1 . I remember doing the household chores to help my mother when I was nine. I hated changing the vacuum cleaner (真空吸尘器) bag and picking up things the machine did not suck up. Twenty years later, in 1978, with this lifelong dislike of the way the machine worked, I decided to make a bagless one.

Easier said than done, of course. I didn’t realize that I would spend the next five years perfecting my design, a process that resulted in 5,127 different prototypes (样机). By the time I made my 15th prototype, my third child was born. By 2,627, my wife and I were really counting our pennies. By 3,727, my wife was giving art lessons for some extra cash, and we were getting further and further into debt. These were tough times, but each failure brought me closer to solving the problem.

In the early 1980s, I started trying to get licensing agreements for my technology. The reality was very different, however. The major vacuum makers had built a business model based on the profits from bags and filters (滤网). No one would license my idea, not because it was a bad one, but because it was bad for business. But soon after, the companies that I had talked with started making machines like mine. I had to fight legal battles on both sides of the Atlantic to protect the patents on my vacuum cleaner.

I was still in financial difficulties until 1993, when my bank manager personally persuaded Lloyds Bank to lend me $1 million. Then I was able to go into production. Within two years, the Dyson vacuum cleaner became a best-seller in Britain.

Today, I still embrace risk and the potential for failure as part of the process. Nothing beats the excitement of invention,

1. What drove the author to make a bagless vacuum cleaner?

A．His willingness to help mom.

B．His curiosity about machines.

C．His trouble in doing family chores.

D．His discontent with existing cleaners.

2. What does paragraph 2 mainly tell us?

A．The help from the author’s wife.

B．The financial problems of the family.

C．The tough process of the new invention.

D．The procedures of making a bagless cleaner.

3. Why did the companies refuse to license the author’s technology?

A．They thought they might suffer loss.

B．They considered it not good enough.

C．They faced legal problems themselves.

D．They had begun making such machines.

4. What lesson may the author learn from the experience?

A．Think twice before acting.

B．Failure is the mother of success.

C．Actions speak louder than words.

D．A good beginning makes a good ending.

2 . I was 17 years old. Along with a dozen other boys I had made a long trip to Iowa in order to see a college that I was thinking of __________. While   the trip had been _________ for   the most part, now that I was there I was feeling depressed, alone, and isolated. I was missing my _____ and I was also missing the Appalachian mountains and the forests of my home. I loved _____ the leaves turned   a thousand   shades of green in the Spring and then _________ a sea of red, gold, and orange in the Fall.

Here in Iowa everything was __________. The grass looked burnt and brown. All that I could _____ was a mixture   of corn, mud, and pigs. I walked outside   the dormitory   of the   college and sat on an old stump. I closed my eyes and ________ being back home again. When I finally opened them,   however, I saw   something   that touched my _________. It was   a   Prairie   Sunset. It seemed to ________   the sky   from   horizon   to   horizon.   Gold,   red,   purple   and   pink   clouds   all ______ together in a picture painted by Heaven’s own hand. It was so huge that it took my breath   away. It made our   mountain   sunsets   seem _________ by comparison.   I realized   that this place too had its own special beauty. This place too was a part of nature’s __________ .

Over the years to come I learned something else. Each of us has a special beauty ______ .

Each of us has our own ________ talents and abilities.

1.

A．assisting

B．attending

C．visiting

D．quitting

2.

A．fun

B．hard

C．novel

D．tiresome

3.

A．chance

B．school

C．family

D．goal

4.

A．when

B．how

C．why

D．whether

5.

A．became

B．flooded

C．drew

D．surrounded

6.

A．easy

B．beautiful

C．flat

D．rough

7.

A．hear

B．touch

C．taste

D．smell

8.

A．cared about

B．prepared for

C．dreamed of

D．thought over

9.

A．body

B．soul

C．face

D．pain

10.

A．fill

B．cover

C．separate

D．block

11.

A．folded

B．sank

C．escaped

D．flowed

12.

A．tiny

B．pale

C．splendid

D．weak

13.

A．change

B．punishment

C．creation

D．reflection

14.

A．as well

B．in addition

C．for sure

D．in between

15.

A．extra

B．unique

C．possible

D．reasonable

3 . There he was, turning the corner of Hawley and Main Street like clockwork. His red hair seemed to catch the sunlight, giving his head a soft candle-flame glow. He caught my eye, and up went his arm in his usual wave. As usual, I _______back and gave him a warm smile. I didn’t know his name, but he was very _______to everybody. No matter the weather, I saw him walking out there almost every day.

Having moved from a larger city, I wasn’t used to waves from _______. Actually, wherever we were, people hardly_______each other. We simply passed by each other, heads down, minding our own_______.

