My chance came at last. Our school was going to hold a sports meet. I knew what it   41   to me so I got up very early to prepare for it. I  42   running and jumping. When I was   43 , I reminded myself of my promise and went on.

  44   the time came nearer, I felt quite   45  . On the first day I came fourth in the 1500m   46   but I was far from   47   because what I wanted most was the highlight of the sports meeting—250x8 relay race. I would run the last leg for my team.

With a shot, the race began. All the students were   48   for their team. The competition was so   49   that I began to feel nervous. Before my turn came, my team was   50   the others. Even worse, I almost dropped the stick when I was trying to   51   it.

  52  after that, there was nothing in my mind except to run as fast as possible. Just when I was approaching the finish line, my legs   53  . Then my promise came to mind again and   54   me to go on. To my surprise, I was the first to   55  the finish line!

  56  , I had proved to myself and those who had often laughed at me that I am not   57   at all! My classmates greeted me warmly and I hugged them tightly. I had won the prize as well as their   58  .

From the sports meeting, I learnt that sometimes things are not so difficult as they   59   to be. Just try your best without fear and you might be surprised at the   60  .

A. mattered                B. held                  C. meant               D. brought

A. exercised               B. practiced           C. chose                D. tried

A. tired                   B. upset                 C. lazy                  D. happy

A. For                    B. By                    C. With               D. As

A. confident               B. worried             C. proud                D. nervous

A. run                    B. jump                 C. race                  D. match

A. happy                    B. sad                   C. excited              D. pleased

A. heading                 B. racing               C. cheering            D. shouting

A. difficult                 B. close                 C. heated               D. near

A. running before           B. leading           C. falling behind    D. catching up with

A. fetch                         B. hold                  C. pass                  D. take

A. Then                     B. But                   C. Thus                 D. Even

A. gave in                  B. gave out            C. gave up             D. gave away

A. had                    B. made                C. let                    D. got

A. draw                         B. cut                    C. cross                 D. catch

A. At last                   B. After all            C. Above all          D. As a result

A. bad                    B. weak                 C. slow                 D. strong

A. congratulations       B. respect                     C. support             D. pride

A. seem                     B. hope                 C. look                  D. expect

A. beginning                 B. place                 C. result                D. time

Every American family has its own traditions on Thanksgiving Day, and mine is no difference. Once the national holiday arrives, my mom rises early to make the meal. She puts a turkey in the oven, chops carrots and bakes pies. I’m sorry to say that the men in the family – my dad, my younger brother and myself – rarely pitch in to help. Our job is to wash the mountain of dirty dishes after the meal is over.

Around 2 pm every Thanksgiving Day, family members seat themselves around the kitchen table. Plates of turkey, vegetables, salad, rolls and pies cover it. At this point, we can hardly keep ourselves from drooling (流口水) all over our fancy clothes, but it’s not yet time to eat.

First, we must bow our heads, close our eyes and say a prayer of thanks aloud to God for giving us everything we have. Under normal circumstances, I would have no problem making a list of things I am thankful for. I grew up in a loving family. My parents, who aren’t wealthy, took out loans to help me pay for university.

But, the funny thing is, every time I sit down for Thanksgiving dinner and try to say a prayer of thanks, my mind usually goes blank. I think it has something to do with my growling (咕咕叫) stomach and all of that food sitting right there under my nose.

Eventually, though, we all finish our short prayers and dig in. To be sure, the day includes other highlights – visiting with family and watching football. But usually around 6 pm we are all ourselves stuffed like turkeys and thankful to have a nice warm bed to sleep in.

1.The purpose of the text is to ________.

A．tell what the family do for Thanksgiving Day

B．tell how the family spends Thanksgiving Day

C．introduce foods served on Thanksgiving Day

D．introduce the American Thanksgiving Day

2.On Thanksgiving Day the author’s family do the following except ________.

A．watching a movie                       B．making visits

C．having a big meal                        D．watching football

3.Why does the author’s mind usually “go blank” when saying a prayer of thanks?

A．He is too thankful to say a word.            B．His mind is on the food before him.

C．He feels too excited to speak.              D．He is shy to speak in public.

