1 . At age 37, 1 was diagnosed (诊断) with Parkinson’s Disease. The diagnosis _______ us quite hard.

That summer, my wife discovered an annual charity bicycle ride, the Seattle to Portland (STP) ride, a 200-mile ride from Seattle, to Portland. One of the charities the STP raises _______ for is the Northwest Parkinson’s Foundation. This local foundation _______ Parkinson’s research. Kathryn had never been a bicyclist, so I was surprised when she _______. The ride was not easy.

Her bicycle was old, heavy, _______, and hard to ride. People suggested that Kathryn _______ a newer, lighter bike, but she didn’t.

Kathryn found one friend to ride with and went on only a few _______ rides. Then one Saturday morning in July, she _______ her old bicycle and rode to Portland over the next two days. That year she raised over $1000.

I was glad Kathryn was enthusiastic about the ride and had become a fundraiser, but didn’t really _______ why she took part until I heard her explain it to some friends of ours. She told them that the ride was one of the ________ things she had ever done. She said she didn’t even like bike riding. With tears in her eyes, she said that she did it because it was one of the only ways she could help to make a (n) ________ in my life.

I was overwhelmed. I had thought Kathryn had ridden to achieve a(n) ________ goal, fun, or adventure, but I was wrong. She had done it all for me. On learning that my disease touched her enough to ________ something so difficult, I felt loved.

Kathryn has been by my side for over 20 years. We’ve managed every ________ and storm together. She rarely rides during the year, but in July, you’ll be sure to find my ________ riding south from Seattle.

1.

A．challenged

B．injured

C．committed

D．hit

2.

A．loans

B．fine

C．funds

D．tickets

3.

A．continues

B．pursues

C．completes

D．supports

4.

A．showed up

B．applied for

C．signed up

D．appealed to

5.

A．awkward

B．stylish

C．flexible

D．classic

6.

A．repair

B．adopt

C．donate

D．purchase

7.

A．training

B．teaching

C．calming

D．relaxing

8.

A．pushed

B．hired

C．fixed

D．mounted

9.

A．doubt

B．appreciate

C．imagine

D．approve

10.

A．rarest

B．hardest

C．easiest

D．smallest

11.

A．difference

B．choice

C．promise

D．proposal

12.

A．common

B．specific

C．personal

D．higher

13.

A．encounter

B．evaluate

C．achieve

D．demand

14.

A．blessing

B．prediction

C．feeling

D．inspiration

15.

A．legend

B．hero

C．master

D．pioneer

2 . 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。

My mother is crazy about Sichuan hotpot, which reminds her     1     lots of sweet memories. I like nothing     2     (good) than Sichuan hot pot. My father is a British. After many years of marriage to my mother, he still dare not     3     (try) Sichuan hot pot. Dad can cook a typical Sunday roast. The whole family are     4     (addict) to it. However, mum suggests that I     5     (not eat) too much as it may make us suffer from heat inside our bodies.

3 . A sunny afternoon before Christmas, a little girl was decorating a box with a gold wrapping paper to put it under the Christmas tree. Money was tight, so the girl’s father _________ her for wasting almost all roll of that _________ paper.

However, the next morning the girl _________ the gift to her father. “This is for you, Daddy.” she said. He opened the box and found it _________, so he became angry again. “Don’t you know, that when you give someone a _________ it is supposed that there would be something inside it.” he said _________. The little girl looked at her father with _________ in her eyes. “Daddy, this box is not empty, I _________ it with my kisses, all for you.”

The father was extremely _________. He felt so embarrassed that he could just put his __________ around his little daughter and beg for her __________. For many years of his life the man kept that golden box near his bed. Wherever he felt __________ and downhearted he opened the box and thought of __________ that the little child had put into it.

Each of us have been __________ a present of unconditional love from our children, family, friends and God. It is the most precious __________ that anyone could hold.

1.

A．praised

B．punished

C．admired

D．contacted

2.

