1 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

A Great Friendship

Thomas Jefferson and James Madison met in 1776. Could it have been any other year? They worked together and started to further American Revolution and later to shape the official new plan of the government,    1    (develop) a close friendship, which lasted for 50 years. There were    2    (share) purposes and a common end on both sides. Four and a half months    3    he died, when he was ill and worried about his family, Jefferson wrote to his longtime friend. His words and Madison's reply remind us that friends are friends till death.

"The friendship which     4    (exist)between us for half a century, the harmony of our political principles an pursuits have been sources of constant happiness to me through that long period. it's also been a great comfort to me     5    (believe)that you are engaged in vindicating(证实)to the younger generation the course that we've pursued for preserving to them. If ever the earth has noticed a system of administration conducted with    6    single and keen eye to the general interest and happiness of those committed to, it must be the system protected by truth, to    7     our lives have been devoted. To myself, you have been a great supporter throughout life. Take care of me when dead and be assured that I should leave with you my last affections.”

A week later, Madison replied.

“You cannot look back    8     the long period of our private friendship and political harmony with more affecting recollections than I do.     9    they are a source of pleasure to you, they are the same to me. We cannot be deprived(失去)of the happy consciousness of the pure devotion to the public goodand I have confidence     10     sufficient evidence will find its way to another generation to ensure, after we are gone, whatever of justice may be withheld while we are here.”

2 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

To any soldier

I served as a second lieutenant (少尉) in a war thirty years ago. Married for only a year and a half, I missed my wife and baby daughter a lot. In the years before cell phones and Wi-Fi, we had limited opportunities     1     (communicate) with loved ones.

One night while sitting by myself, I investigated the “Any Soldier” mailbox, a cardboard box with letters and packages from Americans. I chose one shoebox-size package. Inside I found about 20 greeting cards     2     children. At the bottom was a letter written by their teacher       3     (explain) how her kids had put the box together and how they supported our efforts in the war. Truly touched at that very moment by this gesture, I decided to write a letter of gratitude. I thanked the teacher for       4     her children had done—its impact on my patriotism, my morale, and,     5     (significantly), my uplifted faith. For security reasons, I was able to sign only my name.

Around 2013, I received a Facebook friend request from a woman with       6     I shared no contacts. I replied that       7     we were friends, I could not accept her request. She responded with one question: “Are you Second Lieutenant Bartholomew?” I replied that I had been at one time.

“Dear sir,” she wrote. “We have never met, but thirty years ago I was a second-grade teacher at a school in Ohio and our classroom sent a care package       8     (address) to ‘Any Service Member.’ The thank-you letter you composed was framed and it       9     (post) on the wall of the school for more than 20 years. I wanted to again thank you for your service to our country.”

We never spoke again, but this gracious teacher strengthened my belief in doing what my mother always taught me: Write thank-you notes—       10     never know how many people your kindness can touch.

3 . Directions:   After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct.   For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.
How can my son be a year old already?

My son turned one last week. The day marked the end of     1     has been both the longest and shortest year of my life. I haven’t slept for a year and I don’t really know how time works any more. From the instant he was born, it’s felt     2     my son has always been part of this family.

How is he one already? First he was born, and was a sleepy ball of flesh then, and now in his place is a little boy who     3     walk and has teeth and knows how to switch off the television at precisely the most important moment of anything I ever try to watch. It’s not exactly     4     (extraordinary) development in all of human history — child gradually gets older — but it’s the first time I     5     (see) it close up. It’s honestly quite hard to grasp. Even photos of him     6     (take) last week seem like a different boy. He’s leaving milestone after milestone in his tiny parts of me along with them.

He’ll never again be the tiny baby who lay in my arm,     7     (suck) on my little finger in the middle of the night while his mum slept,     8     will he be the baby amazed by the taste of solid food. Soon enough he’ll stop being the baby who rests his head on my shoulder whenever he gets tired, or laughs uncontrollably whenever I say the word ‘teeth’ for reasons,     9     I don’t think I’ll ever work out.

But I’ve had a year of this and it’s ok. He’s never going to stop changing, and I don’t want him to. This sadness, this constant sense of loss, of time slipping just     10     your grasp, is an important part of this process. He won’t realise this, of course. He’s got years of unbroken progress ahead of him, where everything will always be new. Years of his life will pass in a moment and he won’t be able to understand where they’ve gone.

But it’s ok. You can’t freeze time. You just have to make the most of what you have.

4 . When I settled in Chicago, my new city seemed so big and unfriendly. Then I had a physical problem and had to go to hospital for     1     whole examination. It seemed a small challenge     2     (compare) to the one I was about to face, but things started to go wrong right from the beginning. Not having a car or knowing the city, I was depending on a couple of buses     3     (get) me from A to B. Although I'd left myself plenty of time, soon     4     was obvious that I was going to be late, as I had mistakenly boarded a bus that     5     (take) me in the opposite direction.

I got off the bus and stood on the pavement not knowing what to do. I looked into the eyes of a stronger，who was trying to get past me. Surprisingly,     6     moving on, she stopped to ask if I was OK. After I explained     7     was troubling me, she pointed to a bus stop across the street,     8     a bus would take me back into the city to my appointment.     9     (sit) there waiting, I felt grateful that someone had been willing to help. Then，hearing a horn (喇叭) nearby, I looked up to see a car with my new friend waving at me to get in. She had returned to offer me a lift to the hospital.

