I clearly remember the day when my little brother was born: January 1,1994. One of my favorite family photos shows me lying with my mother in the hospital bed, happy but unaware of the small, sleeping baby in the background.
I stayed with my grandparents for the weekend of my brother’s birth, excited about my new brother but not yet aware of what having a little brother would mean. I didn’t truly realize what was going on until we were in the hospital room at Duke University—coincidentally ,the same room in which I had been born two years earlier.
When I looked at my brother for the first time, I felt a mixture of fear and interest. Little did I know that small, pink creature would grow up to be one of my favorite people in the world.
In reality, though I am two years older than my brother, I am more often than not the real baby in the family. I am very lacking when it comes to common sense. Instructions constantly confuse me and I frequently find myself totally puzzled by things like knowing how to start the washing machine or manage the storage settings on my iPhone.
That’s where Gibson comes in. The poor kid has had to guide me through more tasks than I would care to admit, but he never complains. Though I should probably be told to figure it out myself, he always comes through.
I’m envious of his ability to readily answer the ever-present, “What do you want to do with your life?” question at family gatherings. “Be a doctor,” he says—a solid answer, completely opposite to my shaky one, “Well, I’m an English major, so…”
My brother truly is my best friend. No one understands me better, and there isn’t anyone else I would want to be stuck with in our family. I may not have a clear idea of where I’m headed, but he is stuck with me.
1.How did the author feel when he saw his brother for the first time?
A. Angry and sad.
B. Excited and moved.
C. Curious and scared.
D. Happy and interested.
2.What does the underlined sentence in the fourth paragraph mean?
A. My brother is the real baby in the family.
B. In fact, I seem to be less mature than my little brother.
C. My brother gets more love from the family than I do.
D. I am growing more slowly than my brother.
3.What does the brother often help the author do?
A. Help him deal with many daily tasks.
B. Help him with his studies.
C. Give him advice on how to choose a major.
D. Comfort him when he is in a bad mood.
4.What is the best title for this text?
A. My Strange Family Gatherings
B. The Real Baby in the Family
C. Stuck with Me—My Not-So-Little Little Brother
D. The Feeling of Having a Brother
按要求写出所给词的词形变化
1.prefer—(过去分词)___________、（n.偏爱）______________
2.compete—(n.竞争)___________、（adj.竞争的）______________
3.curious—（n.好奇）______________
4.silent—（n.沉默）______________
5.apply—(过去分词)___________、（n.申请书）_________、（n.申请人）______________
6.grow—(过去式)___________、(过去分词)___________、（n.成长）______________
7.agree—(反义词)___________、（n.同意）______________
8.create—(adj.有创造力的)_________、（n.创造）___________
9.enter—(n.入口、进入）______________
10.permit—(过去分词)___________、（现在分词)___________、（n.允许）______________
11.occasion—(adv)___________
12.success—(v.成功)___________、（adj.成功的）______________
13.attract—(n.吸引)___________、（adj.吸引人的）______________
短文改错
As we all know, travelling can be an excited experience. Let me give you some advices that you have to pay attention. You can find out more about your destination by surf the internet before you set out. You needn’t take too many cash. Since it can be very convenient to pay in cash, using cheques is much more reliable. In additional, it will be wise of you to take an umbrella in case of it should rain. And if you are to travel abroad, you’d better understand the cultural diversity. Keep this in mind that being polite in foreign countries can help you had a wonderful trip.
语篇填空，请把答案写在答题卷的相应位置.
Camels certainly like eating green grass, not dry grass. But 1. (strange), camels always keep looking for dry grass 2. their stomachs are filled up.
A classmate of 3. (I) whose home is on the edge of Turpan Basin in Xinjiang told me his home has two camels; he said you could imagine a camel’s appetite, for it can slowly swallow dozens of kilograms of hay (干草). I asked him 4. camels eat hay, not green grass. He said the camel is a kind of animal with 5. strong sense of suffering, 6. (fear) its master letting it travel through the desert the next day, and the hay in its stomach is more hunger-resistant 7. green grass.
The camel has the best tolerance. Unfortunately, many people can only see a camel’s outstanding performance, but few understand its 8. (prepare) made for it.
Life, 9. a camel traveling through the desert, 10. (need) the adequate accumulation, but not everyone can understand it.
