Passage One

When I was 14， I got tired of school and left my hometown in search of my fortune in big cities. One day I was 1 in the street again and again when I noticed an old beggar at the corner. After 2 me for some time he asked me， “Boy， come with me and I have something good for you.” Feeling 3 and puzzled I followed him to a small house.

The beggar first asked me to wait for a moment. A few moments later， he returned with a couple of old 4 . “There are two things that I want to 5 you， young man.” said he， “The first is to never 6 a book by its cover， for it can fool you.”He 7 ， “I bet you think I’m a 8 ， don’t you， young man？” I said， “Well， uh， yes， I guess so， sir.” “You are 9 ， but I’m sure you are a dropout.” he said 10 . I got shocked.

“Well， young man， I’ve got a little 11 for you. I am one of the 12 men in the world. I have probably everything any man could ever want. A year ago， my wife passed away. I 13 there were certain things I had not yet 14 in life， one of which was what it would be like to live 15 a beggar on the streets. For the past years， I have been going from city to city and doing just that.”

“The second is to learn how to 16 . There is only one thing that people can’t take away from you， your 17 .” Then， he reached forward， caught my 18 and put them upon the books.

The beggar then 19 me back on the streets near where we first met. His parting 20 was for me to never forget what he taught me. I headed for my home that very day and returned to my school the next day.

1. A. shoppingB. wanderingC. runningD. singing

2. A. watchingB. questioningC. examiningD. admiring

3. A. scaredB. nervousC. curiousD. impatient

4. A. cookiesB. drinksC. photosD. books

5. A. showB. teachC. payD. give

6. A. buyB. judgeC. likeD. hate

7. A. went onB. held onC. kept upD. ended up

8. A. teacherB. dropoutC. beggarD. worker

9. A. rightB. smartC. stupidD. wrong

10. A. naturallyB. anxiouslyC. firmlyD. happily

11. A. surpriseB. giftC. lessonD. advice

12. A. greatestB. wealthiestC. strongestD. best

13. A. recognizedB. rememberedC. realizedD. understood

14. A. enjoyedB. purchasedC. satisfiedD. experienced

15. A. likeB. asC. withD. by

16. A. surviveB. cheatC. readD. research

17. A. healthB. wisdomC. appearanceD. money

18. A. armsB. headsC. shouldersD. hands

19. A. followedB. ledC. forcedD. drove

20. A. characterB. stepC. requestD. figure

Passage Two

It was Mother’s Day， but our mother was far away from us. I decided to drive to the 1 with my wife and our children to 2 flowers.

After we arrived， we went hiking， played games， and collected all kinds of flowers and so on. How happy we were！ Finally， 3 ， we had to start our car and got ready to go back home. While the kids chattered and I drove， my wife sat behind me， surrounded by her flowers， a（n） 4 look in her eyes.

Suddenly my wife 5 to me， “Stop the car. Stop right here！” 6 I could ask her what had happened， she was out and 7 a nearby grassy hill with the lilacs （丁香花） still in her arms. At the 8 of the hill was a nursing home and， because it was such a beautiful spring day， the 9 were outdoors talking with relatives.

My wife went up the hill， where an elderly patient was sitting in her 10 ， alone with her back to most of the others. My wife 11 the flowers to her and said something. The patient 12 her head and smiled. They talked for a few 13 before my wife ran back. As the car 14 ， I found in the mirror the woman 15 with the lilacs.

“Mom，” the kids asked， “who was that？ Why did you give her our flowers？ Is she somebody’s mother？” My wife said， “I didn’t know the old woman. 16 it is Mother’s Day. And she seemed so 17 . Who wouldn’t be cheered by flowers？ 18 ，” she added， “I have all of you， and I still have my 19 ， even if she is far away. That woman needed those flowers more than I did.”

Now， every May， our own yard is 20 with lilacs. Every Mother’s Day we drive to the countryside to gather flowers and sow more seeds in our yard. And every year I remember that lonely old woman in her wheelchair， and her smile on her face.

