1 . In October, I said to my students, “Why not do some _______ to make some money? Then we’ll buy food for a Thanksgiving dinner for someone in need.’’

Early in Thanksgiving week, they came with their hard-earned money，_______ to go shopping. We soon picked what we needed. _______ we headed toward the checkout, someone shouted, “Flowers!” The group rushed to the flowers. _______, considering practicality, I pronounced, “You can’t _______ flowers.’’ “But please, Mrs. Sherlock,” someone _______,“we want flowers. ” Defeated, I _______ them to buy some carnations.

An agency had given us the information of a _______ grandmother living alone for many years. After a long drive, we _______ arrived at a shabby cottage. An old lady came out to ________ us. Each box was ________ quickly. But when the woman noticed the carnations，she seemed ________ “She’s wishing it was a bag of flour，’’ I thought.

“Do you like living here?” Michael asked. The woman _________ She told the children about the birds flocking to the bread she ________. “Maybe that’s why the Lord sent me the food through you，” she said “Because I ________ my food with the birds.’’

We returned to the ________ and saw her wave goodbye. Then she walked ________ the food，straight to the carnations. She put her face in their petals, with a smile on her lips. The children were quiet. They had seen the ________ they had to make another’s life ________. And I had seen something too—sometimes a person needs lovely ________ on a dark November day.

1.

A．shopping

B．homework

C．exercises

D．housework

2.

A．likely

B．eager

C．unwilling

D．afraid

3.

A．Although

B．As

C．If

D．Because

4.

A．However

B．Therefore

C．Otherwise

D．Besides

5.

A．like

B．afford

C．eat

D．send

6.

A．shouted

B．explained

C．begged

D．ordered

7.

A．taught

B．forced

C．reminded

D．allowed

8.

A．brave

B．needy

C．reliable

D．sick

9.

A．finally

B．already

C．suddenly

D．immediately

10.

A．thank

B．guide

C．help

D．welcome

11.

A．carried in

B．left behind

C．sent back

D．handed out

12.

A．satisfied

B．nervous

C．surprised

D．angry

13.

A．cried

B．brightened

C．puzzled

D．laughed

14.

A．cut off

B．put out

C．picked up

D．brought in

15.

A．cook

B．find

C．share

D．buy

16.

A．cottage

B．woods

C．car

D．store

17.

A．past

B．around

C．across

D．toward

18.

A．power

B．time

C．money

D．desire

19.

A．poorer

B．worse

C．longer

D．better

20.

A．food

B．birds

C．flowers

D．kids

2 . There was once a group of young people searching everywhere for happiness, but what they got was only annoyance, grief and misery.

So they ______ Socrates (苏格拉底) for advice on where happiness ______. But ____ giving any answers, Socrates asked them to help with building a _______ first. The group of guys had to ______ the task, laying aside their own business of seeking happiness. It took them a long time to cut down a tall tree, digging out the center. Through painstaking effort, they made a canoe out of the tree. They launched the canoe into a river, and then ______ together in it, singing with ______.

Socrates asked, “My children, do you have happiness now?” They answered in chorus: “We   ______ be happier!” Socrates ______ , “That’s it! _______   you are too busy pursuing something to notice anything bitter, happiness will occur.”
          From the story I got to know that happiness ______ hides behind every tiny thing that you are involved in, and that you may only get pleasure through ______ work and creativity.
        We may have to ______ pain in our daily life and in the process of ________ happiness. Sometimes we tend to look for happiness in ______ things, like a new car, clothes, etc. True long-term happiness, ________, comes from within our _______ and spirit. So why not turn suffering into ______ life, and turn tears into the light in your heart? Only in this way can we find true happiness.
        So my dear friends, just remember happiness is a state of mind and a matter of _______ , and I   ________you all a life of happiness.1.

A．pointed to

B．turned to

C．referred to

D．returned to

2.

A．stood

B．belonged

C．lay

D．laid

3.

A．instead of

B．apart from

C．other than

D．regardless of

4.

A．house

B．boat

C．bridge

D．school

5.

A．set out

B．set down

C．set about

D．set up

6.

A．sat

B．lay

C．rowed

D．got

7.

A．hope

B．sorrow

C．curiosity

D．joy

8.

A．mustn’t

B．couldn’t

C．shouldn’t

D．needn’t

9.

A．added

B．thought

C．declared

D．assumed

10.

A．Unless

B．However

C．Until

D．Whenever

11.

A．always

B．never

C．ever

D．seldom

12.

A．cautious

B．endless

C．hard

D．simple

13.

A．experience

B．avoid

C．enjoy

D．deny

14.

A．searching

B．looking

C．seeking

D．improving

15.

A．spiritual

B．material

C．new

D．nice

16.

A．therefore

B．however

C．furthermore

D．moreover

17.

A．body

B．part

C．soul

D．head

18.

A．praising

B．blaming

C．ending

D．cursing

19.

A．time

B．method

C．fact

D．choice

20.

A．promise

B．wish

C．request

D．require

3 . Beliefs form a big part of our lives. Successful people have always believed that they can be and will be successful in their lives, such as Michael Phelps. Many of us have seen Michael Phelps win 8 gold medals in a single Olympic Games. That has created a history for himself. Many people have admired his success and the first reaction in their mind will be, “Wow, how I wish I could be like him!” Have you ever wondered what brought him success?

In fact, anyone can achieve what they have wanted to achieve. It is about beliefs. Everyone is a born winner. It is this belief that drives an individual to be successful in his or her own field. All successful individuals have strong beliefs and it is one of the bases for their success. If we start to believe in ourselves, the things that we can achieve will definitely give us a pleasant surprise.