Perhaps that’s why I enjoyed these daily waves. It felt great to be _______and receive that message of “Hello!”. On days when we didn’t _______ to pass each other, I missed him and wondered if he was all right. The next day, I’d find myself driving with one eye on the _______. It was a happy reunion when I spotted him, and I’d wave first in my _________.

One night I was walking in the street, my thoughts traveled to “The Waver”, wondering if I could be________enough to wave at people I didn’t know. Just at the point.

I heard a car ________. I made eye contact with the person in the car, smiled and waved at her. The woman’s face____________, and she waved back. I was a little surprised. I reminded myself, “It’s okay. It’s actually kind of ________!” I waved to everyone I saw the rest of the way home.

Everyone at some point in their lives wonders if they’ve made any ________on the world. I can tell you that you don’t have to change the world ________. It’s enough to help sweeten it a little, even simply by a heart-warming wave.

1.

A．waved

B．took

C．saluted

D．glanced

2.

A．cautious

B．reliable

C．friendly

D．thankful

3.

A．strangers

B．relatives

C．colleagues

D．employers

4.

A．informed

B．encouraged

C．encountered

D．acknowledged

5.

A．behaviors

B．business

C．appearance

D．manners

6.

A．worried

B．noticed

C．relieved

D．checked

7.

A．agree

B．attempt

C．promise

D．happen

8.

A．pedestrians

B．buildings

C．street

D．children

9.

A．mildness

B．kindness

C．eagerness

D．brightness

10.

A．brave

B．mature

C．lucky

D．crazy

11.

A．attacking

B．escaping

C．following

D．approaching

12.

A．lengthened

B．softened

C．worsened

D．tightened

13.

A．cool

B．tough

C．fresh

D．curious

14.

A．comment

B．impact

C．decision

D．sense

15.

A．accurately

B．slightly

C．thoroughly

D．generally

4 . A few years back I worked in a university building that also housed an entire department full of psychologists, all of whom seemed to see us as perfect guinea pigs(实验对象） for their latest studies. I learned to be cautious about answering seemingly casual   questions in the elevator. If one of them showed up in my office bearing a plate of snacks and asked me to pick some, I'd cast a doubtful glance and ask "Why?" before grabbing the apple fritter.

So one day, when someone from the Psychology Department posted instructions in the bathroom advising us to think about five things you're grateful for every day for a week, my response was frankly suspicious. I did the math. Five things a day for seven days is a lot of brainpower to consume without so much as the promise of an apple fritter.

I wandered into the office of Zetzer, the director of our school's Psychological Services Clinic. That was when I first heard the term" positive psychology" and discovered that "the gratitude thing", as Heidi had explained it. "It's only a week, "she urged. "Try it. ” So I did.

I started looking for my five moments of gratitude in each day. By the end of that   week, I found myself slowing down a little and taking time to notice things I might have walked past before, including a bunch of young students laughing together, They are so smart and optimistic, giving me so much hope for the future!

I couldn't be more grateful to my wonderful husband. He's a great cook. He always puts our family first. My oldest son took his vacation to come and help out at home. He took me to all my medical appointments, and made me laugh by titling his spring break "Driving Miss Leslie. "The kindness of a colleague with a green thumb made sure my plants stayed alive until I could care for them again.

Life will never be perfect, I still see news stories that distress me. But with just one simple exercise, I'm rediscovering the deep meaning of old sayings: accepting the things I cannot change, working to change what I can, and being wise enough to know the difference.

And all it took was a little gratitude.

1. Why did the author hesitate about the snacks offered by psychologists?

A．She had no appetite for snacks.

B．She didn't think snacks could show gratitude.

C．She disliked those psychologists.

D．She cared about what to be paid for them.

2. What can we infer from the second paragraph of the passage?

A．The instructions seemed to make sense to Leslie.

B．No one would behave as the instructions suggested.

C．Leslie had no intention of following the instructions.

D．The psychologists were actually playing a joke.

3. What did Leslie achieve at last?

A．She overcame her psychological problem.

B．She realized how hard it was to be grateful.

C．She found Heidi was really a reliable doctor.

D．She learned to be positive and show gratitude.

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

There was once a wonderful old man who loved everything: animals, spiders, insects and allsorts of living things.

One day while walking through the woods, the old man found a cocoon(茧) . He decided to take the cocoon home to watch its beautiful transformation from a little cocoon to a beautiful butterfly.

A few days later, the cocoon started to move. It moved frantically! He sat and watched it struggle and struggle for several hours. But it seemed not to make any progress. Then the old man felt sorry for the little butterfly inside, and rushed to its aid. With a pair of scissors and gently, he cut a little opening in the cocoon so the butterfly could come out. And then the butterfly came out of its cocoon. It had a swollen body and small, fragile wings, but it never was able to fly.

