1 . I was in the back seat of a yellow taxi grabbing my mother’s hand like a 5-year-old. But in fact, I was 28 years old, still ________, and hoping my mom would make it all right.

We were coming home from the ________, and I was in a full-body brace, having survived spinal (脊柱的) surgery exactly a week earlier and headed to my tiny apartment in San Francisco. Each time the taxi ________ over the steep hills, I felt as if my bones were ________. I doubted that I would get hurt again during the journey.

I was about to open my mouth to shout at the driver or at least ________, when my mom leaned forward and said cheerfully, “Thank you!” The driver glanced at us ________ from his mirror. “You’re just the best driver I’ve ever seen,” my mom continued. “These hills must be so ________ to drive on. And I am so ________. My daughter had surgery on her back and is so ________. Because of you, she’s going to get home safe. Thank you. You’re wonderful.”

In the mirror, I could see the driver ________ proudly. I felt a flash of ________, but before I had a chance to ________ my mother’s words, a miracle happened. The driver slowed down. He stretched his neck left and right to ________ a smooth ride before making each turn. Indeed, he drove us home like the best driver I’d ever seen.

In that moment of ________, what my wise mom had instinctively done was only obvious to me: ________ is powerful.

1.

A．scared

B．tired

C．upset

D．confused

2.

A．shelter

B．hospital

C．college

D．countryside

3.

A．bounced

B．blocked

C．interrupted

D．trapped

4.

A．out of shape

B．out of reach

C．out of control

D．out of place

5.

A．whisper

B．explain

C．warn

D．complain

6.

A．especially

B．doubtfully

C．properly

D．personally

7.

A．interesting

B．hard

C．easy

D．familiar

8.

A．grateful

B．hopeful

C．great

D．guilty

9.

A．proud

B．patient

C．weak

D．soft

10.

A．shaking

B．smiling

C．joking

D．applauding

11.

A．embarrassment

B．pity

C．satisfaction

D．anger

12.

A．receive

B．forgive

C．contradict

D．recognize

13.

A．expect

B．experience

C．delay

D．ensure

14.

A．crisis

B．account

C．guidance

D．recognition

15.

A．Praise

B．Love

C．Trust

D．Communication

2 . Growing up, I always wanted to be an outgoing person because I thought that was the way I should be. I was always attracted to the________ that bigger personalities could achieve more. So I connected outgoingness with________ .            

However, I started________ the idea that outgoingness would help me achieve more when my skills as a leader were put to the________   .            

When I was 16, I volunteered at a summer camp for a week, where I led 12 fifth graders. Although I ________ to solve problems as they came up, it seemed there was always another________ following.

Every night, I was supposed to read bedtime stories. But on Thursday when my campers were getting________ bed, things reached a boiling point when one camper accused (指责) another of ruining the camp. After I called in a teacher, our small wooden house was finally________ . But the hidden anger made me realize that my campers’ experience would become less________   if I left things unsolved.

________ reading stories that night, I decided to________ a good memory that I had of each of my campers. After that, I________ my campers to describe their own memories. Watching the atmosphere (气氛) in our house________ as they described the good moments in the week gave me the feeling that________ my own ways to be a leader could be good enough.

The experience made me realize that I should grow in my own________ rather than forcing myself into a type that never really fit.

1.

A．task

B．dream

C．idea

D．reason

2.

A．success

B．business

C．fun

D．hope

3.

A．thinking of

B．focusing on

C．making up

D．letting go of

4.

A．rule

B．test

C．question

D．topic

5.

A．tried

B．promised

C．started

D．agreed

6.

A．plan

B．problem

C．chance

D．story

7.

A．tired of

B．interested in

C．ready for

D．serious about

8.

A．silent

B．clean

C．empty

D．dark

9.

A．important

B．difficult

C．painful

D．enjoyable

10.

A．Instead of

B．Because of

C．Except for

D．As for

11.

A．keep

B．choose

C．share

D．create

12.

A．forced

B．invited

C．allowed

D．taught

13.

A．appearing

B．hiding

C．changing

D．spreading

14.

A．finding

B．forgetting

C．remembering

D．losing

15.

A．journey

B．company

C．training

D．direction

3 . A six-year-old kid walked into a candy store with his dad and was surprised by so many candies on offer. “It’s amazing. What should I ________?” he asked himself.

“Come on, son, we don’t have much ________. I have to attend an important meeting,” his dad said.

“These are all my ________ and I don’t know what to choose.” He picked up some bags and then put them back. He couldn’t make up his mind. “________, son, we have no time. I’m very ________,” his dad said. So the boy ran around the store ________ again. His eyes moved from one bag to another,but all of the sweets looked so good and he couldn’t make up his mind. ________, the dad had enough. He caught his son by the hand and they ________ the store empty-handed. The boy ________. He wanted them all, but ended up with ________ because he couldn’t choose just one.

Some of us are that boy. The world is that candy store. We have a great number of choices available to us, but if we don’t make a(n) ________ about our jobs, education, relationships, marriage or other ________ things, we will end up empty-handed. Sometimes we worry about making the ________ choice. What if we regret the direction that we take and it’s too late to go back? We don’t have to worry about this. How do we ________ whether it is good or not if we don’t make a choice? The bigger ________ is that we make no decision at all and end up going nowhere and doing nothing.

