I break off a piece of candy and take pleasure in its sweet outside and the bitter, dark chocolate inside, thinking of my own life. Being raised by a single parent was a bitter-sweet 36 , which gave me motivation and ambition.

There were several years that have left a(n)  37   bitter taste in my mouth —those when my mother married a man and moved my sister, Emily, and me several states away from our hometown. The first few months were  38  : baseball games, family trips to the mall, dinners and movies together. Then things changed. Baseball became too expensive, and trips to the mall were  39  by days Emily and I spent isolated (孤立的) in our rooms under our stepfather’s    40   . Moreover, screaming matches between him and our mother always  41  dinner. We spent five years living in a family that had  42  a war zone. Emily and I almost grew used to this situation . Then one evening, after another argument had erupted , we left home. I was 14, my sister 11, and we were  43  .A friend of my mother let us stay with her.

Instead of focusing on our economic instability, my mother selflessly pushed me to struggle for success. She wanted me to lead a more  44  life than hers. She worked long hours every night to pay her bills.  45   , she would find time to read and play with Emily and me. Mom taught me the  46  of perseverance (坚持不懈) and education. We finally settled in Texas. And now, writing this essay with my favorite candy close at hand, I realize my family and I are at the best points of our lives. I haven’t let the trying times stop me from making  47   , both academically and personally. I know that a bitter environment can provide good learning experiences, and that success, even more than candy, is the sweetest treat of all.

36. A. behavior                 B. habit              C. activity            D. experience

37. A. hardly                B. extremely          C. potentially        D. Gently

38. A. sweet            B. bitter                C. boring             D. terrible

39. A. concerned     B. associated         C. accompanied           D. replaced

40 A. sympathy               B. reminder          C. orders             D. requests

41. A. separated              B. interrupted        C. harmed            D. Adjusted

42. A. turned into     B. turned up          C. turned down     D. turned on

43. A. homeless              B. lucky               C. educated                 D. wealthy

44. A. interesting         B. comfortable       C. simple             D. typical

45. A. Instead                B. Otherwise    C. Meanwhile       D. Therefore

46. A. value            B. cost            C. price                       D. theme

47. A. emotions             B. expectations        C. fortunes                 D. achievements

The doctor did __________ save the patient’s life.

   A. that he could do                B. all what he could

   C. all he could to                  D. which he could

 —Tom, have you finished your homework?
     —Yes, I ________ before you came back, mom.
     A. finished        B. have finished      C. had finished    D. finish

 I wonder why you didn’t do as ________ and it’s the third time you have done this.
     A. telling          B. be told             C. told to         D. tell

It was so dark outside that the little child ________ go out by himself.
     A. dare not to       B. dared              C. dares          D. didn’t dare to

 It is a great pity that the band which Jack was a member of ____ after 26 years of

playing together on stage.

A. broke up        B. put up            C. sent up        D. took up

 Workers who cannot speak good English may be at disadvantage ____ with foreign

customers.

A. when interacting               B. when interacted

C. when to interact               D. when being interacted

 The poor boy seems _____ the news that his father died in the car accident for there is no sign of sorrow on his face.

A. not to be known                B. not to have received

C. to have not received             D. not to know

 ______ more energy to my studies instead of to online games, I would be sitting in

a comfortable office now.

A. Were I devoted      B. Had I devoted     C. Would I devote   D. Should I devote

Faced with challenges, your ability is　　　 makes a difference.

A．that　　　　　　 B. which　　　　 　 C. how　　　　 D. what