My wife and I moved into our home nine years ago. We 　 1　 a lot of time and 2 in the yard to get it looking the way it does today. We live on a corner, and the entire side of the yard is surrounded by a professionally built rock wall.

We did the best to cultivate(耕种) it and called this area our rock garden. 3 We had found flowers and plants, Denise or I will plant them, just to bring some 　 4　 to the area.

Last summer I found a tiny little plant that I could not immediately 　5　 . I was sure that we didn’t plant it. We decided to let it 　6 to grow until we could 7 what it was.

Weeks passed, and as I made my way back to the 　8 plant, it appeared to be a sunflower. I 9 to nurture(培育) it and weed around it. As I picked up rocks from the area to get to the 10 , I noticed something 　11 　. The sunflower had not started to grow from where I first saw the stalks(茎）appear. 12 it had begun under a big rock and grown under and around it to 13 the sun.

That's when I realized that if a tiny little sunflower wouldn't let a big rock stand in its way when growing up, then we have the　 14 　to do the same. 15 we believe in ourselves, like that little sunflower, we can 　16 the type of nourishment(营养）and growth. We need to believe in　 17 , knowing that we have the ability to 　18 our desires. If you stand all like the sunflower and are 19 of who and what you are, then the environment will begin to 20 you. You will find a way to go under or around your obstacles( 障碍）in order to reach your goals.

