1 . In 2009, Lauryn Valladarez and her fiancé Pedro took their very first trip to the beach to relax. Drawn in by the swimmers and surfers, they
“And then before you knew it, we weren't touching the
It turned out that Pedro wasn't a
“Here I am about 100 meters from the shoreline and my fiancé can't swim and he's starting to really struggle.
So my life startsJust as she was starting to lose
“When we came up on shore, we were
After
A.secretly | B.cautiously | C.hopelessly | D.surprisingly |
A.ground | B.sky | C.bottom | D.board |
A.started | B.stayed | C.stopped | D.surfed |
A.hesitating | B.waiting | C.speeding | D.struggling |
A.poor | B.strong | C.fast | D.confident |
A.relax | B.laugh | C.panic | D.move |
A.disappearing | B.flashing | C.changing | D.cycling |
A.suffer | B.lose | C.fight | D.drown |
A.hope | B.interest | C.sight | D.patience |
A.refused | B.offered | C.continued | D.expected |
A.unwillingly | B.officially | C.gratefully | D.finally |
A.surface | B.middle | C.boat | D.beach |
A.exhausted | B.concerned | C.disappointed | D.determined |
A.driving | B.lifting | C.flying | D.delivering |
A.advice | B.address | C.name | D.assistance |
2 . Mike Huddleston had flown from Maryland to San Francisco and
Due to his
“Out of nowhere, I hear in my left ear, ‘What can I do to
This encounter
It’s been more than 20 years, but Huddleston
A.warned | B.needed | C.judged | D.remembered |
A.because of | B.instead of | C.rather than | D.more than |
A.climb | B.notice | C.forget | D.blame |
A.show off | B.move in | C.get up | D.hold back |
A.insight | B.position | C.movement | D.condition |
A.description | B.comment | C.instruction | D.adaptation |
A.request | B.save | C.help | D.promote |
A.raising | B.standing | C.jumping | D.holding |
A.bus | B.ride | C.ground | D.track |
A.touched | B.fetched | C.sold | D.gained |
A.broke | B.left | C.slept | D.fell |
A.excited | B.motivated | C.puzzled | D.struck |
A.moment | B.seat | C.risk | D.effort |
A.guidance | B.comfort | C.protection | D.assistance |
A.defended | B.explained | C.argued | D.sighed |
A.difficult | B.unusual | C.helpful | D.convincing |
A.independence | B.self | C.trust | D.relief |
A.fails | B.refuses | C.intends | D.continues |
A.boring | B.supportive | C.challenging | D.inspiring |
A.never | B.always | C.often | D.usually |
3 . “Never say never.” Heather West, 27, left “disabled” by a rare brain illness, plans to do a three-mile charity walk to
Miss West fell ill with flu last year. She recovered from the flu but a month later she started suffering from headache and poor balance. Her doctor gave her some medicine, but it didn’t
However, her father said his daughter was very strong-willed and that she wouldn’t
A.encourage | B.acquire | C.reflect | D.survive |
A.discover | B.bother | C.improve | D.satisfy |
A.worse | B.fairer | C.weaker | D.better |
A.difference | B.advantage | C.feeling | D.difficulty |
A.pressure | B.control | C.attention | D.damage |
A.advised | B.persuaded | C.warned | D.promised |
A.deal with | B.give up | C.look into | D.give in |
A.shame | B.surprise | C.expectation | D.sadness |
A.gradually | B.regularly | C.suddenly | D.directly |
A.shapes | B.colors | C.directions | D.sizes |
A.seeking | B.raising | C.rising | D.changing |
A.supported | B.lost | C.made | D.accepted |
A.proud | B.determined | C.careful | D.kind |
A.ordered | B.added | C.asked | D.requested |
A.loss | B.position | C.invention | D.achievement |
4 . The Beauty of Creative Friendships
I recently walked through an incredible exhibition in Venice. It
Born in 1904, de Kooning spent the majority of his artistic career as a (n)
At age 65, de Kooning
Later, after I left the exhibition, I was
We often think about those friendships that journey deeply with us in our private lives,
A.mentioned | B.sold | C.expressed | D.displayed |
A.architect | B.actor | C.painter | D.photographer |
A.argued with | B.ran into | C.dealt with | D.relied on |
A.requested | B.forced | C.encouraged | D.ordered |
A.stone | B.clay | C.wood | D.glass |
