I grew up poor---living in the housing projects (住房) with six brothers, three sisters, a varying assortment (各式各样东西的混合) of foster kids (养子), my father, and a wonderful mother, Scarlette Hunley. We had little money and few worldly goods, but plenty of love and attention. I was 36 and energetic. I understood that no matter how poor a person was, he could still 37 a dream.
My dream was 38 . By the time I was sixteen, I could crush a baseball, and hit anything that moved on the baseball field. I was also 39 : My high school coach Jarvis, who not only believed in me, but taught me how to believe in myself. He 40 me the difference between having a dream and showing conviction (信念). One particular incident with Coach Jarvis changed my life forever.
It was the summer between my junior and senior years, and a friend 41 me for a summer job. This meant a chance for money in my pocket—cash for dates with girls, certainly, money for a new bike and new clothes, and the start of savings for a 42 for my mother. The prospect of a summer job was attractive and interesting, and I wanted to jump at the opportunity. Then I realized I would have to 43 summer baseball to handle the work schedule, and that meant I would have to tell Coach Jarvis I wouldn’t be playing.
When I told Coach Jarvis, he was 44 as I expected him to be. “You have your whole life to work，” he said. “Your 45 days are limited. You can’t afford to waste them.”
I stood before him with my head hanging, trying to think of the words that would explain to him why my dream of buying my mom a house and having money in my pocket was worth facing his 46 to me.
“How much are you going to make at this job, son?” He demanded. “3.5 dollars an hour.” I replied. “Well,” he asked, “Is $3.5 an hour the price of a dream?”
That question, the plainness of it, laid bare for me the difference between wanting something right now and having a goal. I dedicated myself to sports that summer and with the year I was hired by the Pittsburgh Pirates to play baseball, and was 47 a $20,000 contract. I signed with the Denver Broncos in 1998 for $1.7 million, and bought my mother the house of my dreams.
A．happy B．polite C．shy D．honest
A．live B．afford C．make D．need
A．athletics B．music C．business D．money
A．right B．popular C．lucky D．confident
A．persuaded B．taught C．brought D．asked
A．sent B．advised C．gave D．recommended
A．ticket B．car C．house D．job
A．give in B．give up C．give away D．give off
A．disappointed B．mad C．frightened D．shameful
A．living B．playing C．working D．learning
A．sadness B．regret C．hopelessness D．disappointment
A．paid B．got C．offered D．presented
After finishing college, Taylor became a teacher in a middle school. His favorite subject was , because his hobby was traveling.
Taylor liked children, and was always ready to have a(n) with them, so they learned a lot from him at the same time having fun.
One September, at the beginning of the term, he was having his first in a new class. To , he decided to ask them some simple questions he could see how much they had already known. He found some of the students had that he enjoyed telling jokes, and they were ready to have some fun with him.
"Where is Turkey?" was the first question.
"Turkey? Sir," a boy answered, "you'll find it on the dinner table every December."
"Very , and it isn't a wrong answer," said Taylor with a smile, while the class laughter.
"Do you really know where it is?"
The boy , in fact, know. "Part of it is in Southeast Europe and part of it is in Asia, sir," he said.
"Good!" said Taylor. The next few students also had funny answers Taylor's questions.
Taylor knew that there was a girl in the class who was and always got the highest mark in the exams, so he turned to her and asked her, "What is the ?"
"It's an imaginary line drawn the earth that has an equal distance from the North Pole and from the South Pole, sir," the girl answered at once.
"Good!" Taylor said, "Very good." But he thought perhaps she had it by heart, so he asked her another question to whether he was right or not.
"Do you really know what that ?" he asked. "Could you, for example, tie a knot (结) in the equator?"
The class laughed, but she answered, "Yes, sir."
"Oh, really?" said Taylor, still with a smile.
"Yes, sir," the girl said, "as the equator is not a(n) line, you could tie an imaginary knot in it."
This time, Taylor happily in the students' loud laughter.
A．politics B．geography C．physics D．history
A．fight B．argue C．fun D．trip
A．while B．but C．with D．without
A．exam B．meeting C．speech D．lesson
A．calm down B．learn from C．start with D．end with
A．even though B．as if C．so that D．now that
A．seen B．heard C．considered D．recognized
A．Christmas B．Valentine's Day C．Children's Day D．Father's Day
A．silly B．right C．wrong D．funny
A．cried out B．burst into C．talked into D．shouted at
A．might B．could C．did D．had
A．for B．to C．of D．with
A．lucky B．silly C．clever D．open-minded
A．moon B．equator C．earth D．line
A．between B．from C．around D．through
A．held B．put C．kept D．learned
A．see B．realize C．know D．look
A．is B．means C．talks D．tells
A．imaginary B．real C．long D．fake
A．joined B．attended C．turned D．stayed
完形填空
In the fourth grade，I discovered my one true love—acting．It is not only fun，but it teamwork and empathy, things I think the world should have more of．
However, I never expected that acting would also teach me to !
