86.________ the four countries do work together in some areas,(eg, the currency and international relations), but they still have very different institutions.

87.However , the southern part of Ireland was unwilling and ________ to form its own government.

88.I still cannot believe that I am _________ this prize that I won last year.

89.Soon I ____________ again and following him to collect a hovering carriage driven by computer.

90.I stared at the moving model of the waste machine ,________its efficiency.

91.Have you ever had a case where someone accused your journalists of ________?

92. Not only am I interested in photography, but I __________at university to update my skills.

93.Your details will _________ its computer hard-drive so that it will only answer your family’s commands.

94.For second degree burns, keep cloths cool by putting them back in a basin of cold water ,___________ and placing them on the burned area …until the pain is not so bad.

95.It shows that a knowledge of first aid can _____________.

76. We thank you for your _________________(合作) efforts.

77. I have looked up all the dictionaries _______（可獲得的，可找到的）.

78. The work of an engineer requires intelligence p________ experience.

79. She found herself in ________ (矛盾) with her parents over her future career.

80. The school cannot ________ (容忍) cheating on exams.

81. An a________ was made to improve work efficiency.

82. The manager promised that they will try to meet their customers’ d_____.

83. The course is _______(批準(zhǔn)) by the Ministry of Education.

84. I have a_______ to the company for the post of the secretary.

85. As soon as the door was opened, tens of thousands of fans p____ into the stadium.

How to see yourself objectively

Looking at ourselves objectively isn’t easy.  71   Here are some tricks I use to get a more accurate picture of myself.

Look up, not down. It’s always easy to make yourself look good by finding people even worse than you.　Yes, we agree, you’re not the worst person in the world. That’s not the question. The question is whether you can get better.   72    

Criticize yourself.  73   If they’re right to be afraid, then you need to start by working on that. People will feel more comfortable telling you the truth if you start by criticizing yourself, showing them that it’s OK.

Find honest friends. It’s important to find friends who you can trust to tell you the cruel truths about yourself.  74   Some people have had success providing an anonymous(匿名的) form for friends to write down their objective opinions.

75    Since it’s so difficult to find friends who will honestly criticize you, you need to listen extra-carefully when they do. For example, if one friend says the short story you wrote isn’t very good, you might show it to some other friends and ask them what they think .Wow, they all think it’s great! But the fact is that most of your friends are going to say it’s great because they’re your friends. By just taking their word for it, you end up ignoring the one person who’s actually being honest with you.

A. Take the outside view.

B. Listen to the criticism.

C. Be willing to believe the worst about yourself.

D. But it’s necessary if we ever want to get better.

E. This is really hard because most people don’t like telling cruel truths.

F. And to do that you need to look at the people who are even better than you.

G. The main reason people don’t tell you what they really think of you is that they’re afraid of your reaction.

    In Antarctica，when the long dark winter gives way to spring, ice begins to melt, and the sun stays in the sky all night long.

Into this brightly lit world, the large gray head of a Weddell  seal(韋德?tīng)柡１?appears through a crack in the ice. The seal takes several deep breaths, and then she opens her mouth, turning her head from side to side. With her teeth, she gets rid of bits of ice. Seals are mammals, and they need to breathe air, for which Weddell seals use their teeth to make sure their breathing holes stay open.

The seal makes the hole bigger, and when she can fit her large body through it, she jumps out onto the ice—she is getting ready to have a baby. On the ice shelf, the Weddell seal gives birth to a pup(小海豹).The pup is about three feet long and is covered with thick fur that protects it from the cold wind. The pup drinks its mother’s milk and grows quickly. Within a few weeks, it is more than six feet long. Under the seal’s skin is a thick layer of fat called blubber, which keeps the seal warm in its frozen world.

     When the pup is about two weeks old, it begins to dive with its mother. They slide through the breathing hole into the water below the ice, where the pup learns to swim, diving deeper and deeper. In order to stay underwater, it must learn to hold its breath and control its heart rate.

     Below the ice, the sun shines brightly through the hole. Finding the opening to breathe is easy, but getting back onto the slippery ice can be difficult for a young seal. With practice and its mother’s help, the pup soon feels at home both on the ice and under it.

     The young seal spends more and more time below the ice, where it learns to hunt for food. When the pup is about two months old, it will have to feed itself independently. When the pup becomes an adult, it will swim farther out in search of food, but it will always live on or under the ice.

67. Paragraph 2 is mainly about_________.

A. the function of Weddell seals’ teeth

B. the living conditions of Weddell seals

C. how Weddell seals move under the ice

D. how Weddell seals keep their breathing holes open

68. According to Paragraph 3 ,the pup __________.

A. grows slowly             B. is born in winter

C. is born under the sea       D. is covered with thick fur

69. The pup begins learning to swim and dive when it is about ________

A. two days old            B. two weeks old

C. two months old          D. two years old

70. For a young Weddell seal,___________.

A. its father’s help is important

B. getting onto the ice shelf is easy

C. finding the breathing hole is easy

D. learning to hunt for food is unnecessary

Calling all poets! TIME For Kids(TFK) has a challenge for you.