He was quite puzzled. Had he accidentally killed the little butterfly? No, it was still moving a little bit. Maybe it was sick. Then he decided that the best thing he could do for the butterfly was to place it gently back into its cocoon. He did so, and placed a drop of honey on it to seal the cocoon, leaving the butterfly to nestle (筑巢) in its natural state.

The next day he noticed that the cocoon was moving again. It struggled and struggled. Finally the butterfly broke free from its cocoon and stretched its wings out. Its beautiful wings were filled with wonderful colors! It took off! It was flying!

The wonderful butterfly flew and flew till it was almost out of the old man’ s sight. What a joy, he exclaimed! But then he started to think: what did I do wrong by trying to help that beautiful little butterfly out at first?

Finally the answer came out.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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。续写的词数应为150左右。

It was the first day of our new grade. Everyone in the classroom was chatting happily, excited to see each other again after the long holidays. When the door slid open, all of us stopped talking and turned to look. In came our teacher Ms. Sullivan, followed by an ordinary-looking boy,

“This boy’s name is Rafael.” Ms. Sullivan announced. “He’s a transfer student (转校生), and he’s going to be in our class starting from today. Make sure all of you welcome him warmly.”

The class clapped. But I didn't want to have a second look at the newcomer, for he had no outstanding qualities considering his small figure and casual T-shirt.

“Oh, I forgot to mention one thing.” Ms. Sullivan spoke up. “Rafael actually has hearing problems. Normally he would have hearing aids on, but his old ones have just been broken.

His doctor suggested that he stay at home until he got his new ones. However, Rafael insisted on attending his first day of school. So if you want to communicate with him, you have to write it on a piece of paper.”

This single speech sent the whole class up into an uproar (嘈杂). Some students looked at each other with expressions of surprise. Others voiced cries of concern out of pity.

Ms. Sullivan calmed everyone down. “I’d like someone to personally help him out throughout the day. Do I have any volunteers?”

“How can a disabled person be intelligent?” I thought to myself. I refused to raise my hand, expecting someone else would. But nobody did or said anything. Dead silence spread across the classroom.

It was by total bad luck that my eyes happened to meet Ms. Sullivan's.

“How about you, James?” She asked me. “Is it okay for you to take care of Rafael just for today?”

It is difficult to refuse a request by someone, especially if that person is a teacher. I sighed and nodded slightly. Ms. Sullivan gestured for Rafael to sit beside me and then asked us to share our holiday stories with the class.

Paragraph 1:

Immediately, the class became excited.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:

Then Rafael rose and walked onto the platform.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7 . I was coming back from home late at night in a “Sharing” mini van (厢式货车). In Hydera-bad, India, it is a cheap and quick form of _______. The van driver picked up as many as 13 people at times in a vehicle which is _______ for the transport of 8. So our van was very _______.

Making her way to the _______ of the van, a school girl with a bag _______   the driver to stop. While getting down, she slipped and fell. None of us _______ it, as it was dark outside. The driver was _______ for her to pay. It was then that we saw that the girl was on her   _______ by the side of the road. Another passenger and I got down_______ and held her up.

Even in __________, she held up a note and asked us to pay the driver. The other __________ passenger took the note and paid the driver. My __________ was a few hundred meters away. As a girl, I knew I’d get off and stay with her in the__________. So I paid up the driver for__________ and he drove away with the other passengers.

I neither__________ her nor did I know what to do. But I was there, giving some comforting words to the girl in pain. I looked for a place for her to sit. Then I phoned her friend and waited there. She was rushed to a nearby clinic later.

1.

A．1ife

B．transport

C．activity

D．communication

2.

A．designed

B．bought

C．organized

D．powered

3.

A．heavy

B．noisy

C．crowded

D．awkward

4.

A．driver

B．window

C．door

D．seat

5.

A．guided

B．suggested

C．admitted

D．signaled

6.

A．noticed

B．managed

C．recognized

D．stood

7.

A．caring

B．reaching

C．waiting

D．planning

8.

A．back

B．knees

C．feet

D．own

9.

A．immediately

B．doubtfully

C．naturally

D．anxiously

10.

A．silence

B．surprise

C．vain

D．pain

11.

A．patient

B．helpful

C．generous

D．secret

12.

A．home

B．stop

C．car

D．school

13.

A．dark

B．rain

C．wind

D．van

14.

A．himself

B．herself

C．myself

D．itself

15.

A．ignored

B．persuaded

C．promised

D．knew

8 . As is known to all, most stories of kindness do not begin with formerly drug-addicted celebrity (名人) bad boys. Mine does.