In the first semester of my freshman year of high school，my school the play Frankenstein．It’s about a scientist named Victor Frankenstein who creates a monster, and the monster destroys the scientist’s life．
I got the lead female of Frankenstein’s girlfriend，Elizabeth．I had been in plays before，so I was very to the rehearsal(排练)process of memorizing lines and then a character with help from the director．But this play was different from one I had ever done before，because Frankenstein and Elizabeth had to kiss in the play a lot．The boy who Frankenstein was very cute，I must say．There was a(n) in which our characters shared“15kisses”． ，the director removed it．But there were still some kissing scenes．
Would we to kiss，or would we actually kiss? Our director having us kiss for real，and for the first few times，it was very ．My lips barely touched the boy’s．Many of the other actors and actresses laughed at us．
，one thing about stage kissing that you have to understand is that you are not being yourself. That goes for any ．After that experience，I feel like I can any role．It was a big event in my toward becoming a better actress．I feel more being onstage and showing my character’s personality to the ．And that is important for getting the message of a play across．
A．1earns B．teaches C．directs D．explains
A．kiss B．hug C．bow D．pray
A．prepared for B．carded out C．put on D．took up
A．when B．where C．whether D．how
A．star B．role C．maid D．keeper
A．used B．addicted C．related D．devoted
A．imagining B．convincing C．developing D．revising
A．each B．no C．some D．any
A．played B．served C．created D．replaced
A．space B．part C．area D．interval
A．Eventually B．Surprisingly C．Fortunately D．Regrettably
A．intend B．mean C．try D．pretend
A．applied to B．ended up C．objected to D．gave up
A．fierce B．romantic C．awkward D．pitiful
A．However B．Therefore C．Meanwhile D．Otherwise
A．behaving B．acting C．touching D．moving
A．change B．design C．handle D．assess
A．way B．journey C．tour D．trip
A．comfortable B．practical C．optimistic D．hopeful
A．readers B．actresses C．actors D．audiences
There are many brands of chocolate. If you love it, you can’t forget DOVE -- the most famous chocolate brand. But do you know what the meaning of DOVE is?
Dove chocolate is born because of . One day in 1919 Princess Bazaar of Luxembourg's royal family first met the royal kitchen helper Leon. Many nights Leon slipped into the kitchen and various ice creams for Bazaar. They soon fell in love. Unfortunately owing to their quite different social , both of them had to the deep feelings in heart.
Afterwards Bazaar was made to an arranged royal marriage against her wishes. For many days Leon could not see Bazaar, and he was burning with . Finally Bazaar turned up at the table a month later. While serving desserts, Leon the letters "DOVE" which is an abbreviation of DO YOU LOVE ME with hot chocolate on Bazaar's ice cream. Leon that Bazaar could understand his feeling.
A few days later, Bazaar got . Leon, broken-hearted, could not the mental suffering and left for America, where he and his own family a candy store years later but lived unhappily.
Many years later, they met again before Bazaar’s death. Bazaar that she did eat the ice cream that afternoon but didn't see the letters and also didn't receive any promise from Leon and she had to to her fate and missed him all her lifetime.
Hearing this, Leon broke down in tears. If that chocolate had been , those letters would never have melted and he would not have lost his last . Leon decided to create a solid chocolate which can a long time.
After lots of research, he succeeded and each piece of chocolate was engraved(刻) with the letters – DOVE. It is a of the love between Leon and Bazaar.
Now more and more people fall in love with this chocolate. Giving someone DOVE means sending the of love DO YOU LOVE ME?
A．anger B．sorrow C．love D．envy
A．served B．made C．drew D．heated
A．opinion B．view C．attitude D．status
A．discover B．forget C．bury D．struggle
A．know B．accept C．try D．practise
A．sympathy B．impatience C．joy D．humor
A．mixed B．sent C．wrote D．pressed
A．allowed B．promised C．declared D．expected
A．married B．sick C．bored D．changed
A．repeat B．bear C．reduce D．keep
A．supported B．found C．ran D．sold
A．learned B．recalled C．heard D．believed
A．annoying B．confusing C．interesting D．melting
A．give in B．give up C．give out D．give away
A．powerful B．liquid C．solid D．frozen
A．belief B．promise C．courage D．chance
A．eat B．preserve C．miss D．sell
A．quickly B．happily C．firmly D．lightly
A．symbol B．sign C．survey D．study
A．story B．secret C．rumor D．whisper
阅读下面短文，从短文后各题的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出适合填入对应空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该选项涂黑。
One day I was full of anxiety to do some for an important oral exam in the local library, but people kept me. I was getting annoyed and of course, I wasn’t able to . Suddenly I heard someone singing behind me. I and glared at the person who was singing. It was a tall girl about the same age as me.
