1 . The word “happy” would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by hardship. The circular motion (循环运动) between happiness and _________ is the one I’ve been dealing with lately.

A year ago, I developed troubling symptoms(症状) in my left _________. My husband sent me _________ to a specialist who said I had already suffered some everlasting loss of vision and would, without _________, go blind in that eye within months. And I urgently _________ to begin painful eye injections. Almost blind? Painful eye injections? I was _________. What if the _________ medicine didn’t work? What if my right eye developed the same condition? I _________ thought that, amazingly, the medicine was only three years old; before that, patients just went blind.

Over that long week, I _________ myself to casually __________ sadness, to cry and acknowledge my fears about my very fragile body. I __________ to be near anybody but my husband. Fortunately, I __________ pretty quickly, within the week. During this __________ time, I posted my __________ in my blog and receives great care and support from friends online, which filled my heart with __________ and encourages me to receive the eye injections. Besides, the doctor __________ the efficacy(功效) of the medicine. In the end, I bravely received the eye injections and they were very successful. I was lucky enough to see the world again with my healthy eye.

Finally, I gained a __________ insight: being your happiest self isn’t equal to a lifetime of __________ skies, and we are bound to __________ storms of life. Knowing this can help us face difficulties optimistically and __________ the change of life.

1.

A．loneliness

B．tiredness

C．sadness

D．greatness

2.

A．eye

B．arm

C．leg

D．ear

3.

A．suddenly

B．carelessly

C．secretly

D．immediately

4.

A．luck

B．treatment

C．apology

D．discussion

5.

A．needed

B．expected

C．managed

D．congratulated

6.

A．in relief

B．in anger

C．in peace

D．in panic

7.

A．new

B．traditional

C．strong

D．folk

8.

A．rarely

B．frequently

C．occasionally

D．mistakenly

9.

A．forbade

B．encourages

C．forced

D．permitted

10.

A．lay down

B．hold back

C．fall into

D．meet with

11.

A．desired

B．promised

C．refused

D．attempted

12.

A．gave in

B．cheered up

C．gave up

D．broken down

13.

A．terrible

B．sweet

C．spare

D．precious

14.

A．election

B．challenge

C．goal

D．choice

15.

A．guilt

B．pride

C．hope

D．joy

16.

A．stresses

B．analyzed

C．investigated

D．guaranteed

17.

A．wrong

B．unique

C．funny

D．valuable

18.

A．sunny

B．cloudy

C．rainy

D．snowy

19.

A．disturb

B．experience

C．blame

D．assign

20.

A．admit to

B．listen to

C．adapt to

D．contribute to

2 . A man went to buy fruits and asked the shopkeeper about the _________ of the fruits. The shopkeeper replied that banana was $2 and apple was $4 per kilo. At the same time, a woman came into the shop and _______ the same question. Without a second _________, the shopkeeper answered, “Banana is $1 and apple is $3 per kilo.” Hearing this, the man stared at shopkeeper in _________. The shopkeeper noticed this immediately and signaled him to wait for a while. The woman took the fruits, paid for them and left _________.

After the woman left with a smile, the shopkeeper looked toward the customer and said, “I didn’t mean to _________ you.” He continued after a brief ___________, “The woman lives in my neighborhood. She is a poor mother of four. I have tried many times to help her but she is not _________ to take any help from anyone in our _________· Then I thought of this way to help her. Whenever she comes, I sell her fruits at the ______________ price. This way, she won’t feel that she is being helped and ______________ on others. This is the only way I can extend my help. And whenever this lady comes, my sales ______________.”

After he learned the story, tears ______________ in the customers eyes. He hugged the shopkeeper and bought fruits without complaining or ______________. More importantly, he left with a lesson learned that if you want to ______________, you will always find a way and your own bless will come along.

1.

A．quality

B．variety

C．price

D．taste

2.

A．raised

B．addressed

C．examined

D．explained

3.

A．strength

B．request

C．contact

D．thought

4.

A．excitement

B．joy

C．anxiety

D．shock

5.

A．nervously

B．peacefully

C．cheerfully

D．hurriedly

6.

A．cheat

B．harm

C．frighten

D．ignore

7.

