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
Ⅱ. 完型填空
Every time I passed boys who were playing basketball, I stopped to silently watch them. I really envied them. But as a girl, I once thought that I could 16 play basketball.
I like playing basketball though I'm not good at it. I've had a basketball 17 I was a child. At first, I could play freely because no one 18 when I was just a kid. But as I grew up it seemed harder and harder for me to enjoy basketball.
At school, it was always the boys who played basketball during PE classes. The girls were 19allowed to play volleyball or badminton.
My parents did not 20 me play basketball at home. "Basketball is not fit for girls," they said. 21 when I went to play basketball with my friends, boys 22 at me on the court as if I were an alien.
I was feeling 23 and had lost hope of playing basketball. 24 , something changed the first day of high school. I made some friends who also enjoyed playing basketball. They 25 me to get back on the court.
One of them told me with a smile, "Go your own 26 , let others talk." This girl would always play basketball with me. Even the boy who sat next to me in class talked about 27 with me almost every day.
I was inspired by them. Confidence and passion 28 to my heart. I am ready to stand up and play. I will play as well as I can, 29 for me, even the sky is boundless (无垠的).
Basketball has become an important part of my 30 . I am interested in it. I watch matches and enjoy playing almost every day. Through basketball, not only do I feel happy and confident, but also 31 a lot.
I've heard the NBA star Tracy McGrady say, "Nothing is impossible." It is from an advertisement on TV. I have 32 to realize that life is just like playing basketball. You should have an 33 . After that, just be confident and 34 going. Never give up and you'll make it sooner or later.
I love the motto of the NBA. It can 35 my strong feelings for basketball, "I love this game!"
16. A. everB. oftenC. never D. always
17. A. when B. beforeC. after D. since
18. A. struggled B. cared C. enjoyed D. joined
19. A. only B. almost C. hardly D. not
20. A. encourage B. agree C. let D. permit
21. A. Still B. Yet C. Just D. Even
22. A. looked B. glared C. glanced D. stared
23. A. upB. down C. excited D. satisfied
24. A. Unluckily B. Naturally C. Unexpectedly D. Clearly
25. A. encouraged B. forbade C. ensured D. explored
26. A. effortB. wayC. businessD. direction
27. A. basketball B. sports C. interests D. dreams
28. A. stuck B. referred C. turned D. returned
29. A. but B. thoughC. and D. however
30. A. wish B. lifeC. workD. study
31. A. experience B. grow C. learn D. play
32. A. come B. turnedC. refused D. happened
33. A. idea B. aimC. opinion D. effort
34. A, insist B. remain C. keep D. last
35. A. inform B. express C. ignore D. connect
二．完形填空：
Why did I come today? I wondered. My Christmas 16 contained several people that claimed they wanted nothing but I knew their feelings would be hurt 17 I didn’t buy them anything, so gift buying was 18 but fun.
Hurriedly, I finished shopping and 19 the long checkout lines. In front of me were a boy of about 5 and a younger girl. She carried a beautiful pair of 20 slippers. When we finally 21 the checkout register, the girl 22 placed the shoes on the counter. She treated them as though they were a 23 .
“That will be $ 6.09,” the cashier said. The boy 24 his pockets. He finally came up with $ 3.12. “I guess we will have to put them back,” he 25 said. “We will come back some other time, maybe tomorrow.” With that statement, a soft 26 broke from the little girl. “But Jesus would have loved these shoes,” she cried.
“Well, we’ll go home and work some more. Don’t cry. We’ll surely 27 ,” he said. Quickly I handed $ 3.00 to the cashier. These children had waited in line for a long time. And, 28 , it was Christmas. Suddenly a pair of arms came around me and a small voice 29 said, “Thank you, lady.” “What did you 30 when you said Jesus would like the shoes?” I asked. The boy answered, “Our mommy is sick and going to 31 . Daddy said she might go before Christmas to be with Jesus.” The girl spoke, “My Sunday school teacher said the streets in heaven are shiny gold, just like these shoes. Won’t mommy be 32 walking on those streets in these shoes?”
