1 . 阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、和D）中，选出最佳选项。

Tonight, my piano concert was the most important thing in my family. My grandparents were coming by plane to hear me play. Even my busy Aunt Dianne who is on TV every night reading the news, was coming.

But one thing was for sure. I would never win an award for my piano playing. And that’s just because the more I practiced, the more nervous I got. So there I was, on stage, in my beautiful dress, and I sat down at the piano. But when I started to play, I hit a wrong note. I told myself to start over. But then I hit the wrong note again. It was as if I hadn’t practiced at all.

Finally the disaster was over. I ran off the stage. I couldn’t understand why people were applauding. But they were. My mom and my dad had flowers for me, and we were all supposed to go out for a nice dinner, but I couldn’t. I just wanted to go home and cry and never go anywhere again. After we went back home, Aunt Dianne just came in and sat down on the side of my bed.

“It was my first night on the air,” she said. “I had never been on television before, and I made a mistake. I mispronounced my name and the name of the news show. And you know what? No one even noticed but me. Just like tonight, no one noticed—just you”. Aunt Dianne was right. I think we are harder on ourselves than anyone else is. Maybe I will leave my room. And maybe, I’ll play the piano again.

1. The underlined part “the disaster” in paragraph 3 refers to ________．

A．the loud cheer of the audience

B．the laughs from the audience

C．the author’s piano performance

D．the author’s long dress

2. We can infer from the text that ________.

A．music played a big role in the author’s life

B．the author enjoyed staying with her family

C．piano practice made the author feel confident

D．the author got support from her family

3. What did the author learn from her piano performance?

A．Don’t be too hard on yourself.

B．Things seldom go as well as people expect.

C．No one will care what others have done.

D．Never think much of a matter.

4. What would be the best title for the text?

A．My piano lesson

B．My family and I

C．My aunt Dianne

D．A piano concert disaster

2 . My father often talks about his definition of success. He tells us that it isn’t measured in money or material things, but in love and joy. While my brothers and I were all raised together under the same roof, I wonder how different we can be sometimes. Four kids, four different life paths, personalities and ambitions.
We must follow a different path to let our light shine, and that’s what makes us so unpredictable and unique. In today’s world, expecting every child’s education to be the same, progress at the same rate and be measured against the narrow standards of performances is not just outdated, it’s also harmful to young people.
I experienced this disconnect(脱节) firsthand after graduating from college. I had many opportunities in front of me, but they didn’t test my limits and my creativity to pursue my passions. At first, I took a job at a big consulting firm. However, I couldn’t shake my passion for music. I had followed the somewhat predictable path of a college graduate, but I was crazy about how to become an artist. Now I am a nine-time Grammy Awards winner who has sold multiple Top 10 Albums.
Imagine what it would look like if our schools were set up to help people discover and pursue a personal passion instead of a predictable path? The good news is that a number of individuals and organizations are finding new ways to innovate in education. The goal is to create more student-centered environments that help young people not just do better in school but also discover what they love.
We can’t live lives of joy if we can’t discover what we love doing with our lives. So let each person discover the power and uniqueness of his or her own passion.
1. What does the writer’s father think success should be measured in?

A．Pleasure.

B．Ability.

C．Wealth.

D．Fame.

2. We can infer that the writer _________________________.

A．is devoted to reforming the education system

B．pursued his passions once he left college

C．realized his dream before his graduation

D．finally became an outstanding singer

3. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

A．Where there is a will, there is a way.

B．Let every child’s light shine.

C．All that glitters is not gold.

D．Let bygones be bygones.

3 . My wife and I have always been friendly with the clerks at the local store. I don’t think many people appreciate what a difficult job these clerks have. They work for a little money and I often wonder how they make ends meet.
One of the clerks, Charlie, was always wearing his glasses but he didn’t one day. I asked him about it and he said they’d been out of order and that he couldn’t afford a new pair. His family needed money. It was clear that he was having a difficult time.
We wanted to help him, so we turned to our own eye doctor for help with a plan. We had his secretary contact him, asking him to come in for an eye exam for free. We told the doctor to let him order whatever glasses he wanted and that we would pay for them. Although Charlie questioned what was going on, the doctor just told him that someone had offered the money for his new glasses. When we went in to pay the bill, the doctor told us he was touched by our idea so that he waived the exam fee and only charged us for half the price of the glasses!
It was so wonderful to see Charlie in his new glasses and he enjoyed telling all the regular customers how the gift came about. I’m sure that upon hearing his story, ideas of kindness may have come in the minds of many people.
1. Why didn’t the clerk Charlie wear glasses one day?

