2 . I used to believe that only words could catch the essence of the human soul. The literary works contained such distinct stories that they shaped the way we saw the world. Words were what composed the questions we sought to uncover and the answers to those questions themselves. Words were everything.

That belief changed.

In an ordinary math class, my teacher posed a simple question: What’s 0.99 rounded to the nearest whole number? Easy. When rounded to the nearest whole number, 0.99=1. Somehow, I thought even though 0.99 is only 0.01 away from 1, there’s still a 0.01 difference. That means even if two things are only a little different, they are still different, so doesn’t that make them completely different?

My teacher answered my question by presenting another equation (等式): 1= 0.9, which could also be expressed as 1=0.99999.... repeating itself without ever ending.

There was something mysterious but fascinating about the equation. The left side was unchangeable, objective: it contained a number that ended. On the right was something endless, number repeating itself limitless times. Yet, somehow, these two opposed things were connected by an equal sign.

Lying in bed, I thought about how much the equation paralleled our existence. The left side of the equation represents that sometimes life itself is so unchangeable and so clear. The concrete, whole number of the day when you were born and the day when you would die. But then there is that gap in between life and death. The right side means a time and space full of limitless possibilities, and endless opportunities into the open future.

So that’s what life is. Objective but imaginative. Unchangeable but limitless. Life is an equation with two sides that balances itsef out. Still, we can’t ever truly seem to put the perfect words to it. So possibly numbers can express ideas as eually well as words can. For now, let’s leave it at that: 1= 0.99999... and live a life like it.

1. What does the author emphasize about words in paragraph 1?

A．Their wide variety.	B．Their literary origins.
C．Their distinct sounds.	D．Their expressive power.

2. What made the author find the equation fascinating?

A．The repetition of a number.	B．The way two different numbers are equal.
C．The question the teacher raised.	D．The difference between the two numbers.

3. Which of the fllowing can replace the underlined word “paralleled” in paragraph 6?

A．Measured.

B．Composed.

C．Mirrored.

D．Influenced.

4. What is a suitable title for the text?

A．The Perfect Equation	B．Numbers Build Equations
C．An Attractive Question	D．Words Outperform Numbers

3 . At 20 years old, I was a confident and handsome student at the University of California at Berkey.

But that year, I ________ a bump (肿块) in my right nostril (鼻孔), and when it didn’t go away, I made an ________ with a doctor. It turned out to be a tumor (肿瘤). Then I underwent surgery. Fortunately, the procedure was ________, and I returned to classes soon.

But six months later, a new bump appeared. Numerous ________ confirmed it had reproduced a horrible, life—threatening tumor. I was advised to have another operation and ________ that I might lose part of my nose. I was too young to think about death then, but the thought of disfigurement (毁容) made me feel ________.

I awoke from the surgery with a scarred, disfigured face. As I re-entered the real world, I noticed adults ________ and children pointing—and sometimes laughing—at me. The occasional and ________ negative reactions from my friends also hurt me. My self-respect sank increasingly lower, and I constantly asked others, “Do my looks ________ you?”

Five years and 20 reconstructive surgeries later, I ________ a man receiving treatment. After hearing my question, he criticized me. My problem, he ________ me, was not my physical appearance, but my emotional insecurity. His ________ helped me realize my mental scars were far more disfiguring than my physical ones.

I began examining myself from the inside out. Later, I volunteered at a cancer support organization to offer inspiration and hope to those ________ cancer

Now, I am ________ for who I am—a much stronger person than before. To you, I offer this message: Avoid making judgements about people at ________.

1.

A．took charge of

B．took care of

C．took control of

D．took notice of

2.

A．appointment

B．arrangement

C．commitment

D．placement

3.

A．severe

B．minor

C．apparent

D．complicated

4.

A．novelists

B．specialists

C．impressionists

D．journalists

5.

A．advocated

B．predicted

C．warned

D．witnessed

6.

