I was cleaning out an old box when an old card caught my eye: Queen City Casket Company. “What is it? ”I wondered. I　　it over. There, in faded ink, was a hand-scrawled　　. Immediately my mind　　back many years ago.

I was nine years old, walking down the cold, wet streets of Springfield, with a bag of　　on my shoulder. On my　　that day, I came to that company finally, whose owner, Mr. Rader, had always taken me there to　　his workers whether they wanted any magazines.
　　off the rain like a wet dog, I entered Mr. Rader’s office. After a quick glance he　　me over to the fireplace. Noticing the　　in the top of my　　, he said, “Come with me! ”pulling me into his truck. We　　before a shoe store. Inside, a salesman　　me with the finest pair of Oxfords I had　　seen. I felt about 10 feet tall when I got up　　them. “We’d like a pair of new socks too, ”Mr. Rader said.
Back in his office, Mr. Rader took out a　　, wrote something on it, and handed it to me. With tearful eyes, I read, “　　to others as you would have them do to you. ”He said affectionately(亲切地), “Jimmy, I want you to　　I love you. ”
I said goodbye, and for the first time I　　a flicker of hope that somehow things would be all right. With people like Mr. Rader in the world, there was hope, 　　and love, and that would always make a　　.

小题1:	A．read　　 B．thought　　 C．turned　　 D．passed

小题2:	A．address B．list C．message D．information

小题3:	A．brought B．approached C．returned D．traveled

小题4:	A．magazines B．newspapers C．notes D．books

小题5:	A．returns B．rounds C．trips D．arrivals

小题6:	A．beg B．demand C．tell D．ask

小题7:	A．Letting B．Giving C．Turning D．Shaking

小题8:	A．followed B．led C．watched D．carried

小题9:	A．hole B．mud C．water D．cover

小题10:

A．coat B．shoe C．sock D．bag

小题11:

A．pulled up B．took in C．drove away D．walked up

小题12:

A．dressed B．fitted C．shared D．comforted

小题13:

A．never B．already C．ever D．hardly

小题14:

A．for B．with C．on D．in

小题15:

A．pen B．paper C．card D．notebook

小题16:

A．Do B．Give C．Show D．Lend

小题17:

A．say B．know C．consider D．express

小题18:

A．sensed B．predicted C．lost D．admitted

小题19:

A．sadness B．challenge C．kindness D．intension

小题20:

A．deal B．fortune C．choice D．difference

“Avoid the rush hour” must be the slogan of large cities all over the world. Wherever you look, there are people, people, people. The trains which leave or arrive every few minutes are packed. The streets are so crowded; there is hardly room to move on the pavements. It takes ages for a bus to get to you because the traffic on the roads has almost come to a standstill. Even when a bus does at last arrive, it’s so full, and it can’t take any more passengers. The smallest unexpected event can bring about conditions of complete chaos. The strange thing is not that people stand these conditions, but that they actually choose them in preference to anything else.

Large modern cites are too big to control. People living there are forced by their environment to take a wholly unnatural way of life. They lost touch with the land and rhythm of nature. It is possible to live in such an air-conditioned existence in a large city that you can hardly tell the season. A few flowers in a public park may remind you that it is spring or summer. All the simple, good things of life like sunshine and fresh air are hard to find. Even the distinction between days and nights is lost.
The funny thing about it all is that you pay dearly to live in a city. The demand for accommodation is so great that it is often impossible for ordinary people to buy a house of their own. The cost of living is also very high. Just about everything you buy is likely to be more expensive than it would be in the country. Besides, the crime rate in most cities is very high. If you think about it, they’re not really fit to live in at all. Can anyone really doubt that the country is what man was born for and where he truly belongs?
小题1: According to the writer, 　　　.

A．there is a slogan in every large city all over the world

B．the rush hour traffic is terrible in large cities of the world

C．one should try to avoid the traffic wherever he is

D．rush hour exists in large cities but not in small ones

小题2: It is unusual that　　　.

