1 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。续写的词数应为150左右。

The event that stands out in Tom’s memory happened one morning when Tom was only ten years old.He was at home with his elder sister Jane.Tom was doing his homework when he heard raised voices.At first he thought nothing of it since customers in the motorcycle shop directly below their flat often became loud，but he soon realized this time it was different.

“Quick! Quick! Remove the motorcycles from the shop.” someone shouted.Then a thick burning smell filled the air.When Tom opened the front door of their flat to investigate，a thick cloud of smoke greeted him.The motorcycle shop had caught fire and people were running and crying.

Jane，who had been playing the violin in her room，hurried to the living room.They rushed out of the door and along the corridor (走廊) through the smoke.

They were heading towards the stairway at the far end of the corridor when Jane suddenly stopped in her track.She turned around and headed back the way they came.Tom had no idea what she was doing，but he followed her.

Jane had suddenly remembered the lady in her 70s who lived next door to them，who they called Makcik.Jane began banging on Makcik’s door，but got no answer.As the smoke thickened around them，Tom could see many of their neighbors—some still in their pajamas (睡衣)—running for safety.The thought of fear crossed his mind.

“She would have run for safety like everyone else!” Tom cried.However，Jane refused to give up.“I know Makcik’s still inside.” She said she was familiar with Makcik’s daily routine and was certain she would still be sleeping.She pounded against the door.“Go downstairs.Go now! Go!”

Paragraph 1：

Tom noticed the flame (火焰) was reaching up.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2：

Luckily，some neighbors passing by stopped and offered help.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3 . There was a young boy at a beautiful beach digging sands using his plastic tools. While his other friends were playing the whole time, the little boy spent his day_________his sandcastle. He even_________a moat (护城河) using a spoon, a bridge with a_________, and walls for his castle.

After a whole long day, he finished his_________sandcastle until the waves washed his hard work. Holding back his tears, the boy didn’t get mad and_________decided to study the waves that_________his creation.

The boy was aware of the_________and saw it a couple of times already. He already knew how to do things better. He felt no_________, regret, or fear any more whenever the waves came. He just smiled,_________his tools and left. He knew that the tide was beyond his__________and he couldn’t do anything about it. What he could do though is how to__________those situations.

Basically, no matter where you are, the waves of life will always__________you. What matters most is how you behave during those moments and what they__________about yourselves along this__________called life. Keep calm while looking at things from different viewpoints because sometimes all it takes for__________to happen in your life is by looking at things through different lenses!

1.

A．creating

B．picturing

C．drawing

D．watching

2.

A．kept

B．made

C．crossed

D．defended

3.

A．bucket

B．stone

C．rope

D．stick

4.

A．old

B．royal

C．dream

D．solid

5.

A．therefore

B．instead

C．still

D．nevertheless

6.

A．supported

B．perfected

C．copied

D．destroyed

7.

A．castle

B．construction

C．sand

D．tide

8.

A．sorrow

B．doubt

C．harm

D．excitement

9.

A．held up

B．picked up

C．searched for

D．threw away

10.

A．belief

B．repair

C．control

D．awareness

11.

A．talk about

B．refer to

C．react to

D．fight against

12.

A．settle

B．take

C．recognize

D．find

13.

A．know

B．teach

C．judge

D．beat

14.

A．distance

B．line

C．journey

D．circle

15.

A．changes

B．crashes

C．events

D．attacks

4 . Agnes Lloyd’s 70th birthday came, but the day went normally. Her husband _______ many years ago. She had not heard from her children for a long time, which was _______.

The last bell of the day rang. She picked up her _______ and walked towards her car planning to buy herself a chocolate dessert although her doctors don’t _______ it for her age. But who cares? It was her birthday, and she _______ it.

The thought made her smile as she _______ her car when a sudden “MRS. LLOYD!” _______ her. Agnes dropped her purse onto the ground. She looked around and was _______ by what she saw.

Her students were standing there carrying birthday signs. She hadn’t _______ they had prepared such a surprise for her. Her student Christian came over, picking up her purse, and ________ her to the rest as they all started singing Happy Birthday.

