Life is difficult.
This is a great truth, one of the greatest truths. It is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend (超越) it. Once we truly know that life is difficult — once we truly understand and accept it — then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters.
Most do not fully see this truth. Instead they complain about their problems and difficulties as if life should be easy. It seems to them that difficulties represent a special kind of suffering especially forced upon them or else upon their families, their class, or even their nation.
What makes life difficult is that the process of facing and solving problems is a painful one. Problems, depending on their nature, cause us sadness, or loneliness or regret or anger or fear. These are uncomfortable feelings, often as painful as any kind of physical pain. And since life causes an endless series of problems, life is always difficult and is full of pain as well as joy.
Yet, it is in this whole process of solving problems that life has its meaning. Problems are the serious test that tells us success from failure. When we desire to encourage the growth of human spirit, we encourage the human ability to solve problems, just as in school we set problems for our children to solve. It is through the pain of meeting and working out problems that we learn. As Benjamin Franklin said, those things that hurt, instruct. It is for this reason that wise people learn not to fear but to welcome the pain of problems.
小題1:The writer probably used just one short sentence in the first paragraph to ________.

A．save space

B．persuade readers

C．make readers laugh

D．get readers’ attention

小題2:According to the passage, we give school children difficult problems to solve in order to________.

A．encourage them to learn	B．teach them to fear the pain of solving the problem
C．help them learn to deal with pain	D．teach them how to respect for problems

小題3:From the passage, it can be inferred that _________.

A．everybody has problems

B．we become stronger by meeting and solving the problems of life

C．life is difficult because our problems bring us pain

D．people like to complain about their problems

If you want to learn a new language, the very first thing to think about is why. Do you need it for a ___36___reason, such as your job or your studies?___37____ perhaps you’re interested in the ___38____ , films or music of a different country and you know how much it will help to have a ___39____ of the language.
Most people learn best using a variety of ___40____, but traditional classes are an ideal（理想的）start for many people. They___41__an environment where you can practice under the __42___ of someone who’s good at the language. We all lead ___43___ lives and learning a language takes __44___. You will have more success if you study regularly, so try to develop a ___45___. It doesn’t matter if you haven’t got long. Becoming fluent in a language will take years, but learning to get by takes __46__.
Many people start learning a language and soon give up. “I’m too __47___, ” they say. Yes, children do learn languages more __48___ than adults, but research has shown that you can learn a language at any ___49___. And learning is good for the health of your brain, too. I’ve also heard people ___50___ about the mistakes they make when ___51___. Well, relax and laugh about your mistakes __52____ you’re much less likely to make them again.
Learning a new language is never ___53___. But with some work and devotion, you’ll make progress. And you’ll be __54___ by the positive reaction of some people when you say just a few words in ___55___ own language. Good luck!

小題1:	A．technical B．political C．practical D．physical

小題2:	A．After B．So C．Though D．Or

小題3:	A．literature B．transport C．a(chǎn)griculture D．medicine

小題4:	A．view B．knowledge C．form D．database

小題5:	A．paintings B．regulations C．methods D．computers

小題6:	A．protect B．change C．respect D．provide

小題7:	A．control B．command C．guidance D．pressure

小題8:	A．busy B．happy C．simple D．normal

小題9:	A．courage B．time C．energy D．place

小題10:

A．theory B．business C．routine D．project

小題11:

A．some risks B．a(chǎn) lot less C．some notes D．a(chǎn) lot more

小題12:

A．old B．nervous C．weak D．tired

小題13:

A．closely B．quickly C．privately D．quietly

小題14:

A．a(chǎn)ge B．speed C．distance D．school

小題15:

A．worry B．hesitate C．think D．quarrel

小題16:

A．singing B．working C．bargaining D．learning

小題17:

A．if B．a(chǎn)nd C．but D．before

小題18:

A．tiresome B．hard C．interesting D．easy

小題19:

A．blamed B．a(chǎn)mazed C．interrupted D．informed

小題20:

A．their B．his C．our D．your

I used to be a very self-centered person, but in the past two years I have really changed. I have started to think about other people__36__I think about myself. I am happy that I am becoming a__37__person.
I think my __38__started when I was at Palomar College. At first, I just wanted to get my__39__and be left alone. I thought I was smarter than everyone else, so I hardly ever__40__ to anyone in my classes. By the end of my first semester, I was really__41__. It seemed as if everyone but me had made friends and was having fun. So tried a(n)  __42__. I started asking people around me how they were doing, and if they were having trouble I__43__ to help. That was really a big__44__for me. By the end of the year, I had several new friends, and two of__45__are still my best friends today. 
A bigger cause of my new__46__, however, came when I took a part-time job at a Vista Nursing Home. One old lady there who had Alzheimer’s disease became my__47__ . Every time I came into her room, she was so __48__  because she thought I was her daughter. Her real daughter never__49__her, so I took her place. She let me __50__that making others feel good made me feel good, too. When she died, I was__51__, but I was very grateful to her.
I think I am a much__52__ person today than I used to be, and I hope I will not__53__ these experiences. They have __54__ me to care about other people more than about myself. I __55__who I am today, and I could not say that a few years ago.

小題1:	A．since B．before C．or D．unless

小題2:	A．famous B．simple C．different D．skilled

小題3:	A．education B．career C．tour D．change

小題4:	A．balance B．homework C．degree D．interest

小題5:	A．talked B．wrote C．lied D．reported

小題6:	A．careful B．lonely C．curious D．guilty

小題7:	A．a(chǎn)rgument B．game C．experiment D．defence

小題8:	A．dared B．offered C．hesitated D．happened

小題9:	A．dream B．problem C．duty D．step

小題10:

A．us B．which C．them D．whom

小題11:

A．a(chǎn)ttitude B．hobby C．hope D．luck

小題12:

A．friend B．partner C．guide D．guest

小題13:

A．polite B．happy C．strange D．confident

小題14:

A．bothered B．a(chǎn)nswered C．visited D．trusted

小題15:

A．explain B．guess C．declare D．see

小題16:

A．homeless B．heartbroken C．bad-tempered D．hopeless

小題17:

A．quieter B．busier C．better D．richer

小題18:

A．forget B．face C．improve D．a(chǎn)nalyze

小題19:

A．forced B．preferred C．ordered D．taught

小題20:

A．miss B．like C．wonder D．expect

I used to believe in the American Dream, which meant a job, a mortgage (按揭), credit cards, success. I wanted it and worked toward it like everyone else, all of us   36  chasing the same thing.
One year, through a series of unhappy events, it all fell   37 . I found myself homeless and alone. I had my truck and $ 56. I   38  the countryside for some place I could rent for the   39  possible amount. I came upon a shabby house four miles up a winding mountain road   40  the Potomac River in West Virginia. It was   41 , full of broken glass and rubbish. I found the owner, rented it, and   42  a corner to camp in.
The locals knew nothing about me,   43  slowly, they started teaching me the   44  of being a neighbor. They dropped off blankets, candles, and tools, and began   45  around to chat. They started to teach me a belief in a   46  American Dream—not the one of individual achievement but of   47 .
What I had believed in, all those things I thought were   48  for a civilized life, were nonexistent in this place.   49  on the mountain, my most valuable possessions were my   50  with my neighbors.
Four years later, I moved back into   51 . I saw many people were having a really hard time,   52  their jobs and homes. I managed to rent a big enough house to   53  a handful of people. There are four of us now in the house, but over time I’ve had nine people come in and move on to other places. We’d all be in   54  if we hadn’t banded together.
The American Dream I believe in now is a shared one. It’s not so much about what I can get for myself; it’s about   55  we can all get by together.