A．check

B．comparison

C．stop

D．preparation

8.

A．content

B．grateful

C．excited

D．ready

9.

A．neighborhood

B．community

C．block

D．department

10.

A．reasonable

B．high

C．half

D．minimum

11.

A．concentrating

B．depending

C．focusing

D．pressing

12.

A．disappear

B．decline

C．increase

D．start

13.

A．dried up

B．welled up

C．slowed down

D．settled down

14.

A．bargaining

B．arguing

C．comparing

D．balancing

15.

A．explore

B．serve

C．help

D．connect

4 . Common phrases like “no pains, no gains” give the impression that we ought to be suffering while we study. It’s almost as though the only way to know if we’re putting in enough work is the sense of hardship we bear.

When we haven’t taken the time to come up with another idea, all we know how to do is shut ourselves in a room with a book. It’s no surprise that we find revision boring and difficult. Just as children learn about from playing, we can learn from doing, or at least from study techniques that interest us, rather than make use switch off.

Shutting yourself away can make you learn to hate studying. This leads to a situation where instead of being able to concentrate on your work, you are troubled by how unfair it is that you must study.

When you hate your work it’s very difficult to make yourself start, or approach it with enthusiasm. This can be part of a vicious cycle that traps you into ineffective revision, your poor progress fueling further annoyance.

Just being around other people really helps fight against feelings of loneliness and, thankfully, it’s perfectly possible to work in the company of other people. We just need to learn how to deal with distractions.

It’s not necessary to avoid all company, just idle company. Studying in the same room as someone who is ironing or working out is perfectly possible. People who are bored and looking to be distracted, however, are terrible to work around. They constantly try to keep others in conversation.

It’s also a good idea to avoid the company of people involved in activities that you would rather be doing than studying. Working while sitting next to someone playing video games is much more likely to end with a new high score than a productive few hours of revision.

If being around others means working in a noisy environment, a pair of headphones and some background music can block out even noisy children. They also act as a psychological barrier, so that people think twice before interrupting you.

When you’re studying for a big exam, it seems like your whole life is taken up with study. Friends and family can lessen feelings of isolation. And connecting with other people makes us happy, so it’s important not to give that up and to make sure that we take the time to socialize.

1. The author might believe that the phrase “no pains, no gain” _______________

A．best describes how to study well	B．make people treat study as a habit
C．encourages people to learn step by step	D．is not a good inspirational phrase for study

2. Which saying about study might the author prefer?

A．There is no royal road to learning

B．It’s better to work behind closed doors

C．A positive motivation leads to good study results.

D．He who is ashamed of asking is ashamed of learning

3. Which might lead to effective study based on this text?

A．A correct goal

B．A good teacher

C．A favorable interest

D．A hard task

4. If you are studying in a noisy environment, you’d better___________.

A．give indication of not wanting to be interrupted	B．give up others’ company at once
C．think twice before taking any action	D．force yourself to be accustomed to the environment

6 . One summer night, my friends and I stole into the Jordans’ backyard and started harvesting their sweet, juicy raspberries (树莓). We were enjoying every bite of the tasty berries_______Mr Jordan came charging outside all of a sudden.

“What are you boys doing out here?” he yelled as my friends ran off_______all directions. He attempted to catch one or two as they rushed past him, but they were too_______for the older gentleman to catch. Within seconds, the boys_______into the dark of the summer night. All except me.

However, speed was never my_______. I took the tongue-lashing(痛骂) that Mr Jordan gave me as he marched me down the block to my house, where my mother took over and scolded me_______. My friends said they could hear every_______word she spoke from the darkness of our backyard, where they had gathered to_______their escape and to observe my capture.

They teased me about it for days afterwards, while all I could do was complain about how_______it was that I was the only one who had to pay the price. After about a week of this, I complained to my father about the inequality of the situation. Dad said, “You took raspberries without________, and you get exactly the punishment you deserved.”

“But what about the other guys?” I asked. “They didn’t get punished at all!”

“That’s not my concern nor should it be yours,” Dad said. “You can’t________what happens to others. You can only________what happens to you. You made a bad choice that night, and you were punished for it.”

