2 . My son was playing with a bottle of bubbles. Dip the loop in the bottle, pull it out, and blow it to make bubbles. He understood the principle but was vainly _______ to blow bubbles. He would dip and dip and blow and blow, but alas, no _______. He _______ me the bottle and loop and asked me, “Daddy, can you make bubbles?”

I hadn’t blown bubbles in years. I am a _______ by education, fairly well-trained in surfactant (活性剂) technology. However, all that knowledge is completely _______. I was having no more _______ than my son. I dipped and puffed, _______ no bubbles.

After several _______ attempts, I changed strategies. _______ puffing on the loop of soapy water, I just gently breathed on it. My son ________ with delight as a big beautiful bubble formed and ________ away. I explained to him, “Son, you can’t blow hard. You must ever so ________ breathe on the loop to make bubbles.” He ________ his urgent desire to make big bubbles by blowing hard and followed my advice. Big bubbles!

There are some things that you can get with ________, but other things only ________ from the gentleness of a soft breath.

1.

A．trying

B．managing

C．expecting

D．acting

2.

A．changes

B．bubbles

C．results

D．drops

3.

A．lent

B．handed

C．threw

D．cast

4.

A．researcher

B．professional

C．chemist

D．parent

5.

A．out of date

B．of no use

C．in doubt

D．in trouble

6.

A．trial

B．confidence

C．patience

D．success

7.

A．even

B．thus

C．somehow

D．still

8.

A．fruitless

B．tough

C．unwilling

D．difficult

9.

A．Despite

B．Without

C．On

D．Except

10.

A．screamed

B．nodded

C．rushed

D．flew

11.

A．escaped

B．floated

C．burst

D．bounced

12.

A．silently

B．slightly

C．eagerly

D．gently

13.

A．freed

B．fueled

C．contained

D．reduced

14.

A．brain

B．action

C．force

D．science

15.

A．survive

B．separate

C．jumped

D．arise

3 . Every year, more books on happiness are published. And every year, more people feel depressed because they do not see themselves as happy. They don’t remember or know what it feels like, and instead, they feel guilty that they aren’t as happy as everyone says they should be. This is really a sad state of emotional affairs.

The books, blogs, YouTube videos and advice columns (专栏) will tell you that if you read, exercise, stay busy, help others, and increase your intimacy (亲密) every day, then you too can be happy.

The simple truth is that no one can be happy all the time. That doesn’t mean you have to be sad, angry, or depressed the rest of the time but that you can find a middle ground called contentment. This middle ground is a good place mentally and emotionally, and spending time there is a healthy choice.

Contentment is somewhere between satisfied and peaceful. When you are in that place, the stuff of life can be going on around you, but you don’t need to allow it to bother you. And that, my friends, is a very nice way to go through life.

I find contentment in walks and in writing, and in talking with my partner and reminding each other that our life is good, despite temporary setbacks or scary moments. Because I know about myself and I can respond differently. Doing this takes away stress and will keep you from losing your state of contentment.

If there is even one thing that puts you in a state of contentment — you do it regularly and early enough each day — it will help you go through any challenges you may have to face later.

Right at this moment, things around me are still a little out of my control — such is life — but I am feeling pretty good because I actively living my purpose. I am now content, and that feeling will last the whole day through. You can do the same.

1. What does the author want to stress by mentioning “Books on happiness in paragraph 1?

A．People find it difficult to agree on what happiness is.

B．Such books are so popular that they are sold out very soon.

C．Happiness is something easy to gain in our daily life.

D．Experts find it useless to argue about the value of happiness.

2. When facing setbacks or sad moments, what does the author do?

A．He turns to such media as blogs.

B．He definitely communicates with partners.

C．He adjusts himself and reacts positively.

D．He sees himself unlucky and feels depressed.

3. What is the author most likely to agree with?

A．Still water runs deep.	B．Health is better than wealth.
C．Enough is as good as a feast.	D．One good turn deserves another.

4. What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?

A．To introduce a novel experience.

B．To advocate a proper life attitude.

C．To encourage studies on happiness.

D．To persuade us to work endlessly.

4 . After 20 years of marriage, my wife wanted me to take another woman out to _______. She said, “I love you, but I know this other woman loves you too.”

