Two weeks before Christmas a nine-year-old girl was walking with her friend down the street, sliding on the ice. They were talking about what they hoped to at Christmas.
They stopped to talk to an old man named Harry, who was his knees pulling weeds from around a large tree. His fingers were with cold.
As Harry responded to the girls, he told them he was getting the yard as a Christmas present to his mother, who had died several years before. His eyes filled with tears as he the tree and said, “ My mother was all I had. She loved her and her trees, so I do this for her at Christmas.” His words the girls and soon they were on their knees helping him to around the trees. It took the three of them the rest of the day to complete the . When they finished, Harry pressed a quarter into each of their hands. “I wish I could you more, but it’s all I’ve got right now,” he said.
As they walked they remembered that the house was , with no flowers, no Christmas tree or other decorations. Just the figure of Harry sitting by his curtainless window. The next day they agreed to put their in a jar marked “Harry’s Christmas Present” and then they began to seek for small jobs to more. Every nickel, dime, and quarter they earned went into the .
Two days before Christmas, they had enough money to buy new and a Christmas card. On Christmas Eve they came to Harry’s singing carols. When he opened the door, they him with the gloves wrapped in pretty paper, the card and a pumpkin pie still from the oven. With trembling hands, he the paper from the gloves, and then to their astonishment, he held them up to his face and wept.
A．prepare B．seek C．get D．arrange
A．off B．at C．with D．on
A．black B．blue C．yellow D．white
A．in shape B．in store C．in style D．in practice
A．patted B．cut C．dug D．climbed
A．family B．yard C．job D．pet
A．confused B．shocked C．touched D．reminded
A．gather B．fertilize C．water D．weed
A．task B．plan C．goal D．harvest
A．love B．pay C．praise D．donate
A．ordinary B．comfortable C．clean D．shabby
A．lovely B．friendly C．lonely D．cowardly
A．quarters B．wishes C．letters D．secrets
A．collect B．earn C．raise D．save
A．jar B．box C．wallet D．drawer
A．shoes B．clothes C．gloves D．socks
A．kitchen B．hall C．garden D．doorstep
A．gave B．presented C．shared D．offered
A．warm B．sweet C．soft D．big
A．touched B．folded C．tore D．pasted
When Alice started to cycle home from Jenny’s house, she wasn’t nervous. She was certainly not afraid of the dark. ______, it was only a 15-minute ride home. But halfway there, she began to wish that she hadn’t been so ______.
As she rounded a sharp bend, it suddenly ______ cold — very cold. Alice’s breath became puffs of white cloud and her legs were so cold that it became hard to ride.
With her heart beating fast, she struggled so hard to move ____ that she didn’t hear the car which suddenly appeared beside her. She stopped by the road. The big black car also ______. Slowly, the passenger-window began to slide down. Alice held her breath. In the soft light inside the car, something ______. Then, the light brightened and Alice was staring at a sweet, grey-haired old lady. “Hello, dear, ” said the old lady. “I need ______. I’m afraid I’m lost. I need to find the nearest airport. I must be there in the next five minutes. ”
“Airport? You ______ are lost, ” Alice said. “You need to go back five kilometers ______ you reach the T-junction. Turn left and ______ for about another 10 kilometers to the main highway. From there, just follow the ______ to the airport. But I’m afraid there’s no ______ you’ll get there in five minutes!”
“Thank you very much, dear, ” replied the old lady. “Don’t worry — I’ll ____ in time. ”
The ______ moved up and the car started off. A little way ahead, it ______ and with headlights flashing, it drove past Alice. But then, something ______ happened. The car began changing. First, its color ______ from black to silvery-grey. Then, the wheels began disappearing, but the car continued to move forward, ______ just above the ground. As the car ______ into the dark sky, the big red tail-lights grew larger and larger and glowed more and more brightly. With a faint whistling ______, the car was gone in seconds, leaving Alice shaking her head in disbelief…
A．However B．Besides C．Therefore D．Otherwise
A．brave B．excited C．curious D．stubborn
A．fell B．seemed C．proved D．grew
A．aside B．around C．forward D．backward
A．arrived B．stopped C．stayed D．started
A．gathered B．existed C．dropped D．moved
A．help B．gas C．rest D．water
A．necessarily B．normally C．basically D．certainly
A．if B．until C．unless D．as
A．drive B．walk C．follow D．march
A．address B．signs C．notices D．guidance
A．doubt B．room C．time D．way
A．have it B．get it C．make it D．finish it
A．door B．window C．headlight D．wheel
A．passed B．rushed C．turned D．continued
A．strange B．sensitive C．imaginable D．horrible
A．developed B．appeared C．spread D．faded
A．rolling B．floating C．drawing D．flashing
A．pointed B．returned C．broke D．rose
A．tune B．voice C．sound D．tone
Long long ago, a circle missed one piece of its own. The circle wanted to be whole, so it went around looking for its piece. But because it was and therefore could roll only very slowly, it the flowers along the way. It with the worms. It enjoyed the sunshine. It found lots of different pieces, but of them fitted. So it left them all by the side of the road and searching. Then one day the circle found a piece that fitted . It incorporated the missing piece into itself and began to roll. it was a perfect circle, it could roll very fast, fast to notice the flowers or talk to the worms. After it realized how different the world seemed when it rolled so quickly, it , left its found piece by the side of the road and rolled slowly away.
The of the story, I suggest, is that in some strange we are more whole when we are missing something. The man who has is in some ways a poor man. He will never know what it like to nourish his soul with the dream of something . When we accept that is part of being human and when we can continue rolling life and appreciate it, we will have a wholeness that others can only desire, which , I believe, is _ God asks of us — not “Be perfect”, not “Don’t even make a mistake”, “Be whole”.
