1 . When the host announced that my choir (合唱队) won the second place of the World Choir Game, I couldn’t believe what I heard. All the_________that we made was worthwhile. Through this unforgotten experience, I _________much.

In the semi-finals (半决赛), we were supposed to sing four songs. When we played the third song, I suddenly heard an unexpected _________— a girl in the alto (女低音) got quick. The other students in the alto were _________ by the girl and were getting quicker and quicker. Our choir’s leader, Mrs Li noticed it and_________used her hand to keep time, but she _________. After the song, the smile on Mrs Li’s face froze and some of our members turned and tried to find the person who first got_________. My mind was blank, but quickly I realized the only thing we could do was to _________the performance. Then with a smile, Mrs Li became a _________again, who seemed to have totally forgot what we had done. We sang the____________song as usual.

After the competition, I was disappointed. Just because of one person’s fault, the whole choir must afford the fact that we might lose the game. I cried, but then I found nothing would change no matter how hard we____________ the girl who played poorly.____________, I came to her, encouraged her, and practiced the whole melody with her. In the finals, we got the medal because of our____________performance.

Never blame a person when she makes a mistake, but help her to solve the problem when you are struggling____________the same goal. No matter what you will experience with others in the future, successes or failures,____________or tears, these will surely become your precious treasure and memory.

1.

A．promises

B．efforts

C．requirement

D．differences

2.

A．considered

B．forgot

C．learned

D．explained

3.

A．name

B．shout

C．voice

D．song

4.

A．driven away

B．led away

C．given out

D．turned down

5.

A．similarly

B．easily

C．happily

D．immediately

6.

A．failed

B．succeeded

C．arrived

D．agreed

7.

A．busy

B．wrong

C．warm

D．slow

8.

A．quit

B．stop

C．complete

D．end

9.

A．conductor

B．singer

C．dancer

D．worker

10.

A．late

B．only

C．first

D．last

11.

A．blamed

B．encouraged

C．called

D．asked

12.

A．Otherwise

B．Therefore

C．However

D．Besides

13.

A．bad

B．common

C．perfect

D．rude

14.

A．up

B．on to

C．for

D．in

15.

A．mistake

B．surprise

C．sadness

D．laughter

2 . For years going home for the holidays has been bittersweet. I appreciate the opportunity to spend quality time with my mom but it is painful for me to see her house littered with stuff.Clothes bought but never worn, and new items in their original packaging carelessly purchased and never used. It’s evident that seeing the stuff on a daily basis reminds my mom of a time when shopping was her way of spending money.

I didn’t fully understand the extent to which my mom was suffering until this week, when I saw piles of clothes on her bed. “How do you manage to sleep every night with all that stuff, Mom?” I asked. To my horror, she replied, “I do it because I know I have to get rid of all this stuff eventually; I am punishing myself by sleeping with them until I do that. ”

Shocked and upset, I gently explained to her that punishing herself was only to make things worse,and that everybody deserves a place to sleep in peace, no matter what mistakes they’ve made. I suggested she move all the stuff upstairs, leaving her room comfortable to sleep in.

With patience and her slow but steady guidance, I helped her go through some of the piles and move them upstairs. For the rest of the week I stayed there, she was in a better mood and was excited about going through the rest of the house to finally get rid of her stuff—past mistakes and painful times. The items brought back painful memories as we inspected and moved them, but I kept reminding her that removing them would allow her to move on and heal. We finally sold so many things and took bag after bag to charity.

The stuff is just a sign of the destructive patterns of self-hatred on past mistakes. Only through the act of self-forgiveness can we bring about a chain reaction of reorganizing—both of the house and heart.

1. What made the author feel bitter?

A．She couldn’t understand her mom’s sorrows.

B．Her mom was stuck in the painful memories.

C．Her mom was always left alone at home.

D．Her mom wasted money on useless things.

2. The underlined word “that” in the second paragraph refers to _______.

A．getting rid of the stuff	B．buying the stuff
C．opening the stuff	D．moving the stuff

3. We can infer from the passage that ______.

A．the author never bought her mom anything

B．the author’s mom has no money to purchase now

C．the author’s mom regrets buying so many things

D．the author knows her mom’s suffering only this week

4. What’s the best title of the passage?

A．How to do shopping wisely

B．Clearance helps reorganize the house

C．Keep an eye on the elderly’s behavior

D．Self-forgiveness makes a difference

3 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。续写的词数应为150左右。

It was time to go home. “Remember to work on your class speeches for homework,” Miss Walker said as everyone started talking and packing their school bags. Jenny felt sick. She hated having to read aloud in class. She was sure everyone would get really bored with listening to her. Once, when Jenny was reading out her holiday diary, Lee was even looking at his watch, a silver and blue one which seemed just magical.

