I grew up in a nice house in a middle-class area in Boston, England, and had a very happy childhood. My mother ________ herself to bringing me and my siblings(兄弟姐妹) up.
As a child I was hyperactive and ________ in school. I wouldn’t listen to anyone and thought I ________ everything. At home, I was always breaking things and ________ everyone. Dad was worried, so when I was eight, he took me to boxing classes in an ________ to divert(转移) my energy and keep me out of trouble. It made a huge ________ to the way I saw life and taught me discipline. It also taught me respect, because Dad made it clear that if I didn’t ________ properly, I wouldn’t be able to go back to the gym. ________ it hadn’t been for him, there is no doubt I’d have just ________ my life.
Dad was surprised when people at the gym started saying that I had the ________ to be a champion. His ________ had been to keep me off the streets, not to make me a world-class boxer. But he was so proud, ________ when I won a silver medal in the 2004 Olympics. I was only 17 and I know Mum and Dad were ________ for me because I was just a boy, yet I was fighting men.
I don’t have to ________ the business side of my career, because Dad oversees all that. He deals with the lawyers, making sure my fight contracts are all up to date and ________ properly.
Dad’s always at the ringside during my ________ —his main priority is that I’m safe. Mum ________ coming when the fights got harder, because she couldn’t bear to see the blood. She’ll ________ sit at home or in the hotel, waiting until it’s all over.
The boxing world can be a very lonely one, and I’m so ________ every day to have Dad and my whole family behind me. It would be unthinkable if I didn’t have their ________.
1.A. addedB. introducedC. devotedD. adapted
2.A. cleverB. wealthyC. strongD. naughty
3.A. imaginedB. decidedC. knewD. expected
4.A. amazingB. inspiringC. comfortingD. annoying
5.A. analysisB. attemptC. adviceD. honor
6.A. assignmentB. progressC. instructionD. difference
7.A. behaveB. expressC. confirmD. complete
8.A. IfB. SinceC. WhileD. Unless
9.A. begunB. checkedC. wastedD. enriched
10.A. presenceB. practiceC. patienceD. potential
11.A. contractB. intentionC. responsibilityD. ability
12.A. especiallyB. immediatelyC. normallyD. surprisingly
13.A. comfortableB. guiltyC. familiarD. scared
14.A. give upB. worry aboutC. rely onD. take on
15.A. doneB. learnedC. recognizedD. prepared
16.A. fightsB. lessonsC. experiencesD. talks
17.A. rememberedB. promisedC. stoppedD. considered
18.A. justB. yetC. thusD. also
19.A. shyB. awkwardC. gratefulD. elegant
20.A. respectB. hopeC. supportD. knowledge
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。将答案写在答题纸上。
Tips on Homework
What do you do when you just can’t get yourself to do homework? You know it has to be done. However, it is the last thing on which you want to spend your time. 1. Here are some tips to improve your motivation to study.
Set goals for yourself. 2. Start by setting goals you know you can achieve easily. For instance, a goal such as getting straight A’s on your next report card would be nice, but it is a major goal. An easier one would be taking a page of notes for your report.
Set a schedule for studying and write it down. Why write it down? Something about the written words makes it harder to ignore. Once you’ve written it down, you’ll do it.
Do the homework you dislike the most first. 3. However, if you have a number of small assignments and one major assignment to work on, doing the small ones first will make it seem like you are making progress more quickly.
4. You could “allow” yourself to go to a movie on Friday night if you get your History project completed by then, or you could take a snack break once you get the first thirty Maths questions completed.
Find a way to turn your homework assignments into something that interests you. 5. I you have to do geometry homework, think about how you could use it when you want to become a building designer. If you are researching Russia and your interest is in wildlife, find out what species you would find there.
A. Use rewards to mark your progress.
B. Do physical exercises during study breaks.
C. They don’t have to be big ones, in fact, the smaller the better.
D. How are you going to get yourself motivated and what is the best way?
E. If you have a choice of topics, choose something you’ve always wanted to learn about.
F. Also, if there is homework you find most difficult, do it first while your mind is still fresh.
G. If your friends ask you to hang out when you have homework to do, stay home and do the work.
The Internet can be a great way to connect with people. The latest web craze is social networking on websites such as MySpace. More than 65 million young people use online social networking sites.