1. A. downtownB. streetC. countrysideD. supermarket

2. A. gatherB. sellC. buyD. send

3. A. thenB. stillC. yetD. though

4. A. amazedB. boredC. tiredD. pleased

5. A. whisperedB. shoutedC. calledD. screamed

6. A. AsB. BeforeC. WhenD. Until

7. A. hurried upB. fell downC. rolled offD. jumped up

8. A. backB. topC. footD. edge

9. A. doctorsB. villagersC. visitorsD. patients

10. A. yardB. roomC. carD. wheelchair

11. A. handedB. threwC. packedD. showed

12. A. liftedB. droppedC. shookD. nodded

13. A. wordsB. topicsC. minutesD. quarters

14. A. speeded upB. speeded awayC. pulled downD. pulled away

15. A. wavedB. dancedC. circledD. ran

16. A. SoB. Unless C. ButD. For

17. A. sickB. weakC. kindD. lonely

18. A. SurelyB. GenerallyC. HoweverD. Besides

19. A. daughterB. auntC. motherD. sister

20. A. filledB. decoratedC. plantedD. painted

Passage Three

A passenger told an stewardess （女乘務(wù)員） that he needed a cup of water to take his medicine when the plane just took off. She told him that she would 1 him the water in ten minutes.

Thirty minutes later， when the passenger’s ring for service 2 ， the stewardess flew in a hurry. She was 3 so busy that she 4 to bring him the water. 5 a result， the passenger was 6 to take his medicine. She hurried 7 to him with a cup of water， but he 8 it.

In the following hours on the 9 ， each time the stewardess 10 the passenger she would ask him with a smile whether he needed help or not. But the passenger never took 11 of her.

When he was going to 12 the plane， the passenger asked the stewardess to 13 him the passengers’ booklet （小冊子）. She was very 14 . She knew that he would write down 15 words， but with a（n） 16 she handed it to him.

Off the plane， she opened the booklet， and 17 a smile， for the passenger 18 ， “On the flight， you asked me whether I needed help or not for twelve times 19 . How can I refuse your twelve 20 smiles？”

That’s right！ Who can refuse the twelve sincere smiles from a person？

1. A. collectB. dropC. handleD. deliver

2. A. warnedB. stoppedC. soundedD. broke

3. A. keptB. remainedC. improvedD. loaded

4. A. meantB. forgotC. attemptedD. remembered

5. A. WithoutB. ForC. AsD. Beyond

6. A. held upB. taken upC. picked upD. put up

7. A. beyondB. downC. towardsD. over

8. A. appreciatedB. refusedC. deniedD. accepted

9. A. flightB. spotC. sceneD. service

10. A. servedB. informedC. arrangedD. passed

11. A. demandB. focusC. noticeD. attention

12. A. take offB. get offC. put offD. go off

13. A. tellB. makeC. writeD. hand

14. A. sadB. happyC. surprisedD. interested

15. A. interestingB. commonC. sharpD. traditional

16. A. pityB. smileC. improvementD. surprise

17. A. forcedB. pretendedC. woreD. burst

18. A. wroteB. ranC. heardD. read

19. A. in returnB. in exchangeC. in turnD. in all

20. A. delightedB. sincereC. regularD. enough

Passage Four

Sometimes the difficulty in your life can help you struggle less， which I learned by studying fish.

When I was young， time was always 1 for us. But my father would never set it aside and tried his best to 2 us. On Sundays， my father would ask me to go 3 with him. As he said， “Our food may be poor but our life must be 4 .” Therefore， our best times together were spent trying to catch a fish.

5 there was another side of my father. He had a temper （脾氣）， and sometimes he got 6 and would hit me. In those moments of uncontrolled rage （憤怒） he could 7 see things in his way； he would never let me 8 an argument. I was held under his 9 ， unable to break out. When I 10 with him， he struck me in the face. It didn’t hurt me， but it left 11 sad， powerless and disappointed. As usual， 12 what happened that week， we would fish together on Sunday.

