I used to believe in the American Dream, which meant a job, a mortgage(按揭)，credit cards, success. I wanted it and worked toward it like everyone else, all of us ____ chasing the same thing.
One year, through a series of unhappy events, it all fell ____. I found myself homeless and alone. I had my truck and $56. I ____ the countryside for some place I could rent for the ___ possible amount. I came upon a shabby house four miles up a winding mountain road ____ the Potomac River in West Virginia. It was ____， full of broken glass and rubbish. I found the owner, rented it, and ____ a corner to camp in.
The locals knew nothing about me, ____ slowly, they started teaching me the ____ of being a neighbor. They dropped off blankets, candles, and tools, and began ____ around to chat. They started to teach me a belief in a ____ American Dream—not the one of individual achievement but of ____.
What I had believed in, all those things I thought were ____ for a civilized life, were nonexistent in this place. ____ on the mountain, my most valuable possessions were my ____ with my neighbors.
Four years later, I moved back into ____. I saw many people were having a really hard time, ____ their jobs and homes. I managed to rent a big enough house to ___ a handful of people. There are four of us now in the house，but over time I've had nine people come in and move on to other places. We'd all be in ____ if we hadn't banded together.
The American Dream I believe in now is a shared one. It's not so much about what I can get for myself; it's about ____ we can all get by together.
A．separately B．equally C．violently D．naturally
A．off B．apart C．over D．out
A．crossed B．left C．toured D．searched
A．fullest B．largest C．fairest D．cheapest
A．at B．through C．over D．round
A．occupied B．abandoned C．emptied D．robbed
A．turned B．approached C．cleared D．cut
A．but B．although C．otherwise D．for
A．benefit B．lesson C．nature D．art
A．sticking B．looking C．swinging D．turning
A．wild B．real C．different D．remote
A．neighborliness B．happiness C．friendliness D．kindness
A．unique B．expensive C．rare D．necessary
A．Up B．Down C．Deep D．Along
A．cooperation B．relationships C．satisfaction D．appointments
A．reality B．society C．town D．life
A．creating B．losing C．quitting D．offering
A．put in B．turn in C．take in D．get in
A．yards B．shelters C．camps D．cottages
A．when B．what C．whether D．how
“There is a nice, pretty girl, in a far away land.” Do you know this Chinese __________ song by Luo Bin Wang? It is about a young man _______ to be with a beautiful girl in a far-away land. In listening to it, I had a great _____ to escape from this so-called western civilization and __________ to that charming far-away land.
It is said that Luo Bin Wang, __________ the capital, Beijing, spent over the last 40 years of his life ____________ the songs and lifestyles of the peoples in the Qing Hai area of China, an area _________people live a nomadic (游牧的) life,___________ goats and sheep. As a young man, he __________all over north west China and became ________with the local folk songs. His understanding of music ___________ him to such a conclusion that Chinese folk songs were among the ____________ in the world. He undertook to collect and __________ hundreds of these traditional songs. Many of his more than seven hundred folk songs have become the favorites of his nation.
Luo Bin Wang is ________ considered the King of Chinese Folk songs. His work helped to preserve and to promote a very special part of China’s social _______________, and he has been thought _______ of in China. He devoted himself to uncovering and presenting the music of the people. Through his ______,many of the old songs have been preserved for future generations to ______ , not only to his native country but also to the whole world. Without his work, these songs might have been lost perhaps temporally again forever.
____________ in a way, Wang, together with his songs, _________ to China, and the world as well.
A．pop B．folk C．classic D．jazz
A．longing B．living C．refusing D．wanting
A．success B．plan C．intention D．desire
A．travel B．hike C．flee D．jog
A．working in B．caring for C．moving to D．born in
A．learning B．studying C．singing D．spreading
A．where B．whom C．which D．how
A．rising B．carrying C．raising D．importing
A．worked B．sang C．played D．toured
A．fascinated B．interested C．absorbed D．lost
A．taught B．led C．showed D．made
A．softest B．oldest C．best D．loudest
A．compose B．rewrite C．play D．perform
A． widely B．deeply C．seriously D．carefully
A．development B．safety C．culture D．economics
A．little B．top C．highly D．strictly
A．voice B．performance C．exercises D．efforts
A．remember B．enjoy C．study D．play
A．But B．For C．As D．So
A．belongs B．flees C．wishes D．gets
I have been a nurse for seven years. I love my work. Now, my is quite ill. He is 71 and has heart failure, and a lot of other medical . Up until April of this year, he was able to alone, drive, and take care of himself. His health has down swiftly. I’m the only girl out of five children. Being the only girl and a put me at the top of the caregiver(照料者) list. Taking care of a sick parent is very difficult, not at all like taking care of other patients. I have to abandon(离开) my own to be here with Dad. I know this is what I need to do but it is still . I spend about 12-15 hours a day taking care of him. I want to spend all of the time that I can with him because I know that our left together is short..
At the same time, I felt that my brothers don’t help more. Sometimes, it is days between their . They have separate families and busy life...So do I. My eldest brother does some. He stays at night. He comes in at 8: 00 or 9: 00 p.m. and lets me go home. My other pop in for 10-15 minutesvisits. It is really annoying. They say they can’t seeing Daddy this way, which I . It hurts me to see him so sick and , too. But he’s our Dad. He has taken care of us all his life. I just feel that we should do our part to take care of him now.
