Growing up is not always easy. When we face difficulties, a spirit of depending on _ 41   is more useful than crying for help. That’s what Hong Zhanhui’s story of growing from boy to man    42   family hardship tells us.

Hong was born in 1982 in a poor family in Xihua County(县), Henan Province. When he was only 11, his father became badly ill and one day he came back with an unwanted baby   43   . A year later, Hong’s mother   44    home. She no longer wanted to live such a poor life and face her sick husband. So everything hard fell onto the young boy’s    45   : to take care of his father and the younger sister Chenchen, and to go on to study.

Although his life was hard, Hong didn’t go away from his father and sister. He took several part-time jobs to    46    his family. He climbed tall trees to get birds’ eggs for his sister. He walked 2 hours at weekends to the market to   47    different things to sell around his school. A few years later, he studied at a college. To take care of Chenchen, he worked hard to    48    a room near his college for her, and sent her to school.

After Hong’s story went    49   , he became a hero in people’s eyes. But Hong ___50___ offers from others. He said he felt encouraged by kind offers, but he could depend on his own work.

Through his hard life, he has grown up from boy to man.

1.A. parents                         B. friends                      C. yourself                 D. God

2.A. out of                           B. into                            C. without                  D. with

3.A. dog                       B. cat                              C. girl                          D. boy

4.A. left                                 B. arrived                      C. went              D. came

5.A. back                     B. shoulders                 C. head              D. body

6.A. help                     B. save                           C. protect                   D. feed

7.A. make                    B. buy                            C. produce                 D. collect

8.A. build                    B. borrow            C. rent                        D. share

9.A. public                            B. clear                          C. by                            D. far

10.A. accepted          B. asked                         C. received                D. refused

George Washington Carver was born in 1864. He was born a slave(奴隶). When he was still a baby, his mother was stolen. He was kept by his master.

All his life George loved  31  . When he was only seven years old, he already knew so  32   about plants that people in his hometown called him “the plant doctor”.

George wanted to learn as much as he could, but there was no   33   for black children where he lived. When he was ten, he left home to find a town that would allow   34   children to attend school. He studied in Missouri and Kansas   35   he finished high school. All this time he had to work to   36   his own expense(费用). He worked as a cook and opened his own laundry.

In 1890, George began college. At first he studied art, but he still had a   37   of plants. He began to study agriculture(农业). After he graduated, the famous inventor Thomas Edison asked him to work in his lab but George   38   . He had other   39  . He started an agricultural organization for black students in Alabama.

In those days, many   40   in the south grew only cotton. This was   41   to the soil(土壤). After a while the   42    would not grow as well. George Washington Carver wanted to help farmers in the south to grow plants like peanuts and sweet potatoes. These plants helped the  43  . Over the years he invented hundreds of ways to use these two plants.

George Washington Carver invented so many things that he was   44   “The Wizard(能手) of  Tuskegee”. He died in 1943 at the   45   of 79.

1. A. animals      B. plants       C. buildings       D. photos

2. A. much        B. many       C. little           D. few

3. A. house        B. farm       C. hospital        D. school

4. A. brown       B. yellow      C. black          D. white

5. A. when        B. until        C. for            D. since

6. A. cost         B. spend       C. pay            D. take

7. A. love         B. hate        C. question        D. surprise

8. A. accepted     B. refused      C. understood      D. cared

9. A. situations    B. suggestions   C. plays          D. plans

10. A. farmers      B. scientists     C. doctors        D. inventors

11. A. helpful      B. harmful      C. careful         D. wonderful

12. A. pumpkin     B. peanut       C. cotton         D. potato

13. A. soil         B. water        C. air           D. weather

14. A. seen        B. look         C. found         D. called

15. A. time        B. year         C. age           D. season

Several weeks ago, our headmaster, Mr. Gaudi, told us that our school had been chosen to compete on Smart Aleck—a game show which my best friend Carla and I both love. Carla has a good imagination, and I know a lot of history, so we thought we’d be good __35__ for the team.

A few days later, Mr. Gaudi held a meeting with everyone interested in the__36__ . He told us that Smart Aleck uses a five member team. He also said that three more people would be needed as backup（替补）. Unluckily four times that many students were at the meeting. So Mr. Gaudi said we would have a __37__ and the top eight scorers would become the team and the backup. Everybody agreed that this was a __38__ way to decide.

Yesterday, all of the hopefuls went to the dining hall after school. We would have to decide the starting line-up（阵容）.Mr. Gaudi acted as the host. After a couple of hours, all the __39__ on the team were set except one. Carla and I __40__ for that last position. We had to hold a one-on-one competition between the two of us. The winner would be on the team and the loser would be the backup.

Midway through our two-person competition, I was starting to pull ahead.__41__ I saw the look on Carla's face. I waited for a second and knew what I had to do. As much as I wanted to be on Smart Aleck, Carla wanted __42__ even more. So, starting with my next question, I held back and let Carla __43__, just by a little bit. Her expression as she __44__ she would be on the show made up for my not being on the team. And since I will go as backup, I'll still have the fun of seeing the show up close.