The other woman that my wife wanted me to visit was my mother, who has been a widow (寡妇) for 19 years, but my busy life had made it impossible to visit her _______. That night I called to _______ her out for dinner.

“What’s wrong? are you well?” she asked. My mother is the type of woman who suspects that a late night _______ is a sign of bad news.

“I thought that it would be pleasant to spend some time with you,” I _______.

She thought about it for a moment, and _______. During the dinner, we had an agreeable conversation — _______ extraordinary but recent events of each other’s life.

Before we _______, she said, “I’ll go out with you again, _______ only if you let me invite you.”

A few days ________, my mother died of a heart attack. It ________ so suddenly that I didn’t have a chance to do anything for her. A few days after the funeral, I received an envelope with a receipt (收据) from the same place where mother and I had ________. An attached note ________:

“I paid this bill ________. I wasn’t sure that I could be there; but nevertheless, I paid for two ________ —one for you and the other for your ________. You will never know what that night meant for me. I ________ you, son.”

At that moment, I ________ the importance of saying in time: “I LOVE YOU”. Give your family the ________ they deserve, because sometimes things cannot be ________ till “some other time”.

1.

A．home

B．talk

C．movie

D．dinner

2.

A．directly

B．frequently

C．rarely

D．exactly

3.

A．bring

B．take

C．force

D．invite

4.

A．visit

B．meal

C．ring

D．date

5.

A．argued

B．whispered

C．committed

D．responded

6.

A．agreed

B．refused

C．promised

D．nodded

7.

A．anything

B．nothing

C．something

D．everything

8.

A．met

B．parted

C．left

D．divided

9.

A．but

B．and

C．so

D．or

10.

A．before

B．earlier

C．ago

D．later

11.

A．broke

B．formed

C．fell

D．struck

12.

A．sat

B．waited

C．gathered

D．dined

13.

A．saw

B．read

C．showed

D．wrote

14.

A．in advance

B．on purpose

C．by accident

D．with patience

15.

A．tables

B．dishes

C．seats

D．chances

16.

A．mother

B．family

C．wife

D．child

17.

A．miss

B．admire

C．love

D．hug

18.

A．sensed

B．accepted

C．checked

D．pursued

19.

A．time

B．money

C．comfort

D．calls

20.

A．ensured

B．delayed

C．forgotten

D．forgiven

5 . From now on, never spend your precious time thinking of reasons for your failures and shortcomings. Instead, realize that the seeds of success were planted within you when you were born. Only you have the power to make those seeds grow.

The seeds, and the power to grow them, are contained in the most awesome machine ever created：the human mind. Success is a choice and not a chance. You were born a winner. You were born rich. You can be a success if only you make the right choice.

You cannot be successful without first developing your self-esteem. Your level of self-esteem is always based on the degree of control that you are able to exercise over yourself, and thus over your life. People with low self-esteem are people who do not believe that they have any power, or responsibility for their lives. They are the perennial（长期的）victims and martyrs. They are leaves tossed（摇摆）by the winds of chance blown about with any sudden change in the weather.

You can exercise control over your life only to the degree that you believe that you are responsible for everything that happens in your life. Failures think that everything happens by accident and chance. Successful people realize that they are responsible.

Everything happens as a result of something. If we can identify the cause, we can control the effect. We are responsible for what we choose to think and believe. One generally rises to the level that one expects. We are responsible for setting our expectations. Our success is dependent upon our level of confidence.

If you associate with positive-thinking people, you are definitely going to achieve success. On the contrary, the opposite happens. We are responsible for finding, planting, and nurturing the seeds that contain future victory, born from setbacks.

In short, in all areas of your life, whether they be financial, physical, emotional, or spiritual, you are responsible. Once you recognize this, accept it, and firmly believe it, you are on the road to success.

1. People with low self-esteem are compared to leaves because they ______.

A．are ready to change their minds	B．are easily affected by windy weather
C．don't have the power to face their fate	D．can't exercise control over themselves

2. Losers would think that ______.

A．success is the result of hard work	B．working hard will lead to success
C．their failure is only because of bad luck	D．they don't make efforts to succeed

3. It can be inferred from paragraph 5 that ______.

A．whether we will succeed depends on our attitudes

B．one’s expectation is the key to future success

C．thoughts and beliefs are the result of creative mind

D．setting our expectations is essential before taking action

4. The last paragraph serves as ______.

A．the proof of the author's points	B．the conclusion of the argument
C．an introduction to another topic	D．a comparison between two views

5. Which is the best title for the text?

A．The secrets of success．	B．Success is a choice．
C．Develop our confidence．	D．How to achieve success．

6 . An old man lives with his little grandson.Every day the old man gets up early to read books.

