_________ there are certainly times when giving up trying is the right thing to do, in most cases all needed is commitment and communication.

A. UnlessB. BeforeC. AlthoughD. Since

I think you are at the end of your ________ this time and need to turn to Pro. Smith for advice.

A. resourcesB. careersC. featuresD. issues

The young parents _________ too much a pet of their son, which is bound to destroy him in the end.

A. have madeB. are makingC. madeD. will be making

So sudden an attack ________ that the enemy could hardly have any time to fly for their lives.

A. we madeB. we had madeC. did we madeD. had we made

An completely new district of industry has appeared in ________ used to be wasteland.

A. whichB. thatC. whatD. where

I am a person who doesn’t like waiting. I don’t like to wait in line, being put on hold when making a phone call, or arriving at an apartment to find that my companion will be . And of course, I don’t like waiting rooms.

, I realize that my agony(痛苦) will not be good for me, as an crowded world can only mean one thing – more waiting.

this, I have taken an action and decide to turn my frustration to productive ends. In short, I am looking for what I call “waiting-in-line” .

These are volumes that contain materials for being read in shortened words, so there is no extended story line to lose track of. Another is that they be enough to slip neatly into my back pocket.

The other day I went to the supermarket. that the rain would keep most people away, I was to see that the place was filled with . Every checkout was open – and jammed! But I can my pocket book and go to work.

The more the world demands that I , the more I learn from my waiting library. Look at the followings: One Hundred Things Every American Should Know; The Poetry of Robert Frost; Living Thoughts of Leading Thinkers; Still More Toasts. I have learned interesting and enriching things and much from these books.

On a recent visit to the general store, I placed my order at the along with six or seven people. The old female employee seemed to have her hands full as she rushed . “Young man, just be ,” she said to me.

No problem. I quietly opened my dictionary prose(散文) and poetical quotations. Perhaps the other customers me as a bookish, lonely soul. But did they realize that I was enjoying the of Shakespeare, Thoreau, Homer and Ben Johnson.

1.A. dismissed B. delayed C. disappearedD. delighted

2.A. FurthermoreB. However C. DespiteD. Besides

3.A. actuallyB. importantlyC. increasinglyD. accurately

4.A. Instead ofB. Apart fromC. Rather thanD. Owing to

5.A. roomsB. goodsC. reasonsD. books

6.A. searched B. affordedC. designedD. charged

7.A. convenienceB. requirementC. agreementD. distinction

8.A. smallB. prettyC. activeD. vivid

9.A. Believed B. DeterminedC. PuzzledD. Convinced

10.A. surprisedB. worriedC. excitedD. satisfied

11.A. shoppersB. readersC. employeesD. volunteers

12.A. put outB. set downC. send forD. take out

13.A. sufferB. waitC. watchD. read

14.A. advantageB. benefitC. knowledgeD. patient

15.A. counterB. pocketC. marketD. service

16.A. aboutB. awayC. overD. across

17.A. politeB. patientC. carefulD. helpful

18.A. thoughtB. lookedC. regardedD. treated

19.A. certainlyB. obviouslyC. secretlyD. hardly

20.A. relationB. momentC. companyD. novel

On Saturday, Feb 12, 2000, two things happened that changed my life.

First of all, my baby sister got married. She was 26 this day, and yet to me she was still my baby sister.

I was happy, but also sad. Gone were the days of me bossing(支使) her around. My bossy behavior had once earned me the nickname Lucy. If you’re a fan of Peanuts, then you can clearly imagine my behavior as an older sister.

At one point, I left the wedding reception to get some air. I went outside and walked to a nearby playground. I’m not sure how long I sat there before my sister came and joined me. We talked about how we were both grown up. As she wiped a tear from my eye, she lovingly said, “You’ll always be Lucy to me.” We hugged.

Then, my cousin Mike walked over to tell us that it was time to cut the cake, and the second thing that changed my life that day came to pass.

“Hey, did you guys hear that Charles Schulz died today?” he said casually – as if it were no big deal. Then he took my sister’s arm and they turned to head back to the reception hall. “Coming?” they asked. “In a minute,” I replied, and I sat back down on the bench, dizzy from what Mike had just told me.

How could Charles Schulz be dead? He was my creator! He was almost like a father to me!

I had lost so many things on that day. My innocence had slipped away like a thief in the night. It was gone before I could do anything about it, taking with it all the treasures that I had held in my heart. I felt myself grow up in an instant. I saw, for the first time, what I really was – a 30-year-old woman with a husband of my own, and soon, a child of my own.

I took a deep breath and stood up from the bench. I turned and headed back to the hall, hoping I hadn’t missed the cutting of the cake. It was the day that my sister grew wings of her own and left the nest – the day that Lucy died, and I was born.

1.Why did the author feel sad at her sister’s wedding?

