1 . It was Christmas Day. For Antony, this was another day spent in a white-walled ______. His wife and son were enjoying chicken and soup at home. But for Antony, he couldn’t enjoy the Christmas ______ with them. Instead, he was surrounded by flashes of red from arriving ambulances. He was _______ lives.

About fifty years ago, Antony was born in a little ______ in Northern Greece, where religious festivities were upheld with the highest honor. However, he was a boy who _____ Santa. When asked the reason, he laughed out and said, “He was always there, but he never _______ me Christmas presents.” His laugh then turned into a(n) ______ yell, trying to get emotional resonance (共鸣). He continued, “All the other children in the village got Christmas _______ except me.”

When he was a boy, his parents struggled hard to make ends meet and couldn’t ______ to buy him gifts. He was left to think Santa was an ________ magical man who always forgot him. Santa brought the other children presents, but ignored him. People could never imagine what it was like for him to watch all the other _______ open their Christmas presents.

______, when other children in the village played with new toys, Antony passed the time by reading his older brother’s ______ textbooks. His appetite for reading and the example his older brother set _______ him to study hard and become a _____. Antony is now a senior cardiologist. He works ______ at the hospital, close to the village where he grew up.

Doctors are especially needed, and Antony is not relying on Santa to deliver. He is at the hospital, like Santa, faithfully ________ the greatest gift of all. Antony teaches us that we can rise from _______ beginnings. His story shows us that though we may not grow up having what others do, with the right _______ and hard work, we can do something _______.

1.

A．restaurant

B．hospital

C．supermarket

D．cinema

2.

A．appointment

B．performance

C．delight

D．blessing

3.

A．improving

B．wasting

C．enjoying

D．saving

4.

A．farm

B．village

C．shop

D．school

5.

A．hated

B．followed

C．admired

D．trusted

6.

A．bought

B．taught

C．brought

D．lent

7.

A．forgettable

B．considerate

C．impolite

D．infectious

8.

A．records

B．presents

C．information

D．knowledge

9.

A．afford

B．reject

C．claim

D．arrange

10.

A．attractive

B．aggressive

C．awful

D．ambitious

11.

A．patients

B．parents

C．doctors

D．kids

12.

A．In the past

B．In the distance

C．In the end

D．In the meantime

13.

A．musical

B．physical

C．medical

D．natural

14.

A．required

B．inspired

C．forced

D．persuaded

15.

A．salesman

B．consultant

C．manager

D．doctor

16.

A．tirelessly

B．regularly

C．exactly

D．reasonably

17.

A．trying out

B．drawing out

C．giving out

D．selling out

18.

A．smooth

B．promising

C．complex

D．humble

19.

A．opinion

B．motive

C．comment

D．privilege

20.

A．extraordinary

B．familiar

C．practical

D．traditional

2 . The doorbell rang one mid-December evening. I frequently had unexpected visitors in those early days after my husband’s ________. But when my 6-year-old son opened the door, nobody was there. ________, on the doormat was a box, tied with a silver ________ and a note that said “On the First Day of Christmas...” A mystery.

Sam had died that fall, ________ me the single parent of our two boys, 6 and 8. My sons and I had already ________ to deal with Halloween, and Thanksgiving without Daddy. Still, I was afraid of Christmas. How could December have ________ without my husband?

The next night, the doorbell rang again. Another ________ came, decorated with the same silver ribbon (带子) and ________ the same card reading “On the Second Day of Christmas...”

For the next couple of nights, my boys waited near the front door to see who was leaving the gifts, but the bearer would always choose the moment they left to ________.

I didn’t know who the secret Santa was. But there was one thing I did know. In those dark days of ________, somebody was shining a light our way with a simple but ________ message: “You are loved.” It was such a strange feeling, to be left in darkness on the one hand and drawn so firmly toward ________ on the other. I believe hope will make a(n) ________.

After 11 days of offerings, we weren’t sure what to ________ when we approached home on that 12th night. I trusted there would be ________.

1.

A．promotion

B．death

C．retirement

D．operation

2.

A．Otherwise

B．Besides

C．Instead

D．Therefore

3.

A．rope

B．paper

C．flower

D．ribbon

4.

A．leaving

B．finding

C．naming

D．considering

5.

A．agreed

B．planned

C．managed

D．promised

6.

A．arrived

B．returned

C．ended

D．escaped

7.

A．book

B．toy

C．box

D．pet

8.

A．designing

B．including

C．showing

D．making

9.

A．get through

B．set off

C．move on

D．turn up

10.

