds. You can communicate with your friends through social software such as QQ, WeChat, Facebook and so on. You can also do with all kinds of information on the World Wide Web (WWW). ‎ There are many different types of computers now. They all can be linked to the Internet. Most of them are small machines sitting on people’s desks at home, but there are still many others in schools, offices or large companies. These computers are owned by people and companies, but no one really owns the Internet itself.‎ There are lots of places for you to surf the Internet. For example, your school may have the ‎ Internet. You can explore the Internet to search for useful information or knowledge in your classroom. However, in order to prevent yourself from playing with computer games, you should use it in limited time. Libraries often have computers joined to the Internet. You are welcome to use it at any time.‎ Thanks to the Internet, the world is becoming smaller and smaller. It is possible for you to work at home with a computer in front, receiving and sending the information you need. You can buy or sell whatever you want through the Internet. But do you know 98% of the information on the Internet is in English? So what will English be like tomorrow?‎ ‎32. What is the passage mainly about?‎ ‎ A. The Internet. B. Information. C. Computers. D. English.‎ ‎33. According to the passage, you can do all the following things through the Internet except ‎ for ________.‎ ‎ A. Sending and receiving e-mails B. Chatting with your friends ‎ C. Buying and producing things D. Dealing with information ‎ 34. Who is the owner of the Internet?‎ ‎ A. The headmaster. B. The government officer. C. The user. D. No one.‎ ‎ 35. What does the writer try to tell us in the last two sentences?‎ ‎ A. The Internet is more and more popular.‎ ‎ B. English is important in using the Internet.‎ ‎ C. Most of the information on the Internet is in English.‎ ‎ D. Every computer must be joined to the Internet in English.‎ 第二节 (共5小题；每小题2分，满分10分) ‎ 根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。‎ ‎ How to Become a Top Student Successful students use different skills to study, which brings them more success. 36. ‎ Here are the four skills almost all top-performing students use.‎ They have clear goals. ‎ All top-performing students have clear, specific goals. 37.  They motivate you and drive you to study more. But make sure that you do not get carried away. Set realistic goals which can challenge you, but do not seem impossible or too difficult to achieve.‎ They are regular. ‎ Almost all successful students study regularly, because they know “what you give is what you get”. If you put in regular hours of studying, then you will learn more and get better grades. 38.   This will help you to study regularly.‎ They study without pressure（压力）.‎ Successful students study a lot. But they study without pushing themselves too much. Most students make the mistake of studying too hard or studying continuously for a long time. 39.   Studying should be done in a balanced manner. Take a break for a few minutes, after studying for 30 or 45 minutes. Relax, walk around your house, or drink some water and return to studying. Such short breaks will refresh your brain and you will learn more effectively.‎ ‎40.  ‎ Studying is not something you do just because your parents ask you to do it. It’s really very important for you. Studying gives you knowledge and ability that will remain with you for the rest of your life. It gives you the chance to get a job and earn money. And successful students recognize the value of studying well. ‎ A. They give importance to study. ‎ B. They finish their homework on time.‎ C. Learn their skills, and you will also join their rank.‎ D. Having such goals gives you the power to study better.‎ E. Set aside some hours, each day or each week, for studying. ‎ F. This creates pressure and slows down learning and memory.‎ G. But to score A grade , you should make well-planned efforts.‎ ‎ 第三部分　语言知识运用 (共两节，满分45分)‎ 第一节 完形填空 (共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分)‎ 阅读下面的短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C和D四个选项中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。‎ Waiting for the airplane to take off, I was happy to get a seat by myself. Just then, an air hostess ‎ ‎ 41 me and asked, "Excuse me, would you mind changing your seat? A couple would like to sit together." The only other 42 seat was next to a girl with both arms in casts (石膏绷带) and a sad look on her face. “ 43 , am I going to sit there?” was my immediate thought. But then a deeper, quieter 44 spoke, “Opportunity, maybe she needs help.” Finally, I took my new seat and 45 that the girl was named Judy. She had been seriously 46 in a car accident and now was on her way for 47 .