1 . A farmer owned an old mule(骡子) One day the mule
After carefully thinking about the situation, the farmer
At first, the old mule was mad! But as the farmer and the neighbors
This he did, blow after blow. “Shake it off and step up…shake it off and step up…shake it off and step up!” He repeated to
It wasn’t long before the old mule, tired out, stepped
That’s life! We should face our problems and respond to them
A.flowed | B.felt | C.fell | D.flew |
A.protesting | B.talking | C.singing | D.crying |
A.failed | B.refused | C.escaped | D.succeeded |
A.decided | B.imagined | C.requested | D.pretended |
A.However | B.Therefore | C.Moreover | D.Otherwise |
A.situation | B.house | C.wall | D.well |
A.disaster | B.order | C.control | D.prison |
A.stopped | B.suggested | C.continued | D.finished |
A.replied | B.got | C.turned | D.occurred |
A.pain | B.dirt | C.fear | D.pity |
A.encourage | B.experience | C.expect | D.explore |
A.painless | B.possible | C.hopeless | D.useful |
A.slightly | B.suddenly | C.secretly | D.successfully |
A.hurt | B.helped | C.punished | D.controlled |
A.obviously | B.positively | C.curiously | D.necessarily |
2 . I was sitting on a medical table. Beside me was a woman in scrubs (手术服) talking about the
It was the local blood drive and I had driven 12 miles across
There are so many
A.good | B.cold | C.dry | D.warm |
A.looked back on | B.looked down on | C.looked up at | D.looked around at |
A.card | B.needle | C.tube | D.thread |
A.filling | B.holding | C.containing | D.pouring |
A.distribute | B.donate | C.send | D.receive |
A.save | B.influence | C.change | D.start |
A.short | B.snowy | C.smooth | D.steady |
A.catch | B.ignore | C.miss | D.lose |
A.In addition to | B.With regard to | C.For the sake of | D.In spite of |
A.upset | B.surprised | C.confident | D.delighted |
A.blessed | B.given | C.perceived | D.got |
A.persistent | B.ambitious | C.faithful | D.mischievous |
A.identify | B.balance | C.match | D.meet |
A.otherwise | B.so | C.yet | D.for |
A.hope | B.happiness | C.challenge | D.courage |
A.absorb | B.cherish | C.devote | D.acknowledge |
A.return | B.reply | C.time | D.control |
A.prizes | B.gifts | C.donations | D.suggestions |
A.priceless | B.necessary | C.interesting | D.natural |
A.passion | B.luck | C.dreams | D.love |
3 . My family moved into our home nine years ago. We spent a lot of time and energy in the yard to get it looking like the way it does today. In front of the house, the rocks appear to be just thrown up onto the dirt as if someone were in a hurry to finish. We called this area our “rock garden”. Denise and I would also plant some flowers between the rocks, just to bring some color to the area.
Last summer I found, in the rock garden, a tiny little plant that I could not immediately identify. I knew I didn’t plant it and Denise said she didn’t either. We decided to let it continue growing until we could figure out what it was.
Weeks passed and as I made my way back to the strange plant, it appeared to be a sunflower. It looked thin and tall with only one head on it. I decided to baby it along and weed(除杂草)around it. As I pulled rocks from the area to get to the weeds, I noticed something unusual. The sunflower had not started where I saw it begin. It actually had begun under a big rock and grown under and around it to reach the sun.
That’s when I realized that if a tiny little sunflower didn’t allow a big rock to stand in its way of developing, we too have the ability to do the same thing. Once we believe in ourselves like that little sunflower, we can attain the same nourishment(养分)for growth as well.
Stand tall like the sunflower and be proud of who and what we are, then the environment will begin to support us. We will find a way to go under or around any “rocks” in order to achieve our goals.