Was I __45__ by not trying as hard as I could? I don't think so. No one noticed, and Carla and I didn't __46__ it. It won't hurt the team because Carla will be a very good competitor on the real show. I think that making my best friend happy was the right thing to do.

1.A.choices                 B.pairs                C.leaders                     D.fans

2.A.course                  B.work                C.trip                           D.show

3.A.direction     B.discussion      C.competition            D.conversation

4.A.special                  B.hard                          C.fair                                     D.funny

5.A.places                   B.rules                C.names                      D.orders

6.A.tied                       B.clapped          C.cried                         D.returned

7.A.Still                        B.Never              C.Then                         D.Again

8.A.us                          B.it                                C.me                                      D.her

9.A.wait                       B.turn                          C.move                        D.win

10.A.accepted  B.realized          C.considered              D.decided

11.A.coming    B.refusing          C.helping                     D.cheating

12.A.mean                  B.plan                          C.regret                       D.say

A passenger (乘客) told an air hostess (空姐) that he needed a cup of water to take medicine when the plane just took off. She told him that she would bring him the   16   soon.

Twenty minutes   17  , when the passenger’s ring for service sounded, the air hostess realized it at once. She was kept so busy that she   18   to bring him the water. Therefore, the passenger was held up (延迟) to take his medicine. She hurried over to him with a cup of water, but he   19   it.

In the following hours on the flight,   20   time the air hostess passed the passenger, she would ask him with a smile   21   he needed help or not. But the passenger never   22   her words.

When he was going to get off the   23  , the passenger asked the air hostess to hand him the passengers’ booklet (意见簿). She was very   24  . She knew that he would write down sharp words, which might make her   25   the job.   26   with a smile she handed it to him.

Off the plane, she   27   the booklet, and cracked a smile, for the passenger put it, “On the flight, you asked me if I needed help for twelve times   28  . How can I refuse   29   twelve sincere smiles?”

That’s right! It was the twelve smiles of the air hostess that touched (感动) the passenger

  30   and of course she wouldn’t lose her job!

1. A. milk              B. juice            C. coffee               D. water

2.A. late           B. later            C. ago              D. after

3. A. remembered        B. forgot               C. wanted           D. learned

4.A. accepted           B. took             C. refused          D. received

5.A. some           B. either              C. another          D. each

6. A. why           B. when             C. whether              D. how

7. A. paid attention to     B. thought of           C. heard of             D. worried about

8.A. coach              B. bus             C. train                D. plane

9.A. happy          B. cheerful         C. sad              D. excited

10. A. lose         B. loses            C. losing               D. lost

11.A. And           B. So              C. Then             D. But

12. A. opened           B. closed               C. destroyed            D. hid

13. A. at all           B. in all               C. of all               D. all over

14.A. her              B. your             C. their                D. our

15. A. peacefully       B. comfortably      C. deeply               D. slowly                    

My father had a small business, employing（雇用）fifteen people at any given time. We sold all kinds of milk products. I had worked for my father since I was young,      did all seven kids in my family.

One day, we had a new employee, Debbie, who wanted to work in the store for the summer. She had     done this type of work before, but planned to give it her all.

On her first day, Debbie made just about every mistake in the    . She charged the wrong prices for items, she gave the wrong bag of food to the wrong customer, and she    and broke a half gallon of milk. The torture（折磨）of watching her fighting her way was too much for me. I went into my father’s office and said, “Please go out there and put her out of her misery（苦恼）.” I      him to walk right into the store and let her go away from our store.

Since my father’s office was situated within view of the sales counter, he had surely      what I was talking about. He sat,     , for a moment. Then he got up from his desk and walked over to Debbie, who was standing behind the counter.

“Debbie,” he said, as he put his hand      on her shoulder. “I have been watching you all day, and I saw how you     Mrs. Forbush.”

Debbie’s face turned red and tears began to     in her eyes as she tried hard to remember Mrs. Forbush from the many women she had given the wrong change to or drop off her milk onto the floor.

My father continued, “I’ve never seen Mrs. Forbush be so      to any one of my employees before. You really knew how to deal with her. I am sure that she is going to want you to    her every time she comes in. Keep up the good work.”

In return for being a wise and kind employer, my father got a trusty and hardworking employee for fifteen years … and a friend for life.

1.A. unless                      B. neither                    C. as                  D. nor

2.A. already               B. yet                         C. never                   D. ever

3.A. vision                  B. book              C. spirit             D. position

4.A. dropped         B. lost                    C. touched        D. missed

5.A. encouraged                 B. forced                    C. expected              D. influenced

6.A. followed                B. seen                            C. guessed      D. heard

7.A. careful                  B. upset                       C. angry                     D. thoughtful

8.A. gently                      B. seriously                      C. lightly              D. directly

9.A. accepted           B. agreed                           C. treated                 D. considered

10.A. run               B. well                              C. appear                      D. rise

11.A. funny                 B. hopeless                         C. rude                        D. polite

12.A. wait on              B. look after                        C. stand for                 D. depend on