Once when I was facing a decision that involved high risk, I went to a friend. He looked at me for a moment, and then wrote a sentence containing the best advice I’ve ever had: Be bold and brave — and mighty (强大的) forces will come to your aid.
Those words made me see clearly that when I had fallen short in the past, it was seldom because I had tried and failed. It was usually because I had let fear of failure stop me from trying at all. On the other hand, whenever I had plunged into deep water, forced by courage or circumstance, I had always been able to swim until I got my feet on the ground again.
Boldness means a decision to bite off more than you can eat. And there is nothing mysterious about the mighty forces. They are potential powers we possess: energy, skill, sound judgment, creative ideas — even physical strength greater than most of us realize.
Admittedly, those mighty forces are spiritual ones. But they are more important than physical ones. A college classmate of mine, Tim, was an excellent football player, even though he weighed much less than the average player. “In one game I suddenly found myself confronting a huge player, who had nothing but me between him and our goal line,” said Tim. “I was so frightened that I closed my eyes and desperately threw myself at that guy like a bullet（子弹） — and stopped him cold.”
Boldness — a willingness to extend yourself to the extreme—is not one that can be acquired overnight. But it can be taught to children and developed in adults. Confidence builds up. Surely, there will be setbacks (挫折) and disappointments in life; boldness in itself is no guarantee of success. But the person who tries to do something and fails is a lot better off than the person who tries to do nothing and succeeds.
So, always try to live a little bit beyond your abilities—and you’ll find your abilities are greater than you ever dreamed.
1.Why was the author sometimes unable to reach his goal in the past?
A. He faced huge risks.
B. He lacked mighty forces.
C. Fear prevented him from trying.
D. Failure blocked his way to success.
2.What is the implied meaning of the underlined part?
A. Swallow more than you can digest.
B. Act slightly above your abilities.
C. Develop more mysterious powers.
D. Learn to make creative decisions.
3.What was especially important for Tim’s successful defense in the football game?
A. His physical strength.
B. His basic skill.
C. His real fear.
D. His spiritual force.
4.What is the author’s purpose in writing this passage?
A. To encourage people to be courageous.
B. To advise people to build up physical power.
C. To tell people the ways to guarantee success.
D. To recommend people to develop more abilities.
Food serves as a form of communication in two fundamental ways. Sharing bread or other foods is a common human tradition that can promote unity and trust. Food can also have a specific meaning, and play a significant role in a family or culture's celebrations or traditions. The foods we eat—and when and how we eat them—are often unique to a particular culture or may even differ between rural (农村的) and urban areas within one country.
Sharing bread, whether during a special occasion (时刻) or at the family dinner table, is a common symbol of togetherness. Many cultures also celebrate birthdays and marriages with cakes that are cut and shared among the guests. Early forms of cake were simply a kind of bread, so this tradition hits its roots in the custom of sharing bread.
Food also plays an important role in many New Year celebrations. In the southern United States, pieces of corn bread represent blocks of gold for prosperity (兴旺) in the New Year. In Greece, people share a special cake called vasilopita. A coin is put into the cake, which signifies (预示) success in the New Year for the person who receives it.
Many cultures have ceremonies to celebrate the birth of a child, and food can play a significant role. In China, when a baby is one month old, families name and welcome their child in a celebration that includes giving red-colored eggs to guests. In many cultures, round foods such as grapes, bread, and moon cakes are eaten at welcome celebrations to represent family unity.
Nutrition is necessary for life, so it is not surprising that food is such an important part of different cultures around the world.
1.According to the passage, sharing bread______.
A. indicates a lack of food
B. can help to develop unity
C. is a custom unique to rural areas
D. has its roots in birthday celebrations
2.What does the coin in vasilopita signify for its receiver in the New Year?
A. Trust. B. Success.
C. Health. D. Togetherness.
3.The author explains the role of food in celebrations by______.
A. using examples B. making comparisons
C. analyzing causes D. describing processes
4.What is the passage mainly about?
A. The custom of sharing food.
B. The specific meaning of food.
C. The role of food in ceremonies.
D. The importance of food in culture.
Dear Santa Claus,
My name is Amy. I am 17 years old. I have a problem at school. Can you help me, Santa? Kids laugh at me because of the way I walk and run and talk. I have cerebral palsy. I just want one day when no one laughs at me or makes fun of me.
Love, Amy
At radio station WJLT in Fort Wayne, Indiana, letters poured in for the Christmas Wish Content. When Amy’s letter arrived at the radio station, Manager Lee Tobin read it carefully. He thought it wound be good for the people in Fort Wayne to hear about this special girl and her unusual wish. Mr. Tobin called up the local newspaper.
The next day, a picture of Amy and her letter to Santa made the front page of the “News Sentinel”. The story spread quickly. All across the country, newspapers and radio and television stations reported the story of the girl in Fort Wayne, Indiana, who asked for such a simple, yet remarkable Christmas gift—just one day without teasing.
Suddenly the postman was a regular at the Hagadorn house. Envelopes of all sizes addressed to Amy arrived daily from children and adults all across the nation. They came filled with holiday greetings and words of encouragement. Some of the writers had disabilities; some had been teased as children. Each writer had a special message for Amy. Through the cards and letters from strangers, Amy saw a world full of people who truly cared about each other.
Many people thanked Amy for being brave enough to speak up. Others encouraged her to ignore teasing and to hold her head high.
Amy did get her wish of a special day without teasing at South Wayne High School. Teachers and students talked together about how bad teasing can make others feel.
That year, the Fort Wayne mayor officially declared December 21st as Amy Jo Hagadorn Day throughout the city. The mayor explained that by daring to make such a simple wish, Amy taught a universal lesson. “Everyone,” he said, “wants to and should be treated with respect, dignity and warmth.”
