I was nineteen years old the first time I saw my own true character.
My trip to and from work each day included a ten-minute walk through the heart of downtown, where the 36 often gathered. Like most busy citizens, I learned to 37 those nameless faces. When it came to homeless beggars, my 38 life experience had led me to one 39 that they are on the street because they choose to be, probably due to alcohol or drugs.
It was an extremely cold day. When I passed the groups of beggars as usual, I heard a shaky voice target me.
“Spare some change?” he asked.
I didn’t even 40 looking up at his nameless face. I briefly 41 him walking into a liquor store and buying whiskey with the money we spared him. Like most teenagers, it took me only moments to 42 him.
“I have no money on me,” I said quickly
Looking back now, I feel as if God had set out that day to teach me a lesson. And God 43 . Just a few feet past him, I managed to find the only ice patch on the sidewalk. I 44 and landed heavily on my right knee. The 45 was almost killing me as I tried to get up. Then I heard a shaky voice only inches above me.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
I knew immediately this was the man I had just rushed past. Even in pain, I 46 took a quick moment to sniff for the smell of alcohol on his breath. There was none. He wasn’t 47 . I saw the 48 in his eyes.
I 49 to get to my feet. He held my arm as I walked difficultly to the nearby bus stop.
“My name is Mike,” he said. “That’s quite a fall you took, and you really need to get it checked by a doctor,” he said with deep 50 .
“This bus goes past the hospital,” I said.
Mike paused, and a look of sudden 51 crossed his face. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small cup. He took out all the change and held it out toward me.
“I think there’s just enough here for you to take the bus,” he said,
I was highly embarrassed as I remember my 52 . I reached for my purse and took out my change. At least ten dollars. I offered Mike all my change.
“Thank you and take care of yourself,” I said. Both of us knew that few minutes earlier I couldn’t have 53 what happened to him.
Mike held his cup tightly, 54 it as if it were the first gift he had ever received.
A half cup of change seemed too small a gift for the man who gave a 55 to every nameless face I’ve ever seen.
A.doctors B.beggars C.citizens D.sellers
A.pity B.observe C.forgive D.ignore
A.limited B.painful C.meaningful D.rich
A.fact B.rule C.assumption D.suggestion
A.mind B.bother C.avoid D.bear
A.imagined B.followed C.noticed D.heard
A.judge B.stop C.tease D.blame
A.signed B.succeeded C.responded D.approached
A.skipped B.dashed C.slipped D.hesitated
A.regret B.scare C.cold D.pain
A.still B.ever C.yet D.also
A.honest B.reliable C.drunk D.shabby
A.greed B.surprise C.sorrow D.sympathy
A.failed B.struggled C.hurried D.chose
A.relief B.satisfaction C.understanding D.concern
A.confusion B.realization C.excitement D.sadness
A.lie B.injury C.promise D.experience
A.known B.predicted C.cared D.accepted
A.treasuring B.protecting C.making D.showing
A.lesson B.name C.chance D.fortune
If you want to learn a new language,the very first thing to think about is why.Do you need it for a____reason,such as your job or your studies?__2__perhaps you’re interested in the____,films or music of a different country and you know how much it will help to have a____of the language.
Most people learn best using a variety of____,but traditional classes are an ideal(理想的)start for many people.They____an environment where you can practice under the ____ of someone who’s good at the language.We all lead ____ lives and learning a language takes____.You will have more success if you study regularly,so try to develop a____.It doesn’t matter if you haven’t got long.Becoming fluent in a language will take years,but learning to get by takes____.
Many people start learning a language and soon give up.“I’m too____,” they say.Yes,children do learn languages more ___ than adults,but research has shown that you can learn a language at any____.And learning is good for the health of your brain,too.I’ve also heard people____ about the mistakes they make when____.Well,relax and laugh about your mistakes ____you’re much less likely to make them again.
Learning a new language is never ___.But with some work and devotion,you’ll make progress.And you’ll be ____by the positive reaction of some people when you say just a few words in ___ own language.Good luck! (2013·安徽)
A.technical B.political C.practical D.physical
A.After B.So C.Though D.Or
A.literature B.transport C.agriculture D.medicine
A.view B.knowledge C.form D.database
A.paintings B.regulations C.methods D.computers
A.protect B.change C.respect D.provide
A.control B.command C.guidance D.pressure
A.busy B.happy C.simple D.normal
A.courage B.time C.energy D.place
A.theory B.business C.routine D.project
A.some risks B.a lot less C.some notes D.a lot more
A.old B.nervous C.weak D.tired
A.closely B.quickly C.privately D.quietly
A.age B.speed C.distance D.school
A.worry B.hesitate C.think D.quarrel
A.singing B.working C.bargaining D.learning
A.if B.and C.but D.before
A.tiresome B.hard C.interesting D.easy
A.blamed B.amazed C.interrupted D.informed
A.their B.his C.our D.your
Cindy Sydney is the founder of C&S Paving Inc.(铺路公司) in Miami,USA.In the following account,she recalls the job that challenged her ____ and skill but left her flying high.
