Hawaii, however, provides an ideal location to _____ the technology at a low price.

A. make out                                   B. give out                   C. set out                              D. test out

My friend Miriam felt it was out of _____ question for her to visit China without going to see the terracotta warriors, so I helped her arrange _____ tour to Xi’an.

A. / ; the                               B. the; a                       C. /; a                                    D. the; /

 He's one of those people with a very _______ imagination --- every time he hears a noise he's convinced it's someone breaking in.

A. adequate                         B. relevant                           C. abundant                         D. vivid

 Various efforts over the centuries _________ to predict earthquakes to reduce the damage.

A. are being made     B. have been made            C. were made                      D. were being made

After about one hour of the play between China and Korea, the ______ was 3-2 in our ______.

A. score; favour                  B. score; side                       C. point; favour                   D. point; side

 A modern gymnasium has been set up in ________ was a wasteland ten years ago.

A. which                      B. that                                   C. where                               D. what

_____ an important decision more on emotion than on reason, you will regret it sooner or later.

A. Based                      B. Basing                               C. Base                                  D. To base

Ladies and gentlemen, please raise your glasses and drink a _______ to the success of the new company.

A. privilege                          B. potential                          C. toast                                  D. ambition

My mother has been a true inspiration to me and changed the way I look at life. Since my birth she has made it evident that I would become ______ and that I would be one of the great ones. She has taught me that I can do anything if I put my ______to it.

As a young boy, I struggled to achieve tasks that came ______ to others. I had problems with writing, reading and especially speaking. I didn’t talk the way ______kids did and did not respond to questions or stay alert (警觉的) to my surroundings. My reading was poor ______ with teachers helping me, and my speech was hard to ______. My writing was not at the ______it should have been. Even simple things like knowing my left from my right or being able to snap my fingers (弹手指) were ______.

My mother ______ all my challenges and as a professor with a PH.D., decided to ______ the situation early in my development. She didn’t want me to ______. After a while, we did indeed get over all the problems that had ______ me. She spent hours every day ______ me everything I needed to know, determined to help me learn. ______ her I would not be anywhere close to the level I am now.

In addition, she gave ______ for my life. She told me what to do and what not to do. Her expectations have always been high ______ she knows that I can do it. For that, I thank her. She would not allow her son to be incapable. She never ______ on me, and to this day she tells me education is a must. I will be a ______ person if I continue to follow her lead. She encourages me to study hard for my ______ and attend college.

She used her gifts as a ______ to help a child --- her child --- and now I have the opportunity to become something. 

1.A. everything          B. nothing                   C. anything                  D. something

2.A. mind                  B. brain                                 C. feelings           D. work

3.A. smoothly        B. strongly                C. frequently                         D. easily

4.A. average       B. ordinary           C. normal                              D. common

5.A. just                           B. ever                 C. even                                     D. only

6.A. hear           B. write             C. read                                  D. understand

7.A. level                  B. length              C. speed                               D. degree

8.A. problems       B. excuses          C. worries                   D. duties

9.A. suffered                B. observed         C. removed                          D. tolerated

10.A. study          B. find              C. change            D. keep

11.A. fight            B. struggle         C. strike             D. challenge

12.A. interrupted           B. disturbed                   C. terrified                        D. troubled

13.A. teaching       B. giving             C. supporting              D. reminding

14.A. Without       B. Except               C. Besides           D. Beyond

15.A. information           B. advice              C. promise                      D. expectation

16.A. before         B. though           C. because                  D. unless

17.A. set up                       B. gave up                 C. pushed up                       D. looked up

18.A. rich     B. famous               C. successful                   D. powerful

19.A. training             B. grades                         C. experiments              D. abilities

20.A. woman         B. doctor            C. sister              D. teacher

Dear Guys,

I’d like to talk to you about the shame you subjected me to last night. Let me first refresh your memory: You, a group of fit, young men, were playing soccer on the field across from my apartment building. I, a better-than-average looking young woman, was walking along the sidewalk with my groceries. That’s when your ball came flying over the fence and landed in front of me.

