After the board meeting, Frank began to tell us of his childhood. “I grew up in San Pedro. My dad was a fisherman and had his own 　36 . But it was hard making a living on the sea. He worked hard and would stay out until he 　37 enough to feed the family.”

He looked at us and said, “I 　38 you could have met my dad. He was a big man and strong from pulling the nets and fighting the seas for his catch. When you got close to him, he　 39 like the ocean. He would wear his old canvas, foul-weather coat and overalls with the rain hat　 40 down over his brow. No matter how much my mother washed them, they would still smell of the sea and of fish.”

Frank’s voice 41 a bit as if he were back to his childhood. “When the weather was bad he would drive me to school. His truck was older than he was, which you could hear coming for 42 . As he would drive toward the school, I would shrink down into the seat hoping to 43 .”

“When the truck stopped, it would throw out a cloud of smoke. He would pull right up in front, and it seemed like 　44 would be standing around and watching. Then he would 　45 　and give me a big kiss on the cheek and tell me to be a good boy. It was so 　46 for me at that time.”

He paused and then went on, “I 　47 that day I decided I was too old for a goodbye kiss. When we got to the school, he had his 　48 big smile. He started to lean toward me, 　49 I put my hand up and said, ‘No, Dad.”

“It was the first time I had ever talked to him that way, and he had this 　50 look on his face. My dad looked at me for the longest time, and his eyes started to tear 　51 . I had never seen him cry. He turned and looked out of the windshield. ‘You are right,’ he said, ‘You are a big boy --a man. I won’t kiss you any more.’”

Frank got a funny look on his face, and tears began to well up in his eyes as he spoke. “It wasn’t long 　52 that when my dad went to sea and never came back. It was a day when most of the fleet stayed 　53 but not dad.”

I looked at Frank and saw that tears were running down his cheeks. Frank spoke again, “Guys, you don’t know 　54 I would give to have my dad give me just one more kiss on the cheek ... If I had been a 　 55 , I would never have told my dad I was too old for a goodbye kiss.”

36. A. house　　　　　 B. truck　　　　　　　　　　 C. boat　　　　　　　　　 D. car

37. A. caught　　　　 B. received　　　　　　　　 C. made　　　　　　　　 D. took

38. A. think　　　　　 B. wish　　　　　　　　　　 C. hope　　　　　　　　 D. mean

39. A. looked　　　　 B. tasted　　　　　　　　　　 C. felt　　　　　　　　　　 D. smelled

40. A. pulled　　　　　 B. taken　　　　　　　　　　 C. put　　　　　　　　　　 D. laid

41. A. worked　　　 B. rose　　　　　　　　　　　 C. lost　　　　　　　　　 D. dropped

42. A. blocks　　　　 B. streets　　　　　　　　　 C. hours　　　　　　　　 D. moments

43. A. appear　　　　 B. escape　　　　　　　　　 C. disappear　　　　　 D. flee

44. A. the students B. everybody　　　　　　 C. somebody　　　　　 D. the teachers

45. A. come over　 B. lean over　　　　　　　 C. go over　　　　　　 D. turn over

46. A. exciting　　　 B. frightening　　　　　　 C. embarrassing　　 D. surprising

47. A. remember　　 B. believe　　　　　　　　　 C. think　　　　　　　　 D. imagine

48. A. unusual　　　 B. common　　　　　　　 C. ordinary　　　　　　 D. usual

49. A. and 　　　　　 B. but　　　　　　　　　　　 C. so　　　　　　　　　　 D. therefore

50. A. surprised　　 B. excited　　　　　　　　　 C. moved　　　　　　　 D. worried

51. A. up 　　　　　 B. down　　　　　　　　　　 C. off　　　　　　　　　　 D. away

52. A. since　　　　　 B. before　　　　　　　　　 C. after　　　　　　　　　 D. from

53. A. on 　　　　　 B. in 　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. off　　　　　　　　　　 D. out

54. A. if　 　　　　　 B. that　　　　　　　　　　　 C. which　　　　　　　 D. what

55. A. student　　　　 B. boy　　　　　　　　　　　 C. child　　　　　　　　 D. man

 根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。（请将答案写在答题纸上）

　　　　　　　　Getting to Now: How to Beat the Procrastination Habit

　　I am a procrastinator(拖拉者). I always have been. I've tried all sorts of things to beat the habit. Here are some techniques I've been using to try to force myself to get to now:

　　Set aside blocks of time to do things. When I was talking with my wellness coach earlier this year, she asked me why I didn't exercise more often. “　　,” I said. “Something always comes up.” She wasn’t impressed. “J.D.,” she said, “You have to make time. Make an appointment with yourself to run or to go for a bike ride.” The same principle applies to other things you might procrastinate.