4.The underlined phrase “dig in” in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to “________”.

A．chat with others                        B．make a hole

C．mix things up                           D．start eating

My chance came at last. Our school was going to hold a sports meet. I knew what it   21   to me so I got up very early to prepare for it. I  22   running and jumping. When I was   23 , I reminded myself of my promise and went on.

  24   the time came nearer, I felt quite   25  . On the first day I came fourth in the 1500m   26   but I was far from   27   because what I wanted most was the highlight of the sports meeting—250x8 relay race. I would run the last leg for my team.

With a shot, the race began. All the students were   28   for their team. The competition was so   29   that I began to feel nervous. Before my turn came, my team was   30   the others. Even worse, I almost dropped the stick when I was trying to   31   it.

  32  after that, there was nothing in my mind except to run as fast as possible. Just when I was approaching the finish line, my legs   33  . Then my promise came to mind again and   34   me to go on. To my surprise, I was the first to   35  the finish line!

  36  , I had proved to myself and those who had often laughed at me that I am not   37   at all! My classmates greeted me warmly and I hugged them tightly. I had won the prize as well as their   38  .

From the sports meeting, I learnt that sometimes things are not so difficult as they   39   to be. Just try your best without fear and you might be surprised at the   40  .

1. A. mattered          B. held             C. meant                D. brought

2.A. exercised          B. practiced            C. chose                D. tried

3.A. tired              B. upset                C. lazy             D. happy

4.A. For                B. By               C. With             D. As

5.A. confident          B. worried          C. proud                D. nervous

6.A. run                B. jump             C. race             D. match

7. A. happy             B. sad              C. excited          D. pleased

8.A. heading                B. racing               C. cheering         D. shouting

9.A. difficult              B. close                C. heated               D. near

10.A. running before        B. leading         C. falling behind    D.catching up with

11.A. fetch             B. hold             C. pass             D. take

12.A. Then              B. But              C. Thus             D. Even

13.A. gave in               B. gave out         C. gave up          D. gave away

14.A. had               B. made             C. let              D. got

15.A. draw              B. cut              C. cross                D. catch

16.A. At last               B. After all            C. Above all            D. As a result

17.A. bad               B. weak             C. slow             D. strong

18.A. congratulations       B. respect              C. support          D. pride

19.A. seem              B. hope             C. look             D. expect

20. A. beginning            B. place                C. result               D. time

John Smith was a writer, who wrote detective stories for magazines, though he never dealt with criminals（罪犯）. One evening he could not finish an end for a story. He sat in his study（书房）, but he had no ideas. So he decided to go to the cinema.

When he came back, he found that he had had a visitor. Someone had broken into his house. The visitor had had a drink, smoked several of his cigarettes and had read his story. The visitor left him a note.

“I have read your story and I don’t think it is very good. Please read my suggestions and you can finish it. By the way, I am a thief. I’m not going to steal anything tonight. But if you become a successful writer, I will return.”

John read the thief’s suggestions. Then he sat down and wrote the rest of the story. He is still not a successful writer, and he is waiting for his “visitor” to return. Before he goes out in the evening, he always leaves a half-finished story in his study.

56. Detective stories are stories about      .

  A. science        B. children      C. the future      D. the police

57. John went to the cinema because                    .

  A. he was too tired

  B. he wanted to look for a thief

  C. he could not finish his story and hoped to get some ideas

  D. he wanted to enjoy himself in the cinema

58. The visitor came to John’s house in order to              .

  A. steal something  B. read the story  C. have a drink  D. visit the writer

59 The visitor                   .

  A. stayed in John’s house for a night    B. took some of John’s things away

  C. left John some advice              D. was a good friend of John’s

60. John would like to                    .

  A. have a talk with his visitor

B. get more ideas from the visitor

  C. make friends with the visitor

 D. catch the visitor and take him to the police

DCAC

On August 5 at 10:31 p.m. PST, a rover（探测器）named Curiosity touched down safely on the surface of Mars, and I was lucky enough to have a front-row seat.

My name is Clara, and when I was in Grade 6, I won the essay contest NASA held to name its next Mars rover. The essay I wrote was not even 250 words long, but somehow it was enough to change my life.

