The clock works well; there is only a (n) ________ of a second per year．

1. A.
   excuse
2. B.
   fault
3. C.
   mistake
4. D.
   error

Failure，they say, is the best teacher. We learn and have more confidence in what we know through trial and error, which onetime or another has   36  failure. You don’t have to  37  your failure if what you really want to achieve is  38  .

   For every  39  achievement, there have been one or more failures. But those who we call successful are those who  40  to accept failure and believe success is the other side of failure. The incandescent light (白炽灯) was  41  after 1,000 failures. If Thomas Edison had  42  after he tried 100 times without the desired result, what would have been the  43  of such effort?

   Any time you see products and new inventions, think in terms of failures that are not accepted. 44  everything in a microform (微缩过程) today is a result of failure not accepted.

   Any time your effort is not bringing a(n)  45  result, you don’t have to call it a failure. Call it a challenge. What is the  46  between the two? One is negative, the other is  47 ; one demotivates , the other motivates.

   What you need is positive thinking and motivation to  48  success. Failure is an end thing; 49  is an open thing. Failure means there is no way out, no alternative, but a challenge is a question mark  50  another way out of the situation, an alternative  51  to the problem.

   Keep dreaming, keep moving; that is the solution to success.

   A wise man once said if you cannot fly, run. If you cannot  52  ,walk. If you cannot walk, crawl; just keep moving. If you fall down, you have to  53  and start moving. If not, other people will step on you towards their  54  . What you call failure and  55  is what someone will step into with just a little additional effort to reach achievement.

36. A. come from        B. resulted in             C. resulted from   D. come across

37. A. deny                      B. receive                   C. accept        D. gain

38. A. dreams                   B. imaginations     C. barriers               D. success

39. A. successful                B. creative                 C. difficult           D. important

40. A. prepare                   B. try                          C. refuse               D. attempt

41. A. used                        B. discovered              C. found      D. invented

42. A. forgot                     B. stopped                  C. regretted           D. succeeded

43.A.meaning          B.importance      C result          D cause

44. A. Moreover         B. Therefore              C. However      D. Otherwise

45. A. desired          B. imagined           C. poor                 D. final

46. A. similarity                  B. characteristic         C. relationship    D. difference

47. A. reasonable              B. meaningful              C. positive           D. beneficial

48. A. achieve                    B. enjoy                   C. miss                D. avoid

49. A. chance                     B. motivation              C. challenge         D. effort

50. A. reflecting                 B. asking                     C. suggesting       D. offering

51. A. response                  B. key                         C. entrance          D. solution

52. A. rise                       B. fly                        C. run                D. stand

53. A. lie flat                      B. get up                     C. sit still             D. run away

54. A. advantage                B. destination             C. achievement   D. strength

55. A. quit                         B. hate                        C. prefer              D. continue

“Good night, Yammine.”

“Good night, Chief，” I reply.

The cell door __36__ and I hear Chief's keys clinking as other doors clang shut further down the row. I step into my little cell and sit down. I glance up at the window, covered in mesh(铁网)，and think to myself, “This isn't a life, it's just a(n) __37__．”

Being __38__ makes me feel as though I'm being buried alive. I am a puppet(木偶) with people __39__ strings so that I eat, sleep and wake when they want me to.

I lie on my bed as night __40__ and think the same thoughts __41__. I think about how it all went so wrong, and imagine how I will __42__ for all the time I've lost.

Every day I live the same routine and nothing changes except the people. Prisoners depart for other prisons, or get __43__. Others __44__ from different prisons, or fresh from custody. It's a __45__ revolving(旋转) door.

When I committed my __46__， I was a lost young boy, but now I am __47__. Walking around the yard, I would notice my fellow prisoners reading books and writing letters to friends and family, which upset me as my __48__ at school was limited.

I longed for the day when I'd be able to sit in the sun, enjoying a cup of coffee and reading a newspaper or book __49__ my choice. I also longed to write letters to my friends and family, sharing my thoughts and feelings.

I decided not to waste my time inside and, __50__， make the most of all the resources available to me. I started to learn and was __51__ to realize my dream.

Now, after five years' persistence, heartache and hard work, I have __52__ my goal. Having __53__ a course as a reading adviser, I can now help others to read and write. And I have even started a creative writing workshop at Junee Correctional Centre. Learning to read and write at a highter level has given me the inner strength to present myself in a more __54__ manner.

And the day I've dreamed about has come true: I now enjoy my cup of coffee with a book in my other hand. Learning to read and write has changed my life and this article is my first piece of “proper” writing, and it won't be my __55__．

1.A. opens　　　　　B. closes　　　　　　　C. breaks　　　　D. sticks

2.A. existence  B. appearance  C. offence  D. holiday

3.A. at school  B. at home  C. in hospital  D. in prison

4.A. pulling  B. shaking  C. winding  D. casting

5.A. becomes  B. drops  C. feels  D. falls

6.A. once and for all  B. over and over again  C. once again  D. for good

7.A. do up  B. make up  C. fix up  D. mend up

8.A. revealed  B. sentenced  C. punished  D. released

9.A. reach  B. get  C. arrive  D. go

10.A. continually  B. occasionally  C. accidentally  D. rarely

11.A. mistake  B. crime  C. error  D. fault

12.A. caught  B. home  C. found  D. trapped

13.A. attendance  B. absence  C. allowance  D. assistance

14.A. in  B. of  C. over  D. by

15.A. however  B. instead  C. thus  D. nevertheless

16.A. devoted  B. dedicated  C. determined  D. decided

17.A. gained  B. recognized  C. arrived  D. achieved

18.A. attended  B. completed  C. started  D. organized

19.A. positive  B. negative  C. sensitive  D. passive

20.A. best  B. worst  C. latest  D. last