1 . The email hit me like a punch in the gut. It came from my ________ and when I saw it had several paragraphs, I frowned. Quickly scanning for the vocabulary of bad news, I discovered words like “________”, “I’m sorry”, and “end”. Sure enough, my column—Science Careers was being canceled.

But despite my________ shock, I wasn’t as sad or mad or ________ as I might have been in the past. Previously, when I have been ________, I embodied (表现) the loss by ragging on and thinking________ about myself: “They” don’t value me because I don’t have value. And indeed, when I got the message about the________, my instinct was to immediately blame myself, dumping me into the familiar hopeless desert of ________.

But then, I surprised myself by quickly ________ to a new mindset. It wasn’t actually a failure, was it? Instead of letting the disappointing news start________, I was able to take a positive ________.I set out to make this not the day I was fired, but the day I was fired up and________to move my career to the next level.

Sometimes life sucks and things happen, and we cannot ________.Business decisions often impact our careers and yet have very little to do with our outputs. This decision wasn’t a ________ of me and my value. So when I heard that the column was a ________, I knew I was going to grow.

1.

A．housekeeper

B．parents

C．editor

D．customers

2.

A．desperately

B．unfortunately

C．hopefully

D．thankfully

3.

A．initial

B．endless

C．various

D．regular

4.

A．moved

B．committed

C．disturbed

D．thrilled

5.

A．laid off

B．approved of

C．seen through

D．looked into

6.

A．remarkably

B．ambitiously

C．identically

D．negatively

7.

A．promotion

B．threat

C．column

D．application

8.

A．boundary

B．failure

C．tendency

D．distance

9.

A．switching

B．objecting

C．adding

D．comparing

10.

A．self-defense

B．self-respect

C．self-doubt

D．self-approval

11.

A．suggestion

B．perspective

C．assistance

D．breath

12.

A．commanded

B．allowed

C．warned

D．inspired

13.

A．discover

B．track

C．forget

D．control

14.

A．routine

B．dream

C．reflection

D．principle

15.

A．goner

B．victim

C．delay

D．rank

2 . In my freshman year, I asked myself, “Why am I in school?” I thought I was forced to be there, but I decided just to get along with it until I could find it _________.

One day it finally hit me. We were studying Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet in our _________ class. Each of us was asked to _________ a part, and I jokingly _________ to play the nurse. They all laughed, thinking that I, a boy, couldn’t play it, _________ I decided I was going to be the best nurse ever to appear on the stage of the freshman writing class. On the day of the _________, I walked slowly onto the stage and put my heart and soul into the play. The _________ look on my peers’ faces let me know that my performance was excellent, and then I knew what _________ meant to me. School was then a place where I could explore _________ areas in my mind. Perhaps this realization had __________ appeared before I had never been brave enough to __________ it.

To feed my new-found hunger for learning, I decided that I wouldn’t be __________ any more. I began raising my hand higher in class discussions; I was at the point where I no longer felt __________ to take part in, but did because I wanted to. In oral communication class, I chose unpopular speech __________ like “The Flat Tax” and made them __________ by creating characters. In British literature class, I chose to write a song for a creative project on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. __________ these creative activities, I made classes interesting not only for me, but also for my classmates and teachers.

In short, I’ve discovered that __________ is not something teenagers are forced to experience. __________, learning is a way teenagers grow. What I want to __________ my classmates is that I’m a brave and creative actor, musician and writer, whose __________ each of my teachers knows by the end of their first class, and will be reinforced each day through my brave behavior.

1.

A．lucky

B．powerful

C．believable

D．meaningful

2.

A．history

B．writing

C．listening

D．literature

3.

A．play

B．watch

C．enjoy

D．imagine

4.

A．afforded

B．remembered

C．promised

D．volunteered

5.

A．if

B．for

C．but

D．once

6.

A．experiment

B．competition

C．discussion

D．performance

7.

A．embarrassed

B．surprised

C．confused

D．worried

8.

A．dream

B．family

C．school

D．childhood

9.

A．unknown

B．unfriendly

C．unfair

D．uncomfortable

10.

