阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。
Roald Dahl was bom in Wales, in 1916. He was an unhappy schoolboy, so after 1. (graduate) from school he decided to look for adventure. He first worked for the Shell Company in East Africa, where he lived in the jungle, and then he joined the Royal Air Force, as a pilot, when the Second World War broke out. He 2. (injure) while flying, so in1942 he went to Washington, where he started his career3.a writer.
4. (published) in 1943, Dahl's first children's book, The gremlins, was followed by many others. They were all very 5. (success) because he really connected with the children^ interests. He later admitted he couldn't have written children's stories 6. he hadn’t had children of his own. 7. (actual), his books are based on bedtime stories he made up for his own children.
As for his family life, he married Patricia Neal, 8. actress, and they had five children. However, they were not happy. Patricia suffered a stroke but later recovered. Their 9. (marry) ended in divorce. Dahl died in Oxford in 1990. He, 10. always donated money to those in need, was a generous man. He was awarded several important prizes. His secret of becoming a good writer is a lively imagination and hard work.
It was the men's skating finals of the Winter Olympics when I was 16. Someday I'd be in the Olympics._________ , it was my dream.
That night I lay on our living room floor excitedly watching the_______ between the Brians: American Brian Boitano facing Brian Orser in Canada. Both of them had been world champions. Both of them_______to win. Naturally I was for Brian Boitano, a northern Californian like me. We had skated _______the same ice. I held my breath in amazement.Boitano _______ successfully. The gold medal! I jumped in the _________when his score went up.
But what happened next is what I'll never forget. Brian Boitano sat in front of the camera with his coach, _______ by a group of journalists. He was talking about his career and his medal, talking to the whole world. A terrible _______ feeling went through me. I could never be in the Olympics, I thought. I could not talk in public like that. Just the idea of a press conference _______ me.
I loved skating partly because I didn't have to talk. I could ________ myself with my jumps and dances better. I didn't have to stand up and give a speech like some teachers expected. I could feel the blood ________ to my face if I thought a teacher was going to call me. I ________ at my shoes. I was sure I'd make a(n) ________of myself.
The next day I was at the rink (溜冰场) as usual. I was practicing a combination of jumps that had once seemed ________. I worked very hard the next few years, on the ice and especially off. After journalists talked to me and although my heart ________every time I spoke to them, I got to know them. They became ________ faces. And they got to know me. So when my big ________came four years after Brian's, I was ready.
Sometimes I think my biggest accomplishment was not winning the gold __________talking to the press afterwards. When you do the thing you iear most, you put an end to fear.
Fear can stop you dead in your tracks. Fear can ________ a dream. What are you afraid of?What scares you more than anything else? This year, walk ________ up to it and conquer it,step by step.
1.A.In fact B.As a consequence C.Ahead of D.As well
2.A.case B.appointment C.battle D.conflict
3.A.applied B.attended C.suspected D.deserved
4.A.on B.for C.off D.in
5.A.arranged B.performed C.processed D.approved
6.A.capsule B.air C.excitement D.photograph
7.A.rejected B.treated C.assisted D.surrounded
8.A.sinking B.delighted C.motivated D.willing
9.A.attracted B.impressed C.terrified D.updated
10.A.enjoy B.express C.clarify D.adjust
11.A.flow B.pour C.slide D.rush
12.A.stared B.glared C.concentrated D.polished
13.A.guest B.victim C.fool D.amateur
14.A.thrilling B.complex C.impossible D.splendid
15.A.lightened B.pounded C.settled D.broke
16.A.enthusiastic B.greedy C.eager D.familiar
17.A.moment B.ceremony C.assignment D.accomplishment
18.A.or B.also C.but D.and
19.A.achieve B.kill C.blame D.lack
20.A.very B.away C.from D.right
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When Pope Francis recently told a reporter that he stopped watching television 25 years ago, it reminded me that several of my friends had gone TV-free as well. They had really quit TV? It seemed fairly unlikely.
And so it was. It turned out that most Americans who "cut the cord " are not getting rid of their TV sets. What they're doing, like my friends, is canceling their cable or satellite TV contracts. Not such a major move, but nice cost savings. You can still watch lots of TV programming these days on your computer or TV by subscribing to an online streaming service. Netflix is currently the most popular of those.
There is, however, a small group of the population that has adopted a true zero-tolerance policy when it comes to television. Listen to what was said about TV by none other than Randy Pausch, the Carnegie Mellon professor In 2010 following his terminal cancer diagnosis, he called out TV as the enemy of productivity. "If you really want to have time back in your life," he said, "unplug you TV and put it in a closet and put a blanket over it."
My friend Laura Schiff, a former journalist, appreciates that point all too well. "Television always felt like a waste of time," she told me the other day. When her old TV failed, she decided not to replace it. "No regrets. Without TV I get a much deeper understanding of the world and what's going on around us." The amazing irony (讽刺): Schiff's late father, Arthur Schiff was the genius behind such memorable TV marketing catchphrases (广告语) as "Act now and you'll also receive...and "But wait, there's more!"