WHO: The contest is open to students who are 8 to 13 years old.

WHAT: Write a funny, rhyming poem and enter it in the TFK Poetry Contest. By entering, the entrant（參加競(jìng)賽者） should promise that the poem is an original one that does not copy another poet’s work ,has not been published in any medium and has not won an award.

HOW: Send your poem by e-mail to contest@poetry4kids.com. The subject line of your e-mail message should read “TFK　POETRY CONTEST”. Be sure to include your first name only, your e-mail address and your parents’ e-mail address. Limit one entry per person or e-mail account. The sponsor（贊助者） is not responsible for lost, late or incomplete entries, or those not received for any reason.

WHEN: This contest begins 12:01 a.m. on January 13,2013, and ends 11:59 p.m.on March 1,2013.

JUDGING: All entries will be judged by poet Kenn Nesbitt, based on the following standards: creativity and originality (50%),use of language and rhyme (25%) and relatedness to contest theme(25%).Winner will be informed by e-mail and must respond within five days.

WINNER’S LIST: For names of the winner and finalists, visit timeforkids.com (after April 1,2013, you can get for a period of 10 days).

PRIZE: Our judge will select four semifinalists(半決賽選手)from which one grand-prize winner and three finalists will be chosen. The one grand-prize winner will receive an online class visit from poet Kenn Nesbitt and a signed copy of one of his books of poetry. The poem of the grand-prize winner will be published on timeforkids.com. The finalists will receive signed copies of one of Nesbitt’s books of poetry. The poems of finalists will be published on timeforkids.com.

64. Which may be a proper work for the TFK Poetry Contest?

A. A war poem published in a book.

B. A great poem which has won many prizes.

C. A fine poem downloaded from the Internet.

D. A love poem which has been kept secret from others.

65. According to Paragraph 4, a student______.

A. can send more than one original poem

B. must send the poem with his full name on it

C. can ask a parent for help while writing the poem

D. can’t use the name of the poem as the subject line

66. Only the grand-prize winner can_______

A. visit timeforkids.com for free

B. have his poem published on timeforkids.com

C. receive an online class visit from poet Kenn Nesbitt

D. obtain（獲得） a signed copy of one of Nesbitt’s books of poetry.

Catherine Ryan Hyde’s Pay It Forward is a heartwarming, funny, and bittersweet story about a teenager’s plan to better the world. It all starts with a man and a boy. The man, Reuben St. Clair, a social-studies teacher who believes in positive thinking but who’s also a scarred(有疤的)black veteran(老兵)struggling daily with the way people look at him, assigns the following for extra credit: “Think of an idea for world change, and put it into action.” The boy ,Trevor McKinney，takes the assignment to heart, not only because his mother, Arlene, is battling with alcohol and his father’s gone missing, but also because he likes Reuben and begins to think maybe his mom would too.

     Trevor’s idea is simple but unique: Do a good deed for three people and tell each of them that instead of paying him back, they must “pay it forward” by helping three others. The first, a homeless addict, receives Trevor’s earnings and a place to shower before a job interview, but then spends his first salary on drugs and ends up in prison. The second, an elderly woman, receives all the yard- and garden-work she needs for free, but later dies in her sleep. The third is a unit of two people—Reuben and Arlene. The unit is brought together by Trevor so they can help each other out of loneliness and just maybe give him a dad, but they mix like oil and water.

Apparently negative results prove to be just the opposite, however, and, without Trevor knowing about it, his project snowballs into a national phenomenon with no end in sight. Invited to Washington to be honored by President Clinton, Trevor decides to do one more good deed, a selfless act that again succeeds beyond his wildest expectations. The book is a quiet, steady masterpiece, with an exciting ending.

60. We know from Paragraph 1 that Reuben__________.

A. is always battling with alcohol

B. finally falls in love with Arlene

C. lacks confidence in his appearance

D. used to be a teacher before joining the army

61. One reason why Trevor takes the assignment seriously is that ________.

A. he wants to find his father

B. he is willing to help others.

C. he hopes Reuben can become his father

D. he hopes his mother can find a better job.      

62. According to the last paragraph, the effects of Trevor’s project proves to be________.

A. powerful   B. negative      C. unimportant       D. limited

63. The text is likely to appear in _________.

A. a biography   B. a book review     C. a newspaper   D. a news report

Last Christmas, when I was in the fourth grade and my brother was in the first grade, our school held its yearly Holiday Shop. At the Holiday Shop students can buy things like necklaces, key chains, and other small items for their friends and family as Christmas gifts. Since my brother really wanted to take part, my mom gave him two dollars to buy his Christmas gifts.

