It’s never too late to right your wrongs, big or small.
Working as hard as I had been over the years, I had become disconnected from（失去联系的）the people who mattered most to me. I decided to spend a year reconnecting with my friends and relatives and making amends(补偿). I devoted myself to caring for what I called “my unfinished business”, which has helped me become a more attentive husband, father, son and friend —and a happier, more energetic person.
Now that I’ve had a good opportunity to revisit my past mistakes—and experience the rewards of fixing them—I’d like to share some of the lessons I have learned:
Have you lost touch with people who were important to you? Are there things you’ve done or not done that are in front of you? Are there people in your life you don’t know how much they meant to you? List your unfinished business and take action to deal with it.
Instead of trying to put an end to the cold war dividing your family, begin with a small thing you can control. Apologize to your brother for not attending his Super Bowl party. Respond to an e-mail you should have answered a week ago. Write a note or make a call.
No matter what the wrong is, the most important thing in making it right is your sincerity. If you reach out with a genuine (真诚的)heart, your friends will be glad to hear from you again.
This is the key to learning and growing. Keep a journal, or summarize what you’ve learned in e-mails to friends. The difficulty we face in dealing with our unfinished business can seem impossibly big, but the first step to clearing them can be simple: Again, write a note or make a phone call .Once you discover your fears and get over them, you’ll become a more complete and pleased person.
Topic: 1 ______too late to right your wrongs

It’s never too late to right your wrongs, big or small.

Working as hard as I had been over the years, I had become disconnected from（失去联系的）the people who mattered most to me. I decided to spend a year reconnecting with my friends and relatives and making amends(补偿). I devoted myself to caring for what I called “my unfinished business”, which has helped me become a more attentive husband, father, son and friend —and a happier, more energetic person.

Now that I’ve had a good opportunity to revisit my past mistakes—and experience the rewards of fixing them—I’d like to share some of the lessons I have learned:

Have you lost touch with people who were important to you? Are there things you’ve done or not done that are in front of you? Are there people in your life you don’t know how much they meant to you? List your unfinished business and take action to deal with it.

Instead of trying to put an end to the cold war dividing your family, begin with a small thing you can control. Apologize to your brother for not attending his Super Bowl party. Respond to an e-mail you should have answered a week ago. Write a note or make a call.

No matter what the wrong is, the most important thing in making it right is your sincerity. If you reach out with a genuine (真诚的)heart, your friends will be glad to hear from you again.

This is the key to learning and growing. Keep a journal, or summarize what you’ve learned in e-mails to friends. The difficulty we face in dealing with our unfinished business can seem impossibly big, but the first step to clearing them can be simple: Again, write a note or make a phone call .Once you discover your fears and get over them, you’ll become a more complete and pleased person.

Topic: 1 ______too late to right your wrongs

It’s that unbelievable fantasy that all of us in the music business are pursuing. While we think that few of us will ever win the “ jackpot”(最高奖赏)of music fame and fortune, emotionally we still hope that one day we will be included in that small group.

   As long as the music business has existed, people have been trying to discover the basic ingredients for success. Opinions range from having post-graduate degrees in composition on the one hand, to having an uncle who drives the bus for Reba McIntype, a famous country music singer, on the other hand. (Probably both would be helpful!) In my opinion, however, there are two doors that are absolutely essential in order to enter credibility. They are available to anyone, but they do require a key, and the key to both of them is perseverance.

There is nothing that can replace excellence! It is the first door we must open in order to have any hope of achieving our musical goals. And, unfortunately, there is no shortcut to excellence. The only way to achieve it is through dedication, discipline and lots of blood, sweat and tears… in other words, perseverance.

Every day I received emails from promising songwriters and musicians all around the world who mistakenly think that natural talent is the magic ingredient for success. While talent is certainly a plus, it is by no means the miraculous elixir(神奇的灵丹妙药)that will turn you into a famous person. Think about it for a moment: How many very talented people do you know personally who are much better songwriters and musicians than those you hear on TV and on the radio? I’ll bet you can say that you know quite a few. And yet, most of these gifted artists will never be known outside their own family or community. Why? Because natural talent—by itself—is not enough.

Next time we will explore the other door to the world of music achievement—the door of credibility—and how the perseverance key works to unlock it as well.

68. In the author’s opinion, the key to success in music achievement is __________.

A. talent        B. dedication C. perseverance      D. discipline

69. Which paragraph will end with “Whether you’re very talented, or just average,   perseverance in practicing makes a difference in your music career.”?

