1 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word: fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

I can still remember the afternoon when we climbed the mountain as if it were yesterday.

It was a sunny day. Eager to spend some time outside, I went up the mountain with my uncle. The mountain was hard     1    (climb) and had tough rocks and streams on it. In the end,     2    (exhaust) and hot, I couldn’t go any further. So we went back down the mountain in the end.

On the way back down, my uncle asked me a question,     3    left me speechless for a second: “What’s your dream, young lady?”

“I have no idea,” I answered     4    thinking it for a while. Then he smiled and told me about his story. He didn’t perform well at school when he was a student. Although nobody thought he could succeed, he knew clearly     5    his dream was — to be a businessman. “I knew I wasn’t gifted when it came to studying, so I tried to buy snacks from a market and sell them after class,” he told me. After he left school, he started selling different items to find out which one was most attractive to customers. Of course, he often had no money in his pocket, but no matter how tough life was, he never gave up.

“There is no doubt that a person     6    puts in a great deal of e fort to reach his or her goal will have good luck at some point. The meaning of if e is to chase your dream,” he said gently. That night I     7    hardly fall asleep. I lay in bed tossing and turning, asking myself, “What’s my motivation?”

I once wanted to be a top student but the hard work needed meant     8     (put) everything into following my passion. If I find myself lacking will power, what should I do? Leaving home early the next morning, I climbed the mountain again by     9    . It made me think: If we don’t experience the climb, how can we get to see the scenery on the top of the mountain? In the end, I reached the top and     10     (fascinate) by the warm breeze and sunshine. Nothing could be more pleasant than that.

2 . She had been shopping with her Mom in Wal-Mart. She must have been six years old. A beautiful brown-haired, freckle-faced girl, bearing the image of innocence.

It was pouring heavily outside. We all stood there just inside the door of the Wal-Mart. We waited, some patiently, others annoyed because nature messed up their hurried day. I got lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world.

Her voice was so sweet that it broke the hypnotic trance (昏昏欲睡) we were all caught in. Mom, let's run through the rain," she said.

What?" Mom asked.

"Let's run through the rain!" she repeated.

"No, honey. We'll wait until it lets up a bit," Mom replied.

This young child waited about another minute and repeated: "Mom, let's run through the rain."

"We'll get soaked if we do," Mom said.

"No, we won't, Mom. That's not what you said this morning," the young girl said as she pulled her Mom's arm.

"This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?"

Don't you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer, you said, 'if God can get us through this, he can get us through anything!'"

The entire crowd stopped dead silent. I dare say you couldn't hear anything but the rain. We all stood silently. No one came in or left in the next few minutes. Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say.

Now, some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly. Some might even ignore what was said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child's life, a time when innocent trust can be nurtured (培育) so that it will bloom into faith.

"Honey, you are absolutely right. Let's run through the rain. If God lets us get wet, maybe we just need washing," Mom said. Then off they ran.

We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they rushed past the cars and, yes, through the puddles. They held their shopping bags over their heads just in case. They got soaked. But they were followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars. And yes, I did. I ran, too. I got wet. I guess I just needed washing.

1. Which of the following is the closest in meaning to the underlined word "affirmation"?

A．Happiness.

B．Approval.

C．Disagreement.

D．Love.

2. What do we know about the mother in the story?

A．Her husband had been cured of cancer.

B．She was strong-willed and considerate.

C．She was in despair and pretended to forget what she said.

D．Her daughter completely understood the situation her family was in.

3. Which of the following may the author agree with?

A．The mother should not tell her child about the family misfortune.

B．Parents should act more bravely than their children.

C．Parents should grasp every opportunity to influence their children positively.

D．Children must learn to show gratitude and understanding to their parents.

4. The best title for the passage might be "________."

A．Running Through the Rain	B．A Determined Mother
C．Waiting in the Rain	D．A Wonderful Experience

3 . An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer of his plans to leave the house building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. They could get by.

The employer was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to inferior workmanship and used cheap materials. It was an unfortunate way to end his career.

