1 . When you think of friends, you often think of those who accompany you for a long time. But there is another kind of _______ —one that does not unfold over a _______period of time but springs entirely from a particular_______.

In my eighth grade，there was Jenny. I _______to stay at her farmhouse with cats and dogs. Eighth grade was a terrible year. We both_______ it，but we didn't talk about it. On cold winter days，she _______ me how she lied on her pony Redwing's back. Then we would _______on long journey，riding and walking. She left in ninth grade and I _______her. We had gotten each other through a _______time.

Anyone with children knows the rapid friendships formed with parallel parents. To Julie, I will be forever __________. We met on a __________in New Jersey. Her twin boys were about the same __________as my daughter. She lived in the beach town. I lived alone with my __________ a block away. My husband had left for North Dakota, leaving me to __________out what to do next. Now, __________, there was someone I could talk to. For the next weeks，we met at the beach，and I would go __________with her so that the __________could go on playing. The normal state of her little home__________my broken heart.

Such friends as these often __________when your own life is off balance；they __________you till the world settles on its axis(轴) once again.

1.

A．classmate

B．friendship

C．marriage

D．neighbour

2.

A．brief

B．special

C．consistent

D．long

3.

A．custom

B．festival

C．ceremony

D．moment

4.

A．loved

B．tended

C．attempted

D．demanded

5.

A．overlooked

B．knew

C．forgot

D．preserved

6.

A．inspired

B．required

C．consulted

D．showed

7.

A．go out

B．make up

C．slow down

D．fall behind

8.

A．followed

B．admired

C．missed

D．forgave

9.

A．cheerful

B．difficult

C．grand

D．decisive

10.

A．reliable

B．merciful

C．generous

D．grateful

11.

A．beach

B．farm

C．playground

D．square

12.

A．size

B．intelligence

C．age

D．weight

13.

A．daughter

B．husband

C．sister

D．parents

14.

A．turn

B．puzzle

C．point

D．carry

15.

A．punctually

B．ridiculously

C．suddenly

D．theoretically

16.

A．home

B．downtown

C．shopping

D．swimming

17.

A．adolescents

B．boys

C．children

D．girls

18.

A．ached

B．hardened

C．comforted

D．bled

19.

A．withdraw

B．arrive

C．disappear

D．gather

20.

A．recommended

B．promoted

C．tolerated

D．supported

2 . The measure of a man’s real character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out.--Thomas Macaulay.

Some thirty years ago, I was studying in a public school in New York. One day, Mrs. Nanette O’Neillgave an arithmetic___to our class. When the papers were___,she discovered that twelve boys had made the __ mistakes throughout the test.

There is really nothing new about__in the exams. Perhaps that was __ Mrs. O’Neill didn’t evensay a word about it. She only asked the twelve boys to__after class. I was one of the twelve.Mrs. O’Neill asked no questions, and she didn’t__us either.She wrote on the blackboard the__words by Thomas Macaulay. She then ordered us to__these words into our exercisebooksone hundred times.

I don’t__about the other eleven boys. Speaking for myself I can say: it was the most importantsingle__of my life. Thirty years after being introduced to Macaulay’s words, they__seem to methe best yardstick(准绳), because they give me a__to measure myself rather than others. ___of usare asked to make great decisions about__ going to war or armies going to battle. But all of us arecalled upon daily to make a great many ___ decisions. Should the wallet, found in the street, be putinto a pocket or turned over to the ____? Should the__change received at the store be forgottenor___? Nobody will know except___. But you have to live with yourself, and it is always better tolive with someone you respect.

1.

A．test

B．paper

C．lesson

D．problem

2.

A．examined

B．finished

C．marked

D．answered

3.

A．same

B．usual

C．silly

D．serious

4.

A．lying

B．talking

C．guessing

D．cheating

5.

A．how

B．why

C．what

D．when

6.

A．come

B．leave

C．remain

D．apologize

7.

