I used to be a mortgage broker(贷款中间人) in the Phoenix area. In April 2007, the company that I had been with for a year went out of business. That was the latest of the four companies that I had worked for since 2000 .They all either went under or let most of the employees go, including me.

  In December 2007, the bank took back my house, and I had no choice but to move in with my parents, five miles away. My sister has three children, and she had no room. My fiancée(未婚妻), Brandi Wetch, and I have been living in my parents’ house for about a year and a half now.

  My mother, Sue, works part-time at a high school library. My father left for a job in the Marshall Islands a few months ago and will be gone for two years.

  I’m trying to be patient with finding a new job, but it’s been hard. I check the Internet for jobs every morning. I have sent countless letters but have never got a job. I have no idea how many other people are applying for the same job.

  I do the housework and washing, and I take care of the garden. Sometimes, I feel like the best part of my life is over. The worst part of the day is when I chat with my friends on the Internet. I’ve talked to about 10 old friends online. The first thing they usually ask is what I’m doing now.

  My mother, who is in her 60s, has been so patient and supportive. She acts like she’s happy to have us, not like we’re crowding her. We have learned what’s important since I lived here.

1. We can infer that the writer is living a _________ life.

A. busy                           B. rich                    C. difficult                D. hopeful

2. How long has the writer been out of work?

A. For more than a year                                  B. For a year and a half

C. For less than two years                                 D. For more than two years

3.Which of the following types of work is NOT done by the writer in his parents’ house?

A. Looking after children                                B. Doing the housework.

C. Washing clothes and dishes                           D. Applying for a job online.

4.It can be learned from the passage that the writer now________.

A. is preparing for his wedding                        B. is fond of doing the housework

C. is patient with job-hunting                           D. is afraid of being asked about work

 

完形填空（共20小题；每小题1分，满分20分）

    Scientists find that hard-working people live longer than average men and women. Career women are  56 than housewives. Evidence shows that the 57  are in poorer health than the job-holders. A study shows that 58 the unemployment rate increases by 1%，the death rate increases correspondingly by 2%. All this comes down to one point：Work is helpful to health.

   Why is work good for health? It is because work   59    people busy,   60  loneliness and  solitude (孤独). Researches show that people feel unhappy，61 and lonely when they have nothing to do. Instead，the happiest are those who are   62  . Many high achievers who love their careers feel that they are happiest when they are working hard . Work serves as a   63  between man and reality. By work，people 64 each other. By collective activity，they find friendship and warmth. This is helpful to health. The loss of work  65  the loss of everything. It affects man spiritually and  66  him liable to disease.

     67 ，work gives one a sense of fulfillment and a sense of  68 . Work makes one feel his

 value and status in society. When a  69  finishes his writing or a doctor successfully  70  a patient or a teacher sees his students  71  ，they are happy  72  .

From the above we can  73  to the conclusion that the more you work, the 74  and healthier you will be. Let us work hard，study well and  75  a happy and healthy life.

A. richer        B. healthier             C. weaker          D. worse

A. old           B. busy               C. jobless         D. hard-working

A. whenever      B. whether            C. though           D. since

A. keeps          B. forces                C. needs            D. require

A. in charge of  B. in lack of                 C. in touch with     D away from

A. interested       B. joyful      C. concerned       D. worried

A. busy      B. free        C . lazy         D. dull

A. guard      B. gap        C. channel          D. bridge

A. come across   B. come into contact withC. look down upon D. watch over

A. means        B. stands    C. helps        D. matches

A. forces       B. orders              C. finds        D. makes

A. Besides      B. Then      C. However    D. Yet

A. disappointment B. achievement       C. regret      D. apology

A. worker      B. farmer              C. writer        D. manager

A. makes friends withB. has a talk         C. operates on       D. deals with

A. raise        B. grow        C. rise         D. increase

A. in a word     B. without a word     C. at a word   D. beyond words

A. come  B. reach        C. arrive        D. draw

A. lonelier       B. weaker     C. stronger     D. happier

A. lead   B. make      C. earn       D. share

In the dinning room of my grandfather’s house stood a heavy grandfather’s clock. Meals in the dinning room were a (1)______ for our four generations to become one. The grandfather’s clock always stood like a trusted old family friend, (2)______ us playing jokes and telling stories, which was already a (3)______ of our life.

As a child, the old clock interested me. I watched and listened to it during (4)______. I was surprised how at (5)______ times of the day, the clock would strike three times, six times or more, with a wonderful great (6)______ that echoed throughout the house. The clock chimed year after year, a part of my (7)______, a part of my heart.

Even more (8)______ to me was my grandfather’s special action each day. He meticulously (9)______ the clock with a special key each day. The key was magic to me. It (10)______ our family’s magnificent clock ticking and striking all year round.

1. A. time                     B. possibility   C. problem            D. pleasure

2. A. seeing                   B. hearing              C. watching           D. looking

3. A. start                     B. part                   C. signal         D. mark

4. A. stories                  B. jokes                 C. periods              D. meals

5. A. busy                     B. urgent        C. happy        D. different

6. A. shock                   B. sound         C. song                 D. music

7. A. memories              B. minds         C. comfort            D. information

8. A. comfortable          B. hopeful              C. wonderful  D. skillful

9. A. opened                 B. wound              C. turned        D. started  

10. A. made                  B. controlled          C. kept                  D. fixed

You have waited 45 minutes for the valuable 10 minutes’ break between classes. But when the bell for the next class rings, you can’t   36   how quickly time has passed.