One day the grandson asked,“Grandpa,I want to read books as you do.But I always forget what I read.What are the advantages of reading?”

The grandfather didn’t answer him,but said,“Take this little basket to the river and bring me back a basket of water.” The boy did as his grandpa said,but all the water leaked out before he got back home.The grandfather laughed and said,“You’ll have to walk faster next time.”

The next time the boy ran faster,but the basket was still empty before he returned home.The boy said,“See,Grandpa,it’s no use!”

“Is it no use?” the old man said.“Look at the basket.”

The boy looked at the basket and found that the basket was different.It was cleaner,inside and out.

“That’s what happens when you read books.You might not understand or remember everything,but when you read them,you will be changed,inside and out.”

1. What does the old man do every day?

A．He carries water.

B．He reads books.

C．He writes something.

D．He does some chores.

2. After the grandson read books,he 　　　.

A．was too busy to do it

B．got up late

C．always forgot what he read

D．slept late

3. How many times did the grandson go to the river to get some water?

A．Once.	B．Twice.
C．Three times.	D．Four times.

4. According to the grandpa’s words,what happens when we read books?

A．We won’t have any changes.

B．We can understand everything.

C．We will be changed,inside and out.

D．We can never forget what we read.

7 .
请根据下面提示，写一篇短文。词数不少于50。
In your spoken English class, your teacher shows you the following picture. You are asked to describe the picture and explain how you understand it.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8 . I have learned to expect gifts from God in the form of people．People who I meet for a few
seconds，a few hours or even for _______ ．
My wife and I _______ a short train ride on an old train．It was _______ of her birthday plan．I was expecting to meet someone new who would _______ at our table．That was to be my _______ for that day．
We weren’t seated for two minutes _______ I heard，“Would you mind if I _______ you?”I replied，“_______．1 was expecting you!”
He was in his early sixties and _______ introduced himself．But for the following 45       minutes，he never stopped ______________ loudly．If there was a pause in the conversation，it was because ______________ on the train was giving us some background information about the old train ______________，this gentleman kept speaking to us about himself．Some things he said were very interesting．but most was a complaint about his experience as a ______________ and different types of law．He never asked ______________ of us what we did
So．if ______________ did send him，what was the message this time?
He needed ______________ and I needed to be reminded how important it was to listen to people， ______________ for a few seconds．a few hours or for a lifetime．Perhaps I was sent to him．Maybe he was ______________ to God to meet someone who ______________．
God gave us two ears and one mouth，because we need to listen ______________ as much as we speak．1.

A．a lifetime

B．a few months

C．several years

D．a long time

2.

A．put

B．enjoyed

C．took

D．planned

3.

A．part

B．gift

C．dream

D．intention

4.

A．explain

B．glare

C．come

D．sit

5.

A．inspiration

B．expectation

C．gift

D．conversation

6.

A．after

B．when

C．suddenly

D．before

7.

A．seated

B．joined in

C．talked with

D．joined

8.

A．Go ahead

B．Never mind

C．Forget it

D．With pleasure

9.

A．formally

B．politely

C．immediately

D．intelligently

10.

A．complaining

B．weeping

C．talking

D．laughing

11.

A．a tour guide

B．a conductor

C．a consumer

D．a trainer

12.

A．However

B．Sometimes

C．Moreover

D．Otherwise

13.

A．supporter

B．professor

C．mayor

D．1awyer

14.

A．each

B．every

C．either

D．one

15.

A．someone

B．God

C．my wife

D．the train

16.

A．to improve

B．to talk

C．to control

D．to target

17.

A．once

B．by contrast

C．if only

D．other than

18.

A．praying

B．talking

C．desiring

D．begging

19.

A．should listen

B．maybe listen

C．must listen

D．would listen

20.

A．much more

B．twice

C．with two

D．a lot more