Music to My Ears
Robby was 10 for his first piano lesson in my class. Much as he tried, he ____ even the basic rhythm. However, he dutifully reviewed the pieces that I required.
Over the months he tried and tried while I ____ and encouraged him. At the end of each lesson he'd always say, "My mom's going to hear me play some day." ____ it seemed hopeless.
I only knew his mother from a ____as she waited in her aged car to pick him up. Then one day Robby stopped coming. I was secretly ____ that he stopped because of his lack of ability.
Weeks later I informed the students, including Robby, of the coming recital（獨(dú)奏）. To my ____, Robby asked me if he could be included. I told him he really did not qualify because he had ____ out. He said his mom had been sick and unable to take him to lessons but he was still ____ .
“I've just got to play!" he ____. Something inside me let me allow him to.
Then came the recital night. The gym was ____ with parents. I put Robby up ____, thinking that I could save his poor performance through my “curtain closer（謝幕）.”
The recital went off smoothly. Then Robby came up on stage. His clothes were wrinkled and his hair was ____. "Why didn't his mother at least make him comb his hair for this special night?" I thought.
Robby pulled out the piano bench and began. I was not ____ for what I heard next. His fingers were ____ on the keys. Never had I heard Mozart played so well by people of his age. After he ended, everyone was ____ their feet in wild applause.
In ____ I ran up on stage and put my arms around Robby. "I've never heard you play like that, Robby! How did you ____ it?"
Robby explained, "Well, Miss Hondorf…remember I told you my mom was sick? …____ she had cancer and passed away yesterday. She was born deaf, so tonight she could hear me play in heaven. I wanted to make it special."
There wasn’t a ____ eye in the house. That night I felt he was the teacher and I was the pupil, for it was he who taught me the meaning of perseverance and ____.

小題1:	A．lacked B．had C．showed D．got

小題2:	A．listened B．learned C．checked D．played

小題3:	A．And B．But C．So D．Or

小題4:	A．conversation B．performance C．distance D．picture

小題5:	A．guilty B．sad C．a(chǎn)nxious D．glad

小題6:	A．relief B．surprise C．pleasure D．satisfaction

小題7:	A．stepped B．worn C．run D．dropped

小題8:	A．a(chǎn)cting B．performing C．practicing D．recording

小題9:	A．insisted B．suggested C．complained D．threatened

小題10:

A．lined B．packed C．piled D．filled

小題11:

A．least B．most C．first D．last

小題12:

A．messy B．cool C．neat D．dull

小題13:

A．eager B．concerned C．prepared D．grateful

小題14:

A．hesitating B．dancing C．touching D．crawling

小題15:

A．over B．under C．in D．on

小題16:

A．chaos B．tears C．silence D．return

小題17:

A．find B．feel C．make D．like

小題18:

A．Gradually B．Suddenly C．Frequently D．Actually

小題19:

A．dry B．curious C．bright D．wet

小題20:

A．regret B．talent C．love D．courage

In our discussion with people on how education can help them succeed in life, a woman remembered the first meeting of an introductory____course about 20 years ago.
The professor ____the lecture hall, placed upon his desk a large jar filled with dried beans（豆）, and invited the students to _ _how many beans the jar contained. After ____shouts of wildly wrong guesses the professor smiled a thin, dry smile, announced the ____ answer, and went on saying,” You have just ___an important lesson about science. That is Never____ your own senses.”
Twenty years later, the ___could guess what the professor had in mind. He ____himself, perhaps, as inviting his students to start an exciting____into an unknown world
Invisible（無形的）to the    ,which can be discovered only through scientific        .But the seventeen-year-old girl could not accept or even        the invitation. She was just        to understand the world. And she        that her firsthand experience could be the       .The professor, however, said that it was     .he was taking away her only     for knowing and was providing her with no substitute. “I remember feeling small and        ,”the women says, “and I did the only thing I could do.  I          the course that afternoon, and I haven’t gone near science since.”

