1 . A couple of weeks ago, my grandfather was explaining his favorite expression, “Nothing is ever easy.” The following day, as I tried to complete my work, I happened to _______ a big bee on the skylight (天窗). It was high up, but I thought _______ it would take no more than 5 minutes. An hour later, the bee still remained. All that had _______ was that the living room was a mess and that I was dizzy (头晕目眩) from _______ into the sunlight. I didn’t expect to waste an hour on an insect so _______ but by doing so, I understood what my grandfather meant.

In our daily lives,we often think that we can solve problems just by taking the time. Besides, we often imagine what can work in our favour but we _______ think of all the negative things that can affect us. However, it is important to remember that your day or week or year may not go as _______ and that is completely normal. It is _______ acceptable to feel challenged — even at a task you thought was simple — because that is part of life.

If you can _______ that nothing will ever be easy, then life may seem slightly more manageable. In middle school, I thought high school might be easier because I could choose the classes I wanted to ________. In high school, I thought ________ might be easier because I could have a schedule best suited for myself. Yet each time, I was both wrong and disappointed. After accepting that school wouldn’t be easy, I found myself with a more positive attitude and ________ results.

Of course, there should be preparations made to account for expenses or time. Doing so can help you ________ your goals in a better way. However, there is no need to beat ourselves up (过分自责) when something stands in our ________. Maybe we cannot see a(n) ________ coming our way, but we can always give ourselves the extra time to catch it.

1.

A．meet

B．catch

C．notice

D．attract

2.

A．exploring

B．moving

C．killing

D．removing

3.

A．cleared

B．failed

C．ended

D．changed

4.

A．cleaning up

B．looking up

C．turning up

D．making up

5.

A．anxious

B．tiny

C．annoyed

D．curious

6.

A．always

B．never

C．seldom

D．often

7.

A．registered

B．impressed

C．planned

D．promised

8.

A．actually

B．perfectly

C．obviously

D．partly

9.

A．accept

B．concentrate

C．design

D．challenge

10.

A．take

B．listen

C．keep

D．revise

11.

A．office

B．hospital

C．college

D．prison

12.

A．frightened

B．advanced

C．organized

D．improved

13.

A．forward

B．complete

C．achieve

D．quit

14.

A．age

B．path

C．plate

D．view

15.

A．bee

B．bird

C．adult

D．volunteer

2 . Last weekend I took a bus to New York City. As I took the window seat and wore headphones over ears, I almost didn't _______ an elderly man sitting beside me. The elderly man asked me a simple question _______ the bus' s WiFi connection, which turned into a two-hour _______.

We talked a lot about my dreams, my fears and my life. I _______ more with this stranger on the bus than I have with any friend or family member in months. Maybe it is because I am _______ to let anyone I know close to me. I was _______ that the stranger was not only deeply interested in getting to know me, but also just willing to     _______ me to my greatest abilities. Instead of politely _______ his head when I mentioned my major, he told me that my strong liking seemed to be psychology, but not the one I was studying and that he fully understood my _______ for the failure.

This elderly man made me ________ the plans that I had made for my life. He helped me realize that my carefully ________ plan for the next five years of my life wasn't all that good, but actually complex and filled with     ________ . Most of all, he helped me ________ the complex rather than stay away from it because of my fear for the unknown.

A few days later, he emailed me, saying, “I think you' re ________ for great things whatever you decide to do.” The email, filled with words of encouragement made me realize that life is sometimes ________ but it is going to be okay.

1.

A．check

B．notice

C．excuse

D．believe

2.

A．through

B．with

C．during

D．about

3.

A．introduction

B．explanation

C．conversation

D．competition

4.

A．searched

B．shared

C．demanded

D．reviewed

5.

A．sorry

B．curious

C．anxious

D．afraid

6.

A．puzzled

B．worried

C．amazed

D．disappointed

7.

A．push

B．invite

C．treat

D．admit

8.

A．raising

B．dropping

C．turning

D．nodding

9.

A．regret

B．change

C．fear

D．desire

10.

A．prepare

B．develop

C．consult

D．question

11.

A．replaced

B．organized

C．discussed

D．predicted

12.

A．uncertainty

B．danger

C．responsibility

D．conflict

13.

A．spot

B．ignore

C．seize

D．accept

14.

