It was New Year’s night. An aged man was standing at a window. He raised his mournful eyes towards the deep   1  sky, where the stars were   2  like white lilies（百合花）on the surface of a clear calm lake. Then he threw them on the earth, where a few more   3  people than himself now moved towards their certain goal-the   4  . He had already passed sixty of the   5  leading to it, and he had brought from his journey nothing but errors and regret. Now his health was poor, his mind   6  , his heart sorrowful, and his old age short of   7  .

The days of his youth appeared like dreams before him, and he recalled the   8  moment when his father placed him at the   9  to the two roads-one leading to a   10  , sunny place, covered with flowers, fruits and resounding with soft, sweet songs; the other leading to a deep, dark cave, which was endless,  11  poison flowed instead of water and where devils（恶魔）and poisonous snakes hissed and crawled.

He saw the   12  fading away in the darkness, and these were the days of his   13  life; He saw a star fall from the sky and disappeared, and this was the   14  of himself. His regret, which was like a sharp arrow, struck deeply into his heart. Then he remembered his friends in his childhood, who entered on life together with him. But they had   15  to success and were now honored and happy on this New Year’s night.

The clock in the high church tower struck and the sound made him remember his parents’ early love for him. They had taught him and   16  to God for his good. But he chose the   17  way. With shame and grief he   18  no longer look towards that heaven where his father live. His darkened eyes were full of tears, and with a despairing   19  , he burst out a cry; “Come back, my   20  days! Come back!”

1．A．grey                     B．blue                    C．black                  D．cloudy

2．A．floating                 B．flashing               C．hanging               D．shining

1,3,5

3．A．purposeless           B．purposeful           C．hopeful               D．hopeless

4．A．house                   B．tomb                   C．church                D．birthplace

5．A．dreams                 B．moments             C．incidents             D．stages

6．A．strange                 B．pale                     C．blank                  D．shallow

7．A．allowances            B．comforts             C．experiences         D．memories

8．A．serious                  B．awful                  C．tough                  D．desperate

9．A．end                       B．entrance              C．origin                  D．base

10．A．lonely                  B．noisy                   C．quiet                   D．peaceful

11．A．which                 B．that                     C．whose                 D．where

12．A．people                 B．lights                   C．stars                   D．clouds

13．A．accustomed         B．rewarded             C．wasted                D．occupied

14．A．symbol                B．fate                     C．future                 D．outcome

15．A．lost their heart      B．devoted their attention                         

       C．made their way    D．given their way

16．A．prayed                B．attached              C．adjusted              D．turned

17．A．ordinary              B．unfamiliar            C．wrong                 D．difficult

18．A．would                 B．could                  C．should                 D．dared

19．A．anxiety                B．effort                  C．patience              D．attempt

20．A．early            B．good             C．old              D．shameful

Years ago a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He advertised for hired hands.Most people were   1 to work on farms along the Atlantic. They feared the   2   storms hat spread across the Atlantic, damaging the buildings and crops.   3  the farmer interviewed applicants for the job, he received many   4 Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age,  5  the farmer. "Are you a good farm-hand?" the farmer asked him.

      "Well ,I can  6  when the wind blows," answered the little man. Although 7 by this answer, the farmer,  8  for help, hired him. The little man worked well around the farm, busy from dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt  9  with the man’s work. Then one night the wind   10  loudly in from offshore. Jumping out of bed, the farmer took a lantern and  11 next door to the hired hand's sleeping room. He shook the little man and   12   ,"Get up! A storm is coming! Tie things down   13  they are blown away! "The little man rolled over in bed and said   14  ,"No, sir. I told you, ! can sleep when the wind blows."

        15 by the answer, the farmer was tempted(诱惑) to fire him on the spot.  16  ,he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To his   17  , he discovered that all of the haystacks had been covered with tarpaulins. The cows and the chickens were all in the  18  places, and the doors were fastened. The windows were tightly   19  . Everything was tied down. Nothing could be blown away. The farmer then understood what his hired hand   20, so he returned to his bed to also sleep while the wind blew.

1. A. unfit           B. curious         C. undoubted         D. unwilling

2. A. awkward       B. awful           C. acute             D. abrupt

3. A. If             B. Once           C. As               D. Until

4. A. refusals        B. agreements      C. rewards           D. desires

5. A. approached     B. interviewed      C. reminded          D. applied

6. A. work           B. sleep           C. wake             D. flee

7. A. excited        B. touched         C. puzzled            D. discouraged

8. A. convenient     B. famous          C. bad               D. desperate

9. A. bored         B. satisfied         C. patient             D. honest

10. A. howled        B. yelled          C. screamed            D. swallowed

11. A. walked        B. slipped         C. rushed              D. fell

12. A. cheered       B. whispered       C. asked               D. cried

13. A. while         B. after            C. before              D. unless

14. A. firmly        B. weakly          C. tentatively           D. closely

15. A. Moved        B. Angered        C. Beaten              D. Calmed

16. A. Therefore      B. As a result      C. As usual             D. Instead

17. A. surprise       B. regret           C. horror              D. sorrow

18. A. wrong        B. appropriate       C. accurate            D. clean

19. A. painted         B. stored          C. secured             D. destroyed

20. A. promoted       B. suggested       C. recommended         D. meant

In 1982, Steven Callahan was crossing the Atlantic alone in his sailboat when it struck something and sank．He got into a life boat, but his supplies were   21 ．His chances of surviving were small．  22   when three fishermen found him 76 days later, he was alive —much   23   than he was when he started, but alive．