A．It was very warm and fine.

B．His glasses were missing.

C．His old glasses were broken.

D．He forgot to wear his glasses.

2. From the passage, we can infer that ______.

A．Charlie was a young man with skills

B．Charlie knew who paid the money for the new glasses

C．Charlie completely accepted the money for the new glasses

D．Charlie couldn’t support his family with enough money

3. The underlined word “waived” in the third paragraph can be replaced by ______.

A．took up	B．gave up
C．cut down	D．put off

4. Which of the following could be the best title for the passage?

A．Customers’ Gift to an Employee

B．A Friendly Clerk — Charlie

C．The Wonderful Feeling of Helping others

D．An Expensive Pair of Glasses

4 . Have you ever been sad because of failure? Please remember, for quite often achieving what you set out to do is not the most important thing.

A boy decided to dig a deep hole behind his house. As he was working, a couple of older boys stopped by to watch. “What are you doing?” asked one of the visitors. “I want to dig a hole all the way through the earth!” the boy answered excitedly. The older boys began to laugh, telling him that digging a hole all the way through the earth was impossible. After a while, the boy picked up a jar. He showed it to the visitors. It was full of all kinds of stones and insects. Then he said calmly and confidently, “Maybe I can’t finish digging all the way through the earth, but look at what I’ve found during this period!”

The boy’s goal was far too difficult, but it did cause him to go on. And that is what a goal is for－to cause us to move in the direction we have chosen, in other words, to cause us to keep working!

Not every goal will be fully achieved. Not every job will end up with a success. Not every dream will come true. But when you fall short of your aim, maybe you can say, “Yes, but look at what I’ve found along the way! There are so many wonderful things having come into my life because I tried to do something!” It is in the digging that life is lived. It is the unexpected joy on the journey that really makes sense.

1. The older boys laughed at the boy because he was thought to be______.

A．brave

B．impolite

C．foolish

D．warm-hearted

2. Why did the boy show the jar to the older boys?

A．To drive them away.

B．To show what he had found in digging.

C．To show how beautiful the jar was.

D．To attract them to join him in the work.

3. What can be learnt from the fourth paragraph of the text?

A．No dream can come true.

B．All work will end successfully.

C．Goals shouldn’t be set too high.

D．Goals will make us work harder.

4. The best title for the text should be______.

A．A Boy Dug a Hole

B．Joy in the Journey

C．No Pain, No Gains

D．Failure Is the Mother of Success

5 . My fiance (未婚夫）and I were excited about shopping for our first home. But our funds (资金) were _______, and none of the houses in our price range seemed satisfactory.

One agent (代理人)_______ a house in particular. Although her description sounded wonderful, the price was _______ our range, so we declined (拒绝). But she kept urging (催促) us to have a look _______.

We finally did and it was _______ at first sight. It was Our Home, small and charming, overlooking a quiet lake. Walking through the rooms and talking with the owners, a nice elderly couple, we felt the warmth and _______ of the marriage within that home. As perfect as it was, the price remained too high for us. But every day, we would sit by the lake, looking at the house and dreaming of _______ it would be like to live there.

Days later, we made a(n)_______ —far below the asking price. Surprisingly, they didn’t _______ us. They renewed their offer ________. It was also much more than we could afford but far ________ than the original asking price.

The next day, we got a ________ message that another buyer had offered a much higher price. Even so, we decided to talk with the ________ directly. We made our final offer, which ________ was thousands of dollars less than the other buyer’s bid. We knew it,________ we had to try.

“Sold!” said the owner. Then he ________: He’d seen us sitting by the lake all those times; he knew how much we loved the place and that we’d ________ the years of work they had put into their home; he realized he would take a ________ by selling it to us, but it was worthwhile; we were the people they wanted to live there. He told us to consider the ________ in the price as “an early wedding present.”

That’s how we found our home and how I learned that when people are ________ they are not strangers, only friends we haven’t yet met.

1.

