1 . A wise man was passing through a city. While he was walking, he _________ a coin on the road. He picked it up. Despite his _________ life, he was satisfied and he had no use of that coin. So, he planned to _________ it. _________, throughout the day he didn’t find such a person. Finally, he reached the _________ area and spent a night there.

Next morning, he _________ up and was told that a king was going for his invasion of another state with his army. When the king saw the wise man, he _________ his army to stop. He came to the wise man and said, “I am going to beat another _________. Thus, my state can be _________. So __________ me to be victorious”.

After __________, the wise man gave the coin to the king! The king was confused with this because he is already one of the __________ kings! He __________ asked, “What’s the meaning?”

The wise man explained, “I found this coin yesterday in your __________. But I had no __________. So I had __________ that I would donate it. I walked around till the evening, but found no one such.

Everyone was living a __________ life. It seemed that they were satisfied with what they had. But today, the king of this state, still has the desire to __________ more and is not satisfied with what he already has. I feel you are __________ this coin.”

The king realized his __________ and gave up the planned war.

1.

A．noticed

B．lost

C．spent

D．dropped

2.

A．rich

B．simple

C．single

D．peaceful

3.

A．throw

B．ignore

C．keep

D．donate

4.

A．Thus

B．Besides

C．However

D．Therefore

5.

A．dining

B．waiting

C．walking

D．resting

6.

A．woke

B．looked

C．stayed

D．dressed

7.

A．hoped

B．allowed

C．ordered

D．advised

8.

A．tribe

B．state

C．city

D．king

9.

A．expanded

B．respected

C．developed

D．blamed

10.

A．help

B．wait

C．bless

D．promise

11.

A．consulting

B．thinking

C．chatting

D．bargaining

12.

A．strongest

B．luckiest

C．healthiest

D．richest

13.

A．nervously

B．curiously

C．eagerly

D．angrily

14.

A．city

B．palace

C．house

D．backyard

15.

A．interest

B．pocket

C．use

D．plan

16.

A．agreed

B．announced

C．informed

D．decided

17.

A．happy

B．hard

C．convenient

D．different

18.

A．defend

B．gain

C．earn

D．borrow

19.

A．in possession of

B．in search of

C．in need of

D．in charge of

20.

A．achievement

B．dream

C．existence

D．mistake

2 . 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

3 . 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．

4 . When I was a child，I stayed with my grandmother a lot of the time while my mother was at work. One day some money problems started to arise for my grandmother and the family. They needed a little more income so she decided to sing at the nearby retirement home(养老院)．

So I had to go with her. I wasn't sure about it at first，but as soon as my grandmother actually persuade me to get on stage and start singing，I loved it. I just loved seeing that sparkle(光亮)in those people's eyes. They would stand up and dance and clap to the beat of the music. Eventually，we were singing at many of the homes in the surrounding area 5 out of 7 days a week.

Making other people happy has always made me happy. And during that experience I even discovered my gift，singing. My grandma still sings to those people 15 years later，only for no charge now. I moved to North Carolina when I was 13，leaving my grandma in Florida，but I still carry on her effort and try and go out of my way to do something kind，even if very small，for at least one person every day. There is no better feeling in the world than the one you get when you hear appreciation in someone's voice.

1. The author stayed with her grandmother as a child because ________.

A．her mother was busy working

B．her mother had no ability to care for her

C．her grandmother liked her more

D．her grandmother was richer

2. The author's grandmother sang at the nearby retirement home probably to ________.

A．bring joy to the old people there

B．start a new career

C．make some money

D．satisfy her husband

3. We can infer from the second paragraph that ______.

A．the author had great confidence when she started to sing

B．the audience were surprised that the author could sing at such an early age

C．the audience didn't like the author at first

D．the author was loved by the audience

5 . There was a gardener who looked after his garden with great care. To water his flowers，he used two buckets(水桶).One was a shiny and new bucket. The other was a very old and dilapidated one，which had seen many years of service，but was now past its best.