小題1:	A．a(chǎn)rt B．history C．science D．math

小題2:	A．searched for B．looked at C．got through D．marched into

小題3:	A．count B．guess C．report D．watch

小題4:	A．warning B．giving C．turning away D．listening to

小題5:	A．ready B．possible C．correct D．difficult

小題6:	A．learned B．prepared C．taught D．taken

小題7:	A．lose B．trust C．sharpen D．show

小題8:	A．lecturer B．scientist C．speaker D．woman

小題9:	A．described B．respected C．saw D．served

小題10:

A．voyage B．movement C．change D．rush

小題11:

A．professor B．eye C．knowledge D．light

小題12:

A．model B．senses C．spirit D．methods

小題13:

A．hear B．make C．present D．refuse

小題14:

A．suggesting B．beginning C．pretending D．waiting

小題15:

A．believed B．doubted C．proved D．explained

小題16:

A．growth B．strength C．faith D．truth

小題17:

A．firm B．interesting C．wrong D．a(chǎn)cceptable

小題18:

A．task B．tool C．success D．connection

小題19:

A．cruel B．proud C．frightened D．brave

小題20:

A．dropped B．started C．passed D．missed

I lost my sight when I was four years old by falling off a car and landing on my head. Now I am thirty-two. I can vaguely remember the brightness of _____ and what color red is. It would be _____ to see again, but a (n) ____ can do strange things to people. I don’t mean I would ____ to go without my eyes. I simply mean that the loss of them made me appreciate more what I had ____.                                                
My parents and my teachers saw something in me ----- a ____ to live ---- which I didn’t see, and they made me want to fight in out with ___.
The ____ lesson I had to learn was to believe in myself. I am not talking about simply the kind of ____ that helps me down so unfamiliar staircase alone. I _____ something bigger than that: a confidence that I am, despite being ____, a real, positive person; that there is a special place where I can make myself fit.
It took me years to discover and strengthen this confidence. It had to start with the easy and simple things. _____ a man gave me an indoor baseball. I thought he was laughing at me and I was ____. “I can’t use this,” I said. “Take with you,” he urged me, “and roll it around.” The words _____ in my head. “Roll it around!” By rolling the ball I could ____ where it went. This gave me an idea how to achieve a goal I had thought ___ before; playing baseball. At Philadelphia’s Overbrook School for the Blind I ___ a successful variation of baseball. We called it ground ball.
I have set ahead of me a series of goals and then tried to reach them, one at a time. I had to be clear about my  ___. It was no good crying for something that I knew at the start was ____ out of reach because that only invited bitterness of failure. I would fail something anyway, _____ on the average I made progress.

小題1:	A．sky B．cloud C．sunshine D．mist

小題2:	A．helpful B．wonderful C．hopeful D．successful

小題3:	A．disaster B．environment C．incident D．wonder

小題4:	A．manage B．try C．want D．prefer

小題5:	A．lost B．left C．used D．cared

小題6:	A．purpose B．potential C．pressure D．preparation

小題7:	A．energy B．happiness C．luck D．blindness

小題8:	A．hardest B．dullest C．simplest D．easiest

小題9:	A．self-respect B．self-control C．self-confidence D．self-defence

小題10:

A．think B．consider C．guess D．mean

小題11:

A．imperfect B．perfect C．unfair D．fair

小題12:

A．Later B．Soon C．Once D．Then

小題13:

A．worried B．encouraged C．shocked D．hurt

小題14:

A．stuck B．impressed C．occupied D．held

小題15:

A．see B．hear C．notice D．observe

小題16:

A．important B．unimportant C．possible D．impossible

小題17:

A．invented B．discovered C．instructed D．directed

小題18:

A．experience B．a(chǎn)dvantages C．knowledge D．limitation

小題19:

A．hardly B．wildly C．highly D．deeply

小題20:

