Once upon a time when there was a famine (饥荒), a rich baker sent for twenty of the poorest children in the town, and said to them, ''In this basket there is a loaf for each of you. it, and come back to me every at this hour till better times come. ''
The hungry children eagerly around the basket, and quarreled for the bread, each wished to have the largest loaf. At last they went away without even the good gentleman.
But Gretchen, a poorly-dressed little girl, did not or struggle with the rest, but remained modestly in the distance. When the ill-behaved children had left, she took the loaf, which alone was left in the basket, the gentleman's hand, and went home.
The next day the children were as 30 as before, and poor, shy Gretchen received a loaf only nearly half the 31 of the one she got the first day. When she came home, her mother cut the _ open, many new, shining pieces of silver fell out of it. Her mother was very much _, and said, ''Take the money back to the good _ _ at once, for it must have got into the loaf _. Be quick, Gretchen! Be quick! ''
But when the little girl gave the rich man her mother's _ , he said, ''No, no, my child, it was no _ _. I had the silver pieces put into the smallest loaf to you. Always be as contented, peaceable, and _ _ as you now are. Go home now, and the is your own. ''
A．Take B．Buy C．Order D．Smell
A．month B．week C．day D．year
A．stood B．sat C．gathered D．looked
A．but B．so C．since D．because
A．hearing B．thanking C．thinking D．looking
A．play B．laugh C．quarrel D．speak
A．crying B．standing C．quarreling D．singing
A．best B．oldest C．largest D．smallest
A．kissed B．took C．seized D．waved
A．hungry B．angry C．eager D．rude
A．size B．number C．length D．amount
A．letter B．bread C．basket D．bag
A．surprised B．pleased C．terrified D．excited
A．policeman B．teacher C．gentleman D．child
A．by accident B．by heart C．by hand D．by itself
A．letter B．apology C．money D．message
A．luck B．use C．good D．mistake
A．test B．reward C．thank D．attract
A．careful B．grateful C．beautiful D．enthusiastic
A．loaf B．basket C．world D．money
A group of graduates got together to visit their old university professor.
The conversation soon turned into complaints about 1 in work and life. Offering his 2 coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and 3 with a large pot of coffee and a 4 of cups — porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain-looking, some expensive, some beautiful — telling them to 5 themselves to the coffee.
When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said, “If you have 6 , all the nice-looking expensive cups have been 7 , leaving behind the plain and 8 ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the 9 of your problems and stress.”
“Be assured that the cup 10 adds no quality to the coffee. 11 it is just more expensive and in some cases 12 hides what we drink.”
“ 13 all of you really want is coffee, not the cup, 14 you consciously went for the best cups… And then you began 15 each other’s cups.”
“Now consider this: 16 is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. 17 are just tools to hold and contain life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the 18 of life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we 19 to enjoy the coffee. Value the coffee, not the cups! Don't let the cups 20 you… enjoy the coffee instead.”
A．stress B．dream C．sorrow D．truth
A．friends B．customers C．fellows D．guests
A．carried B．returned C．arrived D．reached
A．kind B．variety C．sort D．number
A．devote B．expose C．help D．addicted
A．searched B．witnessed C．noticed D．discovered
A．taken up B．brought in C．sold out D．cut down
A．expensive B．cheap C．beautiful D．usual
A．point B．answer C．source D．result
A．by itself B．on its own C．for itself D．itself
A．At no time B．At times C．In no case D．In most cases
A．ever B．even C．never D．hardly
A．What B．That C．Which D．Whether
A．but B．so C．and D．for
A．suspecting B．liking C．envying D．eyeing
A．Love B．Life C．Future D．Failure
A．They B．We C．You D．What
A．quantity B．style C．quality D．standard
A．have B．hesitate C．forget D．fail
A．control B．drive C．puzzle D．amaze
I met Jane Black in university, and soon we became friends．The first time I went to her home I found her family quite different from my own．
In my family, it was always important to place 1 when anything bad happened．
"Who did this? "my mother would scream about a dirty kitchen．
" This is all your 2 , Katharine, " my father would insist when the cat got out or the dishwasher 3 .