A.created | B.discovered | C.purchased | D.described |
A.rebirth | B.recovery | C.beginning | D.sign |
A.minor | B.irrelevant | C.hard | D.significant |
A.confused | B.convinced | C.struck | D.annoyed |
A.invitation | B.desire | C.purpose | D.decision |
A.follower | B.friend | C.teacher | D.neighbor |
A.writers | B.visitors | C.scientists | D.artists |
A.supporting | B.ignoring | C.lecturing | D.controlling |
A.close | B.priceless | C.brief | D.innocent |
A.maintain | B.damage | C.assess | D.improve |
5 . When I have a sad look on my face and my mind isn’t where it should be, my wife says, “You need to go home!” So, I get my plane ticket, pack my suitcase and
In 2009, 10 years after I ran away, I believed it was time to rebuild and
I consider that payment in full. And it
After I returned to Canada, my wife could see the
“Go home,” my wife always said
We all know how much a smile can
A.head back to | B.run across to | C.move on to | D.live up to |
A.project | B.expectation | C.belief | D.land |
A.demanding | B.hopeless | C.right | D.impossible |
A.recall | B.reconsider | C.reclaim | D.rewrite |
A.responsible | B.challenging | C.sorrowful | D.suffering |
A.greeted | B.praised | C.encouraged | D.paid |
A.reminded | B.pushed | C.requested | D.convinced |
A.future | B.choice | C.goal | D.family |
A.designed | B.thought | C.labored | D.created |
A.value | B.transformation | C.disappointment | D.satisfaction |
A.mind | B.solution | C.stress | D.chance |
A.worry | B.comment | C.argument | D.complaint |
A.quietly | B.firmly | C.angrily | D.patiently |
A.helpful | B.hardworking | C.happy | D.confident |
A.enrich | B.persuade | C.improve | D.sustain |
6 . Travel inspires adventure, team spirit and growth in children, as I discovered when I took my daughter Mai with me around the world.
When she was four, we had a parent-child
When she was six, we flew to the Riviera Maya in Mexico. I was impressed by how
As Mai a grew older, travel continued to
Travel has also helped Maia develop important life
A.course | B.talk | C.journey | D.quarrel |
A.helping | B.teaching | C.organizing | D.interviewing |
A.worth | B.belief | C.discovery | D.demand |
A.spelled | B.reported | C.found | D.drew |
A.picked up | B.turned down | C.searched for | D.complained about |
A.affordable | B.delicate | C.available | D.delicious |
A.chain | B.motto | C.preference | D.supply |
A.agent | B.client | C.assistant | D.partner |
A.cheerfully | B.foolishly | C.smartly | D.unpleasantly |
A.persuaded | B.puzzled | C.criticized | D.offended |
A.cleaning | B.service | C.rent | D.design |
A.train | B.ship | C.flight | D.bus |
A.invite | B.see | C.link | D.seat |
A.shaping | B.comforting | C.hurting | D.ruining |
A.intelligent | B.adaptable | C.respectful | D.changeable |
A.rule | B.disturb | C.enrich | D.save |
A.protecting | B.controlling | C.destroying | D.creating |
A.sites | B.people | C.parks | D.shops |
A.survived | B.played | C.volunteered | D.spoke |
A.styles | B.values | C.attitudes | D.skills |
7 . 33 years ago, Thomas retired from his job, but he simply couldn’t sit at home doing nothing. His wife Elizabeth, who was an elementary school teacher in their hometown, suggested that he should
Thomas began his
He
Even at his age, Thomas
A.recommend | B.take | C.analyze | D.provide |
A.also | B.never | C.seldom | D.still |
A.profession | B.presentation | C.performance | D.pattern |
A.recovered | B.succeeded | C.retired | D.graduated |
A.curious | B.painful | C.regretful | D.fortunate |
A.hardworking | B.independent | C.honest | D.ambitious |
A.stand | B.float | C.pause | D.happen |
A.watches out | B.gives in | C.shows up | D.breaks down |
A.common | B.familiar | C.serious | D.strange |
A.community | B.station | C.theatre | D.hospital |
A.mask | B.confusion | C.request | D.smile |
A.deliberately | B.dearly | C.mysteriously | D.slightly |
A.unbelievably | B.occasionally | C.rarely | D.willingly |
A.customers | B.students | C.drivers | D.teachers |
A.suspend | B.suspect | C.summarize | D.simplify |
8 . A boxing match taught me a life lesson.
