III. Reading Comprehension
Section A
Directions: For each blank in the following passage there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D.  Fill in each blank with the word or phrase that best fits the context.
The first attempt of even the most talented artists, musicians, and writers is seldom a masterpiece, If you consider your drafts as dress rehearsals (彩排), or tryouts, revising will seem a natural part of the writing ___50___.
What is the purpose of the dress rehearsals and the out-of-town previews that many Broadway shows go through? The answer is adding, deleting, replacing, reordering, ___51___ revising. Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Phantom of the Opera underwent such a process.
When Lloyd Webber began writing in 1984, he had in mind a funny, exciting production. However, when Phantom opened in London in 1986, the audience saw a moving psychological love story set to music. The musical had. ___52___ several revisions due, in part, to problems with costuming and makeup (戏服和化妆). For instance, Lloyd Webber ___53___ some of the music because the Phantom's makeup prevented the actor from singing certain sounds.
When you revise, you change aspects of your work in ___54___ to your evolving purpose, or to include ___55___ ideas or newly discovered information.
Revision is not just an afterthought that gets only as much time as you have at the end of an assignment. ___56___, it is a major stage of the writing process, and writers revise every step of the way. Even your decision to ___57___. topics while prewriting is a type of revising. However. don't make the mistake of skipping the revision stage that follows ___58___. Always make time to become your own ___59___and view your dress rehearsal, so to speak. Reviewing your work in this way can give you ___60___ new ideas.
Revising involves ___61___ the effectiveness and appropriateness of all aspects of your writing, making your purpose more clearly, and refocusing or developing the facts and ideas you present. When you revise, ask yourself the following questions, keeping in mind the audience for whom you are writing: Is my main idea or purpose ___62___ throughout my draft? Do I ever lose sight of my purpose? Have I given my readers all of the ___63___ that is, facts, opinions, inferences --- that they need in order to understand my main idea? Finally, have I included too many ___64___ details that may confuse readers?
50. A. technique       B. style           C. process         D. career
51. A. in particular     B. as a result       C. for example     D. in other words
52. A. undergone       B. skipped        C. rejected         D. replaced
53. A. rewrote         B. released        C. recorded         D. reserved
54. A. addition         B. response       C. opposition        D. contrast
55. A. fixed           B. ambitious      C. familiar           D. fresh
56. A. However        B. Moreover      C. Instead           D. Therefore
57. A. discuss          B. switch         C. exhaust          D. cover
58. A. drafting         B. rearranging      C. performing      D. training
59. A. director         B. master          C. audience        D. visitor
60. A. personal         B. valuable        C. basic           D. delicate
61. A. mixing          B. weakening       C. maintaining     D. assessing
62. A. amazing         B. bright           C. unique         D. clear
63. A. angles          B. evidence         C. information     D. hints
64. A. unnecessary     B. uninteresting      C. concrete        D. final

If you don’t prepare yourself now, retirement may be some of the most boring and dull years of your life. To have a happy, fulfilling retirement, you need to start preparing right away.
The most obvious thing for people to do when they retire is to take up a hobby. The most important step to take before retiring, though, is to make sure that you actually have started some hobbies. Once you’re retired, unless you ‘ve already started a hobby, you’ll find it very hard to get into something new. Some hobbies aren’t for everyone. Think about what you enjoy doing and start participating on a casual basis now.
Another thing many people participate in is volunteering. Not only does volunteering give you something to do, it also gives you a sense of accomplishment(成就) and can add meaning to your life .Volunteering is also rewarding in other ways, too. There are hundreds of different types of volunteer services and you’ll always be able to meet new and interesting people. Also, don’t think that volunteering is always only about helping someone for free. Many companies pay their volunteers after they’ve had enough experience and prove themselves to be valuable workers.
There are plenty of other potions, as well. Going back to school is a great way to keep yourself feeling young. Taking a vacation around the world with your loved ones is another great way to spend your retirement.
Ultimately, though, the key to a happy retirement is simply keeping yourself busy and doing whatever you love. If there’s nothing you love doing now, then you’ll find that once you have a vast amount of free time, your life will be pretty empty. Now is the time to find out what you want to do when you retire.
【小题1】Why does the author suggest starting a hobby before retirement?

If you don’t prepare yourself now, retirement may be some of the most boring and dull years of your life. To have a happy, fulfilling retirement, you need to start preparing right away.

  The most obvious thing for people to do when they retire is to take up a hobby. The most important step to take before retiring, though, is to make sure that you actually have started some hobbies. Once you’re retired, unless you ‘ve already started a hobby, you’ll find it very hard to get into something new. Some hobbies aren’t for everyone. Think about what you enjoy doing and start participating on a casual basis now.

