1 . One day, a colt (小马驹)took a bag of wheat to the mill (磨坊).When he came to a small river, he could not _______ whether he could cross it. Just then, he saw a cow nearby and asked, “Aunt Cow, could you tell me if I can cross the river?” The cow said, “Of course, you can. The river isn't very _______, just knee high.”

The colt was about to cross the river _______ a squirrel （松鼠）jumped down a tree and stopped him, _______ , “Colt, stop! You'll get killed in the river! One of my friends _______ his life yesterday in the river" The colt was _______ at what to do, so he went home to ask for his mom's opinion.

His mother said, "Don't always _______ others. You'd better go and try yourself. Then you'll know what to do."

He returned to the river “Little horse, it's too _________ !” The squirrel shouted again.

“Thanks, but I want to try myself.”

After crossing the river successfully, the colt _______ that the river was neither as shallow as the cow said nor as deep as the squirrel told him.

This story tells us the ________: Real knowledge comes from practice.

1.

A．decide

B．think

C．discuss

D．argue

2.

A．wide

B．deep

C．long

D．narrow

3.

A．why

B．until

C．when

D．though

4.

A．shouting

B．nodding

C．singing

D．joking

5.

A．led

B．lost

C．saved

D．earned

6.

A．excited

B．puzzled

C．ashamed

D．satisfied

7.

A．laugh at

B．pick out

C．listen to

D．fight with

8.

A．clean

B．safe

C．dirty

D．dangerous

9.

A．realized

B．insisted

C．wished

D．begged

10.

A．lie

B．news

C．name

D．truth

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 . “A” for Attitude

English was always my favorite subject. In my freshman year of high school, I could write a killer composition. In my second year, my_________allowed me to give spelling tests to the class. I had wonderful_________of my junior year. Mrs. Alexander _______me to sit at her desk and take over the class when she had to leave the room. Only my senior English class was_________, as we had a teacher right out of college who expected college-level work. Every student received a “C” or “D” grade the first quarter._______English was still my subject.

I graduated from high school,_______early and had children. Confident about my English, I often helped my kids with their English homework. And I_________long articles and beautiful poetry as a columnist for a newspaper. Fifteen years later, I went to college, and because I had been an "A" student, I remained an “A” student. I_________up to my own expectations.

Yesterday, I_________my high school report cards when I was reading old papers. That bundle of report cards__________back the old days. I remembered sitting in my advisor's office，explaining that I had always excelled at English, and __________that I did not deserve a “D” from that__________   teacher of my senior year. The advisor was sympathetic but unable to change a (an)__________.

Reading__________my old report cards revealed something else too. I wanted to shred them or hide them. I was not an “A” student in high school English！Somehow, I had__________myself of this，when the grades clearly reflected an__________student with an occasional “A” or “B” but mostly “C” s.

Had I lived up to those grades and__________ myself according to those letters, I would have never confidently sought my writing__________. Had I believed in my early grades instead of myself ，I would have allowed my fear of____________to defeat my enthusiasm and damage my creativity.__________，I viewed my younger self as an “A” English student, except for that undeserved “D”.

1.

A．monitor

B．headmaster

C．classmate

D．teacher

2.

A．impressions

B．thoughts

C．inspirations

D．memories

3.

A．approved

B．appointed

C．expected

D．urged

4.

A．flexible

B．creative

C．disappointing

D．controversial

5.

A．So

B．But

C．And

D．Or

6.

A．married

B．worked

C．succeeded

D．progressed

7.

A．wrote

B．edited

C．read

D．copied

8.

A．added

B．lived

C．grew

D．went

9.

A．counted

B．remembered

C．approached

D．discovered

10.

A．brought

B．turned

C．held

D．kept

11.

A．reporting

B．guaranteeing

C．complaining

D．recommending

12.

A．impolite

B．impatient

C．inexperienced

D．independent

13.

A．grade

B．figure

C．paper

D．entry

14.

A．out

B．through

C．from

D．into

15.

A．warned

B．reminded

C．informed

D．convinced

16.

A．average

B．enthusiastic

C．outstanding

D．awkward

17.

A．considered

B．defined

C．reflected

D．described

18.

A．goal

B．dream

C．career

D．enterprise

19.

A．change

B．risk

C．stress

D．failure

20.

A．Otherwise

B．Besides

C．Instead

D．Still

5 . It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, career, and life itself got in   the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of his dreams. There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife   and son. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him.

Over the phone, his mother told him, “Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday.” Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.

“Jack, did you hear me?”

“Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. It’s been so long since I thought of him. I’m sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago,” Jack said.

