A few years ago, my younger brother and I went to Norfolk, Virginian by plane. , before we took off, we heard the pilot’s voice throughout the plane, “sorry for the delay, ladies and gentlemen. We have no on the plane. We have a generator (发电机) on the ground right now, and we are going to the engines with it. Once we get them going, we will 4 in the air and head to Norfolk, and see what happens. ”
See what happens? We are going to get up in the air, and see what happens? At this point, one woman started crying. “Oh, no! We are going to !” There were sighs of desperation and spreading throughout the plane, and we hadn’t even 7 yet. Thirty minutes passed and we were still there. Then the voice of the pilot came over again, “Ladies and gentlemen, I know you are , so are we. We only have one engine going right now, and it is working double time. ”
There was crying we had walked into grave. But, the pilot told us our one engine was working double time, and his was to get up in the air and see what happens! Then we did. We got up in the air and what happened? --- other than thrust (推力) and lift. We arrived in Norfolk and everyone for still being alive.
Although I do sincerely like to have a plan 14 “see what happens”, it really isn’t such a bad life strategy. All too often, I would see people chasing their goals halt (停滞) with inaction just because they don’t have 16 success. Actually, success will never be guaranteed. The thing that you can do is just get up in the air, and see what happens.
If you are planning to learn a new skill, get up in the air, and see what happens! It might not be as as you thought. You might be smarter than you thought. It could be ! So don’t stay there trying nothing just because there is no of guaranteed success.
A．Hopefully B．Excitedly C．Thankfully D．Unfortunately
A．power B．service C．water D．captain
A．shut B．start C．change D．fix
A．get up B．pack up C．light up D．speed up
A．wait B．delay C．crash D．suffer
A．rumor B．disease C．anxiety D．smoke
A．looked over B．taken off C．got across D．gone out
A．boarding B．checking C．watching D．sitting
A．puzzled B．patient C．desperate D．embarrassed
A．even if B．only if C．what if D．as if
A．plan B．complaint C．promise D．comment
A．everything B．nothing C．something. D．anything
A．escaped B．cheered C．sighed D．praised
A．better than B．other than C．less than D．more than
A．frozen B．annoyed C．concerned D．satisfied
A．realistic B．organized C．potential D．guaranteed
A．same B．common C．best D．last
A．interesting B．challenging C．surprising D．encouraging
A．sorrow B．pain C．fun D．trouble
A．meaning B．reward C．action D．sign
We are all interested in equality, but while some people try to protect the school and examination system in the name of equality, others, still in the name of equality, want only to destroy it.
Any society which is interested in equality of opportunity and standards of achievement must __1 test its pupils. The standards may be changed — no examination is 2 — but to have no tests or examinations would mean the end of equality and of standards. There are groups of people who oppose this view and who do not 3 either in examinations or in any controls in school or on teachers. This would mean everything would depend on 4 since every pupil would depend on efficiency, the values and the purpose of each 5 .
Without examinations, employers will look for employees from the 6 respected schools and from families known to them – a form of favoritism will replace equality. At the moment, the bright child from an ill-respected school can show certificates to prove he is _7 for a job, while the lack of a certificate indicates the unsuitability of a 8 child attending a well-respected school. This defense of excellence and opportunity would disappear if examinations were 9 , and the bright child from a poor family would be a prisoner of his or her school’s reputation, unable to 10 for employment with the child from the 11__ school.
The opponents of the examination system suggest that examinations are an 12 force because they show differences between pupils. According to these people, there must be no special, __13 or academic class. They have even suggested that there should be no form of difference in sport or any other area: all jobs or posts should be filled by unsystematic 14 . The selection would be made by people who themselves are 15 selected by some computer.
A．seldom B．regularly C．never D．rarely
A．perfect B．interesting C．easy D．difficult
A．predict B．explain C．improve D．believe
A．equality B．luck C．labor D．examinations
A．classmate B．friend C．teacher D．parent
A．equally B．slightly C．highly D．interestingly
A．suitable B．interested C．generous D．sensitive
A．cruel B．dull C．clever D．bright
A．handed down B．picked up C．brought in D．taken away
A．compete B．stand C．argue D．protect
A．ordinary B．favored C．ill-respected D．average
A．necessary B．healthy C．extraordinary D．evil
A．standard B．normal C．different D．fair
A．selection B．test C．discussion D．arrangement
A．surely B．clearly C．actually D．probably
Things of Value
Our area was just a few miles from the largest wildfire in Colorado’s history. We were on “evacuation alert (疏散警报)”. If we got the 1 to evacuate, we would have to leave immediately.