Such unexpected kindness from a passer-by was a lovely gift to receive.     10     I climbed out of the car at the hospital and turned to thank her, she smiled and told me not to lose faith, for all things are possible.

5 . The mama﹣bear instinct

Ms． Angela McQueen， a math and PE teacher at Mattoon High School， Illinois， has a routine when she's on lunch﹣monitoring duty． She    1     （keep） an eye on the hundreds of students in her charge by walking laps（圈） around the school cafeteria．

In September 2017， McQueen， then   40， had hardly finished one lap    2       a 14﹣year﹣old freshman standing not far from her pulled out a gun． She knew too well that he was going to start shooting．

School employees    3    （train）on how to handle active shooters：Attack their ability    4     （aim）． So with the shooter's finger on the trigger， McQueen rushed to him．    5    （grab） at his arm， she forced the gun into the air， but not    6     he struck one student in the hand and chest and hurt another． As students ran for the exits， McQueen defeated the shooter with help from the school resource officer，    7     disarmed   the student and took him into imprisonment until police arrived minutes later． Afterward， McQueen went outside to give hugs and support to her shaken students．

"It's the mama﹣bear instinct，" she told the local paper． "I don't have kids of my own， but these are still‘    8    ' kids．"

    9     McQueen， a story that has played out tragically at far too many schools across the country had a relatively happy ending． "If it hadn't been for her， the situation would have been a lot different，" Police Chief Jeff Branson said at a news conference．

As one    10     （impress） student told CBS News， "Mr． McQueen is our heroine．"

6 . Bags of Love

Last year, I was assigned to work at an office near my mother’s house, so I stayed with her for a month. During that time, I helped out with the housework and contributed to the groceries.

After less than a week, I started noticing that the groceries were running out pretty quickly — we were always suddenly out of something.     1    (wonder) how my mum could consume them so quickly, I began observing her daily routine for two weeks. To my surprise, I found that she would pack a paper bag full of canned goods and head out every morning at about nine. Eventually, I decided to follow her and     2    happened truly amazed me. She was taking the food to the refugee camp, in     3    she distributed it to children.

I asked around and found out that my mum was very well known in the area. The kids were very friendly with her and even looked up to her as if she were their own mother. Then it hit me —why would she not want to tell me about what she     4    (do)? Was she worried about how I would react or that I would stop     5    (buy) the groceries if I found out?

When she got home, I told her about my discovery.     6    she could react, I gave her a big hug and told her she didn’t need to keep it a secret     7    me. She told me that some of the children lived with an older lady in a shelter while others slept on the streets. For years, my mum has been helping out by giving them whatever food she could spare. I was so impressed by     8    selfless she was.

7 . Directions: After reading the passages below, fill in the blanks to make the passages coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form. of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

Bags of Love

Last year, I was assigned to work at an office near my mother’s house, so I stayed with her for a month. During that time, I helped out with the housework and contributed to the groceries.

After less than a week, I started noticing that the groceries were running out pretty quickly — we were always suddenly out of something.     1    (wonder) how my mum could consume them so quickly, I began observing her daily routine for two weeks. To my surprise, I found that she would pack a paper bag full of canned goods and head out every morning at about nine. Eventually, I decided to follow her and     2    happened truly amazed me. She was taking the food to the refugee camp, in     3    she distributed it to children.

I asked around and found out that my mum was very well known in the area. The kids were very friendly with her and even looked up to her as if she were their own mother. Then it hit me —why would she not want to tell me about what she     4    (do)? Was she worried about how I would react or that I would stop     5    (buy) the groceries if I found out?

When she got home, I told her about my discovery.     6    she could react, I gave her a big hug and told her she didn’t need to keep it a secret     7    me. She told me that some of the children lived with an older lady in a shelter while others slept on the streets. For years, my mum has been helping out by giving them whatever food she could spare. I was so impressed by     8    selfless she was.

8 . Ask helpful Hannah
Dear helpful Hannah,
I’ve got a problem with my husband, Sam. He bought a smart phone a couple of months ago and he took it on our recent ski vacation to Colorado, it was a great trip except for one problem. He has a constant urge     1    (check) for next messages; he checks his phone every five minutes! He’s so addicted to it that he just can’t stand the idea     2     there may be an important text. He can’t help checking even at inappropriate times like when we are eating in a restaurant and I am talking to him! He behaves     3     any small amount of boredom can make him feel the need to check his phone even when he know he shouldn’t. The temptation to see     4     is connecting him is just too great. When I ask him to put down the phone and stop     5     (ignore) me, he say, “In a minute.” but still checks to see if     6     has posted something new on the Internet. Our life     7     (interrupted). If we go somewhere and I ask him to have the phone at home, he suffers from withdrawal symptom. May this dependency on his smart phone has become more than an everyday problem.
I recently read an article about “nomophobia”,     8     is a real illness people can’t suffer from the fear of being without your phone! I am worried that Sam maybe suffering from this illness because he feels anxious if he doesn’t have his phone with him, even for a short time.
Who would have thought that little devices like these could have brought so much trouble!
Sick and Tired Sadie