1 . 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

2 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。

I can well remember that I was once asked to deliver a speech titled “A Real Test in My Life” before the whole class at the age of 9! You can imagine how     1     (terrible) shy I was with so many eyes       2       (fix) upon me. I had no     3     (choose) but to prepare for it, though. First of all, I was to draft the speech, which was just a piece of cake for me, a good writer. But the hardest part     4     (lie) in my oral presentation from my memory— for to read from the paper was not allowed. The real moment began     5         I stood on the platform with my legs trembling and my mind blank. But my listeners were waiting patiently without any signs of rushing me. Gradually I found myself back,     6     (deliver) my speech with difficulty. After what seemed to be a hundred years, I found my audience applauding— I made     7    ! From then on, my fear of talking before an audience disappeared. Actually with my     8     (confident) building up, I now turn out to be a great speaker. Looking back, I know the greatest difficulty on our way         9     success is our fear. Overcome it     10     we will be able to achieve our goals.

3 . Music is something I could never live without. Without music, I was ______ and would only talk when I was asked to. Music allowed me to ______ myself and be as loud as I wanted to. Singing my ______ out during choir (合唱) class, auditioning for choir concert solos, and ______ the school play, I felt the most like myself. There was nothing that could keep me away from my ______, until high school.

Everyone who wanted to be in show choir auditioned for the ______, including me. In the audition room, there was a piano, notes and different lyrics ______ on the chalkboard. I hit every note, and the ______ was amazing. When my audition was over, I took a breath of ______. Weeks passed and the list of who had made it into show choir was ______. I found my ______. “Angelica H. –– alternate (候补者)”. After I saw this, my ______ disappeared. My outside showed I wasn’t sad, but on the inside, my whole world had ______.

A year passed, I was at a ______ that also held karaoke to the customers. My parents let me go up and ______. Finally, I got enough courage to ______ a song by Sam Smith and started off. While I hit the high notes, people eating   ______ for me. I realized, I did not get into one program but that did not mean that I had to give up all ______. I still had that passion. The lesson learned was that if you are ______ or do not get what you want, and it is something you’re in ______ with, don’t give up.

1.

A．calm

B．mad

C．anxious

D．quiet

2.

A．teach

B．express

C．praise

D．help

3.

A．heart

B．brain

C．mind

D．head

4.

A．looking forward to

B．getting along with

C．trying out for

D．picking up

5.

A．pride

B．adventure

C．passion

D．courage

6.

A．activity

B．programme

C．service

D．job

7.

A．suggested

B．recorded

C．permitted

D．written

8.

A．sound

B．scene

C．play

D．answer

9.

A．relief

B．concern

C．anger

D．sympathy

10.

A．removed

B．signed

C．expected

D．posted

11.

A．signature

B．mark

C．name

D．position

12.

A．kindness

B．confidence

C．pressure

D．luck

13.

A．crashed

B．started

C．continued

D．existed

14.

A．theatre

B．restaurant

C．garden

D．park

15.

A．eat

B．dance

C．sing

D．drink

16.

A．create

B．write

C．play

D．choose

17.

A．struggled

B．stopped

C．cheered

D．voted

18.

A．efforts

B．ideas

C．knowledge

D．hope

19.

A．picked out

B．turned down

C．brought up

D．left behind

20.

A．love

B．connection

C．touch

D．common

4 . Do you think you have what it takes to be a successful scientist? A successful scientist is generally a good observer. He makes full _____of the facts he observes. He doesn't accept ideas which are not___on obvious facts, and therefore__ to accept authority as the only truth. He always checks ideas__ and makes experiments to prove them.

The rise of modern science may perhaps be considered to__ as far back as the time of Roger Bacon, the wonderful philosopher of Oxford, who lived between the years 1214 and 1292. He was probably the first in the Middle Ages to __that we should learn science___observing and experimenting on the things around us, and he himself __many important truths.

Galileo (1564－1642),___，who lived more than 300 years later, was the greatest of several great men in Italy, France, Germany, and England, who began to show how many important ___could be discovered by observation by degrees. Before Galileo, learned men believed that large bodies ___more rapidly towards the earth than small ones, __ Aristotle said so. But Galileo, going to the ___of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, let fall two __ stones and proved Aristotle was wrong. It is Galileo's __ of going direct to nature, and proving our __ and theories by experiment, that has____all the discoveries of modern science.

What __ those people good scientists? From the example of Galileo, we know clearly that ___scientists are those whose observations have___ better results.

