阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。
With my tenth birthday 1. （approach）, I couldn’t help imagining what kind of present my parents would give me. 2. (surprising), they gave me a book, My Life Story, 3. (write) by an American writer—Helen Keller. In the book, she wrote that she had not been able to see, hear or speak. Disabled4. she was, with the help of Miss Sullivan, she learned how to write English words and published many 5. (fame) works, including My Life Story. It was Miss Sullivan’s continuous encouragement and instruction that inspired her to live her life 6. the fullest.
I 7. (impress) with Miss Sullivan’s kindness and the writer’s8. (determine). Whenever I felt depressed because of learning difficulties, I would read the book once more.
Although it was ten years ago 9. I read the book, it shows me 10. universal truth that books are friends, always pushing us to move on.
阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处最佳选项。
Robby’ piano lessons
With the encouragement from my friends, I am writing this story. My name is Mildred Hondorf. I am a former elementary school music teacher from DeMoines, Iowa. I’ve always taught piano lessons in my spare time to supplement(补充) my income. Over the years I found that children have many levels of musical ability. Although I have taught some ________ students, I’ve also had my share of what I call “musically challenged” pupils. One such student is Robby.
Robby was 11 years old when his mother (a single mom) took him for his ________ piano lesson. I ________ that students (especially boys) begin at an earlier age, which I ________ to Robby. But Robby said that it had always been his mother's dream to hear him play the piano. So I took him as a ________.
________ Robby tried very hard, he didn't have the basic sense of music. However, he continued and at the end of each weekly lesson he would always say, "My mom's going to hear me play some day.” But it seemed ________. I only knew his mother from a distance as she dropped Robby off or waited in her old car to ________ him up. She always waved and smiled but ________ stopped in.
Then one day Robby stopped coming to our lessons. He ________ me and said his mother was sick. I also was glad that he stopped coming. He was a bad ________ for my teaching!
Several weeks later I was ________ my students for the music show when Robby came and asked me if he could be in it. "Miss Hondorf.….I've just got to ________" he said. I don’t know what led me to ________ him to play in the show. Maybe it was his persistence or maybe it was something inside of me saying that it would be all right. The night for the show came. The high school gym was packed with parents, friends and relations. The show went off well. Then Robby came up on stage. I was ________ when he announced that he had chosen one of the most difficult pieces of Mozart. I was not prepared for what I heard next. His ________ were light on the keys. They even danced on the keys... He played so well that everyone was on their feet ________ excitedly.
In tears I ran up on stage, "Oh, Robby! ________ would you do it?" "Well Miss Hondorf... I kept on practising at home. Remember I told you my mom was sick? Well, ________ she had cancer and passed away this morning. And well... she was born ________, so tonight was the first time she ever heard me. I wanted to make it special.”
1.A. ordinaryB. youngC. sillyD. talented
2.A. firstB. secondC. nextD. last
3.A. referB. preferC. permitD. reject
4.A. complainedB. repliedC. explainedD. responded
5.A. brotherB. boyC. studentD. teacher
6.A. AlthoughB. BecauseC. SinceD. Unless
7.A. carelessB. hopelessC. homelessD. useless
8.A. callB. pickC. keepD. wake
9.A. alwaysB. usuallyC. sometimesD. never
10.A. askedB. invitedC. telephonedD. told
11.A. advertisementB. intervieweeC. colleagueD. contribution
12.A. providingB. searchingC. preparingD. asking
13.A. goB. leaveC. playD. dance
14.A. demandB. hopeC. suggestD. allow
15.A. excitedB. surprisedC. happyD. satisfied
16.A. eyesB. armsC. fingersD. legs
17.A. spottingB. clappingC. equippingD. stopping
18.A. WhatB. WhenC. WhereD. How
19.A. in particularB. in factC. in placeD. in case
20.A. deafB. blindC. sickD. expert
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。选项中有两项为多余选项。
It is hard to know what babies want. They can’t talk, walk, or even point at what they’re thinking about. 1. And, compared to adults, they develop these skills quickly. People have a hard time learning new languages as they grow older, but infants have the ability to learn any language easily.
