One morning I wasted nearly an hour watching a tiny ant carry a huge feather. Several times, it 31 several obstacles in its path. And after a momentary pause it would make the necessary detour (绕道). 32 one point, the ant had to cross a crack about 10mm wide. After some 33
thoughts, the ant laid the feather over the crack, walked 34 it and picked the feather up on the other side, then continued on its way. I was 35 by the cleverness of this ant. It was only a
small insect, lacking in 36 yet equipped with a brain to reason, explore, discover and overcome. 37 this ant, like the othe
r two-legged creatures 38 on the earth, also shares human failings.
After some time the ant 39 reached its destination—a flower bed and a small hole that was the entrance to its 40 home. It was there that the ant met its 41 .How could that large feather possibly 42 such a small hole? Of course, it couldn’t. So the ant, after all this 43 and using great brightness, overcoming problems all along the way, just gave up the 44 and went home. The ant had not thought the problem through 45 it began its journey and in the end the feather was 46 more than a burden. Isn’t our 47 like that?
We worry about our families; we worry about the 48 of money; and we worry about all kinds of things. These are all burdens—the things we pick up along life’s path, and drag them around the obstacles and over the cracks that life will bring, only to 49 that at the destination they are
50 and we can’t take them with us.
.
A．brought about B．got over C．came across D．dealt with
A．At B．For C．To D．With
A．brave B．tiring C．magic D．short
A．across B．through C．beside D．behind
A．frightened B．attracted C．annoyed D．satisfied
A．size B．height C．depth D．length
A．Therefore B．But C．Moreover D．Otherwise
A．working B．sleeping C．living D．walking
A．probably B．suddenly C．easily D．finally
A．underground B．lonely C．comfortable D．big
A．partner B．match C．parent D．friend
A．fit B．fix C．suit D．fill
A．decision B．pleasure C．trouble D．matter
A．insect B．problem C．hole D．feather
A．nothing B．anything C．something D．everything
A．study B．aim C．dream D．life
A．waste B．lack C．worth D．danger
A．think B．find C．wonder D．warn
A．bad B．practical C．useless D．meaningful
One man was to meet his wife downtown and spend some time shopping with her. He waited 21for 15 minutes. Then he waited impatiently for 15 minutes more. After that, he became 22 . When he saw a photograph booth (照相亭) nearby, he had 23 . He wore the most unhappy expression he could manage, which was not 24in the situation. In a few moments, he was holding four small prints that25even him.
He wrote his wife’ s name on the back of the photos and handed them to a 26behind the desk in the booth. “ 27you see a small, dark lady with brown eyes and an apologetic expression, obviously 28someone, would you please give her this?”he said. He then 29his office in Morrison Building, 30that if a picture is worth a thousand words, then the four photos must be a good 31! He sat down with a smile.
His wife 32those pictures. She carries them in her purse now and shows them to anyone who asks if she is married
How are you with 33? One person calls it “wait training.” It seems that there is always something we are 34 . We wait on traffic and we wait in lines. We wait to hear about a new job. We wait to complete school. We wait for someone to change his or her mind.
Patience is an important 35of a happy and rewarding life. 36, some things are worth waiting for. 37presents many opportunities for wait training.
We can hate waiting, 38it or even get good at it! But one thing is 39 ——we cannot avoid it. How is your 40coming along?
21. A. proudly B. respectfully C. patiently D. curiously
22. A. angry B. hungry C. frightened D. thirsty
23. A. a question B. a reason C. an opinion D. an idea
24. A. serious B. difficult C. regular D. convenient
25. A. hurt B. encouraged C. attracted D. shocked
26. A. clerk B. secretary C. passer-by D. friend
27. A. Since B. Before C. As D. If
28. A. looking for B. working for C. sending for D. paying for
29. A. called up B. returned to C. visited D. left
30. A. worried B. disappointed C. satisfied D. surprised
31. A. description B. preparationC. excuse D. lecture
32. A. tore B. saved C. developed D. destroyed
33. A. your wife B. your family C. patience D. determination
34. A. hoping for B. waiting for C. ready for D. fit for
35. A. lesson B. experience C. purpose D. quality
36. A. For example B. After all C. Right now D. So far
37. A. Every age B. Every shop C. Every day D. Every office
38. A. accept B. control C. change D. improve
39. A. certain B. interesting C. precious D. easy
40. A. photo taking B. job hunting C. decision making D. wait training
It was a bright spring afternoon when Fieda told me she wouldn’t need me any more. I had just finished my four-hour work －36up and down the stairs of her three-storey home, cleaning the floor and washing the dishes. She was 37jeans and a sweater, sitting at the table I had just 38. a pile of papers spread around her. Her husband’ 39was going to be reduced by thirty percent. And they were trying to live as if it had 40happened. I felt sorry for her. but I also felt a sense of 41.