A．excuse

B．reject

C．spare

D．scold

8.

A．above

B．common

C．special

D．following

9.

A．get

B．put

C．copy

D．repeat

10.

A．worry

B．hear

C．talk

D．know

11.

A．chance

B．lesson

C．incident

D．memory

12.

A．even

B．still

C．always

D．almost

13.

A．way

B．choice

C．reason

D．sentence

14.

A．All

B．Few

C．Some

D．None

15.

A．nations

B．families

C．individuals

D．organizations

16.

A．final

B．temporary

C．important

D．personal

17.

A．finder

B．stranger

C．passer-by

D．policeman

18.

A．some

B．extra

C．small

D．necessary

19.

A．paid

B．shared

C．returned

D．remembered

20.

A．me

B．us

C．you

D．them

3 . When I was three years old, I couldn’t speak. It was a strange reality that none of the doctors I visited could understand.

One day, I was shadowing（跟随）my mother. She found herself looking in a mirror, and through it our eyes met. She began to speak to me through the reflection, and I slowly began to mimic（模仿）her mouth’s movements until I formed a word.

It turned out I’m deaf in my left ear, and have a slight problem in my right. Being hard of hearing has been difficult, but I’ve never lived in a state of self-hating sorrow.

Imagine being able to shut out all sound as you lay your head down to sleep by simply rolling over onto one side. That’s my reality when I sleep on my “good ear”, and it makes me feel like a superhero sometimes.

People call my deaf side my “bad ear”, but when I wear my hearing aid, I have access to a range of features that some other deaf people don’t. In cinemas, for example, with one click of a button I can enjoy a whole film as though it were whispered to me from the mouths of the actors.

Owning a hearing aid hasn’t always felt good, however. On the first day I got my aid, when I was eight, I took it to school for show-and-tell. As I explained how it worked to my classmates, a boy yelled out, “Aren’t those for old men?” At that moment, I felt different. It took me a long time to get over that sense of being so unlike my peers.

But it’s not just school kids who can make us deaf and hard-of-hearing people feel like burdens. Every video on social media that lacks subtitles（字幕）, for example, means an entire community of deaf people is unable to enjoy it. Completely deaf people are excluded from enjoying many movies too, as subtitles in cinemas are almost impossible to find.

And with hearing aids costing around $2,500 each, it can be hard for many people to afford to be able to listen to the things that others take for granted. As for me, I can listen to music, enjoy films, and catch conversations – I’m lucky. I’m deaf, but I can still hear everything. I’ve been blessed with wonderful life experiences, and I am human. And when it comes to sleeping, I’m even superhuman.

1. How does the author view his hearing difficulty?

A．It’s a disaster and causes him a lot of trouble.

B．It gave him a chance to experience something special.

C．It made him feel embarrassed in front of his classmates.

D．It helped him to live in his own world without being interrupted.

2. What can be inferred from the passage about the author?

A．He was born deaf.

B．He is optimistic and helpful.

C．The hearing aid brings convenience to his daily life.

D．His family and classmates have supported him a lot.

3. What is the author’s attitude toward his life？

A．Excited.

B．Anxious.

C．Grateful.

D．Disappointed.

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

A．To give advice on life to disabled people.

B．To show how difficult life is for disabled people.

C．To show the convenience a hearing aid could bring.

D．To share his experience of treating a disadvantage with gratitude.

4 . I was raised in a house where the TV was rarely switched on. With one wall in my bedroom entirely lined with _______, most of my childhood was spent on books I could _______. In fact, I grew up thinking of reading as _______ as breathing and found books unbelievably powerful in shaping perspectives (观点) by creating worlds we could step into, _______ and live in.

With this unshakable belief, I, at fourteen, decided to become a _______. Every writer starts off knowing that he has _______ to say, but being unable to find the right _______ to say it. He has to find his own voice by reading widely and _______ which parts of the writers he agrees or disagrees with, or agrees with so _______ that it reshapes his own world. He cannot write without loving to read, ________ only through reading other people’s writing can one discover what works, what doesn’t and, in the end, together with lots of practice, what________ he has.

