From my second grade on，there was one event I feared every year：the piano recital(独奏会)．A recital____I had to practice a boring piece of music and perform before strangers．Each year I___ ask my father if I could skip the recital “just this once”．And each year he’d shake his head，muttering(嘀咕) about building self-confidence and working towards a ．
So it was with really great that I stood in church one recent Sunday，video camera in hand，and my 68-year-old father sweating in his shirt rising to play the piano in his very first recital．
My father had longed to play music since childhood，but his family was poor and couldn’t lessons．He could have gone on regretting it， too many of us do．But though he was rooted in his past，he wasn’t there．When he retired three years ago，he his church music director to take him as a student．
For a moment after my father sat down at the keyboard，he stared down at his fingers．
Has he forgotten the ? I worried，remembering those split seconds ago when my mind would go blank and my fingers would ．But then came the beautiful melody(旋律)，from the fingers that once baited(装饵于)my fishing lines．And I he had been doing what music teachers always stress： the music and pretend the others aren’t there．
“I'm of him for starting something new at his age，”I said to my son Jeff．
“Yeah，and doing it so ，”Jeff added．
With his first recital，my father taught me more about courage and determination than all the words he used those 30-plus years ago．
1.A．reflected B．explained C．meant D．proved
2.A．would B．could C．might D．should
3.A．nothing B．everything C．anything D．something
4.A．goal B．stage C．journey D．chance
5.A．trouble B．satisfaction C．strength D．disappointment
6.A．kept B．sent C．watched D．felt
7.A．through B．from C．against D．before
8.A．miss B．afford C．select D．understand
9.A．as B．once C．if D．while
10.A．educated B．protected C．stuck D. spoiled
11.A．allowed B．invited C．inspired D．persuaded
12.A．roughly B．simply C．merrily D．curiously
13.A．words B．videos C．notes D．lessons
14.A．decades B．weeks C．hours D．moments
15.A．play B．freeze C．click D．adjust
16.A．same B．warm C．different D．dirty
17.A．predicted B．realized C．imagined D．insisted
18.A．pass over B．turn up C．concentrate on D．bring in
19.A．ashamed B．aware C．tired D．proud
20.A．casually B．anxiously C．nicely D．frequently
There is one thing that everyone wants more than anything else._ 1.. They think that when they have enough money to buy such things as houses，farms，and cars，they will have the thing that everyone wants.
Other people believe that if they know enough they will find this thing． 2.__. Still others think that if they have power，they will find this thing．Some people keep telling themselves：“When I'm a boss，I will no longer have to search for this thing．”
What is it that everyone wants more than anything else? What is it that all of us keep working and striving(奋斗)for each day? 3. Happiness is a strange thing． 4. .What will make one man happy may not make another man happy．Some men say that happiness comes from helping others；other men say that happiness comes from making life more pleasant for everyone．What do you mean when you say “ That makes me happy. ” ? 5. . Perhaps you will learn something that will bring you peace of mind，comfort，money or it may be what you search for--- happiness．
A．It is happiness．
B. It does not mean the same to all men．
C．They study all their life in search of it．
D．Happiness means the same to everyone．
E. Some people try to get it by making money．
F．When one man feels happy，another man will feel sad．
G．Read what different people have said about happiness．
Perhaps you think you could easily add to your happiness with more money．Strange as it may seem，if you’re unsatisfied，the issue(问题) is not a lack of means to meet your desires but a lack of desires--not that you cannot satisfy your tastes but that you don’t have enough tastes．
Real riches consist of well-developed and hearty capacities(能力)to enjoy life．Most people are already swamped(淹没)with things．They eat，wear，go and talk too much．They live in too big a house with too many rooms, yet their house of life is a deserted hut(茅屋).
