5 . When it came time to vote for the speaker at graduation in the class meeting, Ms. Lenihan asked who would like to be our class speaker. Being a (an) ________ girl, I tried not to make eye contact. Seeing several classmates go up to the front to state why they should be the speakers, I felt a sense of ________. But at last Ms. Lenihan ________ in front of us and said, “We will have another meeting this week, and I expect to see more participation. I am ________ that some of you are just sitting there when you should be up here!” When she said those words, I looked up to see she was glaring right at me. I felt so nervous, but knowing she had so much ________ in me, I should not let her down.

After spending the whole week practicing a speech, I stood up in front of my classmates. There were eight to ten other participants, and I didn’t ________ much for myself. When the votes came in the next day, Ms. Lenihan announced that the class chose me! I would have to stand up in front of our entire school to make a speech. My ________ level went through the roof, but Ms. Lenihan told me she was glad that I had stepped up to the ________.

Over the next month I worked on my graduation speech. When I stood up in front of the whole school, I was still nervous, ________ when I looked at Ms. Lenihan, I remembered the whole reason I was up there was that she believed in me. I believe I ________ that day, and will always remember the encouragement that Ms. Lenihan gave me.

7 . When I was a boy, I played the piano six hours a day. I love the instrument. My mother________ me to read notes, and my father showed me how to control the ______. At first I played on clunky (沉闷的) Chinese keyboards ______, but the best we could afford. Later my parents bought me a Swedish piano, but I broke half the keys on it playing Tchaikovsky.

To be a serious ______, I would have to move to Beijing where millions of pianists in China were competing for fame. To remove to Beijing with me, my father ______ a great sacrifice. He quit his concertmaster’s (首席小提琴手) job and my mother still stayed in Shenyang to keep working to ______ us. Before we ______ Beijing, they both warned me, “Being a pianist is hard. Can you live without your mother?” I said, “I want my ______!” But I knew I needed to be in Beijing.

Suddenly my father and I were newcomers—outsiders. The only apartment we could afford was in an unheated building, with five families ______ one bathroom. My father became an house-wife mostly.

I was miserable, but not from the poverty or ______. My new teacher in Beijing didn’t like me. “You have no _____, ” she often told me. “You will never be a pianist.” And one day, she ____ me.

I was just nine years old then and I didn’t want to be a pianist anymore, I wanted to go home to my mother. For the next two weeks I didn’t touch the piano. ______, my father didn’t push. He just ______. That day I told my father what he waited to hear—that I wanted to study with a new teacher. ______ that time on, everything turned around.

4.

A．scientist

B．genius

C．musician

D．doctor

8 . Jenna, a popular girl from Westwood Middle School, had graduated first in her class and was ready for new_______ in high school.  

_______, high school was different. In the first week, Jenna went to tryouts for cheerleaders. She was competing against very talented girls, and she knew it would be _______ for her to be selected. Two hours later, the _______ read a list of the girls for a second tryout. Her heart _______ as the list ended without her name. Feeling _______, she walked home carrying her schoolbag full of homework. 

Arriving home, she started with math. She had always been a good math student, but now she was_______. She moved on to English and history, and was _______ to find that she didn’t have any trouble with those _______. Feeling better, she decided not to________ math for the time being. 

Later in math class, Jenna devoted herself to figuring out the problems that had given her so much________. By the end of class, she understood how to get them right. As she gathered her books, Jenna decided she’d continue to try to ________ at her new school. She wasn’t sure if she’d succeed, but she knew she had to ________. High school was just as her mom had said, “You will feel like a small fish in a big pond ________ a big fish in a small pond. The challenge is to become the ________ fish you can be.”

9 . Far from a Family Christmas

My Air Force room in Florida was empty and quiet—I was alone. My five roommates were gone for the holidays;   I had chosen to remain behind in the camp. Being young and far from my home, I felt _______. My room was comfortable enough, _______ I hadn’t realized until then what made it so—the _______ of others walking, joking or just lying on their beds.   

I was not able to sleep. I was _______ of being on my own—in fact, I preferred it at times—but tonight was poor. Tossing and turning in the darkened room gave no _______. The last sign of daylight had disappeared, _______ my inner sadness. Besides, the glow of Christmas lights on the tall pines would only _______ me of my great misery (痛苦).   

_______, I heard weak sound of men attempting to sing. Yes, the voices grew louder and came my way. I _______ still, enjoying the sound.   

In the corridor (通道, 走廊) ________ my room, voices came near enough for me to hear Christmas carols (颂歌) being offered. Suddenly, there, four airmen, identities unknown, were slightly unsteadied (摇晃) by holiday ________. The first held a Coke bottle with a lit candle ________ its top. The others formed a dancing line behind him.   

________ I was in the room, with joyful faces in the flickering (摇曳的) light, they sang me several carols, ________ me a merry Christmas and left as fast as they had arrived.   

I slept soundly soon after, burying my face in my pillow, ________ that someone had cared.

10 . I shall never forget the day when the earthquake took place. The time was 5:15 in the afternoon and I was driving along the road to _________my daughter from school to swim. I had finished work at about 4 o’clock and then stopped off at a shop to get some _________ to eat after our swim.

I was driving along a high road on my way to the school. Over my road was another road for cars coming to the other way. I was _________so I put the bag of apples on the seat beside me and started to eat one.

Suddenly I saw the cars in front of me start to move from side to side. Then my car started to _________!I didn’t know what was happening.

Perhaps _________ had gone wrong with my car. I drove even slower. Then the road above started to fall down. I _________the car and at the same moment the road fell onto the cars in front of me.

I found myself in the _________. I could see nothing. The bottom parts of both my legs and my feet were _________badly and I couldn’t move them. Below me I could hear _________and a lot of noise. Then I remembered what had happened. I had been in a(n) __________.

For about two hours nobody came. __________ I could reach the bag of apples, so at least I had plenty to eat. Then I __________someone climbing towards me. I __________“I’m here!” “How are you doing?” he asked. “Not too bad,” I said, “but my feet and legs feel __________they’re broken.”

“We’ll have you out of there just as soon as we can,” he said.

They didn’t get me out __________ the next morning. I had been in my car for fourteen hours.