“Down-to-earth” means someone or something that is honest, practical and easy to deal with. It is 36 to find someone who is down-to-earth. A person who is down-to-earth is easy to talk to and 37 other people as equals. A down-to-earth person is just the 38 of someone who acts important and proud.
Down-to-earth persons 39 be important members of society, of course. 40 they do not let their importance “go to their heads”. They do not 41 themselves to be better persons than others of less importance. Someone who is filled with his own importance and pride, often without cause, is 42 to have “his nose in the air”. There is 43 way a person with his nose in the air can be down-to-earth.
Americans 44 another expression that means almost the same as “down-to-earth”. The expression is “both-feet-on-the-ground”. Someone with both-feet-on-the-ground is a person with a good 45 of reality. He 46 what is called “common sense”. He may have 47 , but he does not allow them to 48 his knowledge of what is real.
The opposite kind of 49 is one who has his “head-in-the-clouds”. A man with his-head-in-the-clouds is a dreamer whose 50 is not in the real world.
51 , such a dreamer can be brought back to earth. 52 words from a teacher can usually bring a day-dreaming student down-to-earth.
Usually, the person who is down-to-earth is very 53 to have both feet on-the –ground. 54 we have both our feet on-the –ground, when we are down-to-earth, we act 55 and openly towards others. Our lives are like the ground below us, solid and strong.
A．pleasant B．sad C．common D．surprising
A．meets B．welcomes C．receives D．accepts
A．case B．kind C．opposite D．example
A．must B．may C．should D．will
A．But B．So C．For D．And
A．wish B．expect C．desire D．consider
A．said B．told C．asked D．made
A．some B．a C．no D．every
A．discover B．find C．make D．use
A．understanding B．wish C．reason D．expectation
A．demands B．lacks C．has D．likes
A．fortunes B．dreams C．achievements D．disadvantages
A．block B．protect C．own D．gain
A．idea B．people C．attitude D．person
A．mind B．life C．body D．head
A．Always B．Therefore C．However D．Sometimes
A．Sharp B．All C．No D．Bad
A．possible B．probable C．likely D．able
A．Though B．Since C．When D．Unless
A．kindly B．directly C．friendly D．honestly
完形填空（共20小题；每小题1分，满分20分）
I lay there buried alive under our house when the bomb hit our city. The great started by the bomb came nearer and nearer to us as workers tried to us. “Hurry! ” they cried to one another as the flames came nearer. At last they reached us and me and my mother out from under everything the flames reached us.
Later, as I thought of the pilot of the plane that the bomb on our city, I cried, “I hate him. I hate him.” The people with marked faces from the of the bomb made me cry, “I hate him.” I saw people suffering a terrible, death. Again and again I cried as I saw these people, “I hate him!”
Some time later, that man appeared in a meeting I . As I looked at him, I him very much. Then I listened to what he told us of his the day when he dropped the bomb on our city. I heard him say, “When I flew over the city we dropped the bomb, I cried, ‘Oh, God , what have I ’.” I could see that he found it to speak of that day.
As this happened I suddenly my hatred (仇恨) of him was . It only made me unhappy also. As I did this, it was as if a heavy load (负担) my shoulders. Then I decided to him. I did so and my life was .
I now help those who suffer from other people. I try to help them to everyone, as I am now able to do.
A．sound B．heat C．fire D．light
A．call B．reach C．find D．help
A．put B．sent C．pulled D．brought
A．after B．as C．when D．before
A．made B．dropped C．attacked D．set
A．noise B．energy C．effect D．power
A．slow B．serious C．sad D．hard
A．joined B．took C．attended D．gave
A．hated B．feared C．honored D．believed
A．activity B．idea C．experience D．opinion
A．when B．after C．as D．before
A．got B．heard C．done D．seen
A．difficult B．easy C．useless D．proud
A．imagined B．realized C．knew D．thought
A．right B．funny C．necessary D．wrong
A．took away B．took off C．fell off D．fell on
A．forgive B．kill C．defeat D．accept
A．balanced B．changed C．continued D．ruined
A．punishing B．hurting C．disliking D．hating
A．respect B．love C．consider D．move
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，然后从各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A girl complained to her father about her hard life. She didn’t know what she could do and wanted to . She was tired of fighting and fighting. One problem had been settled, but appeared.
Her father, a cook, took her into the . He poured water into three pots and boiled it. After the water came to a boil, he put some in the first pot, eggs in the second and coffee in the last. He waited for them for a few minutes any words.
