1 . My son was playing with a bottle of bubbles. Dip the loop in the bottle, pull it out, and blow it to make bubbles. He understood the principle but was vainly _______ to blow bubbles. He would dip and dip and blow and blow, but alas, no _______. He _______ me the bottle and loop and asked me, “Daddy, can you make bubbles?”

I hadn’t blown bubbles in years. I am a _______ by education, fairly well-trained in surfactant (活性剂) technology. However, all that knowledge is completely _______. I was having no more _______ than my son. I dipped and puffed, _______ no bubbles.

After several _______ attempts, I changed strategies. _______ puffing on the loop of soapy water, I just gently breathed on it. My son ________ with delight as a big beautiful bubble formed and ________ away. I explained to him, “Son, you can’t blow hard. You must ever so ________ breathe on the loop to make bubbles.” He ________ his urgent desire to make big bubbles by blowing hard and followed my advice. Big bubbles!

There are some things that you can get with ________, but other things only ________ from the gentleness of a soft breath.

1.

A．trying

B．managing

C．expecting

D．acting

2.

A．changes

B．bubbles

C．results

D．drops

3.

A．lent

B．handed

C．threw

D．cast

4.

A．researcher

B．professional

C．chemist

D．parent

5.

A．out of date

B．of no use

C．in doubt

D．in trouble

6.

A．trial

B．confidence

C．patience

D．success

7.

A．even

B．thus

C．somehow

D．still

8.

A．fruitless

B．tough

C．unwilling

D．difficult

9.

A．Despite

B．Without

C．On

D．Except

10.

A．screamed

B．nodded

C．rushed

D．flew

11.

A．escaped

B．floated

C．burst

D．bounced

12.

A．silently

B．slightly

C．eagerly

D．gently

13.

A．freed

B．fueled

C．contained

D．reduced

14.

A．brain

B．action

C．force

D．science

15.

A．survive

B．separate

C．jumped

D．arise

2 . One day I was sleeping in my chair when I woke up to the sound of a car crash. I sat up and looked _______ out my window. Across the street, a car had just backed into a chain-link fence. The car must have been moving fast, _______it was in bad shape. The fence was bent out exactly the _______of the car’s back end.

I watched the driver get out of the car. After a few seconds of _______the damage, the man tried to put the fence back into the place. His first attempt failed and he tried a little harder. He grabbed its vertical support pole and pulled against it with his full _______. The pole suddenly _______ and the man fell hard onto the ground. The entire fence fell on top of him, and one of his shoes _______ and landed 10 feet away on the sidewalk.

I laughed out loud. The man's failure was _______my whole day. He climbed out from under the_______fence and went back to the apartment building.

That, I thought, would be the ________of it. The man was going to leave all the chaos behind for someone else to ________. However, the man__________a few minutes later with some tools. For the next hour, I ________out my window as he doggedly fixed the fence and even improved it. Now the fence would be extra secure, stronger than before.

This man was actually a hero and I was embarrassed by my ________judgments. Years later, I still look out my window at that fence almost every day. It makes me ________what else that man has improved, and how I can make myself more like him.

1.

A．gradually

B．especially

C．immediately

D．generally

2.

A．until

B．because

C．if

D．although

3.

A．beginning

B．direction

C．center

D．shape

4.

A．assessing

B．mentioning

C．limiting

D．avoiding

5.

A．equipment

B．sight

C．wisdom

D．weight

6.

A．broke

B．burnt

C．lightened

D．rose

7.

A．moved on

B．passed by

C．flew off

D．turned up

8.

A．wasting

B．brightening

C．completing

D．controlling

9.

A．fallen

B．hidden

C．locked

D．related

10.

A．plan

B．form

C．cause

D．end

11.

A．give away

B．clean up

C．learn from

D．refer to

12.

A．quit

B．hesitated

C．approved

D．appeared

13.

A．worked

B．counted

C．watched

D．guessed

14.

A．unbalanced

B．uncertain

C．unfair

D．unhurried

15.

A．wonder

B．observe

C．explain

D．challenge

3 . A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer’s showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted.