My mom didn’t know that he had picked out a special necklace for her. When he got home from the Holiday Shop that day, he couldn’t wait to show it to me. He pulled out a little green box and opened it. Inside was a gold chain with a little red flower and a man-made diamond next to gold letters that spelled out,“Grandmother”.

  “Wow,” I said.“It’s beautiful.” Since my brother was in the first grade and was just learning to read, he didn’t realize that the necklace said “Grandmother” instead of “Mother”. I knew that on Christmas morning, when he found out he had bought the wrong necklace, he would be very unhappy, so I said nothing more about it. My brother ran and put the necklace under his bed to hide it from Mom until Christmas morning.

    When he wasn’t looking, I took the necklace and put it in my backpack. The next day I took it back to school and asked the woman who ran the Holiday Shop if I could change it for the “Mother” necklace. She said yes. When I got home that day, I put the necklace under my brother’s bed.

When my mom opened it up on Christmas morning, my brother was so exalted! My mom’s eyes were filled with joy. She knew what had happened, which made the necklace even more special to her!

My brother still does not know what I did, but I knew I had done the right thing.

56. What do we know about the gift the author’s brother bought?

A. The author didn’t like it.

B. It wasn’t worth the price.

C. It was designed for Mother.

D. The author changed it for another one.

57. The underlined word “exalted” is the closest in meaning to “______”.

A. amazed    B. disappointed      C. excited      D. worried

58. It can be inferred from the text that _____.

A. the author’s mother didn’t know what she had done

B. the author helped her brother secretly

C. the author’s grandma also received a gift

D. the author paid for the right necklace

59. What can be the best title for the text?

A. Our school ’s yearly Holiday Shop

B. A special Christmas gift for Mom

C. An unforgettable experience

D. My lovely younger brother

Jenna , a popular girl from Westwood Middle School , had graduated first in her class and was ready for new ___36__in high school .

   ___ 37__, high school was difficult . In the first week , Jenna went to tryouts(選拔賽) for cheerleaders (拉拉隊(duì)隊(duì)員).She was competing against very talented girls , and she knew it would be _38_for her to be selected. Two hours later , the _39_read a list of the girls for a second tryout .Her heart _40_ as the list ended without her name . Feeling __41__ , she walked home carrying her schoolbag full of homework.

Arriving home , she started with math. She had always been a good math student , but now she was _42_. She moved on to English and history , and was _43_ to find that she didn’t have any trouble with those subjects . Feeling better , she decided not to _44_ math for the time being .

The next day Jenna went to see Mrs. Biden about being on the school _45_. Mrs. Biden wasn’t as _46_ as Jenna. “I am sorry , but we have enough _47_ for the newspaper already. Come back next year and we’ll talk then.” Jenna smiled _48_ and left . “Why is high school so __49__?” she sighed .

 Later in _50_ class , Jenna devoted herself to figuring out the problems that had given her so much _51_.By the end of the class, she understood how to get them right. As she gathered her books , Jenna decided she’d continue to try to _52_ at her new school . She wasn’t sure if she’d succeed ,but she knew she had to _53_ . High school was just as her mom had said : “You will feel like a small fish in a big pond _54_ a big fish in a small pond. The challenge is to become the _55_fish you can be .”

  36. A. challenges                B. decisions              C.  processes        D. exercises

  37.A. However                  B. Therefore                  C. Otherwise         D. Besides

  38.A. easy                      B. difficult               C. interesting                 D. boring

  39. A. boss                B. representative     C. judge                   D. editor

  40. A. sank               B. stopped               C. jumped               D. raced 

  41. A. happy              B. lonely                 C. strange                D. awful

  42. A. complaining               B. working                C. improving             D. struggling 

  43. A. disappointed             B. shocked               C. relieved               D. ashamed 

  44. A. prepare for         B. worry about                C. give up                  D. put up

  45. A. press               B. newspaper           C. team                     D. radio

  46. A. artistic             B. realistic                C. sympathetic        D. enthusiastic

  47. A. cheerleaders     B. writers                C. readers               D. speakers

  48.A. weakly              B. excitedly              C. brightly               D. widely

  49. A. ordinary            B. different                      C. familiar                  D. similar

  50. A. history              B. English                        C. physics                D. math

  51.A. hope                B. trouble                C. sorrow                D. pleasure

  52. A. look out                  B. stay up                        C. get around            D. fit in

  53. A. try                 B. ask                     C. swim                 D. escape 

  54. A. in case of                 B. in terms of                 C. in return for        D. instead of

  55. A. smallest            B. best                          C. gentlest                    D. slimmest

 My father bought me an  _____ guitar as my birthday present .

   A. electrical                       B. electric                C. electronic            D. electricity

 John opened the door . There _____ he had never seen before.

A. A girl did stand       B. a girl stood    C. did a girl stand     D. stood a girl