小題1:	A．separately B．equally C．violently D．naturally

小題2:	A．off B．a(chǎn)part C．over D．out

小題3:	A．crossed B．left C．toured D．searched

小題4:	A．fullest B．largest C．fairest D．cheapest

小題5:	A．a(chǎn)t B．through C．over D．round

小題6:	A．occupied B．a(chǎn)bandoned C．emptied D．robbed

小題7:	A．turned B．a(chǎn)pproached C．cleared D．cut

小題8:	A．but B．a(chǎn)lthough C．otherwise D．for

小題9:	A．benefit B．lesson C．nature D．a(chǎn)rt

小題10:

A．sticking B．looking C．swinging D．turning

小題11:

A．wild B．real C．different D．remote

小題12:

A．neighborliness B．happiness C．friendliness D．kindness

小題13:

A．unique B．expensive C．rare D．necessary

小題14:

A．Up B．Down C．Deep D．Along

小題15:

A．cooperation B．relationships C．satisfaction D．a(chǎn)ppointments

小題16:

A．reality B．society C．town D．life

小題17:

A．creating B．losing C．quitting D．offering

小題18:

A．put in B．turn in C．take in D．get in

小題19:

A．yards B．shelters C．camps D．cottages

小題20:

A．when B．what C．whether D．how

Zigfried, a little mouse, blew his breath on the frosty window of the farmhouse and rubbed it to see the outside. Still nobody came. Maybe today, he thought  31 . It was only a few days before Christmas and he was watching for a miracle (奇跡).
This farmhouse had been  32  too long. It needed a family. Zigfried’s  33  made a noise. He realized that he hadn’t eaten anything since yesterday. He jumped from the windowsill (窗沿), grabbed a  34  from his home, and went next door to Farmer Mike’s.
Farmer Mike’s house had been a great place for the little mouse  35  the farmer married a wife who had a cat. Zigfried  36  when he thought of it. He looked around cautiously as he 37  into the room where grain was stored and was quite  38  as he filled his bag with wheat. He was turning to leave when suddenly he  39  a hot breath about his ear. His heart beat  40  , and without thinking he started to run and luckily  41  the cat’s paws (爪子).
The next afternoon Zigfried heard some good news: a  42  family would be moving into the farmhouse soon. Zigfried’s granny would arrive on Christmas Eve to  43 with him. He hoped that the family would come before his granny came. Before long, a car came  44  the road leading to the house, with butter sandwiches, cheese and chocolate.
Zigfried’s Christmas miracle did arrive!
The house came  45  the next few days. Zigfried  46  every single hour of them.  47 , the day before Christmas when he was drinking hot chocolate with a  48  smile at the door of his home, he heard the  49 of the children of the family about what they might get for Christmas. What? A cat? The  50  froze on his face； his mouth fell wide open. After a long while, he at last found his voice: “Hey! Whose Christmas miracle is this?”

小題1:	A．carefully B．excitedly C．hopefully D．proudly

小題2:	A．shabby B．noisy C．messy D．empty

小題3:	A．mouth B．nose C．stomach D．throat

小題4:	A．bag B．stick C．bowl D．coat

小題5:	A．a(chǎn)lthough B．until C．whereas D．unless

小題6:	A．leapt B．sniffed C．trembled D．withdrew

小題7:	A．broke B．marched C．paced D．stole

小題8:	A．curious B．nervous C．pitiful D．sensible

小題9:	A．took B．released C．felt D．drew

小題10:

A．strongly B．irregularly C．slowly D．wildly

小題11:

A．escaped B．seized C．rubbed D．scratched

小題12:

A．close B．happy C．new D．young

小題13:

A．celebrate B．communicate C．compete D．compromise

小題14:

A．a(chǎn)cross B．from C．off D．up

小題15:

A．a(chǎn)live B．loose C．open D．still

小題16:

A．counted B．enjoyed C．missed D．wasted

小題17:

A．However B．Instead C．Moreover D．Therefore

小題18:

A．bitter B．forced C．polite D．satisfied

小題19:

A．introduction B．discussion C．comment D．debate

小題20:

A．blood B．smile C．tear D．sweat

In 1978, I was 18 and was working as a nurse in a small town about 270 km away from Sydney, Australia. I was looking forward to having five fays off from duty. Unfortunately, the only one train a day back to my home in Sydney had already left. So I thought I’d hitch a ride (搭便車(chē)).
I waited by the side of the highway for three hours but no one stopped for me. Finally, a man walked over and introduced himself as Gordon. He said that although he couldn’t give me a lift, I should come back to his house for lunch. He noticed me standing for hours in the November heat and thought I must be hungry. I was doubtful as a young girl but he assured (使……放心)me I was safe, and he also offered to help me find a lift home afterwards. When we arrived at his house, he made us sandwiches. After lunch, he helped me find a lift home.
Twenty-five years later, in 2003, while I was driving to a nearby town one day, I saw an elderly man standing in the glaring heat, trying to hitch a ride. I thought it was another chance to repay someone for the favour I’d been given decades earlier. I pulled over and picked him up. I made him comfortable on the back seat and offered him some water.
After a few moments of small talk, the man said to me, “You haven’t changed a bit, even your red hair is still the same.” I couldn’t remember where I’d met him. He then told me he was the man who had given me lunch and helped me find a lift all those years ago. It was Gordon.
小題1:The author had to hitch a ride one day in 1978 because        .

A．her work delayed her trip to Sydney

B．she was going home for her holidays

C．the town was far away from Sydney

D．she missed the only train back home

小題2:Which of the following did Gordon do according to Paragraph 2?

A．He helped the girl find a ride

B．He gave the girl a ride back home.

C．He bought sandwiches for the girl

D．He watched the girl for three hours.

小題3:The reason why the author offered a lift to the elderly man was that            .

A．she realized he was Gordon

B．she had known him for decades

C．she was going to the nearby town

D．she wanted to repay the favour she once got

小題4:What does the author want to tell the readers through the story?

A．Giving sometimes produces nice results

B．Those who give rides will be rapid.

C．Good manners bring about happiness

D．People should offer free rides to others.

Some people think that success is only for those with talent or those who grow up in the right family, and others believe that success mostly comes down to luck. I’m not going to say luck,talent,and circumstances don’t come into play because they do. Some people are born into the right family while others are born with great intelligence, and that’s just the reality of how life is.
However,to succeed in life,one first needs to set a goal and then gradually make it more practical.And,in addition to that,in order to get really good at something,one needs to spend at least 10,000 hours studying and practicing.To become great at certain things,it’ll require even more time,time that most people won’t put in.
This is a big reason why many successful people advise you to do something you love. If you don’t enjoy what you do ,it is going to feel like unbearable pain and will likely make you quit well before you ever become good at it.
When you see people exhibiting some great skills or having achieved great success,you know that they have put in a huge part of their life to get there at a huge cost.It’s sometimes easy to think they got lucky or they were born with some rare talent,but thinking that way does you no good,and there’s a huge chance that you’re wrong anyway.
Whatever you do,if you want to become great at it, you need to work day in and day out,almost to the point of addiction,and over a long period of time.If you’re not willing to put in the time and work,don’t expect to receive any rewards.Consistent, hard work won’t guarantee you the level of success you may want, but it will guarantee that you will become really good at whatever it is you put all that work into.
小題1:Paragraph 1 mainly talks about ________.

A．the reasons for success	B．the meaning of success
C．the standards of success	D．the importance of success

小題2:In Paragraph 2,the underlined word that refers to ______.

A．being good at something	B．setting a practical goal
C．putting in more time	D．succeeding in life

小題3:Successful people suggest doing what one loves because ______.

A．work makes one feel pain	B．one tends to enjoy his work
C．one gives up his work easily	D．it takes a lot of time to succeed

小題4:What can we infer from Paragraph 4?

A．Successful people like to show their great skills.

B．People sometimes succeed without luck or talent.

C．People need to achieve success at the cost of life.

D．It helps to think that luck or talent leads to success.

小題5:What is the main theme of the passage?

A．Having a goal is vital to success.

B．Being good is different from being great.

C．One cannot succeed without time and practice.