From the time we were little, my sister, brothers and I told on each other．We set a place for blame at the dinner table．
4 ,the Whites didn't worry about who had done what．They picked up the pieces and 5 with their lives．The beauty of this was driven home to me the summer Jane died．
In July, the White sisters and I decided to take a car 6 from their home in Florida to New York．The two older sisters, Sarah and Jane, were college students, and the youngest, Amy, had recently 7 sixteen．Proud of having a new driver' s license, Amy was excited about practicing her driving on the trip．She 8 her license to everyone she met．
The big sisters 9 the driving of Sarah' s new car during the first part of the trip, but when they reached _10_ crowded areas, they let Amy 11 ．Somewhere in South Carolina, we pulled off the highway to eat．After lunch, Amy got behind the wheel．She came to a crossroads with a stop sign．Whether she was nervous or just didn't see the sign no one would 12 know, but Amy continued into the crossroads without stopping．The driver of a large truck, unable to stop in time, ran into our car．
Jane was killed immediately．I was only 13 injured．The most difficult thing that I’ve ever done was to call the Whites to tell them about the accident and that Jane had died．Painful __14_ it was for me to lose a good friend, I knew that it was far worse for them to lose a child．
When Mr．and Mrs．White arrived at the hospital, they found their two daughters sharing a room．Sarah had a few cuts on the head and Amy' s leg was broken．They hugged us all and cried tears of 15 and of joy at seeing their daughters．They 16 away the girls' tears and made a few jokes at Amy as she learned to use her crutches （拐仗）.
To both of their daughters, and especially to Amy, over and over they simply said, "We' re so glad that you' re alive．"
I was 17 ．No blame．No accusations．
Later, I asked the Whites why they never talked about the fact that Amy was driving and had run a stop sign．
Mrs. White said, "Jane' s gone, and we miss her 18 ．Nothing we say or do will ever bring her back．But Amy has her whole life ahead of her．How can she _19____ a full and happy life if she feels we blame her for her sister' s death?"
They were right．Amy graduated from the University of California and got married several years ago．She works 20 a teacher of learning-disabled students．She' s also a mother of two little girls of her own, the oldest named Jane．
A．anger B．blame C．scream D．pride
A．fault B．mistake C．benefit D．action
A．broke B．caught C．stopped D．worked
A．Then B．However C．Therefore D．Still
A．had on B．put on C．got on D．moved on
A．drive B．voyage C．trip D．tour
A．became B．reached C．got D．turned
A．showed off B．turned up C．brought out D．took off
A．took B．tasted C．shared D．experienced
A．more B．less C．far D．quite
A．turn up B．get down C．take over D．take up
A．hardly B．never C．even D．ever
A．seriously B．slightly C．lightly D．quickly
A．as B．so C．when D．while
A．pity B．sadness C．shame D．sympathy
A．swept B．gave C．wiped D．cleaned
A．delighted B．excited C．amused D．astonished
A．terribly B．hard C．gradually D．rarely
A．direct B．guide C．lead D．conduct
A．for B．as C．like D．to
It was an afternoon in the winter. Some friends and I were talking at a restaurant. We talked and talked and soon swimming became the ___1____. Suddenly I hit upon an idea. “Wouldn’t it be ___2___ if we went swimming? Others went swimming in winter, and __3___ couldn’t we? Besides, we could be ___4__ if we did. ” I told them about this and they all said it was a good idea indeed.
Early in the morning, three days __5____, we four were standing at the bus stop, with bags in our hands, ___6___ for a bus to take us to the __7___. The sky was clear, the sun was shining, but all the same, it was very cold, __8___ our heavy overcoats were not enough to keep us ___9__. We all felt that we should go back, but no one wanted to __10___.
We soon reached the sands. There was nobody there, but we were not to be discouraged. __11___ we were proud that we were the __12___ ones that dared to challenge the weather. Besides, the sun could keep us warm. So we __13__ ourselves quickly.
But things were not going to be so nice as we thought. The sea wind was blowing, we felt __14___ cold and we shook from head to feet. At last we decided to ____15__ the sea water. We put our feet in first, only to take them back___16___. The water was unbelievably cold. ___17___ I suggested that we should all jump in at the same time. We all went back ten steps. I gave the order and we all rushed forward. We jumped. That feeling I had when I was in the water I shall never ___18___. I was up and rushed again to the seaside. So __19___ my friends. We put on our clothes as quickly as possible and went home.
We four did not go to school the next three days, for we all __20__ a bad cold. We missed the lessons, but we had this unforgettable experience.
