1 . I live with my husband Jack in Iowa, which is far away from Florida. One day, my husband suddenly decided to play _________ in Florida.

“Why Florida?” I wanted to know. “We are so busy every day with our work. Why not someplace _________?”

“Because,” he said, “Florida is famous for golf. It’s just something I _________ to do.”

_________, I did understand. Just a week or so before, I _________ a diary of mine from my teenage years. What really got me about it was the list I’d _________ on the very first page—Things I’m Going To Do. But until now I haven’t done a third of them!

So when Jack talked about playing in _________, it got me thinking. There were a lot of things I wanted to _________. They were all the same things as I’d decided to do _________ I was sixteen. But always because of some reasons, my plans __________ to be carried out.

In order to make our life without __________, I told Jack, “Now let’s draw up all our life lists and have them __________ one by one together.” That was how our journey to Florida __________.

After many years, our plans were all finished. __________ I’ve learned that the secret is to take life __________. If you’re in too much of a hurry, you need to stop, or you will fly past all the things that are the most fun.

1.

A．football

B．golf

C．basketball

D．volleyball

2.

A．farther

B．closer

C．larger

D．warmer

3.

A．dream

B．hurry

C．refuse

D．afford

4.

A．In fact

B．For example

C．At once

D．In case

5.

A．lent

B．bought

C．missed

D．found

6.

A．called

B．practised

C．made

D．explained

7.

A．Georgia

B．Hawaii

C．Iowa

D．Florida

8.

A．support

B．learn

C．finish

D．prepare

9.

A．where

B．when

C．although

D．because

10.

A．came

B．rose

C．failed

D．happened

11.

A．regret

B．hope

C．difficulty

D．difference

12.

A．turned down

B．taken away

C．put out

D．carried out

13.

A．started

B．changed

C．appeared

D．stopped

14.

A．Simply

B．Finally

C．Quietly

D．Sadly

15.

A．early

B．busy

C．slow

D．fast

2 . The walk I’d plotted was 22 miles to the coast. It is enough to get the legs _______ and the mind cleared. But the real _______ for me was walking to a definite point in our country’s outline.

I was wondering if I’d have the endurance (耐力) and determination to do it. I am, after all, in my late 40s. I _______   the coast at 7: 00 am. I was, for the day, an arrow. My line of flight was as straight and short as I could make it.

_______ the five-hour mark, I was in a good state of body and mind. The_________of the usual routine had been eased by daydreams. From this point on, the   _______ seemed to change. The banks on either side were larger, and the grasses longer, even though the sea was still miles off.

Things were getting _______. Despite feeling like I was nearly “there”, I still had four miles to go. I was hurting, my knees. I   _______ the painkillers down with my secret weapon: coffee. Studies have shown caffeine _______ endurance and it kept me going.

Try as I might, I still couldn’t see my walk’s end. I could even smell a(n)________ in the air, but the horizon remained ________ in salt marsh (盐沼地). Then, almost without realizing it, I was “there”.

Where I had hoped to see the________, I saw salt marsh, like the chocolate milkshake of the North Sea!

Feeling like a bit of a fool, I headed down into the nearest marsh and left my boot prints in the mud. The seven-and-a half-hour walk had hurt my ________ , but I’d acted on an old idea, done it, and ________ it off my list. I was now free to think of new ones and move on, in this dawn of possibilities we all face. Life is too short to let ideas stagnate (停滞); now’s the time to turn them to ________.

1.

A．aching

B．relaxing

C．bending

D．recovering

2.

A．excuse

B．move

C．draw

D．trick

3.

A．settled in

B．set about

C．arrived at

D．left for

4.

A．Recognizing

B．Approaching

C．Ignoring

D．Missing

5.

A．inconvenience

B．comfort

C．boredom

D．peace

6.

A．landscape

B．weather

C．shape

D．spirits

7.

A．flatter

B．better

C．stranger

D．wilder

8.

A．put

B．washed

C．broke

D．cooled

9.

A．reduces

B．controls

C．boosts

D．maintains

10.

A．sweetness

B．fragrance

C．saltiness

D．bitterness

11.

A．updated

B．locked

C．broadened

D．limited

12.

A．sea

B．horizon

C．land

D．forest

13.

A．expectations

B．feelings

C．arms

D．knees

14.

A．crossed

B．shown

C．shaken

D．turned

15.

A．curiosity

B．reality

C．imagination

D．destination

3 . Considering Grandma Joy was 85, Brad knew it was impractical. To get to the park, they would have to drive 500 miles through the night and it would be the first time in her life she’d _______ and slept outdoors.

