I believe that families are not only blood relatives, but sometimes people who show up and love you when no one else will.

In May 1977, I was living in a Howard Johnson’s motel off Interstate 10 in Houston. My dad and I 21 a room with two double beds and a bathroom which was too 22 for a 15-year-old girl and her father. Dad’s second marriage was 　23 and my stepmother had 　24 us both out of the house the previous week. Dad had no　 25_ what to do with me. And that’s when my other family 　26 .

Barbara and Roland Beach took me into their home 　27　 their only daughter, Su, my best friend, asked them to. I 　28 with them for the next seven years.

Barb washed my skirts the same as Su’s. She 　29 I had lunch money, doctors’ appointments, help with homework and nightly hugs. Barbara and Roland attended every football game where Su and I were being cheerleaders. 30 I could tell, for the Beaches there was no 31 between Su and me; I was their daughter, too.

When Su and I 32 college they kept my room the same for the entire four years I attended school. Recently, Barb presented me with an insurance policy they bought when I first moved in with them and had continued to pay on for 23 years.

The Beaches knew 33 about me when they took me in – they had heard the whole story from Su. When I was seven, my mother died and from then on my father relied on other people to _34 his kids. Before I went to live with the Beaches I had believed that life was entirely 　35__ and that love was shaky and untrustworthy. I had believed that the only person who would take care of me was me.

36 the Beaches, I would have become a bitter, cynical (愤世嫉俗的) woman. They gave me a(n) 37 that allowed me to grow and change. They kept me from being paralyzed(使瘫痪 ,使麻痹 ,使无能力)by my _38　 , and they gave me the confidence to open my heart.

I 　39 family. For me, it wasn’t the family that was there on the day I was 　40　 , but the one that was there for me when I was living in a Howard Johnson’s on Interstate 10.

16．A. lived　　 B. shared 　　 C. possessed　　　　 D. bought

17．A. cheap　　 B. noisy　　　 C. small　　　　　　 D. limited

18．A. in trouble B. in sight 　　 C. in place 　 D. in parts

19．A. struck　　　　 B. removed　 C. kicked 　　 D. knocked

20．A. plan　　　　 B. choice 　　　 C. chance 　　 D. idea

21．A. looked after　 B. showed up　　 C. turned over 　　 D. came cross

22．A. so　　　　　 B. because　　　 C. until 　　　　 D. while

23．A. worked　　　 B. traveled　　　 C. lived 　　　　 D. learned

24．A. worked out　　 B. called up　　 C. watched out　　　 D. made sure

25．A. As long as B. As far as　　 C. As soon as 　　　 D. As many as

26．A. change 　　 B. problem 　 C. conflict 　 　　D. difference

27．A. set off　　　　　 B. left for　　　　 C. entered into 　　 　　　 D. admitted into

28．A. all 　　 B. little 　 C. something D. nothing

29．A. supply B. teach C. encourage D. raise

30．A. different 　 B. unfair 　　　 C. easy　　 　　　 D. hopeful

31．A. Thanks to B. In spite of C. Except for 　　　 D. But for

32．A. home 　　　 B. house 　　　 C. ability 　　　 　　D. lesson

33．A. choice 　　 B. failure 　　　 C. past　 　　 　　D. present

34．A. doubt about 　　 B. call on 　　 C. center on　　 D. believe in

35．A. born B. accepted 　 C. educated　　 D. deserted

第二节：完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）

     阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从16-35各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

The Price of a Dream

　　I grew up poor—living with my wonderful mother. We had little money, but plenty of love and attention. I was 　16　 and energetic. I understood that no matter how poor a person was, he could still 　17　 a dream.

My dream was 　18　. By the time I was sixteen, I started playing baseball. I could throw a ninety-mile-per-hour fastball and 　19　 anything that moved on the football field.