Now I am in college, and have come to realize how ________ it is to read fiction. As a law student, my reading is in fact________ to subject matter. The volume (量) of what I have to read for ________ every week means there is little time to read anything else. Such reading made it ________ to me that I live in a very small part in this great place called ________. Reading fiction reminds me that there is life ________ my own. It ________ me to travel across high seas and through deserts, all from the ________ of my own armchair, to experience, though second-hand, ________ experiences that I wouldn’t necessarily be able to have in my lifetime.

1.

A．beds

B．tables

C．shelves

D．sofas

2.

A．keep track of

B．get hold of

C．take care of

D．make fun of

3.

A．natural

B．fierce

C．difficult

D．comfortable

4.

A．give in

B．participate in

C．look in

D．move in

5.

A．teacher

B．professor

C．lawyer

D．writer

6.

A．everything

B．nothing

C．something

D．anything

7.

A．ways

B．accesses

C．keys

D．attitudes

8.

A．creating

B．watching

C．inventing

D．discovering

9.

A．strongly

B．gently

C．highly

D．mildly

10.

A．unless

B．while

C．because

D．if

11.

A．success

B．dream

C．progress

D．voice

12.

A．instant

B．impossible

C．tiresome

D．important

13.

A．used

B．limited

C．increased

D．devoted

14.

A．class

B．recreation

C．pleasure

D．word

15.

A．attractive

B．possible

C．clear

D．clean

16.

A．house

B．college

C．life

D．world

17.

A．within

B．beside

C．near

D．beyond

18.

A．allows

B．arranges

C．require

D．forces

19.

A．place

B．laziness

C．comfort

D．satisfaction

20.

A．peace-loving

B．time-consuming

C．heart-breaking

D．fun-creating

5 . My wife, daughter, and I moved into our home nine years ago and we spent a lot of time and energy in the yard to get it looking like the way it does today. We live on a corner, higher than street level, and the entire side of the yard is surrounded by a professionally built rock wall. The front of the house though is another story because instead of a wall along the sidewalk, the rocks appear to be just thrown up onto the dirt as if someone were in a hurry to finish.

We did the best we could with what we had to work with and called this area our “rock garden”. Whenever we had leftover flowers or plants, Denise or I would stick them out front, just to bring some color to the area. We would do all of the yard work on our own, even the tiring weed-pulling.

Last summer I had reached the end of the rock garden and found a tiny little plant that I could not immediately identify, I knew I didn’t plant it and Denise claimed that she didn’t either. We decided to let it continue growing until we could figure out what it was.

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

That’s when I realized that if a tiny little sunflower didn’t let a big rock stand in its way of developing, we too have the ability of doing the same thing. Once our environment begins to see that we believe in ourselves like that little sunflower, we can attain the same nourishment(营养) and growth as well.

Stand tall like the sunflower and be proud of who and what you are and the environment will begin to support you. You will find a way to go under or around your big obstacle in order to reach your desires.

1. We can know from the first paragraph that _______.

A．there is a wall along the sidewalk

B．the author’s home is made of rock walls

C．the author finished building his home hurriedly

D．the author’s family have lived in this home for nine years

2. The author found it unusual that_______.

A．the mystery plant turned out to be a sunflower	B．the sunflower had a tall stalk and only one head
C．the sunflower grew under and around a big rock	D．the sunflower had started where the stalk was seen

3. Which of the following best describes the sunflower?

A．Brave and stubborn.	B．Confident and persistent.
C．Optimistic and modest.	D．Mysterious and devoted.

4. What can be inferred from this passage?

A．Human beings are able to remove obstacles.

B．The universal truth made the sunflower survive.

C．A big rock blocked out the sunlight of the sunflower.