That cyberspace(网络空间) trend is causing problems in school, however. In a recent survey, nearly 36 percent of school administrators said that social networking sites troubled learning in their districts. Should school districts ban sites like MySpace?
Teachers are worried that some students use social networking to post personal information and to cyber bully(恐吓) other students. One of the biggest dangers comes from people who find out kid’s personal information.
Many districts have blocked students from accessing or using social networking sites from school computers, and some have suspended(暂缓) students for posting harmful material on those sites from their home computers. Nearly two-thirds of US kids have computers in their homes, according to the US Census Bureau.
“It is important to keep in mind that just blocking access to social web sites at school is not the end of the story,” warns NSBA executive director Anne Bryant, “Most of the misuse of these sites takes place at home but still affects the classroom.”
Some educators aren’t as quick to pull the plug on social networking. They say the main problem with sites like MySpace is that students don’t understand the dangers involved in using them. “Many students are posting personal information about themselves without regard to who has access to that information,” Jim Hirsch said, “Schools should focus on educating their students and their parents on how to be safe online.”
Experts argue that too many schools are forbidding students to use social networking web sites without thinking about their educational benefits. “Social networking web sites can help connect students in the United States to their peers in other countries, providing invaluable lessons in foreign cultures,” explains Hirsch.
1.Where do students usually misuse social networking sites?
A. At the teacher’s office.
B. At the net bar.
C. At the classroom.
D. At home.
2.The underlined sentence in Paragraph 6 may mean ________.
A. some educators are in favor of students’ using social networking sites
B. some educators can’t block students from accessing social networking sites
C. some educators can’t connect social networking sites easily
D. some educators find it difficult to close social networking sites
3.Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. The Internet can’t be a good bridge to get along well with students.
B. There are some students threatening other students by using social networking.
C. Most of the misuse of these social web sites takes place at school and affects the home.
D. Too many schools allow students to use social networking sites without Question.
4.What might be the most suitable title for the passage?
A. Lessons Online?B. Friendship Online?
C. Dangers Online?D. Information Online?
They may be small, and unable to have an adult conversation, but babies are proving their collective cleverness.
While your baby still might not be able to speak, he or she knows about you’re feeling down. Babies as young as 5 months of age can distinguish an exciting tune from a sad one, according to a study published in 2014 in the journal Neuron.
Speaking of music, it seems that babies can’t resist it. Not only are their ears sensitive to the beats, babies can actually dance in time to them, according to a study published in 2010. To test their dancing ability, the researchers played recordings of classical music and speech to them, and videotaped the results. The babies moved their arms, hands, legs, feet, and heads much more in response to the music than to speech. The findings suggest this dancing ability is innate(天生的) in humans.
Babies can apparently learn even while asleep. As newborn babies spend most of their time sleeping, this newfound ability might be crucial(至关重要的) for them to adapt rapidly to the world around them, and help ensure survival, the researchers say. The study was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Deciding whether another person is helpful or harmful is crucial in choosing friends — and that ability starts being visible early. Kiley Hamlin of Yale University showed both 6– and 10–month–olds some anthropomorphized(人格化的) shapes, in which one shape helped another climb a hill, while a third shaped pushed the climber down. The little ones then got to choose which shape they preferred. For both age groups, most babies chose the helper shapes. This character–judging ability could be the first step in the formation of morals, Hamlin says.
1.What does the third paragraph mainly say?
A. Babies are born to dance.
B. Babies prefer classical music.
C. Babies love listening to music.
D. Babies can tell different tunes apart.
2.What can be inferred from the passage?
A. Babies can understand emotions.
B. Babies value friendship very much.
C. It’s hard for babies to adapt to the world around them.
D. Babies show no reaction to speech.
3.Kiley Hamlin found that babies ________.
A. love to make friends
B. learn nothing while asleep
C. can tell right from wrong
D. like watching anthropomorphized shows
Losing a job is considered one of the five most stressful life changes you can experience. Those who have been there say it feels like being robbed of your identity and is as painful as the loss of a loved one.
It may be hard to believe at first, but finally you can use this experience as your advantage—to find another, perhaps even better job, to strengthen your relationship with your family, and to make some much-needed changes in your life. Here are three essential steps.
