I told my friend Graham that I often cycle two miles from my house to the town centre but unfortunately there is a big hill on the route. He replied, “You mean fortunately.” He explained that I should be glad of the extra exercise that the hill provided.

My attitude to the hill has now changed. I used to grumble as I approached it but now I tell myself the following. This hill will exercise my heart and lungs. It will help me to lose weight and get fit. It will mean that I live longer. This hill is my friend. Finally I comfort myself with the thought of all those silly people who pay money to go to a gym and sit on stationery exercise bicycles when I can get the same value for free. I have a smile of satisfaction as I reach the top of the hill.

Problems are there to be faced and overcome. We cannot achieve anything with an easy life. Helen Keller was the first deaf and blind person to gain a university degree. Her activism and writing proved inspirational. She wrote, “Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experiences of trial and suffering can vision be cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved.”

One of the key factors of success in life is our attitude towards adversity (逆境). From time to time we all face hardships, problems, accidents, afflictions and difficulties. Some are of our making but many confront us through no fault of our own. While we cannot choose the adversity we can choose our attitude towards it.

Douglas Bader was 21 when in 1931 he had both legs cut off following a flying accident. He was determined to fly again and went on to become one of the leading flying aces in the Battle of Britain with 22 aerial victories over the Germans. He was an inspiration to others during the war. He said, “Don’t listen to anyone who tells you that you can’t do this or that. That’s nonsense. Make up your mind, and you’ll never use crutches (拐杖) or a stick, and then have a go at evening. Go to school, and join in all the games you can. Go anywhere you want to. But never, never let them persuade you that things are too difficult or impossible.”

The biographies of great people are full of examples of how they took steps to overcome the difficulties they faced. The common thread is that they did not become depressed. They chose their attitude. They chose to be positive. They took on the challenge. They won.

Nevertheless, there is still the problem of how you change your attitude towards adversity.

1.The underlined word “grumble” in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to ________.

A．tremble           B．complain          C．speed up          D．slow down

2.Which of the following is true according to the author of the passage?

A．Climbing hills on bicycles is the best way to take exercise.

B．People are wise to pay to go to the gym.

C．Those who want to achieve success can’t expect to live an easy life.

D．People’s attitude towards adversity is the only factor that determines whether they will succeed.

3.By quoting what Douglas Bader said, the author intends to tell us “________”.

A．Failure is the mother of success.

B．A fall into the pit, a gain in your wit.

C．If you venture nothing, you will have nothing.

D．Nothing is difficult to the man who will try.

4.Following this passage, the author will further talk about ________.

A．how his friend helped him to change his attitude towards the adversity he faced

B．what steps to take to change your attitude towards the adversity you face

C．what great people have in common

D．why it is important to keep optimistic in face of adversity

5.Which of the following can best function as the title of the passage?

A．Face adversity with a smile

B．Different attitudes towards adversity

C．Nothing is impossible

D．Life is full of adversity

Dear Xiaohua:
I’m very glad to receive your letter. From your letter, I know you have shown 【小题1】  great interest in inventing new things. That’s great. As for how to be an inventor, there is no quick answer to   【小题2】  .
Coming from different cultures and having different backgrounds, inventors do not seem to have much   【小题3】  common. But creative thinking,   【小题4】  is greatly valued, is perhaps the basic skill an inventor should have. In order to explore new possibilities, you will have to learn to break   【小题5】 from old thought patterns. When you get stuck, try to look at the problem in   【小题6】 many ways as possible. Each new   【小题7】may improve your understanding.
More importantly, always keep it in your mind  【小题8】  success is no accident. It is the result of a long process of trial and error. Above all, the main task for you is to study hard and try to learn more knowledge. This, of course, will lay a solid foundation.
Hope your future invention will make a difference.
Good luck.                                       
Yours,
Wang Li