When this ___took place, I was accompanying my grandmother at a huge garden party. Suddenly, Robert Downey Jr., in a nice cream-colored suit, came in. I pointed out this big movie star to Grandma ____, but she was far more interested in piling her paper plate with cheese.

As my 80-year-old grandmother rose for the _______after the party, she fell into a wheelchair ramp (坡道) nearby. The sharp ramp ______her leg open and it was bleeding.

I should have quickly taken control of the situation— but due to my blood faint, I didn’t. Luckily, Robert Downey Jr. _______.

He called an ambulance immediately, and   asked   someone to ____a   blanket.   He   took   off   his   suit and _____his suit around her leg. The cream color turned dark red. Robert surely knew how to speak to her, _____, distract her. He stayed with my grandmother until the ambulance came, _____her hand and telling her she was breaking his heart by leaving so early. I hurried into the ambulance without a word, feeling too shy to thank him.

Some 15 years after that garden party, and five years since he’d been set free from prison for possession of drugs in his car, I came across Robert in   a   fancy   restaurant. I was ____to respect people’s privacy and never ______someone having a meal. But on this day, I decided to     _______the code.

“I don’t have any ____if you remember this...” and I told him the story. “I just wanted to tell you that it was simply the kindest act I’ve ever ______.”

It’s never too late to express our appreciation for kindness which lies in everyone, even a celebrity bad boy. ______, appreciation itself is a sort of kindness.

1.

A．party

B．kindness

C．accident

D．story

2.

A．excitedly

B．surprisingly

C．fortunately

D．successfully

3.

A．garden

B．wheelchair

C．star

D．exit

4.

A．tore

B．broke

C．cut

D．pushed

5.

A．got across

B．turned up

C．got ready

D．calmed down

6.

A．buy

B．rent

C．lend

D．fetch

7.

A．tied

B．covered

C．placed

D．pulled

8.

A．instead

B．for example

C．otherwise

D．or rather

9.

A．shaking

B．waving

C．holding

D．pressing

10.

A．persuaded

B．born

C．raised

D．forced

11.

A．bother

B．talk to

C．stare at

D．upset

12.

A．abandon

B．set

C．follow

D．improve

13.

A．idea

B．trouble

C．doubt

D．interest

14.

A．called for

B．witnessed

C．heard of

D．performed

15.

A．However

B．After all

C．Therefore

D．On the contrary

9 . 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。

When Jack was a small boy, he was once asked to give a speech about “A Big Challenge in My Life”. To talk before the whole class, he was     1     (terrible) shy the moment he thought of so many eyes     2    (stare) at him. He had no other     3    (choose), though. First Jack was to draft the speech, which was just a piece of cake for him because he was a good writer. But the hard part     4    (lie) in his oral presentation, for it was not allowed to read from the paper. He had to give the speech     5     his memory and in front of such a big audience!

A real trial began when Jack stood on the platform with his legs trembling and his mind blank. How much time had passed by, he didn't know. His listeners were still waiting patiently and without any signs of laughing. Gradually he found himself back,     6    (give) out his speech   without much difficulty. After what seemed to be a hundred years, he found the audience applauding. He made     7    ! From then on, his fear of talking before an audience disappeared. Actually with his confidence     8    (build) up, Jack now turns out to be a great speaker. As we   know, the greater difficulty we meet on our way to     9    (success), the     10     likely we will be to achieve our goals.

10 . 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 1st January, the first day of the year and a holiday for me. What luck! I decided to withdraw some money from the bank, The bank person, an elderly gentleman with a white beard, replied indifferently as usual to my polite “Happy New Year.” He nodded and I sat in front of him.

Minutes passed but he didn’t raise his head.

Then very hesitantly I put my form and booklet in front of him. He was busy filling up entries in his register. After a few minutes he took my form and from his cabinet he took out a very thick file, from which he started filling in my details, I sat there wondering why we had computerized banking if we were still filling in forms and register.

After waiting for a few more minutes, in which I showed all signs of being impatient, I asked him if my work was done. The moment I said the words, I felt as if a bomb had fallen on him. He shouted, “Nothing is done, it will take time!”

Just then I saw his morning cup of tea which had been lying there for the last ten minutes, untouched. The tea had tuned almost cold while he was doing his work. Suddenly I felt what this man, who had been working at this counter for the last God-knows-how-many years, must be feeling when customers like me come who are always in a hurry to get their work done. We do not even feel the need to thank them for being there, He must be feeling so anxious that “here comes another person who will push me for doing his work first.”

注意：

1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右；

2. 至少使用5个短文中标有下划线的关键词语；

3. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；

4. 续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。

Paragraph 1:

Thinking of this, I told him, “Sir, you please hare your tea, I am not in a hurry.”

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Paragraph 2:

What he said really touched my heart.

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