A．desperate

B．enthusiastic

C．delicate

D．optimistic

7.

A．smiling

B．glaring

C．glancing

D．staring

8.

A．unusually

B．unintentionally.

C．unconventionally

D．unselfishly

9.

A．bother

B．impress

C．annoy

D．restrict

10.

A．greeted

B．persuaded

C．encountered

D．grasped

11.

A．abused

B．defended

C．informed

D．motivated

12.

A．relief

B．security

C．defence

D．honesty

13.

A．going about

B．relating to

C．wrestling with

D．breaking with

14.

A．greedy

B．grateful

C．suitable

D．tolerant

15.

A．mental vitality

B．physical fitness

C．social acceptance

D．face value

4 . With new term approaching, as a new teacher, I needed to find a reference book in our school library. Therefore, I went in search of the _______. Before leaving, I struck up a(n) _______ with her and then I was completely _______ by her experience.

During the winter break, she had gone by herself to Death Valley, a rarely visited desert. She just rented a car and packed up some simple equipment. All the way, she _______ saw another human being as she drove or _______. The photos she showed me _______ me from freezing New England to the brilliant sunshine of Death Valley, where she could appreciate the appealing landscape. But what really _______ me was how fearless this woman is. So weak is she that I used to think that she was _______ to step out of the comfort zone.

I asked her if she was _______ of being out in the vast wilderness alone and she said no ________. She even loved being alone surrounded by such incredible ________, seeking the meaning of life. Further talk revealed that her life has been ________. She was a young single mother with 2 kids and worked at odd jobs day and night to ________. To her credit, she obtained her degree in education and found a decent job.

Actually, our brief talk inspired me to lead a more ________ life and she taught me to see a person beyond the ________.

1.

A．tutor

B．clerk

C．assistant

D．librarian

2.

A．conversation

B．discussion

C．complaint

D．activity

3.

A．bothered

B．attracted

C．moved

D．confused

4.

A．voluntarily

B．definitely

C．occasionally

D．barely

5.

A．hiked

B．slept

C．behaved

D．dived

6.

A．banned

B．protected

C．transported

D．dragged

7.

A．scared

B．delighted

C．upset

D．amazed

8.

A．unable

B．unaffordable

C．appointed

D．desperate

9.

A．free

B．frightened

C．incapable

D．typical

10.

A．without excuse

B．without hesitation

C．with doubt

D．with caution

11.

A．books

B．fantasy

C．sands

D．beauty

12.

A．tough

B．smooth

C．unpredictable

D．changeable

13.

A．succeed

B．escape

C．survive

D．suffer

14.

A．colorful

B．meaningful

C．comfortable

D．recreational

15.

A．restriction

B．range

C．surface

D．reach

7 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Zu Ti of the Jin Dynasty was a man who had with great ambition. When he was young, he had a good friend     1     (name) Liu Kun. They had such a deep friendship     2     they stayed together every day and got up at the same time every morning.

One day, when they were sleeping. Zu Ti heard the rooster crowing (鸡鸣) . He woke up Liu Kun and said, “How about     3     (get) up to play swords (剑) as soon as we heard the rooster crowing from now on?” Liu Kun was still     4     (sleep) . But he agreed with him     5     (joyful) . From then on, they got up and played swords once the rooster began crowing. They kept their word and never gave up no matter     6     cold in winter or hot in summer. Hard work     7     (pay) off. After a long period of hard study and training, they finally became the all-rounder. And they both did excellent jobs to their country.

The idiom “to rise with the rooster” teaches us that with ambition and hard work,     8     (succeed) is possible. When we can discover our shortcomings     9     time, it is not too late to try. But if you are not willing     10     (work) hard, you will not be able to achieve a career after all.

8 . One early Saturday morning, I was enjoying my coffee and reading the newspaper alone when I heard an old voice from the radio.

“Well, Tom, sounds you’re busy with your job. But it’s a _________ that you have to be away from home and your family so much. Too bad you _________ your daughter’s dance performance. Let me tell you something that has helped me _________ my most important things.”

