1 . To become the Olympic champion in the individual (个人) all-around event, Gabby Douglas had to leave everything she _________ best. She had to _______   her bedroom in Virginia. She had to say _________ to her two dogs and to the beach, where she loved to _________ waves on her board. But it was _________ to take the leap (飞跃), however _________ it would be. Even at 14, Douglas knew that. So she _________ about 1,200 miles away from home, to _________ with a coach from China. She lived with a family she had never _________ and everything was new to her.

As it turned out, Douglas did __________ what she needed to do to become Olympic champion when she __________two Russians. The Chinese coach __________ Douglas into one of the best gymnasts in the __________, helping her skyrocket from an __________ member of the national team to the top of the sport. By __________ the Olympic all-around title, she became the first black woman to do so. She __________ the competition from beginning to end. She said she had felt __________ all along that she would win.

Not so long ago, Martha Karolyl the coordinator (联络人) of the women’s national team, did not think Douglas had what it __________ to be an Olympian. As time went by, she thought __________ that she could make the London Games — and win.

“I’m going to inspire so many people,” she said. “I’m ready to __________.” And shine she did.

2 . When Mexican artist Frida Kahlo’s paintings were put on display in a gallery in London, it attracted much attention. A poet and essayist described her paintings as “a ribbon around a bomb”-a quote that went on to provide the title for a documentary about her life. Such a/an _________ comment about her work seems to _________ Kahlo had a big impact on the art world of her time. Sadly, this was not the _________.

Kahlo, born in 1907 in a suburb of Mexico City, was greatly affected by two terrible events early in her life. At the age of 7, she _________ polio. The disease _________ her foot so that it always pointed out, and caused her right leg to grow to a shorter length than her left leg._________, Kahlo’s spine and pelvis became twisted as she grew older. Then in 1925, she was riding in a school bus that was _________ in a traffic accident; her pelvis and back were broken in several places. Throughout the rest of her life, the artist underwent more than 30 _________, but nothing was able to cure the severe _________ in her back and leg. However, the accident did have an __________ side effect: it led Kahlo to begin painting. While lying in her bed recovering in her parents’ home, Kahlo taught herself to paint and created her first self-portrait.

Despite the tragic events in her life, Kahlo had a __________ for inspiring excitement, happiness, and drama wherever she went. She often wore elaborate native jewelry and bright clothing, making her a highly __________ student at school. She also __________ wore her hair tied up on top of her head with bright ribbons in the style of the native people of Oaxaca, Mexico. Her preferred fashion and hairstyle are __________ in the various self-portraits she painted.

Kahlo died in 1954 in her parents’ home. The final words in Kahlo’s diary were, “I hope the __________ is joyful-and I hope never to come back.”

3 . In the summer I turned 16, my father gave me his Chevy Malibu car as a gift. To my joy, Hank and I could _______ around Tucson with the top down. Hank was my best friend, a year younger but much _______ than me. My mother always said, “Hank’s _______ .” And sure enough, that summer he_______with a modeling agency. He was_______taking the catwalk for the fashion show.

One day on the way home from the cinema, we _______ at the McDonald’s drive-through (免下车餐馆), putting the_______ on the seat between us to share. Then we rode around for a while. _______ too fast, I went through a mud wall and drove into a full-grown tree. The front wheels came to _______ halfway on the tree trunk. Fries spread on the floor and ________ covered Hank’s face.

In the emergency room, my parents said ________, “Even the best surgeon in the city...End of his ________ dream.” I’d damaged my cheekbone on the wheel; Hank’s ________had split wide open on the dash. When his mother, Sharon, came into my hospital room, I started to________, preparing myself for her anger. ________ to expectations, she comforted me, took my hand and said, “I ________ you. Hank will too.”

Sharon’s forgiveness ________ Hank and me to get back in the car together that summer and to stay ________ until now. There are still scars below his hairline, but it left no ________on our friendship. Every time I want to hate someone for his wrong, I   ________ her gift of forgiveness.

4 . Once there was a farmer with a wife and two sons. He became quite________through hardworking. He wanted his children to have a(n)________life, so he and his wife did all the work and________made them do anything.

After some time, his wife died and________he didn’t want his children to________, so he did the field labor and all the housework. But as time went on, he became old and________, and started to worry about his________when he died.

