1 . It was June 15, and in two days I would be turning thirty. I was insecure about entering a new decade of my life and feared that my best years were now behind me.

My daily routine included going to the gym for a workout before going to work. Every morning I would see my friend Nicholas at the gym. He was seventy-nine years old and in terrific shape. As I greeted Nicholas on this particular day, he noticed I wasn’t full of my usual vitality and asked if there was anything wrong. I told him I was feeling anxious about turning thirty. I wondered how I would look back on my life once I reached Nicholas’ sage, so I asked him, “What was the best time of your life?”

Without hesitation, Nicholas replied, “Well, Joe, this is my philosophical answer to your philosophical question.”

“When I was a child in Austria and everything was taken care of for me and I was nurtured by my parents, that was the best time of my life.”

“When I was going to school and learning the things I know today, that was the best time of my life.”

“When I got my first job and had responsibilities and got paid for my efforts, that was the best time of my life.”

“When I met my wife and fell in love, that was the best time of my life.”

“The Second World War came, and my wife and I had to flee Austria to save our lives. When we were together and safe on a ship bound for North America, that was the best time of my life.”

“When we came to Canada and started a family, that was the best time of my life.”

“When I was a young father, watching my children grow up, that was the best time of my life.”

“And now, Joe, I am seventy-nine years old. I have my health, I feel good and I am in love with my wife just as I was when we first met. This is the best time of my life.”

1. Why did the author feel anxious according to the article?

A．He would be 30 in two days.

B．He was worried about getting old.

C．He didn’t go to the gym to exercise.

D．Nicholas asked questions he didn’t want to answer.

2. What do we know about Nicholas’ life experiences?

A．He spent his childhood with his grandparents in Austria.

B．He dropped out of school, found a job and got paid.

C．He took part in the Second World War and met his wife.

D．He started a family and became a young father in Canada.

3. What do you think of Nicholas’s life?

A．Casual.

B．Anxious.

C．Positive.

D．Negative.

4. What can we learn from Nicholas?

A．Live a day at a time.	B．You get what you pay for.
C．Every man has his price.	D．Strike while the iron is hot.

3 . For many years, Dr Freed was a doctor in our community. He often made _______ to almost every family living there. He knew all the children and their parents _______ by him. You would see the lights on at his clinic, late at night when someone was _______. He was always there for his patients.

But he was 80 years old now, and his life had taken a _______. He didn’t need to be busy about all the time any longer. He was lying in a wheelchair after a _______, which made him feel _______. He came to see me to _______ what he would deal with his uncertain future. As he _______ it, the biggest problem was that it was hard to examine patients if he could _______ move. He said, “________ is my life. If I give it up, what’s left for me?” My ________ was how to help him.

The key, I thought, was for him to ________ to see himself as an important part of the community. I ________ that he should write a book about his medical experiences if he was ________ to do it. He thought wring a book ________ was a good idea. “Maybe my role now is to pass on what I have learned to the ________ . Other doctors and my patients should know my value. ”said Dr Freed.

We can learn a lot from the doctor’s experience in ________ happiness through personal growth. First, it is that you’re never too ________ to do meaningful things. Second, making some ________ during each phrase of life is important. During older age, ________ of wisdom and experience is often a source of satisfaction.

1.

A．rules

B．apprearances

C．successes

D．calls

2.

A．taught

B．treated

C．controlled

D．raised

3.

A．ill

B．serious

C．sleepy

D．pale

4.

A．shot

B．step

C．turn

D．risk

5.

A．decision

B．test

C．failure

D．fall

6.

A．guilty

B．depressive

C．honest

D．optimistic

7.

A．look after

B．show off

C．find out

D．pick up

8.

A．explained

B．asked

C．improved

D．ignored

9.

A．simply

B．only

C．fairly

D．hardly

10.

A．Interest

B．Belief

C．Peace

D．Medicine

11.

A．research

B．request

C．goal

D．chance

12.

A．continue

B．happen

C．pretend

D．hesitate

13.

A．announced

B．ordered

C．warned

D．suggested

14.

A．safe

B．welcome

C．able

D．right

15.

A．as usual

B．in fact

C．with difficulty

D．at random

16.

A．college

B．community

C．universe

D．hospital

17.

A．taking away

B．breaking down

C．running after

D．setting up

18.

A．old

B．worried

C．strong

D．slow

19.

