1 . I used to think my life was perfect. My mom had her dream job and a beautiful office and I had my own room with a computer and a garden to _________. But one Sunday, everything changed. A hurricane _________ our neighborhood while we were visiting my grandparents in Raleigh. Our kitchen was destroyed, and our clean and comfortable home was in ruins.

But something _________ happened. Our neighbors, the Flores family, came to our aid. They helped clear _________ pieces and offered us a place to stay. Their _________ was most impressive. We had never_________ spoken to them before, but they _________ their home to us and made us feel like family.

We started a new_________ of having weekend dinner together. We invited other families from the neighborhood to join us, and our _________ were filled with laughter and delicious food. It was a beautiful thing to see our __________ come together in the wake of a disaster.

I __________ knew Rosica, their daughter, before the hurricane. But she quickly became my __________. She had a gift for storytelling and our evenings together were filled with adventure and laughter.

Looking back, I realize that the hurricane__________ unexpected benefit. It brought us closer to our neighbors and __________ our lives in ways we never could have imagined. Sometimes, it takes a(n) __________ to bring out the best in people.

1.

A．tend to

B．worry about

C．dream of

D．deal with

2.

A．visited

B．skipped

C．approached

D．swept

3.

A．invisible

B．unexpected

C．impossible

D．unlucky

4.

A．invisible

B．hidden

C．broken

D．useful

5.

A．belief

B．request

C．wealth

D．kindness

6.

A．really

B．carefully

C．naturally

D．clearly

7.

A．sold

B．rented

C．showed

D．opened

8.

A．business

B．project

C．tradition

D．life

9.

A．reunions

B．gatherings

C．journeys

D．memories

10.

A．family

B．volunteers

C．community

D．supporters

11.

A．soon

B．never

C．already

D．also

12.

A．sister

B．friend

C．student

D．classmate

13.

A．brought about

B．resulted from

C．made up for

D．got away with

14.

A．saved

B．controlled

C．enriched

D．recorded

15.

A．instant

B．effort

C．party

D．disaster

2 . I’ve heard that it’s better to give than to receive. But I’m here to tell you that the ________ of receiving should never be under estimated (低估).

I was nine when my Dad and Mom ________, and took me to my grandparents. I decided at that age, in my loneliness and anger that I’d become unbelievably ________, needing no one.

Believe it or not, I took care of everyone in my life, even when I was in worse shape. Once in a while, ________, someone would do something for me at just the moment.

Once, when I was a single parent, I took my son to see Santa Claus.

When he ________ me to buy the photo that was taken, I opened my wallet, only to find that I didn’t have enough money. When I got to the counter to ________ the photo, I was told that someone inline ahead of me had seen me ________ my change and had paid for me. I rushed out to thank the person whose small kindness ________ so much. I found no one in sight. I wanted to ________ that I didn’t need this and I just didn’t have enough cash on that day. I ________ then that it’s okay. It’s okay to let someone do something for me, ________ I could have done it myself.

I have received the blessings (祝福) of those whose acts of generosity and_______ have found me when I needed them most. I believe that it’s not about my strength and independence. It’s about allowing the giver to be blessed when the gift is graciously (优雅地) ________. For me, it’s about a long lost little girl who is no longer ________. Now I know that ________ and receiving are two halves of a whole, each incomplete without the other.

1.

A．effort

B．power

C．force

D．energy

2.

A．signed up

B．set out

C．moved out

D．made up

3.

A．awkward

B．confident

C．lonely

D．independent

4.

A．therefore

B．though

C．instead

D．otherwise

5.

A．requested

B．commanded

C．registered

D．exchanged

6.

A．return

B．scan

C．share

D．copy

7.

A．saving

B．spending

C．paying

D．counting

8.

A．changed

B．meant

C．owed

D．gave

9.

A．promise

B．challenge

C．insist

D．admit

10.

A．impressed

B．attracted

C．made

D．realized

11.

A．as if

B．only if

C．even if

D．if ever

12.

A．honour

B．determination

C．kindness

D．arrangement

13.

A．received

B．delivered

C．recognized

D．packed

14.

A．tough

B．alone

C．anxious

D．frightened

15.

A．accepting

B．keeping

C．leaving

D．giving

3 . My phone rang after I boarded a plane. It was my former PhD adviser calling to tell me a preprint had just been posted that identified imperfections in a paper we’d published in Nature. My stomach dropped as he told me the authors of the critique (评论) were demanding a retraction (撤回). I was overcome by a mix of emotions — disbelief, embarrassment, frustration — and wondering what this would mean for my career.

I took out my laptop and logged on the airport WiFi to read the critique myself. It was unpleasant and thorough, pointing out several fundamental imperfections in our methods and the underlying data, which we’d gathered from other studies.

