1 . Two of the saddest words in the English language are “if only”. I live my life with the goal of never having to say those words, because they express regret, lost opportunities, mistakes, and disappointment.

My father is famous in our family for saying, “Take the extra minute to do it right.” I always try to live by the “extra minute” rule. When my children were young and likely to cause accidents, I always thought about what I could do to avoid an “if only” moment, whether it was something minor like moving a cup full of hot coffee away from the edge of a counter, or something that required a little more work such as taping padding (衬垫) onto the sharp comers of a glass coffee table.

I don’t only avoid (避免) those “if only” moments when it comes to safety. it’s equally important to avoid “if only” in our personal relationships. We all know people who lost a loved one and regretted that they had foregone an opportunity to say, “I love you” or “I forgive you.” When my father announced he was going to the eye doctor across from my office on Good Friday, I told him that it was a holiday for my company and I wouldn’t be here. But then I thought about the fact that he’s 84 years old and I realized that I shouldn’t give up an opportunity to see him. I called him and told him I had decided to go to work on my day off after all.

I know there will still be occasions when I have to say “if only” about something, but my life is definitely better because of my policy of doing everything possible to avoid that eventuality (可能发生的事). And even though it takes an extra minute to do something right, or it occasionally takes an hour or two in my busy schedule to make a personal connection, I know that I’m doing the right thing. I’m buying myself peace of mind and that’s the best kind of insurance (保障) for my emotional well-being.

1. Which of the following is an example of the “extra minute” rule?

A．Start the car the moment everyone is seated.

B．Leave the room for a minute with the iron working.

C．Wait for an extra minute so that the steak tastes better.

D．Move an object out of the way before it trips (绊倒) someone.

2. Why did the author decide to go to her office on Good Friday?

A．To keep her appointment with the eye doctor.

B．To meet her father who was already an old man.

C．To join in the holiday celebration of the company.

D．To finish her work before the deadline approached.

3. Which word(s) can best replace the underlined word “foregone” in Paragraph 3?

A．given up.

B．Lacked.

C．Avoided.

D．Wasted.

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A．The Emotional Well-being	B．The Two Saddest Words
C．The Most Useful Rule	D．The Peace of Mind

2 . Get a Thorough Understanding of Oneself

In all one’s life time, it is oneself that one spends the most time being with or dealing with.     1    

When you are going upwards in life you tend to overestimate yourself. It seems that everything you seek for is within your reach.     2     It’s likely that you think it wise for yourself to stay away from the outer world. Actually, to get a thorough understanding of oneself, you may as well keep the following tips in mind.

Gain a correct view of oneself. You may look forward hopefully to the future but be sure not to expect too much, for dreams can never be fully realized. You may be courageous to meet challenges but it should be clear to you where to direct your efforts.     3    

Self-appreciate. Whether you compare yourself to a high mountain or a small stone, you represent a state of nature.     4     If you earnestly (诚挚地) admire yourself, you’ll have a real sense of self-appreciation.

    5     In time of anger, do yourself a favor by releasing it in a quiet place so that you won’t be hurt by its flames; in time of sadness, do yourself a favor by sharing it with your friends so as to change a bad mood into a cheerful one; in time of tiredness, do yourself a favor by getting a good sleep.

Get a full control of one’s life. Then one will find one’s life full of color and flavor.

A．Do oneself a favor when it’s needed.

B．It has its own value.

C．Do yourself a favor when you resist the attack of illness.

D．Especially if it is well within your reach, you are just too blind to see it.

E．But it is precisely oneself that one has the least understanding of.

F．When you are going downhill you tend to underestimate yourself.

G．So long as you have a perfect knowledge of yourself, there won’t be difficulties you can’t overcome.

3 . A month after Hurricane Katrina, I returned home in New Orleans. There lay my house, reduced to waist-high ruins, smelly and dirty.

Before the trip, I’d had my car fixed. When the office employee of the garage was writing up the bill, she noticed my Louisiana license plate. “You from New Orleans?” she asked. I said I was, “No charge,” she said, and firmly shook her head when I reached for my wallet. The next day I went for a haircut, and the same thing happened.