His   24   of how he survived is fascinating．His cleverness —how he   25   to catch fish, how he evaporated（蒸发） sea water to   26   fresh water—is very interesting．

But the thing that   27   my eye was how he managed to keep himself going when all hope seemed lost, and there seemed no   28   in continuing the struggle．He was starved and 29   worn-out．Giving up would have seemed the only possible choice．

When people   30   these kinds of circumstances, they do something with their minds that gives them the courage to keep going．Many people in   31   desperate circumstances 32    in or go mad．Something the survivors do with their thoughts helps them find the courage to carry on   33   difficulties．

"I tell myself I can   34   it," wrote Callahan in his book．-Compared to what others have been through, I'm fortunate．I tell myself these things over and over,   35   up courage．．．"

I wrote that down after 1 read it．It   36   me as something important．And I've told myself the same thing when my own goals seemed   37   off or when my problems seemed too terrible．And every time I've said it, I have always come back to my   38   ．

The truth is, our circumstances are only bad   39   to something better．But others have been through the much worse, that is, in comparison with what others have been through, you're fortunate．Tell this to yourself over and over again, and it will help you   40   through the rough situations with a little more courage．

1.A．full              B．rich                C．few               D．enough

2.A．And          B．Yet                C．Still               D．Thus

3.A．thinner   B．stronger            C．worse                   D．healthier

4.A．attitude           B．assumption         C．instruction          D．account

5.A．assisted           B．tended             C．managed           D．intended

6.A．make             B．absorb             C．select              D．replace

7.A．attacked           B．caught             C．froze              D．cheated

8.A．operation                   B．taste               C．message            D．point

9.A．firmly            B．completely          C．hardly              D．generally

10.A．deal              B．defend             C．survive             D．observe

11.A．similarly           B．differently         C．gradually            D．commonly

12.A．pull               B．take               C．break              D．give

13.A．for the lack of       B．in the face of        C．in exchange for      D．as a result of

14.A．handle             B．carry              C．follow              D．inspect

15.A．rolling             B．using              C．building            D．making

16.A．defeated           B．recommended       C．introduced           D．struck

17.A．far          B．long              C．ever    D．even

18.A．feelings           B．senses         C．ideas   D．influences

19.A．related            B．measured   C．contributed         D．compared

20.A．see                  B．cut                C．get                D．think

 

School was over and I felt quite tired. I sat at the very  41  of the crowded bus because of my anxiety to get home. Sitting there makes me  42  out like a shiny coin in a pile of dull pennies.

   Janie, the  43  , tries to break the uncomfortable atmosphere by striking the match of  44  .

I tried to mind my manners and  45  listen, but usually I am too busy thinking about my day. On this day,   46  , her conversation was worth listening to.

   “My father’s sick,” she said to no one in particular (专门) , I could see the  47  and fear in her eyes. “What’s wrong with him?” I asked. With her eyes wet and her voice tight from  48  the tears, she answered, “Heart trouble.” Her eyes   49  as she continued. “I have already lost my mum, so I don’t think I can stand losing him.”

I was  50  . My heart ached for her. And this reminded me of the great  51   that my own mother was thrown into when her father died. I saw how hard it was, and   52  is, for her. I wouldn’t like anyone to  53  that.

   Suddenly I realized Janie wasn’t only a bus driver. That was  54  her job. She had a whole world of   55  and concerns, too. I suddenly felt very  56  . I realized I had only thought of people as far as what their purposes were in my life. I paid no attention to Janie  57  she was a bus driver. I had  58  her by her job and brushed her off as unimportant.

   For all I know, I’m just another person in  59  else’s world, and may not be  60 . I should not have been so selfish and self-centered. Everyone has places to go, people to see and appointment to keep. Understanding people is an art.

1.A. front         B. end              C. side            D. middle

2.A. find          B. take             C. think            D. stand3.A. doctor        B. driver             C. teacher          D. assistant

4.A. fire          B. topic            C. conversation     D. discussion

5.A. politely      B. slightly             C. carelessly           D. partly

6.A. however        B. therefore            C. instead         D. otherwise

7.A. surprise      B. worry            C. curiosity            D. anger

8.A. fighting      B. turning          C. clearing        D. protecting

9.A. opened         B. shone            C. closed           D. lowered

10.A. recognized        B. worried          C. shocked          D. excited

11.A. victory           B. pain             C. respect              D. disappointment

12.A. away          B. seldom           C. still                D. never

13.A. pick up           B. work out         C. go through      D. get down

14.A. almost            B. nearly           C. ever             D. just

15.A. family            B. bus              C. school          D. friend

16.A. selfish           B. desperate        C. pessimistic          D. ridiculous

17.A. while             B. because          C. though           D. until

18.A. blamed        B. received         C. considered       D. judged

19.A. everyone          B. anyone           C. someone          D. nobody

20.A. happy             B. wise             C. useful           D. important