For some Americans, there is no "more". There is already too, too much 一 too much stupid programming, too much commercials for products no one needs. Most of all, “TV robs us of our precious time," as author Joshua Fields Millbum said in his book, Everything That Remains.
1.We learn from paragraph 2 that most Americans who cut the cord ______.
A.stop watching TV completely
B.get rid of their TV sets
C.canceling their TV contracts to save money
D.still watch lots of programs through cable TV
2.According to the passage, Netflix is probably ________ .
A.a popular online streaming service
B.a satellite TV station
C.a new brand of TV sets
D.a most popular TV program currently
3.Why was Randy Pausch against television?
A.It was a waste of money.
B.He had little time to spare for it.
C.It was a waste of productive time.
D.He suffered from headaches because of it.
4.We can infer from the last paragraph that some Americans _______.
A.demand changes in television
B.will never believe TV catchphrases
C.spend more time watching TV
D.will never watch TV
A group of young adults are building wooden boats, serving as workers in a boat building program sponsored by the Alexandria Seaport Foundation to be taught skills, self-confidence and discipline to change their lives for the better.
The young workers learn their craft at the foundation's seaport center, a floating wooden house on the banks of the Potomac River in Alexandria, once a busy seaport town in America. The yearlong program teaches small groups of young adults from 18 to 22 years old how to build small wooden sailboats. The program pays them a small wage.
A number of the young adults have not finished high school, and the foundation works to help them pass their GED, a high school equivalency. Those who do not have adequate math skills receive tutoring from a volunteer. One of the young workers, Chris, said he was a good student but had to drop out of high school to work due to his family situation. The program manager, once a role model of the group, remarked: “They know I'm living proof of what hard work and dedication gets you to. ” Now more than halfway through his apprenticeship, Chris said he feels better about himself.
When the wooden boats are finished, they will be sold. Chris said he will be sad to see them go5 but knows that, like life, they are meant to sail forward. "There is so much creativity that gets into making them. They're beautiful on the water. I'm delighted they're going to be a good home."
1.What is the boat building program intended to do?
A.Offer boats to companies that need them.
B.Donate boats to the poor community nearby.
C.Help more people learn about the history of boats.
D.Make a better life for those young adults in trouble.
2.What can those young workers learn in this program?
A.They learn how to manage a program.
B.They learn how to build up confidence.
C.They learn how to build boats and sell them.
D.They learn how to teach others math problems.
3.What can we infer from the text?
A.The boats built are meant for tourism.
B.Chris dropped out of school for poor marks.
C.The young workers are all taught by volunteers.
D.Participants of the program are not all teenagers.
4.What is this article mainly about?
A.Hard work is what leads to success.
B.The art of building boats is hard to learn.
C.The future of the youth lies in themselves.
D.Building boats improves the young's lives.
Six years ago. something unforgettable happened. My wife, Liz, and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary that year. It was a lovely event hosted by our sons for us. Many wonderful friends from the past surprised us with presents and congratulations. Our gift to each other was a driving trip out west. We drove from Ontario into Alberta, then southward into Glacier National Park in Montana, and continued to Yellowstone National Park.
It was a cold spring day, and the Beartooth Highway had opened for the season just days before. Alongside the road, there was still a great amount of snow remaining. The seenery was so impressive that we made numerous stops to record memories with my camera. At roughly the highest point of the highway, I stopped at a lookout to catch the amazing views, with my wife in the center of my camera lens.
There were not many vehicles on the road. Occasionally, cars with energetic young tourists passed by. And then we heard a motorcycle in the distance. The driver of the motorcycle, in rags, parked behind our car. As he approached us, his only words were, “Give me your camera and get over there with your wife." I must admit I felt nervous that we might be robbed where we just created some beautiful memories. Surprisingly, he just took a picture of us, handed back my camera and rode off before we could express our gratitude. The photo he took is one of the most cherished and prized of our trip.
I learned my lesson somewhere I least expected it. God judges us just by our heart, so we should never judge a man by his appearance. If the motorcycle driver reads this story and remembers the situation, we would like to say "thank you" to him.
1.According to the passage, the trip was ______ .
A.a gift for their wedding anniversary
B.a suggestion from their friends
C.in late autumn six year ago
D.taken by train to the west
2.Which of the following can conclude the passage?
A.There is no best, only bette.
B.Don't judge a book by its cover.
C.Put yourself in others' shoes.
D.A contented mind is an everlasting feast.
3.The author was nervous when the motorcyclist offered to take a picture because _______.
A.the motorcyclist would break the camera
B.he could have lost the camera with memories
C.the motorcyclist might not be good at taking pictures
D.his wife might not be satisfied with the view there
4.Which of the following best describes the driver of the motorcycle?
A.kind and straightforward
B.cautious and admirable
C.rich and skeptical
D.creative and tolerant