1.Amy’s letter showed that______.
A. she wanted to win Christmas Wish Contest
B. she is more independent than before
C. she is often ignored in and out of class
D. her schoolmates can’t understand her disability
2.We may infer from Amy’s story that_____.
A. the disabled hate those who laugh at them
B. the news media played a key role in helping Amy
C. Amy will still be made fun of by her classmates
D. there are few disabled people in Amy’s country
3.The mayor officially declared Amy Jo Hagadorn Day _______.
A. to tell how bad teasing can make others feel
B. to encourage people to hold their heads high
C. to explain how brave Amy was by making her wish
D. to call on the public to treat everyone properly
At thirteen, I was diagnosed（诊所） with kind of attention disorder. It made school difficult for me. When everyone else in the class was focusing on tasks, I could not.
In my first literature class, Mrs.Smith asked us to read a story and then write on it, all within 45 minutes. I raised my hand right away and said,”Mrs.Smith, you see, the doctor said I have attention problems. I might not be able to do it.”
She glanced down at me through her glasses, “you are no different from your classmates, young man.”
I tried, but I didn’t finish the reading when the bell rang. I had to take it home.
In the quietness of my bedroom, the story suddenly all became clear to me. It was about a blind person, Louis Braille. He lived in a time when the blind couldn’t get much education. But Louis didn’t give up. Instead, he invented a reading system of raised dots（点）, which opened up a whole new world of knowledge to the blind.
Wasn’t I the “blind” in my class, being made to learn like the “sighted” students? My thoughts spilled out and my pen started to dance. I completed the task within 40 minutes. Indeed, I was no different from others; I just needed a quieter place. If Louis could find his way out of his problems, why should I ever give up?
I didn’t expect anything when I handled in my paper to Mrs.Smith, so it was quite a surprise when it came back to me the next day- with an ”A” on it. At the bottom of the paper were these words:”See what you can do when you keep trying?”
1.The author didn’t finish the reading in class because.
A. He was new to the class
B. He was tried of literature
C. He had an attention disorder
D. He wanted to take the task home
2.What do we know about Louis Braille from the passage?
A. He had good sight
B. He made a great invention.
C. He gave up reading
D. He learned a lot from school
3.What was Mrs.Smith’s attitude to the author at the end of the story?
A. Angry B. Impatient
C. Sympathetic D. Encouraging
4.What is the main idea of the passage?
A. The disabled should be treated with respect.
B.A teacher can open up a new world to students.
C. One can find his way out of difficulties with efforts.
D. Everyone needs a hand when faced with challenges.
第三节 短文改错（共10小题，每小题1分，满分10分）
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌的以下作文，文中共有10出语言错误，每句中最多有两处，每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加，删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线划掉
修改:在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改的词。
It is well-known that good habits do us good all our life. Entered high school. I took delight in having fast food and often eat too much. In the end, I was so series overweight that I suffered a lot from my awkward appearance. It made matters worse was the fact that my classmates made a fun of me at times. From now on, I made up my mind to avoiding snacks. In the meanwhile, I took off jogging to lose weight. In my surprise, it was not long until I did succeed in creating my new appearance. Only then did I start to appreciate the importance of developing a good habit.
完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，从每题所给的ABCD四个选项，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
In the 1450s Johannes Gutenberg, a Gennan printer, developed a new printing press(印刷机)。Then single letters could be ______ in lines to create a page of text. The letters were made of metal.Each one could be ______ to different parts of the press,depending on which words were_______ on a certain page. This was one of the most important _______ in the history of pringting.
_______, most books had been created by copying out text by hand. The____of a single book would take many hours or even days. With the Gutenberg press, ______ could be printted in several seconds, and many copies of books could be created in a few hours.
Gutenberg's printing press was not so much an i_______, however, as an improvement of developing technologies. The Chinese were the first to use wooden blocks(木刻版)，as early as the 8th century. Then great _____was made around 1040. The movable type was invented by Bi Sheng in China. European _______the printing methods centuries later. Another contribution to Cutenberg`s system also come from the East,______.The Chinese invented paper using ______materials,including old clothes. The kind of the inexpensive paper was introduced into Europe in 1000 or so. This kind of paper was ____for the new European printing presses,______it took in the only ink required for the metal type.
Printing soon became an important ____in a rapidly growing world. By 1500,nearly 35,000 books were in print worldwide. But the printing press did not ______a lot for a long time. In the 19th century , however, iron _______wood in the press`s framework. And paper became______in continuous rolls rather than more expensive single pieces. Steam engines _____the speed at which the press ran. In the late 1900s,the introduction of better presses greatly _____the time it took to turn ideas into books.
1.A.used B. put C. read D. written
2.A.shown B.turned C. moved D. added
3.A.needed B. lost C. collected D. found
4.A.challenged B. studies C. discoveries D. developments
5.A.Recently B. Immediately C. Previously D. Finally
6.A.discussion B. production C. instruction D. preparation
7.A.pages B. ideas C. models D. characters
8.A.attraction B. expressin C. competition D. invention
9.A.accident B. research C. progress D. situation
10.A.believed B. followed C.tested D. required
11.A.paper B. wood C. letters D. metal
12.A.fine B. thin C. heavy D. cheap
13.A.useless B. special C. good D. impossible
14.A.as B. although C. until D. unless
15.A.fashion B. industry C. trick D. belief
16.A.apply B. help C. work D. change
17.A.replaced B. controlled C. became D. protected
18.A.necesary B. available C. normal D. valuable
19.A.reached B. limited C. increased D. kept
20.A.made B. allowed C. wasted D. reduced
