I was fourteen years old and thought I had already known all the important things in life. I remember being more than a little________at the homework my geography teacher, Mr. Ream, had given the class. We had to________to someone we knew who had been in a war as a soldier and write about their experiences.
I ________it was totally meaningless. What did that have to do with________? I wanted to know. I still had an unpleasant attitude toward it________I put my notebook down on the table in front of my stepfather. I________that he'd been in the war, so I decided to make it________for myself and not to look any further from home for my________.
He asked me what I________, and I said I had to interview him about his experiences in the war________a class. I'm sure his body must have stiffened（变僵硬）, but at that time I was too blind to________it. He asked me to sit down and then we got________. I'll never forget his response to the first question I________asked, "Have you ever killed anyone?"
His answer of "yes" was the________that made me begin to take the talk seriously. I still____his eyes when he told me the horror of what he'd________and what he'd done during the war. I had never expected that kind of________from anyone, but I know that's________what he gave me.
The things he told me taught me a lot. They also showed me I had a lot left to________in this life. I gained new love and________for this man who is now my father.
1.A.annoyed B.interested C.frightened D.tired
2.A.stick B.talk C.contribute D.write
3.A.forgot B.agreed C.thought D.realized
4.A.life B.writing C.geography D.homework
5.A.as B.if C.unless D.since
6.A.imagined B.guessed C.believed D.knew
7.A.clear B.easy C.normal D.common
8.A.interview B.experiment C.presentation D.operation
9.A.designed B.prepared C.needed D.collected
10.A.in B.by C.for D.from
11.A.move B.hide C.consider D.notice
12.A.started B.concluded C.banned D.changed
13.A.officially B.carelessly C.unluckily D.probably
14.A.delight B.shock C.honor D.confusion
15.A.described B.copied C.waited D.remembered
16.A.arranged B.expected C.witnessed D.created
17.A.benefit B.happiness C.honesty D.admiration
18.A.usually B.exactly C.rapidly D.gradually
19.A.learn B.enjoy C.miss D.complain
20.A.pity B.fear C.satisfaction D.respect
Mistakes are not only a part of life but also necessary for a successful life. But without making use of our mistakes, we would neither go on to master any skill nor realize our goal. George Bernard Shaw said, ''A man learns to skate by staggering(摇晃)about, making a fool of himself.1.''
But some of us, terrified by possibility of failure, lose pleasure of adventures by being too concerned with what people will think.2.Sometimes some parents set impossible high standard to encourage top performance. They tell children so often that it will be a great disappointment if they do not reach the goal.3.As a result it goes against their wish.
One of the first things to realize is that success follows a natural course of trail and error. Impossible standards of perfection make us lose our peace of mid. The sooner one accepts that he is less than perfect, the sooner he can achieve his goal.4.
We often tell our children how great those inventors are, for they invent the products of man’s achievements. But what we forget to emphasize is the painful process by which these miracles came into being. We should stress that nothing comes out right the first time. The great successes in life are those few who accept responsibility for their mistakes.5.Many major achievements have resulted from adventurous mistakes, which become stepping-stones of success. They gather their strength to realize their goal, never giving up.
Accept mistakes, take a sense of homour, work hard and there is no doubt your success will come in end.
A.They can go on with great adventure.
B.In fact, no perfect things exist in the world.
C.He is taking great pain that can't be imagined.
D.These parents in fact force their children into fear of failure.
E.They never waste emotion on regrets when they make a mistake.
F.The fact is that most people never observe us so closely as we believe.
G.Indeed, he progresses in all things by not minding making a fool of himself.
A mystery woman said today she has won￡1.5 million from the UK National Lottery—but has never told her husband.
For the past three years, the woman, a mother-of-two who gave her name as Jane, had hidden her fortune from colleagues, friends and family, she said.
“Jane” has remained in her job and, if she ever splashed out on treats for the family, tells her husband she has had a pay rise or bonus.
The woman told her extraordinary story on BBC Radio Five Live this morning.
Presenter Victoria Derbyshire was hosting a phone-in which asked the question: “Is money guaranteed to make you happy?”