1.

A．think

B．make

C．say

D．choose

2.

A．time

B．money

C．interest

D．power

3.

A．secrets

B．favorites

C．ideas

D．needs

4.

A．Hold on

B．Come over

C．Go on

D．Hurry up

5.

A．tired

B．busy

C．fair

D．patient

6.

A．carefully

B．quietly

C．quickly

D．nervously

7.

A．Luckily

B．Certainly

C．Finally

D．Hopefully

8.

A．got hold of

B．walked out of

C．searched for

D．checked with

9.

A．cried

B．waited

C．returned

D．understood

10.

A．fun

B．fear

C．peace

D．nothing

11.

A．plan

B．decision

C．guess

D．ending

12.

A．important

B．simple

C．common

D．good

13.

A．right

B．great

C．difficult

D．wrong

14.

A．doubt

B．explain

C．know

D．expect

15.

A．danger

B．game

C．difference

D．fact

4 . When I was a senior high school student in 1980, God gave me a gift, it was happiness.

 One weekend, I went to visit my grandparents in the countryside.     1    . Several days later when I woke up at the hospital, I realized I had to spend the rest of my life without arms.     2    . Even I was frightened. But slowly I knew I had to face the fact and got over it. I couldn’t get my arms back even though I cried every day.

However, it’s easier said than done.     3    . I got so much from my past story. From then on, I could treat my life with a normal mind. But in our daily life, I often see my classmate get worried about little things:     4    ; their bus comes late; they don’t have a mobile phone but others have. But I only enjoy life, I was lucky to realize from an accident: It’s a waste of our life to focus on what you have lost. We should always think of what we have. So why are so many people unhappy? Someone may say, “My whole life would improve if I have a new car.” But when you get the car and what happens? For a whole week you are walking on air. Then you go right back to being unhappy.

    5    . It’s in our heart. It’s a state of mind, even though you own the whole world, you may still feel unhappy. Happiness comes from mastering the art of appreciating (感激) and taking pleasure in what you really have.

A．Happiness depends on what we have!

B．They get a bad grade on a test

C．How sad I felt at that time!

D．On my way home a car hit me and cut off my arms because of its high speed.

E．Maybe it was just a joke for me.

F．It took me nearly half a year to get out of the sadness completely.

G．I had a wonderful time here.

6 . I’ve been having trouble concentrating on one thing. It made school difficult for me. When everyone else in the class was focusing on tasks, I could not.

In my first literature class, Mrs. Smith asked us to read a story and then write on it, all within 45 minutes. I raised my hand right away and said, “Mrs. Smith, you see, the doctor said I have attention problems. I might not be able to do it. ” She glanced down at me through her glasses, “You are not different from your classmates, young man.”

I tried, but I didn’t finish the reading when the bell rang. I had to take it home.

In the quietness of my bedroom, the story suddenly all became clear to me. It was about a blind person, Louis Braille. He lived in a time when the blind couldn’t get much education. But Louis didn’t give up. Instead, he invented a reading system of raised dots (点), which opened up a whole new world of knowledge to the blind.

Wasn’t I the “blind” in my class, being made to learn like the “sighted” students? My thoughts spilled out and my pen started to dance. I completed the task within 40 minutes. Indeed, I was not different from others; I just needed a quieter place. If Louis could find his way out of his problems, why should I ever give up?

I didn’t expect anything when I handed in my paper to Mrs. Smith, so it was quite a surprise when it came back to me the next day — with an “A” on it. At the bottom of the paper were these words: “See what you can do when you keep trying?”

Inspired and touched, I began to keep trying hard in my study and struggled against attention problems. I believe one can find his way out of difficulty with determination (决心) and efforts.

1. Why didn’t the author finish his reading in class?

A．He missed several classes before.

B．He was not a bit interested in literature.

C．He was unable to concentrate on his task.

D．He was used to doing his homework at home.

2. What kind of teacher is Mrs. Smith according to the text?

A．Impatient.	B．Encouraging.
C．Disappointing.	D．Careless.

3. What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A．You can never be too old to learn.

B．Do not judge a book by its cover.

C．One good turn deserves another.

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

8 . When I was 12 years old, I already knew that my teen years were going to be the worst years of my life. I was a total outsider, bullied (欺凌) at school. I felt completely alone in my small town.

But by starting to do volunteer work when I was 14, I turned my problem into a passion for helping others. The opportunity to practice kindness made me feel like my life had a greater purpose. The more positive energy I shared, the more kindness and appreciation I received. I realized that my purpose in life would be to reach out to people, specifically teenagers, and help them feel less alone.

Books were my true friends back then. I was so thankful that the authors wrote those books. The kindness they offered me with their books saved my life. One of my biggest dreams was to become an author so I could write books that would help other teenagers the way those books helped me.

After surviving terrible experiences at school and at home, I made a choice to take the optimistic, positive road in the next steps of my journey. My dream career, one I thought was only possible for the authors I loved, is what I am doing now. I have been a full-time author of teen novels since 2007 and am grateful for this amazing opportunity to reach out to readers every single day.

