完形填空（共20小题，每小题1.5分，满分30分）
I did very badly at school. My headmaster thought I was 36 and when I was 14 he said, “You’re never going to be 37 but a failure.”
After five years of 38 jobs, I fell in love with a very nice middle-class girl. It was the best 39 that could have happened to me. I 40 I wanted to do something positive (积极地) with my life because I wanted to prove to 41 that what people said about me was 42 . Especially her mother, who had said to me, “Let’s 43 it, you’ve failed at everything you’ve ever done.” So I tried hard with my 44 and went to college. My first novel (小说) 45 while I was at college.
After college I taught during the 46 in high schools and attended evening classes at London University, where I got a 47 in history. I became a lecturer at a college and was thinking of 48 that job to write full time 49 I was offered a part-time job at Leeds University. I began to feel proud of myself — 50 was a working--class boy who’d 51 school early, now teaching at the university.
My writing career (职业) took off when I discovered my own style. Now I’m rich and 52 , have been on TV, and met lots of film stars. 53 what does it mean? I 54 wish all the people that have put me down had 55 : “I believe in you. You’ll succeed.”
36. A. bright B. useless C. simple D. hopeful
37. A. anything B. something C. everything D. nothing
38. A. low B. poor C. good D. useful
39 A. support B. happiness C. surprise D. thing
40. A. admitted B. decided C. planned D. told
41. A. me B. them C. her D. it
42. A. wrong B. right C. stupid D. faulty
43. A. see B. know C. understand D. face
44. A. experiment B. practice C. writing D. composition
45. A. came on B. came in C. came out D. came back
46. A. day B. night C. month D. year
47. A. graduation B. pass C. degree D. success
48. A. giving in B. giving back C. giving out D. giving up
49. A. while B. if C. when D. or
50. A. there B. here C. it D. that
51. A. left B. attended C. changed D. graduated
52. A. tired B. calm C. nervous . D. famous
53. A. And B. But C. However D. Well
54. A. just B. exactly C. so D. very
55. A. praised B. said C. answered D. advised
In Renee Smith's classroom, attendance is up, trips to the headmaster's office are down and students are handing in assignments on time. The Springfield High School teacher says she has seen great ___11___ since adding a few new students to her class – five Labrador puppies and their father.
The seven ___12___ students in Smith's class have a history of discipline ___13___. But since they've started teaching the dogs obedience (顺从), their own ___14___ has improved. A dog trainer Chuck Reynolds ___15___ the students a new trick each week that they then work on with the puppies. At night, the dogs go home with the staff members who have raised them. They get dropped off in the morning, ___16___ a parent would take a child to day care.
Smith said she came up with the idea when her dog had puppies and she saw how ___17___ her own children responded to them. She consulted with school psychologist Kristin Edinger, ___18___ they took the idea-- along with letters from students ___19___the programme -- to the school board. A pet therapist said, "What you are trying to teach is ___20___ and that there are consequences for the decisions you make."
11. A. promotion B. progress C. disturbance D. disappointment
12. A. human B. dog C. new D. Labrador
13. A. problems B. questions C. issues D. troubles
14. A. habit B. attitude C. action D. behaviour
15. A. guides B. teaches C. permits D. aids
16. A. such as B. much as C. so that D. even if
17. A. well B. quickly C. poorly D. carelessly
18. A. but B. so C. and D. because
19. A. revising B. describing C. opposingD. supporting
20. A. self-criticism B. self-respect
C. self-control D. self-importance
People wear hats for three main reasons: protection, communication, and decoration.
Protection. People first began to wear hats to ___1___ themselves from the climate. In hot, sunny climates, wide-edged hats provide ___2___ from the sun. In cold climates, people often wear wool hats. In some regions, people wear a variety of protective hats, ___3___ the season. They may wear a wool hat in winter, a rain hat in spring or fall, and a wide-edged hat in summer. Hats also provide protection in certain ___4___. Construction workers, football players, military personnel, and people in many other fields wear metal or plastic helmets(头盔)for protection from ___5___.
Communication. Hats can communicate various things about the people who wear them. The hats of coal miners, cowboys and firemen indicate the wearer's ___6___. Students may wear a mortarboard (学位帽) to show they are graduating from high school or college.
Decoration. Most people wear a hat that they believe makes them look attractive, ___7___ the hat's main purpose may be protection or communication. Many protective hats are attractive and stylish. Even the caps of police officers and military personnel are designed to ___8___ the wearer's appearance. Certain decorative hats are worn as a (n) ___9___. In Scotland, for example, people wear a cap called a tam-o'-shanter that is part of their national costume (服装). Many people change their style of hat from time to time because they feel more ___10___ when keeping up with the latest fashion.
1. A. defend B. protect C. prevent D. hide
2. A. shade B. shadow C. security D. cover
3. A. resulting fromB. basing upon
C. relating to D. depending on
4. A. seasons B. climates C. activities D. communities
5. A. injury B. destruction C. harm D. pollution
6. A. experience B. occupationC. personality D. education
7. A. as B. unlessC. though D. because
8. A. change B. increase C. display D. improve
9. A. traditionB. label C. honour D. fashion
10. A. sociable B. informal C. attractive D. noble
The birthrate in Europe has been in a steady decrease since the 1960s. European countries, realizing crisis is at hand, are providing great encouragement for parents to create more babies in the 21st century.