D．We can achieve success as long as we are self-confident.

6 . It was a cold and rainy day. I had no ______ to drive up the winding mountain road to my daughter Carolyn’s house. But she ______ I come to see something at the top of the mountain.

____as I was, I made the two-hour journey ______ the fog that hung like veils (面纱). By the time I saw how ______it was near the summit, I had gone too far away. Nothing could be worth this, I ______ as I drove slowly along the dangerous highway.

“I’ll stay for lunch, but I’m heading back as soon as the fog ______.” I announced. “But I want you to drive me to the garage to pick ______ my car.” Carolyn said. “How far is it?” I asked. She replied:” About three minutes and I’ll drive you there.”

After ten minutes on the mountain road, I looked at her _______. “ I thought you said three minutes.” She smiled. “ This is a detour (绕行路线).” Turning down a narrow track, we parked the car and got out. We walked a long path that was thick with pine trees. Gradually the peace and silence of the place began to fill my mind. Then we turned a corner and stopped. I was _______.

From the top of the mountain to the folds and valleys ______ several acres of daffodils (水仙花) rich in a variety of colors. It looked as if God had painted something gorgeous in front of us. Many questions ______ my mind. Who created such beauty? Why? How? As we approached the home that stood in the centre of the property, we saw a ______ that read: “ Answers to the Questions I know you are asking.” The first answer was: “One Woman-Two Hands, Two Feet, and Very Little Brain.” The second was: “ One at a Time.” The third: “Started in 1958.”

As we drove home, I was so ______ by what we had seen. I could ______speak. “She changed the world.” I finally said, “one bulb (水仙球茎) at a time. She started almost 40 years ago, probably just the beginning of an idea, and she _____at it.

The ______ of it would not let me go. I said:” Imagine if I’d had a ______ and worked on it, just a little bit every day, what might I have _______? Carolyn looked at me sideways, smiling. “______ tomorrow,” she said. “Better yet, start today.”

1.

A．ambition

B．desire

C．challenge

D．way

2.

A．invited

B．wished

C．insisted

D．hoped

3.

A．Cautious

B．Surprised

C．Eager

D．Unwilling

4.

A．through

B．over

C．across

D．beyond

5.

A．fresh

B．bright

C．thick

D．cloudy

6.

A．doubted

B．declared

C．hesitated

D．thought

7.

A．lifts

B．cleans

C．raises

D．sinks

8.

A．out

B．up

C．off

D．on

9.

A．eagerly

B．desperately

C．anxiously

D．calmly

10.

A．shocked

B．amazed

C．amused

D．concerned

11.

A．contained

B．lay

C．presented

D．located

12.

A．filled

B．disturbed

C．occurred

D．confused

13.

A．signal

B．symbol

C．note

D．sign

14.

A．encouraged

B．inspired

C．moved

D．thrilled

15.

A．hardly

B．rarely

C．simply

D．totally

16.

A．brought

B．continued

C．made

D．kept

17.

A．wonder

B．doubt

C．mystery

D．idea

18.

A．view

B．vision

C．sight

D．scene

19.

A．predicted

B．expected

C．accomplished

D．explored

20.

A．Behave

B．Take

C．Set

D．Start

7 . No one likes to make mistakes. But a new study says organizations learn more from their failures than from their successes, and keep that knowledge longer.

One of the researchers was Vinit Desai, an assistant professor at the University of Colorado Denver Business School. He worked with Peter Madsen from the Marriott School of Management at Brigham Young University in Utah.

They did not find much long-term "organizational learning" from success. It is possible, they say. But Professor Desai says they found that knowledge gained from failure lasts for years. He says organizations should treat failures as a learning opportunity and not try to ignore them.

The study looked at companies and organizations that launch satellites and other space vehicles. Professor Desai compared two shuttle flights. In two thousand two, a piece of insulating (隔热的) material broke off during launch and damaged a rocket on the Atlantis. Still the flight was considered a success. Then in early two thousand three, a piece of insulation struck the Columbia during launch. This time, the shuttle broke apart on re-entry and the seven crew members died. NASA officials suspended all flights and an investigation led to suggested changes.