A．promises

B．adjustments

C．comments

D．mistakes

20.

A．giving

B．receiving

C．changing

D．observing

6 . Since our twins began learning to walk, my wife and I have kept telling them that our sliding glass door is just a window. The______is obvious. If we______ it is a door, they’ll want to go outside_______It will drive us crazy. The kids obviously know the_______But our insisting it’s______a window has kept them from______millions of requests to open the door.

I hate lying to the kids. One day they’ll______and discover that everything they’ve always known about windows is a_______I wonder if______should always tell the truth no matter the_______I have a very strong______that the lie we’re telling is doing______damage to our children. Windows and doors have______metaphorical(比喻)meanings. I’m telling them they can’t open what they absolutely know is a door. What if later in______ they come to a metaphorical door, like an opportunity of some kind, and______opening the door and taking the opportunity, they just______it and wonder, “What if it isn’t a door?” That is, “What if it isn’t a______opportunity?”

Maybe it’s an unreasonable fear. But the______is that I shouldn’t lie to my kids. I should just______repeatedly having to say, “No. We can’t go outside now.” Then when they come to other doors in life, and whether they are real or metaphorical, they won’t______to open them and walk through.

1.

A．relief

B．target

C．reason

D．case

2.

A．admit

B．believe

C．mean

D．realize

3.

A．gradually

B．constantly

C．temporarily

D．safely

4.

A．result

B．danger

C．method

D．truth

5.

A．merely

B．slightly

C．hardly

D．partly

6.

A．reviewing

B．approving

C．receiving

D．attempting

7.

A．come across

B．give up

C．wake up

D．stand out

8.

A．dream

B．lie

C．fantasy

D．fact

9.

A．parents

B．twins

C．colleagues

D．teachers

10.

A．instructions

B．explanations

C．differences

D．consequences

11.

A．demand

B．fear

C．desire

D．doubt

12.

A．physical

B．biological

C．spiritual

D．educational

13.

A．serious

B．important

C．double

D．original

14.

A．life

B．time

C．reply

D．history

15.

A．in case of

B．in addition to

C．due to

D．instead of

16.

A．fit in

B．stare at

C．knock on

D．make use of

17.

A．real

B．typical

C．similar

D．limited

18.

A．safety rule

B．comfort zone

C．bottom line

D．top secret

19.

A．delay

B．regret

C．enjoy

D．accept

20.

A．hurry

B．decide

C．hesitate

D．intend

8 . My best friend traveled to stay with our family last weekend. When she arrived, she went straight to the kitchen and, without asking, ate a spoonful of raspberry jam and some dried fruit. She wasn’t being rude. I knew she would do this. We’ve known each other for almost 20 years. She can eat anything she wants from my kitchen. Indeed, I bought her favorite fruits and snacks at the shop that morning.

Our long weekend together was luxuriously simple. I was recovering from surgery and couldn’t go to shopping malls. We passed the time running errands, going to the post office and collecting dry cleaning. We drank away too many cappuccinos. But we talked about every little detail of our lives.

There’s never been a quiet moment in our friendship. We’ve lived in different cities for almost a decade. Reunions demand constant conversation. Our personalities are matched, to be sure, and a shared history is indescribably valuable. We were competitors in high school before bonding over a bad experience. Then we discovered the many interests that we had in common. Our friendship strengthened itself quickly. We stayed companions through law school, through our first jobs and our first boyfriends. We supported each other through break-ups and breakthroughs. Ours is a friendship for ages.

There is something special about friends who know everyone and everything about you. They are rare. These are the people you’ve chosen to witness your life. They have seen the bright lights of achievement, the depths of despair and the boring routine of the in-between.

It’s special to unpack feelings and frustrations without wasting time filling in the blanks. As my long weekend shows, with such friends we don’t have to “do”, we simply have to “be”. We drop the act, the performance, the public version of ourselves.

The special friendships are those which never fail to delight, the continuation of which is worth the extra effort, despite distance and difference sneaking into your separate lives. I had the very great joy of this reminder last weekend. I’m lucky to have found this friend, to see a future where her companionship remains. Being together is perfection.

1. What happened during her best friend’s visit?

A．They enjoyed an eventful long weekend.

B．They talked constantly about their lives.

C．They made their favorite snacks and coffee.

D．They talked about what happened in their lives.

