阅读下面短文，在标有序号的空白处填入一个适当的词，或填入括号中单词的正确形式 T...

    I became a gardener when I was twelve. My early _________ of gardening may not have originated from my love for nature. It was to _________ my parents.

At that time, we had a big yard in which a beautiful maple tree stood. But my mother often looked with _________ at this work of natural art. Those golden leaves seemed like tons of rubbish to her, “something else to _________!” Seeing the neighbors busy with gardening, my father even thought it a waste of time.

At that age, I always did something _________ to whatever my parents did! If gardening were something they found _________, I would plant a garden!

I planted some lily seeds in the yard. But they failed to _________. I continued to plant sunflower seeds and roses. Wild _________ joy, I found the first rose bloom. One by one, the flowers bloomed their heads off. _________, I was touched by this land of wonder.

________, my parents showed no interest in my garden. My father even __________ at me because he found it was __________ to move around my garden to the driveway. To my mother’s __________, I put in her vase my real roses which, in her eyes, were merely weeds __________ flowers.

Regardless of their __________, I kept on planting my garden and __________ to enjoy the pleasure of gardening. Plants make such good companions: they breathe, they bloom, they __________ to care and love.

It has been many years since I made my first garden out of my desire to __________ my parent. Today I become known as Mrs. Greenthumbs, teaching gardening and hosting a gardening show, which makes my parents feel very __________. And now I could say it is my affection for __________ that makes me a real gardener.

1.A.memory B.dream C.intention D.design

2.A.please B.change C.help D.annoy

3.A.doubt B.appreciation C.surprise D.excitement

4.A.clean up B.care about C.break down D.come in

5.A.equal B.similar C.superior D.opposite

6.A.painful B.valuable C.upsetting D.interesting

7.A.break out B.come up C.reach out D.get out

8.A.with B.to C.in D.by

9.A.Luckily B.Cheerfully C.Regularly D.Eventually

10.A.Instead B.However C.Therefore D.Besides

11.A.glanced B.laughed C.shouted D.jumped

12.A.convenient B.troublesome C.enjoyable D.dangerous

13.A.sadness B.delight C.displeasure D.relief

14.A.other than B.rather than C.more than D.less than

15.A.dislike B.encouragement C.threat D.suggestion

16.A.decided B.stopped C.continued D.struggled

17.A.devote B.respond C.turn D.lead

18.A.challenge B.satisfy C.respect D.defeat

19.A.comfortable B.strange C.disappointed D.proud

20.A.freedom B.life C.growth D.nature

    Is it necessary to learn when we are in our 50s, 60s or even 70s? Most people think that when they get retired, they are supposed to be completely laid-back(安详放松), do something fun, or hang around. 1. It’s particularly important for the elderly.

Through learning, we know how to think, how to memorize, how to ask questions and even how to interact with others. According to a study, while we are learning, our brains create neural pathways that make us smarter. 2. The more we learn, the more new neural pathways develop in our brains.

When it comes to learning, it doesn’t mean we must load ourselves with lots of knowledge. What we need to do is just learn something we like day in and day out. 3. Everyone learns from bottom to up. If we have an interest in learning, the desire will naturally push us to move forward.

If we feel worn out, don’t be discouraged. 4. An old saying goes, “Birds of a feather flock together.” As long as we have partners to learn together, our learning excitement will come alive again. On the contrary, if we don’t learn, or choose to distance ourselves from others, we might be getting dumb, and slow; eventually, we lose energy and passion. Instead of being bored and dumb, why don’t we keep learning?

5. More importantly, learning broadens our horizons, helps us build up our confidence; bit by bit, it leads us to a way of finding the sense of value and achievement in the process of learning.

A.Look for a partner who has the same interest as you.

B.It’s never too old to learn.

C.In other words, our brains are active as we learn something new.

D.Don’t worry that you can’t learn well.

E.Learning makes us understand how much potential we have.

F.However, the truth is that learning makes us energetic and content.

G.You should set a high learning target.

    Facial expressions carry meaning that is determined by situations and relationships. For example, in American culture the smile is in general an expression of pleasure. Yet it also has other uses. A woman’s smile at a police officer does not carry the same meaning as the smile she gives to a young child. A smile may show love or politeness. It can also hide true feelings. It often causes confusion (困惑) across cultures. For example, many people in Russia smiling at strangers in public to be unusual and even improper. Yet many Americans smile freely at strangers in public places (although this is less common in big cities). Some Russians believe that Americans smile in the wrong places; some Americans believe that Russians don’t smile enough. In Southeast Asian cultures, a smile is frequently used to cover painful feelings. Vietnamese people may tell a sad story but end the story with a smile.

