Isn't it amazing how one person，sharing one idea，at the right time and place can change the course of your life's history？This is certainly what happened in my life. When I was 14，I was a high school dropout (辍学学生) with learning disabilities.
One day I met an old man，a bum (流浪汉)．He asked me if I was running away from home，because I looked so ____.Then he told me he had something grand to show me and ____ with me. We walked to the downtown library.
The bum first brought a couple of old ____ and then started with a few statements that were very special and that changed my life. He said，“There are two things I want to ____ you. Number one is to never ____ a book by its cover，for a cover can fool you”．
He followed with，“I'll bet (打赌) you think I'm a bum，don't you？”
“Yes，I ____ so，sir.”
“Well，young man，I've got a little ____ for you. I am one of the ____ men in the world. I have probably everything any man could ever want. But a year ago，my wife ____，and since then I have been deeply reflecting on（思考）life. I realized there were certain things I had not yet experienced in life，one of ____ was what it would be like to live like a bum on the streets. For the past year，I have been going from city to city doing just that. So，you see，don't ever judge a book by its cover，for a cover can fool you.
“Number two is to learn how to read. For there is only one thing that people can't ____ away from you，your wisdom.” He ____ my right hand and put it upon the books he'd ____ from the shelves，the writings of Plato and Aristotle's everlasting（永恒）____ from ancient times. His ____ request was for me to never forget what he taught me.
A．tired B．young C．familiar D．old
A．share B．remain C．agree D．talk
A．drinks B．stories C．novels D．books
A．teach B．remind C．scold D．confuse
A．read B．open C．judge D．start
A．guess B．hope C．did D．wanted
A．enjoyment B．shock C．surprise D．pleasure
A．strongest B．healthiest C．happiest D．wealthiest
A．died away B．passed away C．went out D．gave out
A．them B．that C．where D．which
A．take B．run C．get D．work
A．shook B．grabbed C．examined D．checked
A．bought B．sold C．lent D．pulled
A．artists B．treasure C．classics D．words
A．parting B．strict C．supportive D．special
The Monkey with the Wooden Apples
There once was a happy monkey in the jungle. He was wandering all days, eating delicious fruit when hungry and when tired. One day he came upon a house, where he saw a bowl of the most beautiful
. He took one in each hand and ran back into the forest.
The monkey tried to eat them, but hurt his teeth. The apples were made of wood, but they were beautiful, and when the other monkeys them, he held onto them even tighter.
The monkey admired his new possessions proudly as he wandered the jungle. They glistened (闪亮) red in the , and seemed perfect to him. He became so attached to them that he didn't even notice his
at first.
A fruit tree reminded him, but he felt the apples in his hands. He couldn't bear to set them down to reach for the fruit. In fact, he couldn't, either, if he was to defend his apples. This proud, but less happy monkey continued to walk along the forest trails.
The apples became , and the poor little monkey thought about leaving them behind. He was tired and hungry; he couldn't climb trees or collect fruit with his hands
. What if he just let go? Letting go of such
things seemed crazy, but what else could he do? He was so tired. Seeing the next fruit tree and smelling its fruit, the monkey stopped. He
the wooden apples and reached up for his meal. He was happy again.
Like that little monkey, we carry things that seem too valuable. Letting go off them seems crazy. But
: only with open hands can we receive something else.
A. walking B. shouting C. resting D. crying
A. bananas B. pears C. stones D. apples
A. pinked B. carried C. saw D. enjoyed
A. rain B. sun C. shade D. wind
A. appearance B. hunger C. danger D. home
A. stop B. look C. relax D. breathe
A. heavier B. larger C. taller D. cheaper
A. full B. dirty C. wet D. flat
A. expensive B. delicious C. strange D. valuable
A. finished B. dropped C. sold D. passed
A. always B. seldom C. never D. sometimes
A. copy B. write C. remember D. hope
I tend to accept any idea put forward by experts on TV. One day, a sociologist proposed that the society has been consuming modern humans little by little. For fear that I would become a victim of the consumer society, I
hurried to a bicycle shop in my neighborhood.
the shopkeeper Mr. Johnson was selling me the bicycle, he said, “This is the best thing you
have done. Life has become hopelessly
. A bicycle is simple, and it brings to you
things: fresh air, sunshine and exercise.” I agreed. Happy as a child, I got on the bicycle and headed out onto the streets. After some time, I
at the other end of the town. I was
that this simple vehicle could let me
long distances in a fairly short time. But how
did I really go?
