2 . Until 2001, I had worked in a technology company for 20 years. On November 6, I learned I was going to be _______ . That afternoon, my manager suddenly requested me to join him for a(an) _______ meeting before my shift ended. Given that some of my co-workers had already _______ this situation, I thought I had known the _______ of the discussion. Even so, it was still hard to describe the _______ going through my mind then, when I was told the date of my last day. You couldn’t help but feel a bit of _______ in being chosen even though it was unrelated to your past performance.

Unwilling to let people _______ about my result, I created a brief email to tell my friends and co-workers the news. Soon, I received over 20 e-mails expressing _______ . I really appreciated every one of my co-workers. However, Jerry, my co-worker, who had already been _______ of his leaving over a month prior, was especially ________. He introduced me to a firm assisting laid-off(下岗的) workers in getting ________ and signed me up for a career workshop. He tried his best to help get me back on my feet, even though we were in the same job classification and we would ________ with each other in job hunting.

Jerry’s caring attitude made a difference to many lives, and I was ________ . So later I was able to follow his ________ when my manager was in trouble. From Jerry, I learned that relationship and people are more ________ than a temporary job.

1.

A．promoted

B．investigated

C．estimated

D．fired

2.

A．motivational

B．important

C．unscheduled

D．unexplainable

3.

A．analyzed

B．encountered

C．predicted

D．restricted

4.

A．occasion

B．nature

C．member

D．skill

5.

A．emotions

B．excuses

C．decisions

D．conversations

6.

A．shame

B．disappointment

C．amusement

D．worry

7.

A．forget

B．guess

C．judge

D．announce

8.

A．understanding

B．greetings

C．comfort

D．opinions

9.

A．warned

B．informed

C．persuaded

D．reminded

10.

A．optimistic

B．humorous

C．supportive

D．generous

11.

A．protected

B．replaced

C．discovered

D．reemployed

12.

A．compete

B．cooperate

C．interact

D．agree

13.

A．recognized

B．challenged

C．ignored

D．infected

14.

A．dream

B．example

C．tradition

D．advice

15.

A．sensitive

B．harmonious

C．precious

D．attractive

4 . Automation certainly has its advantages. I am grateful for my cellphone that _______performs services. But I also miss the interactions with people that these devices have _______. The most precious byproduct of these interactions was the unplanned, friendly jokes that often _______.

I recently decided to spend a day _______ all of my goals in a non-digital manner. So I rose early and _______ on my visit. I began by going to the bank. When I entered the hall, I found the _______ was mine: I was the only customer, with three clerks at my _______. After my transaction we chatted for a few minutes, sharing news about children. After that pleasant _______, I moved on to the post office, where the letter I was sending to Iceland triggered a/an _______ comment by the clerk, who longed to visit that country. The last visit was the ________ where I was welcomed by a cashier, who ________ that for only one penny more I get an additional potato.

That evening I told my ________ to my friend. She ________ that I could have done these with the ________, and it would have taken less than an hour. True, but I would have ________ all those kind words and friendly smiles.

1.

A．surprisingly

B．firmly

C．reliably

D．carefully

2.

A．simplified

B．enhanced

C．connected

D．replaced

3.

A．erupted

B．helped

C．counted

D．increased

4.

A．considering

B．chasing

C．setting

D．accomplishing

5.

A．settled down

B．set out

C．hung out

D．took off

6.

A．world

B．money

C．seat

D．corner

7.

A．reach

B．command

C．side

D．service

8.

A．gathering

B．learning

C．exchange

D．atmosphere

9.

A．exciting

B．humorous

C．doubtful

D．critical

10.

A．supermarket

B．theater

C．field

D．restaurant

11.

A．advocated

B．suggested

C．insisted

D．begged

12.

A．secret

B．problem

C．experiment

D．opinion

13.

A．interrupted

B．remarked

C．admitted

D．understood

14.

A．instruction

B．cellphone

C．assistance

D．effort

15.

A．valued

B．enjoyed

C．missed

D．admired

6 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语段续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。续写的词数为150左右。

As an independent, self-reliant person who always handled everything by myself, I didn’t expect parenting to be hard. Oh, sure, it’s difficult for other people. I heard parents complaining all the time — kids are challenging; nothing is ever clean; there’s not enough time in the day to do everything. But that was “other people” and I knew I could handle it. How complicated could it be?

I’d always dreamed of adopting a child, and finally my dream came true one summer afternoon. Even though we had requested only one child, the worker asked, “Could you take another baby and his eleven-year-old brother?” Of course, we could. We had room to have all three boys together.