A．regret

B．sadness

C．anger

D．disappointment

11.

A．annoying

B．funny

C．urgent

D．powerful

12.

A．dream

B．light

C．future

D．home

13.

A．difference

B．effort

C．comparison

D．contribution

14.

A．support

B．offer

C．expect

D．appreciate

15.

A．something

B．nothing

C．anything

D．everything

3 . It’s said that you can tell a lot about a person by looking at what’s on their bookshelves. What do my bookshelves say about me? Well, I’d always thought of myself as a cultured person, but my bookshelves told a rather different story.

So, in October 2011, I registered my blog, ayearofreadingtheworld.com, and posted a short appeal online. I explained how narrow my reading had been and asked anyone who cared to suggest what I read from other parts of the planet. I had no idea whether anyone would be interested, but within a few hours, people started to get in touch.

Books came from surprising sources. My Panamanian read, for example, came through a conversation I had with the Panama Canal on Twitter, which advised I try the work of the Panamanian author Juan David Morgan. I found Morgan’s website and sent him a message, asking if any of his Spanish-language novels had been translated into English. And he said nothing had been published, but he did have an unpublished translation of his novel “The Golden Horse”, and he emailed it to me.

Morgan was by no means the only wordsmith to share his work with me in this way. From Sweden to Palau, writers and translators sent me self-published books and unpublished manuscripts (手稿) of books that hadn’t been picked up by Anglophone publishers or that were no longer available, giving me privileged glimpses (初步的感受) of some remarkable imaginary worlds.

The books I read that year have opened my eyes to many things. That can be an uncomfortable experience, particularly when I’m reading a book from a culture that may have quite different values to my own. But it can also be really enlightening. Wrestling with unfamiliar ideas can help clarify my own thinking and show up blind spots in the way I might have been looking at the world.

When I looked back at much of the English-language literature I’d grown up with, I began to see how narrow a lot of it was, compared to the richness that the world has to offer. Little by little, that long list of countries that I’d started the year with changed from a rather dry, academic register of place names into living, breathing entities.

1. Why did the author create the blog “A Year of Reading the World”?

A．To learn from others’ bookshelves.

B．To broaden her cultural horizons.

C．To get recommendations from readers.

D．To find out the literary works she lacked.

2. What did the author think of the responses from writers and translators?

A．They presented a challenge to the author.

B．They blocked the author’s reading journey.

C．They offered unique access to literary worlds.

D．They inspired confidence in the author’s project.

3. How does reading diverse cultural books benefit the author?

A．Provide her with unfamiliar topics.

B．Make her absorbed in other cultures.

C．Show fields she needs to learn more about.

D．Reveal areas she lacks insight in her worldview.

4. Which can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Exploring the Global Literary Landscape

B．The Challenge of Reading the World

C．Uncovering Stories from Every Country

D．The Impact of Culture on the Worldview

4 . Rejection doesn’t always hurt. Sometimes rejection may _________ a more certain path to our final goals.

This year football fans have been watching to see how Joe would _________ in the playoffs(季后赛) this season. Joe dreamed to play in the National Football League (NFL), but his journey wasn’t a(n) _________ one. He applied to several colleges, but none _________ him. Later, he got into Ohio State, but he sat on the _________ for three years. Ohio State had a great football program and coaches, who didn’t think Joe had _________. But Joe thought differently. He _________ Nebraska and got rejected once again, but he didn’t quit. Then he applied to Louisiana State University, which accepted him. The rest is history.

Joe became the Heisman Trophy _________ during his senior year, then he was admitted to the NFL, and later, his team participated in the World Championship.

Joe’s story reminds us that there are _________ paths to our final goals and that it __________ strong endurance and determination to reach them. No single __________ is going to prevent you from __________ your long-term goals. Be sure to__________ the pain that comes from disappointment and face it bravely. Try to focus on goals rather than the __________ outcome of being rejected and remember that the hurt of rejection comes from how we __________ it.

1.

A．follow

B．lead

C．create

D．clear

2.

A．study

B．perform

C．train

D．join

3.

A．tough

B．fun

C．attractive

D．easy

4.

A．accepted

B．remembered

C．rejected

D．ignored

5.

A．bench

B．stand

C．team

D．stage

6.

A．chance

B．resource

C．potential

D．enthusiasm

7.

A．signed up for

B．applied to

C．attended to

D．searched for

8.

A．fan

B．adviser

C．learner

D．winner

9.

A．similar

B．smooth

C．multiple

D．flat

10.

A．costs

B．takes

C．makes

D．offers

11.

