College is a big deal for American students as well as for Chinese students. During the college __41__， some parents become extremely worried. This may only __42__ the pressure.
Before I applied to the college, I told my parents I would get everything __43__ out. If I needed any help, I promised that I would ask them.
As it __44_ out, I had no problem putting everything together on my __45__， including my resume(履历) and a basic outline of my activities in high school. The __46__ part where I asked for my parents' advice was the essays. In writing and revising the essays, I needed feedback(反馈) from an audience. As my parents know me better than __47__ else, they were __48__for the job.
The essays are extremely important in college admissions. In a competitive pool of applicants, the test scores and activities, as well as the recommendations are all going to be very __49__. The essays are the one area in which students can make themselves stand __50__. Essays don't have to be big and complicated. I wrote three essays, all __51__ on small matters and using simple sentences. The admission officers have to read hundreds of essays a day; they are already __52__ of SAT vocabularies and long sentences. __53__， a straightforward writing style is refreshing to their eyes as well as their minds. Essays were the key to my success in the admission game. I just wrote about what I wanted to say, not what I thought the admission officers __54__ to hear.
In my main narrative－style __55__， I told the story of my American journey at the age of 14. During that time, I was not bogged down(陷入) by trying to fit into a new __56__； instead, I looked up to Mother Teresa for guidance and strength. I found my new __57__ and grew to love the name Teresa and the memories it held.
In my two minor essays, I __58__ the major events of my life, why I loved writing and why my dad is the person who has the greatest influence on me. Both provided details of my character. The essay about writing, which is titled, “I Shall Not Live in Vain” (__59__ by an Emily Dickinson poem), earned a lot of praise.
It is __60__ I really looked into my heart and thought deeply in order to reach my answers.

Stepfamilies are commonplace in the United States and their number continues to grow. While stepfamilies differ widely in their make-up， they all consist of a parenting couple and children， one or more of whom is of a previous union. Such combinations of his kids， her kids， and then， possibly， kids of the new union make for complicated and often trying difficulties， more challenging than those of traditional families.
Since stepfamilies involve more people and， consequently， more potential problems from the start than do childless new marriage， it is wise for the couple to do some careful planning prior to (＝before) marriage. Not only do the prospective(预期的) marital partners need agreement about their own carriers， life goals， finance and special interests， they must also prepare for new relationship with their children and attempt to accommodate their individual needs and feelings. Furthermore， there are often the rights of other relatives to consider.
As for any family， the basic ingredient(成分) of a successful stepfamily are affection， kindness and mutual(相互的) respect. However， love alone is not enough. Certainly love is the cornerstone upon which the foundation of any family is built， but there are also many other important ingredients involved in building a successful stepfamily.
Surveys reveal that successful families regard the ability to communicate openly as the most important factor in their success. Communication is what keeps families on track and functioning as a unit. Although healthy communication is easier for some people than for others， this skill can be learned and improved. Healthy communication involves speaking clearly and listening carefully.
By their very nature， stepfamilies often are complicated by past events that give rise to ambivalent(矛盾的) loyalties， lingering(持久的) hurts， fears， feelings of guilt and unrealistic dreams. The difficulties that arise within the stepfamilies are human and understandable. However， there are ways to confront(面临) and resolve them. For example， support groups and professional counselors(法律顾问) are available in most communities to provide help and guidance when communications stopped and problems seem overwhelming(压倒性的).
Planning and building a stepfamily is not a responsibility to take lightly. It can be a very trying and， at times， seemingly impossible effort. Many potential troubles can arise and threaten to destroy the stepfamily. Nevertheless， meeting and mastering these special challenges can bring unexpected satisfactions and rewarding depths of family closeness and affection.
【小题1】According to the passage， there are 　　　　 in the United States.

My nephew's 10-year-old son came for a visit one hot，July weekend. I persuaded him to　 inside and joined him in a game. After　 for an hour, I suggested that we relax for a while. I fell into my favorite recliner（躺椅）to let my neck muscles relax. He'd slipped out of the room and I was catching a few enjoyable moments of peace and quiet.

    "Look，Alice，”he said　 as he ran over to the chair where I was sitting"I found a kite. Could we go outside and 　 it?"

    Glancing out a nearby window, I noticed it was　 outside.“I'm sorry, Tripper,.” I said, sad to see his 　 eyes. "The wind is not blowing today. The kite won't fly.”

    The　 10-year-old replied,“I think it's windy enough. I can get it to fly,”he answered as he ran out to the back door 　 Up and down in the yard he ran, pulling the kite 　 to a small length of string. He ran back and forth，as hard as his ten year-old legs would carry him, looking back　 at the kite behind. After about ten minutes of unsuccessful determination, he came back in.

    I asked, "How did it go?"

    "Fine，”he said, not wanting to admit 　 ．“I got it to fly some”

    As he walked past me to return the kite to the closet shelf, I heard him say under his breath, "I guess I'll have to wait for the　 ．”

    At that moment I heard another Voice speak to my 　 . "Alice, sometimes you are just like that. You want to do it your way instead of waiting for the Wind.，，

    And the voice was right. We usually want to use our own efforts to 　 what we want to do. We wait for the Wind only after we have done all we can and have exhausted（耗尽） our own　  ．We must learn how to rely on Him in the first place!

