1 . Traveling with kids is 90 percent reminding yourself to live in the moment and 10 percent making up your mind to never again leave your house.

I have an uncanny ability to forget this as soon as we return home from a trip and I've finished washing piles of dirty clothes in our luggage and cleaning all the messy caused by the kids. Extremely tired and annoyed, I would actually begin to miss the place we just left!

Family travel is like childbirth, I suppose. Painful, loud, messy, sort of awful, actually, but also wonderful. And you remember only the wonderful—until you’re back on a plane and your kids are fighting over who gets the aisle seat. Then you remember the bad stuff.

Last weekend, my kids and I flew to Texas for a trip we would have nothing to complain(抱怨) about—big hotel, wonderful view.

And yet—we found things to complain about. The pool was bigger in that other hotel! Why do you get to shower first? They call this coffee?! Luckily, I’ve learned to put my metaphorical coat of armor (盔甲) on as soon as we land somewhere, and it forces complaints to bounce off me and land in a pile at my feet.

For three days, genuine fun was had and annoying complaints were heard and ignored. Until it was time to catch a plane and fly home.

Unfortunately, our flight was canceled. We spent hours finding a hotel room. We hit the hotel pool before bed and swam well into the night, my kids making up songs and laughing so hard at their silly lyrics (歌词) and their crazy good fortune to be swimming at 10: 30 on a school night.

And that was when it hit me that family travel is all those things I said before but it’s also a lot more. It’s taking your kids to parts of the world that will open their eyes and finding that actually, yours need opening too. It’s remembering that joy and memories are where you make them, not where you find them.

1. The underlined word “uncanny” in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to      .

A．unknown.	B．uncertain.
C．unexpected.	D．unusual.

2. According to the passage, family travel is like childbirth in that      .

A．they both cause financial trouble and pain.

B．they are both hard as well as rewarding.

C．childhood memories come flooding back when they travel.

D．both of them need many preparations.

3. By saying “I’ve learned to put my metaphorical coat of armor on” in Paragraph 5, the author means that_     .

A．she tries to deal with the complaints more wisely and properly.

B．she turns those annoying complaints into a means to educate kids.

C．she has improved her language skills when handling the complaints.

D．she has succeeded in escaping kids’ fighting thanks to the armor.

4. From the author’s experience in the passage, we can NOT learn that      .

A．family vacation benefits her kids as well as her.

B．joy and memories should be created rather than discovered.

C．the most unforgettable memory for her is about the complaints.

D．she has to spend some time on housework after the family vacation.

2 . I've come to the conclusion that I'm rubbish at saying “No”. For example, last Sunday I was sitting at my desk alone, totally ____ in my own business, when a colleague of mine phoned and asked me to get involved in ____ with her. I found myself getting all caught up in her enthusiasm and didn't want to ____ her. So I said “Sure, why not？” and before the call had ____, I found myself agreeing, without giving any ____ whether it was worth doing.

We are both window­shoppers and ___ a whole day in the street. Actually, I hardly have any time to spare because I am very busy ____ my normal job - I've also got a book to write, a business to ____ and a family to look after. And then there are my other projects to ____ - my voluntary work and a couple of other interesting investments that I want to ____. I'm going to have to be more ruthless (无情的) and not just agree to ____ people ask me to get involved in. In other words, I'm going to have to get ____ at saying “No”.Usually I hate saying “No”, because having to disappoint someone usually ____ me. Now I realize ____ I haven't learned to say “No”, I've been feeling very ____.

We had better do what we think is right and what we are ______ to do. Sometimes it does not seem that bad to ______ others. If I focus on the things I ______ want to be involved in, I'll reach a much higher standard and do it quite ______. I'll be enthusiastic and motivated (有积极性) and do something that is good for everyone and everyone will be happy. It'll be a win-­win ______. What's not good about that？So sometimes, we have to say “No”.

1.

A．experienced

B．absorbed

C．concerned

D．disappointed

2.

A．reading

B．discussion

C．shopping

D．travel

3.

A．displease

B．force

C．support

D．shock

4.

A．explained

B．announced

C．developed

D．ended

5.

A．thought

B．suggestion

C．idea

D．question

6.

A．lost

B．kept

C．enjoyed

D．wasted

7.