A. She was afraid of change.

B. Her sister was getting ready to move far away from her.

C. Her wonderful childhood with her sister had become a thing of the past.

D. She had nobody to turn to for help with housework.

2.When the author’s cousin told her that Charles Schulz had died, she __________.

A. felt a great sense of loss

B. burst into tears

C. thought he was joking

D. got angry at him for his attitude

3.What is implied when the author says that “Lucy died, and I was born”?

A. The author has realized how her sister must have felt about her and decided to change.

B. Lucy no longer matters to the author.

C. The author doesn’t like the nickname Lucy anymore.

D. The author is no longer sad and ready to face the fact that she is an adult.

4.The best title of the passage can be __________.

A. Two things changing my life

B. My baby sister’s wedding

C. Not Lucy anymore

D. Not innocent anymore

Below are pages adapted from, http://sochi2014. com/en/

Sochi Volunteers

● 5 December 2013 Sochi 2014 Volunteer Team is Prepared for Games

On international Volunteer Day, 5 December, the Organizing Committee of the Winter Games in Sochi presented the national “Sochi 2014 Volunteer Team”, The Sochi 2014 Volunteer Team is complete, consisting of 25,000 volunteers from 26 volunteer centers across Russia as well as global volunteers.

● 6 August 2013 Sochi 2014 Sochi 2014 volunteer s meet athletics stars in Moscow

Approximately 2,000 Sochi 2014 volunteers will take part in the staging of the World Athletics Championships, which will be held in Moscow from 10-18 August.

● 30 May 2013 “Sochi 2014”volunteers on the presentation of the Olympic and Paralympic medals

In St. Petersburg during the 11th “Sport Accord”, Annual International Sports Convention was held on the presentation of the Olympic and Paralympic medals.

● 11 March 2013 Sochi 2014 Volunteer Training Program Launched across Russia

On March 11, the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee launched a large-scale project for training 25,000 volunteers for the 2014Games in Sochi.

Sochi Culture Activities

● International Ballet Stars Gala, 29 January 2014

Year of Russian Culture in the United Kingdom and Year of British Culture.

● Sochi 2014 Culture Olympiad to Present History of Sports in Russia, 20 December 2013

As part of the Year of the of the Museum of the Sochi 2014 Cultural Olympiad the “ Training the Strength of the Body, Sports and the Romanov Family ” exhibition will be open starting from 21 December at the Sochi Art Museum.

● Sochi 2014 Cultural Program Culminates in Grand Finale, 16 December 2013

The Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee has presented an entertaining Cultural Program for the guests and participants of the Olympic Games.

● Sochi 2014 Games Fans’ Anthem will Unite Spectators in the Stands, 31 October 2013

100 days before the start of the first ever Olympic Winter Games in Russia, the Sochi 2014 Cultural Olympiad and General Partner of the Games Sberbank have unveiled the fans’ anthem for the Games. The anthem will be played at all Olympic venues and will be the main song at the sports fields for the competitions.

● “White Stick” Music Festival to Take Place during the Start of Sochi 2014 Torch Relay, 7 October 2013

On 7 October, during the launch of the Olympic Torch Relay, the “White Stick” IV International charity festival will take place against the backdrop of the Sochi 2014 Cultural Olympiad in Moscow.

● Winners of Cultural Program Competition to Perform at Sochi Games, 19 September 2013

The Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee’s cultural program Contest has come to an end and the winners have been announced. It took place within the framework of the Sochi 2014 Cultural Olympiad.

● Sochi 2014 Cultural Olympiad to Showcase Russia’s cultural diversity, 22 August 2013

From August, 25 to September 8, the “Alluring Worlds, Ethnic Russia” travelling festival will travel along the coast of the Black Sea. The festival is part of the Sochi 2014 Cultural Olympiad’s Year of the Museums and will illustrate Russia’s diversity.

1.Sochi 2014 Volunteer Training Program was launched on ．

A. 30 May 2013 B.11 March 2013 C. 16 December 2013 D.19 September 2013

2.“White Stick" Music Festival took place in .

A. Sochi B. St. Petersburg C. the United Kingdom D. Moscow

3.Which of the following statements is true?

A. The 25 ,000 volunteers were from Russia.

B. Winners of Cultural Program Competition weren't known until 19 September 2013.

C. From August,25 to September,8,you were able to enjoy Winter Games in Sochi.

D. Few of the cultural activities were intended for creating atmosphere of Sochi Winter Games.

4.From the two boxes, you can learn that the activities were listed according to .