When the carpenter finished his work, the employer came to inspect the house and handed the front-door key to the carpenter. "This is your house," he said, "my gift to you."

What a shock! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently. Now he had to live in the home he had built none too well.

So it is with us. At important points we do not give the job our best effort. Then with a shock we look at the situation we have created and find that we are now living in the house we have built. If we had realized, we would have done it differently.

Think of yourself as the carpenter. Think about your house. Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Build wisely. It is the only life you will ever build. Even if you live it for only one day more, that day deserves to be lived with dignity.

1. Why did the carpenter decide to retire according to the passage?

A．He didn't get his paycheck from his boss on time.

B．The employer was not satisfied with his work.

C．He planned to start his own house building business.

D．He wanted to spend more time with his family.

2. The last house built by the carpenter was________.

A．better than his expectation	B．far from satisfactory
C．a gift to the employer	D．built with heart and soul

3. From the text we can infer that the carpenter was very________ when the employer gave him the key.

A．grateful	B．disappointed
C．cheerful	D．regretful

4. Which of the following can bets summarize the main idea of the passage?

A．Don't cry over spilt milk.	B．Opportunity only knocks once.
C．Life is what you make it.	D．Honesty is the best policy.

4 . Over this past year, lifestyle blogger Aileen Xu has kept a monthly gratitude list.     1    . And sometimes it was life’s little blessings: “I’m grateful for good hair after I shower.” Xu started making such lists when she was in college. Now, the 28-year-old YouTuber recommends the practice to her nearly 750, 000 subscribers. (订阅者)

It wasn't a hard sell. “I think just over the last few years there's been more of a trend to focus on gratitude,” says psychologist Laurie Santos, who teaches a popular course on the science of happiness at Yale.

You can buy different kinds of gratitude journals, or download apps that remind you to take down your blessings. “Those types of products can remind us to take time to be grateful,” Santos says.

And noting your gratitude seems to pay off.     2    . Studies have found that giving thanks can help people sleep better, lower stress and improve interpersonal relationships. In another study, high school students who were asked to keep gratitude journals also reported healthier eating. There's also some evidence it could lower your risk of heart disease and reduce symptoms of depression for some people.

    3    . “It's one of the practices that really win out (终获成功) from the field of positive psychology,” she says, “because it takes very little time, and the benefits are so powerful.”

Making gratitude lists is just one way of enjoying those benefits. The best way of expressing gratitude may be different for each person. You could choose to keep your gratitude private or share it with others.

However, for all the research on the broad benefits of expressing gratitude, there's also evidence that it isn't for everyone. And it isn't a cure-all. It can't make injustice (不公平), loss or pain disappear.     4    . “The research shows that focusing on the positive can improve our mood more than we expect,” according to Santos.

A．What gratitude can do is to give us hope.

B．There's a growing body of research on the benefits of gratitude.

C．That's why gratitude features heavily in Santos' happiness class.

D．Gratitude is a very rich emotion, but it's also a complicated one.

E．Sometimes it was the big stuff(事情): “I'm grateful so many people care. ”

F．Santos' students are asked to write a thank-you letter and then read it out loud to the recipient.

5 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

Mistakes that work

The best way to learn something is to make mistakes first. Thomas Edison,     1     invented the light bulb, told his colleagues: “Of the 200 light bulbs that didn’t work, every failure told me something was able to incorporate (融入) into the next attempt.” Benjamin Franklin, the US statesman and scientist once said: “I haven’t failed. I have had 10,000 ideas that didn’t work.”

    2     of these people understood that failures and false starts are the condition of success. In fact,     3     surprising number of everyday objects had their beginnings in a mistake or a misunderstanding. Post-it notes, packets of crisps and even bread are all unexpected inventions. In 2600 BC, a tired Egyptian slave invented     4     is now called bread when the dough (面团) rose during his sleep. And crisps were first cooked by a cook in the USA when a customer suggested his fried potatoes be     5     (thin) than they were.

