1 . At 15, I had started a band with three mates I'd met at the local rehearsal (排练)rooms.We played our first performance at a pub in Bolton. We were ______ , but the crowd didn't seem to mind,and after a few more local concerts, we recorded some songs and we started to ______.We sent out hundreds of demo(样本)tapes in ______ of our favourite band, the Manics. After finishing my high school, we drove to London to play at the Dublin Castle. Only five people ______.

But we persevered(坚持) and slowly things began to ______. Two years after our first performance, we ______ a record deal. We ______ endlessly for the next two years and built up a small but ______ following. At the end of 2002, the Manics ______ us to play with them. My teenage dreams had come true, the band I looked up to seemed to ______ of us.

We ______ performing in New York, and to 5,000 people at the Fuji Rock festival in Japan. There's no greater ______ than the moment you step on stage. The lights darken, the crowd swells (波浪起伏) and they ______ in applause as you finish.

Our album was ______ in 2003. Unfortunately, no one bought the thing. ______, I think that was about right. ______ I' m extremely proud of the music we produced, we were riding a wave of hype(天花乱坠的宣传) we could ______ live up to. Our record company quietly ______ us and, as quickly as it had started, my time in a band was over. We ______ peacefully on the day it was released. We even had a"last supper"to mark our demise(停业).

The band had ______ everything. My old school welcomed me back and I worked harder and was finally admitted to Oxford University at the grand old age of 21.

1.

A．troublesome

B．thrilled

C．hopeful

D．terrible

2.

A．hesitate

B．succeed

C．dream

D．qualify

3.

A．imitation

B．favour

C．charge

D．celebration

4.

A．dropped out

B．turned up

C．dived in

D．passed by

5.

A．catch on

B．take off

C．pick up

D．get round

6.

A．declined

B．lost

C．expected

D．signed

7.

A．practiced

B．studied

C．toured

D．waited

8.

A．separated

B．devoted

C．concerned

D．relieved

9.

A．persuaded

B．required

C．reminded

D．invited

10.

A．approve

B．tire

C．hear

D．think

11.

A．gave up

B．ended up

C．put off

D．insisted on

12.

A．risk

B．pain

C．loss

D．rush

13.

A．erupt

B．gather

C．squeeze

D．withdraw

14.

A．preserved

B．released

C．displayed

D．evaluated

15.

A．Looking forward

B．Looking down

C．Looking back

D．Looking up

16.

A．Though

B．Since

C．Unless

D．Before

17.

A．actually

B．somehow

C．always

D．never

18.

A．betrayed

B．dropped

C．impressed

D．sponsored

19.

A．split up

B．hung around

C．moved away

D．broke down

20.

A．experienced

B．disturbed

C．changed

D．replaced

2 . When I was a child, I loved to go fishing with Dad. But the only thing that wasn't very _______ about it was that I couldn't catch anything. I usually got pretty _______ and kept asking him why. He _______ answered,"Son, if you want to catch a fish, you have to think like a fish.” I remember being even more upset then because I didn’t _______ how to think like a fish. Besides, I _______，how could what I think _______ what a fish   does?

As I got a little older I began to _______ what Dad really meant. So, I read some books on fish. And I even joined the local _______ club. I learnt that a fish is a cold-blooded animal and therefore is very   _______water temperature. That is why fish prefer ________________water to deep water because the former is ________________ .Besides, water is usually warmer in direct sunlight than in the ________________. Yet, fish don’t have any eyelids and the sun       ________________       their   eyes. The more 1 understood fish, the more I became effective at finding and ________________ them.

When I grew up and ________________ the business world，I remember hearing my first   ________________say, "We all need to think like sales people.”But it didn't completely make ________________ .My dad never once said, “If you want to catch a fish you need to think like a ________________ What he said was, “You need to think like a fish.” Years       later, with great efforts to ________________ long-term services for people much older and richer than me, I gradually       ________________       what   we all need is to think more like customers. It is not an easy job.

1.

A．fun

B．easy

C．clear

D．certain

2.