I had been cleaning Freda’s house for five years and had 42an unexpected relationship with the family. It was not just 43I had become an expert at scraping（刮掉）dirt stuck to their wooden floor, 44that I had learned exactly how to place toys on the girls’ beds. It was45than that, for I felt I had become a part of their 46.Freda stayed at home with the kids, 47I would often see her in the morning 48 them to school. And I’d be there when they 49home at lunch for sandwiches and piano practice. I had 50them grow up. Now I was tired, but the 51thing was that I still wanted to keep scraping away the dirt and dust for the family.
I left Freda’s house that day, wondering about the 52of my relationship with my clients（主顾）. Who am I 53them? As a matter of fact, I’m 54an employee － the lowest kind of employee. But I’m also a trusted55of the family. I can’t help worrying about what happens around me.
36.A.stepping B.coming C.jumping D.moving
37.A.hanging B.making C.wearing D.changing
38.A.cleaned B.washed C.swept D.brushed
39.A.duty B.money C.work D.pay
40.A.already B.seldom C.never D.yet
41.A.regret B.surprise C.fear D.loss
42.A.started B.developed C.improved D.broken
43.A.why B.what C.that D.which
44.A.but B.and C.or D.for
45.A.less B.least C.more D.most
46.A.life B.story C.activity D.experience
47.A.as B.so C.since D.however
48.A.taking B.bringing C.meeting D.calling
49.A.left B.returned C.went D.marched
50.A.found B.noticed C.watched D.realized
51.A.possible B.great C.proper D.strange
52.A.meaning B.nature C.result D.importance
53.A.for B.to C.with D.at
54.A.hardly B.certainly C.probably D.merely
55.A.member B.person C.relative D.companion
I work as a volunteer (志愿者) for an organization that helps the poor in Haiti. Recently I took my son Barrett there for a week, hoping to 16him.
Before setting out, I told Barrett this trip would be tiring and 17. For the first two days, he said almost nothing. I worried the trip was too 18for a 17-year-old. Then, on day three, as we were 19over high rocky mountains, he turned to me and grinned (咧嘴笑),“Pretty hard.”
After that there was no turning back. A five-year-old girl, wearing a dress several sizes 20large and broken shoes, followed Barrett around, mesmerized (着迷). He couldn’t stop 21. Later he said 22, “I wish I could speak French.” I was 23— this from a boy who hated and 24French classes throughout school.
Usually silent, he 25Gaby, our host, and kept asking questions about the country and its people. He blossomed (活泼起来).
26, the moment that really took 27breath away occurred in a village deep in the mountains. I was 28a woman villager for an article. 135 centimeters tall, she was small in figure but strong in 29 . Through determination, she had learned to read and write, and 30to become part of the leadership of the 31.
Learning her story, Barrett was as 32as I by this tiny woman’s achievements. His eyes were wet and there was a 33of love and respect on his face. He had finally understood the importance of my work .
When leaving for home, Barrett even offered to stay 34as a volunteer. My insides suddenly felt struck. This 35achieved all I’d expected. Soon he will celebrate his 18th birthday. He’ll be a man.
16. A. comfort B. please C. attract D. educate
17. A. rough B. dangerous C. troublesome D. violent
18. A. little B. much C. fast D. slow
19. A. moving B. running C. climbing D. looking
20. A. too B. very C. even D. so
21. A. joking B. crying C. shouting D. smiling
22. A. patiently B. regretfully C. lightly D. cheerfully
23. A. ashamed B. disappointed C. determined D. surprised
24. A. took up B. went in for C. fought against D. called off
25. A. befriended B. disregarded C. avoided D. recognized
26. A. Thus B. Even C. Meanwhile D. However
27. A. my B. his C. our D. her
28. A. asking B. interviewing C. arranging D. describing
29. A. brain B. wish C. will D. health
30. A. appeared B. struggled C. hesitated D. failed
31. A. village B. city C. organization D. state
32. A. pleased B. bored C. puzzled D. touched
33. A. combination B. composition C. connection D. satisfaction
34. A. in B. behind C. out D. away
35. A. interview B. flight C. article D. trip
Learning to Accept
I learned how to accept life as it is from my father. 36, he did not teach me acceptance when he was strong and healthy, but rather when he was 37and ill.