When the Miami Airport was under ____ in 1979,we were a new company struggling to make it.National Car Rental wanted to have 2,500 square meters of dirt paved ____ the cars could be on site ____ the airport opened,and the official opening was only ten days away!____ other local paving company wanted to do the job, stating it couldn’t be done in such a(n) ____ time.
Because we were new and really needed the work,we were ____ to try harder.We gave National Car Rental our offer and ____ our best effort to get the job finished within ten days.We also ____ them that if we failed,they would be no worse off,____ they had plenty to gain if we succeeded.
We got the job and immediately went into ___.Working at night needed lights,so I rented a machine to produce electricity for the site.Our____challenge was to keep the rock mixture ____ enough.All the available water wagons(洒水车) were rented out for the airport construction,and we certainly couldn’t ____ to buy a new one.Instead,I got a special ___ to rent fire engine hoses(消防水龙带) and connect them to nearby hydrant(消防栓);then I ____ held one of those hoses to ____ down the rock.
Those ten days were filled with challenges that ____ one creative idea after another.Nine days later,the night before the airport opened,National Car Rental was the only company that had cars on the parking lot.
“The key to our success was having the ____ to take on any job and then being ____ in our approach to getting it done.”
A.kindness B.patience C.imagination D.experience
A.construction B.repair C.control D.development
A.after B.as C.for D.so
A.while B.since C.where D.when
A.Some B.Any C.No D.Every
A.short B.vacant C.initial D.regular
A.able B.nervous C.afraid D.willing
A.supported B.promised C.continued D.improved
A.asked B.surprised C.reminded D.demanded
A.though B.but C.as D.unless
A.discussion B.action C.practice D.production
A.next B.first C.past D.previous
A.cold B.wet C.loose D.clean
A.swear B.delay C.consult D.afford
A.excuse B.order C.permit D.reason
A.exactly B.personally C.angrily D.hardly
A.pull B.knock C.hit D.water
A.required B.mixed C.followed D.formed
A.courage B.interest C.hope D.chance
A.shabby B.efficient C.creative D.urgent
It amazed me—every time I saw Joe,he was smiling.It didn’t ____ whether he had to stop at a stop light,or if he were the seventh person in ____ at the bank,and the service stopped just before he got there.Joe ___ smiled.It made me wonder why he seemed so ____ every day.
Having observed Joe with other people,I ____ something else also.Joe asked people how they were doing,and really seemed to listen to their ____.If someone were hurting,he had __7__ for him and kind words,and offered to ____ in any way he could.
It made me think...What if I tried to smile more?A(n) ____ of sorts began when I went to the grocery store.I smiled as I went up and down the aisles...and people I didn’t even ___ smiled back at me.Some even ____!The little kid in the cart(购物车) who was giving his mother a ____ time saw me smile and ____ talking...and,you guessed it.He made a shy little attempt at a smile.The man in the handicapped(残疾的) cart ____ a person to reach something...I could get that for him.The smile even transferred over to him,and he ____me.
As I drove home,I was smiling.I ____ what I had just learned,and when someone passed me and gave me a(n) ____,I smiled at him.He looked puzzled.
Now I know a smile is a small thing,but what if we were all to try to smile a few more times each day?I couldn’t believe how ___ I felt.Nothing in my life had changed,____ maybe it had.For what I learned was that such a small thing could ____ not only my spirits,but those around me as well.
A.work B.happen C.matter D.last
A.order B.debt C.hand D.line
A.always B.eventually C.immediately D.still
A.naughty B.happy C.active D.humourous
A.decided B.judged C.noticed D.considered
A.answers B.complaints C.excuses D.comments
A.guidance B.respect C.sympathy D.protection
A.perform B.attempt C.bother D.help
A.experiment B.life C.project D.program
A.meet B.touch C.know D.contact
A.glared B.greeted C.approached D.escaped
A.spare B.long C.hard D.great
A.stopped B.tried C.kept D.enjoyed
A.persuaded B.accepted C.supported D.needed
A.thanked B.changed C.encouraged D.invited
A.worried about B.thought about C.talked over D.looked over
A.gesture B.address C.call D.ticket
A.normal B.great C.reasonable D.complicated
A.so B.for C.but D.till
A.release B.admire C.display D.lift
I am a journalist in America.When reporting a story,I sometimes need to find a ____ kind of person—someone who has recently switched banks,or who is ____ cancer,or who owns both a Chevy pickup and Toyota sedan.
