Waiting for the airplane to take off, I was happy to have a seat by myself．Just then, an air hostess approached me and asked, “Would you mind  26   your seat? A couple would like to sit together．” The only 27 seat was next to a girl with her arms in casts（石膏），a black-and-blue face, and a sad expression．“ 28  am I going to sit there,” I thought immediately．But a soft voice spoke, “She needs help．” Finally, I  29  to move to that seat．
The girl was named Kathy．She 30  in a car accident and now was on her way for  31 When the snack and juice arrived, it did not take me long to 32  that Kathy would not be able to 33 herself．I considered 34  to feed her but hesitated, as it seemed too 35  to offer a service to a 36  ．But then I realized that Kathy’s need was more 37  than any of my discomfort．I offered to help her eat, and 38 she was uncomfortable to accept, she 39  as I expected．We became closer and closer in a short period of time．By the end of the five-hour trip, my heart  40  , and the 41  was really better spent than if I had just sat by myself．
I was glad I had reached  42  my comfort zone to sit next to Kathy and feed her．Love  43  flows beyond human borders and remove the fears that keep us 44 ．When we  45  to serve another, we grow to live in a larger and more rewarding world．

Employers fear they will be unable to recruit (招募) students with the skills they need as the economic recovery kicks in, a new survey ___21___.

Nearly half of the organizations told researchers they were already struggling to find ___22___ with skills in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM), ___23___ even more companies expect to experience ___24___ of employees with STEM skills in the next three years.

The Confederation of British Industry___25___694 businesses and organizations across the public and ___26___sectors , which together employ 2.4 million people.

Half are ___27___ they will not be able to fill graduate posts in the coming years, while a third said they would not be able to ___28___ enough employees with the right A-level skills.

　　“___29___ we move further role recovery and businesses plan ___30___ growth, the demand for people with high-quality skills and qualifications will ___31___.” said Richard Lambert, Director General, CBI. “Firms say it is already hard to find people with the right ___32___ or engineering skills. The new government must make it a top ___33___ to encourage more young people to study science-related ___34___.”

　　The survey found that young people would improve their job prospects (预期) ___35___ they studied business, maths, English and physics or chemistry at A-level. The A-levels that employers ___36___least are psychology and sociology. And while many employers don’t insist on a ___37___ degree subject . A third prefer to hire those with a STEM-related subject.

The research ___38___ worries about the lack of progress in improving basic skills in the UK ___39___. Half of the employer expressed worries about employees’ basic literacy and numeracy（计算) skills, while the biggest problem is with IT skills, ___40___ two-thirds reported concerns.

2..

5..

10..

11..

12..

13..

16..

18..

19..

I keep a two dollar bill in my wallet that was given to me by my mother when I was six years old.

The  31  goes with me wherever I go. My mother gave it to me so that  32  would follow me. She looked at me and said, “I want you to carry this two dollar bill for extra good luck.”

“Thanks, mom,” I replied, “I will keep it  33  to me always.”

My mother passed away when I was seven years old. I remember I took out my two dollar bill and held it in my hand for the longest time, knowing that she would  34  me the rest of my life.

Each time I felt I had a crisis, I would  35  for my two dollar bill and set it on the table. I would  36  at it for several hours and could always  37  a solution. When I applied for my first job, I was thirty years old and very shy. The thought of being interviewed for a job was  38  but I had to work. I saw one of the interviewers well dressed with  39  purse and shoes. I also knew the chance of being chosen was  40  when looking at the length of others’ resumes.

“What makes you feel you are  41  for this job?” The well－dressed woman asked. “I really need this job and there is nothing I can not do” I responded. She then asked me a series of questions and the interview was over. As I left, I  42  and said “Please give me a chance. I learn quickly and can be a very  43  member of your team.”

I went home,  44 . That evening I received a phone call. “Gina” she said, “we decided to give you a chance to  45  yourself.” “Thank you, you will not regret this decision.” I  46  the phone and yelled. At that instant, I remember my mom once said to us “You are  47  in my mind. Don’t  48  failure. It is a way to get us to try harder.”

How  49  this gift from Mom! It had built up  50  in me.