‎ ‎ When the snack of nuts and juice arrived, it did not take me long to 48 that Judy would not be able to 49 herself. I consideredoffering to feed her but hesitated (犹豫), as it seemed too close a service to offer to a 50 . But then I decided that Judy's need was more 51 than my discomfort. I offered to help her eat, and 52 she, too, was uncomfortable about accepting it, she 53 as I expected. The experience was 54 and she and I grew closer in a short period of time. By the end of the five-hour trip, my heart was fully 55 , and the time was really better 56 than if I had just sat by myself.‎ ‎ I was very glad I had reached 57 my comfort zone（地带）to sit next to Judy and feed her. Love 58 flows beyond human borders（边界）and removes the fears that keep us 59 . When we give 60 to another, we feed our own soul and grew to live in a larger and more rewarding world. ‎ ‎41．A. got down to B. looked forward to C. came up to D. paid attention to ‎42．A. comfortable B. empty C. suitable D. cheap ‎43．A. No way B. No problem C. No wonder D. No doubt ‎44．A. man B. lady C. noise D. voice ‎45．A. decided B. discovered C. regretted D. promised ‎46．A. beaten B. broken C. burnt D. hurt ‎ ‎47．A. treatment B. travel C. holiday D. business ‎48．A. hear B. say C. realize D. remember ‎49．A. eat B. feed C. choose D. support ‎50．A. friend B. neighbor C. passenger D. stranger ‎51．A. unusual B. direct C. important D. shameful ‎52．A. as if B. even if C. so that D. in that ‎53．A. refused B. laughed C. cried D. did ‎54．A. pleasant B. difficult C. tiring D. surprising ‎55．A. awake B. asleep C. alive D. alone ‎ ‎56．A. taken B. paid C. spent D. cost ‎57．A. below B. through C. across D. beyond ‎58．A. sometimes B. already C. never D. seldom ‎59．A. separate B. close C. near D. different ‎60．A. food B. juice C. love D. hand ‎ 第二节 (共10小题；每小题1.5分，满分15分)‎ 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入 1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。‎ When I first entered university, my aunt, 61 is living in America, gave me a new English dictionary. I was 62 (surprise) to see that it was 63 English English dictionary, also known as a monolingual (单一语言的) dictionary. 64 it was a dictionary prepared for non—native learners, yet none of my classmates had one. To be honest, I thought it very difficult to use at first. I would look 65 words in the dictionary and still not 66 (entire) understand the meaning. I was used to the bilingual (（双语的）dictionaries, in which the words are 67 (write) and explained both in English and Chinese. I really 68 (wonder) why my aunt decided to make things so difficult for me. Now, after 69 (learn) English at university for three years, I understand that monolingual dictionaries are 70 (good) in studying a foreign language.‎ 第四部分 写作 (共两节，满分35分)‎ 第一节 单词拼写 (共10小题；每小题l分，满分10分)‎ 根据下列句子及所给汉语注释，在答题纸相应位置写出空缺处各单词的正确形式。‎ ‎（每空只填一个词）‎ 71. Our parents are very ____________（关心）about our studies at school.‎ 72. Your friend comes to school very ____________（不安）.‎ 71. He went ____________（径直）to his neighbour to ask for help.‎ 72. I’m terribly sorry, but I didn’t break your glasses on ____________（故意）.‎ 73. You’d better ____________ （镇定）down and level your voice when you give a speech.‎ 74. My foreign English teacher can speak English ____________（流利）.‎ 75. ‎____________（实际上）all languages change and develop when cultures meet.‎ 76. I would be ____________（感激的）if you could allow me to join the club.‎ 77. Passengers are ____________（请求）not to smoke or eat on the high-speed train.‎ 78. We should remember as many English words and ____________（表达）as possible to enrich ‎ our vocabulary.‎ 第二节 书面表达 (满分25分)‎ 假定你是高一学生李华，请给你的美国朋友David写一封邮件，介绍新学期以来的感受。邮件内容要点如下：‎ ‎（1）学校环境优美，绿树鲜花环绕；‎ ‎（2）老师待人和蔼，教学认真；‎ ‎（3）与同学友好相处，交了几个好朋友；‎ ‎（4）英语学习方面有些困难，希望得到他的建议。‎ 注意：‎ 1. 词数100左右；（邮件开头已给出，不计入总词数）‎ ‎2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。‎ ‎3. 参考词汇： surround vt. 包围，围绕 Dear David,‎ I’m more than pleased to tell you something about my life in this senior high school.‎ ‎ Yours, ‎ Li Hua ‎ 河北辛集中学2018-2019学年度第一学期第一次阶段考试 高 一 英 语 试 题 答 案 第一部分　听力 (每小题1.5分，满分30分)‎ ‎1 - 5 A B B B C 6 - 10 C B C B A 11 - 15 A B C B A 16 - 20 A A C C B 第二部分 阅读理解 (共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分)‎ ‎ 21-24 D C B D 25 - 28 C B D C 29 - 31 A D C 32 - 35 A C D B ‎ ‎ 36-40 C D E F A 第三部分　语言知识运用 第一节 完形填空 (共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分)‎ ‎ 41 - 45 C B A D B 46 - 50 D A C B D 51 - 55 C B D A C 56 - 60 C D A A C （注意：以下两题中的单词，首字母该大写的不大写，不给分。）