Professor Desai says the search for solutions after a failure can make leaders more open-minded. He points to air-lines as an example of an industry that has learned from failures in the past. He advises organizations to look for useful information in small failures and failures they avoided. He also urges leaders to encourage the open sharing of information. The study appeared in the Academy of management Journal.

The mistakes we learn from do not have to be our own. We recently asked people on our Facebook page to tell us a time they had done something really silly. Fabricio Cmino wrote: Not long ago I wanted to watch TV, but it wouldn't turn on, so I did everything I could to start it. Thirty minutes later my mum showed up and, passing by, said to me "Did you try plugging it?" "I'm just dusting, Mum!" So she wouldn’t notice how dumb I am sometimes!

Bruno Kanieski da Silva told about a time he looked everywhere for his key. It was in his pocket. He wrote: I always promise I will never do it again, but after a few weeks, where is my wallet? For sure it will be in a very logical place.

1. What we get from failure differs from that from success is that ________.

A．what we learn from failure is more powerful

B．what we learn from success does no good to us

C．the knowledge gained from failure is important

D．the knowledge gained from failure lasts longer

2. From the passage, we can infer that ________.

A．the insulating material problem in 2002 didn't arouse enough attention

B．there were no astronauts on Columbia

C．in spite of the problem, Atlantis was considered a success

D．Columbia exploded during its launch time

3. The writer gives the last two paragraphs to show that ________.

A．many people make mistakes in the world

B．mistakes were a very embarrassing thing when found by others

C．we can also draw a lesson from others’ mistakes

D．making mistakes was a necessity

4. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Only organizations can learn from mistakes.

B．Failure may result from faults that have been ignored.

C．Lessons from the shuttle flights are more important.

D．Leaders often lack an open mind and seldom share information.

8 . Goal setting seems to be a hot topic, yet it’s easy to know about but difficult to practice.

People set goals, work hard at them for even a few months, and then ______ them. Next year, they set the ______ goals. But why do so many people do it? They may be making goals too _____. But that isn’t to say that they aren’t ______ goals. They need to be broken apart into smaller and ______ pieces. Make spoon-size goals and you’ll accomplish them ______.

Many people are probably unwilling to ______ you to reach your goals. They’re ______ with you when you have your own goals. They may even be enthusiastic about your ______ to change something or accomplish something new. ______, as you change and accomplish, they may not like it. Why? It’s usually because your changes and accomplishments ______ them that they could be doing it, too...______ they aren’t!

You may have filled your ______ with so many things that there’s little ______ for your goals to grow. We must be careful not to confuse busyness with ______, as goals are always achieved step by step. Be ______ about how you use your time and what you focus on. Success often comes when you know what to ______, rather than what to include in your life.

Goal setting is like the pig and chicken walking out early one morning. The chicken became really ______ when she saw a sign: “Ham & Eggs, $2.99”. She said to the pig, “Look, we’ve got double billing again.” The pig said, “That’s ______ for you to say! For you, it’s all in a day’s work. For me, it’s total commitment.” Goal setting is all in a day’s work. Goal _______ is total commitment.

1.

A．withdraw

B．forget

C．change

D．store

2.

A．opposite

B．common

C．same

D．valid

3.

A．global

B．precise

C．vague

D．realistic

4.

A．simple

B．achievable

C．reliable

D．clear

5.

A．equal

B．unusual

C．regular

D．specific

6.

A．slowly

B．accurately

C．easily

D．instantly

7.

A．support

B．lead

C．force

D．follow

8.

A．comfortable

B．familiar

C．careful

D．patient

9.

A．means

B．desire

C．skill

D．energy

10.

A．Therefore

B．Besides

C．Otherwise

D．However

11.

