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.

7 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

How do you define success?

What do you think a successful person is? Someone who makes a lot of money? Someone who is remembered by future generations? Or someone who changes the world? A volunteer teacher and his students came to remind us of our more humble measures of success. Liang Jun sang the poem alongside a group of his students from the incredibly poor Wu Meng Mountain region in southwest China. The poem, by the famous poet Yuan Mei,    1    (entitle) Moss (苔). The message goes like this:    2    it is tiny, seemingly insignificant and has worse conditions for growth, moss is able to grow and flourish just like the peony.

In the modern world, more and more individuals from rural areas    3    (flood) into cities to find success. With this wave of urbanization, competition for jobs, love and just about everything else is fierce. Ordinary people    4     (lack) connections, a desirable appearance or other desired qualities can often feel frustrated with their circumstances. The poem serves as a reminder for everyone    5    we don’t have to be the peony.

When we study human history, we come across names like Genghis Khan, Neil Armstrong and Mao Zedong. We credit these individuals with tremendous achievements, but we tend to forget the countless individuals    6    helped them achieve greatness. Mongol leader Genghis Khan wouldn’t have been able to conquer half of Europe and Asia    7    his incredible army. Nor could Chairman Mao have possibly built the People’s Republic of China by    8    . So, is it truly necessary for our names    9    (write) down in history books? Most people will likely forget about Liang Jun and his brief appearance on CCTV. However, everyone    10     (inspire) will remember his message. They will take heart from his inspirational words，and open their own paths in life. The poem Moss may live longer in our memories and inspire many future generations to achieve their measures of success.

8 . 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

9 . After years of observing human nature, I have decided that two qualities make the difference between men of great achievement and men of average performance: curiosity and discontent. I have never known an outstanding man who lacked either. And I have never known an average man who had both. The two belong together.

    1     Galileo was not merely ambitious when he dropped objects of varying weights from the Leaning Tower at Pisa and timed their fall to the ground. Like Galileo, all the great names in history were curious and asked in discontent, “Why? Why? Why?”

Fortunately, curiosity and discontent don't have to be learned. We are born with them and need only recapture them. “The great man.” said Mencius, “is he who does not lose his child's heart.” Yet most of us do lose it. We stop asking questions.     2     We jus follow the crowd. And the crowd desires only the calm and restful average. It encourages us to occupy our own little corner, to avoid foolish leaps into the dark. to be satisfied.

Most of us meet new people, and new ideas,with hesitation.     3     We will probably have to force ourselves to awaken our curiosity and discontent and keep them awake.

How should you start? Modestly, so as not to become discouraged. I think of one friend who couldn't arrange flowers to satisfy herself. She was curious about how the experts did it. Now she is one of the experts. writing books on flower arrangement. One way to begin is to answer your own excuse. You haven't any special ability? Most people don't: there are only a few geniuses. You haven't any time?     4     Harriet Stowe, mother of six, wrote parts of Uncle Tom's Cabin while cooking. You' re too old? Remember Thomas Costain was 57 when he published his first novel, and that Grandma Moses showed her first pictures when she was 78

However you start, remember there is no better time to start then right now. for you'll never be more alive than you are at this moment.

A．We stop challenging custom.

B．That's good, because it's always the people with no time who get things done.

C．Either curiosity or discontent makes human being move forward.

D．These deep human urges count for much more than ambition.

E．But once having met and liked them, we think how terrible it would have been, had we missed the chance.

F．Discontent made the great names unsatisfied.

10 . 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.