A．so B．for C．but D．a(chǎn)nd

It was the summer of 1965. Deluca, then 17, visited Peter Buck, a family friend. Buck asked Deluca about his plan for the future. “I'm going to college, but I need a way to pay for it,” Deluca recalls saying, “Buck said, ‘you should open a sandwich shop.’”
That afternoon, they agreed to be partners. And they set a goal: to open 32 stores in ten years. After doing some research, Buck wrote a check for $1,000. Deluca rented a storefront (店面) in Connecticut, and when they couldn't cover their start­up costs, Buck kicked in another $1,000.
But business didn't go smoothly as they expected. Deluca says, “After six months, we were doing poorly, but we didn't know how badly, because we didn't have any financial controls.” All he and Buck knew was that their sales were lower than their costs.
Deluca was managing the store and to the University of Bridgeport at the same time. Buck was working at his day job as a nuclear physicist in New York. They'd meet Monday evenings and brainstorm ideas for keeping the business running. “We convinced ourselves to open a second store. We figured we could tell the public, ‘We are so successful; we are opening a second store.’” And they did—in the spring of 1966. Still, it was a lot of learning by trial and error.
But the partners' learn­as­you­go approach turned out to be their greatest strength. Every Friday, Deluca would drive around and hand­deliver the checks to pay their supplies. “It probably took me two and a half hours and it wasn't necessary but as a result, the suppliers got to know me very well, and the personal relationships established really helped out,” Deluca says.
And having a goal was also important. “There are so many problems that can get you down. You just have to keep working toward your goal,” Deluca adds.
Deluca ended up founding Subways Sandwich, the multimillion­dollar restaurant chain.
小題1:Which of the following is true of Buck?

A．He put money into the sandwich business.

B．He was a professor of business administration.

C．He was studying at the University of Bridgeport.

D．He rented a storefront for Deluca.

小題2:What can we learn about their first shop?

A．It stood at an unfavorable place.

B．It lowered the prices to poor management.

C．It made no profits due to poor management.

D．It lacked control over the quality of sandwich.

小題3:They decided to open a second store because they ________.

A．had enough money to do it

B．had succeeded in their business

C．wished to meet the increasing demand of customers

D．wanted to make believe that they were successful

小題4:What contributes most to their success according to the author?

A．Learning by trial and error.

B．Making friends with supplies.

C．Finding a good partner.

D．Opening chain stores.

My father was a St. Bernard (圣伯納犬), and my mother was a collie (科利牧羊犬). This was what my mother had told me. I did not know these nice differences myself. My mother like to say them and see other dogs look surprised and jealous(嫉妒的), wondering how she got so much education. But, indeed, it was not real education.
She got the words by listening in the dining room and the sitting room when there were people talking, and by going with the children to school and listening there. Whenever she heard a word showing great knowledge, she said it to herself many times so that she could keep it until there was a meeting in the neighbourhood. Then, she would show off her knowledge and surprise them all, from small-sized dogs to large-sized dogs.
If there was a stranger being doubtful and getting his breath to ask her what it meant, she always explained to him in detail. He had never expected this but thought he would make fool of her. However, in the end, he was the one who was fooled. The others knew what was going to happen, because they had experienced that. When she explained the meaning of a big world, no dogs doubted if it was right. It was natural, because, for one thing, she answered very quickly and confidently, and for another, there were no knowledgeable dogs pointing out the answer was wrong.
When I was older, she brought home the word, “unintellectual”, and worked on it very hard all the week at different meetings. It was at this time that I realized she made up a fresh meaning of the same word every time. It showed that she was more calm than knowledgeable.
(From A Dog’s Tale, by Mark Twain)
小題1:Why were other dogs jealous of “my” mother?

A．Because her child was not a dog.

B．Because “my” mother knew everything.

C．Because they knew nothing about “me”.

D．Because they thought “my” mother was educated.

小題2:Where did “my” mother learn the words?

A．She made up the words by herself.

B．She learnt the words studying at school.

C．She listened and memorized when others were talking.

D．She attended meetings to learnt the words from other dogs.

