1 . What Theresa Loe is doing proves that a large farm isn’t a prerequisite for a modern grow-your-own lifestyle. On a mere 1/10 of an acre in Los Angeles, Loe and her family grow, can (装罐) and preserve much of the food they consume.

Loe is a master food preserver, gardener and canning expert. She also operates a website, where she shares her tips and recipes, with the goal of demonstrating that everyone has the ability to control what’s on their plate.

Loe initially went to school to become an engineer, but she quickly learned that her enthusiasm was mainly about growing and preparing her own food. “ got into cooking my own food and started growing my own herbs(香草)and foods for that fresh flavor,” she said. Engineer by day, Loe learned cooking at night school. She ultimately purchased a small piece of land with her husband and began growing their own foods.

“I teach people how to live farm-fresh without a farm,” Loe said. Through her website Loe emphasizes that ‘‘anybody can do this anywhere.” Got an apartment with a balcony (阳台)? Plant some herbs. A window? Perfect spot for growing. Start with herbs, she recommends, because “they’re very forgiving.” Just a little of the herbs “can take your regular cooking to a whole new level,” she added. “I think it’s a great place to start.” Then? Try growing something from a seed, she said, like a tomato or some tea.

Canning is a natural extension of the planting she does. With every planted food, Loe noted, there’s a moment when it’s bursting with its absolute peak flavor. “I try and keep it in a time capsule in a canning jar,” Loe said. “Canning for me is about knowing what’s in your food, knowing where it comes from.”

In addition to being more in touch with the food she’s eating, another joy comes from passing this knowledge and this desire for good food to her children: “Influencing them and telling them your opinion on not only being careful what we eat but understanding the bigger picture,” she said, “that if we don’t take care of the earth, no one will.”

1. The underlined word “prerequisite” (Para. 1) is closest in meaning to“      ”.

A．recipe	B．substitute
C．requirement	D．challenge

2. Why does Loe suggest starting with herbs?

A．They are used daily.	B．They are easy to grow.
C．They can grow very tall.	D．They can be eaten uncooked.

3. According to Loe, what is the benefit of canning her planted foods?

A．It can preserve their best flavor.	B．It can promote her online sales.
C．It can better her cooking skills.	D．It can improve their nutrition.

4. What is the “the bigger picture” (Para. 6) that Loe wishes her children to understand?

A．The knowledge about good food.	B．The way to live a grow-our-own life.
C．The joy of getting in touch with foods.	D．The responsibility to protect our earth

2 . One of the easiest things in the world is to become a fault-finder. However, life can be _______ when you are not busy finding fault with it.

Several years ago I _______ a letter from seventeen-year-old Kerry, who described herself as a world-class fault-finder, almost always _______ by things. People were always doing things that annoyed her, and _______ was ever good enough. She was highly self-critical and also found fault with her friends. She became a really _______ person.

Unfortunately, it took a horrible accident to change her _______. Her best friend was seriously hurt in a car crash. What made it almost _______ to deal with was that the day before the _______, Kerry had visited her friend and had spent the whole time criticizing her _______ of boyfriends, the way she was living, the way she related to her mother, and various other things she felt she needed to ________. It wasn’t until her friend was badly hurt that Kerry became ________ her habit of finding fault. Very quickly, she learned to appreciate life rather than to ________ everything so harshly(刻薄). She was able to transfer her new wisdom to other parts of her ________ as well.

Perhaps most of us aren’t as extreme at fault-finding, ________ when we’re honest, we can be sharply ________ of the world. I’m not suggesting you ________ problems, or that you pretend things are ________ than they are, but simply that you learn to allow things to be as they are — ________ most of the time, and especially when it’s not a really big ________.

Train yourself to ＂bite your tongue＂, and with a little ________, you’ll get really good at letting things go. And when you do, you’ll get back your enthusiasm and love for life.

1.

A．lonely

B．great

C．quiet

D．uneasy

2.

A．received

B．answered

C．expected

D．rejected

3.

A．threatened

B．interrupted

C．bothered

D．spoiled

4.

A．anything

B．everything

C．something

D．nothing

5.

A．caring

B．boring

C．interesting

D．surprising

6.

A．attitude

B．plan

C．measure

D．explanation

7.

A．urgent

B．unnecessary

C．certain

D．impossible

8.

A．occasion

B．event

C．accident

D．adventure

9.

A．memory

B．notice

C．evidence

D．choice

10.

A．hear

B．contribute

C．express

D．admit

11.

A．aware of

B．afraid of

C．curious about

D．confused about

12.

A．discuss

B．realize

C．judge

D．settle

13.

A．family

B．life

C．career

D．education

14.

A．so

B．or

C．but

D．for

15.

A．proud

B．sure

C．hopeful

D．critical

16.

A．face

B．create

C．solve

D．ignore

17.

A．rarer

B．better

C．stranger

D．worse

18.

A．at least

B．at last

C．by far

D．so far

19.

A．task

B．deal

C．result

D．duty

20.

A．practice

B．speech

C．rest

D．pity

3 . Tim Becker and his neighbors are doing something to make their neighborhood a trouble-free area.

When Tim Becker gets in his car to go shopping, he doesn't _______ drive to a store and back home. He always looks _______ up and down the streets of his neighborhood. He looks for anything _______ such as strange cars, loud noises, _______ windows, or people gathering on street corners.