“Well, he didn’t forget you. Every time I saw him he’d ask how you were doing. He’d reminisce about the many days you spent over ‘his side of the fence’ as he put it,” Mom told him.

“I loved that old house he lived in,” Jack said.

“You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man’s influence in your life,” she said.

“He’s the one who taught me carpentry. I wouldn’t be in this business if it weren’t for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important… Mom, I’ll be there for the funeral,” Jack said.

Busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser’s funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.

The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time, which was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture… Jack stopped suddenly.

“What’s wrong, Jack?” his Mom asked. “The box is gone,” he said.

“What box?” Mom asked.

“There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he’d ever tell me was ‘the thing I value most’,” Jack said.

It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it.

“Now, I’ll never know what was so valuable to him,” Jack said sadly.

Returning to his office the next day, he found a package on his desk. The return address caught his attention.

“Mr. Harold Belser” it read. Jack tore open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack’s hands shook as he read the note inside.

“Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bennett. It’s the thing I valued most in my life.” A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing, and tears filling his eyes, Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch. Running his fingers slowly over the fine cover, he opened it.

Inside he found these words carved: “Jack, thanks for your time! Harold Belser.” “Oh, My God! This is the thing he valued most…”

Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his assistant and cleared his appointments for the next two days. “Why?” his assistant asked.

“I need some time to spend with my son,” he said.

1. Why did Jack think Mr. Belser died years ago?

A．College and career prevented him from remembering Mr. Bleser.

B．Jack was too busy with his business and family to think about Mr. Belser.

C．Jack was too busy realizing his dreams to think about Mr. Belser.

D．His present busy life washed away his childhood memories.

2. Jack’s mother told him on the phone about Mr. Belser EXCEPT that ______.

A．Mr. Belser often asked how Jack was doing

B．Mr. Belser’s funeral would take place on Wednesday

C．Mr. Belser had asked for Jack’s mailing address

D．Mr. Belser had pleasant memories of their time together

3. What does the underlined word “reminisce” mean in paragraph 5?

A．recover	B．reveal
C．recommend	D．recall

4. Why did Belser send Jack his gold watch?

A．Because he had no children or relatives.

B．Because he thought he had to keep his word.

C．Because he was grateful for Jack’s time with him.

D．Because Jack had always wanted it during his childhood.

5. Jack said he needed some time to spend with his son because ______.

A．he came to realize the importance of the time with his family

B．he had promised to spare more time to stay with his son

C．he had missed his son and his family for days

D．he was very tired of his work and wanted to have a good rest.

6. Which of the following is the most suitable title for this passage?

A．The Good Old Times	B．What He Valued Most
C．An Old Gold Watch	D．The Lost Childhood Days

6 . School had just started in August when Conner began throwing up for no reason. It wasn’t long before the boy also began suffering terrible headaches. In February a 1.7-inch tumor was found in his brain and Conner was set to begin to receive radiation (放射疗法) treatments. Before treatments start, technicians make a white plastic mask (面罩) to keep patients immovable and protect unaffected parts of the brain while radiation is directed at the tumor.

It’s an unpleasant experience and a frightening time. The doctor Cook decided that the masks could at least be made to look like something fun — maybe Batman or Mickey Mouse. “I started thinking these masks are white and not fun at all for kids,” she told The Greenville News. “I felt like if we could make it a little more fun for them, they might be a little more excited about coming in for the treatment. Because the kids are afraid. While the treatment itself isn’t physically painful, it can cause a lot of anxiety (焦虑). And the treatment is required daily for up to six weeks. “

And the masks really make a difference. “The kids really like them,” Cook said. “It makes what is, let’s face it, a terrible experience, a nice experience because they get to choose something themselves.”

When new children come in for the treatment, Cook finds out what their favorite movies or cartoon characters are. Then she sets about creating the mask by drawing the image she wants onto paper, sticking it with glue, and once it’s dry, she applies the colors using paints. Each child can take the mask home once the treatment ends.

“Coming to the doctor always means fear and pain. I wanted to make it fun,” she said. “The kids really love it. It’s something they enjoy and can relate to. And it fills an interest I have. I get great pleasure from it.”

1. Why was the plastic mask used according to Paragraph 1?

A．To check the patient’s brain.

B．To reduce the patient’s headache.

C．To prevent the patient from throwing up.

D．To protect the patient’s brain during the treatment.

2. What can we know about the radiation treatment?

A．It can be received at home.

B．It has to be finished in a month.

C．It may make the patients feel worried.

D．It will cause huge physical pain for patients.