A．needed

B．limited

C．enough

D．large

2.

A．recommended (推荐)

B．decorated

C．sold

D．rented

3.

A．below

B．within

C．beyond

D．between

4.

A．at least

B．at most

C．at times

D．at hand

5.

A．relief

B．concern

C．love

D．curiosity

6.

A．pride

B．happiness

C．challenge

D．desire

7.

A．which

B．why

C．that

D．what

8.

A．effort

B．offer

C．promise

D．profit

9.

A．come across

B．look after

C．depend on

D．laugh at

10.

A．instead

B．indeed

C．aside

D．apart

11.

A．worse

B．better

C．less

D．higher

12.

A．relaxing

B．disappointing

C．pleasant

D．regular

13.

A．agents

B．buyers

C．managers

D．owners

14.

A．already

B．still

C．generally

D．ever

15.

A．so

B．or

C．for

D．but

16.

A．apologized

B．complained

C．criticized

D．explained

17.

A．check

B．analyze

C．appreciate

D．ignore

18.

A．loss

B．risk

C．chance

D．lead

19.

A．increase

B．difference

C．interest

D．average

20.

A．kind

B．polite

C．smart

D．energetic

6 . I got a guitar for my birthday, and since then I have been struggling. It’s kind of sad. To be honest, it is ____ how many problems are caused by such little things in the life of a teenager .It has awakened another side of myself ____ me. And it couldn’t have happened at a worse time.
I’m a senior, I’m going to ____ soon and I know what college I’m going to. And now I have to deal with this little voice in my head constantly ____ me that I’m going to be a rock star, not a scientist.
A few weeks ago I was given the ____ simple task of writing a short story. I sat down to ____ a beautiful work of fiction that would ____ my teacher and classmates. To be honest, this is an area I generally feel very ____ in. I really enjoy it and such writing tasks used to take the ____ amount of time.
So I was ____ to write my story, and across the room lay my beautiful birthday present. “Once upon a time,” I wrote. Then I stopped, ____ in my chair, and stared for a moment at the ____. Its dark red paint was ____ and I could see my reflection in its perfect surface. And then my reflection started dancing and singing. I wasn’t ____ , but it sure was. I’d follow its ____ . So I seized my guitar and plucked (拨动) a string. I sat rocking with my guitar until late ____ the night. I was sure I was preparing for the ____ much more efficiently now that I wasn’t spending time writing stories.
Needless to say, no story was written, and many ____ arose in my mind. Since then, I have constantly asked, “Am I ____ for not wanting to do my work anymore?” More importantly, ____ , I’ve learned I really am going to be a rock star.1.

A．interesting

B．exciting

C．disappointing

D．surprising

2.

A．within

B．with

C．before

D．beyond

3.

A．work

B．write

C．graduate

D．retire

4.

A．teaching

B．advising

C．reminding

D．fooling

5.

A．actually

B．seemingly

C．obviously

D．partly

6.

A．plan

B．create

C．carry

D．continue

7.

A．frustrate

B．amuse

C．astonish

D．admire

8.

A．happy

B．rich

C．fortunate

D．strong

9.

A．least

B．most

C．largest

D．best

10.

A．trying

B．helping

C．refusing

D．learning

11.

A．seated

B．edited

C．turned

D．digested

12.

A．paper

B．instrument

C．floor

D．desk

13.

A．running

B．shining

C．deepening

D．fading

14.

A．playing

B．dreaming

C．moving

D．repeating

15.

A．lead

B．music

C．speed

D．rule

16.

A．of

B．at

C．for

D．into

17.

A．university

B．life

C．future

D．exam

18.

A．doubts

B．fears

C．discussions

D．problems

19.

A．curious

B．clever

C．normal

D．alone

20.

A．therefore

B．though

C．otherwise

D．even

7 . A _______thing happened _______me last Sunday. It was such a beautiful day _______ I drove to go for a look in the country.

On the way back home, my _______ stopped. It was out of gas on a _______ road far from a town! I decided to walk until I found someone _______could sell some gas. I had walked almost a mile _______ I finally found a house near the _______. I was glad to see it because it was getting dark.

I knocked at the door and a little old lady with long white hair _______. She said, “I’ve been ________for you here for a long time. Come in. ________ is almost ready.”

