Question

I don’t know why I came to the decision to become a loser, but I know I made the ______ at a young age. Sometime in the middle of the fourth grade, I ______ trying. By the time I was in the seventh grade, I was lazy, rebellious, ______.

It wasn’t long after that I dropped out of school. Hard physical labor was the ______ for the choices I made as an adolescent. At the age of 21, I was ______ lost, and using drugs as a way to ______ the fact that I had no education and was ______ in a dead-end job carrying heavy construction materials up a ladder all day.

____, now I believe in do-overs, in the chance to do it all again. And I believe that do-overs can be made at any ______ in your life, if you have the right ______. Mine came from a surprising source.

It was September 21, 2002, when my son Blake was born. It’s funny that after a life of ____responsibility, now I was in charge of something so ______. Over the years, as I grew into the ______ of Dad, I began to learn something about myself. In a way, Blake and I were both learning to walk, talk, work and play for the first time. I began my do-over.

It took me almost three years to learn how to read. I started with my son’s books. ______, I practised reading books to him until I remembered all the words in every one of them. I began to wonder if it was possible for me to go back to school. I knew I wanted to be a good role ____, so after a year-and-a-half and a lot of hard work, I ______ my GED test on my son’s fourth birthday. This may not sound like much, and I’m surely not trying to get praise for doing something that should have been done ______, but all things considered it was one of the best days in my life. Today, I’m a full-time college student, studying to ______ sociologist.

It’s funny, growing up I always heard these great ______ stories of triumph over shortcomings. But I never thought they ______ to me. Now I believe it’s a choice anyone can make: to do it all over again.

1.A. determination    B. wish    C. application    D. choice

2.A. started    B. stopped    C. considered    D. fancied

3.A. skeptical    B. defensive    C. disrespectful    D. suspicious

4.A. consequence    B. compromise    C. compensation    D. competence

5.A. alternatively    B. hopelessly    C. approximately    D. undoubtedly

6.A. do with    B. deal with    C. conflict with    D. meet with

7.A. struck    B. stuck    C. lost    D. taken

8.A. Nevertheless    B. Meanwhile    C. Furthermore    D. Therefore

9.A. cost    B. corner    C. point    D. occasion

10.A. ambition    B. technique    C. opportunity    D. motivation

11.A. avoiding    B. preventing    C. undertaking    D. overcoming

12.A. flexible    B. enterprising    C. fragile    D. authentic

13.A. name    B. statue    C. title    D. career

14.A. By and by    B. Over and over    C. Back and forward    D. Now and then

15.A. model    B. leader    C. example    D. tutor

16.A. got through    B. went through    C. pull through    D. comb through

17.A. for the first time    B. in the first place    C. at first hand    D. in first place

18.A. become    B. turn    C. grow    D. make

19.A. turn-around    B. take-off    C. pull-out    D. turn-off

20.A. appealed    B. applied    C. attached    D. adapted

Answer

1. D

2. B

3. C

4. A

5. B

6. B

7. B

8. A

9. C

10. D

11. A

12. C

13. C

14. B

15. A

16. A

17. B

18. B

19. A

20. B

【解析】

本文是一篇记叙文。儿子出生以前作者一事无成，儿子出生后作者决定重新开始，经过努力取得了很大的进步。作者通过亲身经历告诉我们每个人都有机会选择重来一次。

1.考查名词。A. determination决心； B. wish愿望；C. application申请； D. choice选择。根据I don’t know why I came to the decision to become a loser, but I know I made the ___1___ at a young age.可知，我不知道为什么我决定成为一个失败者，但我知道我在很小的时候就做出了这个选择。故选D。

2.考查动词。A. started开始；B. stopped停止；C. considered考虑； D. fancied幻想。根据Sometime in the middle of the fourth grade, I ___2___ trying.可知，在四年级期中的某个时候，我停止了尝试。故选B。

3.考查形容词。A. skeptical怀疑的；B. defensive自卫的；C. disrespectful无 礼的；D. suspicious可疑的。根据By the time I was in the seventh grade, I was lazy, rebellious, ___3___.可知，当我上七年级的时候，我变得懒惰、叛逆、无礼。故选C。

4.考查名词。A. consequence结果，重要性；B. compromise 妥协；C. compensation补偿；D. competence胜任。根据Hard physical labor was the ___4___ for the choices I made as an adolescent.可知，体力劳动是我在青少年时期做出的选择的结果。故选A。

5.考查副词。A. alternatively二者择一地；B. hopelessly无希望地；C. approximately 大约；D. undoubtedly毫不怀疑地。根据At the age of 21, I was ___5___ lost, and using drugs as a way to ___6___ the fact that I had no education and was ___7___ in a dead-end job carrying heavy construction materials up a ladder all day.可知，在我21岁的时候，我绝望地迷失了方向，用毒品作为一种手段来应对我没有受过教育的事实，我被困在了一个没有出路的工作中，每天都要把沉重的建筑材料搬上梯子。故选B。