Years later， I 13 my interest in fish to graduate school in biology. I was always a 14 student， but I didn’t have much 15 . I felt it was beaten out of me by my father. I tried to find my direction but just ended with a complete 16 . Then one night something 17 happened. I was researching how fish swim upwards against the flowing water and 18 that they could surf with the help of the running water without using much muscle. I suddenly realized that difficulty could 19 help you struggle less.

I quickly finished my article， which made the cover of Science Magazine， and I received my PhD. from Harvard in 2009. Now I can take the 20 of my father’s violence and move through it. This is different from forgiveness. It’s the way I choose to define the events in my life—by my response to them.

1. A. peacefulB. generousC. miserableD. extreme

2. A. surviveB. raiseC. devoteD. satisfy

3. A. cookingB. shoppingC. skatingD. fishing

4. A. richB. independentC. preciousD. typical

5. A. UntilB. UnlessC. ButD. However

6. A. anxiousB. sadC. angryD. disrespectful

7. A. totallyB. onlyC. absolutelyD. probably

8. A. repeatB. communicateC. expressD. win

9. A. willB. feelingC. destinationD. responsibility

10. A. scoldedB. competedC. struggledD. argued

11. A. himB. meC. usD. them

12. A. according toB. in spite ofC. thanks toD. as with

13. A. showedB. sharedC. lostD. followed

14. A. goodB. lazyC. scaredD. naughty

15. A. powerB. confidenceC. faithD. creativity

16. A. disasterB. jokeC. successD. failure

17. A. adventurousB. particularC. wonderfulD. incredible

18. A. discoveredB. wonderedC. expectedD. considered

19. A. simplyB. finallyC. actuallyD. fortunately

20. A. chanceB. spiritC. wisdomD. energy

Passage Five

Five-year-old Jenny was upset today. She was 1 why her father must want to have her 2 pearl necklace. She knew that father loved her so much and told her a story every night. But she loved her pearl necklace so much， for which she had spent 5 months 3 money， two dollars. Father had 4 her for it three times. What could she do？

Now it’s time for her father to tell her a （n） 5 again. When her daddy came in， Jenny was sitting on her bed with her legs 6 . As he came close， he noticed her chin （下巴） was trembling （顫抖） and one silent tear rolled down her 7 . “What is it， Jenny？ What’s the matter？” Jenny didn’t say anything 8 lifted her little hand up to her daddy. And when she opened it， there was her little pearl necklace. With a 9 ， she finally said， “Here， daddy. It’s for you.”

With 10 gathering， Jenny’s kind daddy reached out with one hand to take the necklace， and with the other hand he reached into his pocket and 11 a blue diamond pearl necklace and gave it to Jenny. He had it all the time. He was just waiting 12 for her to give up the valueless one so he could give her the 13 one.

So it is 14 our God. He is waiting for us to give up the cheap things in 15 life so that he can give us beautiful 16 . Isn’t God good？

Are you 17 things which God wants you to let go of. Are you still trying to keep harmful or 18 partners， relationships， habits and activities which you have come so attached to that it seems impossible to let them go？ Sometimes it is so 19 to see what is in the other 20 but do believe one thing...

God will never take away something without giving you something better.

1. A. imaginingB. wonderingC. understandingD. realizing

2. A. favoriteB. pricelessC. expensiveD. common

3. A. makingB. collectingC. savingD. stealing

4. A. searchedB. beggedC. paidD. asked

5. A. lieB. storyC. excuseD. reason

6. A. fixedB. crossedC. tiedD. stopped

7. A. cheekB. headC. legD. neck

8. A. and B. soC. butD. until

9. A. gestureB. coughC. smileD. sigh

10. A. angerB. pityC. tearsD. delight

11. A. pulled outB. found out C. hunted forD. picked out

12. A. anxiouslyB. patientlyC. curiouslyD. nervously

13. A. ordinaryB. cheapC. valuableD. similar

14. A. inB. forC. toD. with

15. A. ourB. hisC. theirD. your

16. A. necklaceB. girlC. treasureD. memory

17. A. giving upB. holding ontoC. selling outD. paying off

18. A. importantB. impressiveC. familiarD. unnecessary

19. A. easyB. hardC. interestingD. strange

20. A. worldB. countryC. handD. part

Passage Six

My mother had been in a deep sleep for three days. She was 88 years old and had 1 the end of a long illness. I 2 for round-the-clock nursing care for her and did not 3 her during those three days. On the fourth 4 ， I called my husband to 5 me up home so that I could get some clean clothes there.