We 2 suitcases with some clothes and set them by the door. We didn’t 3 these things were valuable, but time was. We moved the computers, with which I wrote for newspapers and made a 4 . We took family pictures off the 5 and packed them in boxes. These were truly valuable and could not be replaced.
Then we took a hard look at all that 6 . There was a lamp that belonged to my great grandmother. It was a 7 to my family. And there was the piano my wife8 to play when she was a little girl. Not of great 9 in itself, but another family connection. It was impractical to move everything from our home and store them for an indefinite (无限的) time. Some important items would have to stay behind.
The thought of 10 something passed down from our families saddened me deeply, 11 I’d never been much attached to things. It’s about what they 12 —family and love. They each had a(n) 13 to tell, and some of them spoke in the 14 of our parents and grandparents.
The fire 15 reached our home. We were lucky. And though I felt grateful that all was 16 , I also realized just how fortunate I had been 17 . I saw just how rich my life had been.
Someone 18 said, “There are people so poor that the only thing they have is money.” And now I 19 I was indeed rich. I was rich in family, rich in memories, rich in everything that really 20 to me. I am wealthier than I ever believed possible.
It took a fire to teach me, I wonder if there is any other kind of wealth worth seeking.
A．answer B．task C．chance D．call
A．packed B．bought C．searched D．sold
A．worry B．think C．care D．doubt
A．mark B．sign C．living D．plan
A．albums B．ceilings C．windows D．walls
A．left B．remained C．burnt D．unmoved
A．connection B．present C．symbol D．treasure
A．forgot B．agreed C．learned D．refused
A．quality B．taste C．sense D．value
A．knocking out B．leaving behind C．giving away D．picking out
A．even though B．unless C．but D．or
A．contained B．included C．represented D．gathered
A．idea B．lie C．right D．story
A．sounds B．speeds C．voices D．feelings
A．once B．never C．seldom D．finally
A．spared B．returned C．stopped D．found
A．at last B．in return C．in another way D．at most
A．curiously B．accidentally C．coldly D．wisely
A．knew B．promised C．announced D．thanked
A．affects B．matters C．helps D．desires
Dad was not only my best friend, but my compass (指南针). While he was alive, he 36 me with his actions and advice. He taught me one important 37 : “Believe in yourself.”
If there was one phrase my dad 38 liked to hear, it was “I can’t.” He never got to finish high school and 39 two jobs to support his large family, 40 he never complained. Through education and years of hard work, my dad became an excellent journalist.
When I was in high school, I had a 41 time with math. He tried to help me, but I 42 struggled. So my math teacher suggested I meet with him at 7:00 each morning before school for 43 help. I told Dad, “That’s 44 ! I’m tired! I can’t do that!” He replied, “You’re doing it. I’ll send you to school.” Every morning at 6:45, we’d leave the 45 . Despite (尽管) working 12 hours every day, Dad never once 46 driving me to school.
After months of 47 , I was facing the final exam. I was so 48 . On the day of the final, my dad hugged me and said, “Luke, 49 yourself. You can do it.” His words made me realize I needed to trust in my 50 and in the hours of work I’d 51 . When I got my 52 proudly, the first person I called was my father. He cried, “Yes! You deserved it!”
Even now, whenever I 53 that a task is too much for me, I think back to that exam. No matter how 54 something is, if you’re willing to work, you can succeed. I’m forever 55 to Dad for that lesson.
A．understood B．forgave C．guided D．impressed
A．history B．lesson C．skill D．language
A．always B．almost C．ever D．never
A．took B．lost C．left D．finished
A．so B．or C．but D．and
A．good B．free C．terrible D．short
A．still B．nearly C．hardly D．probably
A．real B．practical C．immediate D．extra
A．wonderful B．crazy C．expensive D．necessary
A．house B．school C．office D．farm
A．suggested B．risked C．enjoyed D．missed
A．meeting B．testing C．learning D．interviewing
A．excited B．nervous C．happy D．shocked
A．stand for B．hold back C．believe in D．look after
A．teacher B．luck C．time D．ability
A．wasted B．ignored C．picked up D．put in
A．answer B．grade C．pay D．gift
A．hope B．forget C．worry D．promise
A．different B．important C．hard D．interesting
A．grateful B．sorry C．polite D．useful
This is no joke. Kelly Katrina Hildebrandt, 20, and Kelly Carl Hildebrandt, 24, are expecting just over 100 guests at a(an) 21 at a church, where they will become husband and wife.