Though Brad knew he was crazy, he still called his grandmother and asked her for _______. In the long _______ that followed, Brad expected, for all the right reasons, that it just wasn’t _______. But the old lady _______ him by asking, “When do we leave?”

They arrived at the campground at around 1:30 am in the middle of a rainstorm. Brad tried to _______   the tent. Finally they climbed inside successfully. It reminded him that when he was _______ , his grandmother did everything   _______ with him together.

The skies cleared the next day, and they set off. When they crossed a ravine(溪谷), he would held her hand to avoid _______ on the wet path. She moved ________ with the pace of an 85-year-old woman. They walked slowly. When some people passed her, Brad asked if she wanted to ________.

“I won’t give up even if it is ________ for me,” she told Brad. When they finally got to the top, the hikers gave her a big round of ________. That night Brad made a campfire. He and his grandmother sat next to each other, feeling the warmth and looking at stars. Brad and Grandma Joy opened the box of their ________. They talked about families, about loss, pain and regret and about what had happened.

“Here I had the opportunity to ________ with my grandson,” she said. “I thanked him. I had tears in my eyes. But they were good tears.”

1.

A．camped

B．walked

C．cycled

D．drove

2.

A．help

B．permission

C．money

D．information

3.

A．interview

B．silence

C．contribution

D．balance

4.

A．helpful

B．depressing

C．generous

D．practical

5.

A．touched

B．adjusted

C．surprised

D．forgave

6.

A．turned down

B．checked out

C．carried out

D．set up

7.

A．shy

B．down

C．young

D．calm

8.

A．high

B．hard

C．fast

D．well

9.

A．slipping

B．laughing

C．hesitating

D．speeding

10.

A．secretly

B．carefully

C．anxiously

D．unwillingly

11.

A．call out

B．cut in

C．come along

D．turn back

12.

A．delightful

B．difficult

C．moving

D．changeable

13.

A．apology

B．request

C．cry

D．applause

14.

A．past

B．duty

C．joy

D．disbelief

15.

A．communicate

B．disagree

C．compete

D．argue

4 . A senior has been reunited with his long lost brother and sister after more than 20 years, which is incredible. It was owing to the ________ he received when his dog and he picked up litter. 80-year-old Alfie Kitson and his five-year-old Spanish Podenco ________ in a video just before Christmas with the dog Millie tidying up ________ and putting it into the bin.

Kitson and Millie was a ________ sight on the streets of Hereford, because they had that for a few years. It was after the filming that Alfie was ________ by his sister’s husband as Millie was helping ________ the streets. The family was then ________ to track down Alfie to the village of Ulingswick, where he lives with his wife Judy.

________, Alfie has reunited with brother Dave, who’s 84, and 71-year-old sister Anne for the first time in more than two decades. Alfie had ________ from his siblings after moving to Coin in Málaga two decades ago. Alfie said, “My brother ________ to London years ago and my sister went elsewhere too.”

“I received a ________ recently from my granddaughter. On the phone she said my sister Anne was ________ to find me, I was only eight miles away.” I came back home one day and ________ there was my sister. She then got in touch with my brother Dave. “We all ________ up in Hereford, and now we have all been reunited,” Alfie says. “It has been ________.”

1.

A．response

B．attention

C．invitation

D．admiration

2.

A．appeared

B．fought

C．quarreled

D．jumped

3.

A．furniture

B．equipment

C．rubbish

D．luggage

4.

A．similar

B．funny

C．unique

D．familiar

5.

A．spotted

B．caught

C．accepted

D．rescued

6.

A．tear down

B．figure out

C．settle in

D．clean up

7.

A．bored

B．tough

C．able

D．legal

8.

A．Shocked

B．Delighted

C．Annoyed

D．Confused

9.

A．separated

B．differed

C．recovered

D．suffered

10.

A．escaped

B．moved

C．swam

D．floated

11.

A．reply

B．call

C．warn

D．reward

12.

A．trying

B．hating

C．refusing

D．liking

13.

A．accused

B．touched

C．found

D．attended

14.

A．woke

B．dressed

C．sped

D．grew

15.

A．amazing

B．interesting

C．terrifying

D．amusing

5 . Once a year, around the time when Christians celebrate Easter, Muslims celebrate Ramadan and Jews celebrate Passover, I often invite my 24-person team to a joyful and special dinner at my place. To _________ the needs of all my team members, I usually _________ different kinds of typical food from different religions.

