Question

Failing Successfully

Two years ago I took part in a speech competition and delivered a memorized speech. It was a hard time for me when the judge ______ the winners. At last, the moment of truth came. I got the worst.

After not being placed in the competition, I really wanted to ______ again. I realized that finding the right topic was the most important part of the whole _____. It needs to be motivational and inspirational to the ______. So I reworked my speech for the following year, ______ a different topic and spending many hours before the computer and in libraries doing research. Then I worked _____ the speech, line by line, word by word, making it ______ better.

The next year I participated in the competition again. I gave my ______ in two parts, one was about my own experience and the other was about the feelings that people usually have when giving a speech—how ______ it is, standing on a stage all alone, with everyone sitting and watching them. My speech ______ down well and I was hoping to do that a little bit better. _____, my wish didn’t come true. The competition was so fierce and again I wasn’t _____.

I was deeply disappointed, since I couldn’t accept the fact that I had ______ twice in something that I had worked so hard on. However, I knew that losing is ______ and part of life. One of the judges said to me that my speech was quite good, ______ it needed to be better if I wanted to go any further. He advised me to struggle to ______ something like some of the empty gestures. He said that I would surely succeed someday.

While I didn’t earn ______ as a result of the competition, I did gain a new viewpoint. I discovered that I could fail successfully. I think I’ll ______ to work hard and enter the next competition. Now, whenever I’m faced with a defeat, I ______ myself of what a famous person said, “The path was worn and slippery. My foot slipped from under me, knocking the other out of the way, but I recovered and said to myself that it’s a slip and not a ______.”

1.A. interviewed    B. predicted    C. observed    D. announced

2.A. compete    B. suffer    C. win    D. check

3.A. range    B. condition    C. system    D. process

4.A. companion    B. audience    C. director    D. author

5.A. reviewing    B. supposing    C. picking    D. comparing

6.A. during    B. against    C. behind    D. through

7.A. increase    B. occur    C. expose    D. flow

8.A. choice    B. instruction    C. reason    D. speech

9.A. annoying    B. surprising    C. frightening    D. confusing

10.A. slowed    B. dropped    C. went    D. rolled

11.A. Angrily    B. Sadly    C. Strangely    D. Eagerly

12.A. placed    B. treated    C. settled    D. affected

13.A. decreased    B. escaped    C. struggled    D. failed

14.A. flexible    B. typical    C. appropriate    D. normal

15.A. but    B. so    C. for    D. or

16.A. assume    B. declare    C. overcome    D. acquire

17.A. awards    B. profits    C. comments    D. qualities

18.A. continue    B. agree    C. regret    D. apply

19.A. allow    B. inform    C. accuse    D. remind

20.A. fall    B. push    C. kick    D. walk

Answer

1. D

2. A

3. D

4. B

5. C

6. D

7. D

8. D

9. C

10. C

11. B

12. A

13. D

14. D

15. A

16. C

17. A

18. A

19. D

20. A

【解析】

本文是一篇记叙文。作者两次参加演讲比赛，虽然精心准备仍然没有拿到奖项，但是作者感到虽败犹荣，他时刻提醒自己，失败只是自己滑了一跤，而不是跌倒。

1.考查动词辨析。A. interviewed采访；B. predicted预测；C. observed观察；D. announced宣布。根据下文I got the worst.可知，此处指“当裁判判定获胜者获胜时，我感到很难受。”故D选项正确。

2.考查动词辨析。A. compete竞争；B. suffer遭受；C. win赢得；D. check核查。句意：在没有被列入比赛之后，我真想再比赛一次。故A选项正确。

3.考查名词辨析。A. range范围；B. condition条件；C. system体系；D. process过程。句意：我意识到找到合适的话题是整个过程中最重要的部分。故D选项正确。

4.考查名词辨析。A. companion陪伴；B. audience观众；C. director导演；D. author作者。句意：它需要激励和激励观众。故B选项正确。

5.考查动词辨析。A. reviewing复习；B. supposing假定；C. picking挑选；D. comparing比较。句意：于是我修改了第二年的演讲稿，选了一个不同的主题，在电脑前和图书馆里花了很多时间做研究。故C选项正确。

6.考查介词辨析。A. during期间；B. against反对；C. behind在……后面；D. through通过。句意：然后我把演讲从头到尾写了一遍，一行一行，一字一句。故D选项正确。

7.考查动词辨析。A. increase增加；B. occur发生；C. expose暴露；D. flow（谈话、文体等）流畅。句意：让它更流畅。故D选项正确。

8.考查名词辨析。A. choice选择；B. instruction指导；C. reason原因；D. speech演讲。句意：我的演讲分为两部分，一部分是关于我自己的经历，另一部分是关于人们通常在演讲时的感受。故D选项正确。

9.考查形容词辨析。A. annoying烦人的；B. surprising令人吃惊的；C. frightening吓人的；D. confusing令人困惑的。根据下文standing on a stage all alone, with everyone sitting and watching them.可知，此处指“另一部分是关于人们在演讲时的感受——多么可怕，一个人站在台上，每个人都坐在那里看着他们。”故C选项正确。

10.考查动词辨析。A. slowed放慢；B. dropped掉下；C. went进行；D. rolled滚动。句意：我的演讲进行的很好，我希望能做得更好。故C选项正确。

11.考查副词辨析。A. Angrily愤怒地；B. Sadly悲伤地；C. Strangely奇怪地；D. Eagerly急切地。句意：遗憾的是，我的愿望没有实现。故B选项正确。

12.考查动词辨析。A. placed安置，入选；B. treated对待；C. settled解决；D. affected影响。句意：竞争是如此激烈，我再次没有被入选。故A选项正确。

13.考查动词辨析。A. decreased减少；B. escaped逃避；C. struggled努力；D. failed失败。句意：我非常失望，因为我不能接受我曾经努力却失败了两次的事实。故D选项正确。

14.考查形容词辨析。A. flexible灵活的；B. typical典型的；C. appropriate合适的；D. normal正常的。句意：然而，我知道失败是正常的，是生活的一部分。故D选项正确。

15.考查连词辨析。A. but但是；B. so因此；C. for因为；D. or否则。句意：一位评委对我说，我的演讲很好，但如果我想再进一步的话，还需要做得更好。故A选项正确。

16.考查动词辨析。A. assume假定；B. declare宣布；C. overcome克服；D. acquire获得。句意：他建议我努力克服一些像一些空洞的手势之类的东西。故C选项正确。

17.考查名词辨析。A. awards奖项；B. profits利润；C. comments评论；D. qualities品质。句意：虽然我没有因为比赛而获奖，但我得到了一个新的观点。故A选项正确。

18.考查动词辨析。A. continue继续；B. agree同意；C. regret后悔；D. apply申请。句意：我想我会继续努力，参加下一场比赛。故A选项正确。

19.考查动词辨析。A. allow允许；B. inform通知；C. accuse控告；D. remind使想起。句意：现在，每当我面对失败的时候，我就会想起一个名人说过的话。故D选项正确。

20.考查名词辨析。A. fall跌倒；B. push推；C. kick踢；D. walk走。句意：但我恢复了过来，对自己说，这是滑倒，不是跌倒。故A选项正确。