2 . I often read of incidents of misunderstanding or conflict. I’m left _______. Why do these people create mistrust and problems, especially with those from other_______?

I was growing up in Kuala Lumpur in the early 1960s, when children from different races and religions played and studied together _______. At that time my family lived a stone’s _______ from Ismail’s. And no one was bothered that Ismail was a Malay Muslim and I was an Indian Hindu—we just _______ our differences. Perhaps, our elders had not filled our heads with unnecessary advice, well _______ or otherwise. We were nine when we became friends. During the school holidays, we’d explore the countryside on our bicycles, hoping to _______ the unexpected. At times Ismail would accompany my family as we made a rare shopping trip to town. We would be glad of his _______. When I was twelve, my family moved to Johor. Ismail’s family later returned to their village, and I lost touch with him.

One spring afternoon in 1983, I stopped a taxi in Kuala Lumpur. When I _______ my destination, the driver acknowledged my ________ but did not move off. Instead, he looked fixedly at me. “Raddar?” he said, using my childhood nickname. I was astonished at being so ________ addressed. Unexpectedly! It was Ismail! Even after two ________ we still recognized each other. Grasping his shoulder, I felt a true ________, something hard to describe.

If we can allow our children to be themselves without prejudice, they’ll build friendships with people ________ race or religion, who will be ________ their side through thick and thin. On such friendships are societies built and then we can truly be, as William Shakespeare once wrote, “We happy few. We band of brothers”.

1.

A．fascinated

B．curious

C．frustrated

D．puzzled

2.

A．parties

B．nationalities

C．regions

D．races

3.

A．at random

B．in harmony

C．on occasion

D．by turns

4.

A．cast

B．drop

C．flight

D．roll

5.

A．embraced

B．removed

C．sought

D．defended

6.

A．paid

B．preserved

C．meant

D．treated

7.

A．get through

B．come across

C．deal with

D．run into

8.

A．absence

B．choice

C．effort

D．company

9.

A．stated

B．traced

C．decided

D．ordered

10.

A．instructions

B．attempts

C．intentions

D．arrangements

11.

A．similarly

B．strangely

C．familiarly

D．dramatically

12.

A．departures

B．decades

C．years

D．months

13.

A．infection

B．affection

C．motivation

D．homesickness

14.

A．let alone

B．according to

C．rather than

D．regardless of

15.

A．from

B．with

C．by

D．against

4 . Last summer, I was suffering from too much stress. I’d just graduated from a(n) __________doctoral program and was exhausted from the years of research, study and writing. I took a __________to celebrate, but the academic intensity had become a __________. Sitting on the beautiful lawn of the hotel on Mackinac Island, I just felt like I should be studying or working __________.

Generally seeing natural beauty would have __________ me, but I couldn’t slow down. I couldn’t help looking at my cellphone __________in case I missed something important. “Enough,” I murmured. I needed to unwind, but why couldn’t I?

A dragonfly (蜻蜓) buzzed around me.With each __________, this creature’s wings __________ color — blue one moment, green the next. Dragonflies usually fascinated me with their quick movements that __________ me of acrobats (杂技演员) in the wind, but I wasn’t in the __________ that day. What I needed then was stillness, not movement. Suddenly, the dragonfly came to rest on a blade (叶片) of grass in front of me.

I watched that dragonfly carefully for many minutes. So did the dragonfly. “It’s not a matter of relaxing,” it seemed to say. “Life is so short.Be here in the __________ and let the mood take care of itself.” Suddenly, it __________ me that this beautiful creature, which only had months to live, was “instructing” me about the __________ of life and I felt much relaxed. The dragonfly seemed __________ that its message had been delivered. It sprang from the grass and flew away. I didn’t see it again. But I would never forget what it taught me: Be here and _____________ yourself.

1.

A．interesting

B．challenging

C．meaningful

D．grateful

2.

A．party

B．gathering

C．vacation

D．lecture

3.

A．tradition

B．strength

C．criterion

D．habit

4.

A．in time

B．at ease

C．as usual

D．in case

5.

A．relaxed

B．annoyed

C．teased

D．urged

6.

A．finally

B．casually

C．repeatedly

D．significantly

7.

A．disappearance

B．movement

C．advance

D．performance

8.

A．convinced

B．informed

C．formed

D．changed

9.

A．reminded

B．made

C．spoke

D．took

10.

A．progress

B．admiration

C．position

D．mood

11.

A．life

B．moment

C．time

D．future

12.

A．decided on

B．agreed on

C．dawned on

D．relied on

13.

A．value

B．content

C．reality

D．principle

14.

A．concerned

B．doubtful

C．regretful

D．satisfied

15.

A．abuse

B．enjoy

C．suit

D．conduct

5 . During my career in the past years, I’ve been fired a few times. The last time was about five years ago.

At the time, I co-owned a literary agency. I agreed to take on a giant project for a major client. I worked my tail off about a year, focusing just on this one client. Meanwhile my partner and associates took care of everyone else. We all thought it was a good bet. But in the end, the client fired me and cooperated with an agency who promised to get him a major book deal with a New York publishing house and an appearance on Oprah. I was left high and dry with nothing to show for my year-long investment.