A．tired

B．upset

C．mistaken

D．worried

3.

A．quickly

B．quietly

C．always

D．angrily

4.

A．realize

B．explain

C．ask

D．know

5.

A．reasoned

B．believed

C．remembered

D．insisted

6.

A．stop

B．follow

C．influence

D．support

7.

A．challenge

B．understand

C．doubt

D．prove

8.

A．nature

B．reading

C．science

D．fishing.

9.

A．sensitive to

B．careful about

C．familiar with

D．interested in

10.

A．surface

B．clear

C．fresh

D．shallow

11.

A．cleaner

B．safer

C．warmer

D．calmer

12.

A．air

B．shade

C．dark

D．bottom

13.

A．meets

B．lightens

C．shuts

D．hurts

14.

A．feeding

B．attending

C．catching

D．following

15.

A．discovered

B．filtered

C．explored

D．enjoyed

16.

A．boss

B．friend

C．assistant

D．guest

17.

A．sense

B．money

C．trouble

D．difference

18.

A．customer

B．salesman

C．fish

D．fisherman

19.

A．receive

B．promote

C．escape

D．require

20.

A．decided

B．accepted

C．learned

D．agreed

3 . I walked into a restaurant and ordered some food. 20 minutes later, a group of people walked in and ordered theirs. To my _____, they got served first. I _____ as they began to eat and laugh _____. I even heard one of them talking _____ about how he’d connected to someone in the hotel, which made me felt _____. Unable to _____ it anymore, I called the _____.

He calmly told me: ＂Yours is a special order, being prepared by the head _____ himself. Their orders were prepared _____ by students on attachment because the top chefs are ______ with yours. That’s why they were served first. Please have some juice as you wait.＂

I calmed down and ______ patiently. Shortly after, my ______ was served by 6 waiters. Unknown to me, the owner of the hotel(who happened to be an old long lost friend of mine) ______ me when I entered and decided to surprise me. She changed my ______ meal to a five-star meal. The people at the other table were shocked. They couldn’t stop ______. Suddenly they were the ones murmuring, asking why they didn’t get that kind of ______ and meal.

Such is ______! Some people are ahead of you and talking about how they are smarter, wiser and better than you, how they have money and are enjoying life. You are waiting tirelessly ______ why it’s taking so long. Don’t ______!

The owner doesn’t want you to be served a simple meal like those making a fool of you. You’re waiting long because yours is a special meal. It takes time to ______.

1.

A．delight

B．regret

C．surprise

D．disappointment

2.

A．watched

B．chatted

C．slept

D．sighed

3.

A．firmly

B．strangely

C．bravely

D．heartily

4.

A．briefly

B．proudly

C．quietly

D．shyly

5.

A．sad

B．amused

C．confused

D．angry

6.

A．stand

B．attempt

C．persuade

D．order

7.

A．owner

B．waiter

C．taxi

D．officer

8.

A．gardener

B．developer

C．chef

D．chief

9.

A．secretly

B．hurriedly

C．separately

D．roughly

10.

A．busy

B．familiar

C．concerned

D．content

11.

A．talked

B．apologized

C．waited

D．tapped

12.

A．saucer

B．goal

C．sandwich

D．meal

13.

A．saw

B．rang

C．greeted

D．patted

14.

A．traditional

B．nutritious

C．simple

D．favorite

15.

A．quarreling

B．staring

C．clapping

D．leaving

16.

A．praise

B．attention

C．award

D．service

17.

A．life

B．conclusion

C．problem

D．cost

18.

A．comparing

B．wondering

C．warning

D．reporting

19.

A．shout

B．speak

C．worry

D．leave

20.

A．consume

B．adapt

C．restore

D．prepare

4 . When faced with difficult situations in their lives，many people find them too _______ and give up，especially on their life dreams.But not for Gabriel Heredia.

Gabriel is a 20-year-old Argentinian barber who was born without hands._______ his physical disability，he was able to grow up happy and _______.He also always had the support of friends and family，never feeling _______ treated at all by his schoolmates. At the age of 14，he _______ working as a barber，and learned all the techniques to perfect haircuts. Although he first saw it as a hobby，Gabriel quickly _______ that this was the profession he wanted to work in.