A．because of

B．regardless of

C．apart from

D．instead of

8.

A．visit

B．run

C．inspect

D．invent

9.

A．consider

B．fetch

C．catch

D．enlarge

10.

A．take in

B．work on

C．turn out

D．make up

11.

A．something

B．none

C．everything

D．either

12.

A．further

B．cooler

C．faster

D．better

13.

A．attracts

B．beats

C．upsets

D．puzzles

14.

A．after

B．because

C．if

D．although

15.

A．impressed

B．anxious

C．merciful

D．depressed

16.

A．likely

B．afraid

C．willing

D．proud

17.

A．join

B．refuse

C．invite

D．choose

18.

A．highly

B．hardly

C．suddenly

D．really

19.

A．patiently

B．well

C．seriously

D．accidentally

20.

A．situation

B．environment

C．appearance

D．spirit

3 . A man was spending his holiday in Africa. One day he ______ the elephants passing by on the road. To his great surprise, these large strong animals were being held only by a small rope, tied to their front leg. Clearly, they could ______ run away any moment. However, they did not.

Then he saw a trainer and asked him how that could happen that not a single elephant made an ______ to break free. The trainer explained, “When the elephants are very young, we use the ______ size rope to tie them, and at that time it is enough to hold them. Gradually they grow up, get ______, but they never try to get away, as they believe that the ______ will still hold them.”

The man was ______. These strong animals could break free any time, but they did not, because they believed that that was impossible.

Sometimes people ______ like elephants. They give up after the ______ failure. Remember that failures are part of ______. If we want to succeed, we should never give up, but try and try again, no matter how many failures we have experienced in the past.

1.

A．asked

B．noticed

C．warned

D．raised

2.

A．terribly

B．hurriedly

C．sadly

D．easily

3.

A．apology

B．attempt

C．excuse

D．effect

4.

A．large

B．wrong

C．same

D．different

5.

A．prettier

B．crazier

C．happier

D．stronger

6.

A．rope

B．animal

C．leg

D．road

7.

A．excited

B．shocked

C．satisfied

D．frightened

8.

A．work

B．dream

C．act

D．walk

9.

A．first

B．final

C．perfect

D．serious

10.

A．envying

B．refusing

C．learning

D．desiring

4 . I looked down, immediately closed my eyes and hung to the wall of rock with fear. Fifty feet below me, the brightly colored helmets of my team spread across the rocky floor. I looked behind me and my stomach rolled as I thought of the dangerous large rock.

Backpacking in Death Valley for a month exposed me to a number of new experiences. Out there I was pushed, challenged, and dared to be something bigger than myself. Death Valley removed all my barriers so I could reach out freely to find that deeper meaning I could be truly passionate about.

More than anything else, the unexpected aspects of the desert inspired me to appreciate the wonders of life. The first night out there, I was astonished by the brilliance of the stars. Out in the desert these extremely small winks of light were brighter and more wonderful than I had ever seen them before. After that, I started to notice small beauties: the rose, the patterns in the walls of Marble Canyon.

I saw the part I had played in this group. I looked back at myself, the stranger I had been merely days before, and became aware of how self-absorbed (自恋的) I was. I never truly saw the impact I had on my environment because of the constant flow of material goods. Camping with limited resources made evident that waste of water, space, and material goods ignores our responsibilities to our earth. Understanding that this planet is affected negatively or positively by the things we do convinced me to become involved in conservation efforts for the rest of my life. It is this passion for environmental sustainability (可持续性) that I brought back from Death Valley. In sharing what I saw, I hope to influence others to act to take care of our environment.

Hours later, I looked back at the steep rock I had covered. It was this kind of natural beauty, that first inspired me. I feel a greater bond with them now that they have arisen as the basis of my lifelong goal.

1. We can replace the underlined word “passionate” in the second paragraph with “      “.

A．considerate

B．enthusiastic

C．optimistic

D．curious

2. Which of the following best describes the feeling of the author in the third paragraph?

A．Stressed.

B．Grateful.

C．Regretful.

D．Confused.

3. According to the text, what is the author’s lifelong goal?

A．To offer to build a harmonious society.

B．To overcome all difficulties with great determination.

C．To develop a strong sense of responsibility for his behavior.