1.

A．use

B．sense

C．speed

D．trust

2.

A．relied

B．based

C．insisted

D．centered

3.

A．refuses

B．desires

C．intends

D．regrets

4.

A．casually

B．carefully

C．quickly

D．privately

5.

A．date

B．keep

C．look

D．come

6.

A．command

B．suspect

C．suggest

D．conclude

7.

A．in

B．with

C．on

D．by

8.

A．brought

B．discovered

C．handled

D．announced

9.

A．however

B．therefore

C．seldom

D．never

10.

A．truths

B．problems

C．investigations

D．subjects

11.

A．threw

B．fell

C．ran

D．rolled

12.

A．although

B．because

C．when

D．if

13.

A．place

B．foot

C．top

D．ceiling

14.

A．big

B．small

C．similar

D．unequal

15.

A．spirit

B．skill

C．theory

D．wish

16.

A．plans

B．opinions

C．world

D．ability

17.

A．led to

B．turned to

C．set up

D．put forward

18.

A．makes

B．prevents

C．considers

D．promises

19.

A．reasonable

B．successful

C．expert

D．sensitive

20.

A．foreseen

B．rejected

C．produced

D．challenged

5 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（不多于3个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。

I dream to be     1    popular teacher in the future because I hope I can bring knowledge and     2    (happy) to children. With time passing by，my wonderful middle school life is coming to the end. Just   when I entered Sunshine School，I was a childish boy     3    liked playing computer games. I still remembered my first midterm exam. I failed many subjects. I even thought about     4    (give) up. It was Ms Zhang who encouraged me     5    (face)the difficulties bravely.     6     the help of my teacher，I redoubled my efforts. Nowadays，I     7    (overcome) difficulties and always do well in the school subjects.Thanks to Ms Zhang，I have gained a lot both in my study       8     in my life. I hope I can be as     9     (excellently) as my teacher.

All in all，I will learn harder to get more knowledge so as to lay a good foundation for my future. I will make full use of my every second and make my dream come true. I believe I can     10    (success)!

6 . I experienced great bitterness five years ago. At that time, my father _______ from an accident. As the eldest son, I had no _______ but to drop out of school and work in a factory. I didn’t dare to ask for more, just hoping to _______ my two younger brothers. However, that’s not a(n)_______ thing, for I couldn’t afford to _______ their tuition (学费) even if I worked from day to night. Without my father’s protection, I _______ I was only a slave to the life.

Later on, something changed my life. I still remember that it was a _______ day. I walked slowly in the _______. Suddenly the rain stopped. I _______ my head and found that “the sky” was in fact an umbrella. Then I heard a deep ________. “Why not ________ without an umbrella?” a one-leg man with a walking stick said to me. “If you run, you would get less wet.” His words ________ me deeply. He told me he once had dreamed of being a policeman, but an incident ruined his ________. Later he became a promoter (促销). Though his work was demanding and did’t suit for his ________, he still thought every outing was a wonderful start to him. He stated that he felt ________ he didn’t lose his ________ and still “ran” on the road of life.

Inspired by his words, I became an insurance agent. After two years’ ________, I did well and my family turned better ________. I got the time to return to my senior school, and eventually succeeded in my entrance to ________.

Everything is so simple: to run without an umbrella! When you run out of the rainy season of your life, there will be a ________ sky ahead of you!

1.

A．died

B．survived

C．suffered

D．recovered

2.

A．possibility

B．chance

C．choice

D．success

3.

A．get on with

B．give up

C．separate from

D．bring up

4.

A．difficult

B．awful

C．easy

D．wonderful

5.

A．pay

B．avoid

C．lend

D．calculate

6.

A．imagined

B．observed

C．explained

D．realized

7.

A．sunny

B．rainy

C．windy

D．cold

8.

A．shop

B．room

C．street

D．school

9.

A．nodded

B．raised

C．shook

D．buried

10.

A．sound

B．voice

C．noise

D．song

11.

A．run

B．jump

C．dance

D．dig

12.

A．pleased

B．embarrassed

C．frightened

D．astonished

13.

A．health

B．job

C．family

D．dream

14.

A．eye

B．leg

C．hand

D．ear

15.

A．delighted

B．annoyed

C．disappointed

D．sad

16.

A．achievement

B．failure

C．money

D．courage

17.

A．struggle

B．rest

C．relaxation

D．hesitation

18.

A．completely

B．immediately

C．gradually

D．partly

19.

A．participation

B．university

C．competition

D．society

20.