Since I hated to be , I went back to Mr. Johnson and asked him to
an odometer (里程表) on my bicycle. He agreed, but
, “An odometer without a speedometer (速度计) is like a
without a knife.” I admitted he was right and in a few minutes, the two devices (装置) were
to the handlebars of my bicycle. “What about a horn?” he then asked. “Look, this horn is no larger than a matchbox and has many
.” Attracted by these functions, I bought the horn.
“You can’t leave the back part ,” noted Mr. Johnson. He fixed a metal box with buttons
the seat, and said, “Is there anything better than this oven when you feel
on your way? I can give you a special discount.” I was not strong enough to
the offer.
“I congratulate you once more; this is the best thing you could have done,” said Mr. Johnson in the end.
A. adult B. human C. consumer D. bachelor
A. eventually B. immediately C. reluctantly D. gratefully
A. Although B. Because C. As D. Unless
A. would B. should C. must D. could
A. boring B. complicated C. stressful D. tough
A. natural B. mysterious C. complex D. unique
A. gave up B. broke down C. calmed down D. ended up
A. amazed B. amused C. confused D. concerned
A. march B. drive C. cover D. measure
A. far B. long C. fast D. deep
A. unreliable B. impractical C. unprepared D. inaccurate
A. fix B. check C. repair D. lay
A. swore B. added C. replied D. concluded
A. pencil B. fork C. box D. cake
A. distributed B. converted C. applied D. attached
A. shapes B. sizes C. functions D. models
A. loose B. blank C. bare D. incomplete
A. beside B. before C. below D. behind
A. sick B. hungry C. hot D. thirsty
A. consider B. withdraw C. make D. resist
When I was 8 years old, I once decided to run away from home. With my suitcase and some sandwiches in a bag, I started for the front door and said to Mom, “I’m leaving.”
“If you want to , that’s all right,” she said. “But you came into this home without anything and you can leave the same way.” I
my suitcase and sandwiches on the floor heavily and started for the door again.
“Wait a minute,” Mom said. “I want your back. You didn’t wear anything when you arrived.” This really angered me. I tore my clothes off—shoes, socks, underwear and all—and
, “Can I go now?” “Yes,” Mom answered, “but once you close that door, don’t expect to come back.”
I was so that I slammed (砰地关上) the door and stepped out on the front porch.
I realized that I was outside, with nothing on. Then I noticed that down the street, two neighbor girls were walking toward our house. I ran to
behind a big tree in our yard at once. After a while, I was
the girls had passed by. I dashed to the front door and banged on it loudly.
“Who’s there?” I heard.
“It’s Billy! Let me in!”
The voice behind the answered, “Billy doesn’t live here anymore. He ran away from home.” Glancing behind me to see if anyone else was coming, I begged, “Aw, c’mon, Mom! I’m
your son. Let me in!”
The door inched open and Mom’s smiling face appeared. “Did you change your about running away?” she asked.
“What’s for supper?” I answered.
A. packed B. returned C. cleaned D. repaired
A. drop out B. go by C. move around D. run away
A. pressed B. shook C. threw D. pulled
A. bag B. clothes C. sandwiches D. suitcase
A. explained B. suggested C. continued D. shouted
A. angry B. sorry C. frightened D. ashamed
A. Certainly B. Naturally C. Suddenly D. Possibly
A. play B. bide C. rest D. wave
A. sure B. proud C. eager D. curious
A. house B. tree C. door D. yard
A. also B. still C. even D. already
A. conclusion B. promise C. concern D. decision
I used to be a very self-centered person, but in the past two years I have really changed. I have started to think about other peopleI think about myself. I am happy that I am becoming a
person.