3. What does Cook do to help the children being treated?

A．Offer them some free masks as gifts.

B．Show them their favorite movies or TV shows.

C．Dress them up as cartoon characters.

D．Make the masks more interesting to kids.

4. What does the author want to show by telling this story?

A．Love can treat the terrible sickness.

B．Kindness can bring warmth and joy.

C．Health matters to everyone.

D．Creativity leads to success.

7 . What is success? I am not going to try to explain success. I think a precise meaning is impossible! Is it winning a Gold Medal at the Olympic Games or winning Wimbledon, or being awarded a Nobel Prize? What else? I believe personal success could be anything at all—it does not have to involve public recognition. Who is more successful? A millionaire who is unhappy, or an unnoticed person, who has led a simple, quiet, sincere and happy life? The simplest definition of success, I think, is “to set out to do something and to succeed in doing it”.

The first step on the road to success starts with belief. Believe you can succeed and you will. Achieving success in whatever endeavor (努力) you choose may be the goal of life, because it gives you freedom from worry. Could that be?

Success means different things to every one of us. Some people believe it is measured in financial term; others believe it is helping others rather than helping themselves. However, most people are motivated to a great extent by public recognition. How many people are really happy?

How many people are really doing what they want to with their lives? Incidentally, the ability to imagine makes us different from animals.

Most important of all, I believe success is a matter of personal growth. If every day you are developing or growing just a millimeter, I believe one is successful. Just being a slightly better person each day for me is success. I’ve got a very long way to go them!

Finally, always remember success is a process and is not simply a matter of arriving at a destination. It’s the journey that really matters. Success is what you become in the often very difficult and dangerous journey down the river of life.

1. What is personal success according to the author?

A．Winning public recognition.

B．Being an unhappy millionaire.

C．Something impossible to define simply.

D．Succeeding in doing what you want.

2. According to the text, humans are different from animals in .

A．belief	B．imagination
C．freedom	D．success

3. What can be the best title for the text?

A．What is success

B．No true success

C．How to be successful

D．Success is reaching a destination

8 . Around four years ago, I received a call from the principal of our school as to the “Parents View” talk the next morning. He asked me to speak to the group. After the call, my whole body became feverish and panicky. The time from his call to the next morning seemed like years. The whole night, I could not sleep with many ominous apprehensions in mind. One of them was to call the principal with regret and tell him that I could not come. Finally, I gathered some courage. I thought, “If I miss this opportunity, surely the school will never invite me again to any of their programs.”

I reached the school in time. Before my turn came, my whole body was trembling. When my turn came and I started speaking, my heartbeat increased and my mouth went dry. I wasn’t even able to read the written speech properly. I was not aware of where I was standing and what I was reading. That was the day when I realized my biggest weakness, Public Speaking.

After my speech，I met with the principal and explained what happened to me. He told me that this happens to everyone. Even great speakers faced the same things when they started. He suggested that I come again next time.

Around one month later, I was invited to refer to a topic on Motivation. This time I was feeling comfortable. My speech was appreciated by the principal as well as the teachers, because I was able to get my idea across to them. They encouraged and praised my efforts.

After the successful delivering, I became more confident. I said to myself, “If I can speak in front of such a learned audience, like the principal who educates others, I can now speak in front of others too.”

I started delivering lectures in my plant, on various topics like Self-Motivation, Personality Development, Personal Excellence, Spoken English and Presentation Skills. This has become a passion for me. I learned that everything is possible if we have the courage to take the first step.

1. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

A．Practice Makes a Man a Better Speaker.	B．Public Speaking Makes a Man Embarrassed.
C．Principal Provides the Best Chances.	D．Spoken English Develops in Speeches.

2. The author had bad feelings before the speech because ______.

A．he disliked the principal	B．he had got a high fever before that
C．he regretted turning down another invitation	D．he feared he couldn’t perform it properly

3. What does the underlined part “ominous apprehensions” in the first paragraph mean?

A．Unlucky opportunities.

B．Negative ideas.

C．Curious colleagues.

D．Happy comments.

4. What can we conclude from the passage?

A．Nothing is to be got without pains but poverty.

B．Knowledge makes one humble, while ignorance makes one proud.

C．A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

D．Necessity is the mother of invention.

9 . A married lady was expecting a birthday gift from her husband. For many months she had admired a beautiful diamond ring. Knowing her husband could ______ it, she told him that it was all she wanted as a birthday gift.

As her birthday approached, this lady awaited ______ that her husband had bought the diamond ring.

