阅读下面的短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。 Nation...

    Years ago, we celebrated our oldest son’s first birthday by holding a super party. I spent months ______, cutting out handmade banners（横幅）and making all kinds of decorations. I kept

____ my husband’s work as he built a cardboard city background. And I would lose ______ of my emotions when it didn’t progress exactly as I _____.

I didn’t know exactly why I stuck to ______ a party like that, but I felt this unspoken ______. It was a feeling that my ______ as a mom and my love for my son were tied to how ______ this party was. Actually my son was turning one year old, and he had no idea what was going on. ______, this clearly meant nothing to him.

I tried to ______ other people and maybe even prove something to myself, only to find it made me ______. On his birthday, I put on a ton of makeup（化妆品） to _____ my stress and smiled to our ______ even though I nearly broke down. It was the ______ party because of the memories attached to it! I ruined a ______ memory for me as a mother and decided to make a ____.

Last weekend, we celebrated my other son Hudson’s sixth birthday. He asked a Ninjago theme, so a week before the party, I searched Amazon (a shopping website) and ______ a banner and some basic party materials as he ______. On that day, we ordered a big meal and used disposable（一次性的）plates to avoid hours of cleaning up. The party was ______ but perfect. As Hudson went to bed that night, he told me it was his best birthday ever.

Parents’______ for kids does not lie in the complexity of celebrating kids’ birthday.

1.A. researching B. preparing C. thinking D. studying

2.A. ignoring B. doubting C. finding D. checking

3.A. control B. count C. sight D. track

4.A. learned B. explained C. expected D. promised

5.A. damaging B. arranging C. attending D. leaving

6.A. fears B. concern C. questions D. pressure

7.A. dream B. job C. identity D. post

8.A. personal B. difficult C. familiar D. brilliant

9.A. However B. Therefore C. Anyhow D. Besides

10.A. persuade B. remind C. inspire D. impress

11.A. delighted B. annoyed C. tired D. astonished

12.A. create B. cover C. express D. experience

13.A. neighbors B. relatives C. colleagues D. guests

14.A. worst B. newest C. best D. biggest

15.A. clear B. bitter C. precious D. accurate

16.A. mess B. deal C. joke D. change

17.A. designed B. purchased C. made D. wanted

18.A. taught B. did C. demanded D. commanded

19.A. splendid B. complicated C. plain D. boring

20.A. affection B. praise C. sympathy D. advice

By making positive changes in your life you can become better. 1.Here are some quick and easy ways to help you become a better person.

2.

Recognize what areas you are lacking. For this you can ask a trusted friend or family member for help. Being unaware of your weaknesses makes it hard for you to improve. The successful people know where they aren’t strong and they use their strengths to make up for it.

Quit a bad habit.

Quitting a bad habit is good for you. 3.If you aren’t ready to quit your bad habits right away, start out with small steps. Find a trusted friend that can give you encouragement if you’re struggling.

Break up with negative thinking.

4.This can have a bad influence on your life. Negative thinking really makes you down mentally and physically. Trying to think more positively helps you reduce stress and requires you to stop making excuses.

Treat others with kindness.

Showing other people that you care for them is a great way to be a better person. 5.Something just like buying a coffee for your classmates can make a huge positive impact on their and your day.

A. Know your weaknesses.

B. Take better care of yourself.

C. Negative friends often complain about things.

D. Do you always see the negative side of things?

E. It not only makes you a better person, but it makes you more confident.

F. However, it may be tough sometimes to figure out how to do it.

G. Small acts of kindness will make other people feel better and lift your spirits as well.

I read a newspaper article about a new concept. The idea is simple, but revolutionary(革命性的): combining a residential home for the elderly with a nursery school in the same building. The children and the residents(住户)eat lunch together and share activities such as music, painting and gardening. In the afternoons, the residents enjoy reading stories to the children and, if a child is feeling sad or tired, there is always a kind lap to sit on and a hug.

Nowadays there is less and less contact between the old and the young. There are many reasons for this, including the breakdown of the extended family, working parents with no time to care for ageing relations, and smaller flats with no room for grandparents. But the result is the same: increasing numbers of children without grandparents and old people who have no contact with children. It’s a major problem in many societies.

That’s why inter-generational(代际的) programs are growing in popularity all over the world. There are examples of successful actions all over the world. Using young people to teach IT skills to older people is one obvious example. Using old people as volunteer assistants in schools is another. One successful scheme in London pairs young volunteers with old people who are losing their sight. The young people help with practical things such as writing letters, reading bank statements and helping with shopping, and the older people can pass on their knowledge and experience to their young visitors. For example, a retired judge may be paired with a teenager who wants to study law.

But it isn’t only the individuals concerned who gain from inter-generational activities. The advantages to society are huge too. If older people can understand and accept the youth of today, there will be less conflict in a community. And we can use the strengths of one generation to help another. Then perhaps getting old won’t be so sad after all.

1.Why does the author mention the newspaper article he read?