As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his graduation, his father called him into his private study. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautiful wrapped gift box. Curious, but somewhat frustrated, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the young man’s name embossed in gold. Angrily, he raised his voice to his father and said, “With all your money you give me a Bible?” He then stormed out of the house, leaving the Bible.

Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and a wonderful family, but realizing his father was very old, he thought perhaps he should go to see him. He had not seen him since that graduation day. Before he could make the arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care of things.

When he arrived at his father’s house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to search through his father’s important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. As he was reading, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible. It had a tag with the dealer’s name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words… “PAID IN FULL”.

How many times do we miss blessings because they are not packaged as we expected? Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; but remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.

Sometimes we don’t realize the good fortune we have or we could have because we expect “the packaging” to be different. What may appear as bad fortune may in fact be the door that is just waiting to be opened.

1. What’s the best title for this passage?

A．A Kind Father.	B．A Key of a Car.
C．A leather-bound Bible.	D．An Unforgettable Graduation Ceremony.

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

A．Disappointed.

B．Unconcerned.

C．Puzzled.

D．Bored.

3. What does the last paragraph want to tell us?

A．There is no fence for ill fortune.

B．Good fortune favors the brave and courageous.

C．We must not look only at the surface of things.

D．A strong man will struggle with the storms of fate.

4. From the passage, we can learn that _________.

A．the young man accepted the gift at first

B．the young man regretted what he’d done to his father

C．the young man accompanied his father for a long time

D．the young man was successful in business with the help of his father

4 . I wanted to be a journalist. But my parents _______ that math makes money, so off to engineering school I went. In my post-university young-adult life, I’ve managed to become_______ successful. As a female _______, I worked for a big oil company and owned a home. My life was_______ in front of me, and I didn’t like what I saw.

So, I did what any respectable 24-year-old would do and left my _______ behind. I said goodbye to my job and _______ my suitcase. I _______ myself solo into the world with the grace and beauty of a baby deer taking its first steps with skateboards under its feet.

I _______ my knees mountain biking through the red rocks of Utah. I partied at a spring bath party in Budapest. I spent four days _______ through Yellowstone with 50 pounds on my back. I took a ________along the Danube river with someone from the hostel. They were just small everyday ________ that happened to happen abroad, leading me to realize that the true value of my flight tickets were not the ________ but rather becoming a( n) ________ participant in my own life.

I now spend less time online shopping and more time ________ alone on the floor listening to an album cover - to - cover. I ask my friends how they’re doing; sometimes, I ________ them with flowers to see them smile. I tell everyone to have a good day.

Maybe I’ll continue to be ________ for the next five years and touch down in dozens more countries. Maybe I’ll stay grounded in my home city, but the idea no longer ________ me. ________ with new wisdom earned in a year of travel, I know with complete ________ that there’s adventure hiding in any aspect of my life—as long as I’m ________ enough to look for it.

1.

A．insisted

B．predicted

C．recalled

D．ordered

2.

A．commonly

B．consciously

C．conventionally

D．officially

3.

A．journalist

B．engineer

C．designer

D．manager

4.

A．laid out

B．set down

C．given out

D．put away

5.

A．job

B．dream

C．parents

D．life

6.

A．turned in

B．pulled out

C．took off

D．looked through

7.

A．made

B．moved

C．threw

D．created

8.

A．hugged

B．loosened

C．cured

D．bloodied

9.

A．hiking

B．leaping

C．reading

D．crawling

10.

A．visit

B．walk

C．drink

D．look

11.

A．moments

B．conversations

C．problems

D．routines

12.

A．feelings

B．quarrels

C．landmarks

D．conflicts

13.

A．wise

B．brave

C．active

D．tough

14.

A．lying

B．eating

C．running

D．practicing

15.

A．concern

B．shock

C．treat

D．surprise

16.

A．organized

B．grateful

C．kind

D．selfish

17.

A．cheers

B．bothers

C．attracts

D．hurts

18.

A．Connected

B．Armed

C．Faced

D．Fed

19.