Tim _______ to a neighborhood watch group in Stoneville, Indiana. USA. The neighborhood watch group _______ on the third Wednesday of every month. That's ____ Tim gets together with about ten of his neighbors to discuss community _______. Members of the neighborhood watch group want to help the police _______ their homes, streets, and families safe.

Tina Stedman, president of _______ neighborhood watch group, agrees with Tim.

"People seem to think that crime (犯罪) happens to other people but not _______ them. Well, it's never happened to me," she said, "but I don't think anyone has the _______ to steal from other people or to make them feel _______ sitting in their own homes."

Alex, a member of the group, said that all the neighbors _______ out for one another. "We _______ each other's homes. We keep watch on the neighborhood at night and on weekends. Usually a _______ of four or five of us goes out together. If something doesn't look right, then we call the _______. For example, if we notice a group of teenagers who seem to be looking for ________, or someone destroying property (财产), we report to the police."

Alex feels the neighborhood watch groups ________ a lot in keeping crime down. Her husband Jim agrees, "Police are good people, but they can't do _______."

1.

A．yet

B．still

C．just

D．rather

2.

A．carefully

B．clearly

C．nervously

D．coldly

3.

A．familiar

B．unusual

C．expensive

D．interesting

4.

A．curtained

B．open

C．old

D．broken

5.

A．attends

B．belongs

C．goes

D．turns

6.

A．meets

B．quarrels

C．sings

D．searches

7.

A．where

B．why

C．when

D．how

8.

A．politics

B．wealth

C．health

D．safety

9.

A．keep

B．hold

C．let

D．protect

10.

A．its

B．his

C．their

D．your

11.

A．round

B．on

C．about

D．to

12.

A．right

B．chance

C．courage

D．mind

13.

A．unlucky

B．unsafe

C．disappointed

D．discouraged

14.

A．set

B．let

C．hold

D．look

15.

A．care

B．enter

C．watch

D．manage

16.

A．group

B．set

C．number

D．crowd

17.

A．judges

B．police

C．firemen

D．doctors

18.

A．work

B．burden

C．service

D．trouble

19.

A．produce

B．find

C．get

D．help

20.

A．anything

B．everything

C．harm

D．wrong

4 . My father was a self-taught mandolin（曼陀林琴）player. He could not read, but if he heard a tune several times, he could play it. Occasionally, he ______ play for the local radio station.
Dad loved playing the mandolin for his family. He knew we enjoyed his playing. If he could give ______ to others, he would, especially for his family. He was always ______ his time and efforts to making sure his family had enough in their life.
Later, I matured into a man and had my own children. Whenever coming home, I would ask Dad to play the mandolin, for nobody played the mandolin like him. He could ______ your soul with tunes coming out of that old mandolin. He seemed to ______ when playing, taking pride in his ability to play so well.
Unfortunately, in 1977. Dad was ______ in an accident, leaving his third finger of his left hand wounded seriously. ______ he didn’t lose enough of the finger where it would stop him picking up anything, it did affect his ______ to play the mandolin. After the accident, he was ______ to play and felt unable to play as well as before. Every time we asked him to play, he would make excuses. ______, we could persuade him and he would say “Okay. But I can’t hold down on the strings and play as well as before.” For the family it made no ______. When he played the old mandolin, it would carry us back to a cheerful, happier time.
In August 1993, Dad was ______ with serious disease. He chose not to receive any chemotherapy（化疗）treatments ______ he could live out his rest life in dignity(尊严). A week before his death, we asked Dad if he would play the mandolin for his family. First he made the usual ______ again but later said “Okay.”, ______ it was likely to be the last chance for us to hear him playing. He tuned up the old mandolin and played. ______, I found everyone in the family ______. We saw before us a quiet humble man with an inner ______ that lives with him in his life.
Dad would never play the mandolin for us again, but we still ______ the most valuable gift we gained from him, ______ he had done all his life, giving.1.

A．might

B．should

C．would

D．must

2.

A．pleasure

B．advice

C．help

D．favor

3.

A．applying

B．paying

C．attaching

D．devoting

4.

A．touch

B．discover

C．deliver

D．possess

5.

A．escape

B．shine

C．exist

D．calm

6.

A．included

B．absorbed

C．buried

D．involved

7.

A．Although

B．If

C．Whether

D．Because

8.

A．courage

B．faith

C．ability

D．energy

9.

A．desperate

B．unwilling

C．worthwhile

D．sensitive

10.

A．Eventually

B．Suddenly

C．Gradually

D．Consequently

11.

A．sense

B．difference

C．contact

D．progress

12.

A．combined

B．burdened

C．carried

D．diagnosed

13.

A．so that

B．in case

C．even if

D．as though

14.

A．plan

B．apology

C．reason

D．excuse

15.

A．promising

B．noticing

C．requesting

D．knowing

16.

A．Looking around

B．Turning up

C．Looking into

D．Speeding up

17.

A．happy

B．tearful

C．anxious

D．delighted

18.

A．preference

B．advantage

C．strength

D．courage

19.

A．treasure

B．adopt

C．consider

D．approve

20.

A．anything

B．everything

C．nothing

D．something