A．people can stand the conditions in the city

B．people are used to living in a city

C．people know little about the problems of a city

D．people still choose to live in a city

小题3: City people can hardly tell the seasons because　　　.

A．there in no such thing as changes of seasons

B．seasons change only in public parks now

C．they live unnaturally without contact with nature

D．the temperature changes little between seasons

小题4:The reason for things to be more expensive in a city than elsewhere is that　　　.

A．city people have to pay higher to live in a city

B．there is a greater demand for things in a city

C．things are better in a city than elsewhere

D．people in a city are much more wealthy

小题5: What is the passage mainly about?

A．It’s crazy to choose to live in a large city.

B．City life can be very disagreeable.

C．Country life is better than city life.

D．Conditions of cities should be changed.

It was the district sports meet. My foot still hadn’t healed(痊愈)from a(n)　　injury. I had　　whether or not I should attend the meet. But there I was, 　　for the 3, 000-meter run.
“Ready. . . set. . . ”The gun popped and we were off. The other girls rushed　　me. I felt　　as I fell farther and farther behind.
“Hooray! ”shouted the crowd. It was the loudest　　I had ever heard at a meet. The first-place runner was two laps(圈)ahead of me when she crossed the finish line. “Maybe I should　　, ”I thought as I moved on. 　　, I decided to keep going. During the last two laps, I ran　　and decided not to　　in track next year. It wouldn’t be　　it, even if my foot did heal.
When I finished, I heard a cheer—　　than the one I’d heard earlier. I turned around and　　enough, the boys were preparing for their race. “They must be cheering for the boys. ”I was leaving　　several girls came up to me. “Wow, you’ve got courage! ”one of them told me.
“Courage? I just　　a race! ”I thought. “I would have given up on the first lap, ”said another girl. “We were cheering for you. Did you hear us? ”
Suddenly I regained　　. I decided to　　track next year. I realized strength and courage aren’t always　　in medals and victories, but in the　　we overcome(战胜). The strongest people are not always the people who win, 　　the people who don’t give up when they lose.

小题1:	A．slighter　　 B．worse　　 C．earlier　　 D．heavier

小题2:	A．expected B．supposed C．imagined D．doubted

小题3:	A．late B．eager C．ready D．thirsty

小题4:	A．from behind B．ahead of C．next to D．close to

小题5:	A．ashamed B．astonished C．excited D．frightened

小题6:	A．cheer B．shout C．cry D．noise

小题7:	A．slow down B．drop out C．go on D．speed up

小题8:	A．Therefore B．Otherwise C．Besides D．However

小题9:	A．with delight B．with fear C．in pain D．in advance

小题10:

A．play B．arrive C．race D．attend

小题11:

A．worth B．good C．valuable D．close

小题12:

A．weaker B．longer C．lower D．louder

小题13:

A．well B．sure C．surprisingly D．strangely

小题14:

A．while B．when C．as D．since

小题15:

A．finished B．won C．passed D．lost

小题16:

A．cheer B．hope C．interest D．experience

小题17:

A．hold on B．turn to C．begin with D．stick with

小题18:

A．measured B．praised C．tested D．increased

小题19:

A．sadness B．struggles C．diseases D．tiredness

小题20:

A．or B．nor C．and D．but

　When I was in my second year of senior high school, a girl called Jeanie in my class made a big name for herself. She had successfully　　the interviews for a famous women’s university in the USA.
On hearing the news, I told the girl that I　　her very much. Then, she　　at me and said the words I will never　　. “You can also do it! If you have　　, you realize them. You see, 　　action, dreams are still dreams. If you　　, the dreams will come true. ”Her words gave me so much　　. She encouraged me to take action to achieve my dreams. From then on, I spent a lot of time　　an article for competitions. It was a really　　for me, not only for my writing but also a　　of my courage.
After several days’ hard work, I finished it. Even though I lacked　　, I still handed it in. I knew it was the only　　that may make my dreams come true. But day in and day out, I　　waiting and waiting, yet I heard nothing. I was very　　then.
One day, however, a classmate of mine　　to an English newspaper and said　　, “Mary, your　　is in the newspaper! Is that your article? ”My heart beat heavily. With shock and joy, I　　the newspaper. The thing I thought was　　had really happened.