A．theory

B．training

C．rejection

D．excuse

12.

A．achieving

B．planning

C．announcing

D．explaining

13.

A．affect

B．emphasize

C．estimate

D．acknowledge

14.

A．active

B．negative

C．possible

D．predictable

15.

A．interpret

B．imagine

C．explore

D．escape

5 . In elementary school, my father told me, “It doesn’t matter what you’ll do when you grow up; the key is that it will make you pleased .________ is the whole point of life. It needs ________ and effort. Your mother loves to help people ________, so she became a nurse. I love reading and poetry, ________ I became a poet. We both find happiness in daily hard work”.

A few years later when I was in junior high, my head teacher ________ with me after school because I wasn’t ________. She mentioned some successful people in history during the conversation. Then she asked what my _______ was. I told her that I just wanted to be happy. She ________ for a moment and then she agreed with me.

When I was young, the letter that my grandma wrote to me had a line about “________ happiness in hard work”, which is my motto that still resonates (产生共鸣) with me today. I find some people hold the ________ that life should be easier than it is .________, I think, no matter what you ________, you mustn’t forget hard work, because happiness is hidden in ________.

Since I graduated from college, I have been devoted to passing all my knowledge to my students. I find happiness when my hard work is repaid by their ________ and love for me. Because of my contribution to ________, I won the Excellent Teacher Award this year and I’ll do more in the future.

1.

A．Fineness

B．Forgiveness

C．Happiness

D．Calmness

2.

A．confidence

B．satisfaction

C．experience

D．passion

3.

A．in general

B．in need

C．in poor

D．in power

4.

A．but

B．yet

C．or

D．so

5.

A．danced

B．talked

C．dealt

D．played

6.

A．ambitious

B．attractive

C．outgoing

D．careful

7.

A．dream

B．secret

C．concern

D．feature

8.

A．worked

B．thought

C．relaxed

D．waited

9.

A．removing

B．designing

C．finding

D．imagining

10.

A．memory

B．competence

C．confidence

D．belief

11.

A．Besides

B．Moreover

C．However

D．Thus

12.

A．give up

B．look up

C．pick up

D．take up

13.

A．trouble

B．effort

C．courage

D．darkness

14.

A．respect

B．regret

C．record

D．response

15.

A．education

B．law

C．medicine

D．history

6 . My memories of those nights I spent with my great-grandmother are still vivid. I_________ them all, because I have_________ else to remind me of her. While my friends_________ display treasures left to them by their grandmothers — precious china, antique silver, jewelry — all that I have of her is a scarf I’d made her.

My great-grandmother didn’t have a china-and-jewelry kind of _________. While we were under the _________, she told me many _________ stories. I felt the pain a mother feels when her only son is _________ missing after a battle. I felt the _________ a wife feels as throat cancer robs her beloved _________ of speech and ultimately of life. I felt the__________ of the Depression (大萧条), what it was like to lose your home and to __________ produce that had gone bad. My great-grandmother never cried when she __________ her past, and afterward, she always said, ” Oh, kid, it’s a great life if you don’t __________.”

A few years ago, my life took a __________ turn, and curiously, I found my great-grandmother and her stories frequently occupying my __________. I realized then that __________ she had not left me any precious objects, she had left me a treasury of stories and a wealth of__________. By turning her soul inside out to me during those nights in bed, she’d given me the greatest gift — her __________, her courage to face life head-on. Her legacy (遗赠) gave me the __________ I’d lacked. If she could survive the __________ of her life, then I knew I could, too.

1.

A．remember

B．restore

C．receive

D．remark

2.

A．something

B．anything

C．everything

D．nothing

3.

A．apparently

B．curiously

C．proudly

D．instantly

4.

A．career

B．life

C．future

D．education

5.

A．pressure

B．carriers

C．covers

D．hardship

6.

A．popular

B．sad

C．scary

D．funny

7.

A．imagined

B．resisted

C．declared

D．caught

8.

A．sorrow

B．responsibility

C．annoyance

D．justice

9.

A．son

B．daughter

C．mother

D．husband

10.

A．purpose

B．hopelessness

C．competence

D．effectiveness

11.

A．pay off

B．get through

C．hang on

D．survive on

12.

A．escaped

B．related

C．transformed

D．assumed

13.

A．weaken

B．sharpen

C．understand

D．condemn

14.

A．favorable

B．careful

C．stressful

D．preventable

15.

A．mind

B．schedule

C．status

D．analysis

16.

A．if

B．when

C．since

D．although

17.

A．memories

B．resources

C．opportunities

D．alternatives

18.

