完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）
My fiance (未婚夫) and I were excited about shopping for our first home. But our funds were , and none of the houses in our price range seemed satisfactory.
One agent a house in particular. Although her description sounded wonderful, the price was our range, so we declined. But she kept urging us to have a look .
We finally did and it was at first sight. It was Our Home, small and charming, overlooking a quiet lake. Walking through the rooms and talking with the owners, a nice elderly couple, we felt the warmth and of the marriage within that home. As perfect as it was, the price remained too high for us. But every day, we would sit by the lake, looking at the house and dreaming of________it would be like to live there.
Days later, we made a(n) ________—far below the asking price. Surprisingly, they didn’t ________ us. They renewed their offer ________. It was also much more than we could afford, but far ________ than the original asking price.
The next day, we got a ________ message that another buyer had offered a much higher price. Even so, we decided to talk with the ________ directly. We made our final offer, which ________ was thousands of dollars less than the other buyer’s bid. We knew it, ________ we had to try.
“Sold!” said the owner. Then he ________ : He’d seen us sitting by the lake all those times; he knew how much we loved the place and that we’d ________ the years of work they had put into their home; he realized he would take a ________ by selling it to us, but it was worthwhile; we were the people they wanted to live there. He told us to consider the ________ in the price “an early wedding present.”
That’s how we found our home and how I learned that when people are ________ they are not strangers, only friends we haven’t yet met.
1.A. needed B. limited C. enough D. large
2.A. recommended B. decorated C. sold D. rented
3.A. below B. within C. beyond D. between
4.A. at least B. at most C. at times D. at hand
5.A. relief B. concern C. love D. curiosity
6.A. pride B. happiness C. challenge D. desire
7.A. which B. why C. that D. what
8.A. effort B. offer C. promise D. profit
9.A. come across B. look after C. depend on D. laugh at
10.A. instead B. indeed C. aside D. apart
11.A. worse B. better C. less D. higher
12.A. relaxing B. disappointing C. pleasant D. regular
13.A. agents B. buyers C. managers D. owners
14.A. already B. still C. generally D. ever
15.A. so B. or C. for D. but
16.A. apologized B. complained C. criticized D. explained
17.A. check B. analyze C. appreciate D. ignore
18.A. loss B. risk C. chance D. lead
19.A. increase B. difference C. interest D. average
20.A. kind B. polite C. smart D. Energetic
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。选项中有两项为多余选项。
Facing the Enemies Within
We are not born with courage, but neither are we born with fear. Fears, even the most basic ones, can totally destroy our ambitions. Fear can destroy fortunes. Fear can destroy relationships. Fear, if left unchecked, can destroy our lives. Fear is one of the many enemies living inside us.
___1.__
The first enemy we face is indecision(优柔寡断). Indecision is the thief of opportunity. _2.__ Take a sword to this enemy.
The second enemy inside is doubt. __3._ But you also can’t let doubt take over. Many people doubt the past, doubt the future, doubt each other, doubt the government, doubt the possibilities and doubt the opportunities. Worst of all, they doubt themselves. I’m telling you, doubt will destroy your life and your chances of success. It will empty both your bank account and your heart. _4._
Do battle with the enemy. Do battle with your fears. __5.__ Be courageous in your life and in your pursuit of the things you want and the person you want to become.
A. Sure, there’s room for healthy doubt. You can’t believe everything
B. Build your courage to fight what’s holding you back, what’s keeping you from your goals and dreams.
C. Let me tell you about two of the other enemies we face from within.
D. Below are the ways which might be useful for us to overcome our fears.
E. Doubt is an enemy. Go after it. Get rid of it.
F. It will steal your chances for a better future.
G. Some people doubt everything.
Nothing could stop Dad. After he was put on disability for a bad back, he bought a small farm in the country, just enough to grow food for the family. He planted vegetables, fruit trees and even kept bees for honey.