小题1:	A．begun　　 B．given　　 C．attended　　 D．passed

小题2:	A．loved B．admired C．congratulated D．thanked

小题3:	A．smiled B．aimed C．laughed D．shouted

小题4:	A．doubt B．understand C．forget D．accept

小题5:	A．designs B．demands C．actions D．dreams

小题6:	A．into B．by C．without D．with

小题7:	A．try B．like C．work D．live

小题8:	A．pain B．inspiration C．surprise D．advice

小题9:	A．seeking B．reciting C．reading D．preparing

小题10:

A．shock B．turn C．challenge D．success

小题11:

A．test B．risk C．part D．reward

小题12:

A．self-respect B．self-confidence C．enthusiasm D．dream

小题13:

A．way B．suggestion C．question D．purpose

小题14:

A．hated B．kept C．meant D．remembered

小题15:

A．worried B．surprised C．disappointed D．ashamed

小题16:

A．wrote B．explained C．returned D．pointed

小题17:

A．proudly B．hopelessly C．excitedly D．angrily

小题18:

A．name B．writing C．report D．diary

小题19:

A．picked out B．picked up C．made out D．made up

小题20:

A．incorrect B．impossible C．interesting D．special

Do you suppose Darwin, one of the greatest scientists of all time, really did foolish experiments? Or did he do experiments that were so simple and basic that other people just thought they were foolish?

Sometimes, people think they already know the answer to a question or the solution to a problem. Sometimes, they really do know an answer or a solution, but without thinking they are important.
Charles Darwin didn’t settle for(满足于)just thinking he knew something. And, he believed all things could be important however simple they seemed to be.
Suppose you drop sheets of paper that are of exactly the same size and shape. If you drop them at the same time in the same place, they will fall in the same way. Now make one of the sheets of paper into a tight little ball and let it drop along with the other sheets. What happens? You have done an experiment that is so simple that you might think it couldn’t be worth anything.
But this simple experiment is important. It explains part of our present-day understandings of physics, ideas that were worked out long ago by Galileo and Newton. And these understandings set aside some of ancient Greek physics.
Scientists sometimes stop to look at very simple things and to think very hard about them. Even the simplest idea, which we might think is foolish, can shake the foundations of science.
小题1: The passage tells us that Charles Darwin　　　　.

A．was a great English scientist

B．always liked doing the experiments that others thought difficult

C．thought even the simplest thing was important

D．didn’t get well with others

小题2: The underlined phrase “set aside” most probably means　　　　.

A．throw away	B．store up
C．put to use	D．realize

小题3: The author of the passage tries to　　　　.

A．convince us that Charles Darwin, Galileo and Newton are the greatest scientists in the world

B．draw the conclusion that basic sciences are simple things

C．prove that two sheets of paper, with the same size and shape, will fall at the same speed

D．draw our attention to everyday happenings around us

小题4:Which of the following is TRUE?

A．Darwin really did foolish experiments.

B．According to some people Darwin did foolish experiments.

C．It is believed by all the people that things could be important though they seemed to be simple.

D．Galileo and Newton worked out ancient Greek physics.

One day I came home from school, changed my clothes and got ready for work. I worked at a local restaurant in town as a cashier and waiter.