A．dream

B．caution

C．criterion

D．strength

19.

A．fate

B．will

C．cash

D．identification

20.

A．aspects

B．means

C．difficulties

D．outcomes

7 . Years ago Paul was living his best life, conducting tours in his native Zimbabwe. But his life changed after he_______ to lead an adventure down the Zambezi River.

Leading six clients and three other_______ down the river in three canoes (独木舟), Paul felt _______ because he knew the area well. Everything went well until they_______a school of hippos (河马)._______that they were at a safe distance, Paul_______ to just paddle (用桨划) around them.

The canoe_______ by guide Evans, however, was somehow knocked off course. Suddenly, there was a big _______. A male hippo had charged at Evans’s canoe and Evans was thrown into the water. The current was _______ Evans toward a mama hippo and her young 150 meters away. The situation was quite ________ because hippos are very territorial and might attack any animal________their territory.

Paul turned his canoe around to reach Evans ________ the other guides managed to get the clients to safety on a rock that hippos couldn't climb. The moment their fingers almost________, Paul was up to his waist down a hippo’s ________.

The hippo threw him out of its mouth soon but wouldn’t________ its attack. By the time others came to his________, Paul had been________   injured. After waking up ten hours later in a hospital,he realized that his left arm was gone. The only news that gave him some________ was that Evans survived, too.

Not long after his ________, Paul returned to the river in a canoe with a custom made single paddle. “Focus on what’s possible, not what we’ve ________,” Paul says.

1.

A．expected

B．forgot

C．hesitated

D．agreed

2.

A．writers

B．guides

C．reporters

D．actors

3.

A．anxious

B．guilty

C．confident

D．curious

4.

A．carried off

B．looked over

C．searched for

D．came across

5.

A．Assuming

B．Doubting

C．Admitting

D．Fearing

6.

A．pretended

B．decided

C．failed

D．used

7.

A．piloted

B．witnessed

C．recommended

D．recognized.

8.

A．mistake

B．improvement

C．noise

D．influence

9.

A．surrounding

B．assisting

C．attracting

D．washing

10.

A．confusing

B．critical

C．embarrassing

D．unique

11.

A．entering

B．marking

C．protecting

D．observing

12.

A．until

B．if

C．while

D．although

13.

A．froze

B．touched

C．bled

D．bent

14.

A．back

B．nose

C．throat

D．tail

15.

A．launch

B．increase

C．stand

D．stop

16.

A．rescue

B．senses

C．attention

D．conclusions

17.

A．seriously

B．frequently

C．mentally

D．commonly

18.

A．sorrow

B．amusement

C．relief

D．trouble

19.

A．arrival

B．recovery

C．retirement

D．escape

20.

A．created

B．hidden

C．abandoned

D．lost

8 . Patience is something that many of us struggle with. I know that I am certainly one who has a hard time dealing with delays. After all, we live in a world of instant satisfaction and overnight shipping. We can have anything that we want delivered to our doorstep right away. We can pick from a variety of entertainment options at any given moment.    1    

The truth of the matter is, however, that anything good rarely happens quickly.    2     You have to develop your patience over time by taking real action. This applies to a number of things: launching a business, waiting to go to an event, or striving to achieve your personal goals.

Here are a few tips to help you become more patient:

Make yourself wait on things. This can include eating, purchasing items, or taking any sort of action.    3     It will help you increase your current patience levels and become less anxious moving forward. Try it.

    4     Sometimes pause actually means there is hope. Perhaps you’ll meet a lot of wonderful people while waiting in line, or you will find that something put off is actually better in the future.

Understand that life is full of delays.    5     If there were delays, we would all have to accept. Ups and downs are what build character, and often, the longer we wait, the more we enjoy it. So wait it out with the best of them.

A．It usually takes a lot of work and a long wait.

B．The more patient you are, the luckier you become.

C．Teach yourself to look on the bright side of delays.

D．There is no one straight path to happiness or success.

E．Being patient is a must if you want to achieve success.

F．As a result, being patient has become increasingly difficult for most of us.

G．Work to overcome whatever makes you anxious and force yourself to wait.

9 . This morning, my daughter, Helen, and I arrived at a town in Xi’an, China. We came to _________ my husband, James, who had landed a job. We had spent the past four years living in Hong Kong, China, after I _________ my job as a journalist in Sydney. When we saw James, he had never appeared so _________. He happily kept sharing interesting things with us.