________the duration of the following years, I come to realize there is no guarantee that life will treat us fairly. That’s why we can’t________comparing our lives with the lives of others. Like Dad said, that isn’t our________.

1.

A．before

B．while

C．when

D．after

2.

A．towards

B．in

C．at

D．from

3.

A．smart

B．foxy

C．swift

D．intelligent

4.

A．hid

B．marched

C．hurried

D．disappeared

5.

A．strength

B．power

C．intention

D．option

6.

A．cruelly

B．bitterly

C．mercilessly

D．pitifully

7.

A．colorful

B．offensive

C．violent

D．creative

8.

A．negotiate

B．celebrate

C．plot

D．congratulate

9.

A．unhappy

B．frustrating

C．disappointing

D．unfair

10.

A．thinking

B．warning

C．asking

D．informing

11.

A．control

B．predict

C．accept

D．explain

12.

A．put up with

B．get away with

C．agree with

D．deal with

13.

A．In

B．For

C．Through

D．Since

14.

A．get stuck in

B．get engaged in

C．be involved in

D．be buried in

15.

A．problem

B．complaint

C．concern

D．choice

7 . Johnny, a lizard (蜥蜴), lived between some rocks in the country, where he liked sunbathing every morning. One day, he felt so ______ doing so that he didn’t notice some boys coming up behind him. The boys ______ Johnny, and he could only escape from their hands by losing his tail and running to ______.

Shocked and ______, the trembling lizard spied on the children watching his tail moving about, even though it was no longer ______ to his body. The children soon grew ______, threw the tail away and left. Johnny came out to look for his tail, but could find no ______ of it. Determined to recover his “lost belongings”, Johnny abandoned everything else in his life, devoting himself entirely to the ______. Days and months passed, and Johnny kept looking, asking everyone whether they had seen his tail.

One day, someone he asked ______ replied, “Why do you need two tails?”

Johnny turned and saw that he had grown a new, stronger tail. He suddenly realized how ______ it had been to waste so much time on a problem for which there was no ______. Johnny turned back and headed for home.

On the way, he found his old tail on the roadside. Although it looked horrible, Johnny was still ______ to have it back. He picked it up and was about to ______ his journey when the truth finally hit him: he was looking at the past.

He then decided to ______ his old tail there, leaving with it all his past worries. As he continued his journey, all he took with him were thoughts of the ______.

1.

A．interested

B．relaxed

C．lonely

D．nervous

2.

A．caught

B．discovered

C．stopped

D．teased

3.

A．sleep

B．sunbathe

C．hide

D．cry

4.

A．disabled

B．confused

C．disappointed

D．frightened

5.

A．added

B．attached

C．related

D．tied

6.

A．cautious

B．desperate

C．bored

D．worried

7.

A．proof

B．sign

C．mark

D．use

8.

A．search

B．journey

C．countryside

D．hope

9.

A．hopefully

B．understandingly

C．surprisedly

D．generously

10.

A．risky

B．hard

C．careless

D．silly

11.

A．solution

B．response

C．evidence

D．reason

12.

A．encouraged

B．ashamed

C．upset

D．delighted

13.

A．changed

B．continue

C．plan

D．end

14.

A．return

B．cut

C．remove

D．drop

15.

A．tail

B．children

C．future

D．past

8 . Born in the United States, I, with black hair and yellow skin, am an American. Yes, I am a US citizen. Yet I   ________ early in my childhood that I was very different.

It wasn’t until ________ in the early years of primary school that I noticed this difference. Some kids in my class asked me ________ I could speak Chinese. It seemed strange to me that they would be interested in this part of my ________ . I answered “yes” and expected them to say nothing else about it.

To my surprise, they were ________ to hear me say something in Chinese. When I did so, they said, “Wow, that’s cool!” I had always thought of it as just a strange ________ that came from China.

I ________ what had happened that day when I got home. I went into the bathroom to wash my hands as I usually did. I looked myself in the mirror—the same face was ________ from that morning, but it didn’t ________ the same to me. For the first time, I felt different from the others in my ________ .

That day I discovered a part of my life that was ________ — in culture and tradition — from the one I was   ________ .