His family _______ him to open his first barbershop，which he worked at for one and a half years. There，he _______ the president of Argentina Corta，an organization for barbers to connect，do charity work in less fortunate _______，and teach hairdressing to those who are __________. Gabriel is now part of Argentina Corta，offering his services to people of all __________ so they can build up the __________ they need to get decent jobs.

As a bright and caring young man，Gabriel __________ not only to be a barber，but also to make a __________ with the neighborhood:“The thing that I like most of my __________ is that people feel comfortable and stylish with my cuts and that makes me __________.”

Nowadays，Gabriel runs his own barber shop in Buenos Aires，where people __________ around the block for his services. Gabriel’s __________ shows that the barriers we face in life are never __________to deal with successfully. Whatever problem you face，you can __________ tackle it by adopting the right mindset，and never giving up.

1.

A．dangerous

B．cruel

C．large

D．challenging

2.

A．Except

B．Besides

C．Despite

D．Through

3.

A．independent

B．honest

C．wealthy

D．careful

4.

A．equally

B．fairly

C．differently

D．kindly

5.

A．started

B．continued

C．stopped

D．imagined

6.

A．promised

B．hoped

C．determined

D．predicted

7.

A．advised

B．forced

C．inspired

D．helped

8.

A．introduced

B．met

C．found

D．influenced

9.

A．neighborhoods

B．clubs

C．schools

D．organizations

10.

A．lucky

B．puzzled

C．interested

D．intelligent

11.

A．1evels

B．abilities

C．types

D．ages

12.

A．images

B．trust

C．skills

D．respect

13.

A．fails

B．struggles

C．happens

D．refuses

14.

A．connection

B．conversation

C．debate

D．bargain

15.

A．future

B．shop

C．dream

D．job

16.

A．special

B．generous

C．confident

D．happy

17.

A．turn up

B．line up

C．end up

D．pack up

18.

A．story

B．1esson

C．decision

D．choice

19.

A．hard

B．impossible

C．likely

D．useless

20.

A．almost

B．usually

C．hardly

D．never

5 . 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。

Did you know that what you think you like and don’t like is often the result of false beliefs? As humans, we tend to be     1     (easy) influenced when it comes to liking or   disliking something, and we’re happy to have our existing beliefs confirmed. But once these beliefs became fixed, we often lose our ability to be     2     (object) and we don’t like to have our ideas challenged.   Generally speaking, human beings are not good at taking a     3     (balance) view of things. For instance, we unconsciously start to listen for and select information that     4     (match) our beliefs and turn a blind eye to information that doesn’t,     5     (reject) it out of hand. We don’t always like to accept new information that doesn’t match up with what we already believe.

As a result, we often don’t even consider the reasons behind     6     opposing point of view. Instead, we look for evidence that confirms     7     we had already thought, and which conforms to our own point of view. We’re more likely     8     (give) meaning to information that matches the beliefs we already have. In other words, we are biased (偏见) towards certain information.     9     can come as a shock when information we       10     (trust) is actually exposed to be untrue.

6 . I was holding her hand when the man in the white coat came in. ______ both sets of X-rays, he said seriously: Her lungs were filling up with fluid(液体). This meant that ______ I would need to consult with specialists, and stop whatever was ______ into my mother’s lungs.

____, this doctor seemed to have another plan. He began speaking to me about “the quality of life.” He gave me a list of my mother’s ______ and then concluded that they added up to the ______ of her life. I had heard the phrase “We can make her ______” too many times. Now I was more ______ than hurt when doctors wanted to kill my mother.

My mother couldn’t walk, talk or swallow after her stroke, but nursing her was not ______. Whenever I asked her if her diseases were too hard on her, she just ______ her head. She was conveying to me her love and understanding beyond ______. And not just to me.

A young nurse stopped me just before the doctor appeared: “You know, I ______ my new job to your mother: She ______ me to learn to drive, so I would be not ______ buses and I could get to the hospital to work.”

