Russia’s security chief has blamed an act of terror for the Russian A321 airliner crash in Egypt last month which killed 224 people. Whatever happened, the tragedy raises sad memories of horrific airplane crashes that have cost thousands of lives in recent decades .

Some of the worst such incidents—like four crashes in frightening succession into New York’s World Trade Center, the Pentagon and rural Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001; the 1988 downing of Pan Am Flight 103 in Lockerbie, Scotland; and a 1977 crash involving the apparent hijacking of a Malaysian Airlines jet that left 100 dead—involved terrorist activity. But there are many others that did not, with mechanical problems, pilot error or other reasons blamed for loss of life. Below are some examples of the latter: crashes that left at least 200 people dead in each incident.

March 27 , 1977 : A KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Boeing 747 beginning its takeoff crashed into Pan American World Airways Boeing 747 then still on the runway at the Los Rodeos Airport at Tenerife in the Canary Islands. A total of 574 people, aboard both planes, died .

July 11 , 1991 : The landing gear of a Nigeria Airways DC-8 catches fire shortly after takeoff Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It doesn’t make it back to the airport, crashing nose-down less than 10,000 feet short of the runway and killing all 261 people aboard.

April 26 , 1994 : The pilot of a China Airlines’ Flight 140 alerts the control tower at Japan’s Nagoya Airport of his intention not to land and try another approach. But something goes wrong and, a short time later, the Airbus A300 crashes leading to 264 deaths—though a few passengers do survive.

September 2 , 1998 : A Swiss air jetliner that had departed New York’s Kennedy airport on its way to Geneva, Switzerland, goes down off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada; none of the 229 people aboard Flight 111 make it. Investigators believe that the MD-11 lost all electrical power immediately before the crash.

June 1 , 2009 : Air France Flight 447 is on the way from Rio de Janiero to Paris when it and its 228 passengers and crew go missing somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean. It’s not until five days later that the first bodies are found about 600 miles off the northern coast of Brazil. Two years later, French authorities blame the crash on equipment breakdown.

1.The first paragraph is intended to ______.

A. memorize those people aboard the Russian A321 airline.

B. show it is the most serious incident in history.

C. direct attention to some disastrous air plane crashes.

D. analyze the cause of the disaster and blame the airline company.

2.Which air crash resulted from terrorist attack ?

A. China Airlines’ Flight 140

B. Pan Am Flight 103

C. Air France Flight 447

D. Swissair Jetliner Flight 111

3.Which of the following statements is not true ?

A. Two planes of the same type hit each other on March 27 , 1977.

B. There were over 264 people aboard China Airlines’ Flight 140.

C. It took five days to find some bodies of Air France Flight 447.

D. Swissair Jetliner Flight 111 crashed during its landing.

You may have heard of the American Dream, an ideal that has powered the hopes of Americans for generations.

It began as a belief that the US was a land of opportunity, and that anyone could achieve success through hard work. At times, the dream has referred to home ownership, a good job, retirement security or each generation doing better than the last.

Yet today, this concept seems to have greatly changed. As Time magazine pointed out, quite different from the older generation, many Millennials (the generation born after 1980) redefine(重新定义) the American Dream as “day-to-day control of your life”. They “prize job mobility, flexible schedules, any work that is more interesting than typing, and the ability to travel”, said the magazine.

Home ownership, once the cornerstone of the American Dream, is becoming a smaller priority for this generation. Meanwhile, nearly 40% of them choose travel as part of their dream. And entrepreneurship(创业) is a rising favorite, as nearly 26% of Millennials consider self-employment as part of their dream.

So what has led to this huge change?

Many point fingers at the poor economy. “Modern young Americans seem bound to face a world stamped by ever narrowing opportunity and social stagnation(停滞),”noted The Daily Beast.

“The rate of 16-to 24-year-olds out of school and out of work is unusually high at 15%. Many college graduates have taken jobs that don’t require a degree,” Time reported.

The magazine worries that these difficulties may lead to a lost generation who are “unable to ever truly find their feet on the corporation’s ladder”.

Dan Kadlec, a reporter of Time, sees Millennials as resetting their expectations. “This situation is different for young adults today,” he wrote. “A true American dream has to feel attainable, and many Millennias are feeling they can only attain a day-today lifestyle that suits them.”

1.What’s the passage mainly about?

A. Meaning of American Dream

B. Redefinition of American Dream

C. Value of Achieving American Dream

D. History of Changing American Dream

2.The underlined word “cornerstone” in Paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to “ ”.

A. growth B. balance C. purpose D. basis

3.According to the passage, what has changed Millennials’ view of the American Dream?

A. A lack of confidence in themselves

B. Fierce competition in the job market

C. The discouraging economy and unemployment

D. Their dissatisfaction with the government

4.Dan Kadlec thinks Millennials’ new definition of the American Dream is ______.

