For about three years now, I have been writing poetry. It was not until my junior year in high school that I developed an interest, love and skill for writing poetry.

   Back in elementary school, I loved to write stories. I would write stories on post-it notes and anywhere I could. Yet when I had to write a limerick(五行打油诗) for an assignment, I could not wrap my head around poetry. I had a very hard time figuring out how to rhyme words and have the words make sense. I eventually tossed the paper with the attempted limerick in the trash. I did not try my hand at poetry again until several years later.

   Many years later in my freshman year of high school, my English teacher gave my class a poetry project as an assignment. I still remember my limerick assignment and was afraid of doing the poetry project. For the project, we had to analyze a poem and write a response to it. I chose to respond to Robert Frost’s poem Fire and Ice. I also wrote my own poem first. I became really excited when writing the poem.

   Two years later, I started writing poetry as a hobby and for fun. To learn how good or bad my poems were, I handed them in to some magazines and contests. I won second place in the North Carolina Poetry Society’s Sherry Pruitt Award Contest with a poem called The Ocean, and had my two poems published as high merit(优等) poems. I have continued to write poetry, and have even self-published three collections of poetry in both print and e-book formats, which can be found at my store on Lulu.

   Now, I love writing poetry, but I don’t hate writing short stories. I just find it more difficult and not my style of writing, even though I still write short stories occasionally.

1.When the author was a pupil, he ___________.

   A. liked writing stories

   B. was good at writing poetry

   C. could understand poetry well

   D. was often praised by his teacher

2.When given the poetry project in high school, the author was___________.

   A. excited        B. annoyed       C. confident       D. worried

3.The author took up writing poetry as a hobby when he____________.

   A. was in Grade Three in high school

   B. worked as a storekeeper

   C. was in Grade One in high school

   D. was at college

4.How did the author increase his confidence in writing poetry?

   A. He wrote a lot of poems and asked advice from his teacher.

   B. He published three collections of poetry by himself.

   C. He submitted his poems to magazines and contests.

   D. He gave up writing stories and only wrote poetry.

（三）完形填空（共 10 小题；每小题 1 分，满分 10 分）阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从30 至第40 小题所给的A、B、C、D 四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
I feel it enjoyable and exciting to study in a British high school for one year. Life there was quiet different from what I 31 in China. The average size for British schools is much 32 and there were only 29 students in our class. We had to move to different classrooms for different classes. We also had different students in some classes, 33 it difficult to remember all the faces and names. I found the homework was less heavy than 34 in my old school, but all the homework was in English. That is 35 it was a bit challenging for me at first. 36, all my teachers were very helpful and I enjoyed all my subjects. My English 37 a lot as I used English every day and 38 an hour each day reading English books in the library. Students at that school are required to study Math, English and Science, but they can choose other subjects 39. I 40 to have Chinese food a lot at lunchtime there and I missed my parents very much. I usually went to the Computer Club at lunchtime, so I could e-mail my family and friends back home for free.
31. A. used to       B. was similar to   C. was used to        D. was familiar to
32. A. less         B. smaller        C. fewer            D. bigger
33. A. making       B. causing       C. resulting            D. leading
34. A. it            B. one          C. which              D. that
35. A. when         B. why          C. where            D. because
36. A. Unfortunately  B. Eventually     C. Luckily            D. Hopefully
37. A. improved      B. raised         C. rose              D. lifted
38. A. took           B. paid          C. cost              D. spent
39. A. in themselves   B. of themselves    C. by themselves     D. to themselves
40. A. looked forward  B. intended        C. wished for        D. did want

For about three years now, I have been writing poetry. It was not until my junior year in high school that I developed an interest, love and skill for writing poetry.
Back in elementary school, I loved to write stories. I would write stories on post-it notes and anywhere I could. Yet when I had to write a limerick(五行打油诗) for an assignment, I could not wrap my head around poetry. I had a very hard time figuring out how to rhyme words and have the words make sense. I eventually tossed the paper with the attempted limerick in the trash. I did not try my hand at poetry again until several years later.
Many years later in my freshman year of high school, my English teacher gave my class a poetry project as an assignment. I still remember my limerick assignment and was afraid of doing the poetry project. For the project, we had to analyze a poem and write a response to it. I chose to respond to Robert Frost’s poem Fire and Ice. I also wrote my own poem first. I became really excited when writing the poem.
Two years later, I started writing poetry as a hobby and for fun. To learn how good or bad my poems were, I handed them in to some magazines and contests. I won second place in the North Carolina Poetry Society’s Sherry Pruitt Award Contest with a poem called The Ocean, and had my two poems published as high merit(优等) poems. I have continued to write poetry, and have even self-published three collections of poetry in both print and e-book formats, which can be found at my store on Lulu.
Now, I love writing poetry, but I don’t hate writing short stories. I just find it more difficult and not my style of writing, even though I still write short stories occasionally.
【小题1】When the author was a pupil, he ___________.

A．was in Grade Three in high school

B．worked as a storekeeper

C．was in Grade One in high school

D．was at college

单词拼写（共20小题, 每小题1分，满分20分）

76. You can’t turn your dream into r__________ if you just sit there and watch TV all day.

77. A good command (运用能力；掌握) of English e__________ you to communicate with foreign businessmen freely.

78. He missed the bus as a r__________ of getting up too late this morning.

79. It is time for us to take m__________ to stop air pollution in our city now.

80. Cycling is highly b__________ to health and the environment.

81. He seems to have __________ (忽视，忽略) one important fact.

82. I believe the house was __________ (故意地) set fire to, not accidentally.

83. She is so __________ (固执的) that she never listens to other people’s advice.

84. Her tears __________ (流动) freely down her cheeks the moment she heard the sad news.

85. They entered the country __________ (非法地).

86. On this __________, however, it had slowed down considerably.

87. “At the time the murder was __________, I was traveling on the 8 o’clock train to London,” said the man.

88. Six men have been __________ in a mine for seventeen hours.

89. They have been told that rescue operations are __________ smoothly.

90. A pilot noticed a __________ which seemed to be making for a Royal Air Force Station nearby.

91. We had to __________ for hours to get in and there must have been several hundred people present just before the show began.

92. He was obviously very nervous and for some minutes stood __________ before the microphone.

93. Oil rigs have to be repaired frequently and divers, who often have to work in darkness a hundred feet under water, have been frightened out of their __________ by giant fish bumping into them as they work.

94. He said that someone might be spying on the station and the pilot was ordered to keep __________ of the strange object.

95. “So do I,” answered the policeman in the same __________.