The girl closed her mouth and waited, impatient and by what her father was doing. After about 20 minutes, her father the stove, took out the carrots and put them in a bowl. He took the eggs and put them in another bowl. After that he the coffee into a cup. Turning back to his , he asked, “Sweetheart, what do you see?”
“Carrots, eggs and coffee,” she replied.
Her father asked her to the carrots. She did and felt that the carrots were .
he asked her to take the eggs and break them. After peeling them, she felt the eggs were hard.
Last, her father asked her to smell the coffee.
She asked, “What does this , Father?”
He that each of the things had felt the same unfortunate fate. They were all boiled in , but with a result. The strong and hard carrots became soft and weak after being boiled. The fragile(易碎的) eggs became after cooking. Coffee grounds were very unique. They could change the water.
“ one are you?” asked her father. “When calamity（不幸的事） on your door, what will your be? Are you carrots, eggs of coffee?”
A．give in B．give up C．go on D．carry on
A．the other B．the rest C．another D．the second
A．kitchen B．storeroom C．backyard D．bedroom
A．potatoes B．carrots C．tomatoes D．apples
A．with B．over C．beyond D．without
A．confused B．excited C．surprised D．relaxed
A．turned on B．turned down C．turned off D．turned out
A．put B．poured C．flew D．picked
A．son B．pot C．kitchen D．daughter
A．touch B．eat C．smell D．taste
A．strong B．heavy C．light D．soft
A．Now that B．Since then C．After that D．Once again
A．mean B．say C．refer D．think
A．questioned B．explained C．required D．suggested
A．water B．pot C．stove D．fire
A．similar B．same C．different D．wonderful
A．hard B．calm C．delicious D．broken
A．What B．Whichever C．Whose D．Which
A．looks B．touches C．knocks D．waits
A．reaction B．responsibility C．answer D．impression
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，然后从所给的A、B、C、D中四个选项，选出最佳选项。
After 22 years of marriage, I have discovered the secret to keep love alive in my relationship with my wife, Peggy. I started dating another woman.
One day Peggy said to me, “Life is too ______, you need to spend time with the people you love. You probably won't believe me, but I know you love her and I think that if the two of you spend more time together, it will make us ________.'
The “other” woman my wife was encouraging me to _______is my mother, a 72-year-old widow who has lived alone since my father _______20 years ago. Right after his death, I ___ 2,500 miles away to California and started my own life and career. When I moved back near my hometown six years ago, I promised myself that I would spend more time with mom. But with the _______of my job and three kids, I never got around to seeing her much _______family get-togethers and holidays.
Mom was _________ and suspicious when I called and suggested the two of us go out to dinner and a movie.
We didn't go anywhere _______, just a neighborhood place where we could talk. _______her eyes now see only large shapes and shadows, I had to read the menu for both of us.
“I used to be the _______ when you were little,” she said.
“Then it is time for you to relax and let me _________the favor,” I said.
We had a nice talk_______dinner, just catching up on each other's lives. We talked for so long that we _______ the movie.
“_______was your date?” my wife asked when I got home that evening.
'Nice...nicer than I thought it would be,' I said.
Mom and I get out for________a couple of times a month. Sometimes we take in a movie, but ________we talk. Through the talks ,I know what it was like for her to work in a factory during the Second World War. I know how she met my father there, and know how they ________the difficult times. I can't get enough of these stories. They are _______ to me, a part of my history.
Peggy was right. Dating another woman has _______my marriage.
A．easy B．difficult C．short D．hard
A．closer B．longer C．happier D．easier
A．date B．please C．meet D．consult
A．passé out B．passed by C．passed down D．passed away
A．went B．drove C．moved D．removed
A．pressure B．development C．demand D．loss
A．beyond B．with C．during D．on
A．excited B．annoyed C．delighted D．surprised
A．ordinary B．fancy C．plain D．common
A．Since B．When C．if D．unless
A．worker B．waitress C．reader D．owner
A．award B．return C．turn D．answer
A．over B．with C．on D．across
A．forgot B．refused C．missed D．abandoned
A．What B．Who C．where D．How
A．talk B．movie C．walk D．dinner
A．finally B．merely C．mostly D．especially
A．went though B．got through C．looked through D．saw through
A．friendly B．kind C．loyal D．important
A．ruined B．damaged C．helped D．affected
完型填空 (共一篇, 20小题目, 满分30分)
阅读下列短文, 掌握其大意, 然后从所给的四个选项中,选出最佳答案
A person may have an idea about himself that will prevent him from doing good work. He may have the________ that he is not capable of it. A child may think he is stupid because he does not understand how to make the ________ of his mental faculties(官能). Older people may be mistaken that they are incapable of _________ anything new because of their age.