小題3:How could “my” mother always fool other dogs?

A．Other dogs all liked to be fooled.

B．She could explain anything in detail correctly.

C．She learnt a lot of tricks to make fool of others.

D．Other dogs were not knowledgeable enough to find out her mistakes.

小題4:What words can be used to describe “my” mother?

A．friendly and clever	B．calm and confident
C．quick and experienced	D．devoted and knowledgeable

Nelson Mandela was a figure of international fame, and many details of his life and career were public knowledge. But here are four things you may not have known about the late South African leader.
1. He was a boxing fan.
In his youth, Nelson Mandela enjoyed boxing and long-distance running. Even during the 27 years he spent in prison, he would exercise every morning. "I did not enjoy the violence of boxing so much as the science of it. I was curious by how one moved one's body to protect oneself, how one used a strategy both to attack and retreat, how one paced oneself over a match," he wrote in his autobiography Long Walk to Freedom.
2. His original name was not Nelson.
Rolihlahla Mandela was nine years old when a teacher at the primary Methodist school where he was studying in Qunu, South Africa, gave him an English name “Nelson” in accordance with the custom to give all school children Christian names.
3. He forgot his glasses when he was released from prison.
Mr. Mandela's release on 11 February 1990 followed years of political pressure against apartheid(種族隔離). Mr. Mandela's reading glasses stayed behind in prison Mr. Mandela and his then-wife Winnie were taken to the centre of Cape Town to address a huge and exciting crowd. But when he pulled out the text of his speech, he realized he had forgotten his glasses and had to borrow Winnie's.
4. He had his own law firm, but it took him years to get a law degree.
Mr. Mandela studied law on and off for 50 years from 1939, failing about half the courses he took. A two-year diploma(學(xué)位證書) in law on top of his university degree allowed him to practice, and in August 1952, he and Oliver Tambo set up South Africa's first black law firm, Mandela and Tambo, in Johannesburg. He kept on studying hard to finally secure a law degree while in prison in 1989.
小題1:What is the main idea of the passage?

A．Nelson Mandela’s life in the prison.

B．The achievements of Nelson Mandela.

C．Nelson Mandela’s hobbies and career.

D．Unknown things about Nelson Mandela.

小題2: Why did Nelson Mandela love boxing?

A．Because he wanted to be a boxer.

B．Because he enjoyed the violence of boxing.

C．Because he appreciated the strategy in boxing.

D．Because he had nothing else to do in the prison.

小題3:What happened to Mandela when he was about to give the speech?

A．He broke his glasses into pieces.

B．He had to use his wife’s glasses.

C．He left his own glasses at home.

D．His wife wanted to borrow his glasses.

小題4:Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A．Nelson Mandela was not his original name.

B．Nelson Mandela was the name given by his teacher.

C．Nelson Mandela had been studying the law nonstop for 50 years.

D．Nelson Mandela had started his own law firm before he got a law degree.

The day    I was 3 years old       the beginning of my dream. On that day, after seeing the Capital Dancing Company performance, I    , “Mama, when I grow up, I’m going to be one of those.”
As I grow older, my    in the world of dance    changed, but that little girl’s dream of someday becoming a    in the company never left me. In 2005, aged 18, I received the phone making that dream come true: I became a member of the company.
When I looked        on that day now, I believe I stayed in a state of       disbelief until I was asked to rehearsal (排練). Though I was entirely excited with the offer, it did not come without      . Through the strict and hard rehearsal, I found it important to     myself to learning the skills fast with every bit of concentration(注意力集中). It is the extreme        to detail (細(xì)節(jié)) and stress on practice that help us      . Then comes a      show schedule of up to five performances a day, I found a new      of the words “HARD WORK”. The practice pushed me forward than I thought      . I learnt to make each performance better than the last. Besides, the teachers not only teach us skills but help us a lot in daily life when we are       in trouble.
Today, as a member and dance captain in the unbelievable company, I see a       that has encouraged not only       little girls but a wonderful company that       to develop and grow and encourage people every day to         their dreams.