After a quick breakfast at my house， I showered， got dressed， and then threw a few 6 into a shopping bag. We got back into the car and 7 to buy some daily goods. 8 ， I changed my mind and thought I should go to my mother as soon as possible. Something 9 me told me to do that. I hurried to the hospital and found my mother’s nurse 10 to see me. “It’s some kind of miracle （奇跡）！” she said， “Your mother’s eyes are open！” 11 into my mother’s bedroom， I was shocked to see my mother lying there and staring straight ahead. Was she still 12 ？ I found my heart started 13 . But then she turned and looked straight at me 14 to ask， “Where am I？” Or， perhaps， “Where am I going？” I held her weak body gently， and spoke to her 15 ， “Mum， I love you”. And then I could feel that she was 16 .

“When she opened her eyes，” the nurse said， “I said to your mother， ‘There’s your daughter. Just 17 before she gets here.’ And she managed it. She 18 you.”

Thinking about the 19 that something told me not to stop for 20 on the way back to my mother， but to hurry as fast as I could so that I was able to say goodbye to her， I believe that it was deep love that made me keep company with my mother to the last minute.

1. A. leftB. foundC. reached D. passed

2. A. calledB. arrangedC. soughtD. made

3. A. visitB. comfortC. attendD. leave

4. A. morningB. afternoonC. nightD. noon

5. A. takeB. getC. pickD. put

6. A. dollarsB. notebooksC. clothesD. soaps

7. A. beganB. decidedC. promisedD. managed

8. A. FortunatelyB. ExpectedlyC. SurprisinglyD. Suddenly

9. A. insideB. behindC. aroundD. beyond

10. A. angryB. disappointedC. happyD. surprised

11. A. EnteringB. RushingC. JumpingD. Going

12. A. healthyB. aliveC. strongD. confident

13. A. workingB. shakingC. beatingD. racing

14. A. as ifB. even ifC. so asD. in case

15. A. loudlyB. softlyC. normallyD. firmly

16. A. peacefulB. miserableC. scaredD. gone

17. A. stay upB. watch outC. hold onD. keep on

18. A. waited forB. depended onC. believed inD. sent for

19. A. ideaB. opinionC. factD. thought

20. A. somethingB. nothingC. everythingD. anything

Passage Seven

On an autumn afternoon I was doing my homework at home when a sound of a violin flowed into my ears. I was so 1 that I jumped to see what it was. A young girl， standing in the 2 ， was lost in playing her violin.

The music was so 3 that I listened quietly. Lost in the music， I didn’t 4 that I had been standing there for so long but my 5 did not seem to disturb her.

Every day she played the violin there and I would watch her 6 . I was the only audience. 7 we didn’t know each other， I thought we were already good friends. I 8 she also liked me. However， 9 afternoon， when I was listening 10 ， the sound suddenly stopped. To my 11 ， the girl came over to me.

“You must like violin，” she said. “Yes. And you play very well. Why did you stop？” I asked. Suddenly， a 12 expression appeared on her face and I could 13 something unusual. “I came here to see my grandmother， but now I must 14 . I once played very badly. It was your listening every day that 15 me， ”she said. “In fact， it was your playing that gave me a meaningful 16 ，” I answered. “Let us be friends.” Both the girl and I 17 .

There are many kinds of 18 . Some are always with you， but don’t 19 and support you. Some say a few words to you， but these words are 20 to you. Many people will step in your life， but only true friends leave footprints.

