Twist was the name of an old champion racing horse. He was past thirty years old, but the heart of the true 36 still beat with the great spirit. However, I knew little about the 37 that the old horse’s spirit would have on my daughter.
My daughter Stacy had ever had a 38 experience with a runaway horse. She was just eight at the time, and a terrifying 39 accompanied the disaster. Although she broke no bones, her 40 , love for horses and the desire to learn to ride were 41 . No matter how my wife and I tried, we had no 42 in curing the damage caused that day. But when she was thirteen, a turning point came. One day as I saw Stacy look into the eye of the 43 fellow in the stall(牲口棚), I knew this was going to be the beginning of a 44 relationship.
Fortunately, Stacy’s accident had not weakened her love for 45 in general, and this small opening was all that Twist needed to create an unusual bond(纽带). In the following weeks, Stacy began to express daily 46 in coming to the stall with me. She 47 spent time with him, feeding, brushing and combing him, all the 48 talking to him about her life.
Then one day 49 I was readying one horse for a ride, I noticed the old guy’s 50 expression and desire to be included, too. So I asked Stacy if she wanted to take Twist out for a ride. In 51 , Stacy looked once again into the old man’s eye. That moment, their two spirits 52 and completed the bond that had been forming over a couple of months. Continuing to look deep into his eyes, Stacy didn’t 53 . She only nodded yes. Moments later, I saw them riding 54 together, Stacy winning renewed confidence and desire, and Twist winning his medal of a child’s 55 .
A．owner B．winner C．jumper D．member
A．wish B．idea C．effect D．ability
A．new B．bad C．rich D．strange
A．fall B．task C．shake D．attack
A．pride B．skill C．luck D．confidence
A．ignored B．reformed C．destroyed D．overlooked
A．aim B．need C．surprise D．success
A．poor B．old C．brave D．strong
A．serious B．similar C．special D．formal
A．animals B．parents C．friends D．fields
A．thanks B．interest C．opinions D．sympathy
A．endlessly B．roughly C．unwillingly D．actively
A．best B．way C．same D．time
A．as B．so C．although D．because
A．angry B．sad C．eager D．anxious
A．brief B．response C．return D．addition
A．met B．rose C．fought D．recovered
A．act B．think C．speak D．smile
A．on B．back C．down D．off
A．heart B．spirit C．agreement D．dependence
My sister and I have been a headache for my mother, because my father was in the army, he was not around too often. __21__, my mother brought us up almost single-handedly and it must have __22__ real strength of mind to bring up such naughty and stubborn children who got out from one trouble only to get into another.
Bonus and I weren’t scholars either. __23__, we hated studying from the very beginning. We were __24__ to spend time with our schoolbooks---out of the fear of Mum’s scolding. I almost did not make it to 10th grade. That entire summer Mum __25__ that I read my schoolbooks from the very first chapter till the last.
I left __26__ college at 18. In my second year of college, while I was studying for my final exams, I got a phone call from Mum __27__ my sister had failed her 9th grade exams. Mum was heartbroken. My mother was an English teacher in a famous school in the city and it was a(n) __28__ for her.
Then started another __29__ for my Mum. There always seemed to be people who would come and talk about how well their children were doing __30__ my mother would be having a tough time making sure we stayed on the right path. Mum was __31__ that we would do well for ourselves. She never let my sister and me __32__ that we had lost out on something and always told us: “Let this be a lesson. We are going to work really really hard...__33__ will change.”
Things did change, but very slowly and __34__, one little step at a time. Last year I finished with law school and started working. My mother’s belief in me __35__. And just a few days ago I got a phone from Bonus. She had __36__ the exam with honors and was __37__ to the best university in the country. I was in tears. Later that night I __38__ Mum: “Mum, your two little failures didn’t do as badly as everybody thought.” Mum __39__ and said: “You are my daughters and I knew you the best. I always knew that you would succeed. It was just a __40__ of time.”
A．However B．Thus C．Otherwise D．Besides
A．devoted B．spent C．taken D．wasted
A．In that case B．In this way C．On the other hand D．On the contrary
A．pleased B．annoyed C．forced D．advised
A．demanded B．concluded C．promised D．mentioned
A．at B．for C．from D．after
A．announcing B．reading C．knowing D．saying
A．shame B．challenge C．pride D．honor
A．experiment B．research C．conflict D．trial
A．though B．while C．as D．unless
A．determined B．astonished C．satisfied D．concerned
A．predict B．imagine C．guess D．feel
A．Environment B．Society C．Circumstances D．Impressions
A．quickly B．extremely C．smoothly D．gradually
A．made up B．paid off C．took on D．burst out
A．attended B．received C．passed D．failed
A．accepted B．allowed C．admitted D．permitted
A．questioned B．convinced C．persuaded D．called
A．nodded B．laughed C．shouted D．joked
A．matter B．period C．waste D．length
Every morning a woman baked Chapati, an Indian cake, for her family and an extra one for a hungry passerby. She would place the extra cake on the ___(21)___ for someone to take it.