A. importance B. place C. date D. name

Henry Ford grew up on an un-electrified farm, and as a young man he followed Edison's career as the inventor became a national role model. Ford took a job at the Edison Illuminating Company working his way up to chief engineer．

In 1896 Ford was thirty-three and, though still working for Edison Co., he had created his first experimental automobile the Ford Quadricycle2 during his off-time. At an Edison company party in New York, Ford had his first chance to meet his hero Edison and was able to explain his new automobile to the great inventor. Edison was impressed. Edison is said to have slammed his fist down_and shouted, “Young man, that's the thing! You have it! Your car is self-contained and carries its own power plant.” Edison himself had been working on the idea, but had only been considering electricity as the power source, so the idea of a gas engine was a somewhat new one．

The words comforted Ford greatly, who immediately set out building a second car which was to become the Model-T.6. The two men became fast friends and would go on camping trips together．When Edison later became limited to a wheelchair, Ford brought an extra one to his house so they could race．At the 50th anniversary of the invention of light-bulb, Ford honored Edison．When Edison spoke, he ended his speech directed at Ford, “ As to Henry Ford, words fail to express my feelings．I can only say that he is my friend.” Therefore it is no surprise that Ford wanted something to remember Edison by after he passed away in 1931.

Once, Ford asked Thomas Edison's son Charles to sit by the dying inventor's bedside and hold a test tube next to his father's mouth to catch his final breath. Ford was a man with many strange behaviors (as was Edison) including some interest in reanimation and spiritualism（夏活通靈術(shù)）and some say that he was attempting to catch Edison's soul as it escaped his body in hopes of later bringing the inventor back to life.

The test tube itself didn't turn up until 1950 when it was listed in the Ford possessions after Clara Ford's passing away, and then lost again until 1978 when it was discovered in an exhibit Entitled “Henry Ford-A Personal History” in the Henry Ford Museum. It would then be discovered that the tube was labeled “Edison's Last Breath”.

There is a further mystery of this “l(fā)ast breath” test tube．It would seem as if Edison had quite a last breath indeed, as the Edison Estate holds a collection of 42 test tubes all supposedly containing Edison's last breath．

Regardless of the excitement over the last breath, the test tube is quite touching in its meaning．Although both men were known for all sorts of poor behavior towards their loved ones and mistreatment of employees, between them at least, there was clearly a deep respect and admiration．

1.The purpose of the author writing this passage is to .

A. remind the readers of the importance of the two inventors

B. stress the importance of friendship

C. tell the readers some stories about the two inventors

D. show that love can lead to some poor behaviors

2.From the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2, we can learn that .

A. Edison envied what Ford had achieved

B. Edison was annoyed that Ford did better than him

C. Edison was angry because Ford stole his idea

D. Edison was extremely amazed at Ford's new idea

3.“The 1ast breath test tube” can probably be regarded as .

A. a symbol of a friendship and memory

B. a witness to a scientific breakthrough

C. a failure to bring Edison back to life

D. a sign of the two inventors' poor behavior

4.It can be learned from the last paragraph that“ ”.

A. Great minds think alike

B. Nobody is perfect

C. Two heads are better than one

D. A friend in need is a friend indeed

Schooling Matters

March 25, 2014 Chengdu Michelle Obama

You see, the truth is that I grew up like many of you. My mom, my dad, my brother and I, we lived in a tiny apartment in Chicago, which is one of the largest cities in America. My father worked at the local water plant…

While we certainly weren’t rich, my parents had big dreams for me and my brother. They had only a high school education themselves, but they were determined to send us both to universities.

So they poured all of their love and all of their hope into us, and they worked hard. They saved every penny. And I know that wasn’t easy for them, especially for my father. You see, my father had serious illness called multiple sclerosis(多發(fā)性硬化癥). And as he got sicker, it got harder for him to walk, and it took him longer to get dressed in the morning.

But no matter how tired he felt, no matter how much pain he was in, my father hardly ever missed a day of work, because he was determined to give me and my brother a better life. And every day, like so many of you, I felt the weight of my parents’ sacrifices on my shoulders. Every day, I wanted to make them proud.

So, while most American kids attend public schools near their homes, when it was time for me to attend high school, I took an exam and got into a special public high school where I could get a better education. But the school was very far from my home, so I had to get up early every morning and ride a bus for an hour, sometimes an hour and a half if the weather was bad. And every afternoon, I’d ride that same bus back home and then immediately start my homework, often studying late into the night – and sometimes I would wake up at 4:30 or 5:00 in the morning to study even more.

And it wasn’t easy. But whenever I got tired or discouraged, I would just think about how hard my parents were working for me. And I would remember something my mother always told me – she said, “A good education is something that no one can take away from you.”

1.The passage can be sorted as a ．

A. self-introduction B. short story C. news report D. speech draft (草稿)

2.Which of the following is TRUE about Michelle Obama and her family?

A. Her parents were poor but had good educational backgrounds.

B. She attended a public high school near her home.

C. Her father suffered a serious disease and became disabled.

D. She was aware of her parents’ sacrifices and expectations.

3.Which of the following words best describes Michelle’s father?

A. Optimistic. B. Humorous. C. Strong-minded D. Generous

4.What does Michelle mainly want to tell readers in this excerpt?

A. We should work hard and get good educations.

B. Our parents always have high expectations for us.

C. She is an ordinary person from an ordinary family.

D. The road to the US First Lady is not easy.