A．object B．topic C．opinion D．center
A．interesting B．lucky C．happy D．surprising
A．what B．how C．that D．why
A．worse B．ill C．stronger D．better
A．later B．past C．since D．before
A．asking B．meeting C．waiting D．looking
A．swimming pool B．sands C．lake D．river
A．only B．though C．even D．since
A．cold B．warm C．hot D．cool
A．speak out B．talk about C．shout at D．think over
A．For B．Instead C．Sometimes D．Unless
A．only B．lucky C．younger D．happy
A．helped B．enjoyed C．dressed D．changed
A．such B．a little C．very D．a bit
A．go down B．go into C．jump into D．take off
A．carefully B．quickly C．bravely D．finally
A．Last B．Next C．When D．Then
A．remember B．forget C．believe D．tell
A．did B．do C．were D．had
A．became B．felt C．turned D．caught
A man found the cocoon (茧) of a moth (蛾). He took it home so that he could 1 the moth come out of the cocoon. On that day a small 2 appeared. He sat and watched the moth for several hours as the moth struggled to 3 the body through that little hole. Soon it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had 4 as far as it could and it could go no further. It just seemed to be stuck. So the man, out of his kindness, decided to help the moth. He took a pair of scissors and cut off the5___bit of the cocoon. The 6 then came out easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriven (无用的) wings. The man continued to watch the moth because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and 7 to be able to support the 8 , which would get smaller in time. Neither happened! In fact, the little moth spent the rest of its life 9 around with a swollen body and shriven wings. It was 10 able to fly.
What the man in his kindness 11 was that the small cocoon and the12__of the moth to get through the 13 opening was a way to push fluid (液体) 14 the body of moth 15 its wings so that it would be ready to fly 16 it got out of the cocoon. Freedom and 17 would come only after the struggle. By taking the struggle away, he also took away the moth’s health.
Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. If we were to 18 our lives without any difficulties, we would become disabled. We would not be as 19 as what we could have been. Give every opportunity a chance. Leave no room for 20 .
A．help B．protect C．watch D．see
A．opening B．line C．moth D．butterfly
A．push B．draw C．make D．force
A．got B．done C．tried D．struggled
A．covering B．remaining C．shell D．skin
A．moth B．butterfly C．cocoon D．worm
A．lessen B．widen C．expand D．shorten
A．standing B．flight C．themselves D．body
A．flying B．crawling C．walking D．lying
A．already B．certainly C．never D．seldom
A．shouldn’t do B．thought C．did D．didn’t understand
A．crawling B．struggle C．fight D．force
A．tiny B．beginning C．right D．above
A．in B．on C．by D．from
A．into B．to C．in D．onto
A．after B．once C．before D．until
A．courage B．hope C．flight D．survival
A．stand on B．get on C．go through D．live
A．great B．determined C．brave D．strong
A．regrets B．death C．failure D．wishes
This economy has really got a lot of people moving and not always by a choice they wanted to make. My wife and I now find ourselves among those unfortunates feeling that 1 .
At the end of last year, our customers just 2 . We had to make the painful decision to3 our office and put our house up for 4 . We haven’t lived in it for two years yet and expected it would be the 5 one for a long time. How 6 this world economic mess is changing our lives!
As I get older, I find moving less adventurous and more 7 . This time, we’re in the process of moving without knowing where we’ll 8 next. Job searching has been thrown into the quagmire(困境) of an unsettled life. Both my wife and I had been feeling pretty 9 from all this. I’ve been challenged to find the positive in all this down that’s 10 us.
But then it happened while I watched my wife 11 things up. She’s an absolute whiz(能手) when it comes to packing. I took delight in watching her 12 just the right boxes for 13 in front of her and filling in the 14 with pillows and towels. I began feeling something like a wind lift me up and sail me through my own 15 of the packing and loading.
Some friends will be helping us with the 16 . I’ve told them that they’re not 17 friends but gaining some new vacation spots.
I have 18 that we’ll get through this transition finally. We all will always have work to do, by choice or 19 , and we can also consciously make the effort to create a sense of 20 in a new place.
A．pressure B．pleasure C．heat D．chance
A．stayed up B．turned up C．dried up D．came up
A．open B．close C．visit D．paint
A．help B．comparison C．decoration D．sale
A．last B．next C．only D．special
A．little B．quickly C．frequently D．well
A．dangerous B．common C．stressful D．interesting
A．return B．arrive C．study D．prepare
A．relaxed B．excited C．ashamed D．depressed
A．improving B．encouraging C．beating D．killing
A．packing B．washing C．pulling D．dividing
A．bring up B．keep up C．size up D．set up
A．others B．nothing C．another D．everything
A．cars B．gaps C．tanks D．holes
A．boat B．share C．wish D．promise
A．settling B．cooking C．cleaning D．moving
A．valuing B．losing C．inviting D．making
A．idea B．faith C．feeling D．opinion
A．otherwise B．indeed C．worse D．rather
A．panic B．connection C．humor D．home