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

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从36—55各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

Monty Roberts, owner of a horse ranch (牧场) in San Ysidro, once told us a story. “When a young man was a senior, he was asked to write a paper about what he wanted to   36   and do when he grew up. In his seven-page paper he described his   37   of someday owning a horse ranch. He drew a   38   floor plan for a 4,000-square-foot house that would   39   on a 200-acre dream ranch. Two days later he received his   40   back. On the front page was a   41   red F. The teacher said, ‘This is an   42   dream for a young boy like you. You have no money. Owning a horse ranch requires a lot of money.’ Then the teacher   43  , ‘If you will rewrite this paper with a more realistic goal, I will reconsider your   44   .’ The boy asked his father what he should do. His father said, ‘Look, son, you have to make up your own   45   on this. However, I think it is a very

  46   decision for you.’   47  , after a week, the boy   48   the same paper, making no   49   at all. He stated, ‘You can keep the F and I’ll keep my   50  .’ Monty then turned to us and said, “I tell you this story   51   you are sitting in my 4,000-square-foot house in the middle of my 200-acre horse ranch. I still have that school paper framed (装框) over the fireplace.” He added, “The best part of the   52   is that two summers ago that same schoolteacher brought 30 kids to camp out on my ranch for a week. When the teacher was leaving, he said, ‘Look, Monty, I can tell you this now. When I was your teacher, I was   53   of a dream stealer. During those years I stole a lot of kids’ dreams.   54   you had enough determination not to give up on yours.”

Don’t let anyone   55   your dreams. Follow your heart, no matter what.

A. be      B. find    C. learn   D. see

A. reason B. goal    C. purpose      D. way

A. rough B. new    C. secret  D. detailed

A. live    B. locate  C. sit       D. run

A. mark  B. paper  C. plan    D. idea

A. large   B. tiny    C. beautiful    D. long

A. old     B. imaginative       C. impractical D. interesting

A. shouted      B. smiled C. replied       D. added

A. grade  B. need   C. honesty      D. ability

A. time   B. energy       C. mind   D. money

A. urgent B. quick  C. important   D. good

A. Actually     B. Finally       C. Gradually   D. Usually

A. turned down      B. turned around    C. turned to    D. turned in

A. comments  B. changes      C. judgment    D. answer

A. dream B. courage      C. interest       D. spirit

A. though       B. because      C. until   D. if

A. incident     B. event  C. story   D. lesson

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

A. Fortunately       B. Strangely   C. Curiously   D. Probably

A. forget B. steal    C. know  D. realize