“But I only came for some gas,” I answered. I couldn’t ________what she was talking about.

“Oh, Alfred! Gas? You ________tea,” said she.

I quickly________ that my car was out of ________, but she didn’t seem to listen to me. She just kept ________ me Alfred and talking about how long it had been________she had seen me. She was acting very strangely and I was anxious to leave. As soon as she went to get tea, I went out of the house as fast as I ________.

Fortunately, there was another house down the road and I was able to buy the gas I needed. When I told the man about my ________, he said, “Oh, that’s Miss Emily. She lives by herself in that big house. She’s strange, but she wouldn’t ________ anybody. She is still waiting for the man she was going to marry thirty years ago. The day before their wedding he left home and never came back because of the war.”

1.

A．happy

B．strange

C．common

D．bad

2.

A．on

B．in

C．upon

D．to

3.

A．and

B．so

C．but

D．that

4.

A．car

B．bus

C．bike

D．truck

5.

A．narrow

B．lonely

C．crowded

D．busy

6.

A．what

B．whom

C．who

D．how

7.

A．before

B．after

C．while

D．as

8.

A．street

B．block

C．way

D．road

9.

A．came

B．answered

C．opened

D．appeared

10.

A．asking

B．looking

C．calling

D．waiting

11.

A．Gas

B．Coffee

C．Tea

D．Lunch

12.

A．consider

B．understand

C．accept

D．think

13.

A．like

B．love

C．used to like

D．liking

14.

A．answered

B．explained

C．refused

D．promised

15.

A．gas

B．tea

C．strength

D．energy

16.

A．calling

B．call

C．to call

D．called

17.

A．until

B．before

C．since

D．when

18.

A．could

B．can

C．would

D．wanted

19.

A．accident

B．incident

C．experience

D．surprise

20.

A．hit

B．injury

C．hurt

D．frighten

8 . Many years ago, I was working at my job at a community college when a homeless woman came in. She began_______as she lay on one of the sofas in the student rest room._______she wasn’t well. Without thinking too much, I went next door to the Student Affairs office where I knew I could find_______in the Lost and Found box. I_______up a set of clothing and went back to my office, when I _______ a colleague calling me. She told me that I should not_______this person, as it would only lead to her wanting more help. I refused her_______and went back to help the woman, _______my co-worker’s warning.

Two weeks later, while I was working, a very cute elderly man entered my_______and asked to speak with me in private. Curiously, I gave him my full________and he told me that he had happened to hear my________with the co-worker about helping the________woman. He wanted me to know that it was always okay to help people and that was why he wanted to give me a________for $1,000. I burst into tears, because I________needed the money at the time, but also because I had never been________in such a way for helping someone!

We soon became good________and 10 years later he called me up suddenly and told me he wanted to help me________my first home! He________giving me $120,000 as part payment for my dream house in my home town. I asked him why he wanted to give me such a large amount of money and he said it was because I was a “giver” and that I________it! To make a long story short, I was able to buy the perfect little home for myself, all because one day I did not________to help a homeless woman.

1.

A．smiling

B．talking

C．shouting

D．coughing

2.

A．Luckily

B．Clearly

C．Strangely

D．Sadly

3.

A．clothes

B．books

C．food

D．medicine

4.

A．gave

B．turned

C．gathered

D．made

5.

A．while

B．when

C．how

D．why

6.

A．ignore

B．disturb

C．value

D．help

7.

A．advice

B．request

C．plan

D．offer

8.

A．more than

B．rather than

C．regardless of

D．apart from

9.

A．home

B．office

C．classroom

D．dormitory

10.

A．energy

B．love

C．care

D．attention

11.

A．disagreement

B．discussion

C．fight

D．quarrel

12.

A．young

B．old

C．sick

D．wealthy

13.

A．support

B．check

C．tip

D．promise

14.

A．anxiously

B．eagerly

C．hardly

D．really

15.

A．recognized

B．measured

C．taught

D．praised

16.

A．colleagues

B．competitors

C．partners

D．friends

17.

A．build

B．buy

C．rent

D．repair

18.

A．came out

B．ended up

C．carried on

D．resulted in

19.

A．deserved

B．wanted

C．needed

D．enjoyed

20.

