1 . We run into situations where we take many things for granted (理所当然的) in our daily lives. We only ________ things when they are gone. This is a sad truth of human nature.

The other day, I witnessed a similar situation. I left work and boarded the train. After entering, I noticed something ________. The center of the car had a few empty seats while both ends were crowded with people ________. I paid no much attention and sat down on one of the empty seats. I ________ a funny smell. It wasn’t long before I noticed a ________ person sleeping on three seats in front of me. He was bleeding from his nose. Why wasn’t anyone helping him?

His clothes were ________ and he was giving off a strange smell. Along with the smell, his eyes were ________, watery and red. Occasionally he scratched (抓破) himself and people looked at him as if he was a/ an ________. As the train stopped at stations and more people came in, they covered their noses and ________ him. All the seats around him were empty.

________, he began to swear at the people around him. A plain-clothes ________ took out his certificate (证件) and ________ it to the homeless man. The officer, not wanting to touch the homeless man, told him his rights and directed him to exit the ________. The homeless man turned around and said “MY HOME!” and started crying as the officer ________ the man out of the train.

A man doesn’t value things until they are gone. If he didn’t have a ________, at least he had freedom. Now he has neither. No one wants to help someone who won’t help himself.

1.

A．revise

B．earn

C．replace

D．treasure

2.

A．sensitive

B．unusual

C．earnest

D．specific

3.

A．standing

B．sitting

C．watching

D．clapping

4.

A．described

B．sensed

C．imagined

D．tested

5.

A．horrible

B．super

C．homeless

D．typical

6.

A．modern

B．torn

C．neat

D．cheap

7.

A．crazy

B．appealing

C．dull

D．familiar

8.

A．attacker

B．leader

C．companion

D．evil

9.

A．appealed to

B．responded to

C．faced away from

D．separated from

10.

A．Particularly

B．Definitely

C．Personally

D．Suddenly

11.

A．policeman

B．author

C．employer

D．promoter

12.

A．offered

B．showed

C．described

D．awarded

13.

A．train

B．seat

C．station

D．space

14.

A．inspired

B．caught

C．saved

D．walked

15.

A．seat

B．job

C．home

D．life

2 . I have learned a lot from being a taxi driver. I’ve been in the _______ for many years, and I know there is a lot about it that is not so _______. Taxi drivers have to be tough to _______ the New York traffic eight hours a day. Because taxi drivers are tough, people get the wrong _______ that they are bad. However, you can read in the _______ almost every week that taxi drivers _______ the things people left in their cabs.

Once I found a ring in my cab. I remembered helping a lady with a lot of luggage(行李) that day, so I went back where I had _______ her off. It took me almost two days to find her so as to _______ the ring. I didn’t get as much as “_______”. Still, I felt good because I had done what was right.

People ask me about the ________. As far as I know, ________ everyone will give you something. You know most Americans are pretty ________. I always try to be nice to everyone, whether they tip or not. I try to ________ others the way I want to be treated. I have been trying this for a long time, and the longer I try, the ________ it gets. Up till now, I still hold the view that ________ is one of the greatest qualities of people.

1.

A．project

B．department

C．business

D．organization

2.

A．good

B．helpful

C．bad

D．advisable

3.

A．cut

B．fight

C．avoid

D．enjoy

4.

A．fact

B．truth

C．theory

D．impression

5.

A．book

B．magazine

C．newspaper

D．advertisement

6.

A．take out

B．bring in

C．set aside

D．turn in

7.

A．seen

B．dropped

C．knocked

D．set

8.

A．buy

B．return

C．repair

D．find

9.

A．Thank you

B．I’m sorry

C．It doesn’t matter

D．With pleasure

10.

A．roads

B．passengers

C．places

D．tips

11.

A．actually

B．certainly

C．gradually

D．especially

12.

A．successful

B．generous

C．serious

D．independent

13.

A．pay

B．follow

C．treat

D．entertain

14.

A．easier

B．harder

C．smaller

D．clearer

15.

A．interest

B．confidence

C．care

D．honesty

3 . 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。

Small stories often have a great truth in them. One day I     1    (approach) several massive creatures when I came to a sudden stop. It was well beyond me that these huge animals should     2     (limit) by only some ropes. It was obvious that the animals could easily escape from these small ropes     3    (tie) to their front legs. However, they did not. I     4    (spot) a trainer close by and wondered     5     the elephants just stood where they were and had no     6    (intend) to break away.

“Well,” he replied, “as they’re very young we tie them with the same size rope and it’s enough to hold them     7     their age. As they grow up, they’re conditioned to hold the belief that they can never run away. They think the ropes are bound to still hold them, so they do not struggle     8    (break) free.” I was shocked. The large animals could easily move away from their bonds but they felt they couldn’t, so they were stuck right there.

In our life, a number of people are brought up with the same wrong self-limiting thoughts — I’m not excellent enough     9     why try it if I’m not going to make     10     However, we oughtn’t to underestimate (低估) our capability, talent and potential. Instead, we should believe in ourselves. After all, we need to change with the times and think outside the box.

5 . I was cycling and noticed a person, about a quarter of a kilometer in front of me. I could tell he was cycling a little slower than me and ______ to catch up with him. I had about a kilometer to go on the road before turning off.

So I ______ cycling faster and faster and every ______ I was gaining on him just a little bit. After just a few minutes I was only about 100 yards behind him, so I really picked up the pace and ______ myself. You would have thought I was cycling in the last section of London Olympic triathlon.

______ , I caught up with him and passed him by. On the inside I felt so ______ . I beat him, of course, but he didn’t even know we were ______ .

After I passed him, I ______ that I had been so focused on competing against him that I had ______ my turn. I had gone nearly six blocks past it and had to turn around and go all the way back.

