My childhood and adolescence were a joyous outpouring of energy, an endless pursuit for expression, skill, and experience.        was only a background to the great delight of lessons in music, dance, and dramatics.

Then one night at a high school dance, a remark, not intended for my       , injured my youthful happiness: “That girl, what a pity she is blind.” Blind! A(n)        word that implied everything dark, blank and helpless.       I turned and called out, “Please don’t feel sorry for me, I’m having lots of fun.”       the fun was not to last.

In college years, I began to struggle with the problem of earning a living. Part-time teaching of piano and occasional giving concerts proved only        sources of economic support. In terms of time and effort involved, the financial return was       . Self-doubt and dark moods sparked within me.        to my misery was the repeated experience of knowing my sisters and friends dating excitedly. How        I was to my piano,        I could dissolve my frustration, accompanied by Chopin, Brahms, and Beethoven.

Then one day, I met a girl, an army nurse, whose faith was to change my life. As our acquaintance        into friendship, she sensed my       . She said, “Stop knocking on closed doors. I know your opportunity will come. You’re trying too hard. Why don’t you relax? And have you ever tried       ?” The idea was strange to me. I had always believed that if you wanted        , you had to go and get it for yourself. Yet, my sincerity and hard work had yielded poor returns, so I was       to try anything else. Self-consciously, I performed the daily practice of prayer. I said, “God, show me the        for which You sent me to this world.

In the years to follow, the answers began to arrive, satisfying        my most optimistic expectation. One of the answers was Enchanted Hills, where my        friend and I had the privilege of seeing blind children come alive in God’s out-of-doors.        are the sources of pleasure and comfort I have found in friendship, and most important of all, I        closer to God and, through Him, to immortality (永生).

1.A. School                           B. Society         C. Family                        D. College

2.A. mind                    B. direction                        C. eyes                                  D. ears

3.A. rude                         B. ugly                                    C. dirty                                  D. strange

4.A. quickly                     B. slowly                                 C. gently                               D. quietly

5.A. Thus                         B. And                                    C. But                                    D. Though

6.A. adequate                B. partial                                C. full                                     D. rich

7.A. discouraging                B. uninspiring                      C. encouraging           D. convincing

8.A. Referring               B. Contributing                 C. Adapting                    D. Adding

9.A. grateful                         B. excited                    C. proud                               D. sensitive

10.A. who                   B. which                                C. what                                  D. where

11.A. jumped                       B. ran                                    C. grew                                 D. became

12.A. joy                               B. depression                      C. pleasure                           D. pity

13.A. practicing                   B. nursing                    C. praying             D. volunteering

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

15.A. able                            B. willing                     C. eager                               D. devoted

16.A. destination                B. purpose                           C. meaning                           D. answer

17.A. with                   B. off                                     C. beyond                   D. from

18.A. doctor                        B. teacher                            C. nurse                                D. prayer

19.A. Other                          B. Others                              C. Another                           D. Either

20.A. draw                           B. arrive                                C. drag                                  D. pull

Every year, British newspapers report on the stranger questions asked in Oxbridge (Oxford & Cambridge) interviews. Often, though, these questions are not as strange as they first seem. And they are all designed to give applicants (申请者) a chance to think.
Arriving for her first Oxford interview, my sister Jen saw that there was only one chair in the waiting room. On the chair was a large fork. Jen had heard about the strange things in Oxbridge interviews, and believed that this was a test. “What if they’re watching me?” she thought. “If I move the fork, it will show initiative (主动性); if I don’t move it, it will show that I can easily fit into new situations.” In the end, she sat uncomfortably on the edge of the chair!
Applicants must be prepared for the unexpected. Now it was Jen’s turn. She was handed a monkey skull (颅骨) and asked to talk about it. At first, this seemed unfair --- what could she say? But she soon calmed down, started thinking, and found that there was plenty to talk about.
Oxbridge interviews are designed to find out how you think, not just what you think. And there are no wrong answers. Jen learnt that, and she passed the interview. What advice does she give? “ Don’t be nervous, and be prepared for the unexpected!”
【小题1】According to British newspapers, questions for Oxbridge applicants are very _____. 

For the last couple of weeks , I had been stuck in front of my computer working on a project that was very important to me . My every waking hour was consumed by the project and although I imagined that I would feel happy after completing parts of the project, I was confused to find that instead , I was feeling rather depressed . I tried a range of methods to help cheer myself up. I had a relaxing bath, cooked a delicious meal to enjoy with my family and even watched a lighthearted movie,but to no avail. It was only when I turned to meditation(沉思) for a solution that the answer came to me : turn to nature!

The very next day , I grabbed my camera and a bottle of water and set off to spend a few hours walking in a nature reserve , even though it was pouring with rain . Within a couple of minutes I felt alive again.To be honest . I felt like a young school girl again and had to stop myself from hopping along the path singing , “I’m singing in the rain.”a song I used to sing when I was a child . I think as adults we often try too hard to control our inner children and as a result we restrain(限制)our own spirits , which only leads to depression and stress.