The fallout was swift and intense. I received a flood of emails and messages. Some were from supportive colleagues, while others were critical of our work. As the first author of the paper and the person who had done all of the data analysis, I felt deeply embarrassed by the criticism.

We wrote a draft response, correcting the apparent errors in the data set and defending our methods. However, after receiving feedback from peer reviewers, we decided against publishing our response.

When it became clear that the retraction was unavoidable, I formally offered my resignation to my department head. He didn’t accept it, saying a resignation wasn’t needed considering the errors in the paper were honest mistakes.

The experience helped me grow as a scientist. I learned that it is better to be open and accountable, even if it means admitting mistakes. I can’t expect myself to know everything as a scientist and my work will be stronger if I seek out diverse expertise and opinions.

In the end, the reality is that retractions are a necessary part of the scientific process — and one that shouldn’t be viewed only through a negative lens. Retractions can also be an opportunity to learn and improve. Honest mistakes happen, and researchers should be encouraged, not punished, for doing the right thing and retracting imperfect work.

1. What news did the author get after boarding the plane?

A．His career might be influenced by his paper.

B．His research paper would be published soon.

C．Some mistakes were found in his published paper.

D．His adviser demanded that he should retract his paper.

2. What does the underlined word “fallout” in Para. 3 mean?

A．Consequence.

B．Answer.

C．Pain.

D．Shame.

3. Why was the author’s resignation refused?

A．He had a good reputation of honesty.

B．He didn’t make mistakes intentionally.

C．He had corrected his mistakes in the paper.

D．His response was against by peer reviewers.

4. What lesson did the author learn from his experience?

A．Retractions can be a chance to learn.

B．Scientists had better know everything.

C．Honest mistakes are necessary in science.

D．Admitting mistakes is really embarrassing.

4 . Yesterday, my daughter had to go to work earlier than usual. Since the gym where I work out is not far from her ________, I decided to take her to work and then go to the gym.

At quite an earlier ________, the gym was already full of men and women of all ages, working out. I ________ go to the gym at this early hour, and was________ to see so many people. It seems that many go to the gym before going to work.

I know how difficult it is for most people to start ________. Most people know it is good for their body, but they are too ________ to go to the gym, ________ in the morning. They prefer to spend an extra hour in bed before starting their_________. In the afternoon, they are too tired after work, and want to stay at home or go out to meet friends.

If you’re one of them, you need self discipline (自律) and ________ your laziness. If you ________ going to the gym and exercising, you would start to like it. This usually ________ when you see that you’re losing weight and you feel stronger.

It is the same in every other area of life, when you study a foreign language or when you make up your mind to ________ your dreams. It is ________ at first. But when you start to see ________, everything becomes easier because you have special ________.

1.

A．house

B．garage

C．office

D．flat

2.

A．hour

B．moment

C．time

D．occasion

3.

A．usually

B．sometimes

C．only

D．seldom

4.

A．happy

B．surprised

C．excited

D．satisfied

5.

A．working

B．fighting

C．exercising

D．practising

6.

A．busy

B．lazy

C．shy

D．afraid

7.

A．actually

B．simply

C．especially

D．generally

8.

A．challenge

B．competition

C．afternoon

D．day

9.

A．recognize

B．realize

C．accept

D．overcome

10.

A．practice

B．keep

C．forget

D．consider

11.

A．improves

B．happens

C．finishes

D．exists

12.

A．remember

B．recall

C．achieve

D．make

13.

A．exciting

B．important

C．interesting

D．difficult

14.

A．results

B．facts

C．sights

D．chances

15.

A．motivation

B．dream

C．need

D．movement

5 . One night, a married couple got into a fight. It was common for them to stay in a war of _________ after such a fight. And this time was not _________. For most of the night, the couple had _________ each other and even as they were preparing for bed, not a word was said.

However, the husband started getting _________ because he would catch a flight at 5:00 a.m. the next morning. He was a heavy sleeper and _________ his wife to wake him up. Otherwise, there was a good _________ he would sleep right _________ the alarm.

In order not to lose his face, he didn’t speak with her _________, but wrote a piece of paper “Please _________ me when it’s 5:00 a.m.” He put the note on his wife’s pillow, __________ that his wife would for sure see it there. He then fell asleep with __________.

The next morning when he woke up, it was already 7:00 a.m.! He knew his journey was __________. He was filled with anger and was preparing to __________ his wife when he noticed a handwritten note beside his pillow, saying “It’s 5:00 a.m. — get up.”

Most of the time __________ you say something is more important than what you actually say. When you need something, do not let __________ get in your way of asking help the right way!

1.

A．patience

B．silence

C．danger

D．secret

2.

A．similar

B．obvious

C．different

D．interesting

3.

A．ignored

B．comforted

C．warned

D．forgiven

4.

A．curious

B．regretful

C．careful

D．anxious

5.

A．led to

B．picked up

C．depended on

D．held back

6.