“Mama, when I grow up, I’m going to be one of those!” I said this after seeing the Capital Dancing Company perform when I was three. It was the first time that my ____________ took on a vivid form and acted as something important to start my training. As I grew older and was ____________ to more, my interests in the world of dance ___________ varied but that little girl’s dream of someday becoming a __________ in the company never left me. In the summer of 2005 when I was 18, I received the phone call which made that dream a ____________; I became a member of the company ___________ back to 1925.
As I look back on that day now, it surely ___________ any sense of reality. I believe I stayed in a state of pleasant disbelief ___________ I was halfway through rehearsals (排练) on my first day. I never actually ___________ to get the job. After being offered the position, I was completely ___________. I remember shaking with excitement.
Though I was absolutely thrilled with the change, it did not come without its fair share of __________. Through the strict rehearsal period of dancing six days a week, I found it vital to ___________ up the material fast with every last bit of concentration. It is that extreme ___________ to detail (细节) and stress on practice that set us ___________ To then follow those high-energy rehearsals _____________ a busy show schedule of up to five performances a day, I discovered a new __________ of the words “hard work.” What I thought were my physical ___________ were pushed much further than I thought ___________. I learned to make each performance better than the last.
Today, when I look at the unbelievable company that I have the great ____________ of being a part of, not only as a member, but as a dance captain, I see a __________that has inspired not only generations of little girls but a splendid company that continues to develop and grow-and inspires people every day to follow their dreams.
1.A. hobby B. plan C. dream D. word
2.A connected B. expanded C. exposed D. extended
3.A. rarely B. certainly C. probably D. consistently
4.A. director B. trainer C. leader D. dancer
5.A. symbol B. memory C. truth D. reality
6.A. bouncing B. dating C. turning D. tracking
7.A. lacks B. adds C. makes D. brings
8.A. while B. since C. until D. when
9.A. Cared B. Expected C. Asked D. Decided
10.A. motivated B. relaxed C. convinced D. astonished
11.A. challenges B. profits C. advantages D. adventures
12.A. put B. mix C. build D. pick
13.A. Attention B. association C. attraction D. adaptation
14.A. apart B. aside C. off D. back
15.A. over B. by C. with D. beyond
16.A. function B. meaning C. expression D. usage
17.A. boundaries B. problems C. barriers D. efforts
18.A. necessary B. perfect C. proper D. possible
19.A. talent B. honor C. potential D. responsibility
20.A. victory B. trend C. tradition D. Desire
完形填空
阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项 (A、B、C和D) 中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Around twenty years ago I was living in York．_________I had a lot of experience and a Master's degree, I could not find_________ work..
I was_________ a school bus to make ends meet and _________ with a friend of mine, for I had lost my flat．I had _________five interviews with a company and one day between bus runs they called to say I did not _________ the job．“Why has my life become so _________ ?” I thought painfully.
As I pulled the bus over to _________ a little girl, she handed me an earring _________ I should keep it _________ somebody claimed (认领) it．The earring was painted black and said “BE HAPPY”.
At first I got angry．Then it _________ me – I had been giving all of my_________ to what was going wrong with my _________ rather than what was right! I decided then and there to make a _________ of fifty things I was happy with．Later, I decided to _________ more things to the list．That night there was a phone call for _________ from a lady who was a director at a larger _________．She asked me if I would_________ a one-day lecture on stress management to 200 medical workers．I said yes. My _________there went very well, and before long I got a well-paid job．To this day I know that it was because I changed my way of _________ that I completely changed my life.
1.A．As B．Though C．If D．When
2.A．successful B．extra C．satisfying D．convenient
3.A．driving B．repairing C．taking D．designing
4.A．working B．travelling C．discussing D．living
5.A．prepared for B．attended C．asked for D．held
6.A．lose B．like C．find D．get
7.A．hard B．busy C．serious D．short
8.A．wave at B．drop off C．call on D．look for
9.A．ordering B．promising C．saying D．showing
10.A．in case B．or else C．as if D．now that
11.A．hurt B．hit C．caught D．moved
12.A．feelings B．attention C．strength D．interests
13.A．opinions B．education C．experiences D．life
14.A．list B．book C．check D．copy
15.A．connect B．turn C．keep D．add
16.A．her B．a passenger C．me D．my friend
17.A．hospital B．factory C．restaurant D．hotel
18.A．listen to B．review C．give D．talk about
19.A．plan B．choice C．day D．tour
20.A．operation B．speaking C．employment D．thinking