So he thought about this for a long time and he________his sons and said, “Look, my inheritance (遗产) to you is a lot of gold. I’ve________all my gold in the fields, so it’s up to you to plough (耕作) them and________the gold.”

And he called his neighbors and said, “I’m going to________and my children don’t know how to________themselves. So please cook for them until they can take care of themselves.”

So the neighbors provided them with________for some time.

Certainly the brothers didn’t want to be robbed of the________so they did the digging themselves. They________one field after another and after they had dug all the fields, they found no gold.

So the brothers sat down and one________the other, “Do you think our father________us?”

But the other brother said, “No, I think our father was saying that the________is a golden profession. And if we dig up all the________we can become rich.”

So like all the other________, they sowed wheat in the fields they had dug and became very rich in the end.

5 . In American culture, you may find some very sensitive topics that require you to think again before you put them forward. They are as follows:

Age. It is a very sensitive ______to many Americans. In this culture, the thought of growing older is a painful one and most of us, if ______ , would like to have nothing to do with it. So many Americans work hard to ______a youthful appearance. The last thing they want to be asked is the unthinkable, “How old are you exactly?”

This question may result in a(an) ______ like: “How old do you think I am?” Anyhow, if you are______to know someone’s age, first you estimate（估计）their age by their ______ .   Then you take ten years away from that estimation. With a big ______ , that person will probably say, “Thanks, but I am a few years older than that.”

Weight. This is one of the most sensitive subjects. In America, it is   ______to be thin but it is a huge ______ to be overweight. In any American fashion magazines, you’ll notice most are nothing more than skin and bones.

Income. You should never ever ask how ______ someone’s ______is. However, it’s perfectly   ______ to ask about their job title and what they do for a living. This information should give you some idea.

Matters of the Heart. This is a tricky （难处理的） one. Some people cannot wait to ______their hearts out to you. Then there are those who make sure their______ business stays behind closed doors. The general______is not to get too personal. You don’t want others to think that you are ______their lives.______, try not to ask too many questions until you have a(an)______with this person.

Anyhow, it's difficult to always ______ an embarrassing conversation. So, be sensible,______ your mouth and try not to open a can of worms （虫子）.

6 . Lucy and Matts mum is a doctor. The children and their dad were ______ last Monday evening.

Mum ______ and said, “I ______ do some more work here at the hospital. Ask Dad ______ your dinner.”

“Oh no!” said Matt, “Dad ______ cook!”

The family ______ some food in the kitchen cupboards. They found some onion, potatoes and ______.

“What can we make with these?” asked Matt. “I’m very ______! I think I could eat a horse!” Then Lucy said, “I know! We can make ______.” Matt was not happy. He said “I don’t like soup. I want pasta and meatballs!” “Sorry, Matt,” Dad said. “We haven’t got any pasta or meatballs. We ______ have these vegetables to eat for dinner.”

Lucy and Dad made the soup. Then the ______ of them sat down and started eating. Lucy asked Matt, “So, ______ do you think?” “It’s fantastic! I ______ it!” Matt answered.

“Can I have ______ bowl of soup, please?” ______they all laughed. What an able cook Dad is!

7 . What was the best moment I’ve ever had in a class? I’ve had many great moments, but perhaps the best moment took place in my English class about a month ago.

I had a 15-minute presentations, and I felt pretty _________. Thirty minutes before my presentation, I _________ to use an actor for my presentation. I felt even more confident, assured that I would _________ the audience. When my presentation started, I gave a _________ to my actor that led me to _________ my eight notecards all over the floor. I quickly _________ all the notecards off the floor. I became _________, listening to the _________ of the audience as I tried to rearrange the cards. My anxiety levels _________, and the disorganized cards just added __________. I placed the cards down and felt a great sense of __________. My words, my explanations and my connections all __________ out of my mouth, and I felt more natural and free as I presented my topic.

I felt like a __________ different person. By the end of the presentation, I was __________ with sweat, not because I was __________, but because I left it all on the floor. I realized that the __________ to presenting to people was not just getting their attention by visual aids. You need to let your heart __________ so that you can __________ their hearts and minds. You can’t just be the center of attention; you need to give the audience attention, and you need to talk to them. First and foremost, you can’t present without __________.

Anything you present should be built off of __________. As long as you can be passionate and find a connection between yourself and the topic, you will keep the audience entertained.