　　　　. Often I’ll be sitting on the back porch reading a book, and it will occur to me that some chore needs to be done — mending the fence, for example. “　　,” I tell myself. Wrong! What usually happens is that I forget to write it down, and even if I do, I just look at the list and procrastinate for weeks on end. The best move is to actually do the chore when I think of it. (Assuming, of course, that I have the time at that moment,which I usually do.)

　　Use a timer to bring you back to reality. Part of the reason I procrastinate is that I'm a daydreamer. 　 　. One way to keep on track is to use a timer. I use the Ultrak Jumbo Countdown Timer, but not as often as I should. I set it for 48 minutes. When it goes off, 　 　: Am I doing what I'm supposed to be doing?

　　Do not multitask. I often start many things at once, but I never actually do any of them. In order for me to get something done, I need to focus my attention on it. Trying to do several things at once is a sure way to be sure they'll all be unfinished tomorrow.

　　A. I’m always lost in thought

　　B. it brings me back to reality

　　C. If it comes to mind, then do it

　　D. I don’t have the time

　　E. it serves as an instant reality check

　　F. Do it right away if you are asked to do something

　　G. I need to write that down so I can remember it

根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。（请将答案写在答题纸上）

　　　　　　　　Getting to Now: How to Beat the Procrastination Habit

　　I am a procrastinator(拖拉者). I always have been. I've tried all sorts of things to beat the habit. Here are some techniques I've been using to try to force myself to get to now:

　　Set aside blocks of time to do things. When I was talking with my wellness coach earlier this year, she asked me why I didn't exercise more often. “　1.　,” I said. “Something always comes up.” She wasn’t impressed. “J.D.,” she said, “You have to make time. Make an appointment with yourself to run or to go for a bike ride.” The same principle applies to other things you might procrastinate.

　　　2.　. Often I’ll be sitting on the back porch reading a book, and it will occur to me that some chore needs to be done — mending the fence, for example. “　3.　,” I tell myself. Wrong! What usually happens is that I forget to write it down, and even if I do, I just look at the list and procrastinate for weeks on end. The best move is to actually do the chore when I think of it. (Assuming, of course, that I have the time at that moment,which I usually do.)

　　Use a timer to bring you back to reality. Part of the reason I procrastinate is that I'm a daydreamer. 　 4.　. One way to keep on track is to use a timer. I use the Ultrak Jumbo Countdown Timer, but not as often as I should. I set it for 48 minutes. When it goes off, 　 5.　: Am I doing what I'm supposed to be doing?

　　Do not multitask. I often start many things at once, but I never actually do any of them. In order for me to get something done, I need to focus my attention on it. Trying to do several things at once is a sure way to be sure they'll all be unfinished tomorrow.

