We all have weaknesses and strengths, no matter who we are. Sometimes the weaknesses seem to outweigh the strengths and sometimes it’s the other way around. Some people get sick easily. Some struggle to manage their money properly. Some people are hopeless communicators and struggle with relationships.
Many people accept it as just bad luck, but not everyone. Some people facing huge limitations still manage to achieve surprising things. They rise above their weaknesses and do not allow them to limit their possibilities.
I attended a school prize-giving ceremony not so long ago and the guest speaker was Andrew Becroft, who had a severe stutter(口吃) as a child. Instead of allowing this to limit him, he chose to work hard to overcome it. He is now the Principal Youth Court Judge for New Zealand. Not only did he become successful, but he did so in a profession where he had to speak in front of others regularly.
Lots of people face far more significant limitaions than you do. They may be missing limbs or are born into extreme poverty. But no matter what the limitation you will always find people who have overcome it. Brett Eastburn has no arms or legs and yet is an inspirational speaker and also a very good wrestler. Ringo Starr, drummer for the Beatles, came from a very poor background. He was constantly plagued with illness as a child and spent large amounts of time in hospital. Mark Inglis lost both of
his legs below the knees in a mountaineering accident, but has since climbed Mt Everest.
Most of us will never have to face the challenges these people faced. Yet most of us will never achieve to the degree that these people have either, unless we choose to. If Mark Inglis can climb the highest mountain in the world without legs, _________ ?
【小题1】What is the main idea of Paragraph 1? (Within 8 words.)
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【小题2】Which sentence in the text is the cloest in meaning to the following one?
All of the people don’t think it unlucky to have weaknesses, although many may think so.
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【小题3】List three people who rose above their weaknesses according to the text. (Within 8 words.)
①_________________　　②______________　　③________________
【小题4】Fill in the blank in the last paragraph with proper words. (Within 6 words.)
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【小题5】Translate the underlined sentence in Paragraph 4 into Chinese.
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Zigfried, a little mouse, blew his breath on the frosty window of the farmhouse and rubbed it to see the outside. Still nobody came. Maybe today, he thought   31 .It was only a few days before Christmas and he was watching for a miracle (奇迹).

　　This farmhouse had been   32   too long. It needed a family. Zigfried’s　　33   made a noise. He realized that he hadn’t eaten anything since yesterday. He jumped from the windowsill (窗沿), grabbed a   34   from his home, and went next door to Farmer Mike’s.

　　Farmer Mike’s house had been a great place for the little mouse   35   the farmer married a wife who had a cat. Zigfried   36   when he thought of it. He looked around cautiously as he   37   into the room where grain was stored and was quite   38   as he filled his bag with wheat. He was turning to leave when suddenly he   39   a hot breath about his ear. His heart beat   40  , and without thinking he started to run and luckily   41   the cat’s paws (爪子).

　　The next afternoon Zigfried heard some good news: a   42   family would be moving into the farmhouse soon. Zigfried’s granny would arrive on Christmas Eve to　　43   with him. He hoped that the family would come before his granny came. Before long, a car came   44   the road leading to the house, with butter sandwiches, cheese and chocolate.

　　Zigfried’s Christmas miracle did arrive!

　　The house came   45   the next few days. Zigfried   46   every single hour of them.   47, the day before Christmas when he was drinking hot chocolate with a   48   smile at the door of his home, he heard the   49   of the children of the family about what they might get for Christmas. What? A cat ? The   50   froze on his face; his mouth fell wide open. After a long while, he at last found his voice: “Hey! Whose Christmas miracle is this?”

　　31. A. carefully    B. excitedly                 C. hopefully                D. proudly

　　32. A. shabby      B. noisy               C. messy             D. empty

　　33. A. mouth       B. nose               C. stomach                 D. throat

　　34. A. bag           B. stick                C. bowl                D. coat

　　35. A. although          B. until                 C. whereas                 D. unless

　　36. A. leapt                B. sniffed             C. trembled                D. withdrew

　　37. A. broke               B. marched          C. paced                     D. stole

　　38. A. curious      B. nervous          C. pitiful               D. sensible

　　39. A. took                 B. released                C. felt                  D. drew

　　40. A. strongly     B. irregularly               C. slowly              D. wildly

　　41. A. escaped    B. seized                     C. rubbed            D. scratched

　　42. A. close                B. happy             C. new                 D. young

　　43. A. celebrate   B. communicate   C. compete          D. compromise

　　44. A. across              B. from                       C. off                   D. up

　　45. A. alive           B. loose               C. open                D. still

　　46. A. counted    B. enjoyed           C. missed            D. wasted

　　47. A. However    B. Instead            C. Moreover               D. Therefore

　　48. A. bitter          B. forced                     C. polite                      D. satisfied

　　49. A. introduction B. discussion            C. comment         D. debate

　　50. A. blood               B. smile               C. tear                 D. sweat

完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，共30分）
阅读下面短文，从短文后所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出可以填入空白出的最佳选项。
?After 42-year-old guy Tom had quitted his job, he began to make up his mind to become a freelance (self-employed) writer, no one could tell for sure whether he would succeed or not．He found a cold storage room in a building, set up a(n)  21  typewriter and settled down to work．
After a year or so, however, Tom began to  22  himself．He found it was difficult to earn his living by  23  what he wrote．But Tom determined to put his dream to the test —  24  it meant living with uncertainty and fear of  25 ．This is the shadowland of hope, and  26  with a dream must learn to live there．
One day Tom got a call, “We need a(n)  27 , and we’re paying $6,000 a year．” $6,000 was  28  money in 1960．It would enable Tom to get a nice apartment, a used car and more． 29 , he could write on the side． 30  the dollars were dancing in Tom’s head, something  31  his senses．He had dreamed of being a  32  — full time．“Thanks, but no,” Tom said  33 ．“I’m going to stick it out and write．”
After Tom got off the phone, he  34  everything he had: two cans of vegetables and 18 cents．Tom put the cans and cents into a  35  bag, saying to himself, “There’s everything you’ve made of yourself so far．”
　　Finally his work was  36  in 1970．Instantly he had the kind of fame and success that  37  writers ever experience．The shadows had turned into limelight．
　　Then one day, Tom  38  a box filled with things he had owned years before． 39  was a paper bag with two cans and 18 cents．Suddenly he  40 himself working in that cold storage room．It reminds Tom, and anyone with a dream, of the courage and persistence it takes to stay the course in the shadowland．