D．To devote the rest of his life to protecting the environment.

4. The author thinks the trip       .

A．frightened him a lot	B．made him braver and cleverer
C．let him learn to enjoy desert	D．helped him learn much

5 . Years ago, I flew 3,000 miles across the country to take a new job at a non-profit organization. This was a very _________ transition (转变), I thought. Before the _________, the founder of the organization promised to eventually promote me to a senior leadership role, _________ in the end I wound up deeply disappointed. Three months into the new job, they hired someone else to _________ that position.

This _________ promise left me hurt and angry by the decision made. How could this _________ to me? The promise of being on the senior leadership team was a huge factor in my decision to _________ the job offer. As a result, I moved my family across the country and couldn’t easily move back. This was a _________ time for me. _________ my head sought answers and my heart __________ emotions, my wife, Elba, gave me the best __________. She said, Stay focused… stay faithful. This meant keeping your eyes on the __________ at hand and staying faithful to the task. It wasn’t easy, but these words __________ my attitude and actions during that time. I remained focused and faithful until a __________ chance opened at another organization.

When facing an unexpected __________ of events at work, it can seem much easier to slack off (懈怠), get angry, blame others or do foolish things, but these __________ can be costly and self-destructive. Fighting the bad with bad doesn’t __________ up to good. Good can come from bad through our __________. Spiritual and personal lessons are weaved into __________. The lessons I gained during that time have helped me to __________ life’s ups and downs.

1.

A．precise

B．puzzling

C．relaxing

D．bright

2.

A．move

B．project

C．promotion

D．interview

3.

A．so

B．and

C．but

D．for

4.

A．rid

B．fill

C．test

D．find

5.

A．fixed

B．known

C．broken

D．expected

6.

A．appear

B．return

C．belong

D．happen

7.

A．make

B．accept

C．desire

D．appreciate

8.

A．vital

B．common

C．fundamental

D．difficult

9.

A．If

B．Until

C．When

D．Because

10.

A．felt

B．battled

C．ignored

D．valued

11.

A．advice

B．topic

C．reputation

D．gesture

12.

A．job

B．trouble

C．honor

D．choice

13.

A．stopped

B．guided

C．proved

D．separated

14.

A．secure

B．practical

C．vivid

D．wonderful

15.

A．turn

B．success

C．direction

D．permit

16.

A．lessons

B．gurneys

C．responses

D．behaviours

17.

A．add

B．cut

C．bring

D．hold

18.

A．urges

B．efforts

C．growth

D．experience

19.

A．culture

B．approach

C．hardship

D．relation

20.

A．give away

B．look into

C．put away

D．get through

6 . By the summer of 2005，the Reverend (牧师) Richard Joyner of Conetoe Chapel Missionary Baptist Church realized he was hosting funerals (葬礼) twice a month—a surprising number for his town's tiny population. In this African American town，a quarter of families live an extremely poor life and heart disease kills more 20­ to 39­year­olds than car accidents do.

Joyner decided to do something about it. Driving home one day，he pulled over and thought that maybe he'd get further with his eyes open. He looked around，and all he saw was farmland. It gave him an idea：Get the kids to take part in it.

Joyner ran a youth camp，so that summer，he showed the campers how to grow their own food on the small land. The kids,4 to 16 years old，ate up the vegetables they had grown，and the following year，they gave free boxes of vegetables to the old people in the town.

Not everyone welcomed the idea. Some church elders questioned whether it was wise to let kids take part in agrarian pursuit (农业工作). But Joyner saw it differently. “The kids are bringing food to people who need it. They enjoy what they're doing，” he said. At the same time，it improved the health of the community by providing healthy foods.

Today，because of Joyner，that small land has changed into the 21­acre Conetoe Family Life Center. The local hospital，schools and restaurants help the center by buying its salad greens，peppers，strawberries，and other food for people. Research from East Carolina University found that people in Conetoe have lost weight，lowered their blood pressure，and visited the hospital less frequently because of the fresh food and health advice available at the center.

1. What do we know about the town where Joyner lives?

A．It develops very slowly.	B．There are not enough churches.
C．Many young people die from accidents.	D．People are too poor to live a healthy life.