For a long time, scientists have tried to explain how such young children can learn complicated(复杂的) grammatical rules and sounds of a language. 2. This new information might eventually help kids with learning problems as well as adults who want to learn new languages. It might even help scientists who are trying to design computers that can communicate like people do.
Most babies go “goo goo” and “ma ma” by 6 months of age. 3. For decades, scientists have wondered how the brains of young children figure out how to communicate using language. With the help from new technologies and research strategies, scientists are now finding that babies begin life with the ability to learn any language.
They get into contact with other people, listen to what they say and watch their movements very closely. 4. Studies show that, up to about 6 months of age, babies can recognize all the sounds that make up all the languages in the world.
There are about 6,000 sounds that are spoken in languages around the globe, but not every language uses every sound. For example, while the Swedish language has 16 vowel sounds, English uses 8 vowel sounds, and Japanese uses just 5. Adults can hear only the sounds used in the languages they speak fluently. To a native Japanese speaker, for example, the letters R and L sound the same. 5.
A. Children don’t respond to this kind of sound.
B. Most children speak in full sentences by age 3.
C. A baby’s brain focuses on the most common sounds.
D. That is why they quickly master the languages they hear often.
E. So a Japanese speaker cannot tell “row” from “low”, or “rake” from “lake”.
F. Yet newborns begin to develop language skills long before they begin speaking.
G. Now, researchers are knowing about what’s happening in the brains of the youngest language learners.
Because, like most of you, I began college in my teens, but after a year, I was offered my dream job at Universal Studios, so I dropped out.
Well, I left college because I knew exactly what I wanted to do and some of you know, too — but some of you don’t. Or maybe you thought you knew but are now questioning that choice. Maybe you’re sitting there trying to find out how to tell your parents that you want to be a doctor and not a writer.
I told my parents if my movie career didn’t go well, I’d re-enroll(重新报名上学). It went all right. But finally, I returned for one big reason.
Most people go to college for an education, and some go for their parents, but I went for my kids. I’m the father of seven, and I kept insisting on the importance of going to college, but I hadn’t walked the walk. So, in my fifties, I re-enrolled at Cal State-Long Beach, and I earned my degree.
Well, what you choose to do next is what we call in the movies the ‘character-defining(角色定义) moment’.
Life is one strong, long string of character-defining moments. And I was lucky that at 18 I knew what I exactly wanted to do. But I didn’t know who I was. How could I? And how could any of us? Because for the first 25 years of our lives, we are trained to listen to voices that are not our own. Parents and professors fill our heads with wisdom and information, and then employers and tutors take their place and explain how this world really works.
And I want to be clear that your intuition(直觉) is different from your conscience. Here’s the difference: Your conscience shouts, ‘here’s what you should do,’ while your intuition whispers, ‘here’s what you could do.’ Listen to that voice that tells you what you could do. Nothing will define your character more than that.
Sticking to your character requires a lot of courage. And to be courageous, you’re going to need a lot of support. And if you’re lucky, you have parents like mine. I consider my mom my lucky charm.
But look, if your family’s not always available, there’s backup. Do you remember that movie? It’s a Wonderful Life? There’s an actor’s line in it: No man is a failure who has friends.” And I hope you hold on to the friendships you’re made here at Harvard. And among your friends, I hope you find someone you want to share your life with.
1.In the writer’s opinion, why can’t we define ourselves before 25 years old?
A. Because we are not old enough.
B. Because we are used to listening to others’ voices.
C. Because our parents and professors ask us to listen to the voices of our employers.
D. Because we can’t find suitable jobs.
2.According to the passage, which of the following is true?
A. The writer completed his college study in his teens.
B. The writer’s movie career didn’t go all right so he returned to college.
C. It was not until he was 25 years old that the writer knew what he exactly wanted to do.
D. The writer suggests we should listen to our intuition.
3.What do the last two paragraphs mainly tell us?
A. It takes much courage to insist on your character.
B. It’s important to find a boyfriend or a girlfriend at Harvard.
C. There are some supporters who should be valued in our life.
D. The movie It’s a Wonderful Life is worth watching.
4.The passage is most likely to be ________.