Step1 Get emotional support. Because it’s easy to feel uneasy and vulnerable（脆弱), turning to others is the key to making a smooth transition(过渡). You’ll need people who will listen and provide a safe place for you to cry, or to express your fears and concerns.
Don’t go it alone. It takes courage to ask for help, and yet, help may be what you need most to move forward.
Step2 Seek professional guidance. Getting assistance from a recruiter（招聘人员) or career adviser will not only help you value your experience and improve your skills, it also will ensure that you put your best foot forward. Once again, your local unemployment office should have helpful resources.
If possible, try not to let fear cause you to grab the first new job you’re offered (unless it’s the right one). Give yourself time to explore different choices.
Step3 Consolidate family ties. Meet with family members to openly discuss your feelings. Listen carefully without interrupting one another, and give everyone a turn to speak. When a man I know did this with his family, his wife agreed to leave the job search planning to him and his outplacement adviser. In turn, he agreed to keep her informed about the process on a weekly basis. When you keep the lines of communication open, you can build stronger relationships.
Once you’ve got a new job, create your own security. Keep your resume up-to-date, stay in touch with recruiters about the job market, and constantly improve your skills to stay marketable in your field.
Although being laid-off can turn your life upside down, many people say that it gave them push they needed to start a new life!
1.What’s the author’s purpose of writing the passage?
A. To ask the family for help.
B. To stay in touch with recruiters in your field.
C. To deal with the hurt from losing a job.
D. To keep your resume up-to-date.
2.The underlined title “Consolidate family ties” probably means “________”.
A. find another better job for your family
B. strengthen your relationship with your family
C. make some much-needed changes in your family
D. create your own security to your family
3.Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. Losing a job is stressful but is not so painful as the loss of a loved one.
B. Turning to others is the main key to obtaining deepest sympathy.
C. Asking for a career adviser will help you and improve your skills.
D. Keeping the lines of communication open can end your relationships.
4.We can infer from the passage that the author is most likely to ____________.
A. be a life coach
B. be a keeper of family ties
C. memorize his or her loved one
D. work in an employment agency
Back in the days when I wrote my first songs, I hated my voice. I saw myself as a songwriter and guitarist but never a singer! I continued to write songs, and to search for the perfect singer. After a few years I did discover a singer, so we started a project together. We held a few concerts, and put a lot of work into it. She forces me to sing some songs at concerts myself, so I started going to a bar to practice them. This was my first, small breakthrough.
One day she came round to my flat and informed me that she could no longer work with me, and also that the bar owner at the open mic venue(麦克风场地) had replaced us at short notice because some New York jazz star happened to be in town, and was available that evening to perform. The first bit of news made me sad and disappointed, but the second made me angry.
However, that same evening, with as much determination as I could muster (集合), I resolved to play three new songs at the bar, just as I had planned before. I was quite nervous, but I dragged myself down to the bar and sang those songs! I never felt so liberated(无拘束的). That night I couldn’t get to sleep. I was simply astonished, hardly believing that I was a person who acted so courageously, and that I’d been able to sing my songs myself.
Since then I’ve begun to encourage others to adopt a similar approach when they aren’t able to see their own potential. One example is an amateur fiddler (小提琴手) who could barely bring herself to lift her instrument to play in front of people. I forced her to ignore her fear, and simply get on with it. Now, a year or two later, she is a passionate, happy performer in front of any crowd!
Once you get the ball rolling in yourself, you can start inspiring those around you.
1.What was the author’s first breakthrough?
A. She found the perfect singer.
B. She started a project with her partner.
C. She started to practice songs at a bar.
D. She was able to sing all of her songs.
2.How did the author feel when she heard that her partner could no longer work with her?
A. Sad and disappointed.B. Sad and angry.
C. Disappointed and angry.D. Astonished and angry.
3.The amateur fiddler is mentioned in the last but one paragraph in order to show that the author ________.
A. has a good relationship with her
B. encourages others to see their potential
C. can perform in front of any crowd
D. is very interested in making friends
4.What’s the passage mainly about?
A. How to work with other singers.
B. The story of the author and an amateur fiddler.
C. How the author became a singer through her fighting spirit.
D. How to write beautiful songs.