The next day, James was busy with his work. So Helen and I _________ the new town on our own. We were _________ about everything on the street. Crowds of people had a strong _________ to know about us, too. A girl asked Helen, “Where are you from?” Helen began to _________ with her, and soon they seemed to be friends. With curly hair and blue eyes, Helen stood out in the _________ and was very popular. People paid too much attention to us, but they meant _________.

Walking around, I was __________ by the town. It was a typical Chinese town filled with traditional buildings and red lanterns lining the streets. With such a beautiful area right by our doorstep, I started to feel __________ about the future.

After Helen __________ an international school in Xi’an city, I had a chance to communicate with some parents of different colors during the school run. Before long we became familiar and close, and I made a few__________ from all over the world. Regardless of (不管) __________, we all shared the basic desire to be loved. After several years, our family __________ to Sydney, but I couldn’t get China off my mind.

1.

A．meet up with

B．break up with

C．send for

D．stand for

2.

A．offered

B．confirmed

C．left

D．got

3.

A．grateful

B．merry

C．upset

D．desperate

4.

A．promoted

B．dominated

C．described

D．explored

5.

A．anxious

B．sensitive

C．curious

D．honest

6.

A．memory

B．desire

C．proposal

D．evidence

7.

A．talk

B．work

C．fight

D．argue

8.

A．classroom

B．apartment

C．club

D．crowd

9.

A．never

B．well

C．professionally

D．shallowly

10.

A．impressed

B．delayed

C．frightened

D．trapped

11.

A．doubtful

B．stressful

C．hopeful

D．careful

12.

A．attended

B．decorated

C．visited

D．built

13.

A．comments

B．demands

C．friends

D．wishes

14.

A．fashion

B．race

C．expense

D．devotion

15.

A．admitted

B．applied

C．turned

D．returned

10 . Today, we’re going to discuss a charming children’s classic from 1976: The Missing Piece by Shel Silverstein. Silverstein was an American writer, cartoonist and poet _______ for this children’s story, which has been translated into more than 30 languages.

Like many of Silverstein’s works, The Missing Piece is both _______ and rich with meaning. The main _______ of the story is a circular shape that gets around by rolling. It’s not a full circle, _______, as it’s missing a wedge-shaped (楔形的，V形的) piece of itself. It feels _______, and longs to find that missing piece of itself.

The shape goes on a(n) _______ to find that perfect wedge. It sings as it goes, has conversations along the way, and _______ the lovely scenery it passes. It meets a number of _______ wedges, but none of them are quite right. But finally, it _______ the perfect wedge. Now, the shape is a perfect circle. At first, of course, this is a ________ moment. Being totally round, the shape can roll ________ than it’s ever rolled before. Soon, though, the ________ of this becomes apparent. It can no longer sing clearly, it’s too difficult to stop for a nice ________, or it cannot roll slowly enough to take in the scenery. Being complete, it ________, is not such a great thing. The shape decides to place the wedge on the ground, and roll slowly away.

What can we learn from the story? To me, the ________ is that we feel more ________ when we’re incomplete. Everyone wants to find what is missing from themselves, but actually, the journey is more fulfilling than the ________. Rather than attempt to become perfect and whole, we should learn to cherish our ________ selves, with all of our wonderful imperfections. Not only is this a great lesson for children, but for ________ everywhere as well. It’s little wonder that The Missing Piece has remained a ________ for over 40 years.

1.

A．chosen

B．noted

C．packed

D．collected

2.

A．surprising

B．satisfying

C．convincing

D．entertaining

3.

A．character

B．purpose

C．achievement

D．background

4.

A．therefore

B．moreover

C．however

D．additionally

5.

A．awesome

B．incomplete

C．enthusiastic

D．unfortunate

6.

A．journey

B．vacation

C．business

D．interview

7.

A．pictures

B．embraces

C．admires

D．discovers

8.

A．genuine

B．perfect

C．fundamental

D．promising

9.

A．comes across

B．comes after

C．comes about

D．comes out

10.

A．gradual

B．joyful

C．passive

D．romantic

11.

A．farther

B．broader

C．faster

D．longer

12.

A．disadvantage

B．disability

C．distribution

D．disturbance

13.

A．view

B．meal

C．fellow

D．chat

14.

A．gives out

B．turns out

C．makes out

D．works out

15.

A．knowledge

B．courage

C．usage

D．message

16.

A．complete

B．confident

C．successful

D．free

17.

A．exploration

B．attraction

C．destination

D．application

18.

A．usual

B．previous

C．eventual

D．current

19.

A．grownups

B．pupils

C．acquaintances

D．communities

20.

A．power

B．theme

C．classic

D．popularity