A．respect

B．surprise

C．confidence

D．confusion

20.

A．glad

B．good

C．brilliant

D．awake

5 . One day, I was taking a nap in the red chair in my office when I woke up to the sound of a car crash. I sat up and looked, immediately, out my window. Across the street, in a parking lot, a car had just backed into a chain-link fence. The car must have been moving fast, because it was in bad shape: Its hood had popped up. The fence was damaged, bent out in exactly the shape of the car’s back end.

I watched the driver get out of the car. He was strong with a shaved head; he wore cargo shorts and a flannel (法兰绒) shirt unbuttoned to expose his chest hair. I disliked him immediately. After a few seconds of assessing the damage, he attempted to pull the ruined fence back into place, but it wouldn’t move. He tried to push the fallen piece of bumper back onto his car, but that only made the rest of his bumper fall off too.

I sat in my red chair, looking out my window, silently cheering. I think I laughed out loud. This was a ridiculous masterpiece. He climbed out from under the collapsed fence and limped back to the apartment building above the lot, rubbing his elbow. The man—that disgusting man—was going to leave all the chaos behind for someone else to clean up.

But the man appeared a few minutes later with some tools. He got to work immediately, removing one of the fence’s bent support bars and hammering it straight on the asphalt (沥青). For the next hour, I watched out my window as he doggedly(固执地) fixed the fence, even improved it. Now the fence would be extra secure, stronger than before, impossible to damage.

This strange man was actually a hero. I was the lazy one, with my kneejerk (应激反应) judgments, my superiority (优越感) from three stories up. My ugly assumptions, I realized, were all about myself. I would never have fixed that fence; I would have panicked and run away.

Years later, I still look out my window at that fence almost every day. It still looks brand new, It makes me wonder what else that man has improved, and how I can make myself more like him.

1. Why did the driver leave a bad first impression on the writer?

A．Because he badly damaged the fence.

B．Because he acted rudely and impolitely.

C．Because he escaped and left the mess to others.

D．Because he had a strange appearance and dressed casually.

2. The last two paragraphs tell us that ________.

A．if the writer were the driver, he thought he would do better

B．the writer gave a quick judgment from his previous experiences

C．the driver acted like a hero and had a great influence on the writer

D．the writer looks out his window often and expects to see the driver again

3. Which of the following words can best describe the driver?

A．Rude but honest.	B．Lazy but strong-minded.
C．Impatient but generous.	D．Ordinary-looking but responsible.

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

A．Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover

B．One’s Thinking Directs One’s Actions

C．Treat Other People As You Hope They Will Treat You

D．The Environment Depends on What You Think in You Mind

6 . 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。续写词数应为150左右。

A tradesman was leading a caravan (商队) to another country to sell his goods. Along the way they came to the edge of a hot-sand desert. They learnt that during the daytime the sun heated up the fine sand until it was as hot as charcoal (木炭), so no one could walk on it — not even camels! Then the caravan leader hired a desert guide, one who could follow the stars, so they could travel only at night when the sand cooled down. The guide sat on the first cart. And they began the dangerous night-time journey across the desert. A couple of nights later, after eating their evening meal and waiting for the sand to cool, they started out again.

Later that night, the desert guide, who was driving the first cart, saw from the stars that they were getting close to the other side of the desert. He had been very tired, so when he relaxed, he fell asleep. Then the camels who, of course, couldn’t tell directions by reading the stars, gradually turned to the side and went in a big wide circle until they ended up at the same place that they started from! By then it was morning, and the people woke up and realized they were back at the same spot where they started. They lost heart and began to cry about their condition. Since the desert crossing was supposed to be over by now, they had no more water, and they were worried about there was nothing to drink, and were extremely afraid they would die of thirst. They even began to blame the caravan leader and the desert guide. However, the leader himself didn’t lose courage. He talked with the desert guide and then they began wandering, trying to work out a plan.

Paragraph 1

Suddenly, the leader noticed a small clump (团) of grass.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2

A spring (泉源) was found at last.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7 . Two of the saddest words in the English language are “if only”. I live my life with the goal of never having to say those words, because they express regret, lost chances, mistakes, and disappointment.