D．Luck,talent and family help to achieve success.

Home to me means a sense of familiarity and nostalgia(懷舊). It's fun to come home. It looks the same. It smells the same. You'll realize what's changed is you. Home is where we ran remember pain, live, and some other experiences; We parted here; My parents met here; I won three championships here.
If I close my eyes, I can still have a clear picture in mind of my first home. I walk in the door and see a brown sofa surrounding a low glass-top wooden table. To the right of the living room is my first bedroom. It's empty, but it's where my earliest memories are.
There is the dining room table where I celebrated birthdays, and where I cried on Halloween-when I didn't want to wear the skirt my mother made for me. I always liked standing on that table because it made me feel tall and strong. If I sit at this table, I can see my favorite room in the house, my parents' room. It is simple: a brown wooden dresser lines the right side of the wall next to a television and a couple of photos of my grandparents on each side. Their bed is my safe zone. I can jump on it anytime - waking up my parents if I am scared or if I have an important announcement that cannot wait until the morning.
I'm lucky because I know my first home still exists. It exists in my mind and heart, on a physical property(住宅) on West 64th street on the western edge of Los Angeles. It is proof I lived, I grew and I learned.
Sometimes when I feel lost, I lie down and shut my eyes, and I go home. I know it's where I'll find my family, my dogs, and my belongings. I purposely leave the window open at night because I know I'll be blamed by Mom. But I don't mind, because I want to hear her say my name, which reminds me I'm home.
小題1:Why does the author call her parents' bed her "safe zone"(Paragraph 3)?

A．It is her favorite place to play.

B．Her needs can be satisfied there.

C．Her grandparents' photos are lined on each side.

D．Her parents always play together with her there.

小題2:What can be learned from the passage?

A．The old furniture is still in the author's fist bedroom.

B．The author can still visit her first physical home in Los Angeles.

C．The author's favorite room in her first home is the dining room.

D．Many people of the author's age can still find their first physical homes.

小題3:Sometimes when she feels lost, the author will _______.

A．Open the window at night

B．lie down in bed to have a dream

C．try to bring back a sense of home

D．go to Los Angeles to visit her mom

小題4:What is the author's purpose of writing this passage?

A．To express how much she is attached to her home.

B．To declare how much she loves her first house.

C．To describe the state of her family.

D．To look back on her childhood.

I went to a group activity, “Sensitivity Sunday” which was to make us more   36  the problem faced by disabled people. We were asked to “   37  a disability” for several hours one Sunday. Some member   38  chose the wheel chair. Other wore sound-blocking earplugs (耳塞) or blindfolds (眼罩).
Just sitting in the wheelchair was a   39  experience, I had never considered before how   40  it would be to use one. As soon as I sat down my   41  made the chair begin to roll. Its wheel were not   42  . Then I wondered where to put my   43  , It took me quite a while to get the metal footrest into   44  , I took my first uneasy look at what was to be my only means of   45  for several hours. For disabled people, “adopting a wheelchair” is not a temporary(臨時(shí)的)   46  .
I tried to find a   47  position and thought it might be restful,   48  kind of nice to be   49   around for a while. Looking around, I   50  would have to handle the thing myself! My hands started to ache as I   51  the heavy wheels, I came to know that controlling the   52  of the wheelchair as not going to be   53  task,
My wheelchair experiment was soon   54  . It made a deep impression on me. A few hours of “disability” gave me only a taste of the   55  , both physical and mental, that disabled people must overcome.