I think this _________ reflects the wider philosophy(哲学) of my science lab: we aim to be a _________ yet united group of people working in a global scientific network. My lab _________ people with different _________. One of the most obvious _________ is our religions.

Yet when people _________ my lab, they gather together, first through their common _________ for science, and then as they get to know one another and enjoy spare time activities, we become a cohesive(有凝聚力的) team. I am ____________ this cohesion and the new friendships in my lab, and do my best to encourage them.

I’m also really ____________, while looking for new members. I interview many people before I ____________ the right ones for my lab. They must be ____________ capable(有能力的)of course, but it’s just as important that they’re friendly, interesting and interested in others. They should be prepared to ____________ various points of view and cultures.

As the person in charge of the lab, I see preserving a variety of cultural backgrounds as an important part of my job. Such an accessible, varied and supportive ____________ promotes new ideas and scientific breakthroughs.

1.

A．accommodate

B．avoid

C．change

D．control

2.

A．enjoy

B．throw

C．prepare

D．taste

3.

A．dream

B．tradition

C．promise

D．debate

4.

A．strange

B．conservative

C．poor

D．diverse

5.

A．gives up

B．turns down

C．consists of

D．leaves out

6.

A．breakthroughs

B．backgrounds

C．ambitions

D．hobbies

7.

A．differences

B．recipes

C．requirements

D．standards

8.

A．visit

B．praise

C．join

D．aid

9.

A．regret

B．charge

C．sympathy

D．love

10.

A．surprised at

B．proud of

C．interested in

D．worried about

11.

A．curious

B．casual

C．careful

D．relaxed

12.

A．thank

B．defeat

C．compare

D．choose

13.

A．scientifically

B．physically

C．mentally

D．financially

14.

A．respect

B．protect

C．stand

D．doubt

15.

A．chance

B．position

C．lecture

D．environment

6 . My mother was always knitting (编织). What a shock to me when she recently admitted that knitting was a great way to help her get through stresses of ________four children. And I realized that knitting has also been________to me.

My mother ________me to knit when I was about 6, starting first with the beginner’s scarf. But I soon abandoned the________, as it was boring for a young child.

My next knitting adventure was an awakening in Madison, Wisconsin, where I was in graduate school and feeling the________of the demanding program. One day, as I cycled to school past the knitting store on State Street, I stopped and went inside. I was not even sure what I was ________. The gloves in the display area caught my fancy, and I determined that I would learn to knit these ________gloves. Too big a project for a beginner, but the store employees were kind and patient with my daily visits for instruction. In the following months the project ________to a gift of gloves for each one of my dear friends, and miraculously, the gloves saved my soul in that tense semester of studies and other life________of love and loss.

My ________fingers wrapped in yarn (毛线) have long relieved my anxiety during medical appointments and hospital stays for friends and family. Knitting during the pandemic eased my despair at not being able to ________in my usual volunteer activities that had been central in my life for decades. I channeled my energy into knitting dozens of scarves to donate to a shelter and this helped me feel ________to the community.

Knitting scarves and blankets for my daughter when she went away for university brought me ________as I imagined every stitch (针脚) of love wrapped around my now-adult child—as once my arms protected her when she was ________.

My mother’s influence on me is great, but the major life lesson she taught me through knitting is that there is a step-by-step ________of building, tearing down and rebuilding. It requires patience and a belief that stitches that are cast off can always find their way back on.

1.

A．warning

B．raising

C．dressing

D．praising

2.

A．beneficial

B．challenging

C．hopeful

D．stressful

3.

A．requested

B．forced

C．taught

D．wished

4.

A．project

B．housework

C．achievement

D．honor

5.

A．excitement

B．glory

C．regret

D．pressure

6.

A．seeking

B．learning

C．researching

D．observing

7.

A．strange

B．sweet

C．broken

D．huge

8.

A．expanded

B．reduced

C．moved

D．returned

9.

A．signs

B．disasters

C．ceremonies

D．events

10.

A．cold

B．busy

C．clean

D．lazy

11.

A．break

B．major

C．participate

D．put

12.

A．grateful

B．addicted

C．ashamed

D．connected

13.

A．fear

B．thrill

C．curiosity

D．comfort

14.

A．lost

B．successful

C．young

D．aged

15.

A．effect

B．process

C．progress

D．exchange

7 . Background noise—like the chatter in a coffee shop or the drone of passing traffic—might slow our reading speed, but according to a study of Russian readers, it doesn’t _________ how our brain understands written text.

