1 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. mix       B. specialty          C. extraordinary            D. distinguish        E. private F. contribute       G. expose        H. shifted     I. challenges     J. respective     K. favored

Many of us grow up dreaming of becoming an astronaut. Ever wonder what it takes to be one?

Take NASA for example.

In order to catch NASA's eye, would-be astronauts must not only stand out in required skills and pass physical and psychological exams, but also find unique ways to    1     themselves from the harsh competition.

NASA's requirements for becoming an astronaut have changed over the years. Originally, it     2     candidates with a military flight background, with at least 1,000 hours spent in command of a jet aircraft. In 1978, however, NASA    3     its focus to a more varied group of astronauts:scientists and engineers with at least three years of experience in their     4     fields.

During the years of shuttle missions, everyone had a    5     : some would focus on robotics,others on spacewalks or maintenance. To work on the space station, astronauts must be able to perform all tasks, which encourage applicants to acquire different experiences. Jeanette Epps, an astronaut, studied aerospace engineering, worked at Ford Motor Company and took a job with the CIA before joining NASA. She says astronauts’ varied backgrounds     6     to their ability to adapt and learn anything quickly.

After ensuring that candidates are U. S. citizens and that they satisfy basic education and experience requirements, the selection committee enters a gray area.“We’re not really looking for one thing, just a good     7     of things,”said Duane Ross, the manager for astronaut candidate selection and training.

To the committee, candidates who take on    8     outside of the workplace demonstrate curiosity and energy. Many astronauts who don't have a military background do hold a(n)    9    piloting license. Some are enthusiastic mountain climbers, scuba divers or skiers. Others are musicians, dancers, or play competitive sports. Choosing to    10     themselves to different, extreme environments counts as another way to stand out from the crowd.

2 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. figured       B. novelty       C. practical       D. exhausting       E. regret       F. fortune G. hopefully       H. collected       I. perspective       J. conflicts       K. basically

My First Job

Jocelyn, Scotland

I grew up in a rural community where it was common for kids to help out on the nearby farms. When I was about fifteen or sixteen, I started working Saturdays picking potatoes. We’d be     1     at seven in the morning and driven out to the fields, where we’d walk behind these huge machines and bag all the potatoes they’d dig up. It was     2    , but I enjoyed being outside and we all had a laugh together. Of course, as a teenager, I provided cheap labour, but that didn’t bother me. The £30 I earned every week — cash-in-hand, of course — felt like a(n)     3     back then.

ELA, Poland

I did politics at university and I really wanted to go and see more of Europe, so I       4     I needed a part-time job. A friend of mine did market research for this local company and she put in a good word for me. I mostly worked weekends, but once in a while they’d asked me to do the odd evening as well. I    5     went door to door asking specific questions what people drank, who they were planning to vote for, all sorts. It was fun to begin with, meeting so many new people, and the money was quite good too, but the     6     soon wore off. It soon got very repetitive. I don’t       7     it, though. I learned that a smile goes a long way — and as I know that some people were lazy and made up their data, I’ve learned not to take statistics for granted too!

Carla, Chile

I joined the army after leaving school because I was a restless person and didn’t like ‘academic’ things. Funnily enough, I’ve actually spent quite a lot of time in a classroom since I joined, as we get training for things like logistics. It’s OK, though — you see the     8     benefits more than at school, so I don’t regret joining at all. And if I wasn’t in the army, I would never have gone somewhere like Haiti. I went there as part of a UN humanitarian mission. For sure, people associate the army with war, but nowadays it’s more about peacekeeping and helping people involved in       9    . My area — logistics — is really about solving problems and communication. I’m certainly staying in the army and     10     I’ll achieve a high rank.

3 . 阅读下面文本，并从方框的单词或短语中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项，选项中有两项有多余项。

A. entering     B. position     C. intended        D. applied for    E. eager             F. graduating from               G. unhappy

After     1     college, Jade gave up the high-paying     2     in a department (部门) of the province, but    3     a job at the charity organization. He     4     to make a contribution to charity. Besides, he was     5     to do a favor (帮助) to the native people.