My father was 38a strong man who loved being active, but a terrible illness39all that away. Now he can no longer walk, and he must sit quietly in a chair all day. Even talking is 40. One night, I went to visit him with my sisters. We started 41about life, and I told them about one of my 42 . I said that we must very often give things up 43we grow—our youth, our beauty, our friends—but it always 44that after we give something up, we gain something new in its place. Then suddenly my father 45up. He said, “But, Peter, I gave up 46! What did I gain?” I thought and thought, but I could not think of anything to say. 47, he answered his own question: “I 48the love of my family.” I looked at my sisters and saw tears in their eyes, along with hope and thankfulness.
I was also 49by his words. After that, when I began to feel irritated (恼怒的) at someone, I 50remember his words and become 51 . If he could replace his great pain with a feeling of love for others, then I should be 52to give up my small irritations. In this 53, I learned the power of acceptance from my father.
Sometimes I 54what other things I could have learned from him if I had listened more carefully when I was a boy. For now, though, I am grateful for this one 55.
36. A. Afterwards B. Therefore C. However D. Meanwhile
37. A. tired B. weak C. poor D. slow
38. A. already B. still C. only D. once
39. A. took B. threw C. sent D. put
40. A. impossible B. difficult C. stressful D. hopeless
41. A. worrying B. caring C. talking D. asking
42. A. decisions B. experiences C. ambitions D. beliefs
43. A. as B. since C. before D. till
44. A. suggests B. promises C. seems D. requires
45. A. spoke B. turned C. summed D. opened
46. A. something B. anything C. nothing D. everything
47. A. Surprisingly B. Immediately C. Naturally D. Certainly
48. A. had B. accepted C. gained D. enjoyed
49. A. touched B. astonished C. attracted D. warned
50. A. should B. could C. would D. might
51. A. quiet B. calm C. relaxed D. happy
52. A. ready B. likely C. free D. able
53. A. case B. form C. method D. way
54. A. doubt B. wonder C. know D. guess
55. A. award B. gift C. lesson D. word
Some myths are stories told since ancient times to explain the causes for natural happenings. The Greek myth that explains why there are changes of (36) _______ is about Demeter, the goddess of the harvest. She had a daughter, Persephone, whom she loved very much. Hades, god of the underworld, fell in love with Persephone, and he asked Zeus, the ( 37) _______ of the gods, to give Persephone to him as his (38) _______. Zeus did not want either to disappoint Hades or to upset Demeter, so he said he would not agree to the marriage, but neither would he (39) _______ it. Hades, therefore, decided to take the girl without (40) _______. When Persephone was picking flowers in the garden, he seized her and took her to the underworld. When Demeter (41) _______ what happened to Persephone, she became so (42) _______ that she caused all plants to ( 43 ) _______. People were in (44) _________ of starving. But Demeter was determined not to let crops grow (45 ) _______ her daughter, Persephone, was returned to her. (46) __________, still not wanting to disappoint Hades, decided upon a condition for Persephone's (47) ______ . She could go back to her mother if she had not (48) ________ anything while she was in the underworld. Demeter (49) ________ it because she did not know that Persephone had eaten several pomegranate (石榴) seeds in the underworld. When Zeus (50) ______ this, he agreed that Persephone could spend part of the year with her (51) _______, but he added that since she had eaten the seeds, she must spend part of the year in the underworld. And so it (52) ________ that when Persephone is in the underworld, Demeter is sad and therefore (53) _______ not let the crops grow. That is (54) ______ we have winter when plants do not grow. When Persephone returns, Demeter is (55)______ , it is spring, and plants begin to grow again.
36. A.periods B. seasons C. time D. age
37. A. winner B.ruler C. advisor D.fighter
38.A. wife B. lover C. partner D. daughter
39.A. forbid B. forgive C. admit D.accept
40.A. arrangement B.warning C. reason D.permission
41.A.let out B.worked out C. thought out D.found out
42. A. excited B. tired C. angry D.serious
43.A. grow fast B.start growing C. stop growing D. grow slowly
44.A. danger B. hope C. turn D. case
45.A. since B.until C. after D.when
46. A. Persephone B. Zeus C. Demeter D.Hades
47.A.return B. change C. marriage D.journey
48.A. stolen B.found C. eaten D.heard
49.A. understood B.refused C. doubted D.accepted
50.A. discovered B. studied C. forgot D.prepared
51.A.daughter B. mother C. god D. ruler
52.A.works B.remains C. happens D. starts
53. A. should B.can C. dare D. will
54.A.where B. because C. why D. how
55.A. nice B. friendly C. fresh D.happy