A．expensive

B．common

C．cheap

D．lovely

3.

A．emailed

B．sent

C．brought

D．put

4.

A．beautiful

B．full

C．amazing

D．empty

5.

A．box

B．gift

C．paper

D．package

6.

A．anxiously

B．fluently

C．seriously

D．calmly

7.

A．excitement

B．tears

C．fire

D．stars

8.

A．designed

B．exchanged

C．filled

D．arranged

9.

A．surprised

B．proud

C．shy

D．annoyed

10.

A．ears

B．hands

C．eyes

D．arms

11.

A．forgiveness

B．carelessness

C．kindness

D．blindness

12.

A．alone

B．happy

C．sad

D．excited

13.

A．heart

B．love

C．anger

D．stress

14.

A．given

B．requested

C．attracted

D．impressed

15.

A．source

B．topic

C．confidence

D．treasure

4 . Within your family, are you the “boss”, the “peacemaker”, the “baby” or the “king”?     1    

Firstborn — The “Boss”

First-time parents often have very high expectations for their eldest children.     2     Firstborns tend to be natural leaders who respect and trust authority. Many astronauts and engineers are firstborn children.

Middle child — The “Peacemaker”

Typically, parents don’t give middle children as much attention as the firstborn or the youngest.     3     As a result, they are usually determined to achieve success in their own way. They don’t like conflict and will try to avoid it. They are often realistic, independent, patient peacemakers and good communicators.

Youngest child — The “Baby”

By the time the youngest family member is born, most parents have loosened their rules.     4     They often enjoy amusing others and being the center of attention. They are typically fun-loving, creative people who aren’t afraid to question authority or take risks.

Only child — The “King of the Castle”

Life in the family of an only child often revolves around him or her.    5    An only child enjoys learning from adults and is usually very clever for his or her age. Only children are creative and intelligent and can easily communicate with adults. They are typically confident, independent and very successful. What about you? Does the birth order description match your personality?

A．Thus, they tend to have more freedom.

B．That often causes them to feel they are ignored.

C．Early-born children experience a better social environment.

D．These kids don’t have to share their toys or their parents’ time.

E．Many researchers believe your position in the family influences your personality.

F．As a result, these kids are often responsible, organized, bossy, successful achievers.

G．The relationships between birth order, personality, and behavior confuse many researchers.

5 . For my daughter's 19th birthday, we bought her tickets to go and see Linkin Park, as they were playing in our city. We didn't really have the ________ but we knew how much this band meant to her.

The night before she was like a ________ at Christmas. Every so often she got up and came to ________ with us, because she couldn't ________ . On the night of the concert it was good to see her so ________ and excited, as she and her boyfriend set off.

Needless to say when they ________ after midnight, with T-shirts and lots of pictures of the band, ________ her telling about how fantastic they had been, we knew the money had been well ________ . This will be a memory she would never forget, and nor would we.

________ full of excitement from the night before, the following day they ________ to go shopping on the other side of the city. My husband and I laughed, loving the fact that she had not ________   that quality as she grew up.

Later that day they returned, with faces full of happiness and warmth. They presented my husband and me with a ________ each. On each present were the words "Because you are the ________ mum/dad in the world. "When we expressed our thanks and told her she didn't have to, we asked her why she had bought us gifts. Her answer was simply "Just because I love you."

This wasn't something ________ from our daughter; she had always given us gifts when she wanted to express her ________ , and each gift was always a welcome surprise. It could have been anything, it wouldn't have mattered, and it was the act itself and the feelings behind it.

1.

A．money

B．time

C．interest

D．news

2.

A．worker

B．baby

C．kid

D．parent

3.

A．dance

B．learn

C．walk

D．sit

4.

A．speak

B．sleep

C．stand

D．leave

5.

A．healthy

B．happy

C．pretty

D．surprised

6.

A．stayed

B．left

C．returned

D．turned

7.