A．often

B．never

C．ever

D．already

11.

A．make

B．judge

C．leave

D．discover

12.

A．shy

B．calm

C．curious

D．lazy

13.

A．prepared

B．encouraged

C．forced

D．determined

14.

A．goals

B．topics

C．models

D．plans

15.

A．ordinary

B．natural

C．valuable

D．interesting

16.

A．Without

B．Through

C．Except

D．Before

17.

A．learning

B．singing

C．speaking

D．training

18.

A．Instead

B．Still

C．Therefore

D．However

19.

A．follow

B．know

C．tell

D．accept

20.

A．mind

B．hope

C．name

D．life

3 . Once there was a club that only smart people could join. Many people wanted to join it so that they would be able to spend more time with other smart people.

One night, the club’s members were having a dinner party in a restaurant. They talked and enjoyed their food. One of them thought that his salad tasted a little boring, so he asked for a salt shaker and added some salt. However, it turned out to be sugar. The group found that the salt on the table was in the sugar shaker (调料瓶) while the sugar was in the salt shaker.

The club members told the waiter about the problem. But there were no other bottles. How could the waiter solve this problem? After a long discussion, the group suggested some ways to make it right.

But the waiter simply looked at the shakers and said, “It’s easy.” He took the labels off both shakers and exchanged them. The room quickly became silent.

Sometimes we make problems more difficult to solve than they should be. It’s good to take a step back and see if there is a simpler way first.

1. Many people hoped to join the club because ________.

A．they thought they were not smart enough

B．they could get free meals

C．they could spend more time with smart people.

D．they could spend more time eating

2. What did the group find?

A．Their salad tasted a little boring.

B．They had nothing to eat but the salad.

C．There was no salt or sugar shaker on the table.

D．Sugar and salt were put in the wrong shakers.

3. How did the waiter solve the problem?

A．He did not know what to do.

B．He took the labels off both shakers and exchanged them.

C．He simply looked at the shakers and said it was easy.

D．He stayed with the smart people and waited for help.

4. Which word can best describe the waiter?

A．Clever.

B．Brave.

C．Interesting.

D．Boring.

4 . Christmas is a time for giving and receiving. However, is it ________ for close family and friends? Do we even spare a ________ for those in need? Our children receive so much throughout the year.

As parents we want our daughters to be ________ for what they have and to think of those who don’t. That’s why my husband and I want them to ________ the spirit of giving back from a very young age.

Through their school, the girls have a charity which they ________ . Every Tuesday they take two loaves of bread to the school food bank. Twice a year they donate ________ clothes, toys and books to shelters. They also volunteer on weekends. As my husband is a regular blood donor, the girls ________ to donate as well. Unfortunately they are too ________ as the start age is 16.

Children mirror the ________ of their parents and if you often reach out to others by giving generously, they will ________ . Christmas is the perfect time to teach them to give back to those less ________ .

Teaching the gift of giving back not only promotes personal growth, it also ________ them a sense of belonging and pride. It will create ________ that they are making a difference in someone else’s life no matter how small the ________ . It teaches them love, kindness, patience and so on. These ________ will help them carry it forward in their adult life.

1.

A．clearly

B．equally

C．merely

D．finally

2.

A．tip

B．holiday

C．reward

D．thought

3.

A．ready

B．grateful

C．qualified

D．responsible

4.

A．learn about

B．stand for

C．hold back

D．point out

5.

A．ignore

B．encourage

C．remember

D．support

6.

A．colorful

B．unwanted

C．expensive

D．unimportant

7.

A．hesitate

B．afford

C．wish

D．agree

8.

A．young

B．eager

C．concerned

D．terrified

9.

A．opinions

B．intentions

C．achievements

D．actions

10.

A．believe

B．explore

C．follow

D．improve

11.

A．ambitious

B．fortunate

C．successful

D．independent

12.

A．gives

B．spares

C．costs

D．promises

13.

A．relaxation

B．motivation

C．satisfaction

D．appreciation

14.

A．progress

B．distinction

C．determination

D．contribution

15.

A．comments

B．virtues

C．standards

D．profits