2. Why did Joyner decide to grow food on the small land?

A．To provide food for kids.	B．To teach kids how to plant.
C．To lower the number of deaths.	D．To make full use of the small land.

3. What did some church elders think of Joyner's idea?

A．They were doubtful about it.	B．They weren't interested in it.
C．They strongly disagreed with it.	D．They thought it did harm to kids.

4. What's the result of what Joyner has done?

A．It's unusual.	B．It's successful.
C．It's unexpected.	D．It's unbelievable.

7 . I grew up in a home with a mother who believes that vaccines (疫苗) cause brain damage, and do not contribute to the health and safety of a society. The only shot I received was for tetanus (破伤风) when I was two months old. After that, nothing.

At the beginning of each school year, I was very nervous. Delayed term paper? Mischievous (捣蛋的) behavior? Late for school? None of them. I’d be pulled out of class and brought to the headmaster’s office. The school doctor would tell me I hadn’t received any of the necessary shots to attend school. But the same thing occurred each time: my mom would free me from the shots and nothing would happen.

After doing a lot of research, I found although people who don’t vaccinate their children make up only a relatively small group, they can cause major consequences. People who, for health or age reasons, cannot receive vaccines are at a higher risk of catching a preventable disease.

Eventually, I turned 18. In Ohio, where I live, I had to wait until I became a legal adult to make the decision to receive vaccine shots. A huge factor in taking the step to ensure my health was the message board website Reddit. Last November, I asked Reddit users for advice about what vaccines to ask for and how to go about getting them from a doctor. After my post received more than 1,000 comments, I made an appointment with my family physician. Despite how strongly my mother felt, I went through with it anyway.

I did something every person should do. It wasn’t special in any way. Vaccines protect the health and safety of not only yourself but also other people. Vaccination is important because someone could die if you don’t get vaccinated. This was the biggest reason I got vaccines despite the opposition.

1. Why was the author called to the headmaster’s office at the beginning of each school year?

A．He was late for school.

B．He didn’t behave himself at school.

C．He couldn’t hand in his term paper on time.

D．He was hardly ever vaccinated.

2. How might the author’s mother have felt about his appointment with the family physician?

A．Annoyed.	B．Grateful.
C．Thrilled.	D．Guilty.

3. What does the author mainly want to tell us through his story?

A．Listening to your mother pays off.

B．Doing the right thing matters.

C．Keeping fit is the best policy.

D．Asking for advice helps.

8 . I have the bad habit of skipping to the last pages of a book to see how it ends while I’m still in the middle of it. This habit ______ people around me. Often my ______ wouldn’t be confined(局限) just to the books I read but also to what others were ______ as well. Finally, one day my daughter told me with a little _______. “Dad, please just read a book one page at a time like everyone else!”

At times I didn’t ______ this bad habit to just reading books either. I also tried to skip ahead in my life and _____ what to do months and even years from now instead of ______ each day as it is intended. I knew that the book of my life wasn’t done yet and that I had many ______ left to go.________, that didn’t stop me from trying to write the ______ half-way through. Time and again, I would ______ jump ahead and try to solve every potential problem before it ______ so I could reach that storybook happily ever after ending. Life, however, doesn’t ______   like that. It loves to ______ us, and you never know what new problem or opportunity each new day will bring.

Life has often had to ______ me to slow down. Recently, when I found myself ______ to that bad habit of rushing ahead and living in the ______ again, I felt a special voice gently telling me, “ Live one day at a time.” Then I smiled, and turned the book of my life back to the ____ page. Each of us has to live the book of life one page and one day at a time. Each of us has to write it ______ and moment by moment. We have to trust that it will bring our ______ to its perfect end.

1.

A．concerned

B．annoyed

C．frightened

D．embarrassed

2.

A．impatience

B．difficulty

C．influence

D．effort

3.

A．demanding

B．carrying

C．writing

D．reading

4.

A．interest

B．excitement

C．anger

D．sadness

5.

A．extend

B．spread

C．limit

D．devote

6.

A．bring out

B．let out

C．try out

D．figure out

7.

A．fearing

B．enjoying

C．doubting

D．imagining

8.

A．pages

B．things

C．reports

D．novels

9.

A．Indeed

B．Still

C．Surely

D．Finally

10.

