I had never had a birthday party before,so at my “ripe old” age.I decided to throw one for myself.About 20 people____that they were coming.I don't have a lot of money,but I spent more than____in the $1 store to buy decorations and plates.I had a tiny____in order to ford all of them.

I sat,I____,and,although all of my “friends” had said they were coming,no one____!The celebration was supposed to____at 12 noon.Here it was,4:00 pm,and____,no one was here.The ice-cream cake was____,the food on the barbecue was burnt beyond____.I tried really hard not to cry.

I decided to sit back and relax,reflecting on the____moments that I did have.All of a sudden,I heard a roar of an engine,just outside my front door.Mr.Kenny,apparently,did____he could to show up.I cried in his____,sawing,"I'm not worth anything!"He wiped away my tears,____me tight,and said the____words:"I will always be your friend!" The dark clouds in my mind cleared away at once.

He had had so many challenges and difficulties over his past couple of weeks,but he____to come.As we sat outside under a blanket of clear blue skies,laughing and____,I felt that I was____.He appeared just before I wanted to give up on this____world.

Yes,life is beautiful.Yes,there are some people who love each other for over 50 years.____ there are some of us who do not have those luxuries(福气).However,never give up the____maybe it is round the comer.

1.A. applied B. pretended C. confirmed D. required

2.A. last B. usual C. first D. forever

3.A. budget B. plan C. destination D. purpose

4.A. doubted B. hesitated C. intended D. waited

5.A. hanged out B. turned around C. checked in D. showed up

6.A. open B. start C. launch D. close

7.A. still B. also C. ever D. too

8.A. freezing B. melting C. hardening D. breaking

9.A. imagination B. control C. recognition D. repair

10.A. wonderful B. terrible C. different D. similar

11.A. anything B. nothing C. something D. everything

12.A. clothes B. aims C. shoulders D. hands

13.A. patted B. dragged C. struck D. held

14.A. magical B. practical C. familiar D. thoughtful

15.A. expected B. managed C. promised D. meant

16.A. thinking B. talking C. fighting D. crying

17.A. betrayed B. forgotten C. respected D. blessed

18.A. risky B. kind C. mean D. bright

19.A. though B. while C. when D. because

20.A. chance B. dream C. hope D. idea

It was a cold March day in High Point,North Carolina.The girls on the Wesleyan Academy softball were waiting for their next turns at bat during practice,stamping their feet to say warm.Eighth-grader Taylor Bisbee shivered(发抖)a little as she watched her teammate Paris White play.The two didn’t know each other well—Taylor had just moved to town a month or so before.

Suddenly,Paris fell to the ground,“Paris’s eyes rolled back,”Taylor says.“She stated shaking.I knew it was an emergency.”

It certainly was,Paris had suffered a sudden heart failure.Without immediate medical care,Paris would die.At first,no one moved.The girls were in shock.Then the softball coach shouted out,“Does anyone know CPR?”

CPR is a life-saving technique.To do CPR,you press on the sick person’s chest so that blood moves through the body and takes oxygen to organs.Without oxygen the brain is damaging quickly.

Amazingly,Taylor had just taken a CPR course the day before.Still,she hesitated.She didn’t think she knew it well enough.But when no one else came forward,Taylor ran to Paris and began doing CPR.“It was scary.I knew it was the difference between life and death,”says Taylor.

Taylor’s swift action helped her teammates calm down.One girl called 911.Two more ran to get the school nurse, who brought a defibrillator,an electronic devices(器械)that can shock the heart back into work.Luck stayed with them: Paris’ heartbeat returned.

“I know I was really lucky,”Paris says now.“Most people don’t survive this.My team saved my life.”

Experts say Paris is right: For a sudden heart failure,the single best chance for survival is having someone nearby step in and do CPR quickly.

Today,Paris is back on the softball team.Taylor will apply to college soon.She wants to be a nurse.“I feel more confident in my actions now,”Taylor says.“I know I can act under pressure in a scary situation.”

1.What happened to Paris on a March day?

A. She caught a bad cold. B. She has a sudden heart problem.

C. She was knocked down by a ball. D. She shivered terribly during practice.

2.Why does Paris say she was lucky?

A. She made a worthy friend. B. She recovered from shock.

C. She received immediate CPR. D. She came back on the softball team.

3.Which of the following words can best describe Taylor?

A. Enthusiastic and kind. B. Courageous and calm.

C. Cooperative and generous. D. Ambitious and professional.

Nicolai Calabria has already become one of the best 106-pound wrestlers. He has successfully climbed to the top of the highest mountain in Africa, and most importantly, he's changed the attitude of any normal person who watches him compete.

The 17-year-old teenager has one leg. He was born that way, but his goal is to show it's not the one thing that defines him. He would also be the first one to tell you that he just wants to prove to others and himself that he's just like other normal ones.

When Calabria was young, his parents tried different prostheses(假肢)to find out which was most comfortable for their son as he tried to keep up with a family, who has a preference for sports.

At first, the Calabrias had their middle child in a prosthesis that looked and functioned like a “real” leg, but soon they decided to choose a different path when they found it wasn't beneficial to his movement. Then the family moved him to arm crutches(手杖) and from there a new burst of energy was found.

Getting others to believe that he could take off on the soccer field took a little bit longer. When the Calabrias moved to Concord, they had a hard time convincing the town soccer program to allow a child like him to compete with able-bodied kids. After months and months of debates and meetings, the family received the answer they were looking for. Since then, witnessing a young man on crutches who competes against those with two legs has become a fixed event in the Concord community.