A. To argue for a new concept.    B. To show his interest in the topic.

C. To introduce the topic of the text.    D. To draw our attention to a social problem.

2.What is the purpose of the inter-generational programs?

A. To provide a good job opportunity for the young.

B. To bring the old and the young together.

C. To teach the young to respect the old.

D. To ask the old to care for the young.

3.What is Paragraph 3 mainly about?

A. The reasons why inter-generational programs enjoy popularity in the world.

B. The inter-generational programs’ benefits to individuals.

C. The inter-generational programs all over the world.

D. The examples of inter-generational activities.

4.What may be the best title for the text?

A. Building bridges for the old and the young.

B. A new concept in caring for the old is born.

C. Offering a warm home for the young.

D. Being old is no more sad.

The American dream is the faith held by many people in the United States of America that through hard work, courage, creativity and determination, they can achieve a better life for themselves. More specifically, they agree on how to get ahead in America: get a college education, find a reliable job, and buy their own house. But do Americans still believe in that path, and if they do, is it attainable?

The most recent National Journal poll asked participants about the American dream, what it takes to achieve their goal, and whether or not they felt the control over their ability to be successful. Obviously, the results show that today, the idea of the American dream and what it takes to achieve it looks quite different from it did in the late 20th century. Generally speaking, people felt that their actions and hard work not outside force deciding their lives. But the participants had definitely mixed feelings about what actions make for a better life in the current economy.

In the last seven years, Americans have grown more pessimistic(悲观的) about the power of education to lead to success. Even though they see going to college as a fairly achievable goal, a majority 52 percent think that young people do not need a 4-year college education in order to be successful.

Miguel Maeda, 42, who has a master’s degree and works in public health, was the first in his family to go to college, which has allowed him to achieve a sense of financial stability(稳定) his parents and grandparents never did. While some, like Maeda, emphasized the value of degree rather than the education itself, others still see college as a way to gain new viewpoints and life experiences. To Fendley, a sense of drive and purpose, as well as an effective high-school education, and basic life skills, like balancing a checkbook(支票簿), are the necessary elements for a successful life in America.

1.It used to be commonly acknowledged that to succeed in America, one had to have ____.

A. a sense of drive and purpose    B. an advanced academic degree

C. a firm belief in their dream    D. an ambition to get ahead

2.What is the finding of the latest National Journal poll concerning the American dream?

A. More and more Americans are finding it hard to realize.

B. It remains alive among the majority of American people.

C. An increasing number of young Americans are abandoning it.

D. Americans’ idea of it has changed over the past few decades.

3.What do Americans now think of the role of college education in achieving success?

A. It still remains open to debate.

B. It has proved to be beyond doubt.

C. It is much better understood now than ever.

D. It is no longer as important as it used to be.

4.How do some people view college education these days?

A. It helps broaden their minds.    B. It needs to be strengthened.

C. It widens cultural diversity.    D. It promotes gender equality.

    I can proudly say that last year I broke the record for the oldest person in the world to ride a roller-coaster. I’m 105, but I feel younger. Even the doctor agrees I’m in good condition. I’m a bit deaf and my legs feel weak, but they are the only issue.

I rode the Twistosaurus at Flamingo Land, which spins you round quite fast. I didn’t choose to go on that. I’d have preferred a really fast one that went upside down. But I was told I couldn’t ride something like that, because my blood pressure could drop and I might have some danger.

I wasn’t nervous — I don’t get frightened of anything. I was securely fastened, so I knew I wouldn’t fall out. The roller-coaster ride went on for three or four minutes, and it couldn’t be a better experience. And I raised a lot of money for the Derbyshire, Leicestershire & Rutland Air Ambulance fund, which was fantastic.

People were saying I’d got a place in the Guinness World Records. Later, someone came to present me with the certificate. I had it on the wall in my living room, with another one that got a year earlier.

My record-breaking ways really began a couple of years ago, with the ice-bucket challenge. It turned out that I was probably the oldest person in the world to do it, and the video was very popular. After that, I stared to think about what else I could do to raise money for different charities.

I’m not sure if anyone admires all the fun I’m having. They just say I’m daft and that’s about it. But I’ve had many good days and many exciting times. I’ve had a really good life. I don’t think I’ve wasted any of it.

1.Why didn’t the author choose to go on riding the Twistosaurus?

A. Because he was in a bad physical condition.

B. Because he was told not to do so.

C. Because he considered it too gentle.

D. Because he thought it spun too fast.

2.How did the author most probably react while riding the roller-coaster?

A. He really enjoyed himself.

B. He was very worried at first.

C. He couldn’t think much about it.

D. He got frightened as it started moving.

3.What do you know about the author from Paragraph 4?

A. He was the oldest person in the world.

B. He set a record the year before last year.

C. He disliked showing off his success.

D. He was eager to get certificates.

4.What does the underlined word “daft” in the last paragraph probably mean?

A. healthy. B. strong.

C. crazy. D. funny.