So, I couldn’t help questioning the doctor’s ______ of quality of life. How did he arrive at the ______ that my mother should die? Was he making a(n) ______ calculation, that to keep a bedridden(卧床不起的) person alive was costly? He certainly did not “calculate” her endless love, the way it ______ everyone who came in contact with her. If human life is ______ to cost-benefit analyses, all forms of caring for any reason other than self-interest will be ______. Can we do better?

1.

A．Looking up

B．Holding up

C．Setting up

D．Drawing up

2.

A．immediately

B．occasionally

C．eventually

D．recently

3.

A．stealing

B．marching

C．rushing

D．storming

4.

A．Therefore

B．Moreover

C．However

D．Otherwise

5.

A．vices

B．strengths

C．sacrifices

D．disabilities

6.

A．whole

B．peak

C．future

D．end

7.

A．unbearable

B．moveable

C．unconscious

D．comfortable

8.

A．relieved

B．excited

C．disappointed

D．ashamed

9.

A．tiring

B．easy

C．casual

D．pleasant

10.

A．nodded

B．hung

C．shook

D．lifted

11.

A．reach

B．words

C．belief

D．hope

12.

A．relate

B．owe

C．lose

D．submit

13.

A．forced

B．encouraged

C．intended

D．ordered

14.

A．at the mercy of

B．at a loss for

C．in favor of

D．in charge of

15.

A．framework

B．instruction

C．warning

D．measure

16.

A．precise

B．rough

C．arithmetic

D．economic

17.

A．conclusion

B．agreement

C．consensus

D．answer

18.

A．transmitted

B．transferred

C．transformed

D．transported

19.

A．admitted

B．reduced

C．sentenced

D．committed

20.

A．included

B．robbed

C．excluded

D．confirmed

7 . I owe a young lady a letter. She wrote to me last week asking how I was, saying she was fine and that she was _______ the dress we sent for her birthday. She even drew a picture of herself wearing the dress. Then she wrote, “Please _______.”

I can’t _______ the last time someone asked me to write back. We don’t write letters anymore. The _______ is gone; there’s never anything good in the mail. We know what’s in the mail – advertisements and circulars (印刷信函).

When I was the same age as the young lady writing to me, my father took a new job. We only moved 200 miles, but it felt like we had been _______ from friends, extended family and all things familiar by two continents and an ocean. Long distance phone calls were _______ and expensive then, most often _______ for emergencies or bad news.

But people wrote. Both of my grandmothers, and two of my great-aunts wrote to me. It was special that someone took an interest in a _______ kid. That someone would take the time to put pen to _______ and share their lives and ________ about mine meant a lot. It would mean a lot to anybody, ________.

I spent many a Sunday evening straining (竭力) to ________ thoughtful and well-written letters. “Dear Aunt Mary, How are you? I am fine. I hope you are the same.”

My mother was a great letter writer. I looked forward to her letters when I left home, went to college and then traveled across the country working newspaper jobs. When I married, had children and moved again, still far from home, she wrote ________. Letters were a way of ________ the distance.

She was a natural storyteller. She could make a story about a ________ gathering where everyone sat on metal folding chairs and had nothing but water to drink sound like a wonderful party. Back then, letter writers were storytellers because they were ________ of the world around them.

As phone calls became affordable, then cheap, the flow of letters ________ and eventually stopped.But it is different for me today. What a ________ to get a letter! There were ________ circulars and advertisements in the mailbox. There was something truly special, which takes me to my most delightful task ________, “Dear Audrey .”

By Lori Borgman

1.

A．comparing

B．taking

C．enjoying

D．considering

2.

A．respond

B．react

C．relax

D．recommend

3.

A．forget

B．remember

C．regret

D．resist

4.

A．surprise

B．thrill

C．terror

D．disappointment

5.

A．prevented

B．divided

C．deserted

D．separated

6.

A．convenient

B．sensible

C．rare

D．common

7.

A．reserved

B．prepared

C．provided

D．sacrificed

8.