Our faces show emotions, but we should not attempt to “read” people from another culture as we would “read” someone from our own culture. The fact that members of one culture do not express their emotions as openly as members of another does not mean that they do not experience emotions. Rather, there are cultural differences in the amount of facial expressions permitted. For example, in public and in formal situations many Japanese do not show their emotions as freely as Americans do. When with friends, Japanese and Americans seem to show their emotions similarly.

It is difficult to generalize about Americans and facial expressiveness because of personal and cultural differences in the United States. People from certain cultural backgrounds in the United States seem to be more facially expressive than others. The key is to try not to judge people whose ways of showing emotion are different. If we judge according to our own cultural habits, we may make the mistake of “reading” the other person incorrectly.

1.What does the smile usually mean in the U.S.?

A.Joy. B.Politeness.

C.Love. D.Thankfulness.

2.The author mentions the smile of the Vietnamese to prove that smile can _________.

A.show friendliness to strangers

B.be used to hide true feelings

C.be used in the wrong places

D.show personal habits

3.What should we do before attempting to “read” people?

A.Figure out what they will do next.

B.Find out about their past experience.

C.Understand their cultural backgrounds.

D.Learn about their relations with others.

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

A.Appearance and Figure B.Smiles and Relationships

C.Habits and Emotions D.Facial Expressiveness

EP Portable Heater

We all know that the cost of heating our homes will continue to be a significant burden on the family budget. Now millions of people are saving on their heating bills with the EP Portable Heater. With over one million satisfied customers around the world, the new EP heats better and faster, saves more on heating bills, and runs almost silent.

The EP has no exposed heating parts that can cause a fire. The outside of EP only gets warm to the touch so that it will not burn children or pets.

The EP will not reduce oxygen in the room. With other heaters, you’ll notice that you get sleepy when the heat comes on because they are burning up oxygen.

The advanced EP also heats the room evenly, wall to wall and floor to ceiling. It comfortably covers an area up to 350 square feet. Other heaters heat rooms unevenly with most of the heat concentrated to the center of the room. And they only heat an area a few feet around the heater. With the EP, the temperature will not vary in any part of the room.

The EP comes with a 3-year warranty (保修) and a 60-day, no questions asked, satisfaction guarantee. If you are not totally satisfied, return it at our expense and your money will be given back to you.

Now, we have a special offer for 10 days, during which you can enjoy a half price discount and a free delivery. If you order after that, we reserve the right to either accept or reject order requests at the discounted price.

Take action right now!

1.From the passage, we can learn that the EP __________.

A.runs without any noise B.makes people get sleepy

C.doesn’t burn up oxygen D.is unsuitable for children and pets

2.The underlined word “evenly” in Paragraph 4 probably means __________.

A.separately B.equally

C.quickly D.continuously

3.The main purpose of the passage is to __________.

A.persuade people to buy the product

B.advise people to save on heating bills

C.report the new development of portable heaters

D.compare the functions of different heater brands

My First Marathon

A month before my first marathon, one of my ankles was injured and this meant not running for two weeks, leaving me only two weeks to train. Yet, I was determined to go ahead.

I remember back to my 7th year in school. In my first P.E. class, the teacher required us to run laps and then hit a softball. I didn’t do either well. He later informed me that I was “not athletic”.

The idea that I was “not athletic” stuck with me for years. When I started running in my 30s，I realized running was a battle against myself, not about competition or whether or not I was athletic. It was all about the battle against my own body and mind. A test of wills!

The night before my marathon, I dreamt that I couldn’t even find the finish line. I woke up sweating and nervous, but ready to prove something to myself.

Shortly after crossing the start line, my shoe laces(鞋带) became untied. So I stopped to readjust. Not the start I wanted! At mile 3, I passed a sign: “GO FOR IT, RUNNERS!” By mile 17, I became out of breath and the once injured ankle hurt badly. Despite the pain, I stayed the course walking a bit and then running again. By mile 21, I was starving！As I got close to mile 23, I could see my wife waving a sign. She is my biggest fan. She never minded the alarm clock sounding at 4 a.m. or questioned my expenses on running. I was one of the final runners to finish. But I finished! And I got a medal. In fact, I got the same medal as the one that the guy who came in first place had.

Determined to be myself and free of worldly labels(世俗标签), I can now call myself a “marathon winner”.

1.Why did the author mention the P.E. class in his 7th year?

A.To appreciate the support of his teacher. B.To show he was not talented in sports.

C.To amuse the readers with a funny story. D.To share a precious memory.

2.How was the author’s first marathon?

A.He walked to the end. B.He quit halfway.

C.He got the first place. D.He made it.

3.What does the story mainly tell us?

A.A man owes his success to his family support. B.Failure is the mother of success.

C.A true winner is one with a great effort of will. D.Well begun is half done.