Isn’t that what happens in life when we ______ competing with co-workers, neighbors and friends? We spend our time and ______ chasing after them and we miss out on our own ______ to our future.

The ______ of unhealthy competition is that it’s a never-ending ______ , and there will always be somebody ahead of you.

Therefore, just take what life has given you. There’s no ______ in life. Run your own race and wish others well!

1.

A．failed

B．decided

C．agreed

D．forgot

2.

A．stopped

B．enjoyed

C．started

D．regretted

3.

A．way

B．block

C．step

D．time

4.

A．comforted

B．protected

C．pushed

D．supported

5.

A．Obviously

B．Surprisingly

C．Fortunately

D．Finally

6.

A．calm

B．lucky

C．astonished

D．good

7.

A．racing

B．exercising

C．celebrating

D．cycling

8.

A．believed

B．expected

C．realized

D．understood

9.

A．escaped

B．missed

C．made

D．lost

10.

A．worry about

B．care for

C．depend on

D．focus on

11.

A．tears

B．strength

C．energy

D．pain

12.

A．paths

B．entrances

C．plans

D．barriers

13.

A．task

B．difficulty

C．problem

D．goal

14.

A．movement

B．cycle

C．event

D．routine

15.

A．mistake

B．competition

C．pressure

D．challenge

6 . A daughter complained to her father about her life and how things were so hard for her, and she did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved a new one arose.

Her father, a cook, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In one he placed carrots, in the second he placed eggs, and in the last he placed ground coffee beans. He let them sit and boil, without saying a word.

The daughter impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing. In about twenty minutes he turned off the burners. He fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them on a plate. Then he ladled the coffee out and placed it in a glass. Turning to her, he asked, “Darling, what do you see?” “Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” she replied.

He brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to taste the coffee. She smiled, as she tasted it.

“What does it mean, father?” she asked. He explained that each of them had faced the same adversity, boiling water, but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong end hard. But after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they changed the water.

“Which are you?” he asked his daughter. When adversity knocks on your door in your life, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

1. What can be known from the first paragraph?

A．She found her life full of difficulties and she could do nothing about them.

B．They were very poor and the daughter complained about it.

C．She was fighting and struggling with her classmates so she was not satisfied.

D．The daughter complained about her food.

2. What happened after the father turned off the burners?

A．The carrot was hard as it had been.	B．The egg became soft and fragile.
C．There was a different change in every pot.	D．Similar changes happened in the three

3. The underlined word “adversity” most probably means

A．Temperature

B．difficulty

C．Requirement

D．attitude

4. The author wants to tell us________________.

A．that it is natural for people to complain about their difficulties in life

B．that a father taught her daughter how to cook at home

C．how carrots, eggs and coffee beans change when they are cooked

D．what we should do when facing difficulties

7 . Last year, I fell into a deep depression. It was caused by a car accident. I was in physical recovery from the accident and suddenly all of my old hurts started coming up. I found myself crying on the floor of my apartment.     1     I didn’t want to feel this way anymore.

Let’s pause for a moment. I don’t want you to bleed with me or to pity me. But I also don’t want to cover my reality. And the truth is, beneath the shiny photos you see on the Internet, I’m still a work in progress.     2     Like all of us, I’m doing the best I can and making the best choices I can. Back to the evening when I found myself lying on the floor.

What happened next? I started writing.

There was a TV show I absolutely loved. I started writing fan fiction. It provided a beautiful place of escape from the thoughts swimming in my head.     3     I started to feel like myself again.

After completing four-part fan fiction totaling around 12,000 words, I had an idea. I should write a novel to give a hand to those like me.

I continued writing, having no idea where it would lead. I didn’t know I would publish it but, after much resistance on my part I finally made the decision to publish the book under my own name. No pen name. No hiding on the deep bowels of the Internet.

And so here we are.     4     Sure, readers will enjoy the twists and turns. And I can see myself in the character.     5     I wrote it to help people. To give them a place to belong to. A place to talk about this fictional world. The very same thing that saved me last year.

If the story provides this to just one person, I’ve done my job.

A．I’m not perfect.

B．I didn’t see a way out.

C．The depression started to lift.

D．But that’s not my real motivation.

E．The day before the release of the book.

F．Sometimes I even feel I am the character.

G．I’ve become a successful writer of many books.

8 . There’s that old saying: How you do one thing is how you do everything.     1    , it shows in everything that you do, even when playing music.

I recently went to a concert with some other musicians in town (many of whom I was meeting for the first time).     2    , I spent more time in my head thinking about my drumming instead of actually paying attention to what was going on. This time though, I found that I was more attentive and was able to support the other musicians more through my playing.

    3    . And I could feel the audience was enjoying the music more too, because the music was no longer about me, it was about all of us connecting through the universal language of music.

Afterwards, the musicians I played with told me they felt like our hearts were connected while playing, and that we were able to achieve a new level of playing together thanks to our collected approach. When playing, we didn’t consider how to show ourselves off.     4    .

I believe that the best musicians in the world have this in common; which is to see past their own values, and to listen to/connect with their audience and fellow musicians. I’ve realized all of this thanks to my practice of being a more compassionate and caring person.

So, I would like to thank everyone on this website for opening your hearts and showing me how to be a more caring person.     5    , but also through my music, and to those who listen.

A．When I used to connect with other musicians

B．Therefore, as you become more kind and sympathetic

C．Because of this, our music was better than ever before

D．There was just us sharing ourselves with our open hearts

E．I often find music moves me to be open and connect with others

F．There are languages that are universal, music and kindness are two of those languages

G．As I grow into a more kind and caring person, I can bring joy to not only those in my daily life