Every morning，the gardener would fill up the two buckets. Then he would carry them along the path，one on each side，to the flowerbeds. The new bucket was very proud of itself. It could carry a full bucket of water without a single drop spilled. The old bucket felt very ashamed(惭愧的)because of its holes: before it reached the flowerbeds，much water had leaked(渗漏)along the path.

Sometimes the new bucket would say，"See how capable I am! How good it is that the gardener has me water the flowers every day! I don’t know why he still uses you. What a waste of space you are!"

And all that the old bucket could say was，"I know I am not very useful，but I can only do my best. I am happy that the gardener still finds a little bit of use in me ，at least.’’

One day，the gardener heard that kind of conversation. After watering the flowers as usual，he said，"You both have done your work very well. Now I am going to carry you back，and I want you to look carefully along the path."

Then the two buckets did so. All along the path, they noticed，on the side where the new bucket was carried，there was just bare earth；on the other side where the old bucket was carried，there was a joyous row of wild flowers，leading all the way to the garden.

1. What was the old bucket ashamed of?

A．Its   past.

B．Its aging.

C．Its   manner.

D．Its leaking.

2. What does the underlined word "dilapidated" probably mean?

A．Dirty.

B．Dark.

C．Worn out.

D．Ordinary-looking.

3. The new bucket made conversations with the old one mainly to________.

A．take pity on the old one	B．laugh at the old one
C．show off its good look	D．praise the gardener's kindness

4. Why was the old bucket still kept by the gardener?

A．Because it was used to keep a balance.

B．Because it stayed in its best condition.

C．Because it had its own advantage.

D．Because it was thought of as a treasure.

6 . Sixteen years ago, I learned an important life lesson in the back of a New York City taxi.

I was on my way to Grand Central Station, and we were driving in the right lane when a black car suddenly sped out of a parking space right in front of us.

My driver fit the brakes hard, skidded, and missed the other car by a few inches. The driver of the other car, the man who had just nearly caused a huge accident, started shouting at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at him. He was really friendly!

“Why did you just do that?” I asked him. “This guy almost destroyed your car and could have sent us to the hospital!”

This was when my taxi driver told me what I now call “the Law of Garbage Trucks”.

“Many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of anger, and full of disappointment,” he said. “As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it, and if you let them do, they’ll dump it on you. So when someone wants to dump on you, just smile, wave, wish them will, and move on. You’ll be happier because of what you have done.”

I started thinking, how often do I let Garbage Trucks run right over me? And how often do I take their garbage and dump it on other people—at work, at home, or on the street? It was on that day that I said, “I’m not going to dump anymore.”

1. What happened when the writer was taking a taxi?

A．He saw a car accident.	B．Someone destroyed the taxi.
C．The taxi driver was injured.	D．Another car almost hit the taxi.

2. How did the taxi driver deal with the other driver’s behavior?

A．He shouted back at the driver.

B．He sent the driver to the hospital.

C．He was friendly towards the driver.

D．He dumped some garbage in front of his car.

3. What does the taxi driver mean when he says “Many people are like garbage trucks”?

A．Many people like to drive garbage trucks.

B．Many people dump garbage wherever they like.

C．Many people are warm-hearted and make others happy.

D．Many people need to dump their feelings now and then.

4. According to the passage, what should you do if people “dump garbage” on you?

A．Dump your garbage on him or her, too.

B．Be friendly and go on with your own work.

C．Tell them to dump their garbage in the right place.

D．Try your best to encourage them not to do that again.

7 . Getting late for a meeting, “I need to run,” he said, as he put his coat over the shoulder and rushed out of the house. As he drove away, she came running down the stairs two at a time. “Wait, wait,” she shouted, but he had already left.

“He forgot to give me a goodbye kiss,” she said in a low, sad voice that shook under the weight of the hurt. She called him and said, “You left without giving me a kiss.” “I am sorry, sweetheart,” he said, his voice shaking. “It is okay,” she said, trying to be all grown-up as she cut the call.

She ate her breakfast quickly, put on her shoes, picked up her school bag and started to walk out of the door. Her shoulders were slumped(耷拉) and her eyes were filled with tears. As she climbed down the steps, a car came to a stop outside the house. He got out of the car. She ran to him.