I was also  20　. My high school coach was John, who not only believed in me, but also taught me 　21　 to believe in myself. He 　22　 me the difference between having a dream and remaining true to that dream. One particular 　23　 with Coach John changed my life forever.

　　A friend recommended me for a summer job. This meant a chance for money in my pocket—money for a new bike, new clothes and the 　24　 of savings for a house for my mother. Then I realized I would have to 　25　 up summer baseball to handle the work schedule, and that meant I would have to tell John I wouldn’t be playing.

　　When I told John, he was 　26　 as I expected him to be. “You have your whole life to work,” He shouted. “Your 　27　 days are limited. You can’t afford to waste them.” I stood before him with my head 　28　, trying to think of the right　29　 　that would explain to him why my dream of buying my mom a house and having money in my pocket was worth facing his 　30　 in me.

　　“How much are you going to make at this job, son?” He asked. “3.5 dollars an hour,” I replied.

　　“Well,” he asked, “is $ 3.5 an hour the price of a dream?”

　　That simple question made  31    for me the difference between  32 　something at once and having a 　33　. I decided myself to play sports that summer and the ___34    year after I finished high school, I was hired by the Pittsburgh Pirates to play baseball, and was 　35　 a $ 20,000 contract. Finally, I bought my mother the house of my dream!

16. A. happy                       B. polite　                    C. shy　                                 D. honest

17. A. live                            B. have　　　           C. make　　　              D. need

18. A. athletics                      B. music　　　      C. business　　                   D. money

19. A. kick                            B. play                            C. pass　　　　                 D. hit

20. A. right                          B. popular　　            C. lucky　　　                   D. honest

21. A. how                           B. why　　　            C. when　　　              D. whether

22. A. gave                          B. taught　　　      C. brought　　　              D. asked

23. A. accident                       B. matter　　                 C. problem　　                  D. experience

24. A. aim　　　　        B. idea　　　         C. start　　　　              D. purpose

25. A. keep　　　         B. end　　　          C. give　　　　               D. pick

26. A. mad　　　　        B. mournful　         C. frightened　                D. shameful

27. A. living　　　          B. playing　　              C. working　　                 D. dreaming

28. A. moving　　          B. nodding　　            C. shaking　　                 D. hanging

29. A. answers　　        B. excuses　　            C. words　　　                D. ways

30. A. sadness　　     B. regret　                 C. hopelessness              D. disappointment

31. A. direct　　　　    B. clear　　                C. straight　　　       D. bare

32. A. wanting　　　     B. changing　　           C. dreaming　　              D. enjoying

33. A. wish　　　　　   B. goal　　　              C. score　　　　       D. desire

34. A. following　　　    B. same　　               C. previous　　                D. very

35. A. charged　　　　B. got　　　　             C. offered　　           D. presented

阅读理解

　　Enduring Storms

　　Several more rounds of severe storms, tornadoes and flash flooding struck many parts of the American Midwest and Northeast as bad weather continued across the US for a second month.

　　Monsoon Storms

　　A south-west monsoon has caused havoc in parts of SriLanka. Government meteorologists said that unexpected monsoonal winds blew directly across the country from the Southern Hemisphere at about 100 km/h, producing several rounds of stormy weather. Nearly 250 houses in the capital Colombo were damaged.

For the week ending 3 July 1998

　　Mt. Etna Erupts

　　Sicily’s Mount Etna volcano erupted shortly after midnight on July 1, shooting“bombs”of lava nearly 1.5 metres in diameter on the eastern side of the mountain. The 30-minute eruption could be seen for several miles, but did not threaten any nearby villages.

　　Hurricane

　　Hurricane Blas lost strength as it moved over cooler waters in the Pacific Ocean to the west of Mexico. Blasformed off southwest Mexico during the previous week, but squalls on the outer fringes of the storm lashed western Michoacan State, killing four people when their wood and cardboard home collapsed.