A．ending

B．plot

C．outline

D．passage

11.

A．happily

B．carefully

C．unwillingly

D．foolishly

12.

A．counted

B．left

C．happened

D．backed

13.

A．start

B．finish

C．work

D．change

14.

A．touch

B．amuse

C．worry

D．surprise

15.

A．allow

B．force

C．remind

D．encourage

16.

A．admitting

B．returning

C．responding

D．referring

17.

A．present

B．memory

C．dream

D．future

18.

A．right

B．first

C．new

D．blank

19.

A．more or less

B．line by line

C．one by one

D．now and then

20.

A．story

B．job

C．plan

D．hope

9 . About 18 months ago, my father was in the hospital recovering from a major lung operation. My mother had recently passed away, and my father had taken the loss of his partner of 55 years very hard and had lost interest in life.

Trying to get him to eat each day was quite a chore as he didn’t want anything. The one thing, however, that he would ask us to bring him was ice-cream.

One evening to our surprise, he refused to eat the ice-cream, so I placed it in a staff room freezer. A little while later, my son decided he wanted it, so I fetched it for him.

As I passed another ward, a woman asked, “Are there more? Where that came from?” When I explained the situation, she apologized. She then said that she had cancer and could eat very little other than the occasional ice-cream.

The next evening, I decided to buy two ice-cream. On the way to Dad’s room, I stopped in at the sick woman’s room, and offered her the ice-cream I’d bought for her. She was totally stunned that I had thought of her, and accepted the gift with tears in her eyes. I spoke with her for a few minutes, explaining what was happening in my family and listened to her similar story of pain and suffering. It was apparent that she did not have many visitors, and the ice-cream and our short chat meant a great deal to her.

I repeated the gesture a few days later, and this time was rewarded with a huge hug.

I never even thought to ask her name, and never saw her again, but it made me realize that an act of kindness can be more rewarding when you give it, rather than receive it.

1. The writer’s father stayed in the hospital because________.

A．he had trouble eating	B．he had had a lung operation
C．he had lost interest in life	D．he was ill for losing his wife

2. The writer bought ice-creams for the sick lady when he realized________.

A．ice-cream was among the little food she could eat

B．they had similar family experiences

C．she was lonely without family around

D．to give is as important as to receive

3. The underlined word in paragraph 6 probably means________.

A．body language	B．word
C．action	D．decision

4. What did the writer try to convey to us through the story?

A．Giving is rewarding.

B．Don’t hesitate to help elderly people.

C．It’s our responsibility to look after our parents.

D．Never put of anything you can do till tomorrow.

10 . We were on our way home from Houston one Saturday morning. We decided to stop at a local gas station to get coffee and something to snack on since it was a good hour and a half before we got home.

When we were done, we got back into our car and before I started it, we noticed a man standing outside in front of the building. He was a homeless man with worn clothes and it looked like he had gone in and gotten himself some coffee or something warm to drink since it was cold this time of the year. He must have not had enough money to get something to eat.

Then a dog walked up to the front of the building. I could tell she was a “she”, because you could tell that she had baby dogs. She was terribly in need of something to eat and I felt so bad for her. I knew if she didn’t eat soon, she and her baby dogs would not make it,

Me and my wife sat there and looked at her. We noticed that people walked by and didn’t even pet her, like most people do when they walk by an animal in front of a store. We still did not do anything. But the homeless man, who I thought did not buy himself anything to eat, went back into the store. And what he did brought tears to me and my wife. He had gone into the store and with what money he may have had, bought a can of dog food and fed that dog.

This story plays a great part in our lives. You see, that was Mother’s Day weekend. And a lot of people forget that some animals are parents too.

It took a homeless man, to show me what I should have done. He made me a better man that day.

1. The homeless man only had something to drink because ________.

A．he felt cold that day	B．he was thirsty only
C．the store only provided drinks	D．he didn’t have enough money for food

2. Seeing what the poor man did for the dog, the author and his wife ________.

A．were puzzled

B．were indifferent.

C．were greatly moved

D．regretted they hadn’t done anything

3. If the homeless man hadn’t given the dog food to eat, she and her babies would ________.

A．not have to die	B．not survive
C．have to attack people	D．lose their homes