4 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box .Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. acquired     B. consistently     C. regained     D. nightmare     E. native     F. acceptance     G. effective     H. hid     I. distinguished     J. countless     K. recalled

When Roberto Feliz came to the United States from the Dominican Republic, he knew only a few words of English. Education soon became a(n)     1    . “I couldn’t understand anything,” he said. He     2    from his teachers, came home in tears, and thought about dropping out.

Then Mrs. Malave, a bilingual educator, began to work with him while teaching him math and science in his     3     Spanish. “She helped me stay smart while teaching me English,” he said. Given the chance to demonstrate his ability, he     4     confidence and began to succeed in school.

Today, he is a(n)     5    doctor, runs his own clinic, and works with several hospitals. Every day, he uses the language and academic skills he     6     through bilingual education to treat his patients.

Roberto’s story is just one of     7     success stories. Research has shown that bilingual education is the most     8     way both to teach children English and ensure that they succeed academically. In Arizona and Texas, bilingual students     9     outperform their peers in monolingual programs. Calexico, California, implemented bilingual education, and now has dropout rates that are less than half the state average and college     10     rates of more than 90%. In El Paso, bilingual education programs have helped raise student scores from the lowest in Texas to among the highest in the nation.

5 . 阅读下列短文，根据短文内容，从框中选择合适的单词或词组，用其正确形式填空，并将答案书写在答题卡相应位置。

pack;   athlete;   survive;   ruins;   recommend;   concentrate on;   stay positive;   in advance;   effort

If your airport is crowded on a normal day, then it will be especially busy during the holidays. One of the top travel tips for     1     the airport during the holiday season is to arrive at the airport early. Plan when to arrive at the airport     2    . You’d better arrive two hours before your boarding time for domestic flights and four hours for international flights. How to     3     is also the key to enjoying a stress-free airport experience. If you can, try to avoid checking your bags and travel with only a carry-on. This will save you valuable time at the airport.

6 . 选用方框内合适的内容并用其正确形式完成下列短文（每项限用一次）。

make sense, skip, enthusiastic, motivating, countless, ultimate

When you set a big goal, you’re really assigning yourself       1     small tasks. When people give up on these big goals, it’s often because they haven’t figured out what those small tasks are or planned for the time and work needed.

No one wants to talk you out of a big goal. You should definitely pursue what you are     2     about in life. However, you should be realistic about where you are today, where you want to go and what you can reasonably achieve in the time frame and with the resources you’ve got. If you don’t really have the time or knowledge required to get where you want to go, it    3     to set a more achievable goal.

Once you meet that first goal, you promise yourself to set another and another. The approach is more effective because it guarantees at least some progress towards your big,     4    goal. It doesn’t have to be an “all or nothing” situation.

Once you’ve set a goal, you need to make achieving that goal part of your daily life. A new “habit stack” is needed. A habit stack is a series of small actions you do relatively in the same order each day. Most of us have a habit stack when getting ready for bed that includes washing your face, brushing your teeth, and setting your alarm, for example. You never or rarely     5     a step because the habit is set and you go from one activity to the next without even thinking about it. So, if you want to run a 10K this year, you’ll need to run nearly every day to practice. You should set out your running clothes and confirm your route the night before.

This is just one example of doing small things daily to help you achieve a larger goal. Goals that are “right-sized” relative to the amount of time and work you’re willing and able to invest are much more satisfying because you’re more likely to achieve them. Achieving a goal is an extremely       6     experience, and one that will build confidence so that you can work up to something more remarkable over time. As you set goals this year, overcome the “all or nothing” mindset and enjoy more success in the long term.

7 . Directions:Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A.Regularly     B.factors   C.smooth       D.inner          E.wrists       F.hurtful G.prevention   H.affect   I.effectively     J.maintained        K.determined

This is the best bedtime to avoid heart disease

The time you go to bed may have something to do with your risk for heart disease. In fact, researchers say, there is a heart health sweet spot for falling asleep: from 10 to 11 p.m.

The body has a 24-hour    1    clock that helps regulate physical and mental functioning. “Our study suggests that early or late bedtimes may be more likely to disturb the body clock, with    2    consequences for cardiovascular (心血管的) health,“ said Plans, who is a senior lecturer in the University of Exeter in the U. K.

