If you don’t agree to our plan, ________.

A. so do they             B. they don’t either     C. neither will they     D. neither they do

In a spelling contest (竞赛), an 11-year-old girl was asked to spell a certain word. But with her     voice the judges were not sure if she spelled the word with the letter A or E. They talked it over and finally decided to     ask her what she had said. By then, the girl knew she had     the word, but instead of lying, she told the truth that she had said the     letter—so she lost the contest.

As the girl walked off the    , the entire audience stood to their feet, clapping to praise her    . Later, dozens of newspaper reporters wrote about this girl’s honesty.     she lost the contest, she     the biggest contest that day: the contest of her     .

Probably the biggest test of our character is what we should do if we knew we would never get    . This young girl could easily have     and nobody would have known it    herself. However, that’s just it: she would know she did wrong. It’s been said, “If you cheat, you make yourself    .” This young girl was strong and smart enough to value her own character more than the     from a spelling contest. Her     for herself was more important than any respect others might give her for winning a contest. She knew she would have to     with herself and the     she made at that moment would have a long-lasting influence.

It’s so true that the choices you make today make     you are tomorrow. Our children will follow our behavior. So if we want them to     to be honest, we must be honest ourselves. Remember, our kids are     what we do even when we don’t know.

1.A. loud             B. sweet              C. deep           D. soft

2.A. rarely            B. simply             C. occasionally           D. totally

3.A. forgotten   B. mispronounced C. misunderstood       D. misspelled 

4.A. correct     B. wrong             C. different      D. same

5.A. hall                B. building            C. stage         D. classroom

6.A. bravery          B. courage           C. honesty           D. cleverness

7.A. Though           B. Unless             C.If                    D. Since

8.A. defeated       B. broke              C. won           D. achieved 

9.A. character      B. knowledge          C. life                   D. ability

10.A. paid            B. caught           C. welcome        D. injured

11.A. asked           B. lied         C. explained              D. replied

12.A. except for        B. but             C. besides       D. as well as

13.A. cheap         B. expensive            C. priceless              D. brave

14.A. prize          B. gift          C. skill            D. review

15.A. sense          B. pride          C. respect             D. love

16.A. live        B. work           C. study          D. agree

17.A. plan       B. conclusion             C. discovery       D. choice

18.A. which           B. that                 C. what           D. how

19.A. grow up          B. bring up      C. pick up               D. come up

20.A. recording         B. watching        C. correcting     D. accepting

In a spelling contest (竞赛), an 11-year-old girl was asked to spell a certain word. But with her  16  voice the judges were not sure if she spelled the word with the letter A or E. They talked it over and finally decided to  17  ask her what she had said. By then, the girl knew she had  18  the word, but instead of lying, she told the truth that she had said the  19  letter—so she lost the contest.

As the girl walked off the  20 , the entire audience stood to their feet, clapping to praise her  21 . Later, dozens of newspaper reporters wrote about this girl’s honesty.  22  she lost the contest, she  23  the biggest contest that day: the contest of her  24  .

Probably the biggest test of our character is what we should do if we knew we would never get  25 . This young girl could easily have  26  and nobody would have known it  27 herself. However, that’s just it: she would know she did wrong. It’s been said, “If you cheat, you make yourself  28 .” This young girl was strong and smart enough to value her own character more than the  29  from a spelling contest. Her  30  for herself was more important than any respect others might give her for winning a contest. She knew she would have to  31  with herself and the  32  she made at that moment would have a long-lasting influence.

It’s so true that the choices you make today make  33  you are tomorrow. Our children will follow our behavior. So if we want them to  34  to be honest, we must be honest ourselves. Remember, our kids are  35  what we do even when we don’t know.

Hi, everybody. Over the past couple months, most of the political headlines you’ve read have probably been about the government shutdown and the launch of the Affordable Care Act(平价医疗法案). And I know that many of you have rightly never been more frustrated with Washington.

But if you look beyond those headlines, there are some good things happening in our economy. And that’s been my top priority（优先考虑）since the day I walked into the Oval Office.

After decades in which the middle class was working harder and harder just to keep up, and a punishing recession（衰退）that made it worse, we made the tough choices required not just to recover from crisis, but to rebuild on a new foundation for stronger, more durable economic growth.

Five years later, we have fought our way back. Our businesses have created 7.8 million new jobs in the past 44 months. Another 200,000 Americans went back to work last month.

