1 . Routine can make a person blind to beauty. You can drive along the same road day after day, but it isn’t until you are in the passenger seat that you _______ the old farmhouse hidden just behind the trees. Raising children can have a similar effect. As time flows you _______ a routine.

Our normal life changed when our 3-year-old daughter Piper was diagnosed with autism(自闭症). As the youngest of our three children, Piper entered the world full of _______, but her laughter disappeared at the age of 3. Great _______ led my husband David and me to her doctor, and that day set off a chain of events that threw our routine out of the house.

I felt that while the rest of the world carried on, time for us had come to a _______. I was also worried about Kaydence and Cameron, feeling guilty for _______ them of quality time because so much of our time was invested in taking care of their sister. Fortunately with remarkable doctors and teachers, Piper started _______.

What happened next was nothing short of _______. I deliberately took a step back and became the “passenger” again. I forced myself to actually _______ our new routine instead of focusing on where we needed to be next. In doing so, I was given one of the greatest gifts in a decade of marriage. I was able to see my husband in a ________ light.

It suddenly occurred to me that my heart wasn’t the only one that ________ over the past few months. On Piper’s toughest days, I nearly suffered a ________. It was my husband who ________ me and provided Kaydence and Cameron with the consistency and nurturing they needed to ________ this storm with us. I ________ many people a great deal along this journey, but the biggest thanks go to my husband, a man never for a second let us lose our way.

1.

A．miss

B．share

C．build

D．notice

2.

A．see into

B．settle into

C．break into

D．dig into

3.

A．hope

B．energy

C．joy

D．tears

4.

A．faith

B．relief

C．curiosity

D．concern

5.

A．head

B．stop

C．point

D．decision

6.

A．reminding

B．informing

C．warning

D．robbing

7.

A．communicating

B．walking

C．crying

D．joking

8.

A．reliable

B．sensible

C．reasonable

D．unbelievable

9.

A．break

B．follow

C．observe

D．establish

10.

A．different

B．natural

C．bright

D．bad

11.

A．leaped

B．failed

C．pounded

D．ached

12.

A．loss

B．pain

C．mistake

D．collapse

13.

A．accepted

B．motivated

C．admired

D．tolerated

14.

A．weather

B．control

C．reveal

D．create

15.

A．consult

B．praise

C．owe

D．respect

2 . Many people believe that there is one form of their language that is more correct than others. They may believe for example that British English is more correct than other varieties; or that written English is more correct than spoken English. Often this belief is supported by reference books to grammars, usage guides or dictionaries: If something goes against a rule in a grammar, or if the word isn’t in the dictionary, it “must be wrong”. Since the reference books are most often based on observation of the standard written language, the argument is really circular: These books will naturally describe standard usage, because that is what they are for; but this does not mean that there is anything wrong with other kinds of usage that are less often described.

A better way of looking at things is to say that usage is “correct in its place”. Standard American English is correct in America, and formal written grammar is employed in formal writing. So this means there is no answer to the question: “What kind of English should learners study?” It depends on their purposes. For many learners, the best model is one or other of the two main standard varieties: British or American English. Neither of these is “better” than the other, and they are both used and understood worldwide.

People are also worried by language change. If younger people “break” the rules that older people have learnt, older people often feel disturbed: they are concerned that younger people no longer know their grammar, and that the language is going downhill. This is a needless worry: change is natural and inevitable, it cannot be stopped, and it does not generally affect a languages efficiency as a communicative tool. A great deal of modern English grammar would have been wrong three hundred years ago, and will perhaps be wrong again three hundred years from now.

1. What can we infer from paragraph 1?

A．Learners are always confused by the reference books.

B．Some wrong usages can be found in the reference books.

C．Nobody can challenge the authority of the reference books.

D．Usages not mentioned in the reference books are not necessarily wrong.

2. What is paragraph 2 mainly about?

A．There is no “standard English”.

B．American English is better than British English.

C．A learner should master all the distinctions of different English.

D．The differences between British English and American English.

3. Which word can replace the underlined word “inevitable” in paragraph 3?

A．Avoidable.

B．Formal.

C．Certain.

D．Temporary.

4. What is the authors attitude towards the changes of English?

A．Disturbed.

B．Optimistic.

C．Cautious.

D．Doubtful.