Jenny watched Lee walk ahead of her as they left school. He seemed so clever, and he had a certain sort of shining confidence. He was just one of those people who were good at everything. Jenny sighed. As she turned the corner, she saw Lee’s watch lying right in the middle of the path.

Jenny picked it up and wanted to return it to Lee, but she couldn’t catch up with him. When she arrived home, Jenny put it on, thinking about the magic. She was surprised that it fitted so well. She walked to the mirror and started practicing her speech. Words just flooded out of her. “I’m going to talk about swimming. I have been lucky. I’ve won lots of competitions. But when I’m in a race, I’m not really thinking about winning. I’m just loving the feeling of being in the water…” Jenny laughed with excitement. She walked across the room. She suddenly seemed to have a certain sort of confidence. Turning back to the minor, Jenny saw a flash of light from the watch in the glass. The flashes of silver seemed almost magical. So maybe Lee’s watch really did have something magical.

The next day, as the lesson began, Miss Walker ask cd who was going to be brave and go first. Nobody moved, Jenny slowly raised her arm. Before Miss Walker could say something, there was a shout “She’s stolen in y watch!” Lee said angrily. “It went missing at school yesterday.”

注意：1.所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2.续写部分分为两段. 每段的开头语已为你写好；
Paragraph 1:

Everybody was fixing their eyes on Jenny, waiting for an explanation,

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:

Miss Walker smiled and asked the class lo listen lo Jenny’s speech first.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4 . 阅读下面材料, 根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段, 使之构成一篇完整的短文。

I grew up in a small town where elementary school was a ten-minute walk from my house and in an age, not so long ago, when we children could go home for lunch and find our mothers waiting.

Our lunchtime when I was in the third grade will stay with me always. I had been picked to be the princess in the school play, and for weeks my mother had painstakingly practiced my lines（台词）with me. But no matter how easily I delivered them at home, as soon as I stepped on stage, every word disappeared from my head. Finally, my teacher took me aside. She explained patiently that she needed a narrator (叙述者，旁白员) and had written a narrator’s part to the play, and asked me to play the role of the narrator. Her words, kindly delivered, still hurt me especially when I saw my part go to another girl.

I didn’t tell mother what had happened when I went home for lunch that day. But she sensed my upset, and instead of suggesting we practice my lines, she asked if I wanted to walk in the yard. It was a lovely spring day and the rose vine（ 藤 ）was turning green. Under the huge trees, we could see yellow dandelions（ 蒲 公 英 ） appearing unexpectedly through the grass in bunches (簇，串）, as if a painter had touched our landscape with small amounts of gold. I watched my mother casually bend down by one of the bushes. “I think I’m going to dig up all these weeds,” she said, pulling a blossom up by all its roots. “From now on, we’ll only have roses in this garden.” I immediately argued, “But I like dandelions. All flowers are beautiful — even dandelions.”

注意：
1. 续写词数应为 150 左右：
2. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已经为你写好。
Paragraph 1：

“Do you mean that every flower has its own beauty?”asked my mother thoughtfully.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2：

Having learned what had happened, Mom patted me on the back gently and said,“But you will be a beautiful narrator.”

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5 . It is dark now when I begin my early morning walk in the woods. And now that autumn has marched into winter, darkness persists well beyond my 6 a. m. start time.

Paths have become familiar after years of hiking. But rocks and tree roots have magically appeared from previously ________ ground.

Certainly I hit my toe against or ________ on some unseen barriers. Fallen branches from last night’s storm ________ in wait. Layers of autumn leaves create a false floor through which my trusting footsteps ________. Sometimes a piece of moon donates some ________ to the mystery path. But when skies are dark, there are no ________ clues for where I step.

My very first night hike was during summer camp on a warm August night in the woods. Our leader ________ bright flashlights so we would not scare away the night creatures we hoped to find.

“See with your ________，” the leader told us over and over again.

________， that advice took effect. With ________ and courage, it didn’t take long before our feet became ________ to the ground’s textures(质地) and irregularities. Toes learned to ________ for barriers before trusting full weight on feet. Holes and dips in the ground were detected in ________ of possible fall…

But mistakes ________ happened. My foot got caught on a trip and I fell. Since the pace was ________， there was little damage except to pride. Once ________， I paused to feel the firmness of earth beneath me.