A．leaving

B．heading

C．watching

D．caring

15.

A．genuine

B．normal

C．painful

D．serious

4 . On Saturday,Juliet and Darcy, 17-year-old friends,were enjoying sunshine at Furness Park when they noticed a man fall down on the sidewalk. They hurried to ________ the man.

Darcy felt ________ he was going to die in front of them. She took a closer look. Then she observed his chest not going up and down,which meant he wasn’t ________.

The girls knew they needed to ________ help. While Darcy stayed with the ________ man, Juliet ran to nearby homes and began ringing doorbells,but no one ________. “I am really afraid he is going to die without help,” Darcy said ________.

Juliet continued to run for help. She finally found some men fixing a car and told them the ________. But they didn’t believe what the girl said at first. They asked, “Is what you said a joke?” And she answered, “No,call 911 right now.”

The repairmen got it and then ________ CPR (心肺复苏术) on the unconscious man until doctors arrived and used a defibrillator (电击器) to restart his ________. Doctors said the man was in critical condition and should be ________ to hospital.

A doctor said, “To their ________, the two girls take fast action which is called ‘a chain of survival.’ which can save the ________ of a patient in a dangerous situation.” But doctors didn’t get the girls’ names at that time,so they launched a(n) ________ to the public to find them.

Finally,the two girls were found and praised for helping save a man’s life on the weekend. “We were brave,” Darcy said. “We got a bit scared in the beginning, but later we realized ________ won’t help the man.”

1.

A．recognize

B．applaud

C．aid

D．seize

2.

A．confused

B．terrified

C．pleased

D．curious

3.

A．bleeding

B．breathing

C．starving

D．choking

4.

A．forbid

B．appreciate

C．quit

D．seek

5.

A．unconscious

B．familiar

C．absent-minded

D．ragged

6.

A．enquired

B．remembered

C．answered

D．succeeded

7.

A．anxiously

B．occasionally

C．eagerly

D．merrily

8.

A．consequence

B．emergency

C．concept

D．mystery

9.

A．searched for

B．put off

C．carried out

D．broke down

10.

A．hands

B．stomach

C．feet

D．heart

11.

A．rushed

B．admitted

C．persuaded

D．guided

12.

A．disappointment

B．credit

C．annoyance

D．horror

13.

A．reputation

B．prospect

C．life

D．honor

14.

A．appeal

B．comment

C．attempt

D．apology

15.

A．prejudice

B．regret

C．offence

D．panic

5 . I used to hate being called upon in class mainly because I didn’t like attention drawn to myself. And_______otherwise assigned（指定）a seat by the teacher, I always_______to sit at the back of the classroom.
All this_______after I joined a sports team. It began when a teacher suggested I try out for the basketball team. At first I thought it was a crazy_______because I didn’t have a good sense of balance, nor did I have the_______to keep pace with the others on the team and they would tease me. But for the teacher who kept insisting on my “_______for it”, I wouldn’t have decided to give a try.
Getting up the courage to go to the tryouts was only the_______of it! When I first
started_______the practice sessions, I didn’t even know the rules of the game, much_______what I was doing. Sometimes I’d get________and take a shot at the wrong direction—which made me feel really stupid.________, I wasn’t the only one “new” at the game, so I decided to________on learning the game, do my best at each practice session, and not be too hard on myself for the things I
didn’t________“just yet”.
I practiced and practiced. Soon I knew the________and the “moves”. Being part of a team was fun and motivating. Very soon the competitive________in me was winning over my lack of confidence. With time, I learned how to play and made friends in the________— friends who respected my efforts to work hard and be a team player. I never had so much fun!
With my________self-confidence comes more praise from teachers and classmates. I have gone from________in the back of the classroom and not wanting to call attention to myself,________raising my hand— even when I sometimes wasn’t and not 100 percent________I had the right answer. Now I have more self-confidence in myself.1.

A．as

B．until

C．though

D．unless

2.

A．hoped

B．chose

C．meant

D．agreed

3.

A．changed

B．continued

C．settled

D．started

4.

A．plan

B．idea

C．belief

D．saying

5.

A．right

B．ability

C．chance

D．patience

6.

A．cheering

B．looking

C．going

D．applying

7.

A．point

B．rest

C．half

D．basis

8.