1. What can we know from the first paragraph?A.The author finished building his house hurriedly. |
B.The family has lived in this house for 9 years. |
C.The author’s house is made of rocks. |
D.The family don’t like gardening. |
A.see how long it could live |
B.see how big it could grow |
C.find out what it actually was |
D.know if his wife had planted it |
A.the strange plant turned out to be the sunflower |
B.the sunflower grew under and around a big rock |
C.the sunflower had only one head on it |
D.the sunflower was very thin and tall |
A.Confident. | B.Devoted. | C.Delicate. | D.Modest. |
A.rocks cannot prevent us from success |
B.the sunflowers are able to grow everywhere |
C.we should take good care of the rock gardens |
D.we can get over difficulties if we trust ourselves |
4 . The word “happy” would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by hardship. The circular motion (循环运动) between happiness and
A year ago, I developed troubling symptoms(症状) in my left
Over that long week, I
Finally, I gained a
A.loneliness | B.tiredness | C.sadness | D.greatness |
A.eye | B.arm | C.leg | D.ear |
A.suddenly | B.carelessly | C.secretly | D.immediately |
A.luck | B.treatment | C.apology | D.discussion |
A.needed | B.expected | C.managed | D.congratulated |
A.in relief | B.in anger | C.in peace | D.in panic |
A.new | B.traditional | C.strong | D.folk |
A.rarely | B.frequently | C.occasionally | D.mistakenly |
A.forbade | B.encourages | C.forced | D.permitted |
A.lay down | B.hold back | C.fall into | D.meet with |
A.desired | B.promised | C.refused | D.attempted |
A.gave in | B.cheered up | C.gave up | D.broken down |
A.terrible | B.sweet | C.spare | D.precious |
A.election | B.challenge | C.goal | D.choice |
A.guilt | B.pride | C.hope | D.joy |
A.stresses | B.analyzed | C.investigated | D.guaranteed |
A.wrong | B.unique | C.funny | D.valuable |
A.sunny | B.cloudy | C.rainy | D.snowy |
A.disturb | B.experience | C.blame | D.assign |
A.admit to | B.listen to | C.adapt to | D.contribute to |
5 . Many years ago, I was fresh out of school and working in Denver. One day, I drove to my parents’ home in Missouri for Thanksgiving Day. Suddenly, I found the gas was running out. I stopped, wondering what I was supposed to do. A car pulled up behind me and an old couple came out. They offered to pull my car to a gas station. When we said good- bye to each other. the husband gave me his business card.
When I arrived home, I wrote him and his wife a thank-you note. I soon received a note saying that helping me had made their holiday meaningful.
Years later, I drove to a nearby town for a meeting in the morning. In the late afternoon, I returned to my car and found that the battery was dead. Then I noticed that the Friendly Ford Dealership — a shop selling cars — was right next door. I walked over and found a salesman waiting beside the door.
“Would you please do me a favor?” I asked and explained my trouble. He quickly drove a pickup truck to my car and started it. He would accept no payment. When I got home, I wrote a note to thank him. I received a letter back from the salesman. He said no one had ever taken the time to write him a note of thanks and it meant a lot.
Although it is easy to say thanks to others, it means so much.
1. Why did the author drive to his parents’ home in Missouri?A.To repair his car. | B.To see a friend. |
C.For Thanksgiving Day. | D.For a meeting. |
A.An old couple helped him go to a gas station. |
B.He had a word with a policeman nearby. |
C.He pushed his car to a car dealership. |
D.He called up his best friend for help. |
A.The author got a gas from the old couple. |
B.The author’s car battery was dead. |
C.The author wrote a letter to the old couple. |
D.The author bought a car from the dealership. |
A.moved | B.worried | C.nervous | D.sad |
A.how to write a thank-you note | B.how to deal with car problems |
C.the kind-heartedness of old people | D.the importance of expressing thanks |
Mr. Black was spending his holiday in Africa. One day he watched some elephants passing by. Each of them was tied to his front legs only by a small rope. To his great surprise, these large strong animals could easily run away, but they did not.
So Mr. Black asked the owner why not a single elephant made an attempt to break free. The owner said, ''When the elephants were very young, the same size ropes were used to tie them, and at that time the ropes were strong enough to hold them. Now they have grown big and strong, but they believe that the ropes still hold them and it is impossible to escape, so they never try to get away. ''
Sometimes people act like these elephants. They often give up after the first failures. In fact, the failures are part of learning. If we want to succeed, we should never give up, but try and try again.
1. Where was Mr. Black spending his holiday?2. What was each of the elephants tied by?
3. How did Mr. Black feel when he saw the elephants did not try to get away?
4. Why do the elephants never try to break free?
5. According to the text, what should we do if we want to succeed?
For many teenagers, a job is a way to earn a little extra money. For me, it is more than that.
At the age of 16, I was offered my very first job as a shopgirl in a clothing store. On the first day, my manager was training me how to fold and organize platform after platform of clothes. The work seemed overwhelming, and everything had to be done in an accurate way. I got so impatient because I couldn’t get it right the first couple of times. After about ten tries, I had the clothes folded perfectly. Then it took me thirty minutes to get them all looking uniform. Now, I fold and organize clothes every day, and I’m able to do them well. Through this experience, I’ve learned to be patient.