Your house of life ought to be a mansion(豪宅)，a royal palace. Every new taste，every additional interest，every fresh enthusiasm(热情) adds a room．Here are several rooms your house of life should have．
Art should be a desire for you to develop simply because the world is full of beautiful things．If you only understood how to enjoy them and feed your spirit on them，they would make you as happy as to find plenty of ham and eggs when you’re hungry．
Literature，classic literature，is a beautiful，richly furnished room where you might find many an hour of rest and refreshment．To gain that love would go toward making you a rich person，for a rich person is not someone who has a library but who likes a library．
Music like Mozart’s and Bach’s shouldn’t be absent．Real riches are of the spirit．And when you’ve brought that spirit up to where classical music feeds it and makes you a little drunk．you have increased your thrills and bettered them．And life is a matter of thrills．
Sports，without which you remain poor，mean a lot in life．No matter who you are，you would be more human，and your house of life would be better supported against the bad days，if you could，and did，play a bit．
Whatever rooms you might add to your house of life，the secret of enjoying life is to keep adding．
1. The author intends to tell us that ________．
A．true happiness lies in achieving wealth by fair means
B．big houses are people’s most valued possessions
C．big houses can in a sense bring richness of life
D．true happiness comes from spiritual riches
2. The underlined sentence in the second paragraph probably implies that__________.
A. however materially rich, they never seem to be satisfied
B. however materially rich, they remain spiritually poor
C. though their house is big, they prefer a simple life
D. though their house is big, it seems to be a cage
3. It can be learned from the passage that __________.
A. more money brings more happiness
B. art is needed to make your house beautiful
C. literature can enrich your spiritual life
D. sports contribute mainly to your physical fitness
4. What would be the best title for the passage?
A. House of Life B. Secret of Wealth
C. Rest and Refreshment D. Interest and Enthusiasm
By knowing what kind of learner you are，you can organize your study to best suit your particular way of learning．
Visual learning style
These learners like to draw，build，design and make things．They like looking at pictures and enjoy jigsaw puzzles and mazes．They tend to think in pictures rather than words．
Verbal learning style
These learners are very good at listening and are often very good speakers and story tellers．They think in words rather than pictures．They like to read and write，and usually have good memories for such things as names，dates and places．
Logical learning style
These learners are very logical. They easily recognize numerical and word patterns and look for logical connections between ideas．They like to figure things out for themselves and love solving problems．They enjoy working with abstract(抽象) ideas．
Bodily learning style
These learners like to move around a lot and to touch objects and people．They often wave their hands around when they are talking．They are good at physical activities，such as sport and dancing，and they enjoy making things with their hands．
Naturalistic learning style
These learners love to be outside．They are interested in nature and are usually fond of animals．They are often involved with nature conservation groups．They are excellent at planning picnics and other outdoor activities．They like to understand how things in nature work．
Music learning style
These learners appreciate music．They are usually good at singing or playing musical instruments and can often compose(作) music．They are often very sensitive to noises around them and are sometimes easily distracted(分散注意力) by background noises．
Interpersonal learning style
These learners like to be surrounded by people．They usually have lots of friends and like to join groups and clubs．They ale often the leaders of any group they join and they are very good peace makers．
Intrapersonal learning style
These people are quite happy in their own company．They spend a lot of time thinking about things such as their dreams and hopes and their relationships with other people．They prefer to work alone and to follow their own interests．
1. If a person usually puts things into categories and sorts when thinking，he is most probably________．
A．a bodily learner B．a visual learner
C．a logical learner D．a verbal learner
2. Naturalistic learners learn best_________．
A．through music and rhythm(旋律）
B．in a natural setting rather than a built environment
C．with pets around them
D．in the condition that there is loud natural noise
3. An intrapersonal learner may be different from an interpersonal learner in the way that_________．
A．he(she)is not good at communicating with others
B．his(her)individual ability is rather good
C．he(she)is slow in thinking out the answers to problems
D．his(her)relationship with others is always bad
4. The best title for this passage would be____________．
A．How Should You Learn? B．How to Learn Best
C．Choose Your Style D．Learning Styles
Here is some must-know information from a handbook on how people behave in doing business in some countries．
In Brazil(巴西）