Other than having a strong belief, it is the attitude that drives the individual to create their own history. The devotion towards themselves and the drive must also be present. Imagine having a strong belief in oneself and having a poor attitude towards life. Then how would that individual turn out to be? One’s attitude comprises the drive, the devotion and the desire to achieve his goals. If one has strong beliefs about the goals that he can achieve and he displays good attitudes towards them, it would be no surprise to anyone that he will be able to achieve his goals.

Start believing in yourself and you will achieve your goals and with the right positive attitude, you will definitely be able to create the miracle that you have always dreamt of.

1. Which of the following is the best summary of Paragraph 2?

A．Where there is a will, there is a way.	B．Good begun is half done.
C．No pains, no gains.	D．God helps those who help themselves.

2. The underlined word “comprises” in Paragraph 3 most probably means_______?

A．serve as

B．belongs to

C．consists of

D．stands for

3. It can be inferred from the passage that ______.

A．attitudes can be learned from one’s parents

B．only strong beliefs can’t ensure you a promising future

C．copying other’s behaviors is a good way to succeed

D．attitudes can only be learned through one’s success

4. What would be the best title for the passage?

A．Differences Between Beliefs and Attitudes

B．The Nature of Beliefs and Positive Attitudes

C．Relationship Between Beliefs and Attitudes

D．The Power of Beliefs and Positive Attitudes

4 . The meaning of the word “volunteer ” may be a little different in different countries, but it usually means “one who offers his or her services.” There are many different ways in which people can volunteer, such as taking care of sick people, working in homes for homeless children, and picking up garbage(垃圾) from beaches and parks. Volunteers may work within their own countries or in other countries. They are often people with a strong wish to help those who are less fortunate than themselves. Volunteers don’t expect any kind of pay.
At the root of volunteering is the idea that one person may have the ability to offer services that can help other people. Tracy, a good friend of mine, however, recently came back from India with a ____ of what being a volunteer means. She worked for two and a half weeks in one of Mother Teresa’s homes in Calcutta. The following is her story.
“I first heard about Mother Teresa in my high school, we watched a video(录像) about her work in India and all over the world. I was so moved by her spirit to help others and her endless love for every human being that after I graduated from high school, I too wanted to try her kind of work. So with two friends I flew to Calcutta for a few weeks.”
“I was asked to work in a home for sick people. I helped wash clothes and sheets, and pass out lunch. I also fed the people who were too weak to feed themselves and tried to cheer the up. I felt it was better to share with them than to think that I have helped them. To be honest, I don’t think I was helping very much. It was then that I realized that I had not really come to help, but to learn about and experience another culture(文化) that helped improve my own understanding of life and the world.”
1. According to the text, a volunteer refers to a person who ______.

A．is willing to help those in need without pay	B．can afford to travel to different places
C．has a strong wish to be successful	D．has made a big fortune in life

2. Tracy started her work as a volunteer _______.

A．after she met Mother Teresa

B．after she finished high school

C．when she was touring Calcutta

D．when she was working in a hospital

3. Why did Tracy choose to be a volunteer?

A．She liked to work with Mother Teresa.

B．She had already had some experience.

C．She was asked by Mother Teresa’s example.

D．She wanted to follow Mother Teresa’s example.

4. What is Tracy’s “new idea” (Paragraph 2) of being a volunteer?

A．Going abroad to help the sick.

B．Working in Mother Teresa’s home.

C．Doing simple things to help the poor.

D．Improving oneself through helping others.

5 . At a certain time in our lives, we consider every place as the possible sites for a house. I have thus searched the country within a dozen miles of where I live. In imagination I have bought all the farms, one after another, and I knew their prices.

The nearest thing that I came to actual ownership was when I bought the Hollowell place. But before the owner completed the sale with me, his wife changed her mind and wished to keep it, and he offered me additional dollars to return the farm to him. However, I let him keep the additional dollars and sold him the farm for just what I gave for it.

The real attraction of the Hollowell farm to me were its position, being about two miles from the village, half a mile from the nearest neighbor, bounded on one side by the river, and separated from the highway by a wide field. The poor condition of the house and fences showed that it hadn’t been used for some time. I remembered from my earliest trip up the river that the house used to be hidden behind a forest area, and I was in a hurry to buy it before the owner finished getting out some rocks, cutting down the apples trees, and clearing away some young trees which had grown up in the fields. I wanted to buy it before he made any more of his improvements. But it turned out as I have said.

I was not really troubled by the loss. I had always had a garden, but I don’t think I was ready for a large farm. I believe that as long as possible it is better to live free and uncommitted. It makes but little difference whether you own a farm or not.

1. What do we know about the author?

A．He wanted to buy the oldest farm near where he lived.

B．He made a study of many farms before buying.

C．He made money by buying and selling farms.

D．He had the money to buy the best farm in the country.

2. Why did the author decide to buy the Hollowell place?

A．It was of good market value.	B．It was next to the highway.
C．It was in a good position.	D．It was behind a nice garden.

3. Why did the author want to buy the farm in a hurry?

A．He was afraid the owner might change his mind.	B．He hoped to enlarge the forest on the farm.
C．He wanted to keep the farm as it was.	D．He was eager to become a farm owner.

4. The underlined words “the loss” in the last paragraph refer to ___.

A．the money the author lost in buying the farm	B．the sale of the garden in the Hollowell place
C．the removal of the trees around the house	D．the failure to possess the Hollowell place

5. What does the author believe as important in life?

A．To own a farm.	B．To satisfy his needs.
C．To be free from worries.	D．To live in the countryside.