A．inform

B．convince

C．remind

D．warn

12.

A．and

B．but

C．or

D．for

13.

A．notebook

B．file

C．schedule

D．case

14.

A．doubt

B．hope

C．dimension

D．room

15.

A．progress

B．process

C．practice

D．promotion

16.

A．selective

B．curious

C．skeptical

D．optimistic

17.

A．figure out

B．leave out

C．take out

D．send out

18.

A．confused

B．upset

C．excited

D．worried

19.

A．strange

B．pitiful

C．necessary

D．natural

20.

A．development

B．achievement

C．management

D．assessment

9 . It was Sunday and I was returning from my sister’s place. I left_______thinking that I might get a seat in the metro (地铁) and it would be a rather easy_______. But since my bad luck was_______me everywhere, I couldn’t get a seat. I_______and made my way straight to the end of the compartment. I_______there leaning on the side rails. I was feeling very_______about myself.

After few_______I got a seat. Just then, entered a_______lady supported by the metro staff and she sat next to me. I helped her out of the wheelchair and made her sit. I_______my MP4 player and pushed the earpieces just to keep all the________thoughts from my head. Just then I heard the lady calling me. She introduced herself to me and asked about me. I________my best possible smile and answered that much only and pushed ________my earpieces.

She went on________and I had to take out my earpieces and keep them back in my bag. She told me she was a student at Ramakrishna Mission Ashram and goes there________. It gives her peace and strength. The strength to keep going________her to enjoy the human life as much as possible. She then gave me one of Swami’s________and also recited some of verses. She kept on talking for the most of the time and I was very________listening to her.

We were so busy in talking that we didn’t even________our names and I didn’t notice it until we came to our train station and we went our ways.________she left, I opened the booklet she gave and read inspirational________. There and then, I understood that whatever may come, it should not hamper our hopes and our expectations.

1.

A．carefully

B．early

C．slowly

D．luckily

2.

A．tour

B．voyage

C．travel

D．journey

3.

A．approaching

B．attending

C．following

D．attacking

4.

A．entered

B．remained

C．stayed

D．insisted

5.

A．left

B．lay

C．sat

D．stood

6.

A．low

B．confident

C．proud

D．special

7.

A．points

B．passages

C．stops

D．seats

8.

A．wealthy

B．crippled

C．learned

D．stubborn

9.

A．searched for

B．pulled off

C．picked up

D．took out

10.

A．positive

B．objective

C．negative

D．valuable

11.

A．forced

B．changed

C．created

D．offered

12.

A．up

B．ahead

C．down

D．back

13.

A．questioning

B．talking

C．arguing

D．quarreling

14.

A．constantly

B．commonly

C．instantly

D．regularly

15.

A．forbids

B．warns

C．helps

D．reminds

16.

A．gifts

B．books

C．records

D．pictures

17.

A．attentively

B．angrily

C．nervously

D．anxiously

18.

A．remember

B．explain

C．understand

D．exchange

19.

A．Since

B．After

C．Before

D．When

20.

A．letters

B．notices

C．messages

D．purposes

10 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。

Happiness can be described     1     a positive mood and a pleasant state of mind. There are many factors       2    (contribute) to happiness.

A person in an apparently ideal situation is not     3    (necessary) happy. The ideal situation may have little to do with his actual feelings.

A good education and income are usually considered necessary for happiness. Though both may contribute,     4     are only chief factors if the person is seriously undereducated or actually suffering from lack of physical needs.

The rich     5    (be) not likely to be happier than the middle-income group or even those with very low incomes. People with college educations are somewhat happier than those who did not graduate from high school, and it     6    (believe) that this is mainly     7     they have more opportunity to control their     8    (life). Yet people with a high income and a college education may be less happy than those with the same income and no college education.

Poor health does not rule out happiness except for the severely     9    (disable) or those in pain. Learning     10    (cope)with a health problem can contribute to happiness.