As the song continued, tears ________ in her eyes. As they finished the song, small pieces of coloured paper began flying all over the place ________. But that wasn’t the best part.

Some of the students parted and her three children stepped out holding a birthday cake with two ________ that formed the number 70. “Happy birthday. Mom!” They exclaimed together, and that’s when Agnes lost her ________ for the first time.

Don’t forget your parents, ________ your life gets busy. We need to act and remind them that they are loved.

1.

A．showed up

B．set out

C．fell ill

D．passed away

2.

A．worrying

B．depressing

C．surprising

D．puzzling

3.

A．purse

B．book

C．chair

D．food

4.

A．recognize

B．admire

C．demand

D．recommend

5.

A．promised

B．ignored

C．deserved

D．permitted

6.

A．approached

B．discovered

C．started

D．touched

7.

A．moved

B．frightened

C．delighted

D．satisfied

8.

A．disturbed

B．inspired

C．amused

D．shocked

9.

A．mentioned

B．realized

C．doubted

D．admitted

10.

A．followed

B．invited

C．guided

D．introduced

11.

A．gathered

B．dried

C．disappeared

D．remained

12.

A．gradually

B．frequently

C．secretly

D．suddenly

13.

A．presents

B．flowers

C．candles

D．cards

14.

A．strength

B．enthusiasm

C．calmness

D．interest

15.

A．as if

B．even if

C．so that

D．now that

5 . Since young, Aisha Ismail has said she let labels (标签) define what she could be. “I was a black girl, from a refugee (难民) family,” Aisha said. “It seemed_______I was only allowed to_______in this predetermined box.”

After a high school chemistry class_______her to think about a career in science and gave her confidence in the field, Aisha learned to live outside_______and began making big plans for her future. Now she is about to begin her freshman year at the University of California, planning to become a professor.

Born and_______in San Diego’s City Heights neighbourhood, Aisha is the daughter of a Somali refugee couple._______some might say Aisha’s success happened in spite of her background, she would say differently that her experiences shaped her and inspired her to be a(n)_______, promising undergraduate that she is today.

When Aisha was eight years old, her mother got a job by studying hard back in school in order to_______the whole family. That made Aisha realize that education could make a_______to one’s life.

“I always want to be the________girl for my family,” Aisha said. “In my opinion, you have to not even do your best but two times better than everyone else. Thus I always try my hardest.”

Aisha’s efforts________. The summer before her senior year of high school, she was________to the American Chemical Society Project SEED Programme. “She brought both enthusiasm and focus,” Botham, a researcher at this research institute, recalled. “She arrived every day ready to work, ready to learn and ready to rise to new challenges________whether or not she had done anything similar. That was why she was selected.”

When asked what advice she would give to others like her, Aisha warned them not to underestimate themselves. “Don’t tell yourself that the scholarship is too________or this programme is too competitive or I’ll never get into this school,” she said. “I was not sure whether I could make it until I started seeing the admission letters________in.”

1.

A．as if

B．even if

C．as soon as

D．as long as

2.

A．cycle

B．explore

C．sleep

D．establish

3.

A．warned

B．ordered

C．inspired

D．asked

4.

A．subjects

B．life

C．jobs

D．labels

5.

A．raised

B．worked

C．observed

D．recovered

6.

A．Because

B．While

C．Once

D．Whether

7.

A．affected

B．famous

C．enthusiastic

D．fearful

8.

A．abandon

B．blame

C．move

D．support

9.

A．fortune

B．difference

C．shadow

D．shelter

10.

A．richest

B．favorite

C．perfect

D．luckiest

11.

A．made sense

B．died down

C．came to nothing

D．paid off

12.

A．admitted

B．devoted

C．close

D．equal

13.

A．by comparison with

B．in addition to

C．instead of

D．regardless of

14.

A．easy

B．small

C．far

D．unnecessary

15.