A．enjoying

B．preparing

C．watching

D．attending

9.

A．worse

B．later

C．less

D．further

10.

A．confused

B．motivated

C．embarrassed

D．committed

11.

A．Fortunately

B．Interestingly

C．Obviously

D．hopefully

12.

A．try

B．act

C．rely

D．focus

13.

A．want

B．know

C．support

D．do

14.

A．steps

B．rules

C．orders

D．games

15.

A．roles

B．mind

C．part

D．value

16.

A．situation

B．operation

C．movement

D．process

17.

A．improved

B．expressed

C．preserved

D．recognized

18.

A．dreaming

B．hiding

C．relaxing

D．playing

19.

A．by

B．for

C．to

D．with

20.

A．lucky

B．happy

C．sure

D．satisfied

6 . We celebrate Abraham Lincoln’s birthday(February 12) and we should.Lincoln was one of the few great men who really was great. Before he became ______, Lincoln spent twenty years as an unsuccessful Illinois lawyer--at least he was unsuccessful in ______ terms(方面）.But when you ______ the good he did, he was really very rich. Legends are often ______, but Lincoln was the real thing. George Washington never chopped down a cherry tree, but Abraham Lincoln was ______. During his years as a lawyer, there were hundreds of documented examples of his honesty and decency(体面).

For example, Lincoln didn’t like to charge(索费）people much ______ were as ______ as he was. Once a man sent him twenty-five dollars, but Lincoln sent him back ten of it, saying he was being too generous. He was known at times to ______ his clients(客户) to solve their problem out of court(法庭),saving them a lot of money, and ______ himself nothing.

An old woman in ______, the widow(孀妇) of a soldier, was charged $200 for getting her $400 pension(养老金). Lincoln sued (起诉）the pension agent and ______ the case(案子) for the old woman. He didn’t charge her for his ______ and, in fact, paid her hotel bill and gave her money to buy a ticket home!

He was a ______, perhaps, by certain standards. He didn’t have much, and it was his own ______. But he was a good human being by anyone’s standards and I’m glad we ______ his birthday.

______ makes you feel good about yourself and creates ______ in others. It ______ your relationship with yourself and with others. It’s not much in ______ these days to talk about the advantages of honesty and decency, but the advantages are there and they are valuable and ______ the trouble.

1.

A．lawyer

B．president

C．soldier

D．teacher

2.

A．financial

B．healthy

C．personal

D．political

3.

A．guess

B．value

C．tell

D．weigh

4.

A．impolite

B．interesting

C．untrue

D．harmless

5.

A．rich

B．honest

C．foolish

D．poor

6.

A．who

B．which

C．whom

D．they

7.

A．generous

B．kind

C．intelligent

D．poor

8.

A．permit

B．persuade

C．force

D．expect

9.

A．taking

B．offering

C．earning

D．costing

10.

A．treasure

B．illness

C．poorness

D．weakness

11.

A．won

B．lost

C．got

D．advised

12.

A．pension

B．problem

C．suggestions

D．services

13.

A．lawyer

B．politician

C．businessman

D．fool

14.

A．fault

B．ability

C．character

D．disadvantage

15.

A．remember

B．respect

C．celebrate

D．congratulate

16.

A．Pension

B．Honesty

C．Birthday

D．Service

17.

A．chance

B．love

C．feeling

D．trust

18.

A．matches

B．compares

C．improves

D．builds

19.

A．fashion

B．time

C．return

D．name

20.

A．above

B．worth

C．without

D．beneath

7 . Last year I ruined my summer vacation by bringing along a modern convenience: the iPad.

Instead of looking at nature, I _______ my e-mail. Instead of reading great novels, I stuck to reading _______ newspapers each morning. And that was the problem:   I was acting _______ I were still in the office.   My body was on vacation but my _______ wasn’t.

So this year I made up my mind to try something _______: getting away from the Internet. I knew it wouldn’t be easy,   _______ I’m not good at self-control.   But I was _______.   I started by _______ the iPad to my wife.   Then, a stroke of luck:   The mobile phone _______ at our cabin was worse than in the past.   I was ________,   forced to carry out my plan.   Largely ________ from e-mail and my favorite newspaper websites, I had little way to ________ the world.   I had no ________ but to do what I had planned to do all along: read books.