‎ 第二节 语法填空 (共10小题；每小题1.5分，满分15分)‎ ‎61. who 62. surprised 63. an 64. Although / Though 65. up ‎ ‎66. entirely 67. written 68. wondered 69. learning 70. better 第四部分 第一节 短文改错 (共10小题；每小题l分，满分10分)‎ ‎71. concerned 72. upset 73. straight 74. purpose 75. calm ‎ ‎76. fluently 77. Actually 78. grateful 79. requested 80. expressions 第二节 书面表达 (满分25分) 参考范文：‎ Dear David,‎ I’m more than pleased to tell you something about my life in this senior high school.‎ I have been studying in this new school for nearly one month. This is a very beautiful place which is surrounded with many green trees and colorful flowers. Our teachers are very kind to us and they are teaching us very carefully in every class. Fortunately, I’m getting along very well with my classmates and I have made several good friends. However, I still have some difficulty with my English studies. So I would be grateful if you could give me some advice on how to improve my English.‎ ‎ Looking forward to receiving your e-mail as soon as possible.‎ ‎ Yours,‎ ‎ Li Hua 附：听力材料 Text 1‎ W：How nice to see you again! I haven’t seen you for a long time.‎ M：I have a new job in New York and I’ve moved there.‎ Text 2‎ W：Which TV Channel do you like best?‎ M：Sports channel is my favorite. You can’t imagine there’re so many exciting sports.‎ Text 3‎ W：May I leave before 11:00? I have something to buy for the office.‎ M：But you have to hand in your work plan first.‎ Text 4‎ M：Can you turn down the radio a little bit? I just can’t work on my papers at all!‎ W：I’m terribly sorry! I didn’t know that, I’ll turn it off.‎ Text 5‎ W：Beautiful day, isn’t it? We can go outing today.‎ M：Yeah! Thanks to the shower last night.‎ Text 6‎ W：Hello, Mr. White, This is Mary and Mr. Evans’ office. ‎ M：Hello, Mary, do you have any plan?‎ W：Mr. Evans would like to set up an appointment (约会，约见) with you.‎ M：About what?‎ W：He hopes to talk about buying some new computers with you.‎ M：Sure，I’ll be glad to, what time, friend, did he have in mind?‎ W：He’d like to do it as soon as possible, sir. How about tomorrow at 3:00 p.m.?‎ M：uh…Yeah, that’ll be great, tell him I’ll see him then.‎ Text 7‎ W：Hey, what are you doing?‎ M：I’m reading a tourism journal.‎ W：I like New York very much. Is there any more information?‎ M：No, but remember the Valentine’s Day is coming nearer.‎ W：Could you recommend me some interesting places?‎ M：How about Las Vegas? There are fireworks, Salon lectures… ‎ W：I don’t like such noisy city.‎ M：Maybe you are right.‎ W：Have you finished reading the magazine?‎ M：Here you are. Maybe you can find what you need in it.‎ Text 8‎ W：What are your weekend arrangements?‎ M：There’re many things I can do on weekends.‎ W：What sort of things are you interested in?‎ M：I’m keen on taking short trips to nearby sea naked bath with friends.‎ W：Good, I love swimming and cycling.‎ M：That’s great! I think they do you a lot of good. Where do you swim?‎ W：Mostly in the city swimming pool, sometimes I go to the beach with friends.‎ M：I know you like nature best.‎ W：Well, what do you do in your spare time?‎ M：I’m fond of dancing.‎ W: Good, you really know how to enjoy yourself.‎ Text 9‎ M: Hi, grandma, it’s so good to see you again.‎ W: Nice to see you, Jack.‎ M: We haven’t seen each other for half a year.‎ W: You are much taller now. Here is your gift.‎ M: Thanks, grandma. May I open and have a look at it?‎ W: Sure. I hope you like it.‎ M: A racing car, right? Oh, grandma, you’re great.‎ W: I’m glad you like it.‎ M: Sure. Grandma, this way. How was your flight?‎ W: Fine. It took me about five hours to get here.‎ M: That’s a long trip. You must be very tired.‎ W: I’m OK. I slept all the way.‎ M: Let’s go home. Our car is waiting outside.‎ W: How long will it take to get home?‎ M: About half an hour if the traffic is good.‎ Text 10‎ Once there was a piano player in a bar. People came just to hear him play. But one night, a lady asked him to sing a song. “I don’t sing,” said the man. But the lady told the waiter, “ I’m tired of listening to the piano, I want the player to sing!” The waiter shouted across the room, “ Hey, friend, if your want to get paid, sing a song.” So he did, He had never sung in public before. Now he was singing for the very first time. Nobody had ever heard he sang Mono Lisa’s song so beautifully. He had talent he was sitting on. He may have lived the rest of his life as a no-name piano player in a no-name bar. But once he found by accident that he could sing well, he went on working hard and became one of the best known singers in the US. His name was Nat King Cole. You too have skills and abilities. You may not feel that your talent is great, but it may be better than you think. With hard work, most skills can be improved. Besides, you may have no success at all if you just sit on your talent.‎