3 . An early morning winter storm had brought several inches of snow in my small town in the mountains.Schools were canceled,roads were dangerous and all I wanted to do was to stay in bed.Still,I knew I had to get the day started so I put on warm clothes and walked outside.The snow got all over my shoes.The cold wind dried my lips and my eyes.My 47 year-old back ached in anticipation（预想）of the shoveling（铲雪）I would have to do if the snow didn't stop soon.

Yet,when I looked out on the white blanket that covered the ground,I couldn't help but smile a bit.It was so beautiful.It softened the bare trees and hid the dead grass.In the distance I could hear the sound of the snowplow on the road,the barking of a happy dog and the laughter of children playing outside,enjoying their way off from school.

The sweet music of that laughter brought back a hundred memories of winters past.I remembered catching snowflakes(雪花)on my tongue,building snowmen,making snow angles,running down hills and always losing snowball fights with first my brothers and then my own children.Standing there in that warmcoat of memories made the wind a little less cold and my back a little less sore.I turned up my head,stuck out my tongue and for the first time in years caught a snowflake on it.It tasted so fresh and clean.It tasted like youth,like joy and like love.

May you always feel young in spirit,no matter how old or achy your body may be.May you always delight in the simple joys of life.May you always share your happiness with the hearts of children.And may you always give your love,your light,your laughter and your warmth to others even on the coldest days.

1. What was the author’s first reaction when he knew it snowed heavily?

A．He was upset.	B．He was happy.
C．He was thankful.	D．He was moved.

2. From the underlined sentence in Paragraph l,we can know that.

A．my back ached because of the cold weather.

B．I didn't want to start my day on such a snowy day.

C．my back would ache upon thinking of cleaning up the snow.

D．the snow didn't stop and I felt too cold.

3. From which senses did the author describe the joy of having snow?

A．Taste and smell.	B．Sight and smell.
C．Smell,hearing and taste.	D．Sight,hearing and taste.

4. What does the author mainly want to tell us with this article?

A．Appreciate every snowstorm you spend with your family.

B．Snow brings both fun and trouble.

C．Memories can change our opinion.

D．We should stay young at heart.

4 . 阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。

It was Christmas Day. Pappy was working alone fixing an old lantern in the backroom when he heard the ringing of his bell on the shop door. The bell, which produced a uniquely pleasant sound, had been in Pappy’s family for over a hundred years. He valued it dearly and enjoyed sharing its song with all who came to his shop. Although the bell hung on the inside of the main door, Pappy had tied a wire to the screen door so that it would ring whether the inner door was open or not. Hearing the bell, he left the backroom to greet his customer.

“And how can I help you, little lady?” Pappy’s voice was joyful.

“Hello, sir.” The little girl spoke almost in a whisper. She looked at Pappy with her big brown eyes, and then slowly scanned the room in search of something special. Shyly she told him, “I’d like to buy a present, sir.”

“Well, let’s see,” Pappy said, “who is this present for?”

“My grandpa. It’s for my grandpa. But I don’t know what to get.”

Pappy began to make suggestions. “How about a pocket watch? It’s in good condition.” The little girl didn’t answer. She had walked to the doorway and put her small hand on the door. She shook the door gently to ring the bell. Pappy’s face seemed to glow as he saw her smiling with excitement.

“This is just right,” the little girl said. “Momma says grandpa loves music.”

Just then, Pappy’s expression changed. Fearful of breaking the little girl’s heart, he told her, “I’m sorry, Missy. That’s not for sale. Maybe your grandpa would like this little radio.”

The girl looked at the radio, bowed her head, and sadly sighed, “No, I don’t think so.”

In an effort to help her understand, Pappy told her that the bell had been his only companion, for the rest of his family were all gone now, except for his estranged (疏远的) daughter whom he had not seen for nearly a decade.

注意：

所续写短文的词数应为150左右；

应使用5个以上短文中标有下划线的关键词语；

续写部分分为两段，每段开头语已为你写好；

续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。

Paragraph 1:

With a giant tear in her eye, the little girl looked up at him.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Paragraph 2:

Later that evening when Pappy was closing up the shop, he heard a familiar ringing.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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。

When I was seven, my family made me an ant farm — clean sand in a glass box.

After the ants were in the glass farm, they started to make tunnels (通道). I     1    (amaze) that each one had its own job and knew exactly     2     to do.