A．result

B．chance

C．excuse

D．solution

7.

A．through

B．below

C．beside

D．without

8.

A．thankfully

B．naturally

C．sadly

D．directly

9.

A．meet

B．inform

C．support

D．watch

10.

A．seeing

B．realizing

C．believing

D．promising

11.

A．doubt

B．surprise

C．disappointment

D．content

12.

A．shared

B．destroyed

C．changed

D．discovered

13.

A．blame

B．stop

C．encourage

D．trouble

14.

A．when

B．how

C．why

D．whether

15.

A．experience

B．weakness

C．pride

D．worry

9 . “I’m going to fail!” My best friend cried. She and I had this conversation almost every day while we were in high school.

The truth was that my friend never failed in any subjects. I just think that she can’t accept failures because she lives her life as a perfectionist. What she fails to understand is that a lot of good can come from failures.

For example, failure can help build relationships. Once I was cooking dinner for a friend, I was tired, and several dishes I tried to make turned out bad. I grew more and more upset until my friend told me that I shouldn't worry. She cared more about our friendship than the dishes. That day, I learned that failure doesn't always make people dislike you. In fact, after she said those words to me, I grew closer to her.

Failure can make success evermore exciting. Every few years, there would be an important test in the PE class at our school. Students had to run a mile within eight minutes. I was never good at running, so I failed every time until the third year at school. Then I began working out regularly, and yet still failed that year. A few days later, however, the teacher gave me and some other students another chance to run and I got a pass finally! You can't imagine how excitedly I was after that. I felt the memory of the success was as sweet as honey, because I had to overcome failure to reach it.

Now it’s clear to see that failure can teach us good lessons. It's not an end, but it can be a beginning.

1. What did the author finally get from a failed cooking?

A．Worries.

B．A closer friendship.

C．Bad feelings.

D．More experience.

2. Why did the author feel excited after the running test?

A．Because she could work out regularly.	B．Because she received honey as a reward.
C．Because she achieved success after many failures.	D．Because she got another chance to take the test.

3. What does the underlined word “overcome” in Paragraph 4mean?

A．Successfully deal with.	B．Quickly respond to.
C．Narrowly escape from.	D．Eagerly come up with.

4. What is the author's purpose in writing this passage?

A．To show the negative effects of failures.	B．To point out her best friends' fear of failures.
C．To introduce different types of failures.	D．To encourage the readers to face failures bravely.

10 . When I was in sixth grade, I joined the band program to learn to play the clarinet (单簧管). The beginning of the year had gone _________. But as most students progressed, I seemed to fall behind. One day, when my teacher told us to play in front of the other students. I was filled with fear. I knew I would _________. When I began to play, my rhythms (节奏) were good, but my tone was another _________. “Did you practice your lesson?” the teacher barked at me. I felt so ashamed and my world came _________ down in an instant.

From then on, I hated playing the clarinet and I kept getting _________. With the day of the new performance approaching, I grew increasingly upset. In a moment of _________, I asked for sick leave. It was so relieving and such a(n) easy way out.

The avoidance of my lessons continued until my mum asked me about it. “I want to quit.” My tears started _________. “If you really want to quit, why are you crying?” asked Mum. She _________ and I realized I wanted to stay in band and, by not facing my fears, I had created a black hole that would be difficult to _________ out of. I made a resolution not to hide from my fears and to stand up to even the worst of them, so a __________ could be achieved.

The next day I met with my band teacher and told her I was having a problem and couldn’t __________ why. She asked me gently to play for her. I tried, but only an unpleasant sound came out. She didn’t shout at me and handed me a new reed (簧片). I put it in place and tried again. To my great __________ I could play well. My problem was solved and my fear was __________ a lot that year.

Looking back, I’m glad that I overcame my fear. Fear can __________ everything in a person’s life. Hiding from those very fears only creates a hole, which makes a person stay __________ inside. After facing up to a fear, one may find life easier and much more enjoyable.

1.

A．badly

B．endlessly

C．randomly

D．smoothly

2.

A．mess up

B．move on

C．set out

D．take off

3.

A．impression

B．essay

C．story

D．factor

4.

A．crashing

B．moving

C．selling

D．bending

5.

A．stricter

B．worse

C．happier

D．smarter

6.

A．joy

B．panic

C．doubt

D．sympathy

7.

A．drying

B．disappearing

C．flowing

D．separating

8.

A．had a point

B．made a change

C．reached a level

D．took a break

9.

A．send

B．bring

C．pick

D．climb

10.

A．balance

B．degree

C．position

D．solution

11.

A．figure out

B．give away

C．think over

D．make up

12.

A．anger

B．sorrow

C．disappointment

D．surprise

13.

A．felt

B．shown

C．removed

D．voiced

14.

A．consume

B．examine

C．reflect

D．rescue

15.

A．unknown

B．unpunished

C．interested

D．trapped