The American auto industry has come back with more than 350,000 new jobs –-- jobs putting out and selling the high-tech, fuel-efficient cars the world wants to buy. And they’re leading the charge in a business that has added jobs for the first time since the 1990s –-- a big reason why our businesses sell more goods and services “Made in America” than ever before.

We decided to stop our addiction to foreign oil. And today, we produce more renewable energy than ever, more natural gas than anybody, and for the first time in nearly 20 years, America now produces more oil than we buy from other countries.

We decided to fix a broken health care system. And even though the task has been rough, so far, about 500,000 Americans gain health coverage starting January 1st. And by the way, health care costs are growing at the slowest rate in 50 years.

And one more thing: since I took office, we’ve cut our deficits (赤字) by more than half. And that makes it easier to invest in the things that create jobs –-- education, research, and so on.

Imagine how much farther along we could be if both parties were working together. Think about what we could do if the few didn’t hold the economy hostage (人质) every few months, or waste time on dozens of votes to repeal the Affordable Care Act rather than try to help us fix it.

In the weeks ahead, I’ll keep talking about my plan to build a better bargain for the middle class. Good jobs. A good education. A chance to buy a home, save, and retire. And yes, the financial security of affordable health care. And I’ll look for any willing partners who want to help.

Because of your hard work and tough sacrifices over the past five years, we’re pointed in the right direction. But we’ve got more work to do to keep moving that way. And as long as I’m President, I’ll keep doing everything I can to create jobs, grow the economy, and make sure that everyone who works hard has a chance to get ahead. Thanks, and have a great weekend.

57. Which of the following is not the reason for people’s frustration with the government?

A. The government shutdown   B. Unemployment rate

C. The addiction to foreign oil   D. Cancelling the Affordable Care Act

58. Why does the president mention more goods and services “Made in America”?

A. To show that American goods and services are very popular.

B. To indicate that American people should be dependent on themselves.

C. To show that the employment rate has been increased.

D. To show that American auto industry enjoys high technology.

59. What’s the meaning of the underlined word “repeal”?

A. put an end to      B. try hard to fix    C. make stronger   D. get accustomed to

60. According to the speech, which of the following can be implied?

A. American people have every reason to feel frustrated with the government.

B. Health care costs are growing at the slowest rate in 50 years.

C. The president feels sorry that the economy is not moving in the right direction.

D. Some government officials don’t agree with the president on the medical care system.

A. Be brave in your requests

B. You get what you tolerate

C. Don’t feel guilty of your requests

D. Don’t think others are mind readers

E. Don’t make a “no” mean more than it does

F. Be specific about what you want and when you want it

Be Bold: Ask for What You Really Want!

Have you ever been in a situation that is causing you to feel annoyed, frustrated, or unappreciated? We all experience them, but often we don’t have the courage to change them or ask for what we really want. Complaining about your problems never solves them. Only when you get clear about what you want, and are willing to ask for it, will you experience not only a lot less stress in your life, but greater success in your relationship, career and life. Here are five tips to help you on your way.

1.________________

We often think our bosses, colleagues and even our friends can understand our thought even without being told. So when they don’t act as we’d like, we feel hurt and upset. For any relationship to develop, both parties have to communicate their needs. Whether it’s how you’d like your colleague to communicate with you about a work project, or how you’d like your boss to assess your work, it’s necessary to convey what you want.

2.________________

When asking for what you really want, you will seldom, if ever, be given more than what you have the courage to ask for. So don’t weaken your requests to avoid being turned down. Think about what your ideal outcome would be and then confidently, courageously, ask for it. While you may not always get as much as you asked for, you will get more than you would have otherwise.

3.________________

In the workplace, the biggest reason for unmet expectations is a lack of understanding of exactly what is expected. A request that holds water needs to make clear not just what you want, but also the time limit within which you want it. That is, both a clear “what” and “when”. For example, “Could you please get the monthly sales report to me by midday Friday?

4.________________

Whether it’s asking your friend to show up on time, or asking your colleague to stop making jokes in your presence, every day, through what you say and do, you teach others how to treat you. Letting others know what you will （and will not）put up with and what you expect from them, is important to your wellbeing and success—at home and work.

5.________________

In reality you won’t always get what you ask for. Your boss won’t always give you the pay raise you’d like and your parents may not agree to mind your three kids every second weekend. When people say no, you can take it really personally and decide never to speak to them again—or you can accept it graciously and move on. At least now you know where you stand and can plan accordingly.

Asking for less than you really want—from yourself, from others and from life—doesn’t serve anyone. Remember that fortune favors the bold. So make bigger, better, bolder requests, and ask for what you really want. Who knows…you might just get it!