A．boring

B．homesick

C．troublesome

D．homeless

9.

A．desk

B．envelope

C．paper

D．mail

10.

A．doubt

B．talk

C．think

D．enquire

11.

A．though

B．really

C．anyway

D．regardless

12.

A．compose

B．compile

C．compromise

D．compensate

13.

A．carefully

B．thankfully

C．faithfully

D．anxiously

14.

A．keeping

B．putting

C．closing

D．finding

15.

A．sad

B．dull

C．exciting

D．happy

16.

A．creators

B．discoverers

C．admirers

D．observers

17.

A．broke down

B．slowed down

C．settled down

D．fell down

18.

A．coincidence

B．genius

C．pity

D．treat

19.

A．more than

B．no more than

C．other than

D．rather than

20.

A．by hand

B．at hand

C．on hand

D．in hand

8 . It’s easy to help some people, but what about those whose needs are not so obvious? This story was a ______ which has stayed with me and helped me a lot ever since.

It was Thanksgiving, and I was ______ with my parents at a shelter for the needy. We were standing behind the counter ______ hot food to whoever came in. Most of our diners looked like they had been having ______ times; their clothes were worn out and dirty. In short, they looked ______! Then, a man came in, who looked ______ but needy. He was well-dressed, in an expensive suit. I ______ what he was doing there, and my jaw dropped in ______ when he joined the line for ______. What was this man doing? The ______ he came to my service station, the more I murmured to myself. Surely he wasn’t going to ______ food meant for those who were ______ in need!

Then my mother ______ took me to one side. She said, “You have ______ that the needs of the people who come here must be purely ______: for food, shelter, clothing, etc. And this gentleman doesn’t seem to have any of those problems. ______ what if his needs are emotional? What if he needs ______ friends, or just to be among other human beings? Her words ______ me like a ton of bricks! I felt I should ______ to the man — but I didn’t.

About a week later the shelter received a large donation from an unknown source. I couldn’t help but wonder ______ it came from that man.

1.

A．success

B．shade

C．challenge

D．lesson

2.

A．connecting

B．volunteering

C．resting

D．staying

3.

A．advertising

B．serving

C．selling

D．sending

4.

A．lonely

B．boring

C．hard

D．busy

5.

A．needy

B．strange

C．weak

D．anxious

6.

A．something

B．nothing

C．everything

D．anything

7.

A．learned

B．asked

C．wondered

D．disliked

8.

A．pain

B．fear

C．amazement

D．trouble

9.

A．food

B．fun

C．room

D．care

10.

A．closer

B．sooner

C．faster

D．easier

11.

A．take

B．cook

C．taste

D．check

12.

A．usually

B．possibly

C．really

D．certainly

13.

A．forcefully

B．carefully

C．suddenly

D．quietly

14.

A．proven

B．assumed

C．planned

D．decided

15.

A．mental

B．moral

C．natural

D．physical

16.

A．Therefore

B．But

C．And

D．So

17.

A．health

B．luck

C．wealth

D．comfort

18.

A．encouraged

B．reminded

C．hit

D．attracted

19.

A．apologize

B．reply

C．complain

D．explain

20.

A．why

B．if

C．how

D．when

9 . The lives of the Ancient Greeks revolved(运转) around Eris, a concept by which they defined the universe. They believed that the world existed in a condition of opposites. If there was good, then there was evil；if there was love, then there was hatred; joy, then sorrow; war, then peace; and so on. The Greeks believed that good Eris occurred when one held a balanced outlook on life and coped with problems as they arose. It was a kind of ease of living that came from trying to bring together the great opposing forces in nature. Bad Eris was evident in the violent conditions that ruled men’s lives. Although these things were found in nature and sometimes could not be controlled, it was believed that bad Eris occurred when one ignored a problem, letting it grow larger until it destroyed not only that person, but his family as well. The Ancient Greeks saw Eris as a goddess: Eris, the Goddess of Discord, better known as Trouble.