A．colorful

B．strange

C．grey

D．bright

7 . A couple had a son eleven years after they married. They were a loving couple and the boy was the apple of their eye. When the boy was around four years old, one day the father was very tired after work so he asked his wife to pick up their son. The mother, who was very busy in the kitchen, totally forgot about it.

Later the boy lost his way on the street. When the son was found missing, the mother hurried to look for him, but she didn't find him. The mother felt very sad and didn't know how to face her husband.

When the father went to the police station after hearing that the son was missing, he looked at his wife and said just four words. What do you think the four words were? The husband just said “I love you, darling.”

The son was missing. If she had picked him up earlier, this would not have happened. There is no point in blaming (责备) anyone. His wife had also lost her only child. What his wife needed at that moment was comfort and understanding from her husband. That is what the husband gave his wife. Several weeks later, with the help of the police, the couple finally found their lost son. The family's relationship became stronger over that time.

Sometimes we spend lots of time asking who is to blame. We miss many chances to give each other support and let each other feel the warmth of human relationships. Get rid of all your unwillingness to forgive, selfishness, and fears and you will find the world is much more wonderful.

1. What is the meaning of the underlined phrase “the apple of their eye”?

A．A person who always has a sweet smile in their opinion.

B．A person who is as pretty as an apple in their opinion.

C．A person who is loved more than anyone else in their opinion.

D．A person who looks like an apple in their opinion.

2. Why didn't the father pick the boy up himself?

A．He was very lazy.	B．He was too tired to do it.
C．He forgot to pick him up.	D．He thought the mother had picked him up.

3. What do you think of the husband?

A．Warm-hearted.	B．Careful.
C．Hard-working.	D．Broad-minded.

8 . Being jobless for the last three months, I am upset nowadays. My son has lost his ______ from a good school and he might have to go to a less qualified school. I have moved from a spacious (宽敞的) apartment to a small one in order to ______ my living expenses. My wife has built extra stress. On top of that, my father in-law ______ a week ago, which has added fuel to fire, ______ our family into a more terrible state.

In these circumstances I have two mental ______: either to feel upset and keep losing my peace of mind, or ______ my negative thoughts with super mental powers about self-confidence and consistency, and ______ applying for new jobs with positive attitude.

I choose the second option because I believe that the pain I am ______ today will build up my ______ . My strengths will then increases my confidence and make me a good times make me a ______ man one day. I understand that good and bad stages are part of ______ . While good times make me happy, bad times ______ the ‘inner’ me.

Two months later, ______ , I have finally landed on a job which is very exciting and offers a nice salary. Time has healed my wife’s mental stress ______ the death of her father. My son has already been accepted by another good school because the admissions for new academic year were still ______ !

As I am back on the track of normal life, I can ______ say that the most important things that helped me ______ the crisis (危机) were my consistent character of patience, and ______ attitude towards life. So, while I wish you all the best life can ______ you, I would highly recommend taking the same attitude towards life ______ you are trapped in any of such situations.

1.

A．admission

B．benefit

C．diploma

D．permission

2.

A．share

B．reduce

C．break

D．raise

3.

A．showed up

B．set off

C．fell down

D．passed away

4.

A．putting

B．finding

C．forming

D．lifting

5.

A．problems

B．concerns

C．choices

D．activities

6.

A．link

B．replace

C．mix

D．exchange

7.

A．regret

B．stop

C．keep

D．risk

8.

A．practicing

B．suffering

C．producing

D．relieving

9.

A．intelligence

B．body

C．character

D．reputation

10.

A．carful

B．hard-working

C．easy-going

D．successful

11.

A．life

B．wealth

C．time

D．health

12.

A．hide

B．destroy

C．strengthen

D．kill

13.

A．desperately

B．unwillingly

C．hopefully

D．fortunately

14.

A．regardless of

B．due to

C．instead of

D．apart from

15.

A．occupied

B．empty

C．open

D．closed

16.

A．disappointedly

B．surprisedly

C．deliberately

D．confidently

17.

A．fight

B．meet

C．change

D．delay

18.

A．general

B．positive

C．friendly

D．honest

19.

A．offer

B．expect

C．manage

D．send

20.

A．as if

B．in that

C．now that

D．in case

9 . When I was 3 years old, I was found to be deaf in my left ear and have a small problem in my right. Being hard of hearing has been difficult, but I’ve never lived in a state of self-hating sorrow.