She noticed a hunchback (驼背) came every day and took the extra cake. Instead of expressing ___(22)___, he would mutter (嘀咕) the following words as he went his way: “The evil you do ___(23)___ with you. The good you do, comes back to you!”
This went on day after day. The woman felt very ___(24)___. One day, she decided to ___(25)___ him. She added poison to the cake she prepared for him! As she was about to place it on the window, her hands trembled. She threw his cake into the fire ___(26)___, prepared another one and put it on the window.
As usual, the hunchback came, ___(27)___the cake and muttered the same words. The hunchback proceeded on his way, ___(28)___ nothing about the fight in the mind of the woman.
The woman had a ___(29)___ who had gone to a distant place to ___(30)___ his fortune. Every day, as the woman placed the cake on the window, she offered a ___(31)___ for him. For many months she had no news of him and she prayed for his ___(32)___ return.
That evening, there was a knock on the door. Opening it, she was surprised to find her son standing there. His clothes and shoes were ___(33)___. He was starved and ___(34)___.
Looking at his mother he said, “Mom, it’s a(n) ___(35)___ I' m here. When 1 was but a mile away, I was so starved that I collapsed (晕倒). I would have died, but for a whole ___(36)___ an old hunchback gave me.”
As the mother heard those words, her face turned ___(37)___. She leaned against the door for ___(38)___. Had she not burnt it in the fire, it would have ___(39)___ her own son!
It was then that she ___(40)___ the significance of the words: “The evil you do remains with you. The good you do, comes back to you!”
A．door B．roof C．stone D．window
A．concern B．hope C．gratitude D．regret
A．agrees B．remains C．differs D．fights
A．annoyed B．delighted C．disappointed D．relieved
A．look into B．get rid of C．search for D．argue with
A．immediately B．fortunately C．purposely D．carefully
A．checked up B．picked up C．ate up D．threw up
A．asking B．answering C．knowing D．wondering
A．daughter B．husband C．relative D．son
A．get B．have C．seek D．tell
A．greeting B．hello C．kiss D．prayer
A．double B．happy C．safe D．warm
A．broken out B．worn out C．cut out D．thrown out
A．strong B．free C．happy D．weak
A．event B．miracle C．mistake D．surprise
A．cake B．egg C．meal D．supply
A．black B．green C．pale D．yellow
A．fear B．strength C．support D．weight
A．helped B．killed C．missed D．surrounded
A．valued B．recognized C．remembered D．realized
Back in the fifteenth century in Nuremberg lived a family with eighteen children. They were so poor that two children, who wanted to pursue their talent for 26 knew their father would never be 27 able to send either of them to Nuremberg to study at the Academy.
So they tossed (掷) a coin. Albrecht Durer, the younger, 28 the toss and went off to Nuremberg. Albert went down into the dangerous 29 and for the next four years, financed his brother, who did so well that his works were even better than those of most of his 30 . By the time he graduated, he was beginning to earn 31 fees by drawing for wealthy people. When the young artist returned home, at dinner he drank a 32 to his beloved brother for the years of 33 that had enabled him to fulfill his 34 .He said, “Albert, my blessed brother, now it is your 35 to go to Nuremberg to pursue your dream, and I will take care of you.”
With tears in his eyes, Albert held his hands close to his right cheek and said, “No, brother, I cannot go. Look... look what four years in the mines have done to my 36 !The bones in every finger have been 37 at least once. Lately I have been suffering from arthritis (关节炎) so badly in my right hand that I cannot even hold a 38 to return your toast, much less make delicate （细腻的）lines with a pen or a brush. No, brother..., for me it is too 39 .”
Deeply moved, Albrecht painstakingly drew his brother’s 40 hands with palms（手掌） together and thin fingers stretched skyward. He called his powerful drawing 41 “Hands”, to which the entire world immediately opened their hearts and later they 42 it “ the Praying Hands”.
The next time when you see a copy of that 43 creation, take a second look. Let it be your 44 , if you still need one, that no one ever makes it 45 !