My father is famous in our family for saying, “Take another minute to do it right.” I always try to live by the “another minute” rule. When my children were young and likely to cause accidents, I always thought about what I could do to avoid an “if only” moment, whether it was something small like moving a cup full of hot coffee away from the edge of a table, or something that required a little more work such as taping padding (粘贴衬垫) onto the sharp corners of a glass coffee table.

I don’t only avoid those “if only” moments when it comes to safety. It’s equally important to avoid “if only” in our personal relationships. We all know people who lost a loved one and regretted that they had foregone a chance to say “I love you” or “I forgive (原谅) you.” When my father announced he was going to the eye doctor across from my office on Good Friday, I told him that it was a holiday for my company and I wouldn’t be here. But then I thought about the fact that he’s 84 years old and I realized that I shouldn’t give up a chance to see him. I called him and told him I had decided to go to work on my day off after all.

I know there will still be times when I have to say “if only” about something, but my life is certainly better because of my rule of doing everything possible to avoid that possibility. And even though it takes another minute to do something right, or it sometimes takes an hour or two in my busy timetable to make a personal connection, I know that I’m doing the right thing. I’m buying myself peace of mind and that’s the best kind of insurance for avoiding saying “if only”.

1. Why does the writer regard “if only” as two of the saddest words in the English language?

A．Because people use them when they feel sad.

B．Because they mean sadness in the English language.

C．Because they mean regrets and disappointment in life.

D．Because they make the writer think of some sad experiences.

2. What’s the meaning of the underlined word “foregone” in Paragraph 3?

A．given up.	B．looked for.
C．waited for.	D．made use of.

3. The author decided to go to her office on Good Friday to       .

A．see a doctor	B．finish her work
C．join a celebration	D．create a chance to see her father

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A．Advice from My Father	B．The “Another Minute” Rule
C．Avoidance of saying “If Only”	D．The Saddest Words in English

8 . A 90-year-old driver is providing it’s never too late to pursue（追求）your dreams. Last year, Hershel McGriff became the ______ driver to compete in a NASCAR event when he raced at the Tucson Speedway in his home state of Arizona.

McGriff has been ______ since he was a teenager. His first time behind the ______ came when he was just 17 years old after he read an ad in his local newspaper and was drawn to the ______ that comes with driving hundreds of miles per hour around a track, ______ for first place.

"I borrowed my dad’s 1940 Hudson — an ugly car, and I got a couple of guys to help me," McGriff ______ his beginning in the sport. "I didn’t do very ______ .I think I finished 12th or 13th out of a bunch of cars. That got me started."

His first win on the NASCAR circuit (联赛）came when he ______ in Mexico at the age of 22. McGriff went on ______ dozens of races, finally being ______ as one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers. He retired from the sport at 74, but he never stopped his love for the track and decided to return to racing for a few special events that have made him famous in his hometown and ______ others to keep pursuing their dreams as well.

McGriffs spot in the race was a gift for his 90th birthday from his son and long-time friend, team owner Bill McAnally. "Bill called me up on the phone and said, ‘For your 90th birthday, I will furnish the car. All you have to do is ______ it," McGriff said. "When he made the ______, I was ready to accept

McGriffs history-making race proves that you can pursue your dreams at any ______ , but for this young — at — heart racer, it was just a chance to get behind the wheel and ______ pursuing his passion.

1.

A．oldest

B．fastest

C．kindest

D．bravest

2.

A．studying

B．racing

C．dreaming

D．growing

3.

A．screen

B．camera

C．seat

D．wheel

4.

A．excitement

B．nervousness

C．comfort

D．honor

5.

A．waiting

B．searching

C．preparing

D．fighting

6.

A．looked back on

B．looked forward to

C．looked up to

D．looked down on

7.

A．seriously

B．carefully

C．well

D．soon

8.

A．relaxed

B．performed

C．competed

D．traveled

9.

A．organizing

B．winning

C．entering

D．losing

10.