In 1968 Spencer Silver was trying to develop a strong glue when he accidentally invented a very weak glue instead. His colleague, Art Fry decided to use it six years later, in1974, to have his bookmarks     6     (hold) in his books and the post-it note was invented.

Successful businesspeople have often made big, expensive mistakes in their past. When an employee of IBM made a mistake that cost the company $600,000, Thomas Watson, the chairman,     7     (ask) if he would fire the man. “No,” he replied. “I have just spent $600,000     8     (train) him. I won’t let another company     9     (benefit) from the experience.

The important thing to remember is that you need to learn from your mistakes.     10     you don’t, then there is no point making them.

6 . Many years ago, when I was fresh out of school and working in Denver, I was driving to my parents’ home in Missouri for Christmas. I stopped at a gas station about 50 miles from Oklahoma City, where I was planning to stop and visit a friend. While I was standing in line at the checkout, I said hello to an older couple who were also paying for gas.

I took off, but had gone only a few miles when black smoke poured from the back of my car. I stopped and wondered what I should do. A car pulled up behind me. It was the couple I had spoken to at the gas station. They said they would take me to my friend’s. We chatted on the way into the city, and when I got out of the car, the husband gave me his business card.

I wrote him and his wife a thank-you note for helping me. Soon afterward, I received a Christmas present from them. Their note that came with it said that helping me had made their holidays meaningful.

Years later, I drove to a meeting in a nearby town in the morning. In late afternoon I returned to my car and found that I’d left the lights on all day, and 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 two salesmen in the showroom.

“Just how friendly is Friendly Ford?” I asked and explained my trouble. They quickly drove a pickup truck to my car and started it. They would accept no payment, so when I got home, I wrote them a note to say thanks. I received a letter back from one of the salesmen. No one had ever taken the time to write him and say thank you, and it meant a lot, he said.

“Thank you” - two powerful words. They’re easy to say and mean so much.

1. The author planned to stop at Oklahoma City _______.

A．to visit a friend	B．to see his parents
C．to pay or the cash register	D．to have more gas for his car

2. What happened when the author found smoke coming out of his car?

A．He had it pulled back to the gas station.

B．The couple sent him a business card.

C．The couple offered to help him.

D．He called his friend for help.

3. By telling his own experiences, the author tries to show ________.

A．how to write a thank-you letter

B．how to deal with car problems

C．the kind-heartedness of older people

D．the importance of expressing thanks

7 . Looking back on the first twenty years of my life, I feel grateful to have been so healthy and happy. For my happiness, I am grateful to so many people and lucky events, but what have guided me and supported me in my life are my physical health, healthy finances, and my family’s happiness.

Health comes first for me, because without health everything else is meaningless. Imagine starting a career without good health. Imagine starting a family without good health. Imagine achieving anything without good health. Clearly, good health is the first necessary for other part of one’s life.

Good health is not enough to be happy. We still need to have money in today’s society. Money obviously pays for basic needs of life — food, housing, clothing — but it is also necessary for other reason like the quality of our education and medical care.

Next comes the most important thing in having a happy life — our family. It provides the love, joy and support that everybody needs. I love my family with all my heart. I get pleasure from their pleasure. I suffer when they suffer. My family helped me get through the hard times of entrance exams. They comforted and advised me when I had misunderstanding with my friends. More importantly, they have been there to share in my successes in the past twenty years. In summary, all these are what I need and want in this world. As long as I stay healthy, earn enough money, and share both good times and bad times with my family, I will always be the happiest girl in the world.

1. The writer mentions her entrance exams to prove that _______.

A．opportunities go to those with strong beliefs

B．our quality of life can be improved with money

C．nothing can be achieved without a healthy body

D．family provides the support that everybody needs

2. What is the main purpose of this passage?

A．To argue about the importance of money.

B．To explain what are the keys to happiness.

C．To discuss ways of dealing with difficulties.

D．To show people’s different attitudes to happiness.

3. How is the passage organized?

A．Introduction—Explanation—Summary

B．Examples—Argument—Summary

C．Argument—Topic—Conclusion

D．Topic—Examples—Conclusion