1.A. live     B. study   C. stay        D. lie

2.A. playing  B. resting  C. challenging  D. arguing

3.A. casually  B. enthusiastically  C. stubbornly  D. deliberately

4.A. decorate  B. drop  C. hang   D. fly

5.A. hot      B. still   C. noisy  D. fine

6.A. bright   B. disappointed  C. dull  D. satisfied

7.A. clever   B. talented  C. determined  D. fearless

8.A. hurriedly   B. curiously  C. suddenly  D. unwillingly

9.A. adapted   B. added  C. attached  D. devoted

10.A. angrily   B. nervously  C. doubtfully  D. hopefully

11.A. win   B. defeat  C. mistake  D. luck

12.A. wind   B. order  C. news  D. sunshine

13.A. heart   B. memory  C. dream  D. world

14.A. imagine   B. decide  C. apply  D. accomplish

15.A. courage   B. patience  C. strength  D. knowledge

People diet to look more attractive．Fish diet to avoid being beaten up，thrown out of their social group，and getting eaten as a result．That is the fascinating conclusion of the latest research into fish behavior by a team of Australian scientists．

　　The research team have discovered that subordinate(低一等的) fish voluntarily diet to avoid challenging their larger competitors．"In studying gobies we noticed that only the largest two individuals，a male and female，had breeding（繁殖）rights within the group，" explains Marian Wong．"All other group members are nonbreeding females，each being 5-10% smaller than its next largest competitor．We wanted to find out how they maintain this precise size separation．"

　　The reason for the size difference was easy to see．Once a subordinate fish grows to within 5-10% of the size of its larger competitor，it causes a fight which usually ends in the smaller goby being driven away from the group．More often than not，the evicted fish is then eaten up．

　　It appeared that the smaller fish were keeping themselves small in order to avoid challenging the boss fish．Whether they did so voluntarily，by restraining how much they ate，was not clear．The research team decided to do an experiment．They tried to fatten up some of the subordinate gobies to see what happened．To their surprise，the gobies simply refused the extra food they were offered，clearly preferring to remain small and avoid fights，over having a feast．

　　The discovery challenges the traditional scientific view of how boss individuals keep their position in a group．Previously it was thought that large individuals simply used their weight and size to threaten their subordinates and take more of the food for themselves，so keeping their competitors small．

　　While the habits of gobies may seem a little mysterious，Dr．Wong explains that understanding the relationships between boss and subordinate animals is important to understand how hierarchical（等级的）societies remain stable．

　　The research has proved the fact that voluntary dieting is a habit far from exclusive to humans．"As yet，we lack a complete understanding of how widespread the voluntary reduction of food intake is in nature，" the researchers comment．"Data on human dieting suggests that，while humans generally diet to improve health or increase attractiveness，rarely does it improve long-term health and males regularly prefer females that are fatter than the females' own ideal．"

1.When a goby grows to within 5-10% of the size of its larger competitor，it _________．

A．leaves the group itself         B．has breeding rights

C．eats its competitor       D．faces danger

2.The underlined words "the evicted fish" in Paragraph 3 refer to _________．

A．the fish beaten up      B．the fish driven away

C．the fish found out        D．the fish fattened up

3.The experiment showed that the smaller fish _________．

A．fought over a feast     B．preferred some extra food

C．challenged the boss fish      D．went on diet willingly

4.What is the text mainly about?

A．Fish dieting and human dieting．         B．Dieting and health．

C．Human dieting．          D．Fish dieting．

Big Brothers Big Sisters is based on the simplicity and power of friendship．It is a program which provides friendship and fun by matching vulnerable young people (ages 7-17) with a volunteer adult who can be both a role model and a supportive friend.
　　Volunteer tutors come from all walks of life—married, single, with or without children. Big Brothers and Big Sisters are not replacement parents or social workers. They are tutors: someone to trust, to have fun with, to talk and go to when needed.
A Big Sister and Little Sister will generally spend between one and four hours together three or four times each month for at least twelve months. They enjoy simple activities such as a picnic at a park, cooking, playing sport or going to a football match. These activities improve the friendship and help the young person develop positive self-respect, confidence and life direction.
Big Brothers Big Sisters organizations exist throughout the world. It is the largest and most well-known provider of tutor services internationally and has been operating for 25 years.
Emily and Sarah have been matched since 2008. Emily is a 10-year-old girl who has experienced some difficulties being accepted by her schoolmates at school. “ I was pretty sure there was something wrong with me.”
Emily’s mum came across Big Brothers Big Sisters and thought it would be of benefit to Emily by “providing different feedback (反馈) about herself other than just relying on schoolmates to measure her self-worth.
Sarah wanted to get involved in a volunteer program. “I googled it and found out how to be a part of it. I thought it would be fun for me to get involved in making time to do something because sometimes it is all work and no play.”
Big Brothers Big Sisters has been of great benefit and enjoyment to both Emily and Sarah. They love and look forward to their time together and the partnership has certainly helped Emily be more comfortable in being the wonderful, happy and unique girl she is!
【小题1】What is the aim of Big Brothers Big Sisters?