At that time, I had been a
But what if, no matter how hard I got hit, I would
My partner was so much faster and more experienced than I was; I could
“I am grateful for such an exciting game you gave me,” he said. “I’m not
Then I discovered what matters is the ongoing
A.coach | B.judge | C.member | D.leader |
A.recording | B.practicing | C.forgetting | D.watching |
A.memorable | B.boring | C.joyful | D.stressful |
A.make up for | B.face up to | C.put up with | D.catch up with |
A.admit | B.enjoy | C.imagine | D.keep |
A.reasonable | B.sweet | C.strange | D.deep |
A.nearly | B.certainly | C.hardly | D.probably |
A.filling | B.stopping | C.avoiding | D.comparing |
A.worried | B.disappointed | C.embarrassed | D.amazed |
A.thanking | B.pleasing | C.challenging | D.confusing |
A.applied | B.addicted | C.admitted | D.accustomed |
A.reactions | B.guesses | C.promises | D.fortunes |
A.explained | B.proved | C.changed | D.reflected |
A.If | B.Once | C.Since | D.Unless |
A.endurance | B.struggle | C.effect | D.patience |
9 . Last February, 17-year-old Norwood was at the wheel in Orlando, accompanied by her three closest friends. However, the laughter and chatter inside her car abruptly gave way to
As smoke poured from her car, a bystander shouted, “It’s about to
But halfway down the street, she
She started pumping Simmons’s chest and
Soon, the ambulance arrived and
A.screams | B.jokes | C.songs | D.regrets |
A.changed | B.faded | C.crashed | D.dived |
A.break up | B.pull up | C.start up | D.blow up |
A.jamming | B.securing | C.locking | D.reaching |
A.Broken | B.Shaken | C.Frozen | D.Beaten |
A.test | B.free | C.cure | D.help |
A.understood | B.mentioned | C.realized | D.assessed |
A.uncomfortable | B.unsettled | C.uncontrollable | D.unconscious |
A.threw | B.slid | C.moved | D.clicked |
A.importance | B.value | C.sign | D.length |
A.gradually | B.desperately | C.approximately | D.originally |
A.gratitude | B.concern | C.response | D.equipment |
A.failed | B.started | C.returned | D.worked |
A.guided | B.rushed | C.admitted | D.led |
A.surprised | B.relieved | C.frustrated | D.disappointed |
10 . On the day after Thanksgiving, Allison Scott and her boyfriend, Alfred Valdivia, Jr., made the decision to head up to Big Bear Lake in California for a last-minute camping trip. The couple packed up their
Allison and Alfred
“He had a stick with a water bottle on it trying to signal. He couldn’t
Allison and Alfred climbed down to Eric and learned that he’d
Eric told the couple it was a “Thanksgiving miracle” they’d
Once Eric had been
A.clothing | B.food | C.equipment | D.entertainment |
A.fight | B.rescue | C.interest | D.adventure |
A.picked | B.noticed | C.fetched | D.observed |
A.paid | B.kept | C.gave | D.caught |
A.Curious | B.Delighted | C.Frightened | D.Embarrassed |
A.called | B.trapped | C.helped | D.absorbed |
A.drink | B.eat | C.talk | D.walk |
A.infected | B.influenced | C.impressed | D.improved |
A.gave out | B.put out | C.set out | D.let out |
A.breathe | B.acknowledge | C.compete | D.survive |
A.saved | B.discovered | C.assisted | D.comforted |
A.starving | B.healthy | C.uneasy | D.confused |
A.fortunately | B.happily | C.safely | D.comfortably |
A.stuck | B.tracked | C.panicked | D.treated |
A.showed | B.pronounced | C.warned | D.promised |