The question was once asked of a 1. (success) businessman, “How have you done so much in your lifetime?” lie replied, “I have dreamed. I have turned my mind loose 2. (imagine) what I wanted to do. Then I went to bed and 3. (think) about my dreams. In the night I dreamed about my dreams. And when I awoke in the morning, I saw the way to make my dreams real. While other people were saying, ‘You can’t do that, and it is 4. (passible).’ I was well on my way to 5. (achieve) what I wanted, as Woodrow Wilson, the 28th President of 6. US said: ‘We grow great by dreams,’”
All big men are dreamers. Some of us let these dreams die, 7. others protect them and take care 8. them through bad days until they bring them to the sunshine and light which comes always to those who 9. (sincere) hope that their dreams will come true. So please, don’t let anyone steal your dreams, or try to tell you they are too unrealistic. “Sing your 10. (song), and dream your dreams, hope your hope and pray your prayer.”
In old times, a young athletic boy is hungry for success. For him __ was everything and success was measured by such a __.
One day, the boy was preparing himself for a running __ in his small native village. A large crowd had gathered to __ the sporting wonder and a wise old man, upon __ of the little boy, had travelled far to attend it.
The race started, looking like a level heat at the __ line, but sure enough the boy worked hard and called on his determination, __ and power. He took the winning line and was first. The crowd was crazy and cheered and __ at the boy. The wise man remained still and calm, expressing nothing. The little boy, __, felt proud and important.
A second race was called, and two new young, fit __ came forward, to run with the little boy. The race was started and sure enough the little boy __ success and finished first once again. The crowd was crazy again and cheered and waved at the boy. The wise man __ the same and said nothing.
“Another race, another race!” said the little boy. The wise old man __ forward and presented the little boy with two __ challengers, an elderly lady and a blind man. “What is this?” __ the little boy. “This is no race!” he __. “Race!” said the wise man, The race started and the boy was the only finisher, because the other two challengers just __ at the starting line. The little boy was happy, and raised his arms in __. The crowd, however, was silent showing no delight toward the little boy.
“What has __? Why didn’t the people join in my __?” he asked the wise old man. “Race again,” replied the wise man. “But this time, finish together, all three of you, finish together.”
1.A. failing B. winning C. discussing D. advising
2.A. process B. result C. prize D. effort
3.A. difficulty B. position C. chance D. competition
4.A. pray B. chat C. witness D. apply
5.A. informing B. talking C. accusing D. hearing
6.A. finishing B. dead C. waiting D. defending
7.A. kindness B. strength C. reward D. examination
8.A. knocked B. ran C. waved D. travelled
9.A. therefore B. besides C. however D. unless
10.A. customers B. challengers C. operators D. settlers
11.A. achieved B. managed C. consulted D. demanded
12.A. responded B. required C. obtained D. discovered
13.A. put B. brought C. turned D. stepped
14.A. new B. poor C. sick D. familiar
15.A. ordered B. suggested C. explained D. asked
16.A. remembered B. shouted C. comforted D. supported
17.A. ran B. stood C. jumped D. cried
18.A. delight B. sorrow C. concern D. decision
19.A. continued B. began C. happened D. changed
20.A. pride B. vocation C. performance D. success
Things to Start Doing for Yourself
Here is a positive to-do list for the upcoming year：
Start spending time with right people. There are the people you like» who love and appre-ciate you, and who encourage you to improve. They not only accept who you are now» but also accept who you want to be. 1.
Start facing your problems head-on. It isn’t your problems that define you, but how you react to them and recover from them. 2. With your problems, take baby steps in the right direction, inch by inch. These inches count, which add up to yards and miles in the long run.
3. Be honest about what’s right, as well as what needs to be changed. Be honest a- bout what you want to achieve and who you want to become. Be honest about every aspect of your life because you are the person you can forever count on.
Start valuing the lessons your mistakes teach you. 4. Significant achievements are al-most always realized at the end of a long road of failures. One of the “mistakes” you fear might just be the link to your greatest achievement.
Start forgiving yourself and others. We’ve all been hurt by our own decisions and by others. 5. It means you’re letting go of the hatred (仇恨) and pain, and choosing to learn from the pain and move on with your life.
Start cheering for other people’s victories. Notice what you like about others and tell them. Be happy for those who are making progress. Cheer for their victories. Be thankful for their blessings (赐福) openly.
A. Forgiveness is the medicine.
B. Mistakes are the stepping stones of progress.
C. They are the ones who make you feel more alive.
D. Start being honest with yourself about everything.
E. Problems will not disappear unless you take action.
F. It doesn’t mean you’re out of trouble.
G. You are in competition with yourself.
Every day, people come into contact with thousands of chemicals. These chemicals are said to be harmless to human health. In fact，the chemicals are considered so safe that we wash with them. We put them on our bodies and even our faces. Other chemical products are used throughout our homes.
By the time you walk out of your front door, you have already been exposed to thousands of chemicals.
On its own, each chemical seems harmless. But in combination with other chemicals, they may become deadly. That is the finding of a two-year study by a high-profile task force of scientists. The task force was told to investigate the cancer-causing possibility of chemical mixtures.
Linda Gulliver was one of 174 scientists on the task force. Their job was to study the cancer-causing potential of 85 chemicals. All 85 are said to be common in the environment.
Ms. Gulliver explains that chemicals have the potential or y to form dangerous mixtures. Even simple minerals can become dangerous when mixed with chemicals found in plastics or beauty products.
