A certain good woman one day said something that hurt her best friend of many years. She regretted it immediately and would have done anything to have taken the words back. So she went to an older, wiser woman in the village and 21 advice.

Listening to her, the older woman 22 the younger woman’s distress and knew she must help her. She also knew she could 23 ease her pain, but she could teach.

Then, she said. “There are 24 things you need to do. The first is extremely difficult. Tonight, Take your best 25 pillows and open a small hole in each one. Then, 26 the sun rises, you must put a single feather on the doorstep of each house in town. When you are through, 27 to me. If you’ve done the first thing 28, I’ll tell you the second.”

The young woman hurried home to prepare for her chore, 29 the pillows were very 30 to her and very expensive.

All night long, she went from doorstep to doorstep. Her fingers were 31. The wind was so sharp that it caused her eyes to water, but she ran on through the 32 streets, 33 there was something she could do to put things 34 the way they once were. Finally she placed the last feather on the steps of the last house. Just as the sun rose, she returned to the older woman.

She was exhausted but 35 ,thinking that her efforts would be rewarded.

“Now,” said the wise woman, “Go back and 36 your pillows. Then everything will be as it was before.”

The young woman was stunned, “You know that’s impossible! The wind 37 each feather as fast as I placed them on the doorsteps! You didn’t say I had to get them back! If this is the second 38, then things will never be the same.”

“That’s true,” said the older woman. “Never forget. Each of your words is like a feather in the wind. Once 39, no amount of effort, 40 how heartfelt or sincere, can ever return them to your mouth. Choose your words well and guard them most of all in the presence of those you love.”

A. asked about        B. asked for              C. asked to         D. ask around

A. witnessed           B. touched                C. guessed         D. sensed

A. ever                  B. almost                  C. never                   D. seldom

A. one                    B. two                       C. three              D. four

A. feather               B. leather                  C. woolen          D. cotton

A. when                  B. after                     C. as                  D. before

A. come back          B. go back                 C. put back        D. draw back

A. promptly           B. absolutely             C. completely    D. unfortunately

A. so as to              B. even though          C. now that        D. in spite of

A. hard                   B. rare                      C. nice              D.

A. freezing              B. freezingly             C. froze             D. frozen

A. brightened         B. widened               C. darkened       D. broadened

A. amazing            B. lucky                          C. thankful        D. surprising

A. on                     B. up                        C. off                D. back

A. tired                  B. relieved                C. grateful         D. nervous

A. refill                 B. get                       C. purchase        D. seek

A. blew up             B. blew on                C. blew away      D. blew over

A. requirement       B. situation               C. consequence   D. circumstance

A. speak                 B. spoken                  C. speaking         D. being spoken

A. however             B. whatever                C. although        D. regardless

A woman id her sixties lived alone in her little cottage with a pear tree at her door. She spent all her time taking care of the tree. But the children nearby drover her    21      by making fun of her. They would climb her tree and then run away with pears,     22   “Aunty Misery” at her.

One evening, a passer by asked to    23     for the night. Seeing that he had an   24   Face, she let him in and gave him a nice    25   . The next morning the stranger, actually a sorcerer (巫师), thanked her by granting (允准) her   26     that anyone who climbed up her tree  27   not be able to come back down until she   28  it.

     When the children came back to steal her   29   , she had them stuck on the tree. They had to beg her

long   30   she gave the tree permission to let  31    go. Aunty Misery was free from the   32   at last.

One day another man    33    her door. This one did not look trustworthy to her,   34   she asked who he was . “I am Death, I’ve come to take you   35    me.” said he.

Thinking fast Aunty Misery said, “Fine, but I’d like to  36    some pears from my dear tree to remember the 37          

it brought to me in this life. But I am too    38   to climb high to get the best fruit. Will you be so   39    as to do it for me?” With a deep sigh, Mr. Death climbed up the tree   40   and was immediately stuck to it. No matter how much he warned or begged, Aunty Misery would not allow the tree to let Death go.

