Fortunately, I was just _____________ to catch the last bus to the hotel.

第二部分：語言知識及應用（共兩節(jié)，滿分35分）
第一節(jié)：完形填空（共10小題；每小題2分，滿分20分）
閱讀下列短文，掌握其大意，然后從21—30各題所給的A, B, C和D四個選項中，選出最佳選項，并在答題卡上將該項涂黑。
I was a single parent of four small children, working at a low-paid job. Money was always tight, but we had a    21    over our head, food on the table, clothes on our backs, and if not a lot, always    22   . Not knowing we were poor, my kids just thought I was strict. I’ve always been glad about that.
It was Christmas time, and although there wasn’t money for a lot of gifts, we planned to celebrate with a family party. But the big   23   for the kids was the fun of Christmas. Fortunately, I had saved $120 for    24    to share by all five of us.
The big    25   arrived. I gave each kid a twenty – dollar bill and    26    them to look for gifts of about four dollars each. Then everyone scattered. We had two hours to shop; then we would meet back at the “Santa’s Workshop”.
Driving home, everyone was in high Christmas spirits, except my younger daughter, Ginger, who was unusually    27   . She had only one small, flat bag with a few candies － fifty – cent candies! I was so angry, but I didn’t say anything until we got home. I called her into my bedroom and closed as the door, ready to be angry again. This is what she told me.
“ I was looking around    28   of what to buy, and I stopped to read the little cards on the ‘Giving Trees’. One was for a little girl, four years old, and all she wanted for Christmas was a doll. So I took the card off the tree and    29   the doll for her. We have so much and she doesn’t have anything.”
I never felt so   30   as I did that day.
21.   A. roof    B. hat      C. sky     D. star
22.   A. little   B. less     C. enough       D. more
23.   A. improvement     B. problem     C. surprise      D. excitement
24.   A. toys    B. clothes       C. presents      D. bills
25. A. day     B. chance       C. cheque       D. tree
26.   A. forced B. reminded    C. invited       D. begged
27.   A. quiet   B. excited       C. happy D. ashamed
28. A. learning     B. thinking     C. knowing     D. telling
29.   A. made  B. searched     C. bought       D. fetched
30.   A. angry  B. rich    C. patient       D. bitter

A. Arguments are pointless.

B. Your parents only want what's best for you.

C. Everyone's opinion matters only as much as you want them to.

D. You learn by doing.

E. Your emotions are under your control.

F. You aren't stuck in any situation

Life is the greatest teacher

There always comes a moment when I wonder where I will end up and this moment always serves as a strong motivation for me to learn life lesson. I've learned a great many things, but these are the lessons that I wish I'd learned earlier:

1._________

There was a time when everyone's opinion was mine as well. Whatever preferences I formerly held were dashed in the face of another's. This most likely came from a need to please others. Remember that your opinion matters just as much as the next guy's, whether they make more money than you or are less popular than you. Everyone's opinion holds the same weight.

2._________

Drama, chaos, and emotional unrest — these were what took up most of my time as a teenager. If I had heard someone said bad things behind my back, I'd be angry. Go crazy. Looking back on those tantrums now, I'm not too surprised. After all, when you have little self control, anything is possible. The lesson here is, remain aware of how you react.

3._________

Will one small argument among friends decide the fate of the entire universe? In my world it felt like it. I just wanted so much to be right and for them so much to be wrong. But in the end, it only resulted in me wasting my time and in the other person storming off in frustration. Is there really a point to arguing? Unless it's absolutely necessary, I've learned that it's better to hold your breath on things you can't control at all. Arguing to change someone's mind is one of them.

4._________

I'm not saying every parent wants what's best for you (there are outliers), but in general, parents do what they do for you in your best interest. My parents used to make me do the dishes, cook dinner, sweep the floors, mow the lawn, take out the garbage… the list goes on and on. And at every turn, I'd whine and complain. I'd eventually end up doing it. Now, I honestly see the value in having learned those skills. I can efficiently cook and clean up after myself.