“Jane” called in and began, “I won quite a bit of money”, just under￡1.5 million, and I’ve never, ever told anybody. Not even my husband.”
Derbyshire said, “You’re kidding me. Why not?”
“Jane” replied, “Fear that it would change our lives too dramatically. My husband had, many years ago, a small drug problem—around 15years ago. And I’m scared with the money and perhaps the high life… he would go back there.”
She continued, “I do feel if I had said, yes, I’ve won this money, that he would have wanted holiday, he perhaps would have wanted to give up work, which would destroy our little family unit we’ve got now.”
The presenter told her, “I’m very surprised, I can barely believe it but it’s clearly true. Do you feel it’s made you happier?”
“Jane”, who said her won was “about three years ago”, said, “It’s nice because I know I haven’t got to worry about bills.”
Derbyshire told her, “I’m full of admiration for you, but is it not a betrayal of your relationship?”
The woman admitted, “I feel terribly guilty in one way, but in another way, we’ve got two young children and I think, well, if their lives change dramatically then it’s not fair on them. So I just want to keep things as they are.”
1.The woman let out her secret ______________.
A.fifteen years later B.in a radio program
C.to a woman named Jane D.after a pay rise
2.Why did the woman keep her fortune hidden from her husband?
A.Because she wanted the fortune in her control.
B.Because her husband was in poor health.
C.Because she didn’t have to worry about bills any more.
D.Because she feared that her husband would take drugs again.
3.The underlined expression “splash out” in paragraph3 most probably means ___________.
A.to spend money wastefully B.to let out a secret accidentally
C.to go abroad for a holiday D.to stay outside for sightseeing
4.The best title for the passage would be __________.
A.Woman hiding lotter win from husband
B.A mystery but guilty woman in UK
C.1.5 million pounds won by a woman
D.A way to keep things as they are.
A tender woman, or an independent one, which one would you prefer? A recent research shows that most people would choose the latter.
While proudly reading my words on the report, I glanced around the room, only to find my classmates bearing big smiles on their faces and tears in their eyes. Confused, I glanced towards my stone-faced teacher. Having no choice, I slowly raised the report I had slaved over, hoping to hide myself. “What could be causing everyone to act this way?”
Quickly, I flashed back to the day Miss Lancelot gave me the task. This was the first real task I received in my new school. It seemed simple: go on the Internet and find information about a man named George Washington. Since my idea of history came from an ancient teacher in my home country, I had never heard of that name before. As I searched the name of this fellow, it became evident that there were two people bearing the same name who looked completely different! One invented hundreds of uses for peanuts, while the other led some sort of army across America. I stared at the screen, wondering which one my teacher meant. I called my grandfather for a golden piece of advice; flip (掷) a coin. Heads—the commander, and tails—the peanuts guy. Ah! Tails, my report would be about the great man who invented peanut butter, George Washington Carver.
Weeks later, standing before this unfriendly mass, I was totally lost. Oh well, I lowered the paper and sat down at my desk, burning to find out what I had done wrong. As a classmate began his report, it all became clear, “My report is on George Washington, the man who started the American Revolution.” The whole world became quiet! How could I know that she meant that George Washington?
Obviously, my grade was awful. Heartbroken but fearless, I decided to turn this around. I talked to Miss Lancelot, but she insisted: No re-dos; no new grade. I felt that the punishment was not justified, and I believed I deserved a second chance. Consequently, I threw myself heartily into my work for the rest of the school year. Ten months later, that chance unfolded as I found myself sitting in the headmaster’s office with my grandfather, now having an entirely different conversation. I smiled and flashed back to the embarrassing moment at the beginning of the year as the headmaster informed me of my option to skip the sixth grade. Justice is sweet!
1.What did the author’s classmates think about his report?
A.Controversial. B.Boring.
C.Ridiculous. D.Puzzling.
2.Why was the author confused about the task?
A.He was unfamiliar with American history.
B.He followed the advice and flipped a coin.
C.He forgot his teacher’s instruction.