Helping customers and establishing connections with them is one of the things I love most about my job. About two months ago, I helped a woman who was looking for a dress. She told me exactly what she was picturing—a blue dress with long sleeves and a lace neck. We didn’t have any such dress, and when I explained that to her, she wasn’t very happy. Instead of getting annoyed, I tried getting to know her a bit better and asked what the dress was for, so I could find other items in her size that could work. We shared our love of the Netflix fashion show, and she ended up buying $200 worth of new clothes, having found other items she liked. This experience has taught me to be more open with strangers.
Every job has its share of frustrations and challenges; to do well you must learn to deal with them. I’ve learned this from my own experience, and it has helped me in other aspects of my life as well.
1. What was the author’s first job? (no more than 5 words)2. What is the meaning of the underlined word in Para. 2? (no more than 3 words)
3. How did the author manage to meet the customer’s needs in Para. 3? (no more than 15 words)
4. How has the author’s work experience changed her in personality? (no more than 10 words)
5. What job would you like to do? How can you help people in your work? (no more than 20 words)
8 . When he was driving home one evening on a country road, he saw an old lady,stranded(抛锚的)on the side of the road. He stopped in front of her car and got out. Even with the smile on his face,she was worried. He looked poor and hungry. He knew how she felt. He said, “I am here to help you, madam. Why don’t you wait in the car where it’s warm? By the way, my name is Joe. ”
She had a flat tire. Joe crawled under the car, changed the tire. But he got dirty and his hands hurt. She could not thank him enough and asked him how much she owed him. He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance they needed, and Joe added, “And think of me.”
She drove off. A few miles down the road the lady saw a small restaurant. She went in. The waitress had a sweet smile, and was nearly eight months pregnant(怀孕的). The old lady wondered how someone like her who seemed poor could be so kind to a stranger. Then she remembered Joe. After the lady finished her meal, the waitress went to get her change from a hundred—dollar bill. But she stepped right out the door.
When the waitress came back,she noticed something written on a napkin, “I am helping you because someone once helped me. If you really want to pay me back, here’s what you do—Do not let the chain of love end with you .”
That night when she got home,she was thinking about the money and what the lady had written. She and her husband needed money with the baby due(预期的)next month. She knew how worried her husband was,and as he lay sleeping next to her, she whispered,“Everything’s going to be all right. I love you, Joe. ”
1. When Joe stopped to help the lady, she ________.A.became excited | B.was afraid to be hurt |
C.refused his offer | D.thanked him |
A.received good service | B.had an expensive meal |
C.told the waitress Joe’s story | D.met another poor guest |
A.She forgot it. | B.She wanted to help Joe. |
C.She would get it later. | D.She wanted to give the waitress some help. |
A.Joe’s boss fired him | B.Joe worked as a driver |
C.Joe’s wife was the waitress | D.Joe had an unhappy marriage |
A.helping others is helping oneself |
B.kindness can be spread |
C.poverty is not a threat to a happy marriage |
D.a happy family depends on a happy marriage |
Over the past few days, a young adult, maybe in his early twenties, has been sleeping on the sidewalk in front of a postbox. As
I told my own son about giving the man breakfast. I said, “I hope someone would be kind to you if you were in his position.“My son responded
10 . I was walking home from school one day and it happened to be a particularly cold and windy day. It was
All of a sudden, an old lady
I didn’t see her or talk to her for about a month and one night as I
When I got home my mom told me that she
Let us never forget the joy we get
A.blowing | B.freezing | C.flowing | D.flying |
A.red | B.pure | C.white | D.pale |
A.picked | B.turned | C.drove | D.took |
A.hospital | B.family | C.school | D.home |
A.warm | B.easy | C.simple | D.strange |
A.women | B.drivers | C.strangers | D.neighbors |
A.so | B.such | C.that | D.as |
A.numbers | B.car | C.family | D.address |
A.remembered | B.forgot | C.repeated | D.regretted |
A.bread | B.salad | C.cookies | D.sweets |
A.nervous | B.disappointed | C.confused | D.worried |
A.generally | B.completely | C.hardly | D.usually |
A.puzzled | B.surprised | C.satisfied | D.fearful |
A.visited | B.came | C.drove | D.called |
A.cried | B.slept | C.left | D.laughed |
A.permit | B.pardon | C.forget | D.imagine |
A.sadness | B.interest | C.puzzle | D.happiness |
A.others | B.the other | C.another | D.other |
A.busier | B.brighter | C.easier | D.harder |
A.for | B.in | C.by | D.on |