“You see, I did a little _________ one day. Folks live about seventy-five years _________ and have 3,900 Saturdays. I felt _________ that I did not think about all this in detail until I was fifty-five years old,” he went on, “if I lived to be seventy-five, I _________ had about a thousand of them left to enjoy.”

“So I visited three toy stores, _________ 1,000 marbles (玻璃弹珠) and put them inside a large, clear plastic container. Every Saturday since then, I have taken one out and _________ it away.”

“By watching the marbles decrease, I __________ more on the really important things in my life. Watching your time here __________ truly helps get your priorities (优先的事物) __________.”

……

He gave us all a lot to think about. However busy we were, we should spare time to stay with our family. I had __________ to do some unfinished office work and then meet several radio-lovers. __________, I woke my wife up. “Honey, I’m taking you and the kids out to breakfast. Besides, I need to buy some __________ in a toy store.”

1.

A．pity

B．pride

C．must

D．disaster

2.

A．delayed

B．avoided

C．missed

D．prevented

3.

A．track

B．update

C．revive

D．rate

4.

A．research

B．evaluation

C．maths

D．experiment

5.

A．in particular

B．on average

C．on purpose

D．in all

6.

A．cheerful

B．regretful

C．confused

D．satisfied

7.

A．yet

B．still

C．even

D．only

8.

A．rounded up

B．fixed up

C．sold out

D．played with

9.

A．thrown

B．given

C．sent

D．driven

10.

A．based

B．reflected

C．spent

D．focused

11.

A．flash back

B．run out

C．stop

D．drag

12.

A．straight

B．complete

C．reasonable

D．personal

13.

A．longed

B．remembered

C．intended

D．pretended

14.

A．Furthermore

B．Instead

C．Anyway

D．Thus

15.

A．coffee

B．newspapers

C．containers

D．marbles

10 . Even when you have confidence in yourself, your goals will sometimes seem out of reach. When that happens, get hold of the people who _________ you and your goals and don’t let go!

When I was younger, I _________ because life felt so hard. I had _________to become a teacher or a business administrator. I knew I needed a college degree, but I had _________ believing in myself. Then a teacher in my high school _________ me. He told me three things: First, if you don’t believe in yourself, it will be _________ to get anyone else to believe in you. Second, never let other people’s _________ to see your brilliance prevent you from being brilliant. And third, despite life’s _________, stick to creating the future you want.

Early in my _________, I was teaching a workshop when a person in the audience yelled out to me. He told me I had __________ made a job choice and had a bright future. This __________ feedback (反馈)came at just the right time, because while the audience didn’t know it, I was __________ self-doubt.

Even now, I __________ myself that I have a bright future. That’s what I tell myself when I __________ success and failure. You have a bright future ahead. Think about this every single day. Remember your talents, skills, and interests. Explore the jobs that interest you, and have courage—and most __________, believe in yourself.

1.

A．refer to

B．depend on

C．learn from

D．believe in

2.

A．quit

B．struggled

C．regretted

D．argued

3.

A．responsibilities

B．dreams

C．opportunities

D．doubts

4.

A．stopped

B．admitted

C．allowed

D．considered

5.

A．tracked

B．recommended

C．accompanied

D．encouraged

6.

A．serious

B．possible

C．hard

D．necessary

7.

A．request

B．unwillingness

C．inability

D．attempt

8.

A．difficulties

B．options

C．aims

D．standards

9.

A．career

B．experiment

C．business

D．recovery

10.

A．foolishly

B．simply

C．wisely

D．bravely

11.

A．original

B．familiar

C．typical

D．positive

12.

A．looking into

B．taking down

C．dealing with

D．pointing out

13.

A．introduce

B．remind

C．guarantee

D．warn

14.

A．experience

B．describe

C．compare

D．limit

15.

A．probably

B．fortunately

C．obviously

D．importantly