D.He was new at the school.
3.The underlined word “burning” in Para. 3 probably means _______.
A.annoyed B.ashamed
C.ready D.eager
4.In the end, the author turned things around _______.
A.by redoing his task B.through his own efforts
C.with the help of his grandfather D.under the guidance of his headmaster
In January 2015,I left my hometown and family in Virginia and moved to Iowa so I could be coached by Jackson. I'd been dreaming of an Olympic gold medal since I was eight—but gradually, that dream seemed like a million miles away.
On February 2,2016,while Mom was visiting me in Iowa, I told her," I don't like swimming any more. I want to try dancing, or become a singer. I can get a job in Virginia. I just want to come home."
Mom's eyes narrowed and her expression turned to stone." You're breaking my heart! Brie," she said. "You've been doing swimming for ten years, and now you want to quit? Have you lost your mind?"
I hadn't lost my mind, but I had lost my fire. It's an entirely different thing to push toward that dream when you feel alone.
"I'm not trying to break your heart, Mom,"I said." I just don't want to do it any more."
"I know you miss home. But you've signed a contract that says you will represent your country to the best of your ability. You've got a responsibility to your teammates. And now you just want to walk away? I will not let you be dishonorable. If you don't like swimming, then at the very least, you'll finish the season."
The next afternoon as I dragged myself into Jackson's swimming center, I thought of the efforts Mom had made in order to pay for my training. I thought of my two sisters: Arielle, who gave up ballroom dancing, and Joyelle, who stopped ice skating so that our single mom could afford to keep me in swimming.
For now, here's what you need to know: Exactly 210 days before I ever attempted my first event（赛事）in the Rio Summer Olympics, my leap(飞跃，跳跃) of faith came this close to ending in a crash of disaster.
1.How did the author's mother feel toward her intention to quit swimming?
A.Heart-broken B.Dishonorable C.Helpless D.Calm
2.We can infer from the passage that the author .
A.changed her mind in the end
B.realized her Olympic dream
C.loved singing and dancing more
D.was so overcome with homesickness that she gave up her dream
3.What would be the best title for the passage?
A.My Dream B.My Mother
C.My Leap of Faith D.Responsibility
4.Who will be interested in the passage?
A.Those who are graduating from university. B.Those who want to give up dreams.
C.Those who are looking for customers. D.Those who dislike swimming.
People seem to have a natural need for friends and with good reason, friends increase your enjoyment of life and relieve feelings of loneliness.They even can help reduce stress and improve your health.Having good friends is especially helpful when you are going through any kind of hard time such as when you are experiencing anxiety, panic(恐慌) attacks,or depression.
When you are with good friends, you feel good about yourself, and you are glad to be with them.A friends is someone who—
●you like, respect, and trust, and who likes, expects and trusts you.
●doesn’t always understand you, but accepts and likes you as you are, even as you grow and change.
●allows you the space to change, grow, make decisions, and even make mistakes.
●listens to you and shares with you both the good times and the bad times.
●respects your need for secrets, so you can tell them anything.
●lets you freely express your feelings and emotions without judging, laughing at or criticizing you.
●accepts the limitations you have put on yourself and helps you to remove them.
A person once said. “Friendship is a continuing source of bonding(连接),releasing,and creating in yourself and with the other person, there is an emotional bond between the two people.”
A good friend or supporter may or may not be the same age or the same sex as you, and may not have the same educational, cultural, or religious background, or share interests that are similar to yours. Friendships also have different depths(深度). Some are closer to the heart and some moresuperficial, but they’re all useful and good.
1.Which of the following is NOT a function(作用) of a friend?
A. He brings you some happiness. B. He helps you feel less lonely.
C. He helps you get over the difficulties. D. He helps you cheat in the exam.
2.The underlined word “superficial” means “”.
A. deep B. hard
C. shallow D. close
3.Which is the best title for the passage?
A. A Friend in Need Is a Friend Indeed B. What Kind of Person a Friend Should Be
C. To Be a Good Friend D. How to Get on with Your Friend