Kindness saved me when I needed help the most. Even small acts of kindness can change someone’s life. You never know what someone else is going through. But by practicing daily kindness, you become an architect of positive change.

1. What was the author’s life like when he was 12?

A．Boring.

B．Peaceful.

C．Painful.

D．Meaningful.

2. How did the volunteer work benefit the author?

A．It made him popular in his town.	B．It helped him find the meaning of life.
C．It helped him understand others’ lives better.	D．It helped to shape his dream career.

3. Why did the author choose writing as his job?

A．He was inspired by his teacher.	B．He could pass positive energy to readers.
C．He wanted to share his school experiences.	D．He found he had a talent for writing.

4. What does the author suggest readers do in the last paragraph?

A．Say “no” to bullies bravely.	B．Make positive changes in their lives.
C．Treat others with kindness in daily life.	D．Learn to care more about others’ feelings.

9 . Jenna had graduated from her junior school. She was ready for new _______ in high school and filled with confidence. However, she didn’t _______ that high school life was quite different. In the first week, Jenna went to tryouts (选拔赛) for cheerleaders. She was competing against very talented girls, and she knew it would be _______ for her to be chosen. Two hours later, the _______ read a list of the girls for a second tryout. Her heart _______ as the list ended without her name. Feeling _______, she walked back to her dormitory carrying her schoolbag full of homework.

Arriving at the dormitory, she started with _______. She had always been a good math student, but now she was struggling. She moved on to English and history, and was _______ to find that she didn’t have any trouble with those _______.

Later in math class, Jenna devoted herself to working out the problems that had given her so much ________. By the end of the class, she ________ how to get them right. As she gathered her books, Jenna decided she’d ________ to try to fit in with her new school. She wasn’t sure if she’d ________, but she knew she had to try. High school was just as her mom had said, “You will feel like a ________ fish in a big pond instead of a big fish in a small pond. The challenge is to become the ________ fish you can be.”

1.

A．decisions

B．challenges

C．problems

D．exercises

2.

A．expect

B．doubt

C．hope

D．believe

3.

A．simple

B．troublesome

C．certain

D．difficult

4.

A．competitor

B．audience

C．judge

D．winner

5.

A．stopped

B．jumped

C．sank

D．changed

6.

A．awful

B．lonely

C．happy

D．strange

7.

A．English

B．history

C．science

D．math

8.

A．bothered

B．ashamed

C．pleased

D．shocked

9.

A．subjects

B．books

C．homework

D．goals

10.

A．courage

B．lack

C．hope

D．sadness

11.

A．forgot

B．understood

C．explained

D．decided

12.

A．hesitate

B．refuse

C．continue

D．attempt

13.

A．succeed

B．complete

C．agree

D．accompany

14.

A．big

B．fresh

C．raw

D．small

15.

A．tallest

B．best

C．hardest

D．gentlest

10 . When I was younger, I thought that boys and grown men shouldn’t cry, much less show that they can be reduced to tears. The tears were signs of being weak, which a man isn’t supposed to be, supposedly. This was even strengthened in my young mind by a song, Boys Don’t Cry, in the early 1980s.

But just this last June, I discovered that courage isn’t all about trying to keep all the pain inside in check. Courage isn’t all about trying to hide the tears. It’s the opposite — the tears strengthen the heart’s courage. And I saw this in my father.

Our beloved grandfather passed away suddenly and with it, I saw how vulnerable my father’s heart was. My siblings and I were used to seeing him as an imposing figure and an iron-willed, authoritarian father. For three days after my grandfather’s death, he wouldn’t talk. He would just sit quietly outside our house in the dark. On the fourth night, I sat beside him and asked him to tell me what he feels about everything.

It has been years since I have laid my hand on my father’s shoulder as we have drifted farther and farther apart while I was growing up. That night though, I sensed my father trying to control his pain and I wanted him to be able to let it out. We have all cried over what happened except him. All of us except him. The simple touch and my words, “Dad, it’s not your fault” broke my father’s dam. In the darkness, he began to cry.

I understood then why he preferred to be in the dark. By being there, he hoped to spare his family of a father’s pain. His tears, though we didn’t see them before that night, were there all the same. I saw his courage, that night when my father cried with my hand on his shoulder, and understood his pain.

1. When the author was young, what did he think of an adult male crying?

A．Shameful.

B．Adorable.

C．Innocent.

D．Respectable.

2. Why did the author’s father burst into tears emotionally in the end?

A．Because the whole family were expecting him to overcome sadness soon.

B．Because he didn’t want to hide his sadness in front of his family anymore.

C．Because the author’s company and comfort helped him let out his sadness.

D．Because he wanted the author to know it was brave for a man to shed tears.

3. Which of the following best describes the author?

A．Selfless and reliable.	B．Thoughtful and caring.
C．Talkative and friendly.	D．Modest and sympathetic.

4. In which column of a website can the text probably be found?

A．Book reviews.	B．Business insight.
C．Life philosophy.	D．Parenting stories.