2. One thing that the author appreciates about their friendship is that ________.

A．they help each other deal with the boredom of life

B．they prefer to witness each other’s lives from far away

C．they try to show each other their best selves

D．they are comfortable just being themselves when together

3. Which of the following would the author agree with?

A．Charm comes from difference.

B．Politeness brings best friends closer.

C．Good friendships need devotion.

D．Distance can separate good friends.

4. What is the tone of the passage?

A．Light-hearted.

B．Humorous.

C．Serious.

D．Desperate.

9 . Lewis B. Smedes once said, “To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you. “For years Tom Anderson’s life was withered up(枯萎)by the ________ of his part in an adventure that ________ the death of one of his classmates. He and his wife ________ after six years of marriage. Then the news about Tom ________. His wife Betty came back; he ________ a fine position.

One day he told me what had changed his life, “I used to think nothing could ________ what I had done. The thought of my ________ would stop me in the middle of a smile or a handshake. It put a ________ between my wife and me. Then I had an (a) ________ visit from the person I was most ________ to see—the mother of the college classmate who died. ‘Years ago’, she said, ‘I found it in my heart to ________ you. Betty forgave you. So did your friends. ________ you forgive, you cannot love. And without love, life has no ________.’ She paused, and then said ________. ‘You are the one person who hasn’t forgiven Tom Anderson.’ I found there in her eyes ________ to be the person I might have been if her boy had lived. For the first time in my life I felt ________ to love and be loved.”

Forgiveness is truly the ________ grace(慈悲), through which we gain the ________ to learn from experience. But forgiving our shortcomings doesn’t mean ________ that they exist. On the contrary, it means facing them ________, realistically.

1.

A．opinion

B．memory

C．examination

D．favor

2.

A．judged from

B．depended on

C．resulted in

D．dropped off

3.

A．separated

B．injured

C．promoted

D．settled

4.

A．continued

B．confused

C．disturbed

D．changed

5.

A．earned

B．performed

C．admitted

D．transported

6.

A．undo

B．threaten

C．strike

D．replace

7.

A．relief

B．mercy

C．guilt

D．negotiation

8.

A．connection

B．wall

C．neighbor

D．bridge

9.

A．willing

B．precious

C．unexpected

D．hopeful

10.

A．respectful

B．afraid

C．proud

D．sensitive

11.

A．send

B．warn

C．serve

D．forgive

12.

A．Though

B．As

C．Because

D．Unless

13.

A．pity

B．pain

C．meaning

D．shame

14.

A．excitedly

B．seriously

C．luckily

D．casually

15.

A．permission

B．communication

C．anger

D．attempt

16.

A．impressed

B．worthy

C．fair

D．exhausted

17.

A．grateful

B．patient

C．challenging

D．saving

18.

A．message

B．decision

C．protection

D．freedom

19.

A．denying

B．promising

C．demanding

D．explaining

20.

A．immediately

B．effectively

C．honestly

D．initially

10 . Last Sunday, an earthquake struck the Napa Valley area of northern California. It happened in the middle of the night, becoming the strongest earthquake to strike the Napa Valley in 15 years. No one was killed, but many people were treated in hospitals.

I said to my seven-year-old twins, Brad and Brett, and three-year-old Meghan, “We have so much, and these poor people in trouble now have nothing. We’ll share what we have with them.”

I filled a box with foods and clothes. While I was doing this, I advised the boys to choose their toys and donate some of their less favourite things. Meghan watched quietly as the boys took out their old toys and put them together. Then she walked away. A few minutes later she came back with Lucy, her much-loved doll. She put the doll on top of the other toys.

“Oh, dear,” I said. “You don’t have to give Lucy. You love her so much.” Meghan said, “Lucy makes me happy, Mummy. Maybe she’ll make another little girl happy, too.”

I looked at Meghan for a long moment. She taught me a lesson. It’s easy to give something that we don’t want any more, but hard to give what we cherish (珍爱), isn’t it?

1. How many children does the writer have?

A．One.

B．Two.

C．Three.

D．Four.

2. Which of the following is TRUE?

A．The earthquake caused many deaths.

B．The earthquake is the biggest in history.

C．The earthquake happened at night.

D．The earthquake hit the city of California.

3. What did Meghan take out for the people in trouble?

A．An old toy.

B．Clothes.

C．A doll.

D．Food.

4. What’s the best title of this passage?

A．A Family Story

B．The Spirit of Giving

C．A White Night

D．A Sad Experience