Imagine being able to shut out all sounds as you lay your head down to sleep by simply rolling over onto one side. That’s my reality when I sleep on my “good ear”, and it even makes me feel like a superhero sometimes.

People call my deaf side my “bad ear”, but when I wear my hearing aid, I have access to a range of features (特征) that some other deaf people don’t.

In cinemas, for example, with one click of a button I can enjoy a whole film as though it were whispered to me from the mouths of the actors.

Having a hearing aid hasn't always felt good, however.

On the first day I got my aid, when I was 8, I took it to school for show-and-tell. As I explained how it worked to my classmates, a boy yelled out, “Aren’t those for old men?”

At that moment, I felt different. It took a long time for me to get over that sense of being so unlike my peers (同龄人).

But it’s not just choolkids who can make us deaf and hard-of-hearing people feel like burdens (负担).

Every video on social media that lacks subtitles, for example, means an entire community of deaf people is unable to enjoy it.

Completely deaf people are excluded from enjoying many movies too, as subtitles in cinemas are almost impossible to find.

And with hearing aids costing around $2,500 each, it can be hard for many people to afford to be able to listen to the things that others take for granted.

As for me, I can listen to music, enjoy films, and catch conversations – I’m lucky.

I’m deaf, but I can still hear everything. I’ve been blessed with wonderful life experiences.

1. The author once feel different from his peers because __________.

A．He can’t hear anything

B．He was laughed at by his classmates

C．He couldn’t enjoy without subtitles

D．He could shut out all sounds when sleeping on his “good ear”

2. Deaf people may have the following burdens EXCEPT _________.

A．being unable to afford hearing aids.

B．being unable to enjoy videos without subtitles

C．being embarrassed in front of their peers

D．being blessed with wonderful experiences

3. What does the underline pharse “are excluded from” probably mean?

A．are prevented from

B．are limited to

C．are separated from

D．are reduced to

4. What is the author’s attitude toward his hearing difficulty?

A．It was a tough reality and caused him a lot of trouble.

B．It was a time of great sorrow and made him feel sad.

C．It gave him a chance to experience something special.

D．It helped him to live in his own world without sound.

10 . Poet William Stafford once said that we are defined more by the detours in life than by the narrow road toward goals. I like this image. But it was quite by accident that I discovered the deep meaning of his words.

For years we made the long drive from our home in Seattle to my parents’ home in Boise in nine hours. We traveled the way most people do: the fastest, shortest, easiest road, especially when I was alone with four noisy, restless kids who hate confinement and have strong opinions about everything.

Road trips felt risky, so I would drive fast, stopping only when I had to. We would stick to the freeways and arrive tired.

But then Banner, our lamb was born. He was rejected by his mama days before our planned trip to Boise. I had two choices: leave Banner with my husband, or take him with me. My husband made the decision for me.

That is how I found myself on the road with four kids, a baby lamb and nothing but my everlasting optimism to see me through. We took the country roads out of necessity. We had to stop every hour, let Banner shake out his legs and feed him. The kids chased him and one another. They’dget back in the car breathless and energized, smelling fresh from the cold air.

We explored side roads, catching grasshoppers in waist-high grass. Even if we simply looked out of the car windows at baby pigs following their mother, or fish leaping out of the water, it was better than the best ride down the freeway. Here was life and new horizons．

We eventually arrived at my parents' doorstep astonishingly fresh and full of stories.

I grew brave with the trip back home and creative with my disciplining technique. On an empty section of road, everyone started quarreling. I stopped the car, ordered all kids out and told them to meet me up ahead. I parked my car half a mile away and read my book in sweet silence.

Some road trips are by necessity fast and straight. But that trip with Banner opened our eyes to a world available to anyone adventurous enough to wander around and made me realize that a detour may uncover the best part of journey—and the best part of yourself.

1. Why did the author use to take freeways to her parents' home?

A．It was less tiring.	B．It would befaster and safer.
C．Her kids would feel less confined.	D．She felt better with other drivers nearby.

2. The author stopped regularly on the country roads to ________．

A．take care of the lamb	B．take a deep breath
C．relax in the fresh air	D．let the kids play with Banner

3. What does the author discover from the trip according to Paragraph 6?

A．Freeways are where beauty hides.

B．Getting close to nature adds to the joy of life.

C．Enjoying the beauty of nature benefits one's health.

D．One should follow side roads to watch wild animals.

4. What could be the best title for the passage?

A．The Road to Bravery	B．Creativity out of Necessity
C．Charm of the Detour	D．Road Trip and Country Life