　　Monkey Repellent

　　After years of unsuccessful attempts to keep crop-eating monkeys out of Japanese fields, a Tokyo research team believes that it may have finally found a way to prevent the damage caused by the monkeys. Animal raids on crops were successfully prevented by shooting chilli powder into the air, irritating the eyes and noses of monkeys that passed in front of carefully-placed warning sensors.“We’ve tried…all kinds of preventive measures, but the monkeys are smart enough to outwit the tricks,”said Toshiaki Wada, Director of the Tokyo Forestry Experiment Station in western Tokyo.

1．The monsoon is Sri Lanka ________.

[　　]

A．was of average strength

B．destroyed more property than previous monsoons

C．was not typical for that time of the year

D．affected only the outer areas of the nation

2．What aspect of Hurricane Blas does the map show?

[　　]

3．According to the information, which of the following statements is TRUE?

[　　]

A．The eruption of Mt. Etna lasted thirty days.

B．Hurricane Blas was formed off the coast of Italy.

C．The American Midwest had fine weather throughout July 1998.

D．The eruption of Mt. Etna did not destroy local villages.

4．According to the information, the monkeys in the Japanese fields ________.

[　　]

A．destroy crops

B．kill unsuspecting humans

C．spread eye diseases to humans

D．stop farmers from working

5．Toshiaki Wada, Director of the Tokyo Forestry Experiment Station, would describe the monkeys as ________.

[　　]

第二节：完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从16-35各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
The Price of a Dream
　　I grew up poor—living with my wonderful mother. We had little money, but plenty of love and attention. I was 　16　 and energetic. I understood that no matter how poor a person was, he could still 　17　 a dream.
My dream was 　18　. By the time I was sixteen, I started playing baseball. I could throw a ninety-mile-per-hour fastball and 　19　 anything that moved on the football field.
I was also  20　. My high school coach was John, who not only believed in me, but also taught me 　21　to believe in myself. He 　22　 me the difference between having a dream and remaining true to that dream. One particular 　23　 with Coach John changed my life forever.
　　A friend recommended me for a summer job. This meant a chance for money in my pocket—money for a new bike, new clothes and the 　24　 of savings for a house for my mother. Then I realized I would have to 　25　 up summer baseball to handle the work schedule, and that meant I would have to tell John I wouldn’t be playing.
　　When I told John, he was 　26　 as I expected him to be. “You have your whole life to work,” He shouted. “Your 　27　 days are limited. You can’t afford to waste them.” I stood before him with my head 　28　, trying to think of the right　29　　that would explain to him why my dream of buying my mom a house and having money in my pocket was worth facing his 　30　 in me.
　　“How much are you going to make at this job, son?” He asked. “3.5 dollars an hour,” I replied.
　　“Well,” he asked, “is $ 3.5 an hour the price of a dream?”
　　That simple question made  31    for me the difference between  32 　something at once and having a 　33　. I decided myself to play sports that summer and the ___34    year after I finished high school, I was hired by the Pittsburgh Pirates to play baseball, and was 　35　 a $ 20,000 contract. Finally, I bought my mother the house of my dream!
16. A. happy                 B. polite　             C. shy　                        D. honest
17. A. live                    B. have　　　       C. make　　　           D. need
18. A. athletics                 B. music　　　     C. business　　              D. money
19. A. kick                   B. play                   C. pass　　　　             D. hit
20. A. right                   B. popular　　       C. lucky　　　             D. honest
21. A. how                   B. why　　　        C. when　　　           D. whether
22. A. gave                   B. taught　　　     C. brought　　　          D. asked
23. A. accident                 B. matter　　      C. problem　　            D. experience
24. A. aim　　　　    B. idea　　　       C. start　　　　           D. purpose
25. A. keep　　　      B. end　　　       C. give　　　　           D. pick
26. A. mad　　　　     B. mournful　             C. frightened　           D. shameful
27. A. living　　　     B. playing　　        C. working　　            D. dreaming
28. A. moving　　      B. nodding　　       C. shaking　　           D. hanging
29. A. answers　　      B. excuses　　        C. words　　　            D. ways
30. A. sadness　　    B. regret　            C. hopelessness           D. disappointment
31. A. direct　　　　  B. clear　　           C. straight　　　      D. bare
32. A. wanting　　　    B. changing　　       C. dreaming　　           D. enjoying
33. A. wish　　　　　 B. goal　　　                 C. score　　　　      D. desire
34. A. following　　　 B. same　　           C. previous　　            D. very
35. A. charged　　　　B. got　　　　         C. offered　　       D. presented