　　A. I’m always lost in thought

　　B. it brings me back to reality

　　C. If it comes to mind, then do it

　　D. I don’t have the time

　　E. it serves as an instant reality check

　　F. Do it right away if you are asked to do something

　　G. I need to write that down so I can remember it

完形填空（共20小题；每小题1分，满分20分）
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中，选出最佳选项。
On August 26, 1999, New York City experienced a terrible rainstorm. The rain caused the streets to _36_ and the subway system (地铁系统)almost came to a stop.
Unfortunately, this happened during the morning rush hour. Many people who were going to work were _ _37__ to go home. Some battled to _ _38__ a taxi or to get on a bus. Still others faced the _ _39_ bravely, walking miles to get to work..
I _ _40__ to be one of the people on the way to work that morning. I went from subway line to subway line only to find that most _ _41_ had stopped. After making my way _ _42  crowds of people, I finally found a subway line that was operating . __ 43_, there were so many people waiting to 44_ the subway that I could not even get down the stairs to the platform.(月台) So I took the train going in the _ _45 direction, and then turn back to the downtown train. Finally, after what seemed like an forever journey, the train _46_ my stop. Then I had to walk several blocks in the increasingly heavy rain. When I finally got to my office, I was _47__ through, discouraged and _48___.
My co-workers and I spent most of the day drying off. When it was 5:00 pm，I was ready to go home. I was about to turn off my computer __49___ I received an email from Garth, my Director:
I would like to thank all of you who made the effort and __50__ reported to work. It is always reassuring(令人欣慰), at times like these, when employees so clearly __51___ their devotion(（忠心）  to their jobs. Thank you.
Garth’s email was short, but I learned more from that __52__ message than I ever did from a textbook. The e-mail taught me that a few words of __53____ can make a big difference. The rainstorm and the traffic __54__ had made me tired and upset. But Garth’s words immediately_55__ me and put a smile back on my face.
36. A. break            B. flood              C. sink                  D. run
37. A. forced           B. refused              C. ordered             D. gathered
38. A. order            B. pay                   C. call                   D. search
39. A. climate        　 B. weather             C. storm                D. snow
40. A. used              B. promised           C. seemed             D. happened
41. A. practice          B. traffic               C. process             D. service
42. A. to               　B. through             C. over                  D. for
43. A. Unfortunately      B. Luckily      C. Interestingly      D. Satisfyingly
44. A. check              B. carry          C. find             D. board
45. A. only              B. similar         C. same             D. opposite
46. A. paused            B. crossed         C. reached          D. parked
47. A. wet                B. weak       C. sick             D. hurt
48. A. interested        B. tired          C. surprised       D. puzzled
49. A. while             B. when          C. where          D. after
50. A. hardly            B. happily        C. firstly         D. finally
51. A. show              B. carry          C. take          D. fetch
52. A. basic           B. attractive       C. brief               D. original
53. A. promise          B. appreciation       C. advice             D. position
54. A. troubles         B. signals       C. rules         D. signs
55. A. corrected         B. supported          C. surprised           D. delighted

Listening to music can help me focus better. Since I discovered it two years ago，I've used music to get through boring work or to focus creatively. I've found that it can make even the dullest jobs enjoyable and help clear mental blocks to creativity.

I first noticed the good effects of music while playing video games. It was a few days before Christmas in 2005 and I was playing online video games. My parents had just given me a new MP3，so I decided to listen to music through the headphones while I played. After a few minutes I noticed a great change in my style of play. I was playing more naturally. The music relaxed me，and，to a certain extent，distracted me from the game，allowing my subconscious(潜意识的)talent to come through. The music also helped me block out the outside world. With those headphones on I was like a machine，moving from one task to the next without unnecessary thoughts or actions.

Music can also have a great effect on mood. If I'm in a bad mood at work，I'll listen to some of Bob Marley's and get down to business. It always takes my mind off what I'm doing and makes me a happier person. The same is true for classic rock. One summer，I did a boring job collecting bottle openers by hand. Without a radio playing classic rock in the background，I would have hated life.

Listening to music with relaxing rhythms and a positive message helps you forget your work and think happy thoughts. But the results you see will depend heavily on your personal tastes. Experiment with the types of music you listen to during certain tasks. By trial and error you'll finally discover your best choice.

I'm always looking for new concentration aids，so I'd love to know what type of music works best for me.

1. We can infer that the passage was written in ________.

A. 2005　  　B. 2006　　  C. 2007　 　D. 2008

2. The author first discovered the effects of music ________.

A. from his parents  B. by chance

C. at work         D. when he was a child

3. Which of the following statements is NOT an effect of music for the author?

A. It helps him block out the outside world.

B. It arouses his subconscious talent.

C. It helps his mind relax.

D. It makes him work without any thought.

4. The author mentions the experience of collecting bottle openers in Paragraph 3 to ________.

A. tell us that life is dull

B. drove that music affects mood

C. tell us how to seek happiness

D. tell us bad mood can affect work

5. In order to get the greatest effect of music，you are advised to ________.

A. listen to some of Bob Marley's

B. only choose relaxing music

C. test all kinds of music

D. listen to classic rock