The fact that she looked like a sensitive, friendly girl didn’t matter. If anything, it made me even angrier. “How could she be so selfish?” I thought .
I picked up my books, glared at her and whispered coldly, “Thanks to your , I’ve been unable to study. You’re so !”
I left the library in such a hurry that I left the most important textbook . when I got home two hours later, I found that textbook gone. I was so that I almost cried. Just then, the phone rang，a gentle voice the speaker as Jenny and asked if I was Jane. After that I was, she said that she had noticed I’d left my book in the library and as my was in it, she’d asked a librarian to get my phone number f. She said that she didn’t live far away and could bring it around for me if I needed it.
I sighed with and agreed to meet her at the convenience store down the road. Of course you’ve who Jenny was. She was the girl I had shouted at for singing in the library. When I recognized her in the convenience store, I was filled with and apologized for my ruled behavior. I felt so , but Jenny just laughed, saying she was glad to see that I’d also left my in the library! I couldn’t help laughing at this and I invited her back to my apartment for a quick cup of tea.
Ever since then we’ve been best friends and we got along really well. To be honest, I trust her more than any one else. I often think how I am. If Jenny hadn’t been a kind person who was willing to my shortcomings, I would have experienced such true friendship.
A．research B．revision C．work D．experiment
A．watching B．asking C．warning D．disturbing
A．speak B．improve C．concentrate D．follow
A．turned around B．turned down C．turned off D．turned over
A．sadly B．hopelessly C．angrily D．crazily
A．practice B．noise C．attitude D．existence
A．selfish B．active C．sensitive D．stupid
A．out B．around C．aside D．behind
A．nervous B．careless C．upset D．forgetful
A．introduced B．considered C．took D．remembered
A．deciding B．confirming C．realizing D．thinking
A．address B．class ` C．writing D．name
A．comfort B．relief C．confidence D．satisfaction
A．recognized B．found C．guessed D．heard
A．courage B．energy C．doubt D．shame
A．worried B．sorry C．terrible D．excited
A．glare B．expression C．virtue D．friendship
A．considerate B．pleased C．luck D．grateful
A．overcome B．share C．hide D．forgive
A．ever B．never C．seldom D．still
I hear a lot of people talking about New Year’s resolutions（新年计划）．Some say, “I can’t keep them and I never make resolutions．” Perhaps the real is that we have trouble changing．We get in our way of life and even if things aren’t good, they are familiar．
As the years go by, our resolutions seem to lose some ．In spite of the fact that my own eagerness seems to , I still like the idea of making resolutions．It is the of not giving up that is important．
I think of the year like a carpet of new fallen snow that has not yet been by footprints or marks of any kind．It before us so perfect and beautiful, but it won’t remain that way for long． we know it, we must get out in the snow and make our own marks and tracks．Soon, we will see all kinds of and paths in the snow．We will see everything from , icy mud to the prints of snow angels made by children at play．
It’s all part of our ．As we close out the old year, a new set of months lies ahead of us and we think, “Maybe, just maybe I can do ．” Perhaps, this time, we can lose those pounds, a bad habit, improve our behavior, build a better relationship．Even though there are situations in our lives that can get us , we can look forward to beginning again and doing what we can do to our lives according to how we are able．
As the New Year comes around, what kind of marks will you make in the ?
A．plan B．idea C．puzzle D．problem
A．comfortable B．curious C．serious D．painful
A．at most B．at last C．at least D．at first
A．faith B．enthusiasm C．sense D．confidence
A．increase B．exist C．decline D．disappear
A．spirit B．rule C．challenge D．decision
A．behind B．between C．around D．ahead
A．discovered B．noticed C．damaged D．cleared
A．stands B．lies C．comes D．occurs
A．Although B．Before C．Until D．If
A．prints B．stones C．plants D．pictures
A．tidy B．soft C．dry D．dirty
A．quality B．attitude C．belief D．wisdom
A．better B．worse C．easier D．harder
A．exact B．final C．extra D．former
A．pick out B．call off C．cut down D．give up
A．and B．or C．so D．for
A．over B．across C．down D．away
A．save B．experience C．start D．improve
A．snow B．mud C．carpet D．ice