A．fear

B．fail

C．hesitate

D．attempt

9 . Have you ever thought of taking a train and having an adventure(奇遇)？Riding the train can be a real adventure. That is how I feel every time I take Amtrak. I often take a four－hour trip to visit my children. Every time I take this trip I never know what will happen.
Last week when I was on the train and over an hour into the train ride，there was a man sitting by himself in the back of the train carrying on a mobile phone conversation－in another language. It was loud and disturbed most of the people on the train. I think it was annoying.
Fortunately I sat next to a wonderful old lady who was taking a two－day trip by train. She said her two daughters were distraught at the thought of her driving for three days to reach her home，although she had no trouble driving. The train ride was the only choice for her. She loved to look out of the window and watch the world go by on the train.
She was fun to talk to and asked me when my children started being parents. That is a very good question. Both of us are old and have children. She asked that same question from time to time.
There are always many people on the train from all walks of life，different countries，and many   languages. Riding the train is a great way to increase your knowledge and take in all kinds of cultures. If you get hungry，you can buy food in the food car at any time. If you need to use the restroom there is always one available.
It sure beats driving the car，which has to stop for food and restrooms. And it is better than taking the bus.
1. According to the passage，the purpose of the author’s train ride was .

A．to do business	B．to see her children
C．to visit places of interest	D．to see her old friends

2. Which of the following is the closest in meaning to the underlined word “distraught” in Paragraph 3?

A．Disappointed.

B．Satisfied.

C．Worried.

D．Pleased.

3. Which of the following is TRUE about the old lady sitting next to the author?

A．She is too old to drive now.

B．She does not like to take trains.

C．Although she is old，she has a good memory.

D．Her daughters live far away from her home.

4. What is the best title for this passage?

A．Train ride－a cultural experience	B．A painful experience on the train
C．The history of Amtrak	D．A wonderful lady

10 . Galaxy saw a man and a woman who communicated with the sign language at the train station when she was on the way home one evening. She noticed that the woman asked the man for the direction. He told her that he did not know. Galaxy decided to help them. She had learned the sign language when she served as a volunteer in the deaf and mute （聋哑） school. Then she showed the woman the direction and left her email address to them in case they needed her help later.

She received an email from that man the next day. Kazrim was his name. Galaxy replied his mail sincerely，They both started chatting online soon after and began seeing each other. Although they only communicated with the sign language, it never bothered her.

Galaxy was fond of him gradually. Obviously, Kazrim was the same too. He presented Galaxy with a bunch of sunflowers and asked her sincerely, “Are you willing to be my girlfriend?”

Galaxy was pleasantly surprised. She requested him to give her some time to persuade her parents.

As she had expected，her parents were very angry after they had learned of their love story.

Galaxy explained，“Kazrim is an excellent and a very optimistic person. He has a very positive attitude towards life and work. He cares for others always. He is 100％ better than the normal. Moreover, the mute is still a human. He should possess a perfect and wonderful love. ”

Her parents asked to see him，then. The very worried Galaxy took Kazrim home a few days later. When they were on the train，Kazrim told her,“I'm going to tell your parents that I'll be looking after you well with all my life!” Galaxy was deeply moved.

As soon as they had entered the house，Galaxy introduced him to her parents. She said,“This is Kazrim. ”Just right after her speech，an unbelievable thing happened. Kazrim threw the gift away and held her in his arms tightly.

He said. “YOU CAN TALK?”It was the same question that Galaxy wanted to ask，too.

The four people were shocked all of a sudden. As a matter of fact, Kazrim always believed that Galaxy was a mute and he still fell in love with her deeply.

1. How did Galaxy and Kazrim get to know each other?

A．They met each other by chance.

B．They were introduced to each other

C．They once studied at the same university.

D．They both served in a special needs school.

2. How did Galaxy probably communicate with Kazrim before she took him home?

A．Writing words on paper.	B．Using the sign language.
C．Judging from his expression.	D．Speaking her native language.

3. What did Galaxy expect her parents to do?

A．To have a talk with Kazrim.	B．To prepare for her marriage.
C．To treat Kazrim as a normal man.	D．To accept Kazrim as her boyfriend.

4. What can we learn about the two young people from the passage?

A．They fell in love at the first sight.

B．They cheated each other to win love.

C．They mistook each other for being mutes.

D．They ignored the anger of Galaxy's parents.