A．worrying about

B．caring for

C．looking at

D．listening to

8.

A．lent

B．earned

C．saved

D．spent

9.

A．Still

B．Only

C．Just

D．Also

10.

A．continued

B．tried

C．decided

D．struggled

11.

A．kept

B．lost

C．realized

D．discovered

12.

A．gift

B．prize

C．ticket

D．picture

13.

A．richest

B．oldest

C．best

D．cleverest

14.

A．important

B．ordinary

C．new

D．valuable

15.

A．feelings

B．concerns

C．understandings

D．opinions

6 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What do we know about the girl?

A．She is always bored.

B．She misses her family.

C．She is busy this weekend.

2. When did the girl see her family last time?

A．On a holiday.

B．On her birthday.

C．At a relative's wedding.

7 . Joe and Della were a new couple. They were both interested in art--one in painting, the other in music. They lived in a small flat. They loved each other and they were happy.

But one day they found that they had spent all their money. One afternoon Della told Joe that she had found a _________ and was to give her three music lessons a week. For that she could get fifteen dollars a week. But Joe was not _________ because he didn’t want to stay at home, playing with his art while Della was at work. He wanted to earn some money too.

Every day they parted in the morning and _________ in the evening.

A week _________ , Della brought home fifteen dollars, but she looked a little _________. Joe took eighteen dollars out of his pocket. They were both _________ to have so much money at hand.

The next week, Joe _________ home another eighteen dollars but Della came home with her right hand in a bandage (绷带). Joe asked Della what was the _________. Della said, “It was because of an iron-- I mean a plate of soup spilled on my _________.”

“What do you do every day, Della? Do you __________ give music lessons?” Joe asked. “Tell me the __________!”

Della cried. She told Joe that she was working in a laundry (洗衣店), __________ shirts. A girl accidentally __________ an iron on her hand and she got a __________ burn. But Della asked Joe how he had guessed that she wasn’t giving music lessons.

Joe told Della that he worked in the engine-room of the same laundry where she worked. They both let out their __________ and laughed.

1.

A．pupil

B．teacher

C．painter

D．director

2.

A．worried

B．busy

C．glad

D．surprising

3.

A．studied

B．met

C．worked

D．talked

4.

A．killed

B．spent

C．wasted

D．passed

5.

A．tired

B．excited

C．fatter

D．stranger

6.

A．puzzled

B．disappointed

C．anxious

D．happy

7.

A．borrowed

B．brought

C．applied

D．stored

8.

A．result

B．job

C．matter

D．bandage

9.

A．foot

B．face

C．arm

D．hand

10.

A．really

B．often

C．seldom

D．finally

11.

A．reason

B．cause

C．truth

D．incident

12.

A．making

B．repairing

C．ironing

D．selling

13.

A．picked up

B．set down

C．poured out

D．filled with

14.

A．slight

B．bad

C．soft

D．hard

15.

A．secrets

B．lessons

C．ideas

D．opinions

8 . 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。

More     1     50 years ago, my dad planted an evergreen tree. He watered it and cared for it. A few     2     (year) later, when it grew to about 3 feet tall, he placed its first set of Christmas lights on it. Thus our tradition began. Every Christmas ever since, this tree has lit up our neighborhood corner.

Dad     3    (pass) away in November 1991. With all the emotions of his passing, Thanksgiving came and went. When the topic of the tree     4    (bring) up, Mom said,“Not this year.”But my brother, sister and I said,“Dad would want it to be done,”so the     5    (follow) weekend, we decorated the tree together     6    memory of him.

The tree now stands about 40 feet tall, and we have to use a beautiful cherry lift.    7    (put) the top lights on. We turn the lights on the evening after Thanksgiving,     8    send out light each night until New Year's Day. People drive by slowly, taking pictures or simply     9    (enjoy) its beauty. Then in spring we pack the lights     10    (safe) away for the next year.