A person who believes that he is incapable will not make a real _________ , because he feels that it _________ be useless, he won’t go at a job with the confidence necessary for success, and he won’t work his hardest, even though he may_________ he is doing so. He is _________ likely to fail, and the failure will ________ belief in his incompetence(无能). Alfred Adler, a famous doctor, had a (an) _________ like this. When he was a small boy, he had a poor ________ in maths. His teacher told his _________ he had no ability in maths in order that they would not ________ too much of him._________he too accepted _________ mistaken thinking of his ability, and he felt that it was useless to ________, and was very poor at maths, ________ as they expected.
One day he worked out a problem which _________ of the other students had been able to solve. Adler succeeded in solving the problem. This gave him confidence. He now ________ with interest, determination and purpose, and he soon became especially good at ________. He not only proved that he could learn maths well, but luckily he learned early in his life from his own experience that if a person goes at a job with determination and purpose, he may _________ himself as well as others by his ability.
A．belief B．way C．fact D．condition
A．biggest B．most C．highest D．deepest
A．teaching B．learning C．accepting D．using
A．decision B．success C．effort D．trouble
A．would B．should C．must D．could
A．forget B．think C．guess D．understand
A．nevertheless B．moreover C．however D．therefore
A．lead to B．add to C．take to D．contribute to
A．experience B．example C．thought D．story
A．state B．mind C．start D．ending
A．classmates B．friends C．neighbors D．parents
A．blame B．expect C．get D．win
A．Virtually B．Totally C．Fortunately D．Especially
A．it B．her C．its D．their
A．manage B．succeed C．try D．act
A．only B．almost C．just D．nearly
A．none B．all C．many D．most
A．lived B．worked C．played D．graduated
A．1essons B．medicine C．subjects D．maths
A．encourage B．love C．astonish D．disappoint
The only thing that troubled me more than the pain in my back that morning was my worries about money. I’d been excited to visit my sister--Therese, but all I could think about was how I’d hurt my back and had to down my hours at work. Even with my savings, I wasn’t sure I’d have enough to cover the bills.
“Are you OK?” Therese asked.
“Yeah,” I said. “Just wish I could stop worrying about .”
“Why don’t we make Mom’s cake?” she said. “Mom to make this kind of cake for all of us. It will you up.”
It wasn’t easy being a single mom, raising eight of us kids with money, but that couldn’t bring Mom down. She got that spirit from our grandmother, who was never about the hardships(艰难，困苦). Also, Mom was good at use of food. She always found a way to include a special(特别的) treat on birthday or Christmas--a tasty cake with 43 eggs, milk or butter.
“ how we’d all run around the living room singing,‘eggless, milkless, butterless cake’?” Therese asked, laughing.
“Those were good times,” I said. We didn’t have money, we knew how to have together.
Thinking about the eight of us gathered around the kitchen table waiting for Mom to cut the cake my worries. Mom would make the cake extra for Christmas--a coin was put into the cake. “Whoever finds the in their cake can keep it and they won’t have to do housework for a week.”she would say.
My siblings﹙兄弟姐妹﹚and I are now separated from each other, but the cake stillus.
“Cake’s done,” Therese said. I pulled it out of the oven(烤箱), then called everyone in. We gathered around the kitchen table, like old times.
“Feeling any ?” Therese asked.
“Yeah,” I said. I looked at the around the table, reminded once again that whatever hardships come my way I can do more than just get through them.
I can find in my life, even in a simple cake, and share it the ones I love.
A．break B．pass C．put D．cut
A．money B．business C．time D．health
A．used B．had C．got D．enjoyed
A．wake B．cheer C．bring D．pick
A．little B．extra C．good D．easy
A．faced B．upset C．surprised D．caught
A．getting B．having C．making D．finding
A．many B．some C．few D．no
A．Wonder B．Explain C．Remember D．Understand
A．and B．but C．if D．as
A．freedom B．performance C．fun D．dream
A．ended B．hid C．deepened D．kept
A．special B．round C．heavy D．large
A．candle B．prize C．butter D．secret
A．connects B．challenges C．treats D．interests
A．also B．somehow C．so D．just
A．faster B．closer C．younger D．better
A．plates B．guests C．faces D．chairs
A．limit B．joy C．respect D．luck
A．for B．at C．with D．to