1 . Kathy Fletcher and David Simpson have a son named Santi. He has a friend who sometimes goes to school hungry. So Santi invites him to occasionally eat and sleep at his house.

That friend has a friend and that friend has a friend, and now when you go to dinner at Kathy and David's house on Thursday night there might be 15 to 20 teenagers gathering around the table, and later there will be groups of them crashing in the basement or in the small bedrooms upstairs. The kids who show up at Kathy and David's have suffered the pains of modern poverty: homelessness, hunger and abuse.

And yet by some miracle, hostile soil has produced beautiful flowers. Kids come from around the city. Spicy chicken and black rice are served. Cellphones are banned. The kids who call Kathy and David“Momma”and “Dad”, are polite and do the dishes. Birthdays and graduations are celebrated. Songs are performed. At each meal they go around the table and everybody has to say something nobody else knows about him. At each meal the kids show their promise to care for one another.

The adults in this community give the kids the chance to present their gifts.“At my first dinner, Edd read a poem that I first thought was from Langston Hughes, but it turned out to be his own. Kesari has a voice that somehow appears from New Orleans jazz in the 1920s. Madeline and Thalya form a friendship as if it were the highest art form,”George said.

“They give us a gift—complete intolerance of social distance. When I first met Edd,I held out myhand to shake his. He looked at it and said, ‘We hug here', and we' ve been hugging since,”Kesari said.

Bill Milliken, a veteran youth activist, is often asked which programs turn around kids' lives. “I still haven't seen one program change one kid's life,”he says.“What changes people is the relationship. Somebody is willing to walk through the shadow of the valley of adolescence.”Souls are not saved in bundles. Love is the necessary force.

1. Why do kids come to Kathy and David's house on Thursdays?

A．To help the homeless at first hand.

B．To experience the feeling of home.

C．To learn about the modern poverty

D．To plant beautiful flowers in poor soil.

2. Why isn't the use of cellphones allowed at Thursday dinners?

A．Kids need to tell stories about themselves.

B．Kids are expected to care more for each other.

C．Kids have to share housework around the home.

D．Kids prepare songs for birthdays and graduations.

3. What gift did Kesari get at a Thursday dinner？

A．The practice of the art form.

B．The pleasure of enjoying jazz.

C．The chance to listen to poems.

D．The zero distance between souls.

4. What does Bill mean in his words？

A．Love has the power to change a kid's life.

B．Money is needed to start programs for kids.

C．A program can change a group of kids' lives.

D．Kids change their relationships in a program.

2 . A gray sweater hung limply on Tommy’s empty desk, a reminder of the sad boy who had just followed his classmates out of our third-grade room. Soon Tommy’s parents, who had recently_______, would arrive for a conference on his _______schoolwork and bad behavior. _______parent knew that I had sent for the other.

Tommy, an (a) _______ child, had always been a happy, cooperative and excellent student. How could I _______ his father and mother that his recent failing grades represented a _______ child’s reaction to his loved parents’ separation and coming divorce?

Tommy’s mother entered and took one of the chairs I had placed near my desk.. Soon the father arrived. Good! At least they were _______ enough to be present at the meeting. A look of surprise and anger passed between them, and then they pointedly(purposely) _______ each other.

As I gave a detailed account of Tommy’s behavior and schoolwork, I prayed for the _______ words to bring these two together, to help them see what they were doing to their son. ________ somehow the words wouldn’t come. Perhaps if they saw one of his unclear ________ done papers.

I found a crumpled (褶皱的)tear-stained sheet stuffed in the back of his desk, an English paper. ________ covered both sides-not the assignment, but a single sentence scribbled(潦草的写) over and over.

________ I smoothed it out and gave it to Tommy’s mother. She read it and then without a word handed it to her husband. He frowned. Then his face ________. He studied the scrawled words for ________ seemed so long a time.

At last he folded the paper carefully, placed it in his pocket, and ________ his wife’s outstretched hand. She wiped the tears from her eyes and ________ at him. My own eyes were filled with tears, but neither seemed to notice. He helped her with her coat and they left together.