A. a speechB. a reportC. a film reviewD. an advertisement
Mexico City sits on an inland plateau(高原) surrounded by volcanic peaks, which makes air quality a constant concern for people who live here.
In April, the country took a decisive step toward improving air quality by enacting(颁布) a temporary ban(禁令) on private and federal vehicles in the city. The rule forbids people from driving in the city one day each week and one Saturday each month. Electric vehicles, government service vehicles, public transport options and school buses are not included in the ban.
Mexico City isn’t the first urban centre to be involved in car-free living. But the ban is more than an awareness-raiser; it was enacted with the direct aim of solving air pollution. In March, the city sank into a deep brown haze of smog when pollution levels passed the 200 mark. The city ordered some 1.1m of the area’s 4.7m cars off the streets and also offered free bus and subway rides.
Mexico City’s temporary vehicle ban raises questions about the best ways to improve urban air quality. India, whose citizens breathe some of the world’s dirtiest air, has tried a variety of solutions. Earlier this year, the Indian government started a 4% sales tax on new-car purchases.
Beijing also has experience with cleaning the air. The city introduced alternate-day rules in advance of the 2008 Olympic Games, which produced good, if short-lived, results. The day after the vehicle-use restrictions (限制) were lifted, the blue faded back to gray. And then there is the London congestion(拥挤) charge, introduced in 2003. The charge has had a measurable effect on air quality.
For now, Mexico City—named by the United Nations as the most polluted city on the planet in 1992—can look forward to the start of the region’s rainy season, when daily showers will help to clean the air.
1.What makes the air quality of Mexico City a concern for citizens?
A. Its population.
B. Its location.
C. Its public transportation.
D. Its government action.
2.Which is true about the rule enacted in April in Mexico City?
A. It will come into effect forever.
B. Federal vehicles are not included in the ban.
C. The rule prevents people from driving on Saturdays each month.
D. It’s a decisive measure toward reducing air pollution.
3.What can we learn from the passage?
A. Two more places are mentioned which dealt with air pollution besides Mexico City.
B. The Indian government started a 47% sales tax on new-car purchases in advance of the 2008 Olympic Games.
C. The action Beijing took has got good results for a very long time.
D. As for Mexico City, rainy season can help to improve the air quality.
4.Which word has the closest meaning to the underlined word “lifted”?
A. removedB. raisedC. approvedD. clarified
When a customer came into a Mexican restaurant in Georgia with an unusual request, a selfless waiter didn’t hesitate(犹豫) to help him out.
A disabled man with no hands who ordered a meal at Cinco cle Mayo Mexican Grill in Douglasville on Sunday afternoon hoped someone might be able to help him eat his lunch.
Server Alex Ruiz, 22, was more than happy to help as he sat opposite from the man and helped him enjoy his meal.
The heartwarming moment was captured in a photo by one of Ruiz’s workmates, Crystal Figueroa. She posted it on the restaurant’s Facebook page.
“He’s a great person,” Figuero, 24, whose father manages the restaurant, said.
“He’s always so nice, and the fact that he just came out of nowhere and helped a man he doesn’t even know have a meal says everything. That just shows the person that he is.
One of Figueroa’s friends, Reginald Widener, also witnessed the moment and posted the photo on his Facebook page.
“This seriously hit me right in the soul,” Widener wrote.
The waiters did not get the name of the man. He had never eaten in the restaurant before, according to Figueroa. But Ruiz jumped at the chance to help.
“I just feel like people should see that there’re still good people out there,” Figueroa said. “It was just a happy moment.”
1.Why did Alex Ruiz help the man eat his lunch?
A. The man was rich.
B. The man had no hands.
C. They knew each other.
D. He is Alex Ruiz’s father.
2.How many people posted the photo on the Internet?
A. Two.B. One.C. No one.D. Many.
3.What’s the relationship between Alex and Figueroa?
A. They are friends.
B. They are family.
C. Figueroa is Alex’s boss.
D. They are workmates.
4.What kind of person is Alex?
A. He hopes people to find something good in life.
B. He likes working on Sundays.
C. He is ready to help others.
D. He likes to post photos onto Facebook.