_________, if you’re wondering whether you should be listening to podcasts or music while working, the study has some interesting points to make. In particular, it examined how we might change our reading style to compensate for auditory noise and visual distractions such as typos or poor formatting.

“Overall, previous studies reported a harmful effect of both auditory and visual noise on reading fluency and _________, though their results varied,” write linguistics researcher Nina Zdorova and colleagues. “So far, none of the studies exploring the influence of noise _________ it in the framework of the language processing theories.”

One of the language processing theories examined was the noisy channel model, which proposes that our brain deals with noise by looking at the meaning of _________ words more and at entire sentences less. We then use a bit of smart guesswork to _________ the overall meaning and relationships between words.

The second theory is the good enough model; that’s when our brains aren’t analyzing every single detail of a text but instead only grabbing enough words for a ‘good enough’ understanding. By focusing less on the precise words, our brains can _________ some cognitive resources to deal with noise.

To see how reading was affected by noise _________ these models, the researchers ran two experiments: one on auditory noise (71 participants) and one on visual noise (70 participants). When it came to the auditory noise test, background chatter from overlapping podcasts caused people to spend longer looking at the key section of sentences before completing their reading. This extra time could _________ the noise, meaning sentence comprehension isn’t affected by it. In the visual noise test, comprehension remained the same while reading speed __________. That’s a bit __________ considering previous studies, but the researchers think people just wanted to finish the task, with the visual noise an uncomfortable distraction.

“In both experiments, we observed that longer total reading time was __________ with an accuracy increase for incorrect sentences,” write the researchers.

There’s a lot going on in this study, but overall it’s a bigger win for the good-enough language processing theory and an indication that auditory and visual noise doesn’t make us __________ any more or less on any particular comprehension method while we’re reading.

With so many variables to measure in terms of what’s being read and what the __________ noise is, further study is required to learn more. __________ potential distractions may not interrupt your reading as much as you think.

1.

A．reinforce

B．estimate

C．affect

D．interpret

2.

A．First of all

B．For example

C．Above all

D．To start with

3.

A．context

B．efficiency

C．comprehension

D．device

4.

A．evaluated

B．identified

C．established

D．employed

5.

A．individual

B．different

C．new

D．unfamiliar

6.

A．confirm

B．imply

C．refer

D．infer

7.

A．exploit

B．spare

C．commit

D．consume

8.

A．on account of

B．regardless of

C．in regard to

D．in contrast to

9.

A．make up for

B．live up to

C．catch up with

D．put up with

10.

A．declined

B．shrank

C．expanded

D．increased

11.

A．embarrassing

B．depressing

C．puzzling

D．annoying

12.

A．associated

B．compared

C．replaced

D．mixed

13.

A．take

B．set

C．rely

D．base

14.

A．accompanying

B．strange

C．deafening

D．distant

15.

A．Therefore

B．However

C．Instead

D．Otherwise

8 . It was sunny last Sunday. Freddy’s_______，Mr. Lance, took him and his classmates to Jurong Bird Park. They didn’t feel _______ on the way to the park because they sang a lot on the school bus. The ride _______ about 40 minutes.

At the park, Freddy and his classmates saw many different kinds of _______. They were very beautiful. Then they went to _______ a bird show. The birds performed(表演)so_______. Freddy loved the show a lot. Before they_______，Mr. Lance took the students to see flamingos (火烈鸟). Freddy and his classmates _______the flamingos very much. They wanted to stay there for a long time, _______Mr. Lance said that they had to leave.

Back on the bus, they all said it was a(n) ________ trip. Mr. Lance was happy that Freddy and his classmates enjoyed________the bird park.

“We will have a competition (比赛). Write a composition (作文) on your________ to the bird park. The student who writes the best________ will get a free ticket (票) to the bird park!" Mr. Lance told his class, It was really ________. Freddy wanted to go to the bird park ________, so he would try to write a good composition.

1.

A．father

B．uncle

C．teacher

D．friend

2.

A．bored

B．hungry

C．afraid

D．cold

3.

A．made

B．took

C．kept

D．paid

4.

A．pigs

B．tigers

C．birds

D．monkeys

5.

A．watch

B．study

C．practice

D．remember

6.

A．slowly

B．far

C．well

D．easily

7.

A．shouted

B．left

C．played

D．slept

8.

A．liked

B．worried

C．thanked

D．drew

9.

A．if

B．so

C．but

D．after

10.

A．new

B．long

C．wonderful

D．expensive

11.