One of you approached and asked politely if I would throw the ball back to you. Fighting the urge to drop my bags and run screaming down the street, I reluctantly agreed.

Before I continue, let me explain something that I didn’t have a chance to mention last night: I hate sports. More specifically, I hate sports involving balls. This results from my lack of natural ability when it comes to throwing, catching and hitting. I’m bad at aiming too. So you can understand why I’d be nervous at what I’m sure seemed to you like a laughably simple request. However, wanting to appear agreeable, I put my bags down, picked up the ball and, eyes half-shut, and threw it as hard as I could.

It hit the middle of the fence and bounced back to me.

Trying to act casually, I said something about being out of practice, then picked up the ball again. If you’ll remember, at your command, I agreed to try throwing underhand. While outwardly I was smiling, in my head, I was praying, Oh God, oh please oh please oh please. I threw the ball upward with all my strength, terrified by what happened next.

The ball hit slightly higher up on the fence and bounced back to me.

This is the point where I start to take issue with you. Wouldn’t it have been a better use of your time, and mine, if you had just walked around the fence and took the ball then? I was clearly struggling; my smiles were more and more forced. And yet, you all just stood there, motionless.

Seeing that you weren’t going to let me out of the trouble, I became desperate. Memories of middle school softball came flooding back. I tried hard to throw the ball but it only went about eight feet, then I decided to pick it up and dash with ball in hand towards the baseline, while annoyed thirteen-year-old boys screamed at me that I was ruining their lives. Children are cruel. Being a big girl now, I pushed those memories aside and picked up the soccer ball for the third time. I forced a good-natured laugh while crying inside as you patiently shouted words of support over the fence at me.

“Throw it granny-style!” one of you said.

“Just back up a little and give it all you’ve got!” another offered.

And, most embarrassing of all, “You can do it!”

I know you thought you were being encouraging, but it only served to deepen the shame.

Anyway, I accepted your ball-throwing advice, backed up, rocked back and forth a little, took a deep breath and let it fly.

It hit the edge of the fence and bounced back to me.

I surprised myself --- and I’m sure you as well --- by letting out a cry, “DAMN IT!!!” I then willed myself to have a heart attack and pass out in front of you just so I’d be put out of my misery. Alas, the heart attack didn’t happen, and you continued to look at me expectantly, like you were content to do this all night. I had become a sort of exhibition for you. I could feel your collective thoughts drifting through the chain-link: “Can she really not do it? But I mean, really?”

Unfortunately for you, I wasn’t really game to continue your experiment. Three failed attempts at a simple task in front of a group of people in a two-minute period was just enough blow for me for one night. I picked up the ball one last time, approached the fence and grumbled, “Please just come get the damn ball.”

And you did. And thanks to you, I decided at that very moment to never throw anything ever again, except disrespectful glances at people who play sports.

Sincerely, Jen Cordery

1. The writer agreed to throw the ball because _______.

A. she needed to have a relax carrying the heavy groceries

B. she wanted to refresh her childhood memories

C. she could not refuse the polite request from the young man

D. she had fallen in love with the young man at first sight

2.Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word “game”?

A. anxious                                      B. brave                                C. afraid                                D. curious

3.Why did the writer mention her middle school memory?

A. To explain why she failed the attempts to throw the ball back.

B. To complain that she had not mastered the ball throwing skills.

C. To show how cruel those 13-year-old boys were.

D. To express her dislike towards softball.

4.What the boys said before the writer’s third attempt actually made the writer ________.

A. inspired                                     B. encouraged                     C. embarrassed                   D. depressed

5.What’s the writer’s purpose in writing this open letter?

A. To express her regret over what she did the day before.

B. To announce that she would never play ball games again.

C. To explain her own inability to throw the ball over the fence.

D. To criticize the young men for their cruelty to her dignity.