I think mystarted when I was at Palomar College. At first, I just wanted to get my
and be left alone. I thought I was smarter than everyone else, so I hardly ever
to anyone in my classes. By the end of my first semester, I was really
. It seemed as if everyone but me had made friends and was having fun. So I tried a(n)
. I started asking people around me how they were doing, and if they were having trouble I
to help. That was really a big
for me. By the end of the year, I had several new friends, and two of
are still my best friends today.
A bigger cause of my new, however, came when I took a part-time job at Vista Nursing Home. One old lady there who had Alzheimer’s disease became my
. Every time I came into her room, she was so
because she thought I was her daughter. Her real daughter never
her, so I took her place. She let me
that making others feel good made me feel good, too. When she died, I was
, but I was also very grateful to her.
I think I am a muchperson today than I used to be, and I hope I will not
these experiences. They have
me to care about other people more than about myself. I
who I am today, and I could not say that a few years ago.
A. since B. before C. or D. unless
A. famous B. simple C. different D. skilled
A. education B. career C. tour D. change
A. balance B. homework C. degree D. interest
A. talked B. wrote C. lied D. reported
A. careful B. lonely C. curious D. guilty
A. argument B. game C. experiment D. defence
A. dared B. offered C. hesitated D. happene
A. dream B. problem C. duty D. step
A. us B. which C. them D. whom
A. attitude B. hobby C. hope D. luck
A. friend B. partner C. guide D. guest
A. polite B. happy C. strange D. confident
A. bothered B. answered C. visited D. trusted
A. explain B. guess C. declare D. see
A. homeless B. heartbroken C. bad-tempered D. hopeless
A. quieter B. busier C. better D. richer
A. forget B. face C. improve D. analyze
A. forced B. preferred C. ordered D. taught
A. miss B. like C. wonder D. expect
When I first entered university, my aunt, who is an English professor, gave me a new English dictionary. I was ____to see that it was an English-English dictionary, also known as a monolingual dictionary._
___it was a dictionary intended for non-native learners, none of my classmates had one __
_, to be honest, I found it extremely __
_ to use at first. I would look up words in the dictionary and _
__ not fully understand the meaning. I was used to the __
__ bilingual dictionaries, in which the words are _
__ both in English and Chinese. I really wondered why my aunt __
_ to make things so difficult for me. Now, after studying English at university for three years, I _
__ that monolingual dictionaries are __
in learning a foreign language
As I found out, there is ___ often no perfect equivalence(对应)between two _
___ in two language. My aunt even goes so far as to
___ that a Chinese “equivalent” can never give you the _
___ meaning of a word in English! ___
_ , she insisted that I read the definition(定义) of a world in a monolingual dictionary __
___ I wanted to get a better understanding of its meaning. ____
__, I have come to see what she meant.
Using a monolingual dictionary for learners has helped me in another important way. This dictionary uses a(n) number of words, around 2, 000, in its definitions. When I read these definitions, I am
exposed to（接触）the basic words and learn how they are used to explain objects and ideas.
this, I can express myself more easily in English.
A. worried B. sad C. surprised D. nervous
A. Because B. Although C. Unless D. If
A. but B. so C. or D. and
A. difficult B. interesting C. ambiguous D. practical
A. thus B. even C. still D. again
A. new B. familiar C. earlier D. ordinary
A. explained B. expressed C. described D. created
A. offered B. agreed C. decidedD. happened
A. imagine B. recommend C. predict D. understand
A. natural B. better C. easier D. convenient
A. at best B. in fact C. at times D. in case
A. words B. names C. ideas D. characters
A. hope B. declare C. doubt D. tell
A. exact B. basic C. translated D. expected
A. Rather B. However C. Therefore D. Instead
A. when B. before C. until D. while
A. Largely B. Generally C. Gradually D. Probably
A. extra B. average C. total D. limited
A. repeatedly B. nearly C. immediately D. anxiously
A. According to B. In relation to C. In addition to D. Because of