To explore how different bedtimes might     3     heart health, Plans and colleagues at Huma, turned to UK Biobank, a biomedical database (数据库). UK Biobank    4     information about more than 500, 000 volunteers and provided information about their personal information, lifestyles and health. Their physical health records were also evaluated.

The researchers focused on 88,926 adults, average age 61, who wore devices that record data when a person moves on their    5     for seven days. With the devices data, the researchers     6    the times of sleep start and waking.

During an average follow-up period of 5.7 years, 3,172 of the people on the list (3.6 percent) experienced cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks or heart failure-happening was highest among people with sleep times at midnight or later and lowest among those who fell asleep from 10 to10: 59 p.m.

Even when a number of    7     were taken into account —including age, gender,   sleep duration, being an early bird or night owl, smoking status, blood pressure—falling asleep    8    at midnight or later was still linked to the highest increased risk of heart disease.

“The new study really strengthens what we know from a cardiovascular risk    9    opinion—sleep is a risk factor,” said Dr. Francoise Marvel, an assistant professor and co-director of the Johns Hopkins Digital Health Lab at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore. “But there is a huge important gap to recognize: There is no evidence to suggest at this point that improving sleep will    10    reduce cardiovascular events, like heart attack.”

8 . 选词填空

inspiration     try out     give him a shot   crashed into   let us down had a strong desire   on his own   suggested       make it     on the bench

During all those hours of doing jump shots     1    , he used Bogues as his     2    . Paul once said, “If Bogues could     3    , why not me?”

However, our coach was not so sure. Paul had to     4     many times just for making the team. He was still usually     5    , being just a replacement, which was really tough on him. Though Paul had real skills and     6     to play for the team, he didn’t get a chance.

One day, a player and I     7     each other, which made me unable to play any more. Some one     8     that the coach     9    . The coach was hesitant (犹豫) at first, but he finally agreed. To our surprise, Paul didn’t     10     and we finally won the game.

9 . 阅读下面文本，并从每段文本方框的单词或短语中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项，选项钟有两项为多余选项。

A. supplies       B. independently       C. graduation       D. distance       E. fortunately       F. absolutely       G. tough

After    1    , we took a long journey to the west of China. It was our first time living    2    away from home. We were eager to enjoy the typical scenery of the desert. From the moment we arrived, it didn’t disappoint us. But the journey was quite challenging. We didn’t have enough    3    of food and water. One time we even got a flat tire on our car. You cannot imagine what a    4    time we had in the hot burning sun;    5    , with the help of some volunteers, we finally changed the tire. We were inspired by this marvelous journey, and we are organizing another adventure.

10 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only beused once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. assignment        B. timetable       C. expectation       D. behaviors       E. distant       F. harsh G. confident     H. usual       I. regretful        J. achieve            K. reflect

School Life in the UK

Going to a British high school for one year was a very enjoyable and exciting experience for me. I was very happy with the school    1    in Britain because school starts around 9 a.m. and ends about 3.30 p.m. This means I could get up an hour later than     2    , as schools in China begin before 8 a.m.

On the first day, all of the new students went to attend an assembly in the school hall. I sat next to a girl whose name was Dianne. We soon became best friends. During assembly, the headmaster told us about the rules of the school. We should mind our     3     based on the rules. He also told us that the best way to live up to our parents’     4     was to work hard and     5     high grades. This sounded like my school in China.

I had many teachers in the past year. Mr. Heywood, my class teacher, was very helpful. He told us that the more     6     we are, the more easily we can succeed. My favorite teacher was Miss Burke -I loved the lessons that she gave in English Literature. She asked us to     7     before we decide. In our class, there were 28 students. This is about the average size for British schools. We had to move to different classrooms for different classes. We also had different students in some classes, so it was a struggle for me to remember all the faces and names.

I found that the     8     was not as beavy as what I used to get in my old school. However, it was a bit challenging for me at first. I felt lucky, as almost all of my teachers gave me much encouragement, although a few make     9     comments on my essays. I would never be     10     for studying in this school.