   Mrs Leonard was round and pretty, with shining brown hair and warm, dark,   7   eyes. Everyone adored (敬重) her. But   8   came to love her more than I did. And for a   9   reason.

   The time came for the   10   tests given at our school. I could only just hear out of one ear, and was not   11  to reveal something else that would single   12   out as different. So I cheated.

   The “whisper test”   13   each child to go to the classroom door, turn sideways, close one ear with a finger,   14   the teacher whispered something from her desk,   15   the child repeated. Then the same for the other ear. Nobody checked how tightly the   16   ear was covered, so I only pretended to block mine.

   As  17   I was the last. But all through the testing I   18   what Mrs Leonard might say to me. I knew from previous years that the teacher   19   things like “The sky is blue.” Or “Do you have new shoes?”

   My   20   came. I turned my bad ear toward her,   21   the other just enough to be able to hear. I waited and then came the words that God had surely put into her mouth,   22   words that changed my life   23   .

   Mrs Leonard, the teacher I   24   , said softly, “I   25   you were my little girl.”

1　　 A. liked　　　　 B.　　  loved  　　　　  C.   hated　　　　 D expected

2.    A. lip 　　　　  B. ear　　　　　　    C.    finger　　     D. eyes

3.    A. broken       B.cut　　 　　　　　　C.   formed　　    D.killed

4.    A. very　　     B.much　　　　　　   C.   more　　　　  D.even

5.    A. strange　　   B.happy　　   　　   C.    sad　　　　    D.different

6.    A. inside    　　 B.with&nbtsp
;  　　　　　　 C.  as well as　　  D.outside

7.    A. surprised　　   B.smiling  　　　　   C.frightening　　 D.blind

8.    A. everyone　　   B.no one　　　　　　  C. anyone 　　   D.none  

9.    A. special　　　　 B.strange　　　　　　 C. usual　　　　  D.simple

10.   A. arithmetic算术  B.history　　　　　　 C.  hearing   　　 D.　　   blood

11.   A. excitedly　　   B.when   　　　　　　C. about  　　　　D.how

12.   A. me    　　　　B.Mrs Leonard　　　　 C.　　   us　　    　　 D.the pupils

13.   A. encouraged　　 B.persuaded　　  　　  C.required       D.agreed

14.   A. if　　　　　　 B.so　　　　　　　　  C.as if　　　　   D.While

15.   A. that　　　　   B.what   　　　　　　 C.　　   after　　　　   D.which

16.   A. untested　　   B.left　　   　　　　 C.bad　　       D.tested

17.   A. usually 　　   B.follows　　 　　　　 C.usual   　　   D.well

18.   A. examined　　  B.wondered　　    　　C.understood　　  D.noticed

19.   A. questioned　　 B.announced    　　  C.shouted    D.whispered

20.   A. teacher　　    B.time　　　　　　　　 C.opportunity　　 D.chance

21.   A. picking up　　 B.plugging up　　       C.closing　　　　 D.opening

22.   A. seven　　　　 B.some　　　　　　     C.several　　    D.lovely

23.   A. sometimes　　 B.    usually    　　　　 C.forever　　    D.all

24.   A. knew   　　  B.adored    　　　　   C.　　   realized   　　 D.spoke

25.   A. expect   　　 B.wish　　 　　　　　　C.wanted    　　 D.knew