1 . Natural disasters may claim thousands of lives or destroy millions of homes. What can we learn from disasters?

Sometimes, there are no real answers. Everyone has lost something and someone, and they keep on asking what they have done to deserve this cruel fate. It’s okay to hold on to these questions, but no matter how hard and painful it is, you should keep moving, breathing and living.     1    

Even strangers can teach you kindness. There may be millions of selfish people in the world.     2     There is still kindness out there, waiting to be discovered. You will find it everywhere, at the most unexpected places—even among the wastelands left by the disaster.

Family is everything. Sometimes we forget to love our family, just because we’re too busy with our own lives.     3     We will not realize their value until we arrive at an empty house, an abandoned and forgotten place that you once called “home”.

    4     Sure, reality can be harsh and unforgiving but it doesn’t mean that we should blame ourselves and feel like a victim forever. We have to strive and thrive; we have to fight and do whatever it takes to resist and rise up. Not everyone will have a happy ending or an interesting plot, but we can always decide how to write the ending.

Every day of your life should be spent loving and living. Don’t be angry at the world for letting you live an unbearable life of heartbreaks and frustrations.     5     So just love deep and love hard. Live as if it’s your only chance to find the happiness that you deserve.

A．You’ll find your way someday.

B．Your money won’t matter in the end.

C．Life is too short to live in its imperfections.

D．However, it’s not a reason to lose hope in humanity.

E．You shouldn’t be a victim forever——be a survivor.

F．You have to help yourself first before you can help others.

G．At times, we take them for granted because we think they’ll always be there.

2 . Ten years ago when I was diagnosed with a serious illness, my first thought was, “Why me?” And this thought _______ me throughout my journey. It wasn’t until I was _______ enough to look back that I realized how much of my life was _______ by my illness not in a bad way.

Being _______ for our past experiences and _______ can be a hard thing to do. We sometimes wish events in our past could be _______ so we could start a new life. But without these events, we wouldn’t learn, change and grow.

The day I _______ this was volunteering with my boyfriend. A friend’s wife came up to me and asked me how school was, _______ I said I didn’t like it that much. She then _______ by saying, “Well, if you hadn’t gone, you wouldn’t have met him.” and pointed at my ________.

This really opened my eyes, and after I left I started seeing everything in my life in this ________. If I hadn’t gone to that school, I would never have met my future husband. If I hadn’t battled ________ the illness, I wouldn’t have found my true ________. At first I didn’t see how my illness could have ever been a blessing. But when I looked at it as an experience for me, I started to see that I had a lot to be thankful for.

I grew closer to my mother while ________. I gained knowledge about myself that I could ________ gain through struggle, and learned how to take care of my wants and needs in a way that made me happy.

1.

A．occupied

B．followed

C．delivered

D．stopped

2.

A．well

B．happy

C．sad

D．ill

3.

A．widened

B．shot

C．shaped

D．united

4.

A．mindful

B．thankful

C．hopeful

D．cheerful

5.

A．stories

B．replies

C．rewards

D．struggles

6.

A．swallowed

B．caught

C．swept

D．taught

7.

A．remembered

B．reminded

C．removed

D．realized

8.

A．but

B．and

C．yet

D．then

9.

A．responded

B．collected

C．corrected

D．lectured

10.

A．boyfriend

B．girlfriend

C．husband

D．teacher

11.

A．way

B．means

C．appearance

D．face

12.

A．through

B．for

C．within

D．against

13.

A．hope

B．self

C．relief

D．friend

14.

A．living

B．losing

C．recovering

D．searching

15.

A．never

B．already

C．only

D．also

3 . I looked out of the door of my 100 year-old house and saw my newly built garden. I realized nothing is rubbish. I was full of_________and appreciation.

I_________to look at the things that we usually think of as_________—plastic bags, polluted water, rubber bands, and newspapers, clothes and furniture we_________. I also began to think, act and live according to a belief that all things have the_________of being reused as long as we try to_________it. And I explored the worth of_________. I mean recycling isn't just about_________rubbish like putting glass and paper in_________bins. It also requires creativity, commitment and even love.

My neighbors would put the autumn__________by the roadside to be picked up by the garbage truck. This didn't__________with my newfound concept of recycling trash, so I made a new__________with moving boxes and put up a__________saying, ''Dump（倾倒）leaves here". I watched carefully through the autumn as my neighbors__________the leaves in the new garden and I also watered the leaves__________with rainwater and collected dogs' waste as fertilizer, Then I__________flower seeds. Finally, I had a new__________garden, full of colorful flowers.

Nothing has to be really__________. If you try hard enough, everything can be recycled. I even used my bath water to water my garden, though it might be a little__________for my friends. But I think if we all can turn waste, sometimes a little dirty, into__________, the world will be a much better place.

1.

A．joy

B．sympathy

C．doubt

D．regret

2.

A．refused

B．hesitated

C．liked

D．started

3.

A．wealth

B．garbage

C．investments

D．necessities

4.

A．packed up

B．brought up

C．threw away

D．gave away

5.

A．value

B．request

C．confusion

D．consequence

6.

A．own

B．find

C．forget

D．lose

7.

A．collecting

B．recovering

C．recycling

D．competing

8.

A．sorting

B．picking

C．spotting

D．recording

9.

A．uniform

B．broken

C．limitless

D．separate

10.

A．fruit

B．rice

C．leaves

D．vegetables

11.