A．joining

B．flooding

C．handing

D．breaking

7 . Once there was a man traveling in a faraway village. As he was passing the elephants, he stopped at once. He found that these huge elephants were being held by only a small rope tied to their front legs. No chains, no cages. It was clear that the elephants could, at any time, break away from their ropes but for some reason, they did not.

He saw a trainer nearby and asked why these animals just stood there and didn’t try to get away. “Well,” the trainer said, “when they were very young and much smaller, we used the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it was enough to hold them. As they grow up, they still believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can hold them, so they never try to break free.”

How could it be? These animals could at any time break free from their ropes. But because they were always stuck right where they were, they believed they couldn’t.

Just like the elephants, how many of us go through life believing that we cannot do something, just because we failed in it once before?

_________ . We should never give up the struggle (斗争) in life.

1. The elephants were being held by ________.

A．a small rope

B．a big chain

C．a long line

D．a piece of cloth

2. The man felt ________ after he heard what the trainer said.

A．excited

B．surprised

C．angry

D．nervous

3. The elephants never tried to break free from the ropes because ________.

A．they liked their living places	B．they were too old to do it
C．they thought they could not	D．they got on well with the trainer

4. In the last paragraph which of the following can be put in ________?

A．Failure is part of learning	B．We should be different from others
C．Helping animals is helping ourselves	D．Traveling always makes people relaxed

5. What is the best title for this passage?

A．A Pleasant Trip	B．A Bad Trainer
C．Elephant Training	D．The Elephant Rope

8 . Harry Depp will always treasure his experience of getting accepted to Yale Law School.

Harry had a happy life growing up until his mother _______ the family and moved out of the county when he was 8. His father then worked several jobs to _______ Harry and his older brother, but the family struggled _______. They often had no food or electricity.

Harry’s academics significantly suffered. As his grades _______, he channeled   his energy into sports. He was_______ in boxing and won national and international games, which he hoped would become his way out of_______. However, his dream were _______ when he suffered a shoulder injury in the 12th grade.

Harry’s poor grades as a senior resulted in him being _______ by every college he applied to. So he took a job at Bates Trucking and Trash, _______ rubbish and cleaning dustbins.

Rather than add to his despair (绝望), the job marked a ________ point in his life. His co-workers found his ________ , uplifted him and urged him to go back to school. Finally he was ________ to Bowie State University. By the end of his second year, Harry decided he wanted to go to ________ school.

Harry was ________ for the support he got from his co-workers. “It was the first time in my life that a group of individuals had really just ________ me, and told me I was intelligent."

1.

A．contacted

B．established

C．reunited

D．abandoned

2.

A．reward

B．raise

C．comfort

D．shelter

3.

A．physically

B．academically

C．financially

D．mentally

4.

A．counted

B．worsened

C．balanced

D．improved

5.

A．negative

B．awful

C．terrible

D．excellent

6.

A．poverty

B．argument

C．qualification

D．ignorance

7.

A．cut short

B．cut up

C．cut open

D．cut in

8.

A．commented

B．removed

C．rejected

D．guided

9.

A．collecting

B．reflecting

C．throwing

D．studying

10.

A．limited

B．challenging

C．weak

D．turning

11.

A．preference

B．potential

C．fortune

D．identity

12.

A．introduced

B．persuaded

C．directed

D．admitted

13.

A．arts

B．sports

C．law

D．science

14.

A．ambitious

B．grateful

C．desperate

D．responsible

15.

A．admired

B．honored

C．encouraged

D．promoted

9 . Do you know the following expressions?

Homeric laughter

The “Homer” in this expression is the Greek poet who wrote The Iliad and the Odyssey. People laugh differently. Some laugh silently, while others tend to laugh loudly. “Homeric laughter” refers to laughter of the latter (后者) kind. It is at times uncontrollable, and the entire body shakes during the process. This kind of laughter is called Homeric laughter because this is how the gods laughed in Homer’s classics.

Faustian bargain

According to most stories, Faust was a German scholar who was rather unhappy with his life. The devil(魔鬼), Mephistopheles, promises him that in exchange for his soul, he will give Faust unlimited power and knowledge. Faust agrees and experiences all kinds of pleasures, but, in the end, his soul is condemned to the hell (下地狱). A “Faustian bargain” therefore is a deal that finally results in one’s ruin. It means a bargain made for temporary gain without taking future consequences into consideration.