A．father B．mother C．grandpa D．grandma
A．puzzles B．difficulties C．matters D．problems
A．sit B．live C．stand D．stay
A．gone B．burnt C．come D．broken
A．nurse B．doctor C．daughter D．child
A．hobby B．major C．family D．hope
A．easy B．hard C．bad D．bitter
A．money B．pleasure C．emotion D．time
A．angry B．calm C．excited D．anxious
A．trips B．visits C．calls D．meals
A．need B．have C．help D．want
A．brothers B．relatives C．sisters D．uncles
A．suggest B．stop C．stand D．help
A．misunderstand B．understand C．share D．appreciate
A．tired B．exhausted C．weak D．dirty
In 2000 a report was published about what the earth might be like 20 years from then on. The report was a result of a three-year .
According to the report, the picture of the earth in the year 2020 is not a one. The world will be more _ because the population will continue to grow. The population could be_ _ 6 900 million, almost 2 450 million more than in 1995. More people would move into cities, especially cities in _ _ countries. Cities like Cairo and Jakarta probably would_ _ have 15 million by then.
Food production will _ _, but not enough to feed all the people. Farmers will grow 90% more food than they did in 1995, most of the increase would be in countries that _ _ produce enough food for their people. Little increase is _ _ in South Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Poor farming ways are _ _ large areas of crop land, changing farms into deserts. More farmland is as cities become larger and more houses are built. _ _ will get worse as industrial countries burn more coal and oil. Many of the world’s _ could disappear as more and more trees are cut down. Energy will continue to be a serious problem. The experts say their picture of the earth for the year 2020 _ _. They only carried out the situation that _ today. By changing the situation, by_ the problems, the picture can be changed. There is _ time for the nations of the world to work _ _ a plan of action. But they warned that_ _too long to make decisions would greatly reduce the chances of success.
A．learning B．project C．notice D．study
A．pleased B．pleasant C．safe D．blue
A．dangerous B．beautiful C．crowded D．terrible
A．no more than B．as many as C．as much as D．as large as
A．developing B．developed C．big D．mountainous
A．none B．each C．all D．neither
A．insist B．reduce C．increase D．continue
A．so B．but C．or D．however
A．already B．hardly C．partly D．never
A．wanted B．lacked C．found D．expected
A．destroying B．protecting C．disturbing D．interrupting
A．saved B．lost C．discovered D．found
A．Air pollution B．Water pollution C．Some diseases D．All farmland
A．animals B．plants C．forests D．people
A．must be true B．will come true C．can't be true D．may be wrong
A．happens B．develops C．exists D．appears
A．settling B．working out C．answering D．dealing
A．no B．still C．less D．plenty of
A．about B．in C．out D．for
A．working B．suggesting C．spending D．waiting
Fifteen years ago, I made a living by driving a taxi.One time I arrived in the middle of the night for a pickup at a building that was except for a single light in a ground floor window. I walked to the door and .
A small woman in her 80’s opened the door. I took her suitcase to the cab then returned to her into the cab. She thanked me for my kindness. When we got in the taxi, she gave me a(n) , then asked, “Could you drive through ?”
“It’s not the way,” I answered.
“Oh, I don’t ,” she said. “I’m in no hurry. I’m on my way to a hospice (临终关怀医院).”
I looked in the rear view mirror (后视镜). Her eyes were glistening (闪烁).
“The doctor says I don’t have very long.”
I quietly reached over and the meter (计程器). “What would you like me to take?” I asked.
For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator. We drove through the where she and her husband had lived. Sometimes she’d ask me to in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.
As the sun was , she suddenly said: “I’m . Let’s go now.”
We drove in to the address she had given me. There were people waiting for her and they put her in a wheelchair.
“How much do I you?” she asked, reaching into her purse.
“Nothing,” I said.
Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me .
“You gave an old woman a little moment of ,” she said.
I squeezed her hand, then walked into the dim morning light. Behind me, a door shut.
I didn’t any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly, in thought.
We’re used to thinking that our lives focus on great moments. But great moments often us unaware.
A．old B．dark C．dirty D．lonely
A．entered B．knocked C．listened D．ran
A．invite B．watch C．help D．receive
A．address B．letter C．speech D．gift
A．playground B．downtown C．countryside D．community
A．shortest B．funniest C．safest D．longest
A．consider B．doubt C．know D．mind
A．cut out B．showed off C．shut off D．turned on
A．responsibility B．order C．role D．route
A．apartment B．environment C．neighborhood D．plant
A．break down B．get off C．speed up D．slow down
A．changing B．moving C．rising D．setting
A．tired B．embarrassed C．terrified D．confused
A．darkness B．turn C．silence D．sadness
A．love B．owe C．charge D．cost
A．mysteriously B．tightly C．patiently D．accurately
A．joy B．security C．trouble D．profit
A．talk with B．call up C．pick up D．take away
A．annoyed B．lost C．mad D．guilty
A．catch B．drive C．improve D．puzzle
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 my 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 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．live D．compete
A．ignore B．deliver C．face D．receive
A．decorating B．repairing C．cleaning D．leaving
A．disbelief B．anxiety C．horror D．trouble
A．subjective B．relevant C．private D．reliable
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