With determination and the strong support of my wife, I succeeded in my vacation struggle ________ the Internet.   I finally ________ that it was me, of course, not the iPad, that was the ________.

I knew I had ________ when we passed a Starbucks and my wife asked if I wanted to stop to use the Wi-Fi.   “Don’t need it,” I said. ________, as we return to work, a test begins: Can I __________ when I’m back at work? I don’t plan to ________ my iPad completely. But I hope to resist the temptation(抵抗诱惑) to use it every five minutes.

1.

A．received

B．selected

C．checked

D．removed

2.

A．online

B．informal

C．local

D．traditional

3.

A．so that

B．as if

C．now that

D．even though

4.

A．opinion

B．identity

C．mind

D．curiosity

5.

A．attractive

B．logical

C．magical

D．different

6.

A．since

B．unless

C．though

D．so

7.

A．excited

B．shocked

C．frightened

D．determined

8.

A．showing

B．handing

C．sending

D．introducing

9.

A．quality

B．design

C．signal

D．technology

10.

A．trapped

B．ignored

C．injured

D．persuaded

11.

A．taken out

B．pulled down

C．cut off

D．carried away

12.

A．rely on

B．connect to

C．help with

D．look at

13.

A．method

B．goal

C．trick

D．choice

14.

A．against

B．for

C．on

D．to

15.

A．expected

B．realized

C．permitted

D．suggested

16.

A．puzzle

B．sign

C．evidence

D．problem

17.

A．won

B．forgotten

C．suffered

D．recovered

18.

A．Somehow

B．Anyway

C．However

D．Therefore

19.

A．survive

B．change

C．escape

D．continue

20.

A．take apart

B．give up

C．turn to

D．care about

8 . The day finally came, when I had to leave the warm home where I’d grown up. I ran to the back yard, as tears came up from my heart. Suddenly I ____ a hand rest on my shoulder. I looked up to ____ my grandfather. “It isn’t ____, is it, Billy?” he said softly.
He gently ____ my hand in his, and then we walked, hand in hand, to the front yard, ____ a huge red rose-bush sat alone.
“What do you see here, Billy?” he asked. I looked at the flowers, not knowing ____ to say, and then answered, “I see something soft and ____, grandpa.”
He pulled me ____ “It isn't just the roses that are beautiful, Billy. It’s that special place in your heart that makes them so.” “Billy, I ____ these roses when my first son was born. It was my ____ of saying ‘thank you’ to God. I ____to watch him pick roses for his mother. Then, as a young man of only 20, a terrible war robbed him of his life.” Grandpa slowly stood up. “Never say good-bye, Billy. Never ____ to the sadness and the loneliness. Instead, I want you to remember the joy and the ____ when you first said hello to a friend.”
A year later, my grandpa became very ____Then all members of the family
were ____ back, and I returned to the old house. When it came to my ____, I took his hand as ____ as he had once taken mine.
“Hello, grandpa,” I ____His eyes slowly opened and said, “Hello, my friend.” With a brief ____ he died. Suddenly, and truly, I knew what he had ____ about never saying good-bye — about refusing to give in to sadness.1.

A．watched

B．fixed

C．felt

D．heard

2.

A．watch

B．interview

C．see

D．discover

3.

A．easy

B．hard

C．difficult

D．comfortable

4.

A．took

B．made

C．led

D．carried

5.

A．when

B．where

C．which

D．while

6.

A．whether

B．how

C．who

D．what

7.

A．beautiful

B．tasty

C．funny

D．red

8.

A．far

B．hard

C．close

D．around

9.

A．planted

B．bought

C．treated

D．discovered

10.

A．approach

B．way

C．method

D．solution

11.

A．preferred

B．wanted

C．used

D．referred

12.

A．give up

B．give off

C．give away

D．give in

13.

A．happiness

B．word

C．sight

D．memory

14.

A．weak

B．ill

C．old

D．serious

15.

A．ordered

B．called

C．delivered

D．sent

16.

A．pleasure

B．duty

C．wish

D．turn

17.

A．happily

B．sadly

C．gently

D．carefully

18.

A．laughed

B．shouted

C．whispered

D．added

19.

A．sign

B．sigh

C．wave

D．smile

20.

A．thought

B．meant

C．worried

D．cared