“In reading the lives of great men, I found that the first victory they won was over themselves… self-discipline（自律）with all of them came first.” — Harry S. Truman

That is the quotation (引语) that had me thinking yesterday. Discipline（纪律）, in particular self-discipline, is what will get us through most things in life, from writing this simple post to Achieving Greatness for You and I. You may ask, “Why is discipline important in writing this post?” For people who have tried writing, you would know how hard it might get sometimes to actually sit down and finish the whole article in one period without getting up every few minutes to get a drink, a snack or toilet break etc.

Just with most things in life, often we lack the self-discipline to see us through what we are hoping to do or achieve. One area where self-discipline is clearly important is in losing weight. Some people are constantly looking for quick fix to their weight problem; they will jump at anything that is claimed to help them lose weight in the shortest time. They may lose weight fast, but they will find the result short-term especially if they do not change the way they live and the food they eat.

A friend of mine shared his experience going through the journey from 115 kilograms to 56 kilograms in around one year. His journey of losing weight started from a trip with his daughter to the doctor for her check-up. He playfully weighed himself on the weighing machine while his daughter was having the check-up. The doctor saw his weight and made a remark, “If you maintain that balloon weight, you cannot see your grandchildren.”

That made him decide, “Enough is enough!” Not only that, he felt tired easily and his excessive (过多的) weight made him feel like a walking balloon. In that moment of awakening, he made decisions to change his lifestyle and eating habits.

1.What does the author mainly talk about in the passage?

A. His writing hobby.

B. The best way to lose weight.

C. The importance of self-discipline.

D. How to live a healthy life.

2.We know from the second paragraph that the author ____ ______ .

A. can write easily after finishing his routines

B. doesn’t think writing is an easy job

C. writes just for fun

D. must have achieved much in his writing

3.The author’s friend was determined to lose weight when he ____ ______ .

A. had a trip with his daughter and her family

B. knew the doctor was just making fun of him

C. was much touched by the doctor’s remark

D. realized that he would become a grandparent soon

4.The author holds the belief（信念）that ____ ______ .

A. we can’t achieve anything in life without self-discipline

B. only great men need self-discipline

C. self-discipline is most needed in losing weight

D. self-discipline has something to do with one’s lifestyle

单词拼写 (共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分)

根据下列句子所给英语首字母，写出空缺处各单词的正确形式（每空只写一词）。

1.He walked alone in the shadows , hoping no one would r him .

2.After his son said sorry to his parents, they changed their a towards him completely.

3.The o language used in most international organization is Engish.

4.I was most g to John for his kindness of sending me the book immediately .

5.I love this house with its beautiful v across the valley .

6.The government moved local people and s___________ them in another place.

7.I couldn’t i____________ his rudeness any more, so I told him what I thought of him.

8.If you look s ahead , you’ll see the church in the distance .

9.The production plan was finished ahead of s .

10.The e on her face told me that she didn’t want to discuss it .

动词填空（用所给动词正确形式填空。共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）

1.A new theatre ____________________(build) here. They hope to finish it next month.

2.You can’t imagine what great difficulty I had __________________(find) his address.

3.The boss commanded that the task _____________________ (finish) before 5 o’clock this afternoon.

4.My brother moved to Beijing two years ago and __________________(live) there ever since.

5.He had to walk home as the last bus___________________(leave) five minutes before.

6.In the evenings the judge often ______________ (walk) the dog in the park.

7.It was the third time that I _________ (invite) to join them.

8.We’re told ________________________(not throw) waste paper everywhere.

9.He prefers to watch football rather than _____________________(play) it.

10.When I came back, my sister _______________________ (read) a book.

第三节：翻译句子( 共5小题；每小题2分，满分10分)

1.邓小平在中国经济的发展过程中起着非常重要的作用。（play a part in; economy）

2.二战期间，安妮在她的日记中记下了一系列有关她和她家人躲藏的经历。（set down）

3.尽管我姐姐对去某些地方的最佳路线并不清楚，她坚持要自己把这次旅游安排的尽善尽美。（insist；properly）

4.由于下大雨，运动会不得不延期举行。（because of; put off）

5.这位青少年有时的确很固执。一旦他下了决心，什么也不能使他改变。（change one’s mind）

书面表达（满分25分）

假如你叫李华，是学校英语报“Share with you” 栏目的编辑。你收到一封读者来信。请阅读此信，并根据所给信息,结合自己的学习经验,写一封回信。

Tips :

? be active in English classes

? watch English programs

? read English texts aloud

? listen to English tapes

? ……

注意：(1) 回信可参考上述要点，并适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；

(2) 词数100左右，信的开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。

Dear Puzzled,

Thank you for your letter. You asked me about how to improve your listening and spoken English. Here are some tips for you.

Yours,

Li Hua

Thank you for telling me so much. Your experience and _____________ have always been

appreciated.

Modern families require the food to be convenient to cook, high in _________ and low in price.

The president of the city's largest lawyers' group said the Occupy Central(占领中环) action was without _______ grounds and the notion( 观念) of "peaceful violence" was just "beautiful rhetoric"(花言巧语).

A. native B. sincere

C. legal D. reliable

It is a tough task, but we are _________ not to shrink(退缩) from it.

A. disappointed B. moved

Becoming ___________ in any language is a dream many people have, but few achieve.

A. interested B. strange