A three-ring circus (马戏团)

When you refer to a situation as being a three-ring circus, you are saying that it is a situation of complete confusion. There are so many activities taking place all together that they leave you confused or annoyed. The expression comes from the world of entertainment — the circus. The area where the artists perform their acts is called the “ring”. In the past, some of the circuses were so grand that they had three acts taking place simultaneously in three different “rings”. The audience had to decide which “ring” they wanted to focus on.

In the swim (of things)

When someone is in the swim of things, the individual is actively participating in the things happening around him, as in “I’ve been ill, but soon I’ll be back in the swim of things.” In the world of fishing, fishermen use the word “swim” to refer to the section of the lake/river where fish can be found in plenty. So, if you are a fisherman and wish to catch a lot of fish, where would you be? You would be “in the swim”!

1. According to the text, Homeric laughter ________.

A．was the way Homer laughed

B．means nervous, silent laughter

C．is a way to show disagreement

D．comes from a Greek poet’s works

2. If a person makes a Faustian bargain, ________.

A．he might come to a bad end

B．he would be considered clever

C．his life would become satisfying

D．he would gain power and knowledge

3. What do we learn about the expression “in the swim (of things)”?

A．It means having a lot of things to do.

B．It has nothing to do with swimming.

C．Originally it was used to refer to “going fishing”.

D．Patients use it to express their desire for health.

10 . When I was fifteen, I announced to my English class that I was going to write my own books. Half the students smiled unkindly, _______ nearly fell out of their chairs laughing. “Don’t be _______ , only geniuses can become writers,” the English teacher said, “And you are getting a D this term.” I was so ashamed that I burst into_______ . That night I wrote a short sad poem about broken dreams and mailed it to the newspaper. To my _______, they published it and sent me two dollars. I was a published and paid writer. I showed my teacher and fellow students. They laughed, “Just plain dumb luck,” the teacher said. I _______ success. I’d sold the first thing I’d _______written. That was more than any of them had done and if it was just dumb luck that was fine with me.

During the next two years I sold dozens of poems and letters. By the time I graduated from high school, I had scrapbooks (剪贴簿)_______ my published works. I never _______ my writing to my teachers, friends or my family _______ because they were dream killers.

I had four children at the time. ________ the children slept, I typed on my ancient typewriter. I wrote what I felt. It took nine months. I chose a ________ and mailed it. A month later I received a contract, an advance on payments, and a request to start ________ another book. Crying Wind, became a best seller, was translated into fifteen languages and sold worldwide. My first book also became ________ reading in native American schools in Canada.

The ________ year I ever had as a writer I earned two dollars. In my best year I earned 36,000 dollars. People ask what college I ________ , what degrees I had and what qualifications I have to be a writer. The answer is: “None.” I just write. I’m not a genius. But I’ve written eight books. To all those who dream of writing, I’m shouting at you: “Yes, you can.” Writing is easy, it’s fun and anyone can do it.

1.

A．other

B．others

C．the other

D．the rest

2.

A．silly

B．curious

C．excited

D．depressed

3.

A．laughter

B．tears

C．song

D．cheers

4.

A．puzzlement

B．disappointment

C．astonishment

D．expectation

5.

A．tasted

B．met

C．accepted

D．considered

6.

A．yet

B．never

C．even

D．ever

7.

A．crowded with

B．filled with

C．combined with

D．linked with

8.

A．remembered

B．concluded

C．mentioned

D．described

9.

A．again

B．instead

C．still

D．merely

10.

A．Though

B．Before

C．Until

D．While

11.

A．writer

B．reporter

C．publisher

D．manager

12.

A．putting on

B．going on

C．turning on

D．working on

13.

A．requested

B．required

C．demanded

D．reminded

14.

A．busiest

B．worse

C．worst

D．highest

15.

A．attended

B．took

C．admitted

D．participated