The worst part was that I did not see it coming. I thought I had done a great job, and we had enjoyed a long-term personal relationship. But my client had his eye on bigger things and decided I couldn’t take him there, so he abandoned me without discussion.

The thing I finally learned from this experience was that clients and customers can be changeable. So never put all your eggs in one basket.

This wasn’t the only mistake I’d made in my career. Some of the mistakes I had made got me fired. That got my attention and furthered my education in the school of hard knocks.

Chances are that you are going to be fired at some point in your career. Last May, 1.7 million workers in America were laid off or fired. And according to the Labor Department, that was during month of generally good economic news. The trick — after being fired — is to try to push bitterness aside and learn from it. Failure can be a great teacher, but we have to listen.

1. Why did the author only focus on one project?

A．His client required him to do so.

B．He considered it would be a safe bet.

C．It can give him an appearance on Oprah.

D．There were no other projects in his agency.

2. Why was the author abandoned?

A．He caused some trouble for his client.

B．His client wanted to teach him a lesson.

C．He couldn’t satisfy his client’s demands.

D．His client was afraid of destroying their friendship.

3. What lesson did the author probably learn?

A．He should have spread his risk.

B．He should have tried his best to do better.

C．He shouldn’t have worked on giant projects.

D．He shouldn’t have made friends with his clients.

4. What did the author mainly write the text for?

A．To show the importance of failure

B．To tell us how to face getting fired.

C．To share a most horrible experience.

D．To explain why people easily get fired.

6 . When my daughter was in grade school, she brought home four tiny branches one day. They were small _________ given to the students to plant. None of them looked very strong, but with a _________ for the future, I planted them in our backyard. Over the years the _________ soil brought an end to three of them.

All that was _________ was a single evergreen. It never got very tall and _________ to one side. Then, I noticed that it was starting to _________. The lower branches were becoming brown. Only the top ones of the tree were still _________.

I did my best to _________ it by feeding it a lot of fertilizer (肥料), but it seemed hopeless. One morning I went out and looked at it again, _________ if it would be better to just cut it down. As I walked over to take a closer look at it, __________, I noticed something moving among the branches. It was a bird __________ building a nest (巢) in the topmost branches. I smiled and __________ that maybe this old tree had some life and usefulness left in it yet. It may not be healthy or pretty, but it was still giving a bird a __________.

This tree __________ me that all of our lives have a purpose. It doesn’t matter if we are young and strong, or old and sick. Until our last __________ we still have things to do: love for us to give, and joy for us to share. We can help to make this world a better and lovelier place.

1.

A．flowers

B．seeds

C．trees

D．vegetables

2.

A．life

B．hope

C．chance

D．end

3.

A．rich

B．soft

C．poor

D．deep

4.

A．left

B．gone

C．deserted

D．planted

5.

A．turned

B．bent

C．sank

D．flew

6.

A．take

B．lose

C．grow

D．die

7.

A．green

B．brown

C．tiny

D．pretty

8.

A．change

B．cut

C．use

D．save

9.

A．regretting

B．asking

C．wondering

D．knowing

10.

A．however

B．therefore

C．moreover

D．otherwise

11.

A．freely

B．busily

C．gently

D．slowly

12.

A．explored

B．shouted

C．decided

D．wished

13.

A．home

B．purpose

C．branch

D．way

14.

A．upset

B．reminded

C．ensured

D．affected

15.

A．night

B．lesson

C．word

D．breath

7 . What do you do with a withered orchid (兰花)?____ you’re an expert, you may find that they never ____ for you again.

Everything has a life cycle and orchids don’t ____ forever. I can’t ____ throwing out orchids. I have tried my best, but in ____. After so much ____ and error, I was almost ____ that they have died.____, my wife had other ideas.

Some of the plants were moved to a table in the living room, and others were ____ on the kitchen window.

Actually, everything has its own life cycle. Sure, you can ____ hope. It was easy to believe that those orchids would never flower again—that is, until my wife decided to come to their ____.

My wife kept moving the plants around the house looking for the right light.____, the orchids stayed alive. Tiny new stems (茎) grew from the old ones a year later. And now, nearly all of them are flowering.

Yes, you can ____everything you think is important—your beauty, your wealth, even your family — but as long as you are alive, you can find new life within something you thought was never going to bloom (开花) again. Never lose ____ on finding new life, even if the chance is ____.

1.

A．Because

B．Although

C．Unless

D．If

2.

A．bloom

B．struggle

C．live

D．care

3.

A．continue

B．last

C．manage

D．go

4.

A．help

B．stop

C．keep

D．stand

5.

A．ruins

B．vain

C．need

D．trouble

6.

A．effort

B．attempt

C．research

D．trial

7.

A．reminded

B．informed

C．convinced

D．warned

8.

A．However

B．Therefore

C．Also

D．Otherwise

9.

A．removed

B．ignored

C．placed

D．sold

10.

A．stick to

B．believe in

C．build up

D．give up

11.

A．rescue

B．mind

C．notice

D．way

12.

A．Generally

B．Normally

C．Surprisingly

D．Sadly

13.