In his own way God had given me the words to ________ that family. He had guided me to the sheet of yellow copy paper covered with the ________showing(流露)of a small boy’s ________ heart.

The words, “Dear Mom ... Dear Daddy ... I love you ... I love you ... I love you.”

1.

A．remarried

B．separated

C．left

D．divided

2.

A．puzzling

B．encouraging

C．failing

D．disappointed

3.

A．Neither

B．Each

C．Every

D．Either

4.

A．alone

B．stupid

C．fearful

D．only

5.

A．convince

B．allow

C．suggest

D．promise

6.

A．cold-hearted

B．broken-hearted

C．warm-hearted

D．exited-hearted

7.

A．liked

B．sad

C．inspired

D．concerned

8.

A．missed

B．looked

C．ignored

D．fought

9.

A．necessary

B．grateful

C．right

D．helpless

10.

A．Or

B．But

C．And

D．So

11.

A．carefully

B．seriously

C．patiently

D．carelessly

12.

A．Writing

B．Phrases

C．Tears

D．Notes

13.

A．Eagerly

B．Secretly

C．Silently

D．Quickly

14.

A．puzzled

B．softened

C．discouraged

D．surprised

15.

A．it

B．that

C．which

D．what

16.

A．took up

B．got to

C．held up

D．reached for

17.

A．smiled

B．glanced

C．laughed

D．glared

18.

A．help

B．reunite

C．support

D．change

19.

A．upset

B．happy

C．sad

D．regretful

20.

A．troubled

B．beating

C．disappointing

D．moved

3 . Spending two days wondering if your father will live or die brings you many things. It allows you to _______ every moment of life. It fills you with good memories, and it fills you with pain. It _______ you of something that can easily be forgotten as you run around in your _______ life: life is incredibly fragile (脆弱的), and can be _______ in an instant.

I sat there in this hospital room, feeding the man I’ve seen as _______ and capable in my entire life. It felt like the full circle of life had come around us. It was both _______and frightening. It felt_______to support him, yet part of me wanted to tell him to “be _______” again. I wasn’t sure if I was ready to _______ the full meaning of it: that my father may________ be that powerful and capable person again.

Pain and suffering have visited my family, __________ it will visit all families. And while we hesitate to __________ pain and suffering, it has great lessons to ________ us. Pain and suffering are well outside of the boundaries (界限) of our everyday life. When it __________, it broke these boundaries and turns our world upside down. We become a__________ with all of the others who have known pain and suffering. And we have another chance to tell what’s truly __________ in our lives.

This crisis (危机) will pass, and we’ll all be changed by it. The ________ hands of time will do their work. I’m thankful that I’ve told my __________ everything I’ve wanted to say to him. And I’m thankful to have my family to __________ during this difficult time. We’ll all be ________ by this to show more support, care, and love. This is as it should be.

1.

A．understand

B．change

C．believe

D．appreciate

2.

A．tells

B．reminds

C．informs

D．suspects

3.

A．happy

B．free

C．busy

D．poor

4.

A．taken away

B．burned down

C．set aside

D．used up

5.

A．proud

B．powerful

C．cruel

D．serious

6.

A．surprising

B．disappointing

C．worrying

D．satisfying

7.

A．bad

B．lucky

C．good

D．strange

8.

A．normal

B．common

C．ordinary

D．special

9.

A．learn

B．accept

C．express

D．explain

10.

A．always

B．seldom

C．often

D．never

11.

A．as

B．because

C．so

D．since

12.

A．find

B．enjoy

C．face

D．catch

13.

A．punish

B．blame

C．teach

D．follow

14.

A．comes

B．leaves

C．exists

D．stays

15.

A．class

B．family

C．teacher

D．party

16.

A．positive

B．difficult

C．negative

D．important

17.

A．healing

B．cooking

C．cleaning

D．working

18.

A．father

B．brother

C．sister

D．mother

19.