1. A. angryB. curiousC. touchedD. moved

2. A. windB. rainC. dormitoryD. crowd

3. A. familiarB. loudC. attractiveD. clear

4. A. imagineB. careC. recognizeD. realize

5. A. judgmentB. existenceC. praiseD. show

6. A. faceB. performanceC. bodyD. violin

7. A. ThoughB. IfC. AsD. Yet

8. A. doubtedB. wonderedC. believedD. promised

9. A. the otherB. otherC. oneD. another

10. A. carelesslyB. patientlyC. devotedlyD. nervously

11. A. shockB. joyC. sorrowD. interest

12. A. happyB. sadC. delightedD. satisfied

13. A. makeB. smellC. feelD. consider

14. A. remainB. practiceC. playD. leave

15. A. encouragedB. comfortedC. admiredD. hurt

16. A. dayB. monthC. autumnD. afternoon

17. A. hesitatedB. smiledC. silencedD. disagreed

18. A. friendsB. storiesC. experiencesD. lessons

19. A. noticeB. understandC. fightD. remind

20. A. similarB. sensibleC. closeD. meaningless

Passage Eight

He has been called the “missing link” —half-man， half-beast. He is supposed to live in the highest mountain in the world—Mount Everest.

He is known as the Abominable Snowman. The 1 of the Snowman has been around for 2 . Climbers in the 1920s reported finding marks like those of human feet high up on the side of Mount Everest. The native people said they 3 this creature and called it the “Yeti”， and they said that they had 4 caught Yetis on two occasions 5 none has ever been produced as evidence.

Over the years， the story of the Yetis has 6 . In 1951， Eric Shipton took photographs of a set of tracks in the snow of Everest. Shipton believed that they were not 7 the tracks of a monkey or bear and 8 that the Abominable Snowman might really 9 .

Further efforts have been made to find out something about Yetis. But the only things people have ever found were 10

footprints. Most believe the footprints are nothing more than 11 animal tracks， which had been made 12 as they melted and refroze in the snow. 13 ， in 1964， a Russian scientist said that the Abominable Snowman was 14 and was a remaining link with the prehistoric humans. But， 15 ， no evidence has ever 16 been produced.

These days， only a few people continue to take the story of the Abominable Snowman 17 . But if they ever 18 catching one， they may face a real 19 ： Would they put it in a 20 or give it a room in a hotel？

1. A. eventB. storyC. adventureD. description

2. A. many centuriesB. too longC. some timeD. many years

3. A. heard fromB. cared forC. knew ofD. read about

4. A. evenB. hardlyC. certainlyD. probably

5. A. asB. thoughC. whenD. until

6. A. developedB. changedC. occurredD. continued

7. A. entirelyB. naturallyC. clearlyD. simply

8. A. foundB. declaredC. feltD. doubted

9. A. existB. escapeC. disappearD. return

10. A. clearerB. moreC. lessD. better

11. A. hugeB. recentC. ordinaryD. frightening

12. A. strangeB. largeC. deepD. rough

13. A. In the endB. ThereforeC. After allD. However

14. A. imaginedB. realC. specialD. familiar

15. A. soB. besidesC. againD. instead

16. A. rightlyB. actuallyC. normallyD. particularly

17. A. lightlyB. jokinglyC. seriouslyD. properly

18. A. succeed inB. insist onC. depend onD. join in

19. A. decisionB. situationC. subjectD. problem

20. A. zooB. mountainC. museumD. laboratory

Passage Nine

Todd was working at his gas station at night when he heard over the radio that a bank in Long Island had been broken into by an armed man who had killed the night guard and got away with $150，000. “One hundred and fifty thousand.” Todd whistled， “Here’s a fellow who just 1 into a bank and helps himself to so much money.” Todd thought of the 2 with which he managed to get the amount of money he 3 to start his gas station. So many papers to 4 ， so much money to pay back.

The news continued twenty minutes later. The gunman had 5 a car for a ride， and then 6 out the driver. He was possibly 7 the Southern State Parkway in a white Ford. License plate （車牌） number was LJR1939. The 8 of the announcer continued， “ 9 out for white cars. Don’t pick up 10 ， and all you folks in gas stations had better not do 11 to a white Ford car.”

