Jobs are hard to get and, _______, more young people are continuing their education.

 —I wonder whom you are waiting for.

—The policeman _______ the traffic accident.

Most whales must come up for air after several minutes, _______ a few can stay under water for an hour or more.

 Only through _______ talks can we build trust and only through cooperation can we create _______ win-win economic situation.

Jane is a great dancer, and _______ above the others with her perfect performances.

Robby was 11 years old when his mother dropped him off for his first piano lesson. I  36  that students begin at an earlier age, which I explained to Robby, but Robby said that it had been his mother’s  37  to hear him play the piano. So I took him as a student.

Hard  38  Robby tried, he lacked the basic sense of music. However, he persisted, and at the end of each weekly  39 , he always said, “My mom’s going to hear me play some day.” But it seemed  40 . He just did not have any gift for music.

I only knew his mother from a distance as she dropped Robby  41  or waited in her old car to  42  him up. She always  43  and smiled but never visited my class. Then one day Robby  44  coming to our lessons. He telephoned me and said his mother was  45 .

Several weeks later I was preparing my students for the upcoming recital(独奏会)  46  Robby came and asked me if he could be in the recital. “Miss Hondorf ... I’ve just got to  47 !” he insisted. I agreed.

The night for the recital came. The high school gymnasium was  48  with parents, friends and relatives. The recital went off well. Finally Robby came up on stage. I was  49  when he announced that he had chosen Mozart’s Concerto(协奏曲) No. 21 in C Major. I was not  50  what I heard next. His fingers were light on the keys. He played so  51  that everyone  52  to applaud him. In tears I ran up on  53 . “Oh, Robby! How did you do it?”

“Well, Miss Hondorf ... I kept on  54  at home. Remember I told you my mom was sick? Well, _55  she had cancer and passed away this morning. And well ... she was born deaf, so tonight was the first time she ever heard me play ...”

Eight-year-old Jesse Arbogast was playing in the sea late one evening in July when a 7-foot bull shark attacked him and tore off his arm. Jesse’s uncle jumped into the sea and dragged the boy to shore. The boy was not breathing. His aunt gave him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation(人工呼吸) while his uncle rang the emergency services. Pretty soon, a helicopter arrived and flew the boy to hospital. It was a much quicker journey than the journey by road.

Jesse’s uncle, Vance Folsenzier, ran back into the sea and found the shark that had attacked his nephew. He picked the shark up and threw it onto the beach. A coastguard shot the fish four times and although this did not kill it, the shark’s jaws relaxed so that they could open them, and reach down into its stomach, and pull out the boys’ arm.

At the Baptist Hospital in Pensacola, Dr Ian Rogers spent eleven hours reattaching Jesse’s arm. “It was a complicated operation,” he said, “but we were lucky. If the arm hadn’t been recovered in time, we wouldn’t have been able to do the operation at all. What I mean is that if they hadn’t found the shark, we wouldn’t have had a chance.”

According to the local park ranger Jack Tomosvic, shark attacks are not that common. “Jesse was just unlucky,” he says, “evening is the shark’s feeding time. And Jesse was in an area without lifeguards. This would never have happened if he had been in an area where swimming is allowed.”

When reporters asked Jesse’s uncle how he had had the courage to fight against a shark, he replied, “I was mad and you do some strange things when you’re mad.”

1.What was the boy doing when the accident happened?

2. In which way did the boy’s uncle help with the operation?

3.How was his uncle in time of danger?

4.According to Jack Tomosvic, _______.

It was a Sunday morning, and I was in a terrible mood. Two of my friends had gone to the movies the night before and hadn’t invited me. I was in my room thinking of ways to make them sorry when my father came in. “Want to go for a ride, today, Beck? It’s a beautiful day.”

“No! Leave me alone!” Those were the last words I said to him that morning.

My friends called and invited me to go to the mall with them a few hours later. I forgot to be mad at them and went with them. I came home to find a note on the table. My mother put it where I would be sure to see it. “Dad has had an accident. Please meet us at Highland Park Hospital”.

When I reached the hospital, my mother came out and told me my father’s injuries were extensive. “Your father told the driver to leave him alone and just call 911, thank God! If he had moved Daddy, there’s no telling what might have happened. A broken rib(肋骨) might have pierced(穿透) a lung....”