6.考查动词词组。A. do with对付；B. deal with处理；C. conflict with与---发生冲突；D. meet with遭遇到。根据At the age of 21, I was ___5___ lost, and using drugs as a way to ___6___ the fact that I had no education and was ___7___ in a dead-end job carrying heavy construction materials up a ladder all day.可知，在我21岁的时候，我绝望地迷失了方向，用毒品作为一种手段来应对我没有受过教育的事实，我被困在了一个没有出路的工作中，每天都要把沉重的建筑材料搬上梯子。故选B。

7.考查动词。A. struck撞击；B. stuck卡住；C. lost丢失；D. taken拿走。根据At the age of 21, I was ___5___ lost, and using drugs as a way to ___6___ the fact that I had no education and was ___7___ in a dead-end job carrying heavy construction materials up a ladder all day.可知，在我21岁的时候，我绝望地迷失了方向，用毒品作为一种手段来应对我没有受过教育的事实，我被困在了一个没有出路的工作中，每天都要把沉重的建筑材料搬上梯子。故选B。

8.A考查副词。A. Nevertheless然而，不过；B. Meanwhile与此同时；C. Furthermore另外；D. Therefore因此。根据___8___, now I believe in do-overs, in the chance to do it all again.可知，然而，现在我相信重新开始，有机会再做一次。故选A。

9.考查名词。A. cost花费；B. corner角落；C. point观点；D. occasion场合。根据And I believe that do-overs can be made at any ___9___ in your life, if you have the right ___10___.可知，我相信，只要你有正确的动机，在你生命中的任何时刻都可以重新开始。故选C。

10.考查名词。A. ambition雄心；B. technique技能；C. opportunity机会； D. motivation推动。根据And I believe that do-overs can be made at any ___9___ in your life, if you have the right ___10___.可知，我相信，只要你有正确的动机，在你生命中的任何时刻都可以重新开始。故选D。

11.考查动词。A. avoiding避免；B. preventing阻止；C. undertaking承担； D. overcoming克服。根据It’s funny that after a life of ___11___responsibility, now I was in charge of something so ___12___.可知，有趣的是，在逃避责任的生活之后，现在我要负责一件如此脆弱的事情。故选A。

12.考查形容词。A. flexible灵活的；B. enterprising有进取心的；C. fragile易碎的；D. authentic真正的。根据It’s funny that after a life of ___11___responsibility, now I was in charge of something so ___12___.可知，有趣的是，在逃避责任的生活之后，现在我要负责一件如此脆弱的事情。故选C。

13.考查名词。 A. name名词；B. statue雕像；C. title标题，头衔；D. career事业。根据Over the years, as I grew into the ___13___ of Dad, I began to learn something about myself.可知，这些年来，随着我成为了父亲，我开始了解自己。故选C。

14.考查词组。A. By and by不久以后；B. Over and over反复，再三；C. Back and forward前前后后；D. Now and then偶尔，有时。根据___14___, I practised reading books to him until I remembered all the words in every one of them.可知，我一遍又一遍地练习给他读书，直到我记住每一本书里的所有单词。故选B。

15.考查名词。A. model模型；B. leader领导者；C. example例子；D. tutor助教。根据I knew I wanted to be a good role ___15___, so after a year-and-a-half and a lot of hard work, I ___16___ my GED test on my son’s fourth birthday.可知，我知道我想成为一个好的榜样，所以经过一年半的努力，在我儿子四岁生日那天，我通过了GED考试。故选A。

16.考查动词词组。A. got through通过，完成；B. went through经历，度过； C. pull through渡过难关，恢复健康；D. come through安然度过。根据I knew I wanted to be a good role ___15___, so after a year-and-a-half and a lot of hard work, I ___16___ my GED test on my son’s fourth birthday.可知，我知道我想成为一个好的榜样，所以经过一年半的努力，在我儿子四岁生日那天，我通过了GED考试。故选A。

17.考查词组。A. for the first time 第一次；B. in the first place 首先，起初；C. at first hand第一手地；D. in first place第一名。根据This may not sound like much, and I’m surely not trying to get praise for doing something that should have been done ___17___, but all things considered it was one of the best days in my life.可知，这听起来可能并不多，我当然也不想因为一开始就应该做的事情而得到表扬，但所有的事情都认为这是我生命中最美好的日子之一。故选B。

18.考查动词。A. become变成；B. turn转变；C. grow使生长；D. make制造。根据Today, I’m a full-time college student, studying to ___18___ sociologist.可知，今天，我是一名全日制大学生，学习成为社会学家。故选B。

19.考查名词。A. turn-around回车场；B. take-off起飞；C. pull-out拉出，离场；D. turn-off断开。根据It’s funny, growing up I always heard these great ___19___ stories of triumph over shortcomings.可知，有趣的是，在我成长的过程中，我总是听到这些战胜缺点的伟大故事。故选A。

20.考查动词。A. appealed呼吁，求助；B. applied应用；C. attached附上； D. adapted使适应，改编。根据But I never thought they ___20___ to me.可知，但我从没想过他们会来找我。故选B。