Their modern romance was a 22 made in cyberspace（网络空间）. She was 23 and bored one night last year, so she typed her name into the 24 social networking Website Facebook just to see if anyone 25 it: Hildebrandt, 24, in South Florida. At the time, Kelly Hildebrandt, of Lubbock, Texas, was the only one matched. So she sent him a 26 . She said, “Hi. We had the same name. Thought it was cool.” Kelly Carl Hildebrandt said, “I thought she was pretty 27 .”
For the next three months the two 28 e-mails. 29 he knew it, occasional phone calls turned into daily chats, sometimes 30 hours. He 31 her in Florida after a few months and fell head over heels.
“I thought it was fun,” he said of that first online meet. “I had no 32 that it would lead to this.”
Months after Kelly Hildebrandt sent her first e-mail, she found a diamond engagement 33 hidden in treasure box on a beach in December. “I totally think that it’s all God’s 34 ,” Kelly Katrina Hildebrandt said. “He planned it out just 35 .”
She's a student at a local community college. He works in financial 36 . They plan to make their home in South Florida.
There was also some uncertainty 37 how to phrase their wedding invitations, so they decided to include their 38 names. But 39 confusion likely won't carry on past the husband and wife, as Kelly Katrina Hildebrandt said there are no plans to pass along the name to their future 40 . “No,” she said. “We're definitely not going to name our kids Kelly.”
A．situation B．occasion C．ceremony D．meeting
A．game B．match C．contest D．competition
A．curious B．serious C．anxious D．generous
A．ordinary B．common C．fashionable D．popular
A．understood B．made C．shared D．recognized
A．word B．message C．letter D．reminder
A．clever B．simple C．attractive D．easy
A．exchanged B．changed C．expected D．received
A．After B．As C．While D．Before
A．wasting B．spending C．lasting D．taking
A．dropped B．visited C．forgot D．called
A．idea B．decision C．chance D．hope
A．call B．lace C．phone D．ring
A．preparation B．reason C．arrangement D．appointment
A．great B．perfect C．excellent D．smart
A．crisis B．conveniences C．customs D．services
A．about B．on C．in D．at
A．first B．last C．middle D．family
A．some B．no C．any D．little
A．wife B．husband C．parents D．children
One day, an expert in time management was speaking to a group of business students. To make the point 1, he used an illustration.
As he stood in front of the group, he said, “Okay, time for a quiz.” He then pulled out a wide-mouth jar and set it on the table. Then he 2 placed about a dozen fist-sized rocks, one by one, into the jar.
When the jar was filled to the 3 and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, “Is this jar 4?” Everyone in the class said, “Yes.”
“Really?” Then he 5 under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel(石子), dumped some in and 6 the jar, causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces 7 the big rocks. Then he asked the group the same question. “Probably not,” one of them answered. “Good!” He replied.
He reached under the table and 8 a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in the jar and it went into all the 9 left between the rocks and the gravel. 10 he asked the question. “No!” the class shouted. “Good!” Then he grabbed a can of water and began to pour it in 11 the jar was filled to the brim.
Then the expert in time management looked at the class and asked, “What is the 12 of this illustration?” It is such a seemingly easy question that one 13 student raised his hand and said, “It is, however full your schedule is, if you try really hard you can always 14 some more things in it.
“No,” the speaker replied. “The truth it teaches us is that you will 15 get them in at all if you don't put the big rocks in first. 16 the big rocks in your life are, do things that you love and 17 for yourself. In your schedule if you value the little stuff then you’ll fill your life with 18 things and you will never have the real quality time you need to spend on the big, important stuff. So, tonight, or in the morning, when you are 19 on this short story, ask yourself what the ‘big rocks’ in your life are. Then put those in your 20 first. ”
A．harder B．rougher C．clearer D．wiser
A．carefully B．firmly C．actively D．unwillingly
A．full B．pure C．enough D．smooth
A．sent B．reached C．managed D．felt
A．delivered B．shook C．dropped D．held
A．beneath B．across C．beyond D．between
A．threw out B．came out C．brought out D．set out
A．spaces B．caves C．blanks D．holes
A．At last B．shortly after C．Later on D．Once more
A．unless B．until C．before D．while
A．result B．opinion C．point D．comment
A．calm B．awkward C．nervous D．eager
A．add B．fit C．include D．collect
A．never B．even C．still D．ever
A．Whether B．However C．Whatever D．Which
A．conclude B．encourage C．achieve D．value
A．more B．little C．much D．less
A．reflecting B．counting C．deciding D．insisting
A．packet B．can C．jar D．luggage