A. hopeless    B. painful   C. dull   D. crazy

A. calling     B. shouting   C. announcing  D. whispering

A. stay       B. live       C. hide     D. lie

A. interesting  B. honest    C. anxious    D. angry

A. gift      B. kiss      C. treat     D. smile

A. suggestion     B. demand      C. permission D. wish

A. could     B. should     C. might    D. must

A. permitted   B. promised      C. answered    D. declared

A. branch    B. food    C. tree     D. fruit

A. after      B. while     C. since       D. before

A. it        B. them      C. him        D. her

A. trick     B. question     C. trouble     D. difficulty

A. stepped into   B. left for       C. stopped at    D. walked around

A. so      B. but         C. although       D. because

A. with     B. off         C. upon         D. for

A. choose      B. pick      C. shake      D. hit

A. honor       B. pleasure   C. hope      D. excitement

A. light        B. short      C. old       D. thin

A. proud       B. kind       C. fine      D. smart

A. disappointedly       B. cheerfully      C. unwillingly     D. eagerly

A 25-five-year student from Hubei was admitted into Tsinghua University, China’ most famous university, after an eight-year ___21___．Li Jun comes from a small village of Hubei Province．He first ____22____ going to college in year 2000 ___23__he was admitted by a local school after __24___ from a secondary technical school at 17．As a ___25___ art student, he passed the exam again the next year but __26_____ school due to economic pressure in September 2002．Life seemed ___27___ but Li didn’t give in．He earned a _28_____ by working part-time in Wuhan’s art rooms and tutoring students．But he never lost sight of his lifelong dream of __29___ the Academy of Arts & Design of Tsinghua University．Li __30____ the college entrance examination for five continuous years from 2003．____31___, he missed making the cut one mark last year．

       In 2008, his fifth try, Li’s efforts ___32_____．He finished the qualifying exam in his province and was finally admitted as a sculpture major in Tsinghua University．Every year, Li took art __33___ in Beijing and took exams from December to March．He then took cultural courses in his school till June．The rest of the year he spent on __34____ work．Li said he hadn’t ____35___any money from his family since he graduated from the technical secondary school．Li said the reason he maintained for eight years was that he wanted to change his __36_____ through knowledge．

       _____37___ by his contribution, Li Jun’s university __38____ him 9,000 yuan out of his tution fees of 11,450 yuan．An eight-year struggle may have come to an end for Li Jun, but a new ___39__ has now begun．Li said he would not worry about repaying loans at present．He wants to study well and __40___ more scholarships．

A．research     B．struggle            C．service              D．expectation

A．talked of           B．told of             C．dreamt of          D．knew of

A．where        B．when             C．that               D．since

A．learning     B．separating         C．dating               D．graduating

A．gifted        B．surprised           C．interested          D．easy-going

A．went on with B．watched out for      C．dropped out of        D．looked forward to

A．unfair        B．happy               C．practical           D．busy 

A．value         B．respect              C．freedom           D．living

A．entering     B．visiting             C．supporting               D．pursing

A．turned to     B．applied for           C．called for           D．adapted to

A．Instead     B．At times           C．However           D．Besides

A．took off      B．paid off            C．gave off            D．sent off

A．ways        B．programmes         C．success             D．courses

A．full-time     B．part-time          C．out-of door          D．all

A．asked for     B．looked for         C．prayed for         D．waited for

A．plan         B．ideal              C．fate               D．opinion

A．Encouraged B．Influenced               C．Accused            D．Impressed

A．funded     B．gave                C．paid              D．cost

A．challenge     B．life                C．case               D．relationship

A．spend       B．win               C．care               D．use

A   16   thing happened   17   me last Sunday. It was such a beautiful day  18  I drove to go for a look in the country.

       On the way back home, my   19   stopped. It was out of gas on a   20   road far from a town! I decided to walk   21   I found someone who could sell some gas. I had walked almost a mile   22   I finally found a house near the  23 . I was glad to see it because it was getting dark.

       I knocked at the door and a little old lady with long white hair 24  She said, “I’ve been 25 for you here for a long time. Come in.   26   is almost ready.”

       “But I only came for some gas,” I answered. I couldn’t   27   what she was talking about.

