Passage One

John Grisham was born on February 2 ， 1955 ， in Jonesboro ， Arkansas ， in the USA. His father was a construction worker and moved his family all around the southern states of America ， stopping wherever he could find work. Eventually they settled in Mississippi. Graduating from law school in 1981 ， Grisham practiced law for nearly a decade in Southaven ， specializing in criminal defense and personal injury litigation （诉讼） . In 1983 ， he was elected to the state House of Representatives and served until 1990.

One day at the Dessoto County courthouse ， Grisham heard the horrifying testimony of a 12-year-old rape victim. He decided to write a novel exploring what would have happened if the girl ’ s father had murdered her attackers. He proceeded to get up every morning at 5 a.m. to work on the novel ， called A Time to Kill ， which was published in 1988. Grisham ’ s next novel ， The Firm ， was one of the biggest hits of 1991 ， spending 47 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list. Grisham lives with his wife and two children ， dividing their time between their Victorian home on a 67 acre farm in Mississippi and a 204 acre plantation near Charlottesville ， Virginia.

When he ’ s not writing ， Grisham devotes time to charitable causes ， including mission trips with his church group. As a child he dreamt of becoming a professional baseball player ， and now serves as the local Little League commissioner. He has built six ballfields on his property and hosts children from 26 Little League teams.

46. John Grisham is at present.

A. a writer B. a lawyer

C. a professional baseball player D. a congressman

47. What inspired Grisham to write his first novel ？

A. A case of murder. B. A case of rape.

C. His father’s experience. D. His life on the farm.

48. The story of the novel A Time to Kill would probably focus on .

A. how the girl was attacked B. the circumstances of the rape

C. how the girl’s father took revenge D. how the case of rape was settled

49. Which of the following is NOT true of the novel The Firm ？

A. It was popular at the time of publication.

B. It earned Grisham great fame.

C. It brought Grisham wealth.

D. It was carried by The New York Times as a series.

50. It can be inferred from the passage that Grisham has built ballfields on his property .

A. to achieve his life’s goal as a professional baseball player

B. to coach children in baseball

C. to see his childhood dream being realized in the children

D. to provide facilities of baseball training

Passage Two

A quality education is the ultimate liberator. It can free people from poverty ， giving them the power to greatly improve their lives and take a productive place in society. It can also free communities and countries ， allowing them to leap forward into periods of wealth and social unity that otherwise would not be possible.