A．compare

B．deal

C．communicate

D．fit

12.

A．platform

B．garden

C．picture

D．schedule

13.

A．building

B．tent

C．sign

D．show

14.

A．piled

B．polished

C．decorated

D．cleaned

15.

A．unwillingly

B．hardly

C．seriously

D．casually

16.

A．submitted

B．sowed

C．removed

D．reserved

17.

A．smelly

B．annoying

C．imaginary

D．attractive

18.

A．useless

B．careless

C．priceless

D．defenseless

19.

A．pleasant

B．vivid

C．violent

D．disgusting

20.

A．trouble

B．treasure

C．terror

D．trade

4 . During my years teaching communication courses at East Carolina University and College of Charleston, I got to hear many incredible true-life stories through students' presentations. Stories that stick out in my mind include a young man's sharing his experience of being falsely diagnosed with a fatal illness, another who failed repeatedly to try out for the baseball team before getting into a game he enjoys much more - golf, and so on. So many unforgettable stories; so much wisdom.

But one story really stands out in my mind to illustrate our incredible power. Here's what happened to this young girl, Suzy.

One Christmas Suzy had her heart set on getting a new Barbie. But not just any Barbie, it was one where she could cut her hair. At least the doll came with scissors. It was the last gift that little seven-year-old Suzy opened, and she felt pure delight. Barbie's hair went from hip length, to waist length, to long layers to irregular, to shoulder length, to pixie (小精灵) short... finally ending with a total buzz cut (圆寸).

Everything's ready and the logical thing to do next was of course for Suzy to cut her own hair. She cut layers and more layers and couldn't wait to show her parents and class.

Little Suzy had a hard time understanding why her mother wanted to take her to a beauty salon to “fix” her hair style. But Suzy firmly believed everyone at school would be so envious of her design concept and skill. Her friends would turn green with envy. Absolutely, her complete and unquestioned confidence in her appearance caused other people to see her beauty.

That story was told 12 years after the fact and Suzy still has pictures of that haircut. She would never cut her hair again, but she cherishes that memory of boundless self-value.

Confidence is like a muscle that you exercise. You decide to be more confident, to choose the positive performance, to take care of yourself, and the feeling of confidence comes to you after that. We all have had that level of confidence at times, but where is it when you need it?

1. What's the purpose of the first paragraph?

A．To introduce the author's background.	B．To tell some incredible stories.
C．To summarize the main idea of the article.	D．To pave the way for the following.

2. The reason why Suzy wants the Barbie is that

A．she will make a comparison	B．she would like to practice hair cutting
C．she feel like showing off her collection	D．she wants to give her classmates a surprise

3. Which of the following words best describes Suzy?

A．Determined.

B．Absurd.

C．Sympathetic.

D．Aggressive.

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A．Lifelong Wisdom	B．Confident Scissors
C．Unforgettable Stories	D．Barbie's Encouragement

5 . Throughout my high school career I've made a point of doing what many people fail to do on a daily basis：reflect and assess my life and decisions. I'm a（n） _______ and I analyze and contemplate （沉思）,sometimes too much, but always with the intention of _______ something new about myself. You might be _______ to learn that I do my best thinking not in the classroom, not in the bedroom, but in the bathroom.

The bathroom has always been a place where I can sit in _______. The closest thing to a（n） _______ is a polite knock on the door, and quiet is _______ maintained. Bathrooms are always kept clean, and _______are provided for sufficient self-inspection. _______, the bathroom is the ideal place for reflection.

My bathroom, which is situated a brief _______ down the hall from my bedroom, is a wonderful place where I can take comfort. ________a long day of hard work, I ________for my bathroom to reflect on the past day and the days ahead. I think about my friends and family, and what they ________ to me. I even realize the numerous ________ that I have recently made, and ________ to put them right.

The thinking I do in the bathroom — whether it is a ________ about my future as a rock star, or the realization that my mother was in fact correct - is important to me. Taking the time to think and reflect has ________ me to make good decisions. And then I will ________ what is important to me. Instead of living my life ________ , I've made a choice to think deeply and keep things in perspective.

To me, the bathroom is not a place to________ the challenges of reality, but rather a place to________   those challenges through the power of human intelligence.

1.

A．doctor

B．thinker

C．observer

D．reader

2.

A．learning

B．recording

C．mentioning

D．abandoning

3.

A．worried

B．surprised

C．excited

D．disappointed

4.

A．regret

B．patience

C．pride

D．peace

5.

A．celebration

B．invitation

C．description

D．interruption

6.

A．poorly

B．quickly

C．continually

D．occasionally

7.

A．mirrors

B．pictures

C．cameras

D．towels

8.

A．At present

B．On average

C．At last

D．In short

9.

A．ride

B．walk

C．jump

D．roll

10.

A．After

B．Until

C．Before

D．As

11.

A．wait

B．prepare

C．head

D．stand

12.

A．introduce

B．refer

C．give

D．mean

13.

A．mistakes

B．promises

C．goals

D．challenges

14.

A．afford

B．forget

C．attempt

D．refuse

15.

A．duty

B．rule

C．fantasy

D．project

16.

A．begged

B．allowed

C．ordered

D．forced

17.

A．call on

B．rely on

C．focus on

D．live on

18.

A．blindly

B．slowly

C．unluckily

D．painfully

19.

A．accept

B．remember

C．delay

D．escape

20.

A．avoid

B．conquer

C．meet

D．create