1.                A．money         B．check          C．bill  D．paper

2.                A．luck           B．happiness       C．wealth   D．wisdom

3.                A．close          B．near           C．hard D．firm

4.                A．look out for     B．watch over      C．see to    D．come across

5.                A．get            B．stretch         C．hold D．reach

6.                A．stare           B．glance          C．observe  D．glare

7.                A．come up with    B．put forward      C．set up    D．pull through

8.                A．exciting        B．amazing         C．nervous  D．scary

9.                A．suitable        B．matching        C．fancy D．exaggerating（夸张的）

10.               A．slim           B．terrible         C．few  D．abundant

11.               A．born           B．qualified        C．stable D．grateful

12.               A．turned around   B．turned back     C．put up D．raise up

13.               A．productive      B．additional       C．concise（简洁）    D．effective

14.               A．terrified        B．exhausted      C．sound D．cautious

15.               A．test           B．challenge       C．prove D．strengthen

16.               A．hung up        B．got through     C．set aside   D．got off

17.               A．brilliant        B．awesome       C．careful    D．unbelievable

18.               A．stand          B．bend          C．fear  D．ruin

19.               A．rare           B．special         C．relative   D．primary

20.               A．confidence      B．perseverance    C．model D．intelligence

“If you run for more than five minutes at any time, you might need a pair of running shoes,” advises Stephen Pribut, a US sports medicine expert. Running shoes are highly technical footwear. They provide stability（牢固）while bearing up to three times the wearer’s body weight. But it’s not easy to find the right pair. Finding the right running shoes is something of an art, or a science and a feel.

The science part begins with the shape of the arch（弓）of your foot, which anyone can find out at home with this quick experiment: Put your foot in water and place it on a piece of brown paper. If you see a “C” shape on the paper when you remove your foot, you have a rare high arch. If the shape looks more like a rectangle, that means you have flat feet. See something in between? That’s a normal arch.

Conveniently for shoppers, shoe companies nowadays divide their shoes in three categories: neutral(for high arches), stability(for normal or low arches) and motion control(for flat arches). So you will know which type suits you.

At this point, most people would just grab an appealing shoe and try it on. But professionals would do a few quality-control tests. First, you bend the shoe toe to heel to see where it bends. If it’s not at the forefoot---where the foot actually bends, be afraid. Then you grip both ends and twist in opposite directions. If you can twist it like a towel, it means there’s zero support. Finally, you squeeze(挤)the heel in both directions. A stable heel won’t cave in.

Now you need to check the mold(模子)that shapes the inside of the shoe: whether it’s wide or narrow in the mid-foot, how it sits on the heel and how roomy the toe box is.

It’s wise to hold off until the afternoon to make the shoe purchase, to allow for any swelling(肿胀) that your feet do throughout the day. Toes also decide sizing choice. The rule is you need a finger’s width from your longest toe (whether that’s your big one or not) to the end of the shoe.

1.What is the main idea of this passage?

    A．Advantages of wearing running shoes fitting you.

    B．Ways to get to know about the shape of the arch of your foot.

    C．Advice on how to choose the right pair of running shoes.

    D．Best time to buy a pair of running shoes.

2.If the arch of your foot looks like a “C” shape, you have _________.

    A．a normal arch B．a high arch    C．a flat arch    D．a low arch

3.．The underlined phrase “cave in” most probably means ______.

    A．bend           B．stretch        C．shake          D．crash

4.．Why is the late afternoon the ideal time to go shopping for shoes?

    A．We are likely to be more patient in the afternoon.

    B．Feet usually become large late in the day.

    C．The toes become longer late in the day.

    D．The arch of our feet will be in best shape in the afternoon.

“If you run for more than five minutes at any time, you might need a pair of running shoes,” advises Stephen Pribut, a US sports medicine expert. Running shoes are highly technical footwear. They provide stability（牢固）while bearing up to three times the wearer’s body weight. But it’s not easy to find the right pair. Finding the right running shoes is something of an art, or a science and a feel.
The science part begins with the shape of the arch（弓）of your foot, which anyone can find out at home with this quick experiment: Put your foot in water and place it on a piece of brown paper. If you see a “C” shape on the paper when you remove your foot, you have a rare high arch. If the shape looks more like a rectangle, that means you have flat feet. See something in between? That’s a normal arch.
Conveniently for shoppers, shoe companies nowadays divide their shoes in three categories: neutral(for high arches), stability(for normal or low arches) and motion control(for flat arches). So you will know which type suits you.
At this point, most people would just grab an appealing shoe and try it on. But professionals would do a few quality-control tests. First, you bend the shoe toe to heel to see where it bends. If it’s not at the forefoot---where the foot actually bends, be afraid. Then you grip both ends and twist in opposite directions. If you can twist it like a towel, it means there’s zero support. Finally, you squeeze(挤)the heel in both directions. A stable heel won’t cave in.
Now you need to check the mold(模子)that shapes the inside of the shoe: whether it’s wide or narrow in the mid-foot, how it sits on the heel and how roomy the toe box is.
It’s wise to hold off until the afternoon to make the shoe purchase, to allow for any swelling(肿胀) that your feet do throughout the day. Toes also decide sizing choice. The rule is you need a finger’s width from your longest toe (whether that’s your big one or not) to the end of the shoe.
【小题1】What is the main idea of this passage?