小題1:	A．curious about B．a(chǎn)ware of C．interested in D．careful with

小題2:	A．cure B．a(chǎn)dopt C．prevent D．a(chǎn)nalyze

小題3:	A．inserted B．strangely C．a(chǎn)s usual D．like me

小題4:	A．learning B．working C．satisfying D．relaxing

小題5:	A．convenient B．a(chǎn)wkward C．boring D．exciting

小題6:	A．height B．force C．skill D．weight

小題7:	A．locked B．repaired C．powered D．grasped

小題8:	A．hands B．feet C．keys D．handles

小題9:	A．place B．a(chǎn)ction C．play D．effect

小題10:

A．operation B．communication C．transportation D．production

小題11:

A．exploration B．education C．experiment D．entertainment

小題12:

A．flexible B．safe C．starting D．comfortable

小題13:

A．yet B．just C．still D．even

小題14:

A．shown B．pushed C．driven D．guided

小題15:

A．realized B．suggested C．a(chǎn)greed D．a(chǎn)dmitted

小題16:

A．lifted B．turned C．pressed D．seized

小題17:

A．path B．position C．direction D．way

小題18:

A．easy B．heavy C．major D．extra

小題19:

A．forgotten B．repeated C．conducted D．finished

小題20:

A．weaknesses B．a(chǎn)nxieties C．challenges D．illnesses

The baby monkey is much more developed at birth than the human baby. Almost from the moment it is born, the baby monkey can move around and hold tightly to its mother. During the first few days of its life the baby will approach and hold onto almost any large, warm, and soft object in its environment, particularly if that object also gives it milk. After a week or so, however, the baby monkey begins to avoid newcomers and focuses its attentions on “mother” ---- the real mother or the mother-substitute(母親替代物）.
During the first two weeks of its warmth is perhaps the most important psychological（心理的） thing that a monkey mother has to give to its baby. The Harlows, a couple who are both psychologists, discovered this fact by offering baby monkeys a choice of two types of mother-substitutes ---- one covered with cloth and one made of bare wire. If the two artificial mothers were both the same temperature, the little monkeys always preferred the cloth mother. However, if the wire model was heated, while the cloth model was cool, for the first two weeks after birth the baby monkeys picked the warm wire mother-substitutes as their favorites. Thereafter they switched and spent most of their time on the more comfortable cloth mother
Why is cloth preferable to bare wire? Something that the Harlows called contact（接觸的） comfort seems to be the answer, and a most powerful influence it is. Baby monkeys spend much of their time rubbing against their mothers’ skins, putting themselves in as close contact with the parent as they can. Whenever the young animal is frightened, disturbed, or annoyed, it typically rushes to its mother and rubs itself against her body. Wire doesn’t“rub”as well as does soft wire cloth. Prolonged（長(zhǎng)時(shí)間的）“contact comfort” with a cloth mother appears to give the babies confidence and is much more rewarding to them than is either warmth or milk.
According to the Harlows, the basic quality of a baby’s love for its mother is trust. If the baby is put into an unfamiliar playroom without its mother, the baby ignores the toys no matter how interesting they might be. It screams in terror and curls up into a fury little ball. If its cloth mother is now introduced into the playroom, the bay rushes to it and holds onto it for dear life. After a few minutes of contact comfort, it obviously begins to feel more secure. It then climbs down from the mother-substitute and begins to explore the toys, but often rushes back for a deep embrace（擁抱）as if to make sure that its mother is still there and that all is well. Bit by bit its fears of the new environment are gone and it spends more and more time playing with the toys and less and less time holding on to its “mother.” 
50. Psychologically, what does the baby monkey desire most during the first two weeks of its life?
A. Warmth     B. Milk     C. Contact         D. Trust
小題1:After the first two weeks of their life, baby moneys prefer the cloth mother to the wire mother because the former is __.

A．larger in size	B．closer to them
C．less frightening and less disturbing	D．more comfortable to rub against

小題2:What does the baby monkey probably gain from prolonged “contact comfort”?

A．Attention

B．Softness

C．Confidence

D．Interest

小題3:It can be inferred that when the baby monkey feels secure,_____________.

A．it frequently rushes back for a deep embrace when exploring the toys

B．it spends more time screaming to get rewards

C．it is less attracted to the toys though they are interesting

D．it cares less about whether its mother is still around

小題4:The main purpose of the passage is to______________.

A．give the reasons of the experiment

B．present the findings of the experiment

C．introduce the method of the experiment

D．describe the process of the experiment