As my wife was studying in Florida, we decided to move there and tried to find a rental house that we could afford while also paying off a mortgage (抵押贷款) on our ruined house. We looked at many places, but none was satisfactory. We’d begun to accept that we’d have to live in extremely reduced circumstances for a while, when I got a very curious e-mail from a James Kennedy in California. He’d read some pieces I’d written about our sufferings for Slate, the online magazine, and wanted to give us (“no conditions attached”) a new house across the lake from New Orleans.

It sounded too good to be true, but I replied, thanking him for his exceptional generosity, that we had no plans to go back. Then a poet at the University of Florida offered to let his house to me while he went to England on his one-year paid leave. The rent was rather reasonable. I mentioned the poet’s offer to James Kennedy, and the next day he sent a check covering our entire rent for eight months.

Throughout this painful experience, the kindness of strangers has done much to bring back my faith in humanity. It’s almost worth losing your worldly possessions to be reminded that people are really nice when given half a chance.

1. What do we know about James Kennedy?

A．He was a writer of an online magazine.

B．He was a poet at the University of Florida.

C．He offered the author a new house free of charge.

D．He learned about the author’s sufferings via e-mail

2. It can be inferred from the text that ______.

A．the author’s family was in financial difficulty

B．rents were comparatively reasonable despite the disaster

C．houses were difficult to find in the hurricane-stricken area

D．the mortgage on the ruined house was paid off by the bank

3. The author learned from his experience that ______.

A．worldly possessions can be given up when necessary

B．generosity should be encouraged in some cases

C．people benefit from their sad stories

D．human beings are kind after all

5 . My family moved into our home nine years ago. We spent a lot of time and energy in the yard to get it looking like the way it does today. In front of the house, the rocks appear to be just thrown up onto the dirt as if someone were in a hurry to finish. We called this area our “rock garden”. Denise and I would also plant some flowers between the rocks, just to bring some color to the area.

Last summer I found, in the rock garden, a tiny little plant 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 continue growing until we could figure out what it was.

Weeks passed and as I made my way back to the strange plant, it appeared to be a sunflower. It looked thin and tall with only one head on it. I decided to baby it along and weed(除杂草)around it. As I pulled rocks from the area to get to the weeds, I noticed something unusual. The sunflower had not started where I saw it begin. It actually had begun under a big rock and grown under and around it to reach the sun.

That’s when I realized that if a tiny little sunflower didn’t allow a big rock to stand in its way of developing, we too have the ability to do the same thing. Once we believe in ourselves like that little sunflower, we can attain the same nourishment(养分)for growth as well.

Stand tall like the sunflower and be proud of who and what we are, then the environment will begin to support us. We will find a way to go under or around any “rocks” in order to achieve our goals.

1. What can we know from the first paragraph?

A．The author finished building his house hurriedly.

B．The family has lived in this house for 9 years.

C．The author’s house is made of rocks.

D．The family don’t like gardening.

2. The author let the tiny plant continue growing to ______.

A．see how long it could live

B．see how big it could grow

C．find out what it actually was

D．know if his wife had planted it

3. The author found it unusual that ______.

A．the strange plant turned out to be the sunflower

B．the sunflower grew under and around a big rock

C．the sunflower had only one head on it

D．the sunflower was very thin and tall

4. Which of the following can best describe the sunflower?

A．Confident.

B．Devoted.

C．Delicate.

D．Modest.

5. We can conclude from the passage that ______.

A．rocks cannot prevent us from success

B．the sunflowers are able to grow everywhere

C．we should take good care of the rock gardens

D．we can get over difficulties if we trust ourselves

6 . 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.

7 . 假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（⋀），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下画一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。

Three years ago I failed an important exam in my life and became a student at a ordinary school. Although I felt disappointed at the shabby campus and my poorly-equipped classroom, but I found the teachers impatient and considerate. Beside, I enjoyed the friendly class atmosphere. I decided to make the best it. I worked hard and got along good with my teachers and classmates. Whenever I had difficulties, they are always available. Soon, I became one of the top student in my class, that greatly increased my confidence and got me motivated. My experience tells me that it is not what you are given but how you make use of it that determines who we are.

8 . 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

9 . When I was growing up, I had an old neighbor, Dr. Gibbs. He didn’t look like any doctor I’d ever known. He never invited us to play in his yard, but he was a very kind person. When Dr. Gibbs wasn’t saving lives, he was planting trees. He owned a large field and wanted to make it a forest.