Now I know that we must all remember our ________ , but we must also continue to explore, realizing that   ________ is different, with our own beliefs, opinions, traditions and lifestyles. Recognizing these differences should   ________ respect for one another.

1.

A．deserved

B．discovered

C．impressed

D．proved

2.

A．one moment

B．one evening

C．one day

D．one year

3.

A．why

B．how

C．when

D．if

4.

A．life

B．manuscript

C．secret

D．program

5.

A．critical

B．amused

C．appreciative

D．eager

6.

A．tradition

B．comment

C．language

D．reply

7.

A．wrote down

B．thought about

C．talked about

D．forgot about

8.

A．out

B．up

C．next

D．there

9.

A．maintain

B．seem

C．act

D．burst

10.

A．family

B．class

C．team

D．association

11.

A．different

B．delighted

C．worthy

D．valuable

12.

A．persevering

B．expecting

C．living

D．probing

13.

A．blessings

B．spots

C．concepts

D．roots

14.

A．nobody

B．nothing

C．everyone

D．everything

15.

A．lead to

B．stick to

C．devote to

D．refer to

9 . Life is just like a box. Inside it are happiness and sorrow, failure and success, hope and despair. Life is a learning process. Experiences in it teach us new lessons and make us a better person.

Love

    1    . Love makes you feel wanted. Without love a person could become cruel and violent. In the early stage of our life, our parents are the ones who show us with unconditional love and care. They tell us what is right or wrong, good or bad. But we always tend to take this for granted. It is only after marriage and having kids that a person understands and becomes sensitive to the feelings of others. Kids make a person responsible and mature and help us to understand life better.

Happiness and sorrow

Materialistic happiness is short­lived, but happiness achieved by bringing a smile on others gives a certain level of fulfillment.     2     No mind is happy without peace. We realize the true worth of happiness when we are in sorrow. Sorrow is basically due to death of a loved one, failure and despair. But these things are temporary and will pass away.

Failure and success

    3    . It helps us to touch the sky, teaches us to survive and shows us a specific way.

    4    

Hope is what keeps life going. Parents always hope their children will do well. Hope makes us dream. Hope builds in patience. Life teaches us not to despair even in the darkest hour, because after every night there is a day. Nothing remains the same. We have only one choice — keep moving on in life and be hopeful.

Life teaches us not to regret over yesterday, for it has passed and be right or dull.     5    , so that we will enjoy a better tomorrow.

A．Hope and despair

B．So let's enjoy every day

C．Failure is the path to success

D．Success lies in trusting yourself

E．Love plays a key role in our life

F．So the only alternative is to work hard today

G．Peace of mind is the main link to happiness

10 . Whenever the sun dropped and the blue sky came up, my father and I used to climb the mountain near my house. Walking together, my father and I used to have a lot of conversations through which I learned lessons from his experiences. He always told me, “You should have goals like climbing the mountain.” Without the mountain-climbing that we both enjoyed, we couldn’t have enough time to spend together because my father was very busy. I really got a lot from the mountain-climbing. It gave me time to talk with my father and to be in deep thought as well as develop my patience.

Once we climbed a very high mountain. It was so challenging for me because I was only ten years old. During the first few hours of climbing, I enjoyed the flowers and trees, and the birds singing. But as time passed, I got a pain in both of my legs. I wanted to quit climbing. In fact, I hated it at that moment, but my father said to me, “You can always see a beautiful sky at the top of the mountain, but you can’t see it before you reach the top. Only there at the top, can you see all of the nice things, which is just like your life.”

At that time, I was too young to understand his words. But later after that, I got new hope and confidence. I found myself standing at the top of the sky, which was as clear as crystal(水晶).

1. Why couldn’t the writer and his father have enough time to spend together?

A．Because the writer was very busy.	B．Because both of them had no time.
C．Because they didn`t live together.	D．Because the writers father was very busy.

2. The passage tells us that mountain-climbing _________ for father and son.

A．was hard

B．was enjoyable

C．was terrible

D．took too much time

3. We can learn from the last paragraph that________.

A．though the writer was young, he could understand his father.

B．the writer didn’t reach the top of the mountain.

C．the writer was very successful in his life.

D．the writer suddenly felt he wasn’t a child any more.