A. understandable B. beautiful

C. worrying D. Positive

根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

Of the many unpleasant emotions we can experience, fear may top the list. 1. . Fear can also keep us from pursuing the things in life that really matter --- like following our dreams, and developing important relationships. 2. .

Experience fear.

I used to be very afraid of speaking in front of people. I would get sweaty palms and my stomach would be so tied up that I wouldn't be able to eat. However, each time I spoke, I noticed afterwards that it wasn't that bad. Things I fear are never as bad in reality as I make them out in my mind. 3. .

Create space.

The first and most important step to being fearless is to create some space between ourselves and the emotion of fear. This isn't accomplished by ignoring the fear, or trying to talk ourselves out of it. 4. . In fact, a recent research shows that by simply admitting the emotion we actually begin to reverse the "fight or flight (逃避)" response in the body.

Control the breath and feel the fear.

Once we acknowledge the presence of fear, the second step is to control the breathing so that it becomes slower and gentler. We try to make the breath just a little bit longer, and feel how fear manifests (展现) in the body. 5. .

With practice, we can create enough space between us and the emotion of fear so that we're able to replace a fearful thought with a positive one. We can imagine a positive outcome for whatever we're about to do. For instance, before I get up to speak in front of a group of people, I imagine that the audience is positively impressed by what I say and that I manage to complete the speech successfully.

A. As we pay attention to the physical symptoms of fear, we can see fear objectively.

B. Fear is more than just physically unpleasant.

C. Fear, if left uncontrolled, can even destroy our life.

D. So one way to get rid of fear is to simply push ourselves to do things that we fear.

E. When we can see a positive outcome in our mind, fear no longer holds us back.

F. I have some ideas, though, of how to be free from fear.

G. Space is created only when we can honestly acknowledge that fear exists.

完形填空,阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A, B, C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。

People say one man's trash (垃圾) is another man's treasure. That ________comes to my mind as I looked through the house purchased in 1962 by my parents. My mother________ in 1996. My father left the house ________ my sister and me when he died a few months ago.

After Dad was ________ , we looked around the house________we grew up and that Dad loved so much. At first we felt so ________ all the stuff left. Like so many of their generation, my parents ________ everything. And like many in my generation, we faced anxious _______ about what to abandon and what to keep.

As we started throwing out old phone books and every medical bill from every ________ my parents ever saw, I also________ many hidden treasures. Mom's pocketbook was in their bedroom closet, which had everything in it, ________ her hairbrush with hair, as if she were still here. And Dad, who was a World War II veteran (退伍兵) and a world traveler, ________ everything --- from little spoons from all over the world to every letter he wrote to his parents while in the ________ . The letters he wrote during the war ________ his thoughts as a young man. Later, in the basement, I ________ our old kitchen table, which brought back________ of my parents and sister and me having breakfast together.

I'm realizing all these things________ my parents' life journey. Each time I go to the ________ , I find something that reminded me of my childhood or teaches me something about my parents I ________ knew. ________ , from the shabby furniture to all the hidden treasures, means more to me than all the money in the world.

1.A. coincidence B. thought C. principle D. goal

2.A. passed by B. passed down C. passed on D. passed away

3.A. for B. with C. to D. by

4.A. gone B. retired C. ill D. injured

5.A. which B. that C. when D. where

6.A. pleased with B. familiar with C. astonished at D. disappointed at

7.A. saved B. enjoyed C. purchased D. designed

8.A. bargains B. decisions C. challenges D. responsibilities

9.A. doctor B. person C. neighbor D. child

10.A. bought B. discovered C. buried D. lost

11.A. just B. even C. only D. yet

12.A. liked B. bought C. lost D. kept

13.A. countryside B. school C. army D. college

14.A. receive B. direct C. sense D. describe

15.A. repaired B. cleaned C. spotted D. set

16.A.memories B. introductions C. descriptions D. communications

17.A. recognized B. represented C. instructed D. confirmed

18.A. supermarket B. church C. office D. house

19.A. never B. always C. really D. merely

20.A. Something B. Nothing C. Anything D. Everything

It is suggested that Mr. Li his plan.

A. carry out B. can carry out

C. carries out D. has carried out

The rain yesterday was heavy and ______ the roads were flooded.

A. however B. otherwise

C. therefore D. consequently

Everyone in our class likes Mary because she is good at telling and ______ jokes.

A. turning up B. putting up

C. making up D. showing up

— I’m still working on my project.

— Oh, you’ll miss the deadline. Time is ______.

A. running out B. going out

C. giving out D. losing out

Little Johnny felt the bag, curious to know what it _______.

A. collected B. contained

C. loaded D. Saved

Emily is working hard to be sure not to fail on her first ______.

A. plan B. purpose C. attempt D. desire