And every week he cleaned Old Man McColgin's chicken house in exchange for manure(肥料). The smell really burned the inside of your nose. When we complained about the terrible smell, Dad said the stronger the manure, the healthier the crops, and he was right. For example, just one of his cantaloupes(甜瓜) filled the entire house with its sweet smell, and the taste was even sweeter.
As the vegetables started coming in, Dad threw himself into cooking. One day, armed with a basket of vegetables, he announced he was going to make stew(炖菜).Dad pulled out a pressure cooker（高压锅）and filled it up with cabbages, eggplants, potatoes, corns, onions and carrots. For about half an hour, the pressure built and the vegetables cooked. Finally, Dad turned off the stove, the pot began to cool and the pressure relief valve sprayed out a cloud of steam. If we thought Dad's pile of chicken manure was bad, this was 10 times worse. When Dad took off the lid, the smell nearly knocked us out.
Dad carried the pot out and we opened doors and windows to air out the house. Just how bad was it? The neighbors came out of their houses to see if we had a gas leak!
Determined, Dad filled our plates with steaming stew and passed them around. It didn’t look that bad, and after the first wave had shut down my ability to smell, it didn’t offend the nose so much, edible, and we drank up every last drop of soup.
1.Why did Dad clean Old Man Mocolgin’s chicken house regularly?
A. To earn some money for the family.
B. To collect manure for his crops.
C. To get rid of the terrible smell.
D. To set a good example to us.
2.What can we infer about Dad’s stew?
A. It is popular among the neighbors.
B. It contains honey and vegetables.
C. It looks very wonderful.
D. It tastes quite delicious.
3.What does the underlined word “offend” in the last paragraph mean?
A. To attract B. To upset C. To air D. To shut
Across Britain, burnt toast will be served to mothers in bed this morning as older sons and daughters rush to deliver their supermarket bunches of flowers. But, according to a new study, we should be placing a higher value on motherhood all year.
Mothers have long known that their home workload was just as heavy as paid work. Now, the new study has shown that if they were paid for their parental labors, they would earn as much as￡172,000 a year.
The study looked at the range of jobs mothers do, as well as the hours they are working, to determine the figure. This would make their yearly income ￡30,000 more than the Prime Minister earns.
By analyzing the numbers, it found the average mother works 119 hours a week, 40 of which would usually be paid at a standard rate and 79 hours as overtime. After questioning 1,000 mothers with children under 18, it found that, on most days, mums started their routine work at 7 am and finished at around 11 pm.
To calculate just how much mothers would earn from that labor, it suggested some of the roles that mums could take on, including housekeeper, part-time lawyer, personal trainer and entertainer. Being a part-time lawyer, at ￡48.98 an hour, would prove to be the most profitable of the “mum jibs”, with psychologist(心理学家) a close second.
It also asked mothers about the challenges they face, with 80 percent making emotional(情感的) demand as the hardest thing about motherhood.
Over a third of mums felt they needed more training and around half said they missed going out with friends.
The study shows mothers matter all year long and not just on Mother’s Day. The emotional, physical and mental energy mothers devote to their children can be never-ending, but children are also sources of great joy and happiness. Investing(投入) in time for parenting and raising relationships is money well spent.
1.How much would a mother earn a year if working as the Prime Minister?
A.￡30,000. B.￡142,000.
C.￡172,000. D.￡202,000.
2.The biggest challenge for most mothers is from .
A. emotional demand B. low pay for work
C. heavy workload D. lack of training
3.What is stressed in the last paragraph?
A. Mothers’ importance shows in family all year long.
B. The sacrifices mothers make are huge but worthwhile.
C. Mothers’ devotion to children can hardly be calculated.
D. Investing time in parenting would bring a financial return.
4.What can we conclude from the study?
A. Mothers’ working hours should be largely reduced.
B. Mothers should balance their time for work and rest.
C. Mothers’ labor is of a higher value than it is realized.
D. Mothers should be freed from housework for social life.
In ancient Egypt, a shopkeeper discovered that he could attract customers to his shop simply by making changes to its environment. Modern businesses have been following his lead, with more tactics(策略).