I was fat kid who grew into an overweight adult. I was      laughed at for being heavier than the other kids,      me feeling shy. I tried several diets, but      worked, and I     gaining weight. Another factor        my weight gain was my love for cooking, especially rich, high-fat desserts, which I enjoyed preparing and, of course, eating. 　 
　When I finished high school at the age of 18, I weighed 215 pounds.       the self-confidence to go to a new, faraway school, I decided to stay close to home      going away to college. I continued with my unhealthful eating habits and felt more miserable as the weight came on, but I did nothing about it except buy larger plus-size clothes. 　 
My turning point came 10 years later at a friend's New Year's Eve party when I was at my all-time highest weight of 330 pounds. I caught my       in a mirror and the truth      me: I was overweight and unhealthy, and unless I did something about it now, I would only get bigger and       . 　 
After leaving the party, I thought about my past weight-loss     and realized they didn't work because they required me to abandon foods I loved. Then I would constantly think about food and binge,       the diet      my hunger and not feel deprived. 　 
　My biggest       was finding a way to fit my passion for cooking into my healthier lifestyle. At first, I tried to stay away from the kitchen to         myself thinking about food. The result: Food was all I thought about.       had to be some way to combine cooking with healthful eating. I found the     after reading several low-fat cookbooks. With some trial and error, I could modify my favorite foods and make them low in fat, yet delicious.　 
　The pounds started coming off, and when I started exercising (usually cardio and weight training five times a week), they seemed to melt away. I didn't feel deprived, and I felt free to give my body the care and attention it     .　 
I lost 165 pounds over the next two years. I had many ups and downs. I was determined to go on. Another challenge to me was not to beat myself up if I ate something that was unhealthy and to take it as a sign to abandon my healthful habits.      I vowed to start again and always keep my goal in mind.　 Thanks to losing weight and becoming fit I am         my body and myself. I have finally found myself. 　 

1.A．hardly???? B．frequently???? C．immediately???? D．instantly

2.A．left???? B．to leave???? C．leaving???? D．having left

3.A．nothing?? B．no one?? C．none?? D．anything

4.A．ended up??? B．ended over??? C．ended up with?? D．was ended up

5.A．contributing to? B．resulted in? C．resulting from? D．led to

6.A．lacking of B．lack of C．lacking D．lacked in

7.A．or rather? B．instead of C．together with D．as well as

8.A．reflection B．infection C．imagination D．attention

9.A．laughed B．hit C．knocked D．beat

10.A．unfamiliar B．unhappier C．unfriendly D．unfit

11.A．efforts B．affords C．effects D．infects

12.A．giving out? B．giving in ? C．giving up ? D．giving away

13.A．satisfy ? B．decrease ? C．increase ? D．fill

14.A．challenge ? B．success ? C．energy ? D．work

15.A．keep ? B．have ? C．prevent ? D．make

16.A．It ? B．They C．There ? D．I

17.A．solution ? B．secret ? C．answer ? D．road

18.A．deserved ? B．focused ? C．caught? D．paid

19.A．Instead ? B．However ? C．Therefore ?? D．So

20.A．keep up with? B．in line with? C．put up with? D．catch up with

People do not analyze every problem they meet. Sometimes they try to remember a solution from the last time they had a 36 problem. They often accept the opinions or ideas of other people. Other times they begin to act without 37 ; they try to find a solution by trial and error(反复试验). 　38 , when all of these methods 39 , the person with a problem has to start analyzing. There are six 40 in analyzing a problem.

41 ，the person must recognize that there is a problem. For example, Sam’s bicycle is broken, and he cannot ride it to class as he usually does. Sam must 42 that there is a problem with the bicycle.

Next, the person must find out the problem. Before Sam can repair his bicycle, he must know why it does not work. For example, he must 43 the parts that are wrong.

Now the person must look for 44 that will make the problem clearer and lead to 45 solutions. For example, suppose Sam decides that his bicycle does not work because there is something wrong with the brakes. 　46 , he can look into his bicycle repair book and read about brakes, talk to his friends at the bike shop, or look at his brakes carefully.

After 47 the problem, the person should have 48 suggestions for a possible solution. Take Sam as an example 49 , his suggestions might be: tighten or loosen the brakes; buy new brakes and change the old ones.

In the end, one 50 seems to be the solution to the problem. Sometimes the

51 idea comes quite 52 because the thinker suddenly sees something new or sees something in a different way. Sam, for example, suddenly sees there is a piece of chewing gum (口香糖) stuck to a brake. He 53 hits on the solution to his problem: he must 54 the brake.

Finally the solution is 55 . Sam does it and finds his bicycle works perfectly. In short he has solved the problem.