On the fifth day, however, a tragedy (悲剧) happened. I put my face so close     3    the glass farm that I knocked it over. All the tunnels     4    (fall) down. The ants remained alive after the “earthquake”,     5    one by one they began to die.

My mother said that the ants were dying of sadness. They     6    (simple) could not stand that their tunnels were gone.

Although a long time has passed, I still think of that ant farm every now and then. It taught me a lot. I came to realize the importance of teamwork.     7    (work) together, the ants were able to make an amazing world for     8    (they). I also learned that they should be admired for their hard work.

But there was an even larger lesson that I did not realize until recently: Adversity (逆境) is a     9    (nature) part of life, and must be accepted. Unlike the ants; we shouldn't give up when we are sad. We have to realize that if a tunnel is gone, we can build another. Giving up, I say, is not a good     10    (choose)．

6 . Is smile just a facial expression? Of course not! It is not only used to express pleasure, affection, and friendliness, but also the commonest way to show our good will perfectly without saying anything. A Chinese saying runs: "Never hit a person who is smiling at you." It is a time-proven fact that smile is a language all its own — a universal language — understood by the people of every nation in the world. We may not speak the same tongue as our foreign neighbors, but we smile in the same tongue. We need no interpreter for thus expressing love, happiness, or good will.

One day while shopping in a small town in southern California, it was my misfortune to be approached by a clerk whose personality conflicted with mine. He seemed quite unfriendly and not at all concerned about my intended purchase. I bought nothing, and marched angrily out of the store. On the outside stood a young man in his early twenties. His expressive brown eyes met and held mine, and in the next instant a beautiful, brilliant smile covered his face. The magic power of that smile made all bitterness within me melt, and I found the muscles in my own face happily responding. "Beautiful day, isn't it?" I remarked, in passing. Then, obeying an impulse (冲动), I turned back. "I really owe you a debt of gratitude," I said softly. His smile deepened, but he made no attempt to answer. A Mexican woman and two men were standing nearby. The woman stepped forward and eyed me inquiringly. "Carlos, he no speak English," she volunteered. "You want I should tell him something?" At that moment I felt changed. Carlos' smile had made a big person of me. My friendliness and good will toward all mankind stood ten feet tall. "Yes," my reply was enthusiastic and sincere, "Tell him I said, 'Thank you!'" "Thank you?" The woman seemed slightly confused.

I gave her arm a friendly pat as I turned to leave. "Just tell him that." I insisted. "He'll understand. I am sure!"

Oh, what a smile can do! Although I have never seen that young man again, I shall never forget the lesson he taught me that morning. From that day on, I became smile-conscious, and I practice the art diligently, anywhere and everywhere, with everybody.

1. Why did the writer march angrily out of the store?

A．He bought nothing.	B．He was unlucky to meet with an unfriendly clerk.
C．He was unfriendly.	D．He conflicted with the clerk in the store.

2. What do you think of the woman?

A．Curious and sincere	B．Helpful and curious
C．Enthusiastic and diligent	D．Warm-hearted and honest

3. In the following paragraph, what may the writer mention?

A．How he used smile to solve problems	B．How hard he tried to look for the young man
C．The lesson Carols had taught him	D．How he became a big person of ten feet tall

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A．An Unfriendly Clerk.	B．A Powerful Smile.
C．A Helpful Woman.	D．An Impressive Young Man.

7 . To learn to think is to learn to question. Those who don't question never truly think for themselves. These are simple rules that have governed the advancement of science and human thought since the beginning of time. Advancements are made when thinkers question theories and introduce new ones. Unfortunately, it is often the great and respected thinkers who end up slowing the progress of human thought. Aristotle was a brilliant philosopher whose theories explained much of the natural world, often incorrectly. He was so esteemed by the scientific community that even 1，200 years after his death, scientists were still trying to build upon his mistakes rather than correct them!

Brilliant minds can intimidate up­and­coming thinkers who are not confident of their abilities. They often believe they are inferior to the minds of giants such as Aristotle, leading many to accept current paradigms instead of questioning them.

I, like many thinkers of the past, once believed in my mental inferiority. I was certain that my parents, my teachers-adults in general-were always right. They were like a textbook to me; I didn't question what was written on those pages. I respected them, and accepted whatever they told me. But that attitude soon changed. My mind's independence was first stimulated in the classroom.

A stern, 65­year­old elementary­school science teacher once told me that light is a type of wave. I confidently went through years of school believing that light is a wave. One day，however I heard the German exchange student mention that light could be made up of particles. As the others laughed at his statement, I started to question my beliefs.