A．other B．missing C．rest D．remaining
A．incomplete B．ugly C．ordinary D．unusual
A．picked B．watered C．admired D．planted
A．played B．chatted C．sang D．danced
A．neither B．each C．all D．none
A．carried out B．put on C．worked out D．kept on
A．especially B．permanently C．perfectly D．constantly
A．Although B．Now that C．Unless D．As long as
A．very B．too C．so D．how
A．stopped B．continued C．hesitated D．cried
A．lesson B．root C．reason D．cause
A．degree B．level C．sense D．manner
A．nothing B．something C．little D．everything
A．smells B．feels C．looks D．sounds
A．better B．common C．impractical D．worse
A．strength B．kindness C．imperfection D．benefit
A．behind B．at C．of D．through
A．recognized B．searched C．achieved D．founded
A．which B．how C．that D．what
A．but B．while C．and D．otherwise
Some years ago when I was in my first year in college, I heard Salome Bey sing for the first time. The moment was exciting. Salome’s filled the room and brought the theater to life. I was so that I decided to write an article about her.
I Salome Bey, telling her I was from Essence magazine, and that I wanted to meet her to talk about her career. She and told me to come to her Studio next Tuesday. When I hung up, I was scared out of mind. I I was lying. I was not a writer at all and hadn’t even written a grocery list.
I interviewed Salome Bey the next Tuesday. I sat there , taking notes and asking questions that all began with, “Can you tell me…?” I soon realized that Salome Bey was one thing, but writing a story for a national magazine was just impossible. The was almost unbearable. I struggled for days draft（草稿）after draft. Finally I put my manuscript（手稿）into a large envelope and dropped it into a mailbox.
It didn’t take long. My manuscript . How stupid of me! I thought. How could I in a world of professional writers? Knowing I couldn’t the rejection letter, I threw the unopened envelope into a drawer.
Five years later, I was moving to California. While my apartment, I came across the unopened envelope. This time I opened it and read the editor’s letter in :
Ms Profit,
Your story on Salome Bey is fantastic. Yet we need some materials. Please add those and return the article immediately. We would like to your story soon.
Shocked, it took me a long time to . Fear of rejection cost me greatly. I lost at least five hundred dollars and the chance of having my article appear in a major magazine. More importantly, I lost years of writing. Today, I have become a full-time writer. Looking back on this , I learned a very important lesson: You can’t to doubt yourself.
A．joy B．voice C．speech D．smile
A．proud B．active C．satisfied D．moved
A．visited B．emailed C．phoned D．interviewed
A．agreed B．refused C．hesitated D．paused
A．replied B．discovered C．explained D．knew
A．seriously B．patiently C．nervously D．quietly
A．blaming B．fooling C．inviting D．urging
A．hardship B．failure C．comment D．pressure
A．with B．by C．on D．in
A．disappeared B．returned C．spread D．improved
A．compare B．struggle C．survive D．compete
A．ignore B．deliver C．face D．receive
A．decorating B．repairing C．cleaning D．leaving
A．surprise B．anxiety C．horror D．trouble
A．subjective B．detailed C．private D．complex
A．broadcast B．create C．publish D．assess
A．recover B．prepare C．escape D．concentrate
A．energetic B．endless C．typical D．enjoyable
A．experience B．success C．benefit D．accident
A．attempt B．afford C．expect D．pretend
It has been argued by some that gifted children should be grouped in special classes. The __ __ has been on the belief that in regular classes these children are held back in their intellectual (智力的) growth by learning situation that has designed for the children.
There can be little doubt that classes can help the gifted children to graduate earlier and take their place in life sooner. However, to take these out of the regular classes may create serious problems.
Many are concerned that gifted children become and lose interest in learning. However this concern is more often from parents and teachers than from students, and some of these simply conclude that special classes should be set up for those who are talented. Some top students do feel bored in class, but why they so goes far beyond the work they have in school. Studies have shown that to be bored is to be anxious. The gifted child who is bored is an child.
A．principle B．theory C．arguement D．classification
A．smart B．poor C．mature D．average
A．regular B．special C．small D．creative
A．children B．programs C．graduates D．designs
A．doubted B．bored C．worried D．tired
A．students B．adults C．scholars D．teachers
A．believe B．think C．say D．feel
A．outstanding B．intelligent C．anxious D．ordinary
What a busy day! The three boys were fed, bathed and changed into their nightclothes.Mary had them a story and finally they were asleep. “Babysitting (照看) the three boys aged eight, six and four is extremely ,” she thought. “Sleep, " she considered, "if only I could!" But she had difficult homework to complete. Leaning back, she her feet onto the sofa to get comfortable. Whoever said babysitting was a(n) way to make money obviously hadn't met the three boys, she thought.The television was on, the room was warm, and the lights were dim.Mary's felt heavier and heavier.I mustn't sleep, she thought—which was whatshe did, of course.
Strangely enough, she soon that she was a world-famous chef (主厨). She made a and wore diamonds and designer clothes. Most days she by the pool, meeting the rich and famous or reading—her favorite hobby. She took the leading role in her own TV show. Then she woke up, shocked and confused. was pouring from the kitchen. Rushing to investigate, she was met by three little faces and some very burnt bread.
A．given B．written C．told D．taught
A．successful B．helpful C．tiring D．surprisng
A．shook B．put C．bent D．kept
A．difficult B．boring C．important D．easy
A．eyes B．mind C．heart D．legs
A．nicely B．exactly C．curiously D．carelessly
A．realized B．reminded C．leant D．dreamt
A．decision B．fortune C．business D．plan
A．cleaned B．relaxed C．cooked D．slept
A．just B．ever C．even D．only
A．Smoke B．Light C．Water D．Fire
A．cheerful B．strange C．guilty D．confident