On my way home, as dawn ________ day, I thought about how similar night hikes were to journeys through life.

The same rules often ________ for both: slow down, concentration, “see” with new senses —and don’t be ________. Although the path is full of ________— hidden barriers, false surface, wet floor — the earth is solid and firm beneath. It is the nature of night ground. It is the nature of life.

1.

A．wet

B．soft

C．level

D．hard

2.

A．step

B．tour

C．go

D．trip

3.

A．stand

B．lie

C．stain

D．hang

4.

A．sink

B．break

C．walk

D．remove

5.

A．coldness

B．courage

C．loneliness

D．light

6.

A．vague

B．typical

C．visual

D．conscious

7.

A．shone

B．forbade

C．removed

D．collected

8.

A．eyes

B．toes

C．hands

D．feet

9.

A．Amazingly

B．Directly

C．Possibly

D．Luckily

10.

A．contribution

B．appreciation

C．concentration

D．expectation

11.

A．suspicious

B．cautious

C．sensitive

D．tentative

12.

A．head

B．explore

C．clarify

D．assess

13.

A．advance

B．search

C．need

D．spite

14.

A．also

B．even

C．still

D．ever

15.

A．rapid

B．mild

C．gentle

D．slow

16.

A．up

B．out

C．down

D．away

17.

A．made up for

B．made way for

C．made use of

D．made sense of

18.

A．suit

B．work

C．answer

D．apply

19.

A．scared

B．confused

C．disappointed

D．annoyed

20.

A．darkness

B．hopelessness

C．anxieties

D．uncertainties

6 . Do you know the proverb “no pain, no gain”? It gives the impression that we ought to be suffering while we study. It seems that the only way to know if we’ re putting in enough work is how much hardship we bear. We are totally taken up with study, shutting ourselves away for a big exam. Is that necessarily true?

When we haven’t taken the time to come up with another idea, we just shut ourselves in a room with a book. It’s no surprise that we find revision boring and difficult. Just as children learn from playing, we can learn from doing, or at least from study techniques that interest us, rather than make us switch off. Shutting ourselves away can make us learn to hate studying, leading to a situation where, instead of being able to concentrate on our work, we are troubled by how unfair it is that we must study. This can be part of a vicious cycle (恶性循环) that traps us into ineffective revision, or poor progress fueling further annoyance.

Thankfully, working in the company of other people really helps fight against that. We just need to learn how to deal with distractions(使人分心的事). It’s not necessary to avoid all company, just lazy company. They constantly try to keep others in conversation, while studying in the same room with someone who is ironing or working out is perfectly possible. Of course, it’s also a good idea to avoid the company of people involved in activities where you would rather be playing than studying. Working while sitting next to someone playing video games is most likely to end with a new high score of games rather than productive revision.

If being around others means working in a noisy environment, a pair of headphones and some background music can block out noises. They also act as a psychological barrier, so that people think twice before interrupting you. Besides, we should know 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. What is the author’s purpose of writing the text?

A．To introduce effective studying means.

B．To encourage us to work as hard as possible.

C．To remind us to balance activities and study.

D．To discuss the importance of family company.

2. What can we learn from the second paragraph?

A．Good ideas are needed in terms of progress.

B．Ways that interest us can lead to effective revision.

C．Shutting ourselves away can help concentrate on work.

D．With study techniques, revision is interesting and easy for certain.

3. What does the last sentence in Paragraph 3 imply?

A．One should learn from certain activities that interest him.

B．Playing video games is helpful for effective study.

C．One shouldn’t study with the company of a video game player.

D．The more time one spends in playing games, the higher test scores one will get.

4. What should you do if you are studying in a noisy environment?

A．Give up others company at once.

B．Think twice before taking any action.

C．Give indication of not wanting to be interrupted.

D．Force yourself to be accustomed to the environment.

7 . It was a cold evening and my daughter and I were walking up Broadway. I didn't notice a guy sitting inside a cardboard box. But Nora did. She wasn't even four, but she ________ at my coat and said, "That man is cold, Daddy, can we take him home?"

I don't remember my reply. But I do remember a sudden _______ feeling inside me. I had always been delighted at how much my daughter noticed in her world whether it was ________ in fight or children playing. But now she was noticing _______and beggary.

A few days later, I saw an article in the newspaper about volunteers who picked up a food package from a nearby school on a Sunday morning and ________ it to an elderly person. It was quick and easy. I   ________ us up. Nora was excited about it. She could understand the importance of food, so she could easily see how ________ our job was.