At such moments,I ____ my brother Keith,a telecommunication worker in eastern Kansas.Usually he says,“I know just the guy.”
His contacts are so diverse in large part ____ he is offline.At age 52,he’s ____ sent an email,surfed the Web or bought anything online.Without any mobile email system to ____ his attention when he is shopping,he is ____ to make a friend or two before ____.Without Web pages to instruct him on his latest project—how to build a cow fence or how to fix a woodburning stove—he seeks out the help of neighbours who have done it and follows their ____,and during beerdrinking time afterwards he listens carefully to their ____ of health problems,banking habits and newcar ____.
“I like talking to people,” he says.“I do not ____ nowadays people send each other emails instead of talking while they’re in the ___ room.”
My older brother ____ considers himself as an oldfashioned man and the Internet ____ are making him more so,too.As a(n) ____ to the Web,my brother belongs to one of the nation’s fastestdecreasing ____.
During the first half decade of the 21st century,the proportion of Internet users ____ slowly,to 59% of adult Americans from just over 50%,according to the Pew Internet and American Life Project.____ in the second half of the decade,that growth skyrocketed(猛升) and now nearly 80% of adult Americans use the Internet.At that pace,the offline Americans will no longer ____ in the coming decade.
A.rich B.friendly C.brave D.particular
A.battling B.avoiding C.curing D.developing
A.appoint B.call C.miss D.search
A.when B.until C.unless D.because
A.ever B.frequently C.never D.seldom
A.divide B.receive C.pay D.gain
A.willing B.likely C.anxious D.clever
A.settling down B.using up C.setting off D.checking out
A.advice B.plan C.example D.gesture
A.lesson B.speech C.talk D.lecture
A.displays B.purchases C.exchanges D.repairs
A.imagine B.predict C.understand D.recommend
A.big B.new C.same D.special
A.sometimes B.recently C.once D.always
A.values B.trends C.techniques D.benefits
A.stranger B.user C.owner D.beginner
A.workers B.races C.minorities D.teams
A.increased B.developed C.varied D.moved
A.And B.So C.Or D.But
A.change B.exist C.last D.work
I stood there outside of the classroom with the other students,waiting for the supervisor(监考老师) to open the door,and ____ filled the heart.
When we were finally inside the classroom,I realized how ____ it was.The heater hadn’t been on and the ____ were as cold as ice.Alright then,the supervisor started to walk around,____ everyone’s calculator to make sure they were “approved devices”(允许使用的工具).
At around 8∶25,the test started.I was ____ my way through word problems,grammar sections,and reading and ____ sections.The supervisor kept walking around the room,___ each student’s extra pencils and ____ sharpening them for us.
I turned the ____ when instructed to,____ it wasn’t another math section and it wasn’t.It was a reading section——____!I started reading the excerpt(片段) given and was ____ to discover that it wasn’t a boring piece about astrology(星象) or biological science.____,it was an excerpt from a romantic novel.I became little ____ with reading it and at times I wanted to say “Aww” aloud.My heart was ____ swooning(沉醉) and I think I was ____.Hopefully I got the questions from that section ____ because I actually had fun answering them.Who knew the SAT could actually bring ____?
It was about 1∶00 p.m.when the test was over.I got out of the classroom with ____.As I was walking outside the building,I was thinking that the test was no longer a bitter ____ for the first time in my life.
A.happiness B.nervousness C.calmness D.sadness
A.amazing B.disappointing C.tiring D.freezing
A.seats B.walls C.floors D.hearts
A.seeing B.taking C.checking D.preparing
A.looking B.pacing C.making D.showing
A.comprehension B.thinking C.guessing D.recitation
A.bringing in B.putting down C.picking up D.showing off
A.kindly B.slightly C.directly D.slowly
A.door B.direction C.pencil D.page
A.finding B.praying C.deciding D.imagining
A.terrible B.great C.sure D.no
A.frightened B.worried C.shocked D.regretted
A.However B.Therefore C.Also D.Rather
A.carried away B.worn out C.tired D.confused
A.suddenly B.totally C.over D.again
A.reading B.sleeping C.smiling D.whispering
A.right B.ready C.clear D.possible
A.hope B.joy C.interest D.trouble
A.relief B.hunger C.strength D.courage
A.attempt B.fact C.process D.experience