One tactic involves where to display the goods. For example, stores place fruits and vegetables in the first section. They know that customers who buy the healthy food first will feel happy so that they will buy more junk food(垃圾食品) later in their trip. In department stores, the women’s shoe section is generally next to the women’s cosmetics(化妆品) section: while the shop assistant is going back to find the right size shoe, bored customers are likely to wander over and find some cosmetics they might want to try later.
Besides, businesses seek to appeal to customers’ senses. Stores notice that the smell of baked goods encourages shopping, so they make their own bread each morning and then fan the bread smell into the store throughout the day. Music sells goods, too. Researchers in Britain found that when French music was played, sales of French wines went up.
When it comes to the selling of houses, businesses also use highly rewarding tactics. They find that customers make decisions in the first few seconds upon walking in the door, and turn it into a business opportunity. A California builder designed the structure of its houses smartly. When entering the house, the customer would see the Pacific Ocean through the windows, and then the pool through an open stairway leading to the lower level. The instant view of water on both levels helped sell these $10 million houses.
1.Why do stores usually display fruits and vegetables in the first section?
A. To save customers times.
B. To show they are high quality foods.
C. To help sell junk food.
D. To sell them at discount prices.
2.According to Paragraph 3, which of the following encourages customers to buy?
A. Opening the store early in the morning.
B. Displaying British wines next to French ones.
C. Inviting customers to play music.
D. Filling the store with the smell of fresh bread.
3.What is the California builder’s story intended to prove?
A. The house structure is a key factor customers consider.
B. The more costly the house is, the better it sells.
C. An ocean view is much to the customers’ taste.
D. A good first impression increases sales.
4.What is the main purpose of the passage?
A. To explain how businesses turn people into their customers.
B. To introduce how businesses have grown from the past.
C. To report researches on customer behavior.
D. To show dishonest business practices.
Metro Pocket Guide
Metrorail(地铁)
Each passenger needs a farecard to enter and go out. Up to two children under ago five may travel free with a paying customer.
Farecard machine are in every station, Bring small bills because there are no change machines in the station and farecard machine only provide up to $ 5 in change.
Get one of unlimited Metrorail rides with a One Day Pass. Buy it from a farecard machine in Metro stations. Use it after 9:30 a. m. until closing on weekdays, and all day on weekends and holidays.
Hours of Service
Open: 5 a. m Mon-Fri 7a. m. Sat—Sun .
Close: midnight Sun—Thurs 3 a.m. Fri.---Sat. nights.
Last train times vary. To avoid missing the last train, please check the last train times posted in the station.
Metrobus
When paying with exact change, the fare is $ 1. 35 . when paying with a smarTrip card, the fare is $1. 25
Fares for the Senior /disabled customers
Senior citizens 65 and older and disabled customers may ride for half the regular fare. On Metrorail and Metrobus, use a senior/disabled farecard or SmarTrip card. For more information about buying senior/disabled farecards, farecard or SmarTrip cards and passes, please visit MetroOpenDoors. com or call 202-637-7000 and 202-637-8000.
Senior citizens and disabled customers can get free guide on how to use proper Metrobus and Metrorail services by calling 202-962-1100
Travel tips （提示）
. Avoid riding during weekday rush periods –before 9:30 a. m. and between 4 and 6 p. m.
. If you lose something on a bus or train or in a station, please call Lost & Found at 202-962-1195.
1.what should you know about farecard machine?
A. They start selling tickets at 9:30 a. m.
B. They are connected to change machines.
C. They offer special service to the elderly.
D. They make change for no more than $5.
2.At what time does Metrorail stop service on Saturday?
A. At midnight B. at 3 a. m.
C. at 5 am D. at 7 p. m.
3.What is good about a SmarTrip card?
A. It is convenient for old people
B. It saves money for its users
C. it can be bought at any time
D. it is sold on the Internet.
4.Which number should you call if you lose something on the Metro?
A. 202-962-1195 B. 202-962-1100
C. 202-673-7000 D. 202-673-8000