A．suffer from

B．write about

C．build up

D．depend on

20.

A．supported

B．challenged

C．expected

D．examined

4 . 根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填人空白处的最佳选项，选项中有两项为多余选项。

Everyone can benefit from making an effort to practice gratitude (感激) every day. The following three steps can help you start feeling more grateful, and appreciative of the good things in your life:

Notice the Good Things in Your Life

    1    Pay attention to the small everyday details of your life-nature, people, community, shelter, creature comforts like a warm bed or a good meal. And then start a gratitude journal. Making a commitment to writing down good things each day makes it more likely that we will notice good things as they happen.

Enjoy the Feeling of Gratitude

There are moments when you naturally, right then and there, feel filled with gratitude. These are moments when you say to yourself, "Oh, wow, this is amazing!" or "How great is this!"Pause.    2    Let it sink in. Enjoy your blessings in the moment they happen.

Express Gratitude

Expressing gratitude is more than being polite.    3    Show your appreciation to someone who really did something nice. Say: “It was really kind of you to…,” “You did me a big favor when...,” or “Thank you for being there when...”.    4    Hold the door open for the person behind you, even if it means waiting a little longer than you normally would.

True gratitude doesn't leave you feeling like you owe other people something-after all, if you've done someone a favor, you probably don't want the person to feel like you expect something back in return.    5    

A．It's about showing your heartfelt appreciation.

B．Notice and absorb that feeling of true gratitude.

C．You can also express gratitude by doing a kindness.

D．It's all about feeling good and creating a cycle of good.

E．Start to notice and identify the things you are grateful for.

F．Help someone without letting the person find out it was you.

G．It's amazing what you notice when you focus on feeling grateful.

5 . The story happened in Japan         1         a house was redecorated and the wall inside a room was removed. The inside of the wall was hollow. When the owner of the house removed the wall, he saw a gecko (壁虎) inside the wall. Its tail was pinned by a nail         2    (come) through the wall from outside.

The owner was very curious why the gecko was still alive. Then the nail caught his eye. Goodness! It is the nail that was driven here ten years ago when the house was built! How amazing it is         3         the gecko to have lived in the wall in complete         4    (dark) for ten years!

But on second thought, the curious house owner wondered   how   this   gecko   could   live through 10 years with its tail         5    (nail) down and being unable to go anywhere? So he tried to find out how this small creature could be fed. After a little while, there appeared another gecko with food in           6           mouth!   What a shocking scene! For ten years, this little gecko had never failed to feed the trapped one.

The story touched me so         7    (deep) that it is useless to find out         8         relationships they had   between   them.   Parent            9            child? Friends? Lovers? Brothers or sisters?           10     last thing we should do is to abandon your beloved in hardship.

6 . I used to believe in the American Dream, which meant a job, a mortgage (按揭), credit cards, success. I wanted it and worked toward it like everyone else, all of us_______chasing the same thing.

One year, through a series of unhappy events, it all fell_______I found myself homeless and alone. I had my truck and $ 56. I_______the countryside for some place I could rent for the_______possible amount. I came upon a shabby house four miles up a winding mountain road_______the Potomac River in West Virginia. It was_______, full of broken glass and rubbish. I found the owner, rented it, and_____________.

The locals knew nothing about me,_______slowly, they started teaching me the_______of being a neighbor. They dropped off blankets, candles, and tools, and began__________around to chat. They started to teach me a belief in a__________American Dream—not the one of individual achievement but of__________

What I had believed in, all those things I thought were__________for a civilized life, were nonexistent in this place. __________on the mountain, my most valuable possessions were my__________with my neighbors.

Four years later, I moved back into__________I saw many people were having a really hard time,__________their jobs and homes. I managed to rent a big enough house to________a handful of people. We’d all be in ___________if we hadn’t banded together.

The American Dream I believe in now is a shared one. It’s not so much about what I can get for myself; it’s about__________we can all get by together.

1.

A．separately

B．equally

C．violently

D．naturally

2.