The first week after they moved in, I spent my days rushing from task to task, cleaning and making sure they had all they needed. I constantly organized our living room, which was suddenly full of toys, and picked up the path of destruction left in the boys’ wake. Cooking and cleaning after meals and snacks seemed to take half of my day. I hardly ever sat; something always needed to be done.

“I think we need a break,” my husband told me one evening as I was falling asleep on the couch as usual.

“No,” I refused. The idea of sending them to a stranger sickened me. However, with each passing day, I was growing more and more exhausted. Besides meeting the physical needs of the boys, there were medical and emotional needs. Both the little ones constantly clung (黏住) to me. It was never quiet in our house; I felt overwhelmed.

One night, my husband said firmly that he needed a break. Whether I “needed” one or not, we were going to take one. With tears rolling down my cheeks, I nodded, knowing it was true, although I didn’t want to admit my weakness.

I called my parents.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Asking for help is something I must keep re-learning as time goes on, but it’s getting easier.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7 . The law of supply and demand determines that an overabundance of anything will lead to a decrease in price. This rule applies not only to goods and services, but also to lifestyle and fashion trends.

In the 19th century, the primitive paintings of Picasso and Matisse shook up the positive image of the French bourgeoisie (中产阶级). In the 1970s, talented musicians with tailored costumes and egos were overshadowed by a band of punk rockers who sang about the harsh realities of ordinary life in poor urban areas.

I predict that this will also happen with beauty standards. The idealized version of life portrayed in fashion magazines will reach a turning point, as people become tired of unattainable perfection.

During my time in Washington D.C. in the 1990s, I had the opportunity to interact with numerous political celebrities. While chatting with former presidents or bumping into TV pundits (名嘴) in elevators, I also assisted former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, who was my boss’s boss. What struck me was how ordinary these people appeared in real life despite their public characters. Like everyone else, they grappled with insecurities and mood swings, even though they were constantly under the spotlight.

Yes, it was great to drop names on the phone to my friends. My father, of course, couldn’t understand why I would ever want to leave. “Because you’re not me and I’m not impressed,” I told him. We do not need to lead a luxurious life or make groundbreaking achievements to be content. Happiness can be found in living out the ordinary moments of an authentic life.

Most of us end up being ordinary people without doing anything that changes the world, but that does not mean our lives are meaningless. In fact, it is precisely this realization that leads to sustainable happiness because, when all is said and done, no one’s lifestyle is essentially better than any other’s.

1. Which of the following phrase can best replace the underline phrase in paragraph 4?

A．struggled with

B．put up with

C．came up with

D．fought with

2. What’s the author’s father’s attitude towards his decision to leave Washington D.C.?

A．supportive

B． indifferent

C．opposed

D．unimpressed

3. What does the author’s observation about political celebrities suggest?

A．They are just like ordinary people.

B．They lack the ability to lead a normal life.

C．They are not as successful as they claim to be.

D．They are not as intelligent as they appear on TV.

4. What does the author want to imply in the last paragraph?

A．People should strive for a better lifestyle.

B．No one’s lifestyle is inherently superior to others’.

C．People should be content with their own lifestyles.

D．People should critically evaluate other people’s lifestyles.

9 . People usually consider voluntary work as a completely selfless act, but voluntary work has its place in everyone’s lives, and my personal experiences have confirmed my belief in this.

    1     I once cleaned up flats where the poor lived in. The space was overcrowded and the items were covered in dust. I couldn’t contain my judgement and was critical about them. However, after talking to the residents and hearing about their misfortunes, I regretted my hasty judgment. This allowed me to know more about the less fortunate who don’t share my lifestyles.     2     Life is more complex than expected and I should sympathize with the disadvantaged.

Volunteer work has reminded me to cherish and appreciate little things in life. When I volunteered to teach life skills to students with cerebral palsy (脑瘫), I found that they were very grateful to the teachers and assistants by saying “thank you” and smiling.     3     Consequently, this has made me more mindful of my priorities in life, and more deliberate in not letting insignificant things bother me. Doing voluntary work has taught me to be happier and more grateful.

Doing voluntary work has given my life more meaning.     4     However, excessively pursuing them can often lead to increased discontent and can’t give meaning to one’s life. After doing voluntary work and learning the stories of others, I have a stronger sense of purpose in my life. Instead of just being absorbed in my own wants and needs, I make up my mind to try my best to help those in need.     5    

A．I felt that they had taught me a lesson on gratitude.

B．It is easy to be obsessed with material wants in society.

C．I am now able to go through life with more love and compassion.

D．Volunteer work has provided me with opportunities to make friends.

E．With the determination, the decisions I make are now more meaningful.

F．Moreover, I realized they are often unreasonably judged by other people.

G．Voluntary work has helped me better understand the lives of the less fortunate.

10 . 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.