“At that time I had nothing but discouragement working with the soccer community, however, now I have nothing but admiration for the fact that he's been allowed to play, and people see that he adds value to game,” his father said, “I just think it's a great result.”

1.This passage shows us a boy with one leg ________.

A. can do what a normal teenager can

B. is realizing as many dreams as he can

C. can make a sport event more valuable

D. can add value to society

2.We can learn from Paragraph 5 that ________.

A. Calabria proved to be the most excellent player of the team

B. it was not easy for Calabria to be accepted to the town's soccer team

C. Calabria's parents didn't allow him to play soccer at first

D. there are some other disabled children in the soccer team

3.In Paragraph 5, the underlined part “a fixed event” probably means “________”.

A. a must-see

B. a planned program

C. an extra game

D. a special occasion

4.It is implied in the last paragraph that Nicolai's father ________.

A. has been discouraged since Nicolai played soccer

B. thinks that Nicolai is playing a key role in the team

C. is very delighted that Nicolai can play soccer in the team

D. hasn't expected that Nicolai can be allowed to play soccer

Each year the Pritzker Architecture Prize (普立兹克建筑奖) goes to a star designer with a long list of attractive buildings around the world. This year’s winner is a little different.

Shigeru Ban has designed museums, homes and concert halls. But Ban is best known for a more simple kind of work: the temporary (暂时的) buildings for people who became homeless after disasters.

Ban may be the only designer in the world who makes buildings out of paper — cardboard paper tubes (管). Ban actually tested the strength of cardboard tubes, and said he was surprised by what he had discovered. He has used them to build temporary buildings in Japan, Haiti, China and elsewhere.

“After a disaster, the building material is going to be more expensive,” Ban explains. “But the paper tube is actually not a building material. It is cheap and plentiful. We can get the material easily anywhere. And unlike costs for traditional building materials, the price of paper tubes doesn’t jump after an earthquake or flood. The tubes are also lightweight, so you don’t need heavy machines to work with them.”

Ban started using cardboard paper tubes in the 1980s. At that time he had just graduated from the architecture school, and he was looking for a cheap substitute for wood. So he started reusing the paper cardboard tubes that were left over from rolls of paper in his office.

Ban was born in Tokyo and studied architecture in the U.S. before moving back to Japan to start his practice. Some of Ban’s temporary buildings have become permanent (永久的), like the paper church he built after the 1995 earthquake in Kobe, Japan.

1.The author uses the first paragraph to    .

A. raise an argument B. give an introduction

C. give an example D. offer a description

2.What is special about Shigeru Ban?

A. He failed to get this year’s architecture prize.

B. He graduated from the best architecture school in the U.S.

C. He is good at building houses for homeless people.

D. He builds special houses for special groups of people.

3.Why did Shigeru Ban choose cardboard paper tubes?

A. Because they are cheap and easy to take away.

B. Because they are strong and last for a long time.

C. Because they are plentiful and look very beautiful.

D. Because they are common and hard to break.

4.What does the underlined word “substitute” probably refer to?

A. A new way of building houses by using wood.

B. A new method of producing cardboard paper tubes.

C. A new kind of building material to take the place of wood.

D. A new machine to produce a new kind of building material.

Feet help us walk, run, dance, and jump. The words feet and foot are also used in everyday speech.

To be under someone’s feet means to be troublesome. In other words, you are standing too close to someone and are getting in their way. Some adults criticize (批评) children for being under foot.

Speaking of children, if someone says their home will soon have the pitter-patter of tiny feet, it means the family is expecting a baby!

Now, people who are active do not let grass grow under their feet. They are never in one place for very long. People who can think and take action at the same time are said to be able to think on their feet.

Some people appear to have it all. They have money, a good education, good looks, a great family and a large circle of friends. You could say they have the world at their feet. This means whatever they want seems to be there for them.

People who have both feet firmly on the ground are realistic and practical. They are not dreamy. You might say such a person is well grounded. If you are a bad dancer, you might be described as having two left feet. To dance well, it is better to have a right foot and a left foot.

Sam loves skiing. He thinks that it would be fun to own a ski resort (滑雪场) high in the mountains. But he knows nothing about running a business. So, he decides to get his feet wet. In other words, he wants to get used to a new situation.

He joins an organization for resort owners and attends their meetings. He travels to ski areas all over the United States. This helps Sam get his foot in the door. Having a foot in the door is a starting point. This expression comes from people selling things door-to-door. They would block the door with their foot so people couldn’t close the door on them.

1.What would you say to someone who is “under your feet”?

A. Oh, I’m terribly sorry.

B. Take off your feet!

C. Sorry for the trouble.

D. Excuse me, you are in the way.

2.Which of the following describes people who keep moving about?

A. They are always under foot.

B. They can think on their feet.

C. They have the pitter-patter of tiny feet.

D. They never let grass grow under their feet.

3.What should you try to avoid if you want to succeed in doing something?

A. Having two left feet.

B. Getting your feet wet.

C. Getting your foot in the door.

D. Having both feet firmly on the ground.

4.What do we know about Sam’s new business?

A. It’s a big success. B. It’s not started yet.

C. It lies high in the mountains. D. It opens only in winter.

5.What may be the best title for the passage?

A. Use your feet properly. B. Feet help us walk and run.

C. How to be a good dancer. D. Ready for a new business.

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