Working in groups, the scientists explored how different chemical mixtures could lead to cancer. Ms. Gulliver’s team looked at the ability of different combinations to support the in- crease of malignant (恶性的) human cells.
She says the current way to identify whether chemicals cause cancer is to test them one at a time. This method leads, she adds, to a long list of supposedly “safe” chemicals. She and her team say that approach needs to change.
“We definitely need certain research… to find out what mixtures of chemicals would be more harmful than others; what groups of chemicals, when together, would produce more harmful effects. And at the moment, that is not known.”
An estimated one in five cancers has been linked to chemical exposure. It may turn out that the cancer-causing villain (恶棍) is not a single chemical at all.
1.What effect may one single chemical have on us according to the text?
A. It may let us suffer from cancer.
B. It may not cause danger to us.
C. It may destroy our body.
D. It may let our body make a change.
2.What can we learn about Ms. Gulliver’s research?
A. She has found reasons for five kinds of cancers.
B. She has found that only one chemical can cause cancer.
C. She has found 85 cancer-causing chemicals.
D. She is not sure what mixtures of chemicals are more harmful.
3.According to the text» we can infer that the study .
A. is just wasting time and money
B. is in need of great efforts
C. will cause panic in public
D. will be resisted by the public
4.What is the best title for the text?
A. Mixtures of Safe Chemicals May Cause Cancer
B. Being Exposed to One Chemical Is Dangerous
C. How Mixtures of Safe Chemicals Come into Being?
D. What Is the Real Cause for Cancer?
The world’s first “Sky Pool” has been uncoated-and it’ll give anyone a touch of dizzi-ness, unless he or she is not bothered by heights.
Situated in the capital’s new riverside district beside Battersea Power Station, the glass pool, hanging 10 storeys, or 110 feet up as a bridge between two apartment buildings, is 25m long, 5m wide and 3m deep with a water depth of 1. 2m. Swimmers will be able to look down 35 metres to the street below as they take a dip, with only 20cm of glass between them and the outside world It’s even got a bar, folding chairs and an orange garden.
The pool will be part of Embassy Gardens at Nine Elms, a huge billion building pro-ject beside the new American Embassy in south-west London. The project is creating thou-sands of apartments, the smallest of which are expected to cost nearly $ 1 million, and the pool will only be open to the apartments’ owners.
Embassy Gardens takes design inspiration from the Meatpacking District of New York with floor to ceiling windows and brick frontages. The designer, Sean Mulryan, desired to push the boundaries in the capability of construction and engineering and do something that had never been done before. The Sky Pool’s transparent structure is the result of significant advancements in technologies over the last decade.
The experience of the pool will be truly unique and it will feel like floating through the air in central London.
Those people lucky enough to swim there will have a faultless view of the Palace of West-minster and the London Eye. It will be a selling point for developers when the second stage of the development is released to market.
1.Who can swim in the Sky Pool?
A. Anyone at Nine Elms. B. Visitors to London.
C. People living in Embassy Gardens. D. Those who are not terrified of heights.
2.People lucky enough to swim in the Sky Pool can do the following except .
A. drinking with friends B. sitting in the orange garden
C. appreciating the London Eye D. experiencing diving and surfing
3.What do we know from the text?
A. The pool is 25 metres above the ground.
B. The pool was similar to New York’s modern constructions.
C. The pool lies in the centre of London.
D. The pool is helpful for selling apartments in Embassy Gardens.
4.We can infer from the text that .
A. The apartments of Embassy Garden are fairly expensive
B. the new American Embassy has been moved away
C. Nine Elms is a street in Embassy Gardens
D. building the pool is not a complex job
Volunteering Is Fun
One afternoon I was sitting at home feeling so bored. Instead of feeling sorry for myself, I wanted to meet people and have new experiences so I decided to start volunteering. I searched on my computer and found a website where I could volunteer on a farm in France.
My time working on a farm was a new experience for me. It was basically a free holiday as food and accommodation were provided. However, it was not your typical holiday as I had to look after fifteen horses and sleep at the top of a tower in a castle! I was an awful farmer but it did not matter because I made some great friends.
However, you do not need to go abroad to volunteer. I have had plenty of adventures at home as volunteering can become a hobby. For example, I love singing so I had a good laugh waving my arms in an attempt to conduct my local choir. I did slowly improve and it felt great to conduct the choir in a concert. At university, I organised a concert for charity with my friends. It was really fun finding hands and raising money for a cause we believe in.
It is true that you feel good volunteering but there are also other advantages. I once vol-unteered as a server at a charity sports event where the organizers gave me cupcakes to thank me for my services. I also volunteered in a charity shop so I found loads of nice cheap clothes to update my wardrobe (衣柜).
While this is all fun, my favourite aspect of volunteering is creating and sharing stories. My terrible attempts at farming have given me hilarious stories to tell! Talking to volunteers from different countries and backgrounds has also helped me learn more about the world. I feel thankful to have had so much fun with many nice people thanks to volunteering.
1.Why did the author want to be a volunteer?
A. He wanted to go abroad.
B. He felt ashamed of himself.
C. He wanted to taste new life and make friends.
D. He wanted to be a farmer.
2.The underlined word “hilarious” in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to “ ” .
A. sad B. critical
C. awful D. funny
3.The author did many volunteering work except .
A. taking care of horses and sheep B. conducting a choir in a concert
C. helping in a charity sports event D. helping in a charity shop
4.How does the author feel according to the last paragraph?
A. Curious. B. Anxious.
C. Cautious. D. Grateful.