Maybe the teachers and textbooks hadn't given me the whole story. I went to the library, did some research and learned of the light­as­a­wave versus light­as­a­particle debate. I read about Einstein's discovery of the dual nature of light and learned the facts of a paradox(悖论) that puzzles the world's greatest thinkers to this day. Light behaves as both a particle and a wave, it is both at once. I realized I had gone through life accepting only half of the story as the whole truth.

Each new year brought more new facts, and I formulated even more questions. I found myself in the library after school, trying to find my own answers to gain a more complete understanding of what I thought I already knew. I discovered that my parents and teachers are incredible tools in my quest for knowledge, but they are never the final word. Even textbooks can be challenged. I learned to question my sources, I learned to be a thinker. I once believed that everything I learned at home and at school was certain, but I have now discovered to re­examine when necessary.

Questions are said to be the path to knowledge and truth, and I plan to continue questioning. How many things do we know for sure today that we will question in the future? At this moment, I know that our sun will burn for another five billion years, and I know nothing can escape the gravity of a black hole. This knowledge, however, may change in the next 20 years-maybe even in the next two. The one thing we can control now is our openness to discovery. Questions are the tools of open minds, and open minds are the key to intellectual advancement.

1. In the first paragraph, Aristotle is taken as an example to show that ______.

A．he is the greatest and respected philosopher of all time

B．huge influence of great thinkers may block human thought

C．advancements are made when thinkers question theories

D．great thinkers often make mistakes and then correct them

2. What does the underlined word “intimidate” in Paragraph 2 mean?

A．Frighten.

B．Encourage.

C．Strength.

D．Persuade.

3. The author began to question his previous beliefs because ______.

A．what he learned from textbooks before turned out to be wrong

B．he was inspired by the different ideas from an exchange student

C．he was laughed at by other students for his unacceptable statement

D．he was not satisfied with his life and desperate to achieve success

4. According to the passage, the author ______.

A．looks down upon great thinkers all the time

B．never doubts what he has learned in the textbook

C．always throws himself into the laboratory

D．determines to be a thinker and questioner

5. We can conclude from the last paragraph that ______.

A．the author is not quite sure about his future

B．we human beings don't dare to predict future

C．theory of black holes will change in two years

D．questioning is necessary to promote advancement

6. What does the passage mainly talk about?

A．Following rules.	B．Challenging yourself.
C．Questioning giants.	D．Predicting future.

8 . The best example of universally understood body language may be the smile. A smile can open doors and tear down walls among _______.

I have organized and reorganized an _______ with the dentist for months. I also _______ it twice and called the day before to ensure all the paperwork would be ready for the x-rays.

Then I arrived. It wasn't _______ at all. The lady there even had no idea what I was talking about. 1 _______ felt my blood boil. I was getting so _______ .I didn't yell at her but I may as well have because the _______ I was talking to her was not nice. I spoke down to her like she was a child and incapable. It was not a good moment. The whole time she smiled and was _______ to me.

Only when everything was finally _______ was I nice. I sat down in the waiting area and ________ it all. How can I make it better? How can I make up for my ________ behavior a moment ago? I couldn't. I could gift her a chocolate bar I had on me, but this needed more than that. It needed an honest ________ . And that is exactly what I gave.

I apologized for the way I had spoken to her and told her it was wrong of me. She accepted. Again with a hope. God help me be that woman who smiles and forgives so ________ .I don't get it right every time. I can be rude and when I am, I almost ________ myself for it. I am not that person, not anymore. Yet I continue to grow and continue to ________ . It's true that smile vanished my anger and opened a door to understanding.

1.

A．friends

B．strangers

C．patients

D．relatives

2.

A．interview

B．operation

C．experiment

D．appointment

3.

A．confirmed

B．arranged

C．discussed

D．admitted

4.

A．crowded

B．ready

C．open

D．busy

5.

A．mildly

B．roughly

C．privately

D．immediately

6.

A．mad

B．sad

C．humorous

D．curious

7.

A．habit

B．way

C．accent

D．tune

8.

A．rude

B．attached

C．friendly

D．devoted

9.

A．figured

B．added

C．made

D．sorted

10.

A．refiected on

B．worked at

C．called at

D．went through

11.

A．unnecessary

B．impolite

C．impossible

D．unfair

12.