1. A. took　　　　 B. spent　　　 C. cost　　　　 D. pay

2. A. strength　　 B. energy　　　 C. power　　　 D. force

3. A. However　　 B. When　　　 C. Whenever　　 D. Whatever

4. A. weed　　　　 B. color　　　 C. water　　　 D. soil

5. A. classify　　　 B. accept　　　 C. clarify　　 D. identify

6. A. remain　　　 B. prevent　　　 C. continue　　 D. leave

7. A. figure out　　 B. hold out　　　 C. stand out　 D. try out

8. A. endangered　 B. convenient　　 C. mysterious　 D. enormous

9. A. refused　　　 B. decided　　　 C. adapted　　 D. proposed

10. A. seeds　　　 B. stalks　　　　 C. rocks　　　 D. weeds

11. A. unusual　　 B. common　　　 C. fantastic　 D. unnatural

12. A. Casually　　 B. Basically　　　 C. Actually　　 D. Strangely

13. A. enlarge　　 B. expand　　　 C. reach　　　 D. spread

14. A. chance　 　　B. choice　　　 C. power　　　 D. ability

15. A. What if　　 B. As far as　　　 C. Only if　　 D. As long as

16. A. inspire　　　 B. attain　　　　 C. lose　　　　 D. refuse

17. A. ourselves　　 B. yourselves　　 C. themselves　 D. myself

18. A. preserve　　 B. comfort　　　　 C. achieve　　 D. suggest

19. A. ashamed　　 B. pride　　　　 C. proud 　　　D. ambitious

20. A. ensure　　　 B. support　　　 C. satisfy　　 D. protect　　　　　　

第二节完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分） 
阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、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。
My wife and I moved into our home nine years ago. We16 a lot of time and 17  in the yard to get it looking the way it does today. We live on a corner, and the entire side of the yard is surrounded by a professionally built rock wall.
We did the best to cultivate(耕种) it and called this area our rock garden. 18   We had found flowers and plants, Denise or I will plant them, just to bring some 19 to the area.
Last summer I found a tiny little  plant that I could not immediately
20. I was sure that we didn’t plant it. We decided to let it 21 to grow until we could  22  what it was.
Weeks passed, and as I made my way back to the 23  plant, it appeared to be a sunflower. I 24 to nurture(培育) it and weed around it. As I picked up rocks from the area to get to the 25, I noticed something 26 . The sunflower had not started to grow from where I first saw the stalks(茎）appear. 27  it had begun under a big rock and grown under and around it to 28 the sun.
That's when I realized that if a tiny little sunflower wouldn't let a big rock stand in its way when growing up, then we have the29 to do the same.  30 we believe in ourselves, like that little sunflower, we can
31 the type of nourishment(营养）and growth. We need to believe in
32,  knowing that we have the ability to 33 our desires. If you stand all like the sunflower and are 34 of who and what you are, then the environment will begin to 35 you. You will find a way to go under or around your obstacles( 障碍）in order to reach your goals.
16. A. took         B. spent        C. cost         D. pay
17. A. strength     B. energy       C. power        D. force
18. A. However      B. When       C. Whenever     D. Whatever
19. A. weed         B. color        C. water        D. soil
20. A. classify      B. accept       C. clarify      D. identify
21. A. remain       B. prevent      C. continue     D. leave
22. A. figure out    B. hold out      C. stand out    D. try out
23. A. endangered   B. convenient    C. mysterious   D. enormous
24. A. refused      B. decided      C. adapted      D. proposed
25. A. seeds        B. stalks        C. rocks        D. weeds
26. A. unusual      B. common       C. fantastic    D. unnatural
27. A. Casually     B. Basically      C. Actually     D. Strangely
28. A. enlarge      B. expand       C. reach        D. spread
29. A. chance       B. choice       C. power        D. ability
30. A. What if      B. As far as      C. Only if      D. As long as
31. A. inspire      B. attain         C. lose         D. refuse
32. A. ourselves    B. yourselves     C. themselves   D. myself
33. A. preserve     B. comfort        C. achieve      D. suggest
34. A. ashamed      B. pride         C. proud        D. ambitious
35. A. ensure       B. support       C. satisfy      D. protect             

第二节　完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从36-55题所给的四个选项（A，B，C和D）中，选出最佳选项。

My son Joey was born with club feet（天生特厚的畸形脚）. The doctors assured us that with treatment he would be able to walk  36 , but would never run very well. The first three years of his life were 37 in surgery（手术）. By the time he was eight, you wouldn’t know he had a 38 when you saw him walk.

The children in our neighborhood ran around as most children do during  39  , and Joey would jump right in，run and play, too. We   40  told him that he probably wouldn’t be able to  41  as well as the other children. So he didn’t know.

In seventh grade he  42  to go out for the cross country team. Every day he 43 with the team. He worked harder and ran 44  than any of the others — perhaps he sensed that the 45  that seemed to come naturally to so many others did not come naturally to him. 46  the entire team runs, only the top seven runners have the potential （潜能） to 47  points for the school. We didn’t tell him he probably would never make the team, so he didn’t know.

He 48  to run four to five miles a day, every day — even the day he had a 103 degree fever. I was 49 , so I went to look for him after school. I found him 50 all alone. I asked him how he felt. "Okay," he said. He had two more51 to go. The sweat ran down his face and his eyes were glassy from his fever. 52 he looked straight ahead and kept running.

Two weeks later, the names of the team runners were 53 . Joey was number six on the list. Joey had made the team. He was in  54  grade — the other six team members were all eighth?graders. We never told him he shouldn’t 55 to make the team. We never told him he couldn’t do it...so he didn’t know. He just did it.

36. A. quickly       B. slowly     C. normally    D. comfortably

37. A. spent         B. wasted     C. suffered   D. lost

38. A. pain          B. problem        C. treatment         D. surgery

39. A. holidays         B. day           C. fun           D. play

40. A. seldom       B. never          C. always            D. once

41. A. study         B. run     C. walk        D. behave

42. A. decided       B. preferred       C. refused    D. agreed

43. A. gathered       B. camped      C. trained        D. competed

44. A. more slowly B. less      C. faster           D. more

45. A. ability       B. strength     C. power    D. energy

46. A. Since         B. Because    C. After    D. Although

47. A. increase        B. score            C. hold           D. take

48. A. continued      B. stopped     C. liked       D. hoped

49. A. sad             B. surprised       C. angry        D. worried

50. A. running            B. resting       C. crying        D. sleeping

51. A. tests         B. miles    C. lessons        D. examinations

52. A. Otherwise     B. So         C. Yet               D. Thus

53. A. included       B. called           C. shown      D. found

54. A. sixth       B. eighth     C. seventh          D. fifth

55. A. manage      B. determine         C. expect       D. attempt