36. A. serious 　　　　　　 B. usual　　　　　　　　 C. similar　　　　　　　　　　 D. common

37. A. searching　　　　　 B. thinking　　　　　　 C. finding　　　　　　　　　　 D. looking

38. A. Besides　　　　　　　B. Instead　　　　　　　C. Otherwise　　　　　　　 D. However

39. A. fail　　　　　　　　　　 B. work　　　　　　　　 C. change　　　　　　　　　　D. develop

40. A. ways　　　　　　　　　B. conditions　　　　 C. stages　　　　　　　　　　　D. orders

41. A. First　　　　　　　　　 B. Usually　　　　　　 C. In general　　　　　　　　 D. Most importantly

42. A. explain　　　　　　　 B. prove　　　　　　　 C. show　　　　　　　　　　　　D. see

43. A. check　　　　　　　　 B. determine　　　　 C. correct　　　　　　　　　　 D. recover

44. A. answers　　　　　　　B. skills　　　　　　　　 C. explanation　　　　　　 D. information

45. A. possible　　　　　　　 B. exact　　　　　　　　 C. real　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. special

46. A. In other words　　 B. Once in a while C. First of all　　　　　　　D. At this time

47. A. discussing　　　　　　 B. settling down　　　C. comparing with　　　D. studying

48. A. extra　　　　　　　　　　 B. enough　　　　　　　 C. several　　　　　　　　　D. countless

49. A. secondly　　　　　　 B. again　　　　　　　　　 C. also　　　　　　　　　　　D. alone

50. A. suggestion　　　　　　 B. conclusion　　　　　 C. decision　　　　　　　　D. discovery

51. A. next　　　　　　　　　　　B. clear　　　　　　　　　 C. final　　　　　　　　　　　D. new

52. A. unexpectedly　　　　 B. late　　　　　　　　　　 C. clearly　　　　　　　　　D. often

53. A. fortunately　　　　　　 B. easily　　　　　　　　　 C. clearly　　　　　　　　 D. immediately

54. A. clean　　　　　　　　　 B. separate　　　　　　　　C. loosen　　　　　　　　 D. remove

55. A. recorded　　　　　　　B. completed　　　　　　 C. tested　　　　　　　　　 D. accepted

People do not analyze every problem they meet．Sometimes they try to remember a solution from the last time they had a   36  problem．They often accept the opinions or ideas of other people．Other times they begin to act without thinking; they try to find a solution by trial and error．  37  , when all of these methods fail, the person with a problem has to start analyzing．There are six   38  in analyzing a problem．

First the person must recognize that there is a problem．For example, Sam's bicycle is broken, and he cannot ride it to class as he usually does．Sam must   39  that there is a problem with his bicycle．

Next the person must   40  the problem．Before Sam can repair his bicycle, he must know why it does not work．For example, he must   41  the parts that are wrong．

Now the person must look for   42  that will make the problem clearer and lead to 43  solutions．For example, suppose Sam decides that his bike does not work because there is something wrong with the brakes．  44  , he can look in his bicycle repair book and read about brakes,   45  his friends at the bike shop, or look at his brakes carefully．

After   46   the problem, the person should have   47  suggestions for a possible solution．Take Sam as an example   48  , his suggestions might be: tighten or loosen the brakes; buy new brakes and change the old ones．

In the end, one   49   seems to be the solution to the problem．Sometimes the   50 idea comes quite   51  because the thinker suddenly sees something new or sees something in a   52  way．Sam, for example, suddenly sees there is a piece of chewing gum（口香糖）stuck to a brake．He   53  hits on the solution to his problem: he must   54  the brake．

Finally the solution is   55  ．Sam does it and finds his bicycle works perfectly．In short, he has solved the problem．

1.                A．usual          B．serious         C．similar    D．common

2.                A．Instead         B．Besides         C．Otherwise D．However

3.                A．conditions      B．ways           C．stages    D．orders

4.                A．prove          B．explain         C．show D．see

5.                A．find           B．judge          C．describe  D．face

6.                A．determine      B．check          C．correct   D．recover

7.                A．skills           B．answers        C．explanation    D．information

8.                A．exact          B．possible        C．real  D．special

9.                A．Once in a while   B．In other words   C．First of all D．At this time

10.               A．talk to          B．look for        C．agree with D．depend on

11.               A．settling down    B．discussing       C．comparing with D．studying

12.               A．enough        B．extra          C．several    D．countless

13.               A．again          B．secondly        C．also  D．alone

14.               A．conclusion      B．suggestion      C．decision   D．discovery

15.               A．clear          B．next           C．final  D．new

16.               A．late           B．unexpectedly    C．clearly    D．often

17.               A．different       B．simple         C．quick D．sudden

18.               A．easily          B．fortunately      C．clearly    D．immediately

19.               A．separate        B．clean          C．loosen    D．remove

20.               A．completed      B．recorded       C．tested D．accepted