A. One    B. Two    C. Three  D. Four

70. What is the author most probably?

A. A psychologist              B. A teacher  C.A well-known musician   D. A talented writer

71. From the passage, the author wants to tell us_________.

A. difficulties in the music business

B. the key to success in the music field

C. the jackpot of music fame and fortune

D. the basic ingredients for success

It’s that unbelievable fantasy that all of us in the music business are pursuing． While we think that few of us will ever win the “ jackpot”(最高奖赏)of music fame and fortune, emotionally we still hope that one day we will be included in that small group．

    As long as the music business has existed, people have been trying to discover the basic ingredients for success． Opinions range from having post-graduate degrees in composition on the one hand, to having an uncle who drives the bus for Reba McIntype, a famous country music singer, on the other hand． (Probably both would be helpful!) In my opinion, however, there are two doors that are absolutely essential in order to enter credibility．They are available to anyone, but they do require a key, and the key to both of them is perseverance．

There is nothing that can replace excellence! It is the first door we must open in order to have any hope of achieving our musical goals．And, unfortunately, there is no shortcut to excellence．The only way to achieve it is through dedication, discipline and lots of blood, sweat and tears… in other words, perseverance．

Every day I received emails from promising songwriters and musicians all around the world who mistakenly think that natural talent is the magic ingredient for success．While talent is certainly a plus, it is by no means the miraculous elixir(神奇的灵丹妙药)that will turn you into a famous person． Think about it for a moment: How many very talented people do you know personally who are much better songwriters and musicians than those you hear on TV and on the radio? I’ll bet you can say that you know quite a few．And yet, most of these gifted artists will never be known outside their own family or community．Why? Because natural talent—by itself—is not enough．

Next time we will explore the other door to the world of music achievement—the door of credibility—and how the perseverance key works to unlock it as well．

1．In the author’s opinion, the key to success in music achievement is __________．

      A．talent                     B．dedication              C．perseverance      D．discipline

2．Which paragraph will end with “Whether you’re very talented, or just average,

   perseverance in practicing makes a difference in your music career．”?

      A．One                       B．Two                       C．Three                 D．Four

3．What is the author most probably?

      A．A psychologist                                           B．A teacher

      C．A well-known musician                              D．A talented writer

4．From the passage, the author wants to tell us_________．

      A．difficulties in the music business                  B．the key to success in the music field

      C．the jackpot of music fame and fortune         D．the basic ingredients for success

It was the final examination. The class was very   36  . I was checking my paper   37   I saw my best friend, Samy,   38   to cheat at the exam. 

Samy scribbled（潦草地写） the   39   to some questions on his answer sheet   40   looking at a piece of paper. I was   41   and did not know what to do. My heart was beating   42   by each second. Suddenly, Samy noticed me staring at him.

He made a hand gesture, asking me not to   43   the teacher. I was deep in thoughts when the teacher said, “Time’s up! Please put down your pens! Stop   44  ! I will collect your papers.” I was waken out of my   45   upon hearing the loud voice of the teacher. I went home feeling very   46  . I was so frustrated   47   I even talked to my toys!

The next day, I went straight to the   48   office for I decided to tell the teacher that Samy   49   yesterday. I plucked up（鼓起） my   50   and walked into the office. I told the teacher that Samy had cheated. She was very angry. During break, she   51       Samy and Samy cried. He   52   his face as he ran out of the teachers’ office after he was scolded. After that incident, Samy always ignored me whenever I approached him. I was very sad. I thought my   53   with him must be over.

A few more days later, I was at the bus stop   54   for my bus when Samy came to me with a guilty look on his face. He said, “I’m sorry, I have now   55   cheating at the exam. Will you forgive me?” “Sure,” I replied with a smile. “But promise me never to cheat again.” “I promise!” he replied. Then we walked home happily.

36. A. silent              B. noisy                    C. crowded                D. dirty

37. A. while              B. when                     C. as                          D. whenever

38. A. wanting                     B. searching                  C. attempting                D. Wishing

39. A. sentences           B. words                   C. notes                     D. answers

40. A. before             B. after                     C. until                      D. once

41. A. glad                        B. anxious                  C. afraid                    D. sad

42. A. quicker and quicker                             B. harder and harder

   C. slower and slower                               D. heavier and heavier

43. A. inform             B. phone                    C. tell                               D. ask

44. A. talking             B. writing                  C. looking                  D. thinking

45. A. thoughts           B. room                     C. soul                       D. seat

46. A. bad                 B. worried                 C. calm                     D. miserable

47. A. as                    B. which                   C. but                       D. that

48. A. school’s                  B. headmaster’s                 C. teachers’                D. parents’

49. A. cheated          B. had cheated            C. was cheating           D. had been cheating

50. A. spirit               B. courage                  C. feet                       D. strength

51. A. hit                   B. beat                       C. told                       D. scolded

52. A. covered            B. washed                  C. lowered                 D. raised

53. A. happiness       B. friendship              C. incident                        D. business

54. A. waited              B. to wait                         C. waiting                 D. wait

55. A. appreciated       B. minded                  C. regretted               D. frightened