My eyes 33 as I looked into her tear-streaked face. “Yes,” I answered, “I am 34 she will.” Silently I thanked God for using these children to 35 me of the true spirit of giving.
16. A. plan B. list C. goods D. purchases
17. A. if B. because C. unless D. since
18. A. something B. nothing C. anything D. everything
19. A. waited B. joined C. attended D. gathered
20. A. cotton B. leather C. gold D. silver
21. A. approached B. passed C. checked D. found
22. A. immediately B. hesitantly C. shyly D. carefully
23. A. gift B. treasure C. life D. prize
24. A. opened B. touched C. tore D. searched
25. A. bravely B. uncertainly C. slowly D. doubtfully
26. A. tear B. sob C. smile D. sigh
27. A. leave B. come C. return D. arrive
28. A. above all B. at last C. at least D. after all
29. A. gratefully B. sweetly C. gracefully D. kindly
30. A. request B. expect C. mean D. attempt
31. A. hospital B. tomb C. heaven D. sky
32. A. equal B. comfortable C. convenient D. beautiful
33. A. pained B. flooded C. shut D. froze
34. A. sure B. afraid C. glad D. confident
35. A. inform B. warn C. cure D. remind
II．完形填空：
A person may have an idea about himself that will prevent him from doing good work.
He may have the belief that he is not capable (有能力的) of it. A child may think he is __16__ because he doesn’t understand how to make the __17__ of his mental faculties (才能). Older people may be mistaken that they are incapable of learning things new because of their __ 18__.
A person who believe that he is incapable will not make a real _19__ because he feels that it would be useless. He won’t go at a job with confidence necessary for __20__ , and he won’t work his hardest way, even though he may think he is doing so. He is __21__ likely to fail, and the failure will _22__ his belief in his competence (才能) .
Alfred Alder, a famous doctor, had __23__ like this. When he was a small boy, he had a poor __24__ in maths. His teacher told his parents he had no ability in maths in order that they would not __25__ too much of him. In this way, they two __26__ the idea. He accepted __27__ mistaken thinking of his ability, felt that it was useless to __28__ and was very poor at maths, __29__ as they expected.
One day he worked at a problem which __30__ of the other students had been able to solve. Alder __31__ in solving the problem. This gave him confidence (信心). He now __32__ with interest, determination and purpose, and he soon became especially good at __33__. He not only proved that he could learn maths well, but luckily he learned __34__ in his life from his own experience that if a person goes at a job with determination and purpose, he may __35__ himself as well as others by his ability.
16. A. clever B. shy C. useless D. stupid
17. A. biggest B. most C. highest D. deepest
18 A. ability B. age C. brain D. knowledge
19. A. decision B. success C. effort D. trouble
20. A. work B. study C. improvement D. success
21. A. truly B. really C. however D. therefore
22. A. lead to B. strengthen C. increase D. add to
23. A. an experience B. an example C. a thought D. a story
24. A. state B. mind C. start D. ending
25. A. blame B. expect C. get D. win
26. A. developed B. organized C. discovered D. found
27. A. his B. her C. its D. their
28. A. manage B. succeed C. try D. act
29. A. only B. almost C. just D. then
30. A. none B. no C. no one D. nobody
31. A. gave B. succeeded C. failed D. believed
32. A. lived B. worked C. played D. graduated
33. A. lessons B. medicine C. subjects D. maths
34. A. early B. deeply C. late D. simply
35. A. encourage B. love C. astonish D. disappoint
第二节 完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从36-55各题所给的四个选项（A，B，C和D）中，选出最佳选项。
When I was 16 years old，I made my first visit to Disneyland in America．It wasn't the first time I had been _16_．Like most English children I learned French 17_school and I had often been to France，so I 18_ speaking a foreign language to people who didn't understand _19．But __20_ I went to America，I was really looking forward to _2l_ a nice easy holiday without any _22_ problems．
_23 wrong I was! The misunderstanding began _24_ the airport。I was looking for a _25_ telephone to give my friend Danny a _26_ and tell her that I had arrived．A _27 old man saw me looking lost and asked _28_ he could help me.