A．off

B．apart

C．over

D．out

3.

A．crossed

B．left

C．toured

D．searched

4.

A．fullest

B．largest

C．fairest

D．cheapest

5.

A．at

B．through

C．over

D．round

6.

A．occupied

B．abandoned

C．emptied

D．robbed

7.

A．turned

B．approached

C．cleared

D．cut

8.

A．but

B．although

C．otherwise

D．for

9.

A．benefit

B．lesson

C．nature

D．art

10.

A．sticking

B．looking

C．swinging

D．turning

11.

A．wild

B．real

C．different

D．remote

12.

A．neighborliness

B．happiness

C．friendliness

D．kindness

13.

A．unique

B．expensive

C．rare

D．necessary

14.

A．Up

B．Down

C．Deep

D．Along

15.

A．cooperation

B．relationships

C．satisfaction

D．appointments

16.

A．reality

B．society

C．town

D．life

17.

A．creating

B．losing

C．quitting

D．offering

18.

A．put in

B．turn in

C．take in

D．get in

19.

A．yards

B．shelters

C．camps

D．cottages

20.

A．when

B．what

C．whether

D．how

7 . I have a friend who lives by a three-word philosophy: Seize the moment. Just possibly, she may be the wisest woman on this planet. Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven't thought about it, don't have it on their schedule, didn't know it was coming or are too strict to depart from their routine.
I can't count the times I called my sister and said,“How about going to lunch in half an hour?” She would gasp and stammer(结结巴巴地说), “I can't. I have clothes on the line. My hair is dirty. I wish I had known yesterday. I had a late breakfast. It looks like rain.”And my personal favorite response:“It's just Monday.”She died a few years ago. We never did have lunch together. From then on, I've tried to be a little more flexible.
Life has a way of going faster as we get older. The days get shorter, and the list of promises made to ourselves gets longer. One morning, we awaken, and all have to show for our lives is repetition of “I'm going to”,“I plan on” and “Someday, when things are settled down a bit.”
When anyone calls my“seize the moment” friend, she is open to adventure and available for trips. She keeps an open mind on new mind on new ideas. Her enthusiasm for life is______ You talk with her for five minutes, and you're ready to trade your bad feet for a pair of Rollerblades and skip an elevator for a bungee cord.
My lips have not touched ice cream in 10 years. I love ice cream. The other day, I stopped the car and bought a triple-decker. If my car had hit an iceberg on the way home, I would have died happy.
Now go on and have a nice day. Do something you WANT to, not something on your SHOULD DO list.
1. The example of the writer's sister serves as__________.

A．an argument

B．an introduction

C．a support

D．a conclusion

2. The writer thinks that the underlined excuse “It's just Monday.”is acceptable, because __________.

A．it is still likely that they can have lunch together some time later

B．it sounds most reasonable of all the excuses.

C．it shows respect for the writer's suggestion

D．it indicates the time when they can have lunch together

3. The underlined word “contagious” in the fourth paragraph means “_________”.

A．appropriate

B．influential

C．practical

D．evident

4. What is the purpose of the writer by writing this passage?

A．To suggest how time flies.

B．To persuade busy people to relax.

C．To advise people to keep their promise.

D．To convince readers to be flexible on their schedule for practical joy.

8 . December 15, 2014

Dear Alfred，

I want to tell you how important your help is to my life.

Growing up, I had people telling me I was too slow, though, with an IQ of 150+ at 17, I’m anything but stupid. The fact was that I was found to have ADHD(注意力缺陷多动障碍). Anxious all the time, I was unable to keep focused for more than an hour at a time.

However, when something did interest me, I could become absorbed. In high school, I became curious about the computer, and built my first website. Moreover, I completed the senior course of Computer Basics, plus five relevant pre-college courses.

While I was exploring my curiosity, my disease got worse. I wanted to go to college after high school, but couldn’t . So, I was killing my time at home until June 2012 when I discovered the online computer courses of your training center.