When Sunday came, she was ready, but I had to ________ myself to leave the house to fetch the food package. On my way to the school, I fought an urge to ________ . The Sunday paper and coffee were waiting for me at home. Why do this? ________, we phoned the elderly person we'd been assigned. She invited us right over.

The building was in a bad state. Facing us was a silver-haired woman in an old dress. She took the package and asked us to come in. Nora ran inside. I unwillingly followed. ________ inside, I saw that the department belonged to someone poor. Our hostess showed us some photos. Nora played and when it came time to say goodbye, we three hugged. I walked home in tears.

Professionals call such a(n) ________ "a volunteer opportunity". They are opportunities, I've come to see. Where else but as volunteers do you have the opportunity to do something ________ that's good for others as well as for yourself? Nora and I regularly serve meals to needy people and ________ clothes for the homeless. Yet, as I've watched her grow over these past four years, I still wonder which of us has ________more?

1.

A．pulled

B．glanced

C．waved

D．tore

2.

A．generous

B．glorious

C．heavy

D．curious

3.

A．adults

B．creatures

C．plants

D．birds

4.

A．coldness

B．illness

C．suffering

D．ignorance

5.

A．delivered

B．returned

C．devoted

D．distributed

6.

A．held

B．hurried

C．signed

D．broke

7.

A．creative

B．valuable

C．shocking

D．tough

8.

A．forbid

B．warn

C．wish

D．push

9.

A．turn back

B．get away

C．show up

D．come out

10.

A．Therefore

B．Meanwhile

C．Still

D．Instead

11.

A．Although

B．Once

C．Because

D．Since

12.

A．stay

B．visit

C．adventure

D．challenge

13.

A．firm

B．smooth

C．difficult

D．enjoyable

14.

A．collect

B．support

C．order

D．reserve

15.

A．increased

B．benefited

C．managed

D．seized

8 . When the two Afghan boys arrived，they were seemingly quiet and scared. In an effort to break their silence，I asked Umair if he liked to throw snow balls in winter because I knew the temperatures in their country can reach as low as —10 degrees centigrade. His face turned colorless. “I couldn’t sell the hats and gloves when it snowed. I would just sit in the room and wait for the snow to melt(融化）.How else would I earn the money to feed my family?” My heart sank.

In the days that followed, my husband and I offered to teach them English and mathematics. They were from diverse linguistic (语言的）backgrounds，so teaching them proved to be challenging but a lot of fun. In fact it became a mutual(共同的）experience. I remembered many words which I had not used since graduation.

Having passed through war zones and lived in jungles, the boys treasured the comfort provided to them by their foster carers, whose love made them show more confidence in daily life and exhibit enthusiasm for learning. Such was their hunger for learning that even if five minutes had passed the set time，there was a knock on the door, reminding us to start the lesson.

Another interesting character in this experience was my four-year-old son. His presence would keep the atmosphere cheerful and light. Learning was a mutual experience for him too. The boys would correct him when he made a mistake in counting, and he would correct the boys when they got wrong in pronunciation.

Teaching these children gave me some very important lessons in life： that a spirit which has the willingness to learn is stronger than the sharpest sword, that an environment that fosters love, support and encouragement can make broken souls shine，and that learning and education is the true lighthouse to fight darkness in this world.

1. Why did the author ask Umair about snow balls?

A．She was curious what his life was like.

B．She liked to know the culture difference.

C．She wanted to encourage him to talk more.

D．She tried to help him adapt to the life here.

2. What brought the changes in the two boys?

A．Love and care.

B．English and mathematics.

C．Mutual interest and hobby.

D．Confidence and enthusiasm.

3. Which of the following can describe the author’s experience?

A．Teaching is an art.

B．Men learn while they teach.

C．Teaching can make a person.

D．Learning is a daily experience.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．A Lifelong Lesson

B．A Desire for Learning

C．International Friendship

D．Teaching Two Afghan Boys

9 . For years, I thought of a present and a gift as the same thing. I grew up in a household where presents marked special ______. There was always a box for each of us under the tree at Christmas ______, Dad always gave Mom something each Valentine’s Day. He would carefully plan his shopping trips to find just the ______ thing. His joy in the hunt was proof of the ______ of giving and of his love for her. I came to see these presents as the ______ of a husband’s devotion.

So when I married a man who did not give presents on a regular basis, it was an ______. I wrestled with my deep-rooted expectations. Gary did not ______ avoid gift-giving. Gary would return from sea armed with a brown paper bag inside of which was something that ______ him of me. But mostly, he ignored holidays, ______ to shop for a thing to present to me as a sign of his affection.