5._________

Whenever I’d lose a friend, get an awful grade, or disappoint my parents, I stewed in my own muck. Waiting for the bad moments to go away seemed to be the only solution. Fortunately, I know now that you don’t have to be stuck in bad situations. You can go out and create better ones. It all depends on perspective; on how you see the situation. Viewing everything as a learning experience makes life more pleasurable, even during the hard times. You aren't stuck. You can move on.

I'm glad to have learned these lessons the way I did. Each experience helped shape me to become a better person. I don't know if any young people are reading this, but if they are, I'd like to say this: “Listen to life and its experiences. Everyone goes through mostly the same things.”

Have you ever thought of taking a train and having an adventure？Riding the train can be a real adventure. That is how I feel every time I take Amtrak. I often take a four-hour trip to visit my children. Every time I take this trip I never know what will happen.
Last week when I was on the train, there was a man sitting by himself in the back of the train carrying on a mobile phone conversation—in another language. It was loud and disturbed most of the people on the train. I think it was annoying.
Fortunately I sat next to a wonderful old lady who was taking a two-day trip by train. She said her two daughters were worried at the thought of driving for three days to reach her home, although she had no trouble driving. The train ride was the only choice for her. She loved to look out of the window and watch the world go by on the train.
She was fun to talk to and asked me when my children started being parents. That is a very good question. Both of us are old and have children. She asked that same question from time to time.
There are always many people on the train from all walks of life, different countries, and many languages. Riding the train is a great way to increase your knowledge and learn all kinds of cultures. If you get hungry, you can buy food in the food car at any time. If you need to use the restroom, there is always one for you.
It surely beats driving the car, which has to stop for food and restrooms. And it is better than taking the bus.
【小題1】According to the passage, the purpose of the author’s train ride was ______.

第二部分：語言知識及應用（共兩節(jié)，滿分35分）
第一節(jié)：完形填空（共10小題；每小題2分，滿分20分）
閱讀下列短文，掌握其大意，然后從21—30各題所給的A, B, C和D四個選項中，選出最佳選項，并在答題卡上將該項涂黑。
I was a single parent of four small children, working at a low-paid job. Money was always tight, but we had a    21    over our head, food on the table, clothes on our backs, and if not a lot, always    22  . Not knowing we were poor, my kids just thought I was strict. I’ve always been glad about that.
It was Christmas time, and although there wasn’t money for a lot of gifts, we planned to celebrate with a family party. But the big   23   for the kids was the fun of Christmas. Fortunately, I had saved $120 for    24   to share by all five of us.
The big    25   arrived. I gave each kid a twenty – dollar bill and    26    them to look for gifts of about four dollars each. Then everyone scattered. We had two hours to shop; then we would meet back at the “Santa’s Workshop”.
Driving home, everyone was in high Christmas spirits, except my younger daughter, Ginger, who was unusually    27   . She had only one small, flat bag with a few candies － fifty – cent candies! I was so angry, but I didn’t say anything until we got home. I called her into my bedroom and closed as the door, ready to be angry again. This is what she told me.
“ I was looking around    28   of what to buy, and I stopped to read the little cards on the ‘Giving Trees’. One was for a little girl, four years old, and all she wanted for Christmas was a doll. So I took the card off the tree and    29   the doll for her. We have so much and she doesn’t have anything.”
I never felt so   30   as I did that day.
21.    A. roof                  B. hat                    C. sky                   D. star
22.    A. little                  B. less                   C. enough              D. more
23.    A. improvement     B. problem            C. surprise             D. excitement
24.    A. toys                  B. clothes              C. presents             D. bills
25.   A. day                   B. chance               C. cheque              D. tree
26.    A. forced               B. reminded           C. invited              D. begged
27.    A. quiet                 B. excited              C. happy                D. ashamed
28.   A. learning             B. thinking            C. knowing            D. telling
29.    A. made                 B. searched            C. bought              D. fetched
30.    A. angry                B. rich                   C. patient               D. Bitter