If you are familiar with this   37  , you’ll know how time flies when you are having fun and  38   when you are bored. Now scientists have   39   a reason why this is the case.

Scans have shown that patterns of activity in the brain   40   according to how we focus on a task. When we are   41  , we concentrate more on how time is passing. And this makes our brains   42   the clock is ticking more slowly.

In an experiment   43   by a French laboratory, 12 volunteers watched an image   44   researchers monitored their brain activity.

The volunteers were told to   45   concentrate on how long an image appeared for, then  46   the color of the image, and thirdly, study both duration and color. The results showed that  47   was more active when the volunteers paid   48   subjects.

It is thought that if the brain is   49   focusing on many aspects of a task, it has to  50  its resources, and pays less attention to the clock.  51 , time passes without us really   52   it, and seems to go quickly. If the brain is not so active, it concentrates its   53   energies on monitoring the passing of time.   54  , time seems to drag.

Next time you feel bored   55  , perhaps you should pay more attention to what the teacher is saying!

A. guess                         B. learn                              C. believe                             D. doubt

A. view                            B. point                              C. scene                               D. experience

 A. drags                       B. stops                             C. backs                               D. gains

 A. thought over                  B. made up                       C. suggested                      D. come up with

A. change                       B. develop                         C. grow                                D. slow

A. sleepy                        B. bored                                      C. excited                            D. active

A. report                        B. think                              C. decide                             D. see

A. produced                  B. carried                          C. tried                                 D. performed

 A. so                             B. when                             C. while                                D. but

A. partly                       B. quickly                           C. how                                  D. first

 A. remember           B. focus on                        C. forget                              D. tell apart

A. the researchers    B. the experiment          C. the clock                         D. the brain

 A. much attention to       B. more attention to      C. attention to many        D. attention to more

 A. busy                       B. likely                              C. ready                               D. sure

A. focus                        B. gather                           C. reach                               D. spread

 A. However              B. Furthermore               C. Therefore                       D. Finally

A. recognizing            B. watching                      C. noticing                           D. counting

A. enough                    B. full                                  C. right                                 D. proper

 A. In fact                    B. As a result                    C. For example                  D. Instead

A. in class                    B. with work                     C. in mind                            D. of lessons

Scientists find that hard-working people live longer than average men and women. Career women are ___1___ than housewives, Evidence (证据) shows that ___2___ are in poorer health than the job-holders. A study shows ___3___ the unemployment rate increases by 1%, the death rate increases correspondingly (相应地) by 2%. All this ___4___ one point: Work is helpful to health.

Why is work good for health? It is because work keeps people busy, __5___ loneliness and solitude (孤独). Researches show that people feel __6___ and lonely when they have nothing to do. Instead, the happiest are those who are ___7___. Many high achievers who love their careers feel that they are happiest when they are working hard. Work serves as ___8___ between man and reality. By work, people ___9___ each other. By collective (集体的) activity, they find friendship and warmth. This is helpful to health. The loss of work __10___ the loss of everything. It affects man spiritually and makes him liable to (易于)___11___.

__12___, work gives one a sense of fulfillment (充实感) and a sense of ___13___. Work makes one feel his value and status in society. When ___14___ finishes his writing or a doctor successfully __15___ a patient or a teacher sees his students ___16___, they are happy __17___.

From the above we can come to the conclusion ___18___ the more you work, __19___ you will be. Let us work hard, __20___ and live a happy and healthy life.

1. A. more healthier              B. healthier           C. weaker             D. worse

2. A. career women         B. the busy          C. the jobless   D. the hard-working

3. A. that whenever          B. whether           C. that though               D. since

4. A. comes down to        B. equals to          C. adds up to               D. amounts to

5. A. 不填                    B. off                  C. in touch with      D. away from

6. A. happy, interested      B. glad, joyful      C. cheerful, concerned   D. unhappy, worried

7. A. busy                      B. free               C. lazy                  D. empty

8. A. a river                   B. a gap         C. a channel           D. a bridge

9. A. come across    B. come into contact with  C. look down upon      D. watch over

10. A. means                  B. stands           C. equals                      D. matches

11. A. success                       B. death         C. victory              D. disease

12. A. Besides                   B. Nevertheless    C. However        D. Yet

13. A. disappointment        B. achievement      C. regret             D. apology

14. A. a worker                B. a farmer        C. a writer            D. a manager

15. A. manages                 B. controls         C. operates on        D. deals with

16. A. raise                    B. grow         C. rise                   D. increase

17. A. in a word             B. without a word  C. at a word         D. beyond words

18. A. that                     B. which                C. what                 D. 不填.

19. A. the lonelier and weaker            B. lonelier and weaker

C. happier and healthier                    D. the happier and healthier

20. A. study well            B. studying well     C. study good        D. studying good