Affairs Ministry concluded last year that, 11cash encouragement, some women just don’t want to be 12holding the baby. “What we know is that it’s good for the 13___ if men and women share the burden of having children,” says Soren Kindlund, family policy adviser at the Swedish ministry. 14Swedish parents can take their paid leave as they wish, men use a mere 12% of it; 60% of fathers do not take even a(n) 15 _ day off work.
Experts fear that the tendency for women to use most of the parental leave could make employers 16to give young women the permanent jobs they need to qualify for paid maternity leave (产假). In January, Sweden decided to allow new fathers two months’ paid leave, with a warming: use it or 17it.
Kindlund admits that men are under 18to stay at work, even though parental pay comes out of the public purse. “It’s not popular among bosses and perhaps with other men in the workplace,” he says. “But it’s good for the father and for the child if they can 19 a relationship.”
In Norway, a(n) 20policy has worked wonders. 70% of dads in Norway now take parental leave, and the birthrate of 1.85 children per woman is one of the highest in Europe.
11. A. is spite of B. at the cost of
C. in addition to D. due to
12. A. sent B. left C. caught D. seen
13. A. birthrate B. income C. health D. spirit
14. A. Just as B. Only if C. Even though D. Now that
15. A. one B. mere C. only D. single
16. A. willing B. reluctant C. likely D. unable
17. A. reserve B. misuse C. ignore D. lose
18. A. discussion B. attack C. control D. pressure
19. A. make out B. add up C. build up D. set aside
20. A. impersonal B. similar C. severe D. global
Adults are often surprised by how well they remember something they learned as children but have never practised in the meantime. A man who has not had an opportunity to go swimming for years can ___1___ swim as well as ever when he gets back in the water. He can get on a bicycle after several decades and still 2away. A mother who has not 3the words for years can teach her daughter the poem that begins “Twinkle, twinkle, little star” or recite the story of Cinderella or Snow White.
One explanation is the law of over learning, which can be stated as following: 4we have learned something, additional learning increases the 5of time we will remember it.
In childhood, we usually continue to practise such skills as swimming, bicycle riding long after we have learned them. We continue to listen to and 6ourselves of poems such as “Twinkle, twinkle, little star” and childhood tales such as Cinderella or Snow White. We no only learn but __7 .
The law of over learning explains why cramming (突击学习) for an examination, 8it may result in a passing grade, is not a 9way to learn a school course. By cramming, a student may learn the subject well enough to get by on the examination, but he is likely soon to forget almost everything he learned. A little over learning, 10 , is usually a good investment toward the future.
1. A. only B. hardly C. still D. even
2. A. move B. drive C. travelD. ride
3. A. thought about B. cared for
C. showed up D. brought up
4. A. Before B. Once C. Until D. Unless
5. A. accuracy B. unit C. limit D. length
6. A. remindB. inform C. warmD. recall
7. A. recite B. overlearn C. researchD. improve
8. A. though B. so C. if D. after
9. A. convenient B. demanding C. satisfactory D. swift
10. A. at most B. by the way
C. on the other handD. in the end
Tracy Wong is a well-known Chinese-American writer. But her writing __1__ was something she picked up by herself. After her first__2__, teaching disabled children, she became a part-time writer for IBM. __3__, writing stories was simply a __4__ interest. Tracy sent three of her stories to a publisher (出版商). __5__, they immediately suggested that she put them together to make a single one long __6__ and paid Tracy a $ 15,000 advance. “A pretty money,” said the publisher, “for __7__ writer.”
__8__ Tracy’s characters (人物) are interesting, her stories sometimes __9__ readers uneasy: those about the supernatural. “My mother believed I could __10__ the afterlife world,” she told a close friend. “She used to have me speak with my grandmother, who died many years ago.”
“Can I? I don’t think I can,” Tracy said with a laugh. “But I do have __11__ when things come to me __12__. “Once, she was wondering how to complete a __13__ set in ancient (古代的) China. __14__ the doorbell rang. It was a FedEx delivery man, with a copy of a book on Chinese __15__. It came without her having __16__ it.
Though she has published 45 books, Tracy has remained __17__ by her fame. She lives in the same __18__ she lived 27 years ago -- although in a more comfortable home. There’s more room for __19__ in her life -- and it wasn’t just __ 20__.
1. A. skill B. experience C. practiceD. method
2. A. duty B. effortC. job D. task
3. A. InsteadB. Normally C. Certainly D. Then
4. A. general B. deep C. personal D. lively
5. A. InterestedB. AnxiouslyC. Seriously D. Encouraged
6. A. film B. story C. programD. article
7. A. a foreign B. a popular C. an unusual D. an unknown
8. A. Now that B. Even though C. Just because D. Except that
9. A. find B. turn C. leave D. hold
10. A. make up B. connect with C. control D. explain
11. A. events B. chances C. feelings D. moments
12. A. for no reasonB. from a distance
C. by accidentD. as gifts
13. A. description B. pointing C. scene D. talk
14. A. Surprisingly B. Suddenly
C. Expectedly D. Fortunately
15. A. cooking B. history C. play D. medicine
16. A. known B. sent C. realized D. ordered
17. A. unchanged B. excitedC. determined D. unmoved
18. A. life B. city C. house D. way
19. A. success B. work C. joy D. variety
20. A. writing B. reporting C. luck D. fun