The good doctor had some interesting ideas about planting trees. He never watered his new trees. Once I asked why, he said that watering plants spoiled them, and that if you watered them, each baby tree would grow weaker and weaker, so you had to make things difficult for them and pick out the weaker trees early on. He talked about how watering trees made for shallow (浅的）roots, and how trees that weren’t watered had to grow deep roots in search of water under the earth by themselves. Deep roots were very important. So he never watered his trees. He’d planted an oak and, instead of watering it every morning, he’d beat it with a rolled-up newspaper. I asked him why he did that, and he said it was to get the tree’s attention.

Dr. Gibbs died several years after I left home. Every now and then, I walked by his house and looked at the trees that I watched him plant about twenty-five years ago. They’re very big and strong now. I planted some trees a few years back and carried water to them for a whole summer. After two years of caring too much, whenever a cold wind blows in, they shake a lot.

Every night before I go to bed, I check on my two sons. Mostly I pray (祈祷) that their lives will be easy. But lately I’ve been thinking that it’s time to change my prayer. I know my children are going to face difficulties. There’s always a cold wind blowing somewhere, so what we need to do is to pray for roots that reach deep into the brave heart, so when the rains fall and the winds blow, we could face it strongly and won’t be beaten down.

1. We know from the reading, the doctor ______.

A．didn’t know how to plant trees at all

B．had his own ways of planting trees

C．wasn’t good at his own medical job

D．had nothing to do but plant trees

2. When Dr. Gibbs said “... pick out the weaker trees early on.”, he meant that ______.

A．some weak trees would be easily found out at the beginning

B．he would choose the weak trees to water earlier

C．the weak trees would be sent to his patients later

D．he would not plant weak trees so early anymore

3. The passage tells us that the writer ______.

A．beat all his trees with a rolled-up newspaper

B．often water his trees

C．took too much care of his trees

D．didn’t have a large field

4. The writer wants to change his prayer, hoping that ______.

A．his trees will be stronger than Dr. Gibbs'

B．his trees will not be beaten down

C．his sons will be better at planting trees

D．his sons will be able to face difficulties

5. Which can be the best title of the reading?

A．Watering Trees

B．Growing Roots

C．Doctor and his Neighbor

D．Father and his Children

10 . 阅读短文，并按照题目要求用英语回答问题。

John and Bobby joined a wholesale company together just after graduation from college the same year. Both worked very hard. After several years, however, the boss promoted Bobby to the position of manager but John remained an ordinary employee. John could not take it anymore. So without hesitation, he presented a tender resignation to the boss quickly, complaining the boss did not know how to identify a good clerk and did not value hard-working staff, but only promoted those who flattered (讨好) him.

The boss knew that John worked very hard for the years. He thought a moment and said, “Thank you for your criticism, but I have a request. I hope you will do one more thing for our company before you leave. Perhaps in time you will change your decision and take back your resignation.” John agreed.

The boss asked him to go and find out anyone selling watermelon in the market. John went and returned soon. He said he had found out a man selling watermelon. The boss asked how much per kg? John shook his head and went back to the market to ask and returned to inform the boss $1.2 per kg.

The boss told John to wait a second, and he called Bobby to come to his office. He asked Bobby to go and find anyone selling watermelon in the market. Bobby went, returned and said, “Boss, only one person selling watermelon. $1.2 per kg, $10 for 10 kg, and he has inventory of 340 melons. On the table 58 melons, every melon weighs about 2 kg, bought from the South two days ago. They are fresh and red, of good quality.”

John was very impressed and realized the difference between himself and Bobby. He decided not to resign but to learn from Bobby.

My dear friends, a more successful person is more observant, thinks more and explores in depth. Chances exist in the daily details. For the same matter, a more successful person sees more and farther so that he can find out an opportunity and catch it to realize his aim. If a person sees one year ahead, while another sees only tomorrow, the difference between a year and a day is 365 times. How could you win?

1. After Bobby’s promotion, what did John do? (no more than 12 words)
2. What’s the meaning of the underlined word “take” in Paragraph 1? (no more than 3 words)
3. What was “one more thing” the boss asked John to do before he left the company? (no more than 15 words)
4. What kind of person is Bobby? (no more than 12 words)
5. To be a more successful person, what would you like to do? Please tell your reason(s). (no more than 25 words)