A．lose

B．miss

C．gain

D．keep

14.

A．trust

B．confidence

C．hope

D．dream

15.

A．great

B．big

C．hard

D．slim

8 . 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。

As a man was passing the elephants, he suddenly stopped, confused by the fact    1    these huge creatures were being held by only a thin rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no    2     (cage). It was obvious that the elephants could, at any time, break away from their bonds. But for some reason, they did not.

He saw a trainer nearby and asked why these elephants just stood there and made no attempt     3    (get) away. “Well,” the trainer said, “when they were very young and much     4     (small), we used the same size rope to tie them, and at that age, it was enough to hold them. As they grow up, they     5     (condition) to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them,    6    they never try to break free.”

The man was amazed. These elephants could at any time break free from their bonds but because they     7     (believe) they couldn’t, they were stuck right where they were.

Like the elephants, how many of us go through life    8     (hang) onto the belief that we cannot do something,    9     (simple) because we failed in it once before?

    10     (fail) is part of learning. We should never give up the struggle in life.

9 . Think of the last time you disagreed with another person. Maybe you argued with a sibling (兄弟，姊妹) over what to watch on TV. Or perhaps you tried to convince grown-ups that ice cream makes a better dinner than vegetables. How did your disagreement end? Were you able to see the issue from the other person’s viewpoint?

In many situations, disagreements are unavoidable. They’re part of life. After all, everyone has different opinions. We all have past experiences that shape how we see the world. Still, not all disagreements are bad. In fact, many people look at them as opportunities to learn. They do so by trying to understand where both sides are coming from.

How can you understand both sides of an issue? Often, it’s best to start by asking questions. Questions help us learn about the world around us. The right questions can also help us learn about other people. In a disagreement, asking for more information can help you learn about a person’s viewpoint. It can also lead you to gather more facts. This can paint a better picture of the entire issue.

When seeking to understand both sides of an issue, it’s important to know the difference between facts and opinions. Remember, facts are based on true information. Opinions can change from person to person. Paying attention to facts can stop biases (偏见) from taking over in a disagreement. This can help everyone involved see both sides of the issue.

Maybe you’re wondering why it’s important to understand both sides of an issue, anyway. After all, don’t most people just want to prove that their side is right? Often, that’s true. However, understanding the whole issue can lead to both sides working together.

Disagreements may be uncomfortable at first. However, when both sides truly try to understand each other, they often find they have more in common than they thought. The next time you disagree with other people, try asking them questions about their viewpoints. You never know what you might learn.

1. What does the underlined word “so” refer to in Paragraph 2?

A．Ignoring chances to learn.

B．Knowing more about themselves.

C．Shaping a right way to see the world.

D．Making the disagreements a chance to learn.

2. According to the passage, how can we solve a disagreement?

A．By changing the other’s opinion.

B．By making both sides comfortable.

C．By trying to stand in the other’s shoes.

D．By telling facts and opinions apart.

3. How does the author support his view?

A．By reasoning.	B．By making comparison.
C．By debating.	D．By giving examples.

4. What’s the author’s attitude to people’s arguments?

A．Indifferent.

B．Pessimistic.

C．Positive.

D．Skeptical.

10 . A professor entered the classroom and told the students about a surprise test. All students were_________ and waited for the test to begin. The professor gave the test papers to all students with text facing down at the desk. Once he was done with _________ the test to all students, he asked them to_________ the test paper and begin.

Students were ___________ to see that there was just a black dot in the center of the page. The professor told them, “I want you to ___________ about what you see there.” The students were___________ confused but got started with the test. At the end of the class, the professor collected all answer sheets and started reading each answer from each sheet in front of all students. All of them___________ about the black dot and tried to explain its position.

Now, professor began to explain, “Here everyone_________ the black dot and wrote about it_________ no one wrote about the white paper. The same is with our lives. The white paper stands for our whole life and the black dot __________problems in our life.

Our life is a __________ given to us by God, with love and care, and we always have reasons to celebrate—our friends around us, the job that provides us with everything we need. However, we just focus on day to day ____________ like health issues, lack of money, poor relationships, but we seldom see that these problems are very small __________to everything we have in our lives.”

We should try to take eyes __________ our problems and enjoy each moment that life gives us. Be happy and live your life ____________.

1.

A．disappointed

B．curious

C．concerned

D．surprised

2.

A．handing out

B．working out

C．dealing with

D．mixing up

3.

A．open

B．read

C．defend

D．turn

4.

A．annoyed

B．addicted

C．confused

D．amazed

5.

A．bring

B．speak

C．write

D．talk

6.

A．still

B．hardly

C．never

D．mostly

7.

A．communicated

B．described

C．accepted

D．used

8.

A．concentrated on

B．depended on

C．insisted on

D．counted on

9.

A．for

B．so

C．and

D．but

10.

A．likes

B．means

C．prefers

D．deserves

11.

A．picture

B．lesson

C．gift

D．text

12.

A．events

B．adventures

C．solutions

D．problems

13.

A．connected

B．compared

C．addicted

D．attracted

14.

A．on

B．in

C．off

D．under

15.

A．formally

B．differently

C．obviously

D．positively