One myth that expresses this concept of bad Eris deals with the marriage of King Peleus and the river goddess Thetis. Zeus, the supreme ruler, learns that Thetis would bear a child strong enough to destroy its father. Not wanting to father his own ruin, Zeus convinces Thetis to marry a human, a mortal(凡人) whose child could never challenge the gods. He promises her, among other things, the greatest wedding in all of Heaven and Earth and allows the couple to invite whomever they please. This is one of the first mixed marriages of Greek Mythology and the lesson learned from it still applies today. They do invite everyone . . . except Eris, the Goddess of Discord. In other words, instead of facing the problems brought on by a mixed marriage, they turn their backs on them. They refused to deal directly with their problems and the result is tragic. In her fury(狂怒), Eris arrives, ruins the wedding, causes a jealous argument between the three major goddesses over a golden apple, and sets in place the conditions that lead to the Trojan War. The war would take place 20 years in the future, but it would result in the death of the only child of the bride and groom, Achilles. Eris would destroy the parents’ hopes for their future, leaving the couple with no legal heirs (继承人) to the throne.

Hence, when we are told, “If you don’t invite trouble, trouble comes,” it means that if we don’t deal with our problems, our problems will deal with us . . . with a revenge! It is easy to see why the Greeks considered many of their myths learning myths, for this one teaches us the best way to defeat that which can destroy us.

1. Bad Eris is defined in the passage as _______

A．the violent conditions of life.	B．the problems man encounters.
C．the evil goddess who has a golden apple.	D．the murderer of generations.

2. Zeus married Thetis off because _______

A．he needed to buy the loyalty of a great king of mankind.

B．he feared the gods would create bad Eris by competing over her.

C．he feared the Trojan War would be fought over her.

D．he feared being a father of a boy who would kill him in the future.

3. Zeus did not fear a child of King Peleus because _______

A．he knew that the child could not climb Mt. Olympus and manage to kill a god.

B．he knew that the child would be killed in the Trojan War which would happen in 20 years.

C．he knew that no matter how strong a mortal child was, he couldn’t overthrow an immortal god.

D．he knew that Thetis would always love him above everyone else.

4. What does the myth in the passage want to tell us?

A．Do not consider a mixed marriage.

B．Do not anger the gods.

C．Do not ignore the problems that arise in life.

D．Do not take myths seriously.

10 . 阅读下面的短文，根据其内容写一篇60词左右的概要。

In 1878, when Margaret Wolfe Hungerford wrote “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”, she was stating that there was no consistent（never changing）view on beauty. Standards of beauty change across time and cultural groups.

Traditions and fashions, like society itself, change and adapt with time. So it is reasonable that our ideas of beauty change as well. In 19th-century Europe, women used to wear corsets to achieve a body shape that is no longer considered healthy. Men would wear woolen shawls across their shoulders. It is hard to imagine that they would be seen as attractive in the 21st century. Nowadays, in the western world, one in every ten people has a tattoos or a form of body art. In the past, some cultures used tattoos as an addition to costumes, to show family associations or to mark criminals so that they could easily be recognized.

In contemporary society, culture remains a major part in determining our ideas of beauty. In some countries, young women follow slimming diets to lose extra kilos in preparation for their wedding day. In other cultures, looking thin for a husband-to-be is not what a woman desires at all—rather, looking a little overweight is considered more attractive.

With the influence of history, society and culture, there are no precise criteria which can be used to judge what is beautiful. Life long commitment and, indeed, the survival of society itself rely on people seeing beauty in difference and depth. The human race would soon die out if we could only see beauty within a set of limited criteria.

Physical beauty must also be accompanied by an attraction to something deeper within a person. This particular kind of attraction is found in a wide range of personal qualities, e.g. kindness, warmth, a healthy conscience, etc. judging the appeal of a person’s inner beauty is much more subjective. It takes more than a casual glance to appreciate and it is much more important than physical beauty.

Beauty, therefore, has more than one dimension. We are influenced by our culture, our biology and our time in history to notice physical beauty quickly and easily, but it is inner beauty that requires us to truly see. Beauty is certainly in the eye of the beholder.

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