I went to work feeling　　. And to make matters worse, I was busy that evening. It’s the same thing over and over again, 　　with customers who complain about their food and where they are　　is too big or too small. Little things like that tend to　　a lot of us　　but we manage to deal with them.
Three elderly ladies walked in and sat by the windows. It happened to be the very　　near where I keep the dirty　　in the boxes. Trying to keep up with all the dirty tables, customers leaving and coming in and　　running all over the house, it was crazy. 　　these elderly women were watching　　I was working to make sure every table was clean and ready for the next customers.
When they　　their meals, I took their plates back to the kitchen. They talked to me for a while about school, how I was doing, what　　I was in and what I planned to do in the future.
　　they were leaving, they walked past me and one of them said to me in a　　and gentle voice, “You are going places. ”And that was it. They left the　　and I had tears in my eyes, because they gave me　　to believe in myself. They 　　my spirit from being down and gave me a　　to keep on working hard.
People used to tell me that I couldn’t have a career in　　until I had a degree. I’m now a co-anchor(联合主持人)of a student-produced television　　. And the best thing is: I’m only 17 years old and I am a senior in high school.

小题1:	A．tired B．excited　　 C．up　　　　 D．down

小题2:	A．dealing B．helping C．talking D．meeting

小题3:	A．sat B．seated C．laid D．dressed

小题4:	A．attract B．avoid C．adjust D．annoy

小题5:	A．employees B．customers C．bosses D．employers

小题6:	A．table B．box C．spot D．kitchen

小题7:	A．dishes B．rooms C．clothes D．chairs

小题8:	A．men B．women C．waiters D．bosses

小题9:	A．And B．Otherwise C．But D．So

小题10:

A．what B．how C．where D．why

小题11:

A．finished B．completed C．ordered D．got

小题12:

A．place B．grade C．mark D．position

小题13:

A．Before B．While C．As D．After

小题14:

A．confident B．loud C．low D．pleasant

小题15:

A．kitchen B．house C．restaurant D．table

小题16:

A．ability B．courage C．imagination D．time

小题17:

A．put down B．picked up C．took over D．pointed out

小题18:

A．cause B．reason C．present D．permission

小题19:

A．television B．government C．school D．restaurant

小题20:

A．company B．station C．show D．advertisement

According to a recent article in The Wall Street Journal, we might all be braggarts(大话王) in this competitive society addicted to social networking.
Take a close look at your social­networking sites. Do you like to post photos of yourself in restaurants to show others what an exciting life you have? Or do you like to write about how happily in love you are? Or perhaps you are of the subtle type who constantly complain about jobs but really just want to impress others with your important position.
According to the results of a series of experiments conducted by Harvard University neuroscientists(神经科学家), the reward areas of our brain——the same areas that respond to “primary rewards” such as food ——are activated when we talk about ourselves. We devote between 30 to 40 percent of our conversation time to doing just that. Unfortunately, Bernstein says, some people can't tell the difference between sharing positive information that others might actually want to know and direct bragging. She suggests that bragging involves comparison, whether stated or implied.
“We are expected to be perfect all the time. The result is that more and more people are carefully managing their online images”. says Elizabeth Bernstein, a columnist with the Wall Street Journal.
But the issue is not limited to the Internet. In a fiercely competitive job market we must sell ourselves on multiple platforms and show that we are better than others. In fact, we have become so accustomed to bragging that we don't even realize we are doing it, says Bernstein. This is harmful to our relationships and puts people off.
Bernstein talked to some experts who said that people brag for all sorts of reasons: to appear worthy of attention; to prove to ourselves we are doing fine and that people who said we would fail are wrong; or simply because we're excited when good things happen to us.
“Feel sorry for them, because they're doing this unconscious, destructive thing that won't help them in the long run，” said Professor Simian Valier, a research psychologist at Washington University.
小题1:The underlined word “subtle” in Para.2 is closest in meaning to “________”．

A．hidden	B．apparent
C．outstanding	D．simple

小题2:Which of the following is one of the features of braggarts?

A．They control conversation and only talk about themselves.

B．They know well how to share positive information.

C．They self­promote to stand out in their career.

D．They don't pay much attention to their online image.

小题3:What can we infer from the passage?

A．Braggarts make a good first impression but the effect decreases over time.

B．People who like bragging know what they are doing.

C．Braggarts always adopt comparison directly to show they are excellent.