I tried to change him ______. I prepared gifts for Christmas and for his birthdays ______. He appreciated the caring, but refused to do the same thing for me. I dropped hints, but they fell on ______ ears. I began to tell him what I wanted, giving ______ instructions. When Gary left for the market one Saturday, I asked him to find me diamond earrings as a birthday gift. Yet he came home with a road scraper (刮路机). ______ when the snowstorm hit later that year and he was at sea, I used the road scraper to plow ( 犁 ) out both our driveway and our neighbor’s, thinking how ______ earrings would have been and it was then that I finally realized he had been giving me gifts all along. The gestures, large and small, born of his caring and concern for the family were the ______ that he gave daily.

We ______ to teach others how to love us. In that struggle, we often forget how to ______ the love they already give us as only they can give it.

I finally began to understand the ______ between a present and a gift. A present is a thing. But a gift is broader and often abstract. It is a small act of kindness, the ______ to bend to another’s needs, the sacrifice of time and effort. Love is a gift. Any expression of it, freely given, is an offering from the heart that is immeasurably better than a present.

1.

A．locations

B．situations

C．occasions

D．conditions

2.

A．Additionally

B．Originally

C．Fortunately

D．Consequently

3.

A．cheap

B．astonishing

C．splendid

D．right

4.

A．pleasure

B．ambition

C．intention

D．addiction

5.

A．example

B．emphasis

C．experiment

D．expression

6.

A．improvement

B．adjustment

C．excitement

D．enjoyment

7.

A．actively

B．willingly

C．patiently

D．wholly

8.

A．warned

B．reminded

C．convinced

D．informed

9.

A．refusing

B．announcing

C．demanding

D．rushing

10.

A．by tradition

B．by force

C．by example

D．by accident

11.

A．on purpose

B．in order

C．at random

D．on time

12.

A．sharp

B．huge

C．deaf

D．sensitive

13.

A．abstract

B．specific

C．brief

D．unusual

14.

A．And

B．So

C．Though

D．But

15.

A．precious

B．practical

C．useless

D．ugly

16.

A．promises

B．gifts

C．blessings

D．instructions

17.

A．struggle

B．fail

C．attempt

D．decide

18.

A．express

B．appreciate

C．return

D．share

19.

A．distance

B．similarity

C．difference

D．conflict

20.

A．wisdom

B．freedom

C．happiness

D．willingness

10 . Stained glass artists create different designs by making cuts on the glass to “score” it and then breaking off the pattern that they want to use in the finished product. The most difficult cut in stained glass is called an inside cut. Basically, it’s a curved line where you throw away the part inside of the curve. The problem with inside cuts is that the edges of the curve tend to break off when the pieces of scored glass are broken apart.

As the artist talked about inside cuts, he said, “The glass will break into pieces if you try to cut too much off at once. The best way to do an inside cut is to slice off smaller curves piece-by-piece. In fact, it’s not just the best way lo do it, but it’s the only way to do it.”

How many times do you try to make a big change and cut the entire piece at once? We convince ourselves that we can do this all the time. We’ll commit to transforming our diet overnight or we get inspired to launch a business in a weekend or we finally get motivated to work out and push ourselves to the edge of burning out.

Why not approach your goals and dreams like a stained glass artist? Starting by slicing a shallow curve and breaking a small piece off, you cut a slightly deeper curve and break that off until you have your full inside cut. By slowly cutting deeper and deeper curves, you prevent the glass from breaking as it change shape.

Of course, change isn’t easy — no mailer how you do it. Slow gains are boring, but if we keep making small improvements, then pretty soon we will end up with a beautiful masterpiece on our hands instead of a bunch of broken pieces.

1. Why is an inside cut believed to be most difficult?

A．It needs a one-and-only design.	B．It calls for nothing but inspiration.
C．The edges of the curve break easily.	D．The glass inside the curve is easily broken.

2. What mistakes are easily made according to paragraph 3?

A．Being too eager to make improvements.

B．Being too worried about the final outcome.

C．Trying to make a complete change all at once.

D．Developing to focus on progress instead of achievements.

3. What does the author suggest by saying “slicing a shallow cure”?

A．Moving forward with a clear aim.

B．Starting slow and improving little by little.

C．Developing a new habit with great determination,

D．Handling something major first and ignore the minor part.

4. What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?

A．To show his love of stained glass.	B．To introduce the skill of an inside cut.
C．To appreciate designs of stained glass artists.	D．To share his opinions on how to make a change.