Finally, on the morning of her birthday, her husband told her how ______ he was to have such a good wife, and how much he loved her. He ______ her a beautifully wrapped present. As she opened it, ______, she only found a Bible. She ______ her voice to her husband and said,“Only a Bible?” She was so ______ that she left him.

Many years later, the lady ______ in a more beautiful house. Realizing her husband was very old, she thought perhaps she should go to visit him. But before she ______, she received a letter telling her that he had passed away and given all of his ______ to her. She needed to come back and take care of things.

She arrived at his house, filled with great ______. She saw the ______ brand-new Bible, just as she had left it before. With ______, she opened it and began to turn the pages, finding a sentence carefully ______ by her husband,“To me you are cruel, but you know how to give ______ things to your children!”As she read those words, a bag ______ from the Bible. A diamond ring and the words “I LOVE YOU” could be seen.

If your ______ is not packaged the way you want it, it’s because it is better packaged! Please, always ______ little things; they usually lead you to bigger things! The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even ______, for they must be felt with ______.

1.

A．offer

B．afford

C．provide

D．admit

2.

A．symbols

B．signals

C．sights

D．signs

3.

A．generous

B．regretful

C．thankful

D．disappointed

4.

A．handed

B．sent

C．introduced

D．delivered

5.

A．besides

B．however

C．otherwise

D．moreover

6.

A．rose

B．aroused

C．raised

D．arose

7.

A．happy

B．astonished

C．admirable

D．angry

8.

A．appeared

B．lived

C．worked

D．traveled

9.

A．started off

B．stayed up

C．set in

D．gave up

10.

A．gifts

B．goods

C．money

D．belongings

11.

A．hate

B．regret

C．joy

D．love

12.

A．still

B．ever

C．just

D．even

13.

A．smiles

B．interest

C．doubt

D．tears

14.

A．made

B．written

C．created

D．spoken

15.

A．bad

B．small

C．good

D．abandoned

16.

A．dropped

B．hid

C．came

D．followed

17.

A．thing

B．gift

C．letter

D．book

18.

A．admit

B．avoid

C．access

D．appreciate

19.

A．touched

B．tasted

C．smelled

D．heard

20.

A．creativity

B．mind

C．heart

D．imagination

10 . One day, a well-known speaker was invited to give a lecture to an audience of 200. He started his lecture by ______ a $ 20 bill. He looked around the room, and asked, “Who would like this $20 bill?” ______ started going up.

He said, “I am going to ______ this $20 to one of you, but first, let me do this.” He crumpled up (揉皱) the 20-dollar bill. He then asked, “who ______ wants it?” Still the hands were ______ in the air.

“Well”, he ______, “What if I do this?” And he dropped it on the ______ and started to step on it with his shoes. He picked it up. Now it was crumpled and ______.“Now, who wants it?” Still the hands went into the air.

“My friends, we have all learned a very ______ lesson. No matter what I did to the _____ , you still want it because it doesn’t decrease in ____. It is still worth $20, with ______ we can buy what we need.

Many times in our lives, we are_____ , and trampled (踩) underfoot by the decision we _____and the troubles that come our way. We feel   _____   we were worthless. But no matter what has happened or what may happen to us, you will never   _____   your value. Dirty or clean, you are still priceless to those who do love you. The worth of our lives is determined not by   _____   we do or who we know, but by who we are. You are   _____ . Don’t ever forget it.”

If you _______ this lesson in mind, it will help you to stand up again when you fall. Each time it makes you grow much ______ .

1.

A．keeping up

B．picking up

C．holding up

D．bringing up

2.

A．Hands

B．Voices

C．Chats

D．Talks

3.

A．pass

B．give

C．show

D．lend

4.

A．ever

B．even

C．also

D．still

5.

A．up

B．off

C．on

D．out

6.

A．waited

B．shouted

C．continued

D．cried

7.

A．shelf

B．desk

C．floor

D．dustbin

8.

A．dirty

B．small

C．usable

D．old

9.

A．meaningless

B．amazing

C．rare

D．valuable

10.

A．book

B．paper

C．money

D．card

11.

A．shape

B．value

C．quality

D．size

12.

A．that

B．what

C．which

D．whose

13.

A．dropped

B．pushed

C．warned

D．reminded

14.

A．prefer

B．receive

C．face

D．make

15.

A．as if

B．even if

C．if only

D．only if

16.

A．take

B．lose

C．miss

D．win

17.

A．how

B．what

C．where

D．who

18.

A．honest

B．wise

C．young

D．special

19.

A．impress

B．forget

C．keep

D．leave

20.

A．stronger

B．warmer

C．worse

D．brighter