小題1:	A．when B．which C． that D． on that

小題2:	A．wrote B． saw C．read D． talked

小題3:	A．came out B．went out C．burst out D． dug out

小題4:	A．interest B．feeling C． duty D． patience

小題5:	A．certainly B． never C． hardly D． entirely

小題6:	A．singer B． dancer C． painter D． teacher

小題7:	A．before B． up C． down D． back

小題8:	A．pleasant B． sorrowful C． low D． hopeful

小題9:	A．poison B． harm C． challenges D． means

小題10:

A． bury B． devote C． take D． reward

小題11:

A． attention B． opinion C． worth D． trial

小題12:

A． defend B． rebuild C． fight D． succeed

小題13:

A． loose B． busy C． useful D． acceptable

小題14:

A． meaning B． principle C． expression D． usage

小題15:

A． necessary B．perfect C．frequent D．possible

小題16:

A． rescued B． trapped C． shocked D． attacked

小題17:

A． victory B．style C． tradition D．trial

小題18:

A． a number of B． a great deal of C． a large amount of D． many a

小題19:

A． stops B． continues C． goes D． adds

小題20:

A． follow B． remove C． design D． Recognize

Many years ago ,l was working at my job at a community college when a homeless woman came in. She began     as she lay on one of the sofas in the student rest room.    , she wasn't well. Without thinking too much I went next door to the Student Affairs office where I knew I could find        in the Lost and Found box. I     up a set of clothing and went back to my office,        I heard a colleague calling me. She told me that I should not     this person, as it would only lead to her wanting more help. I refused her      and went back to help the woman,  my co-worker's warning .
Two weeks later, while I was working, a very cute elderly man entered my      and asked to speak with me in private. Curiously, l gave him my full   and he told me that he had happened to hear my   with the co-worker about helping the    woman. He wanted me to know that it was always okay to help people and that was why he wanted to give me a     for $1,000. I burst into tears, because I     needed the money at the time, but also because I had never been     in such a way for helping someone!
We soon became good     and 10 years later he called me up suddenly and told me he wanted to help me     my first home! He     giving me $120,000 as part payment for my dream house in my home town. I asked him why he wanted to give me such a large amount of money and he said it was because I was a " giver"  and that I     it !  To make a long story short, l was able to buy the perfect little home for myself, all because one day I did not     to help a homeless woman.

小題1:	A．smiling B．talking C．shouting D．coughing

小題2:	A．Luckily B．Clearly C．Strangely D．Sadly

小題3:	A．clothes B．books C．food D．medicine

小題4:	A．gave B．turned C．gathered D．made

小題5:	A．while B．when C．how D．why

小題6:	A．ignore B．disturb C．value D．help

小題7:	A．a(chǎn)dvice B．request C．plan D．offer

小題8:	A．more than B．rather than C．regardless of D．a(chǎn)part from

小題9:	A．home B．office C．classroom D．dormitory

小題10:

A．energy B．love C．care D．a(chǎn)ttention

小題11:

A．disagreement B．discussion C．fight D．quarrel

小題12:

A．young B．old C．sick D．wealthy

小題13:

A．support B．check C．tip D．promise

小題14:

A．a(chǎn)nxiously B．eagerly C．hardly D．really

小題15:

A．recognized B．measured C．taught D．praised

小題16:

A．colleagues B． competitors C．partners D．friends

小題17:

A．build B．buy C．rent D．repair

小題18:

A．came out B．ended up C．carried on D．resulted in

小題19:

A．deserved B．wanted C．needed D．enjoyed

小題20:

A．fear B．fail C．hesitate D．a(chǎn)ttempt

I moved to Chicago ten years ago. As I was new to the area, I had     friends and seldom went out to parties. But a month later, I was invited to a party and there I     an elderly couple.
The wife and I     for a long time. She told me how     she was about her husband who was     a heart operation. At that time I was working as a researcher in the same     where the husband would be going for his operation,     I told her to take down my phone number and     me to let me know when he was there.
She phoned a few weeks later as     and told me that her husband was admitted to the hospital and     waiting. I told her that I would go and check on him every day while I was at    . I thought that if it was my dad, I would do the same, so I decided to give them some    .
Weeks turned into months and it just became my     to see them and keep track of how things were going before, during and after the heart operation. Sometimes I'd bring a     for him to read, or some food that we would share    . As time went by, it seemed like I became part of the    . Even after the husband returned from the hospital, we still often     each other on holidays.
Now, ten years later, I     my own family. Since our parents don’t     close by, this couple has become my son’s “l(fā)ocal” grandparents. My wife and I often feel truly     to have this couple as our “l(fā)ocal” parents! Sometimes family comes out of the most unexpected place.

小題1:	A．few B．some C．several D．many

小題2:	A．served B．loved C．met D．supported

小題3:	A．searched B．fought C．worked D．talked

小題4:	A．regretful B．calm C．worried D．lucky

小題5:	A．giving up B．waiting for C．paying for D．turning down

小題6:	A．hotel B．hospital C．restaurant D．office

小題7:	A．so B．but C．though D．since

小題8:	A．a(chǎn)sk B．call C．help D．invite

小題9:	A．required B．predicted C．expected D．promised

小題10:

A．even B．seldom C．still D．sometimes

小題11:

A．work B．school C．home D．table

小題12:

A．experience B．company C．luck D．trust

小題13:

A．risk B．stress C．test D．habit

小題14:

A．book B．picture C．computer D．tape

小題15:

A．early B．together C．a(chǎn)lone D．everywhere

小題16:

A．public B．family C．team D．group

小題17:

A．missed B．followed C．knew D．visited

小題18:

A．leave B．find C．have D．need

小題19:

A．live B．come C．move D．drive

小題20:

A．nervous B．curious C．thankful D．suitable

While I was on my way into Wal-Mart, I was greeted by a woman working at the door. Before I wanted to buy what I wanted, I had a(n)     to make, and I was stopped by the woman, who wanted to    my bag. Usually I would have got angry, because I knew I didn’t steal. I had just noticed someone ahead of me being not so nice. That person treated this lady as if she was    . The person had just snatched(攫取) a bag back from her and stormed off    even saying “thank you”. I could say that this lady looked    , but she was still trying to make ends meet. I could tell this woman was    by what had just happened, and no one knew how many people had been    her that way all day long.
What if she was a grandmother who had to    her grandchildren, because the parents had just lost their life in an accident? What if her husband was seriously     and they couldn’t afford the medical expenses?
All she wanted was to do her    well. All she wanted was to    customers as she was trained. All she needed was to be    . I wondered whether I could be someone that she needed.
I looked her in her eyes as she scanned my bag, and then I smiled and said, “Your hair is beautiful!” Her face     and she told me how easy it was to manage her hair. She handed my bag back, and told me the customer service desk was straight down on my left. I said “Thank you!”

小題1:	A．purchase B．difficulty C．survey D．return

小題2:	A．observe B．steal C．check D．take

小題3:	A．nobody B．something C．a(chǎn)nything D．a(chǎn)nybody

小題4:	A．without B．beyond C．a(chǎn)fter D．before

小題5:	A．strong B．old C．wise D．a(chǎn)wful

小題6:	A．hurt B．impressed C．moved D．ignored

小題7:	A．a(chǎn)ccepting B．treating C．judging D．a(chǎn)pproaching

小題8:	A．care for B．care about C．look into D．look for

小題9:	A．poor B．disturbed C．disappointed D．sick

小題10:

A．favor B．greeting C．job D．training

小題11:

A．support B．serve C．help D．instruct

小題12:

A．protected B．a(chǎn)ppreciated C．hired D．liked

小題13:

A．set up B．lifted up C．lit up D．cheered up