Todd stood up and 12 to see out into the cold night. It was dark but Todd 13 the Southern State Parkway was out there. Just then， Todd saw the headlights coming at him， and a car pulled in for 14 . There it was， a white Ford. He saw the 15 ， LJR1939.

“What should I do？” Todd had to make a quick 16 .

“Yes， sir？” Todd 17 while making up his mind for sure.

“ 18 it up，” the man said， sounding like any other 19 .

When the tank （油箱） was full， Todd quickly turned round and pointed a gun at the man.

“Hands up 20 get out！”

1. A. walksB. looksC. marchesD. drives

2. A. satisfactionB. difficultyC. disappointmentD. spirit

3. A. savedB. madeC. offeredD. needed

4. A. collectB. proveC. signD. write

5. A. boughtB. borrowedC. stolenD. stopped

6. A. sentB. foundC. leftD. pushed

7. A. calling fromB. fleeing fromC. heading forD. looking for

8. A. newsB. warningC. adviceD. voice

9. A. LookB. RunC. CallD. Set

10. A. guestsB. strangersC. prisonersD. passengers

11. A. harmB. favorC. serviceD. business

12. A. triedB. decidedC. hopedD. happened

13. A. consideredB. knewC. recognisedD. learnt

14. A. directionB. repairC. gasD. parking

15. A. markB. numberC. signD. name

16. A. decisionB. callC. movementD. remark

17. A. wonderedB. stoppedC. waitedD. asked

18. A. CoverB. FillC. CheckD. Tie

19. A. visitorB. robberC. driverD. rider

20. A. orB. andC. butD. so

Passage Ten

As a child， I was truly afraid of the dark and of getting lost； these fears were very real and caused me some uncomfortable moments.

Maybe it was the strange 1 things looked and sounded in my familiar room at night that 2 me so much. There was never total 3 ， but a streetlight or passing car lights 4 clothes hung over a chair take on the 5 of a wild animal. Out of the corner of my 6 ， I saw the curtains seem to move when there was no 7 . A tiny sound in the floor would seem a hundred times louder than in the daylight. My 8 would run wild， and my heart would beat fast. I would 9 very still so that the “enemy” would not discover me.

Another of my childhood fears was that I would get lost， 10 on the way home from school. Every morning I got on the school bus right near my home—that was no 11 . After school， 12 ， when all the buses were 13 up along the street， I was afraid that I’d get on the wrong one， and be taken to some 14 neighborhood. On school or family trips to a park or a museum， I wouldn’t 15 the leaders out of my sight.

Perhaps one of the worst fears 16 all I had as a child was that of not being liked or 17 by others. Being popular was so important to me 18 ， and the fear of not being liked was a 19 one.

One of the processes of growing up is being able to 20 and overcome our fears. Understanding the things that frightened us as children helps us achieve greater success later in life.

1. A. wayB. timeC. placeD. reason

2. A. woundedB. destroyedC. surprisedD. frightened

3. A. quietnessB. darknessC. emptinessD. loneliness

4. A. gotB. forcedC. madeD. caused

5. A. spiritB. heightC. bodyD. shape

6. A. eyesB. windowC. mouthD. door

7. A. breathB. windC. airD. sound

8. A. beliefB. feelingC. imaginationD. doubt

9. A. layB. hideC. restD. lie

10. A. especiallyB. simplyC. probablyD. directly

11. A. discussionB. problemC. jokeD. matter

12. A. thoughB. yetC. althoughD. still

13. A. calledB. backedC. linedD. packed

14. A. oldB. crowdedC. poorD. unfamiliar

15. A. leaveB. letC. orderD. send

16. A. aboveB. inC. ofD. at

17. A. protectedB. guidedC. believedD. accepted

18. A. thenB. thereC. onceD. anyway

19. A. strictB. powerfulC. heavyD. right

20. A. realizeB. rememberC. recognizeD. recover