“I am sorry I forgot,” he said, as he picked her up and hugged her. She said nothing. Her jaw ached from smiling.

Fifteen years later, no one would remember he was late for a meeting, but a little girl would never ever forget that her father drove all the way back home just to kiss her goodbye!

What is more important, work or family? Some parents always put work before everything. But some put family first. Remember, the company will run the same without you and your colleagues(同事) may forget you soon after you leave. But you are everything to your children.

1. The girl ran down the stairs fast to ________.

A．go to school on time	B．go to a meeting on time
C．get a goodbye kiss	D．say goodbye to her father

2. How did the girl probably feel after she cut the call?

A．Frightened.

B．Disappointed.

C．Worried.

D．Angry.

3. The passage is meant to suggest that parents ________.

A．put their children first

B．pay less attention to work

C．work hard to support the family

D．keep a balance between work and family

8 . 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

9 . We are warned by our teachers not to waste time because time _______ will never return. I think it quite _______. What does time look _______? Nobody knows, and we can’t see it or touch it and no _______ of money can buy it. Time is abstract, so we have to _______ about it.

Time passes very quickly. Some students say they don’t have _______ time to review their lessons. It is _______ they don’t know how to make use of their time. They waste it in going to theatres or playing, and _______ other useless things. Why do we study every day? Why do we work? Why do most people _______ take buses instead of walking? The answer is very ________. We wish to save time because time is ________.

Today we are living in the 21^st century. We ________ time as life. When a person dies, his life ends. Since life is short, we must ________ our time and energy to our study so that we ________ be able to work and live well in the future. Laziness is the ________ of time, for it not only bring us ________, but also does other ________ to us. If it is necessary for us to do our work today, ________ we do it today and not ________ it until tomorrow. Remember that time is much more ________.

1.

A．lost

B．passed

C．missed

D．used

2.

A．important

B．true

C．interesting

D．usual

3.

A．for

B．like

C．after

D．over

4.

A．amount

B．quality

C．quantity

D．price

5.

A．think

B．imagine

C．examine

D．check

6.

A．spare

B．free

C．enough

D．much

7.

A．that

B．why

C．because

D．certain

8.

A．doing

B．making

C．taking

D．getting

9.

A．needn’t

B．have to

C．had better

D．would rather

10.

A．easy

B．simple

C．stupid

D．interesting

11.

A．worthless

B．priceless

C．ready

D．little

12.

A．look upon

B．agree

C．think

D．believe

13.

A．spend

B．give

C．set

D．devote

14.

A．must

B．should

C．may

D．would

15.

A．helper

B．thief

C．friend

D．teacher

16.

A．wealth

B．health

C．failure

D．illness

17.

A．danger

B．harm

C．trouble

D．difficulty

18.

A．help

B．make

C．have

D．let

19.

A．keep

B．remain

C．manage

D．leave

20.

A．valuable

B．expensive

C．worth

D．rich

10 . 根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
Life comes in a package, which includes happiness and sorrow, failure and success, hope and despair. Life is a learning process.    1    
Happiness achieved by bringing a smile on another face gives a certain level of fulfillment.    2    Sorrow is basically due to death of a loved one, failure and despair. But these things are temporary（暂时的）.
    3    . It helps us to succeed and teaches us to survive and shows us an exact way, while success brings in money, fame, pride and self—respect. The only way to express our thanks for our success, achievements and happiness is to be respectful to the failure.
Hope is what keeps life going.    4    Hope builds in patience.
    5    . Life also teaches us not to regret over yesterday, because it has passed and is beyond our control. Tomorrow is unknown, for it could either be bright or dull. So the only alternative is to work hard today, so that we will enjoy a better tomorrow.

A．Life teaches us not to despair even in the darkest hour, because after every night, there is a day.

B．With each passing day we learn to deal with various situations.

C．Different people have different attitudes towards success and failure.

D．Hope makes us dream.

E．Failure is the path to success.

F．Never stop doing whatever you are fond of.

G．Only when we are in sorrow can we realize the true worth of happiness.