2 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填一个适当的词或填入括号中所给单词的正确形式。

Three Things to Do Before You Are 18

Are you bored with your daily life? Here are some things you should try before you are 18,     1     after that it’s too late.

Learn to swim

Seriously, this is so important     2     it can save your life. If you can’t swim well, you     3    (not) be able to do water sports like waterskiing, surfing and diving. Even taking a boat trip will be     4    (danger) for you. Make sure you do it.

Try at least one kind of team sports

Being a good team player is     5     important skill in life. You can’t just think of yourself,     6     have to work well with other people. Other advantages of team sports like basketball, football and baseball are that they keep you fit and healthy, and they are also great fun. Teams     7     (usual) have a good social life, too. You’ll go to lots of parties and make many friends.

Collect something

One of the best     8     (hobby) for under-18s is collecting things. You could collect kinds of stamps, or you could collect things that make you     9     (remember) what you have done, like cinema tickets for films you have seen or emails from friends. The best way to collect is to have a special album     10     (put) your collection in and to write what each thing means to you. That way you won’t forget.

3 . An old man with his pale blue eyes and a smile walked slowly into the restaurant. His old cloth jacket and warm personality made him easily to be noticed from the usual Saturday morning breakfast people.

A young waitress named Mary watched him walk toward a table by the window. She ran over to him and said, “Here, Sir. Let me give you a hand with that chair.”

In a soft, clear voice he said, “Thank you for your kindness.”

“You’re welcome, sir.” She replied. “And my name is Mary. I’ll be back in a moment and if you need anything, just wave me!”

After he had finished a big meal, Mary helped him up from his chair, and out from behind the table. She helped him walk to the front door.

Holding the door open for him, she said, “Come back and see us, sir!”

He turned with his whole body, smiled and nodded a thank you.

When Mary went to clean his table. she almost let out a cry. Under his plate she found a100-dollar bill with a note, which read. “Dear Mary, you have found the secret of happiness. Your kindness will shine through those who meet you.

The man she had waited on was the owner of the restaurant where she worked. This was the first time that she or any of his workers had ever seen him in person.

1. The old man came to the restaurant to have __________

A．supper

B．dinner

C．breakfast

D．afternoon tea

2. According to the old man, what is the secret of happiness?

A．Smile.

B．Patience.

C．Service.

D．Kindness.

3. The underline phrase “waited on” means _________.

A．looked at

B．Served

C．waited for

D．found

4. Mary didn’t know the old man was the owner of the restaurant because__________.

A．he was dressed well.

B．he looked very poor

C．Mary was a new waitress of the restaurant.

D．none of his workers had seen him before.

5 . My wife and I moved into our home two years ago. We had a yard with a lot of ________. Very often when we have flowers, Denise or I would plant some between the rocks, just to add some ________ to the area.

Last summer, I found a tiny little plant in the yard 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 ________ growing until we could find out what it was.

Weeks passed and as I made my way back to the ________ plant, it appeared to be a sunflower. I decided to ________ the weeds (杂草) around it. As I pulled rocks from the area to get to the weeds, I noticed something ________.The sunflower had not ________ where I saw it begin. It actually had begun under a big rock and grown under and around it to reach the ________.

That’s when I ________ that if a tiny little sunflower didn’t let a big rock stand in its way of developing, we too have the ability of doing the same thing. If we ________ ourselves like that little sunflower, we can reach where we ________ to go and get what we need for growth.

We need to believe in ourselves knowing we have the ________ to achieve our goals. Like the sunflower, it knew it had the ability to get over the rocks because it had ________ in itself that it would succeed. Stand tall like the sunflower and be ________ of who and what we are, and then the environment will begin to ________ us. We will find a way to go under or around any “rocks” in order to reach our goals.

1.

A．flower

B．insects

C．vegetables

D．rocks

2.

A．water

B．fertilizer

C．color

D．shape

3.

A．stop

B．continue

C．improve

D．escape

4.

A．weak

B．strange

C．lonely

D．pretty

5.

A．collect

B．tend

C．remove

D．watch

6.

A．unusual

B．wonderful

C．terrible

D．valuable

7.

A．passed

B．started

C．left

D．died

8.

A．air

B．top

C．sun

D．house

9.

A．hoped

B．realized

C．doubted

D．regretted

10.

A．fill in

B．put in

C．worry about

D．believe in

11.

A．forget

B．hate

C．aim

D．wait

12.

A．wish

B．plan

C．ability

D．idea

13.

A．faith

B．energy

C．virtue

D．courage

14.

A．aware

B．afraid

C．proud

D．tired

15.

A．forgive

B．support

C．upset

D．affect

7 . 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

9 . 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

10 . 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