D．They care much about the feelings of others when talking.

I lost my sight when I was four years old by falling off a box car in a goods yard in Atlantic City and landing on my head. Now I can dimly remember the brightness of sunshine and what color red is. It would be wonderful to see again, but a calamity(大灾难) can do strange things to people. It occurred to me the other day that I might not have come to love life as I do if I hadn't been blind. I believe in life now. I am not so sure that I would have believed in it so deeply, otherwise. I don't mean that I would prefer to go without my eyes. I simply mean that the loss of them made me appreciate the more what I had left.
Life, I believe, asks a continuous series of adjustments to reality. In spite of the fact the adjustment is never easy, I had my parents and teachers to help. The hardest lesson I had to learn was to believe in myself. If I hadn't been able to do that, I would have collapsed and become a chair rocker on the front porch for the rest of my life. When I say belief in myself I am not talking about simply the kind of self confidence that helps me down an unfamiliar staircase alone. That is part of it. But I mean something bigger than that: an assurance that I am, despite imperfections, a real, positive person; that there is a special place where I can make myself fit.
It took me years to discover and strengthen this assurance. It had to start with the most elementary things. Once a man gave me an indoor baseball. I thought he was laughing at me and I was hurt. “I can't use this.” I said. “Take it with you，” he urged me, “and roll it around.” The words stuck in my head. “Roll it around！” By rolling the ball I could hear where it went. This gave me an idea how to achieve a goal I had thought impossible: playing baseball.
All my life I have set ahead of me a series of goals and then tried to reach them, one at a time. I had to learn my limitations. It was no good to try for something that I knew at the start was wildly out of reach because that only invited the bitterness of failure. I would fail sometimes anyway but on the average I made progress.
小题1:We can learn from the beginning of the passage that ________.

A．the author lost his sight because of a car crash

B．the author wouldn't love life if the calamity didn't happen

C．the calamity made the author appreciate what he had

D．the calamity strengthened the author's desire to see

小题2:What's the most difficult thing for the author?

A．How to adjust himself to reality

B．Building up assurance that he can find his place in life

C．Learning to manage his life alone

D．To find a special work that suits the author

小题3:For the author, the baseball and encouragement offered by the man ________.

A．hurt the author's feeling

B．made the author puzzled

C．directly led to the change of the author's career

D．inspired the author

小题4:According to the passage, the author ________.

A．set goals for himself but only invited failure most of the time

B．thought that nothing was impossible for him

C．was discouraged from trying something out of reach for fear of failure

D．suggested not trying something beyond one's ability at the beginning

It is a true story behind a well­known piece of art.
In a village near Nuremberg lived a family with eighteen children. Merely to keep food on the table, the father worked eighteen hours a day. Despite their ___ condition, two of the children had a dream to seek their talent for ____ but they knew well their father would never be able to send ____ of them to Nuremberg to study at the Academy.
The two boys finally worked out an agreement. They would toss (扔) a coin. The ____ would work in the nearby mines to support his brother. Albrecht ____ the toss and went off to Nuremberg. Albert went into the dangerous mines and, for the next four years, financed his brother, ____ work at the academy was almost a(n ) ____ success. Albecht's woodcut and oils were much ____ than those of his professors and he soon was earning considerable fees ____ his works.
When the young ____ returned home, the family held a festive dinner. Albrecht rose to toast to his beloved brother, “Now, Albert, it is your ____ to seek your dream and l will support you”．
All heads turned to the far end of the table, where Albert sat, tears streaming down his pale face, while he ____ and repeated, “No...no.” Finally, Albert rose and ____  the tears from his cheeks. He said softly, “I ____ go to Nuremberg, brother. It is too late for me. Look what four years in the mines have done to my hands! The bones in every finger have been smashed at least once, and I cannot even hold a glass to ____ your toast.”
Today, Albrecht's masterful works ____ in every great museum in the world, but chances are great ____ you, like most people, are familiar with only one of them. Albrecht drew his brother's abused hands with palms together and the ____ stretched skyward. He called it simply “Hands”， but the entire world almost immediately opened their hearts to his great masterpiece and ____ his tribute (敬意) of love “The Praying Hands”．
Next time you see that touching creation, take a second look. Let it be your reminder, if you still need one, that no one ever makes it ____！