“Yes，”I said，“I want to give my friend a ring．”“Well，that's nice，”he said，“Are you getting _29 ？ But aren't you a bit young?”“_30_ is talking about marriage?”I replied．“I just want to give my friend a ring to tell her I've arrived．Can you tell me 31 there’s a phone box?”“Oh!”he said，“there's a phone downstairs．”
When at last we did meet up，Danny explained the misunderstanding to me．“Don't worry，”she said to me，“I had so many _32 at first．There are lots of words which the Americans _33_ differently in meaning from us British．You'll soon get used to 34 funny things they say．Most of the _35_ , British and American people understand each other!”
16. A．out B．away C．outside D．abroad
17. A．from B．during C．at D．after
18. A．get used to B．was used to C．used to D．used
19. A．English B．French C．Russian D．Latin
20. A．when B．while C．if D．for
21. A．buying B．having C．giving D．receiving
22. A．time B．human C．1anguage D. money
23. A. Too B. What a C．What D．How
24. A．with B. to C．over D．at
25. A．cheap B．popular C．public D．good
26. A. letter B. ring C. news D. information
27．A. friendly B. strange C. stupid D. tough
28．A．how B. if C. where D. what
29．A. to marry B. to be married C. marrying D. married
30．A．You B．She C．Who D．He
31．A．where B．in which C．over there D．that
32. A．trouble B．difficulties C．things D．fun
33. A．write B．speak C．use D．read
34. A．every B．these C．some D．all the
35. A．chance B．situation C．condition D．time
第二节：完形填空（共20小题，每小题1分，满分20分）
从A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
It was past 10:00 p. m. I was busy with my schoolwork though I was 36 . Just then, my little brother Michael ran out of his room, 37 a pen in his right hand and a piece of paper in the other.
“Betty, can you help me with my 38 for school? It’s about the seven 39 of the world.” he said.
My eyes were so fixed on the computer screen that my brother had to pull my blouse just to get my 40 .
“Look, not right now! I’m very busy.” I said. “You are always busy! You are always like that!” he replied.
I felt a bit guilty(内疚的) 41 I thought about his words, but my work seemed more 42 to me than my brother’s .I sighed a few times and 43 with my own studies.
The next day, I arrived home late. Michael came into my room.
“I know you are 44 but there’s something I want to show you ,” he began. Without saying a word, I 45 the paper from him .I really didn’t 46 what he was saying ._47_ I wanted was to get rid of him and finally get to rest.
Suddenly, my eyes widened in 48 . There, he wrote: The Seven Wonders of the World: 1.Love 2.Friendship 3. Peace 4. Joy 5. Wisdom 6.Fun 7.Family
I 49 believe what my brother had written on the paper. I was completely 50 .How could such an innocent(天真的)little child 51 such things in life?
The most _52 things in life are the ones that we 53 take for granted(认为……理所当然). These things don’t take the form of big houses or beautiful 54 . The most wonderful things in the world are immaterial(非物质的) 55 they can never be developed by human art, skill or effort.
36. A. tired B. experienced C. talented D. satisfied
37. A. buying B. holding C. playing D. biting
38. A. problem B. mistake C. trouble D. homework
39. A. events B. cities C. wonders D. mysteries
40. A. attentionB. care C. love D. sight
41. A. before B. as C. since D. till
42. A. exciting B. useful C. important D. interesting
43. A. started B. hated C. forgot D. continued
44. A. busy B. bored C. free D. angry
45. A. handed B. took C. passed D. accepted
46. A. record B. worry C. mind D. share
47. A. What B. That C. Which D. Who
48. A. surprise B. sadness C. happiness D. disappointment
49. A. shouldn’t B. needn’t C. couldn’t D. mustn’t
50. A. woundedB. lost C. pleased D. puzzled
51. A. understand B. remember C. study D. finish
52. A. funny B. valuable C. necessary D. possible
53. A. ever B. often C. seldom D. never
54. A. voices B. poems C. cars D. music
55. A. it B. when C. but D. and