       “Oh, Alfred! Gas? You   28   tea,” said she.

I quickly   29   that my car was out of   30  , but she didn’t seem to listen to me. She just kept   31   me Alfred and talking about how long it had been   32   she had seen me. She was acting very strangely and I was   33   to leave. As soon as she went to get tea, I went out of the house as fast as I could.

      Fortunately, there was another house down the road and I was able to buy the gas I needed. When I told the man about my   34  , he said, “Oh, that’s Miss Emily. She lives by herself in that big house. She’s strange, but she wouldn’t   35   anybody. She is still waiting for the man she was going to marry thirty years ago. The day before their wedding he left home and never came back because of the war.”

A. happy          B. strange       C. common      D. bad

A. on            B. in                C. upon         D. to

A. and          B. so            C. but            D. that

A. car           B. bus          C. bike          D. truck

A. narrow        B. lonely        C. crowded       D. busy

A. when           B. so that      C. until          D. because

A. before         B. after        C. while               D. as

A. street           B. path         C. way          D. road

A. came           B. answered    C. opened         D. appeared

A. asking       B. looking      C. calling          D. waiting

A. Gas               B. Coffee            C. Tea           D. Lunch

A. consider     B. understand  C. accept          D. think

A. like          B. liked        C. used to like      D. liking

A. answered      B. explained   C. refused         D. promised

A. gas         B. tea           C. strength        D. energy

A. calling       B. call          C. to call          D. called

A. until          B. before      C. since         D. when

A. anxious      B. interested   C. glad          D. ready

A. accident     B. incident      C. experience           D. surprise

A. wound       B. injury      C. hurt          D. frighten

A woman id her sixties lived alone in her little cottage with a pear tree at her door. She spent all her time taking care of the tree. But the children nearby drover her    21      by making fun of her. They would climb her tree and then run away with pears,     22   “Aunty Misery” at her.

One evening, a passer by asked to    23     for the night. Seeing that he had an   24   Face, she let him in and gave him a nice    25   . The next morning the stranger, actually a sorcerer (巫师), thanked her by granting (允准) her   26     that anyone who climbed up her tree  27   not be able to come back down until she   28  it.

     When the children came back to steal her   29   , she had them stuck on the tree. They had to beg her
long   30   she gave the tree permission to let  31    go. Aunty Misery was free from the   32   at last.

One day another man    33    her door. This one did not look trustworthy to her,   34   she asked who he was . “I am Death, I’ve come to take you   35    me.” said he.

Thinking fast Aunty Misery said, “Fine, but I’d like to  36    some pears from my dear tree to remember the 37          
it brought to me in this life. But I am too    38   to climb high to get the best fruit. Will you be so   39    as to do it for me?” With a deep sigh, Mr. Death climbed up the tree   40   and was immediately stuck to it. No matter how much he warned or begged, Aunty Misery would not allow the tree to let Death go.

21.  A. hopeless         B. painful        C. dull              D. crazy

22.  A. calling             B. shouting    C. announcing    D. whispering

23.  A. stay                B. live            C. hide             D. lie

24.  A. interesting        B. honest       C. anxious        D. angry

25.  A. gift                 B. kiss           C. treat             D. smile

26.  A. suggestion       B. demand     C. permission    D. wish

27.  A. could              B. should        C. might           D. must

28.  A. permitted        B. promised    C. answered      D. declared

29.  A. branch            B. food          C. tree              D. fruit

30.  A. after               B. while          C. since            D. before

31.  A. it                    B. them          C. him              D. her

32.  A. trick               B. question     C. trouble         D. difficulty

33.  A. stepped into     B. left for       C. stopped at    D. walked around

34.  A. so                  B. but             C. although       D. because

35.  A. with               B. off             C. upon            D. for

36.  A. choose           B. pick           C. shake           D. hit

37.  A. honor             B. pleasure      C. hope            D. excitement

38.  A. light                B. short         C. old              D. thin

39.  A. proud             B. kind           C. fine              D. smart

40.  A. disappointedly  B. cheerfully  C. unwillingly     D. eagerly