小题1:	A．hopeful　　　　 　　　 B．lucky C．disappointed D．hopeless

小题2:	A．music B．art C．mining D．farming

小题3:	A．all B．both C．each D．either

小题4:	A．painter B．loser C．winner D．failure

小题5:	A．lost B．got C．won D．beat

小题6:	A．who B．his C．whom D．whose

小题7:	A．random B．immediate C．attractive D．ordinary

小题8:	A．smaller B．worse C．faster D．better

小题9:	A．for B．to C．in D．at

小题10:

A．miner B．worker C．artist D．professor

小题11:

A．luck B．turn C．move D．moment

小题12:

A．sobbed B．nodded C．smiled D．laughed

小题13:

A．recovered B．swept C．wiped D．handed

小题14:

A．can't B．shouldn't C．can D．should

小题15:

A．hold B．return C．move D．turn

小题16:

A．hang B．represent C．present D．visit

小题17:

A．when B．that C．which D．as

小题18:

A．figures B．hands C．fingers D．arms

小题19:

A．said B．loved C．renamed D．called

小题20:

A．yet B．out C．alone D．before

For a long time I saw happiness as a huge banner (旗帜) across the finish line of a long race.I felt that only when I____certain things could I finally be happy in my life.Most of the time I felt like a tortoise believing that being slow and____would win the race.At other times I would___like a rabbit trying different side roads at a dangerous ____hoping to reach that banner a little faster.____，I began to see that no matter  how long I raced towards it，the banner was never any____.I finally decided to____and take a break.It was then that I saw my____sitting beside me.
It had been with me as I____hard to support my family，as I played with my children and heard their____and even when I was ____with my wife at my side looking after me.It had been with me as I raced towards that stupid banner.I just didn’t have the____to see it.
There is an old Chinese proverb that says，“Tension is who you think you should be.___is who you are.”Perhaps we all should stop our race towards the____life we think we should have and ____the life we have now.Happiness will never be found under some banner far away.It will be found____your own heart，soul and mind.It will be found when you____that others love you just as you do.
Don’t be a tortoise or a rabbit when it comes to your happiness.Be a playful puppy and carry your stick of____with you everywhere you go.____yourself out of the race and realize that when it comes to love and happiness，you are____there.

小题1:	A．forgot　 B．missed C．overcame D．accomplished

小题2:	A．safe 　 B．steady C．calm 　 D．quiet

小题3:	A．act　 B．run C．jump 　 D．walk

小题4:	A．place　 B．height C．speed D．time

小题5:	A．Generally B．Gradually C．Fortunately 　 D．Firstly

小题6:	A．clearer　 B．lower C．closer 　 D．smaller

小题7:	A．settle in　 B．start off C．stop by　 D．sit down

小题8:	A．happiness　 B．goal C．success　 D．friendship

小题9:	A．studied　　 B．fought C．exercised　　 D．worked

小题10:

A．laughter B．complaints C．stories D．breathing

小题11:

A．lonely　 B．tired C．sick　　 D．hungry

小题12:

A．courage　 B．chance C．wisdom D．strength

小题13:

A．Stress　 B．Relaxation C．Failure　　 D．Pain

小题14:

A．real B．perfect C．common　 D．ordinary

小题15:

A．enjoy 　 B．change C．improve 　 D．create

小题16:

A．from B．on C．over 　 D．in

小题17:

A．realize　　 B．believe C．hope 　 D．admit

小题18:

A．sorrow　 B．responsibility C．fortune 　 D．joy

小题19:

A．Carry 　 B．Make C．Push D．Take

小题20:

A．never 　 B．still C．already 　 D．ever