Since then, I have taken courses like Data Science and Advanced Mathematics. Currently, I’m learning your Probability course. I have hundreds of printer paper, covered in self-written notes from your video. This has given me a purpose.

Last year, I spent all my time looking for a job where, without dealing with the public , I could work alone, but still have a team to talk to. Luckily, I discovered the job—Data Analyst—this month and have been going full steam ahead. I want to prove that I can teach myself a respectful profession, without going to college, and be just as good as, if not better than, my competitors.

Thank you. You’ve given me hope that I can follow my heart. For the first time, I feel good about myself because I’m doing something, not because someone told me I was doing good. I feel whole.

This is why you’re saving my life.

Yours,

Tanis

1. why did’t Tanis go to college after high school?

A．She had learned enough about computer science

B．She had more difficulty keeping focused

C．She preferred taking online courses

D．She was too slow to learn

2. As for the working environment, Tains prefers____.

A．working by herself

B．dealing with the public

C．competing against others

D．staying with ADHD students

3. Tanis wrote this letter in order to_____.

A．explain why she was interested in the computer

B．share the ideas she had for her profession

C．show how grateful she was to the center

D．describe the courses she had taken so far

9 . I suppose that the most basic and powerful way to connect to another person is to listen. Just listen. Perhaps the most important thing we ever give each other is our attention. And especially if it’s given from the heart. When people are talking, there’s no need to do anything but receive them. Listen to what they’re saying. Care about it. Most times caring about it is even more important than understanding it. Most of us don’t value ourselves or our love enough to know this. It has taken me a long time to believe in the power of simple saying “I’m so sorry,” when someone is in pain.
One of my patients told me that when she tried to tell her story people often interrupted to tell her that they once had something just like that happening to them. Her pain became a story about themselves. Eventually she stopped talking to most people. We connect through listening. When we interrupt what someone is saying to let them know that we understand，we move the focus of attention to ourselves. When we listen, they know we care.
I have even learned to respond to someone crying by just listening. In the old days I used to reach for the handkerchiefs, until I realized that passing a person a handkerchief may be just another way to shut him down，to take them out of their experience of sadness. Now I just listen. When they have cried all they need to cry, they find me there with them.
This simple thing has not been that easy to learn. It certainly went against everything I had been taught since I was very young. I thought people listened only because they were too shy to speak or did not know the answer. But now I know that a loving silence often has far more power to heal than the kindest words.
1. What does the author value most in the communication with each other?

A．Deep understanding.	B．Saying “I’m sorry”.
C．Attention from heart.	D．Doing nothing.

2. The woman patient stopped telling her story to most people because________.

A．she didn’t get enough respect from others

B．she was discouraged by being often interrupted

C．people often told her their own opinions

D．people couldn’t understand her sad situation

3. If you hand a handkerchief to someone crying, you may________.

A．hurt his feelings

B．make him embarrassed

C．encourage him to continue to cry

D．stop him from letting out his sorrow

4. It can be inferred from the passage that while communicating, ________.

A．listening is a perfect way to respond to others

B．people keep silent because they don’t know the answer

C．keeping silent means being too shy to speak

D．it is easy to form the habit of listening silently

10 . 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。将答案填写在答题卡的相应位置。

Anger can disturb a supposedly happy and     1    (peace) life. If we can learn to contain this emotion, we could decrease the unnecessary trouble that it    2    (bring).

Linda and I got along like sisters.     3    , on one weekend, I quarreled with her over a decision on     4    to visit the library. She wanted to go out later since she had not washed her hair, while I could not wait to check out the    5    (late) publication on Harry Potter, my all time favorite. This small dispute soon    6    (blow) into a big one as both of us thought the other was unreasonable, inconsiderate and     7    (simple) ridiculous.     8    (drive) by childish anger, we shouted at each other mercilessly over the phone and never spoke to each other for a long time.

If I had controlled my anger and walked    9    Linda’s shoes for a mile, I would have understood her hesitance to go out, and we could have avoided hurting each other’s    10    (feel).