Brazilians are warm and friendly．They often stand close when talking and it is common for them to touch the person on the shoulder．People often greet each other (particularly women)with light cheek kisses . Schedules tend to be flexible，with business meetings sometimes starting later than planned．But to be safe，be on time．Meals can stretch for hours--there’s no such thing as rushing a meal in Brazil．Lunches also can start in the mid to late afternoon．Brazilians are social，preferring face-to-face communication over emails or phone calls．
In Singapore
Singaporeans shake hands when they meet and often also greet each other with a small，polite bow．Business cards should be offered and received with two hands．Arriving late is considered disrespectful．So be on time．Efficiency(效率)is the goal，so meetings and dealings often are fast-paced．Singaporeans are direct in their discussions，even when the subject is about money．Rank is important and authority is respected．This determines how people interact in meetings．For example，people avoid disagreeing outright with someone of a higher rank．
In the United Arab Emirates
In the UAE，status（地位） is important，so the most senior or oldest should be greeted first with their titles．The handshake seems to be longer than elsewhere．So do not pull away from the handshake．Women should cover themselves when it comes to dress．Men also tend to be covered from neck to elbows(肘部)and down to the knees．People do not avoid entertaining in their homes, but they also hold business meals at restaurants．Touching or passing food or eating with your left hand is to be avoided．When meetings are one-to-one, if your host offers you coffee，you should refuse．It might seem odd，but it is a cultural tradition．Coffee should only be accepted if it is already set out or presented．
In Switzerland
The Swiss tend to be formal and address each other by last name．They also are respectful of private lives．You should be careful not to ask about personal topics．Punctuality(守时)is vital，something that comes from a deep respect for others’ time．Arrive at any meeting or event a few minutes early to be safe．They also have clear structure in their companies．Higher-ups make the final decisions，even if others might disagree．Neat，clean dress is expected．The Swiss follow formal table manners．They also keep their hands visible at the table and their elbows off the table．It is polite to finish the food on your plate．
1. The passage is mainly about_______．
A．communication types
B．the workplace atmosphere
C．customs and social manners
D．1iving conditions and standards
2. Why do Singaporeans avoid arguing with their boss?
A．They put efficiency in the first place．
B. They dislike face-to-face communication．
C．They want to finish meetings as quickly as possible．
D．They are supposed to obey the person of a higher rank．
3. In the UAE, when should you refuse the coffee if it is offered?
A. When greeting seniors.
B. When meeting the host alone.
C. When attending a presentation.
D.When dining with business partners.
4. In which country do people care about where to put their hands at the dinner table?
A. In Brazil. B. In Singapore.
C. In the United Arab Emirate. D. In Switzerland.
I was never very neat, while my roommate Kate was extremely organized．Each of her objects had its place, but mine always hid somewhere．She even labeled(贴标签)everything．I always looked for everything．Over time，Kate got neater and I got messier．She would push my dirty clothing over，and I would lay my books on her tidy desk．So we both got tired of each other．
War broke out one evening．Kate came into the room．Soon，I heard her screaming，“Take your shoes away! Why under my bed!”Deafened，I saw my shoes flying at me．I jumped to my feet and started yelling．She yelled back louder．
The room was filled with anger．We could not have stayed together for a single minute but for a phone call．Kate answered it．From her end of the conversation，I could tell right away her grandma was seriously ill．When she hung up，she quickly crawled(爬)under her covers，sobbing．Obviously，that was something she should not go through alone．All of a sudden, a warm feeling of sympathy rose up in my heart．
Slowly，I collected the pencils，took back the books，made my bed，cleaned the socks and swept the floor，even on her side．I got so into my work that I even didn’t notice Kate had sat up．She was watching，her tears dried and her expression was such disbelief．Then, she reached out her hands to grasp mine．I looked up into her eyes．She smiled at me，“Thanks．”
Kate and I stayed roommates for the rest of the year．We didn’t always agree，but we learned the key to living together：giving in, cleaning up and holding on．
1. What made Kate so angry one evening?
A．She couldn’t find her books．
B．She heard the author shouting loud．
C．She got the news that her grandma was ill．
D．She saw the author's shoes beneath her bed．
2. The author tidied up the room most probably because_____．
A．she was scared by Kate’s anger
B．she hated herself for being so messy
C．she wanted to show her care
D．she was asked by Kate to do so
3. How is Paragraph 1 mainly developed?
A．By analyzing causes． B．By showing differences．
C．By describing a process． D．By following time order．
4. What might be the best title for the story?
A．My Friend Kate B. Hard Work Pays Off
C. How to be Organized D. Learning to be Roommates