My mother may have said more, but I didn’t hear. I didn’t hear anything except those terrible words: Leave me alone. My dad said them to save himself from being hurt more. How much had I hurt him when I hurled those words at him earlier in the day?

It was several days later that he was finally able to have a conversation. I held his hand gently, afraid of hurting him.

“Daddy... I am so sorry....”

“It’s okay, sweetheart. I’ll be okay.”

“No,” I said, “I mean about what I said to you that day. You know, that morning?”

My father could no more tell a lie than he could fly. He looked at me and said, “Sweetheart, I don’t remember anything about that day, not before, during or after the accident. I remember kissing you goodnight the night before, though.” He managed a weak smile.

My English teacher once told me that words have immeasurable power. They can hurt or they can heal. And we all have the power to choose our words. I intend to do that very carefully from now on.

1.The author was in bad mood that morning because _______.

2.Why did the author say sorry to his father in the hospital?

3. The reason why the author’s father said he forgot everything about that day is that _______.

4.What lesson did Beck learn from the matter?

Suppose you want to bring home a new cat and are looking for a way to really make it feel at home. Actually, all you need to do is buy some nice cat furniture and have it in place by the time you bring it into your home.

The first thing that you should prepare is a cat house. Two to three feet off the ground is the best height. If you don’t have enough room for a cat house, a cat bed is also a nice choice.

Once you have a nice spot where your cat can go to feel safe, then it’s time to get cat furniture that offers your pet a nice place to play. One nice choice is cat trees. Scratching posts (猫抓板) are another great idea if you are short in space, but still want to give your cat a nice place where it can claw (抓) at instead of your own furniture.

If you’re looking for a great way to shop for cat furniture, simply turn on your computer and do some online shopping. In no time will you be able to skim all the offerings from many online stores. What’s great is that you can easily compare products and their prices, so you can get what you want at the best possible price. And, probably the nicest thing about online shopping is that your purchases may be shipped right to you, so you don’t have to waste time making a trip to the store.

So, if you have brought a new cat into your home, make sure that home is an inviting one by buying some new cat furniture. Without it, your cat might feel lost and unsafe, which you definitely do not want to happen.

1.What should you do first before you bring a cat home?

2. According to the author, the first concern for a cat house is __________.

3.What is the best choice for your cat to play with if you have little room?

4.What is the author’s advice on shopping for cat furniture?

A few years ago, I took a sightseeing trip to Washington, D.C．Standing outside the Ronald Reagan Center, I heard a voice say, “Can you help me?” When I turned around, I saw an elderly blind woman with her hand extended．In a natural reflex, I reached into my pocket, pulled out all of my loose change and placed it on her hand without even looking at her．I was annoyed at being bothered by a beggar．But the blind woman smiled and said, “I don’t want your money．I just need help finding the post office.”

In an instant, I realized what I had done．I judged another person simply for what I assumed she had to be．I hated what I saw in myself．This incident re-awakened my belief in humility(谦恭), even though I’d lost it for a moment．

The thing I had forgotten about myself is that I am an immigrant．I left Honduras and arrived in the U.S．at the age of 15．I started my new life with two suitcases, my brother and sister, and a strong, serious-minded mother．Through the years, I have been a dishwasher, mechanic and pizza delivery driver among many other humble jobs, and eventually I became a network engineer．

In my own life, I have experienced many open acts of prejudice (偏见)．I remember a time, at age 17 —— I worked as a waiter, and I heard a father tell his little boy that if he did not do well in school, he would end up like me．I have also witnessed the same treatment of my family and friends, so I know what it’s like, and I should have known better．

But now, living in my American middle-class lifestyle, it is too easy to forget my past, to forget who I am and where I have been, and to lose sight of where I want to be going．That blind woman on the streets of Washington, D.C., cured me of my blindness．She reminded me of my belief in humility and to always keep my eyes and heart open．By the way, I helped that lady to the post office．And in writing this essay, I hope to thank her for the priceless lesson．

1.We can learn from the first two paragraphs that _______．

2.According to Paragraph 4, hearing the father’s words, the author was probably _______．

3.According to the passage, the author probably agrees that one should _______．

4.Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?