A．remembered

B．introduced

C．employed

D．named

11.

A．inspired

B．required

C．allowed

D．forced

12.

A．repair

B．buy

C．drive

D．decorate

13.

A．change

B．offer

C．comment

D．design

14.

A．cost

B．speed

C．place

D．age

15.

A．finish

B．consider

C．continue

D．imagine

9 . Last week I went shopping in the supermarket. I got to the front of the ___________ and put my groceries through the checkout. I was about to pay, when I ___________ that I didn't have my bankcard with me. I _________.Then I remembered I left it at home when I ___________ something online. All I had was $30 in notes and some coins in my wallet. I was short ___________ at least $25, and I needed to buy most of the items.

I started to ___________ to the checkout lady. "I'm sorry, I stop the queue. Can I put these things back, and then think I'll ___________ these. Oh, no, need that."

An Irish lady was ___________ behind me, next in the queue. "Excuse me, Dear," she said. "Oh, I'm so sorry," I replied, "I'm ___________ you up." "Of course not. I know ____________ you feel. This happens to all of us at some point. Now please use my ____________ to pay the bill and you can be on your way."

I was astonished by her kindness, ____________ even. No matter how I insisted otherwise, she was ________ to help me. Afterwards I asked for her telephone number to ____________ and pay her back. "No," she said, "rather pay it forward. You may do a good deed for the next person in need."

By helping others, can we start chain ____________ of positive feeling and charity that can benefit our whole society?

1.

A．table

B．supermarket

C．queue

D．shelf

2.

A．realized

B．knew

C．recognized

D．observed

3.

A．hesitated

B．paused

C．panicked

D．struggled

4.

A．explored

B．purchased

C．advocated

D．delivered

5.

A．by

B．under

C．on

D．with

6.

A．cry

B．apologise

C．complain

D．explain

7.

A．borrow

B．drop

C．follow

D．take

8.

A．standing

B．supporting

C．blaming

D．shouting

9.

A．turning

B．putting

C．joining

D．holding

10.

A．what

B．how

C．why

D．when

11.

A．card

B．fame

C．income

D．identity

12.

A．abnormal

B．anxious

C．embarrassed

D．desperate

13.

A．convinced

B．determined

C．excited

D．reluctant

14.

A．fit in

B．get through

C．look up

D．get in touch

15.

A．reaction

B．sympathy

C．satisfaction

D．relationship

10 . 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。

An old wooden seat that Susan extremely valued often reminded her of mother’s Golden Rule.

Back in the 1930s, the country life was really tough. One day after dinner, Susan’s mother sat on the seat, announcing to the children the Golden Rule: “Treat others the way you want to be treated.” Susan reflected carefully and seriously on what her mother had said. She resolved that she would keep in mind and follow the rule.

One Saturday afternoon, she went to farmer Jason’s inn (小旅馆) to get the pay for her mother’s washing for the guests there, which amounted to five dollars. She found Jason in the yard, who, as all the villagers knew, was selfish and mean.

His eyes clouded with anger, as he had just finished a quarrel with one of his guests. He held in his hand an open wallet, full of bills. He barely noticed Susan until she made her request for the money. Instead of shouting at her, as usual, for troubling him when he was busy, he handed her a bank note.

Feeling relieved for escaping from Jason so easily, Susan hurried out of the inn. When carefully putting the money into her pocket, she discovered that Jason had given her two bills instead of one, and her first reaction was joy at the unexpected prize. She looked around and there was nobody nearby to share her discovery. “It is mine. All mine.” she said to herself. “I will buy mum a new coat with it, and she can give her old one to sister Mary, and then Mary can go to the Sunday school with me next winter. I wonder if I can buy a pair of shoes for brother Tom too.”

Just at that moment, she realized that Jason must have given the extra money to her by mistake, and therefore she had no right to own it. But a voice of temptation (诱惑) whispered, “He gave it, and you can keep it. He will never know, even if it is a mistake. ”

As Susan hurried home, this conflict went on in her mind.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Susan’s face became red with embarrassment and annoyance.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________