A．comment

B．promise

C．apology

D．suggestion

13.

A．slowly

B．easily

C．frequently

D．tightly

14.

A．teach

B．forgive

C．hate

D．see

15.

A．expand

B．react

C．overcome

D．learn

9 . When Emanuel received an email from Professor Richard English. Queen’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor at the School of History, Anthropology,Philosophy and Politics, encouraging him to apply for a PhD in Politics in Belfast, it was a pinch-me moment Emanual never thought would be possible. After all, just a few short years ago, he was living on the streets couch-surfing at friends’ houses and weeding gardens to make ends meet. Now, one of the world’s leading political academics was preparing to welcome him to Queen’s University over 4,000 miles away.

Emanuel never knew who his father was and his mom was mentally ill when she gave birth to him, so the hospital took him off her and he was unofficially adopted for the first few years of his life. What followed was a childhood with uncertainty as Emanuel was passed between the adoption system and family members.

Through his high school and community college years, he moved from house to house, living with friends at times and living on the streets at others.

Determined to change all that despite his rocky start in life, Emanuel involved himself in school-doing everything he could to earn extra tuition (学费) money in his spare time. But getting accepted into university was scarcely possible because a person like him couldn’t get a regular student loan.

Fortunately, the government backed him, having created a policy allowing disadvantaged persons to access funding for higher education. He graduated from the University of the West Indies with a 1st Class Honors degree and went on to do his Masters.

Emanuel knows that his story could have been very different.

“I discovered Professor Richard English online and sent him an email honestly, not thinking he would reply and to my surprise, he did. I applied for the highly competitive Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Scheme in order to fund my research at Queen’s. When I was told I was successful, my whole world changed.”

1. What does the underlined word “pinch-me” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?

A．Expected.

B．Unbelievable.

C．Awkward.

D．Anxious.

2. What happened to Emanuel in his childhood?

A．His father was mentally ill.

B．He was abandoned by his mother.

C．He was once adopted by his relatives.

D．He lived with his friends now and then.

3. How did Emanuel afford his university education?

A．By receiving a regular student loan.

B．By earning the tuition all by himself.

C．By borrowing the money from friends.

D．By getting support from the government.

4. What can we learn from Emanuel’s story?

A．Well begun is half done.

B．It’s never too old to learn.

C．You are the master of your life.

D．Lost time is never found again.

10 . The other day a big,ugly,black bat found its way to the bathroom of my house and hung, upside down, over the toilet bowl. As "the man of the house", I was asked to rid the house of the awful creature. I grabbed a pillow and held the broom.I quickly opened the bathroom door and threw the pillow at the bat. It didn't move. Then that old feeling started to come over me. It was the same feeling I experienced when I was sent down the stairs in the middle of the night to see what made a noise.The feeling can be summed up in one word-trapped.

All men, I think, sometimes have had that feeling of being trapped in some male role. It may be something as simple as having to carve the chicken before it is served,or having to pretend that you know something about car engines when the car won't start.However,women nowadays seem to have the freedom to be themselves.They can repair cars or be fire fighters.Yet men appear to be more afraid to do something different. It's as if being a man is not what you are,but what you do and the way you do it.

As I came towards the fierce and frightening bat, I wondered what would happen if I had simply told my wife that I won't do it-that she could get it out, or else call someone in the morning. But I couldn't do that! I am the man! I slowly opened the window and closed the toilet bowl cover. I then, carefully, lifted the broom over my head and swept the bat out the window. Just like that, it was gone.

My wife was so pleased and in the morning,my son thought I was a hero. They asked me how I had got rid of the bat. I started to tell them-but then stopped.A man doesn't talk of such things.

1. Why does the author mention the old feeling in Paragraph 1?

A．To recall the old days.	B．To show his fear of darkness.
C．To predict his fight with the bat.	D．To highlight the situation of being trapped.

2. What does the author mean by mentioning women 's freedom in Paragraph 2?

A．Men are forced to bear household burdens.	B．Men have to live up to social expectations.
C．Women are free to choose their jobs.	D．Women are equal to men in workplaces.

3. The last sentence of the passage implies that the author           

A．believes silence is gold	B．feels proud of himself
C．will do what he has to do	D．will be what he wants to be

4. How does the author sound in the passage?

A．Angry.

B．Humorous.

C．Desperate.

D．Serious.