I still remember that cold December day, sitting in a science class. I’d finished a worksheet early and decided to get a Time for Kids magazine off Mrs. Estevez’s bookshelf. It was the 2008 Invention Issue, but that wasn’t the only thing that caught my eye. In the magazine, there was an article about a girl who named the Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity. The article also talked about the essay contest NASA was holding to name its next Mars rover. Before I even knew anything else about it, a single word flooded my 11-year-old mind: Curiosity.

I couldn’t wait for the bell to ring so I could get started on my essay. That afternoon, I raced home from the bus stop, sat down at the computer and typed until my fingers ached. It turned out that I was just in time. A few days later, and the contest would have closed.

Five months later, shortly after I had turned 12, I was watching a National Geographic special on mammoths when the phone rang. My mom answered, and immediately, a wide smile spread across her face. When she told me that I had won, I was happier than I could ever remember being, I screamed and ran up and down the stairs and all around the house. I completely forgot about the mammoths and did not even remember to turn off the TV until it was really late.

Curiosity is such an important part of who I am. I have always been fascinated by the stars, the planets, the sky and the universe. I remember as a little girl, my grandfather and I would sit together in the backyard for hours. He’d tell me stories and point out the stars.

My grandfather lived in China, thousands of miles away from my home in Kansas. I loved the stars because they kept us together even when we were apart. They were always there, yet there was so much I didn’t know about them. That’s what I love so much about space. No matter how much we learn, it will always possess some mystery.

In the past, space exploration may have been a competition to see who got somewhere first or the fastest. But now, it is one of the few things that bring people together. Science is a language that needs no translation. It doesn’t matter where you’re from or what you look like – you just have to have a thirst for knowledge and a passion for learning in order to succeed.

People often ask me why we go to faraway places like Mars. Why do we explore? My answer to that is simple: because we can; because we’re curious; because we as human beings do not just stay holed up in one place. We are constantly wondering and trying to find out what’s over the hill and beyond the horizon.

The curiosity rover is more than just a robot. It is more than just a titanium body and aluminum wheels. Curiosity represents the hard work, passion, love and commitment of thousands of people from all over the world who were brought together by science. Science is so awesome. It is breathtaking and mind-blowing; and sometimes, it’s just a little bit crazy. The discoveries we make about our world are incredibly humbling. They move us forward and have the potential to benefit all of mankind.

This December it will be four years of my life that have been tied to Curiosity in some way. I’ve met so many amazing people through this experience, from scientists to engineers to administrators to volunteers. Their devotion and enthusiasm inspire me greatly. My journey with Curiosity and the MSL mission team has shaped the person that I am today, as well as the person I would one day like to become.

I am deeply grateful to everyone who made it possible for me to have this amazing adventure.

And to you, I hope your curiosity takes you far.

1. The method the writer uses to begin the passage is _____.

A．telling a story                          B．giving an example

C．offering an explanation                   D．describing a scene

2.Why did the writer hurry home to finish the essay for the contest NASA held?

A．She had just gathered enough information from Time for Kids

B．She wanted to write down what flashed through her mind in time.

C．She knew from Mrs. Estevez the deadline for the contest was approaching.

D．She was afraid she might miss the chance to compete with the former winner.

3. The writer mentions her grandfather in order to show that ______.

A．she missed him very much.

B．he knew a great deal about space

C．he influenced her to love the stars

D．she treasured their happy moments

4.Which of the following serves as a summary of Paragraph 11?

A．The writer was inspired to be a volunteer by the people she met.

B．The writer owed her success to her team members’ encouragement.

C．The writer met many difficulties in her four-year life with Curiosity.

D．The writer has benefited a lot from her experience tied to Curiosity.

5.Which best describes the writer’s tone in the passage?

A．Sharp.            B．Proud.            C．Aggressive.        D．Enthusiastic.

6.What is conveyed in the passage?

A．Curiosity is important to human beings.

B．A thirst for knowledge helps one grow up.

C．Entering a contest is a way to achieve success.

D．Curiosity changes people’s attitude towards science.