A．assistance B．art C．science D．dreaming
A．fundamentally B．frequently C．financially D．flexibly
A．won B．lost C．ended D．started
A．mountains B．oceans C．deserts D．mines
A．classmates B．colleagues C．professors D．brothers
A．convenient B．considerable C．considerate D．confident
A．beer B．drink C．drop D．toast
A．selfish donation B．no education C．hard work D．rich experience
A．attempt B．ambition C．appointment D．assessment
A．turn B．dream C．kindness D．hope
A．health B．body C．mind D．hands
A．injured B．strengthened C．sharpened D．used
A．knife B．spoon C．glass D．pen
A．urgent B．unnecessary C．messy D．late
A．overused B．dark C．wide D．fragile,
A．seriously B．simply C．carefully D．gently
A．sold B．bought C．found D．renamed
A．longing B．touching C．challenging D．disturbing
A．reminder B．aid C．guide D．coach
A．along B．aside C．alone D．aware
I was listening to the radio while 1 was driving home from coaching basketball yesterday. I could tell right away that there was something 41 by the mood of the speaker. There had been a plane crash. What made the 42 even more tragic was that Bob Collins，the morning show man, was among those who had been killed. Throughout my 40-minute 43 , I listened as sincere love and affection from the audience 44 .The more I listened about how this man had influenced those around him, the more 45 I became.
That was because I wanted to know 46 we as a culture, wait until somebody has passed away before we tell them how much they 47 to us? Why do we wait until it is too late before we 48 someone up after they have died? Yes，49 memory after memory about someone's good 50 does help us cope with the sadness of losing someone special to us. But as we 51 remember this person, our words fall short of the ears that most need to hear 52 .
Just once, 53 a gathering of death，1 would like to see a celebration of life, 54 stories are told, tears fall down，laughter rings out；and as the speaker 55 his or her loving tribute(颂词), the person they are 56 rises from the chair and gives them a 57 hug! Wouldn’t that be 58 !
Life is too short to leave kind words 59 . How I wish that when the unavoidable funeral finally comes，we could say 60 with the knowledge that they knew exactly how people felt about them while they were here on earth.
A．important B．wrong C．pleasant D．unnoticed
A．speaker B．radio C．station D．story
A．drive B．silence C．ride D．tour
A．poured in B．grew up C．broke out D．got through
A．determined B．delighted C．discouraged D．devoted
A．what B．that C．if D．why
A．impress B．love C．mean D．affect
A．bring B．build C．pick D．bury
A．recovering B．showing C．sharing D．losing
A．qualities B．manners C．records D．attitudes
A．barely B．lovingly C．suddenly D．finally
A．him B．them C．it D．us
A．as for B．apart from C．except for D．instead of
A．where B．because C．whether D．which
A．mentions B．writes C．pays D．ends
A．staring B．listening C．honoring D．talking
A．tight B．quick C．cold D．necessary
A．anything B．nothing C．everything D．something
A．untouched B．unsaid C．unfinished D．unpacked
A．hello B．sorry C．goodbye D．thanks
When I was 16 years old, I made my first visit to the United States. It wasn’t the first time I had been__36__. Like most English children I learned French __37_ school and I had often been to France, so I _38_ speaking a foreign language to people who didn’t understand_39. But when I went to America I was really looking forward to_40__ a nice easy holiday without any __41__ problems.
_42 wrong I was! The misunderstanding began at the airport. I was looking for a__43 telephone to give my American friend Danny a _44_ and tell her that I had arrived. A friendly old man saw me looking lost and asked__45__ he could help me. “ Yes,” I said, “ I want to give my friend a ring.” “ Well, that’s__46__,” he exclaimed. “ Are you getting47_? But aren’t you a bit _48__?” “ Who is talking about marriage?” I replied. “ I __49_want to give my friend a ring to tell her I’ve arrived. Can you tell me _50__there’s a phone box, please?” “ Oh!” he said, “there’s a phone downstairs.”
When at last we _51__meet up, Danny explained the misunderstandings to me. “Don’t worry,” she said to me. “I had so many_52__at first. There are lots of words which the Americans__53__differently in meaning from us British. You’ll soon get used to _54__funny things they say. Most of the__55__British and American people understand each other!”
A．out B．away C．outside D．abroad
A．from B．during C．at D．after
A．get used to B．was used to C．used to D．used
A．English B．French C．Russian D．Latin
A．buying B．having C．giving D．receiving
A．time B．human C．language D．money
A．Too B．What a C．What D．How
A．cheap B．popular C．public D．good
A．letter B．ring C．news D．information
A．that B．if C．where D．when
A．well B．over C．nice D．ring
A．to marry B．to be married C．marrying D．married
A．small B．little C．old D．young
A．very B．just C．just now D．so
A．where B．which C．over where D．that
A．did B．do C．can D．had
A．trouble B．difficulties C．things D．fun
A．write B．speak C．use D．read
A．every B．each C．any D．all the
A．chance B．situation C．condition D．time