Interestingly,it has been shown that people who spend 40 minutes walking  in a nature reserve have a drop in their blood pressure levels. But this does not happen when they spend a similar amount of time walking in a busy city centre .

If you feel a little low in spirit and know that you have spent too much time indoors , relax completely , remove your shoes and let your inner child come out and play.

1.The author felt depressed because she          .

A.couldn’t consume her waking hour

B.had not seen a film for a long time.

C.had not finished her work on time

D.had worked on a hard job for too long

2.The author walked in a nature reserve in the rain in order to       .

A.take photos           B.find a solution to the project

C.hop along the path    D.cheer herself up

3.The underlined part“to no avail” in Paragraph 1 probably means“           ”.

A.unsuccessful      B.unrelated     C.uninteresting     D.unexpected

4.In the author’s opinion,      .

A.a bath can make people relaxed

B.depression is usually caused by hard work

C.walking in a busy city centre harms people’s health

D.adults should express their inner feelings freely

5.The last paragraph mainly serves as a(n)       .

A.explanation           B.suggestion        C.introduction          D.reminder

On a Friday   11  , a poor young artist stood at the gate of the subway station, playing his violin. The music was   12  , and many people   13   and put some money into the   14   of the young man.

The next night, the young artist took out a large piece of   15   and laid it on the ground.     Then he began   16  . The music sounded more pleasant. Some people gathered and they found the   17   on that paper. “Last night ,a gentleman put a(n)   18  thing into my hat. Please come to get it back.” When the people saw that, they felt very curious and began to   19   what it could be. After about half an hour, a man   20   there in a hurry and said ,“It can’t be true！You ...you ...”

The young violinist asked, “Did you   21   something?”

“Lottery (彩票).”the man answered  22  .

The violinist took out a lottery ticket. “Is it？”he asked.

The man was too   23   to say a word ...George Sang   24   a lottery ticket a few days ago. The awards(奖)opened yesterday and he won $500,000. So lucky and excited did he feel that he   25   50 dollars and put it in the hat when hearing the music. However, the lottery ticket was also thrown into the hat without being noticed. The violinist found the lottery ticket. Thinking that the owner would  26   to look for it, he came back to where he was given the lottery ticket.

Someone asked the violinist   27   he returned the lottery ticket to the man. He said, “   28   I don’t have much   29  , I live happily; but if I lose   30   I won’t be happy forever.”

1.A. morning       B. night        C. afternoon      D. noon

2.A. quiet       B. exciting      C. beautiful       D. familiar

3.A. passed by     B. went away    C. slowed down   D. speeded up

4.A. wallet        B. box          C. bag           D. hat

5.A. paper         B. cloth        C. glass          D. plastic

6.A. singing       B. playing      C. working      D. waiting

7.A. poems       B. articles   C. words    D. texts

8.A. important     B. fantastic     C. dangerous     D. interesting

9.A. argue    B. care       C. expect   D. guess

10.A. came    B. rushed     C. walked   D. left

11.A. get     B. find       C. forget   D. lose

12.A. quickly      B. anxiously      C. seriously       D. carefully

13.A. confused     B. anxiously       C. excited      D. surprised

14.A. bought  B. made       C. found    D. sold

15.A. handed out   B. took out    C. hunted for   D. picked up

16.A. forget           B. remember     C. return       D. picked up

17.A. where        B. why      C. when         D. how

18.A. Because     B. Although       C. If     D. While

19.A. money    B. food      C. time     D. luck

20.A. friendship      B. honesty      C. hope        D. love

The Museum:  The only surviving London home of Dickens( from 1837 until 1839),the Charles Dickens Museum in London, is the world’s most important collection of material relating to the great Victorian novelist. It was opened in 1925 and there are four floors together. People can have a good look
at paintings, rare editions, manuscripts（手稿）, original furniture and many items relating to the life of Dickens.
Opening Hours
☆ From Mondays to Saturdays 10:00—17:00; Sundays 11:00—17:00.
☆ No admission within 30 minutes before closing time.
☆ Groups can ask for special opening times for a private view.
Admission Fees: Families: £14.00 ( 2 adults & up to five children)
Students: £4.00; Seniors: £4.00; Children: £3.00; Adults: £5.00;
Group Admission: A special group charge of £4.00 for any group of 10 or more. Children will still be admitted for £3.00 each.
Access:  We are trying to improve our collection and the access to the Museum for the disabled. Our on-going projects include the fitting of a wheelchair ramp for better access, a customer care kit and an audio tour for visitors with vision problem. Our Handling Sessions are also suitable for people with disabilities such as eye problems. There’s an online virtual（虚拟的）tour through the Museum. Just click here to visit all the rooms in the Museum online.
Rent the Museum:  You can pay to use our museum for private functions, performances, parties and other social occasions.
Transport to the Museum:  You can come to the Museum by the following ways
☆ Buses:7,17, 19, 38, 45, 46, 55, 243.
☆ Underground services: Piccadilly Line; Central Line.
☆ Click here for a map. The British Museum is within walking distance.
【小题1】The passage is most probably taken from a(n)________.