A．learning

B．saving

C．visiting

D．describing

12.

A．dream

B．way

C．trip

D．answer

13.

A．story

B．idea

C．activity

D．diary

14.

A．difficult

B．exciting

C．important

D．delicious

15.

A．too

B．often

C．early

D．again

9 . Many animals use some kinds of “language”. They use signals and the signals have meanings. For example, ______ a bee has found some food, it goes ______ its home.   ______ is difficult for a bee to tell   ______   bees where the food is by speaking to them, but it can do a little dancing. This tells the bees where the food is and ______   it is.

Some animals show ______ they feel by making sounds. It is not difficult to tell if a dog is angry because it barks. Birds make several different sounds and ______ has its meaning. Sometimes we humans make songs in the same way we make sounds like “Oh” to ______   how we feel about ______or we ______something on our feet.

We humans have languages. We have words. These words have meanings of things, actions, feelings, or ideas. We are able to ______each other information , to tell other people ______ we think about or how we feel. By writing down words, we can remember what has happened or______messages to people far away.

Languages, like people, live and die. If a language is not used by people, it is called a dead language. This language cannot live and grow because ______ speaks it.

A living language, of course, is often spoken by people today. It grows and changes with time. New words are created, and some old words have______ meanings.

1.

A．because

B．since

C．when

D．as

2.

A．out of

B．back from

C．away from

D．back to

3.

A．It

B．This

C．That

D．He

4.

A．each other

B．another

C．the other

D．others

5.

A．how long

B．how far away

C．how many

D．how old

6.

A．why

B．which

C．how

D．who

7.

A．each

B．every

C．all

D．some

8.

A．show

B．say

C．talk

D．speak

9.

A．everything

B．something

C．nothing

D．anything

10.

A．put

B．drop

C．fall

D．set

11.

A．give

B．put

C．show

D．take

12.

A．that

B．which

C．what

D．why

13.

A．send

B．bring

C．push

D．get

14.

A．someone

B．no one

C．anyone

D．everyone

15.

A．new

B．right

C．real

D．good

10 . Never had a lovely sunflower been absent to my house on my birthday, since I turned 13. No cars or notes in it. Calls to the flower shop were always ________ -it was a cash purchase.

I never stopped ________ who the mysterious giver might be. Some of my happiest moments were spent daydreaming about someone wonderful but too shy to disclose his or her ________.

My mother even ________ my imaginations. She’d ask me if there was someone who I had done a special favor and then might be showing ________. As a teenager, ________, I had more fun assuming that it might be a boy I had a crush on.

When I was 17, I failed ________ in a significant test. That night when the result came, I just ________ myself to sleep. When I awoke in the morning, my mother comforted, “Don’t indulge! It’s not a big deal!” Yet, I remember ________ out of the house at that time, yelling…“You just don’t understand”.

One month before my graduation from high school, my father died of a heart attack. My feelings ranged from pain to ________ so that I became completely uninterested in the upcoming ceremony. But my mother, in the midst of her own grief, would deny my ________ any of those things. Before my father died, we had shopped a party dress which made me feel like a(an) ________ Cinderella. But it was the wrong size. Later I totally forgot about the dress.

My mother didn’t. the day before the dance, I found that dress, in the right size, ________ still in the box to me — gracefully, and lovingly. She just wanted her child to feel loved and showed that there still existed magic and beauty even ________ hardships.

Actually, my mother passed away one week after I got married. That year the adorable sunflower stopped ________.

1.

A．in vain

B．in place

C．in charge

D．in private

2.

A．calculating

B．anticipating

C．consulting

D．assuming

3.

A．profile

B．identity

C．capacity

D．presence

4.

A．subscribed to

B．referred to

C．contributed to

D．objected to

5.

A．applause

B．acquaintance

C．appreciation

D．assistance

6.

A．otherwise

B．moreover

C．therefore

D．though

7.

A．pitifully

B．miserably

C．unexpectedly

D．sincerely

8.

A．applied

B．forced

C．cried

D．exposed

9.

A．hurrying

B．rolling

C．pacing

D．storming

10.

A．abandonment

B．hatred

C．tiredness

D．astonishment

11.

A．grasping

B．interrupting

C．denying

D．skipping

12.

A．dramatic

B．awesome

C．ordinary

D．imaginative

13.

A．composed

B．thrown

C．paid

D．delivered

14.

A．in response to

B．in face of

C．in case of

D．by means of

15.

A．cheering up

B．lighting up

C．showing up

D．warming up