  Another thing many people participate in is volunteering. Not only does volunteering give you something to do, it also gives you a sense of accomplishment(成就) and can add meaning to your life .Volunteering is also rewarding in other ways, too. There are hundreds of different types of volunteer services and you’ll always be able to meet new and interesting people. Also, don’t think that volunteering is always only about helping someone for free. Many companies pay their volunteers after they’ve had enough experience and prove themselves to be valuable workers.

  There are plenty of other potions, as well. Going back to school is a great way to keep yourself feeling young. Taking a vacation around the world with your loved ones is another great way to spend your retirement.

  Ultimately, though, the key to a happy retirement is simply keeping yourself busy and doing whatever you love. If there’s nothing you love doing now, then you’ll find that once you have a vast amount of free time, your life will be pretty empty. Now is the time to find out what you want to do when you retire.

1.Why does the author suggest starting a hobby before retirement?

   A. Because we are likely to have difficulty starting a hobby after retirement.

B. Because we are gong to have a vast amount of free time after retirement.

   C. Because we will only have a limited choice of hobbies after retirement

   D. Because not every one of us has already started some hobbies already.

2.What can we learn about volunteering from the text?

   A. We can make devoted friends through volunteering.           

B. It can help companies find hard-working workers.

   C. One can even make some money by volunteering.           

 D. Almost everyone is willing to help in some way.

3.Which of the following can best explain “a happy retirement”?

   A. Travelling around the world every year.                    

B. Going back to university for further study.

   C. Having plenty of free time for one’s hobbies.                

D. Living a busy life and doing what one enjoys doing

Do you have a dream, something you always see yourself doing? Perhaps you see yourself as a lawyer, businessman, or even a scientist. Whatever it is, don’t let it die.

A dream is a wonderful thing. It can give you hope for your future and encourage you to try when all odds are against you.

However, there are dream killers that want to kill your dream. They may tell you that it is impossible for you, that you are not smart enough or that it’s never been done before. However, many times the biggest dream killer is yourself.

Don’t let fear, doubt or lack of finances prevent you from fulfilling（实现） your dream. Talk back to these killers, “I can and fulfill my dream.” You may have to do this every day. The more often you talk to your heart that you can do it, the more safely your dream will be held within you.

It is very important to take steps towards fulfilling your dream. For me, in order to fulfill my dream of one-day owning my own magazine, I needed to go back to school and finish my college degree. For you, it may be something different. You know deep inside what the voice of your dream calls for. Don’t be afraid and just do it. Try not to let too much time go by. Time is another one of those dream killers.

Think about the words of a song by Yolanda Adams, “Keep the dream alive. Don’t let it die. If something deep inside keeps inspiring you to try, don’t stop. And never give up. Don’t ever give up on you. Sometimes, life can place a stumbling block in your way. But you have to keep the faith.”

When you dream, dream big and never give up. Your dream is just yours. Never let anyone tell you that your dream can’t happen -- it can! Keep seeing yourself do what’s never been done before. As you continue to feed your dream and protect it, not only will you keep it alive, but it will come true.

1.What does the underlined words “all odds are against you” in Parragraph 2 mean?

   A. You are in hopeless situation.

B. You find everything seems strange.

   C. You are not feeling quite well.

D. You have all your friends against you.

2.What did the author dream of doing?

   A. Getting his own book published    B. Owing a colledge degree

   C. Becoming a writer                 D. Publishing his own magazine

3. What do we learn from Paragraph 5?

   A. It takes money to fulfill our dream.

   B. The first step is to know our dream.

   C. It is important for us to take action.

   D. We should not listen to the call of our heart.

4. The words of Yolanda Adams’song are mentioned in the text      .

A.to support his main point

B.to make his writing interesting

C.to show they share the same view

D.to mean Yolanda Adams is popular

When my daughter was five, we gave her a piano as her birthday gift, with great excitement; she began learning piano under the teacher’s guidance. However, when she was no longer curious about it, she became sick of it. After all, it is a tough job to learn piano, not to mention the daily routine of practice. Therefore, every time, I had to urge her again and again, either to force or offer her some profits for the practice. She always felt uncomfortable sitting on that stool, so she would either scratch her nose or ears, or hide in the bathroom for quite a long while.

Her first teacher left and moved somewhere else; my friend introduced me to an American teacher. The American teacher’s way of teaching was complete American style. After practicing, she would give my daughter some good comments on the excellent part (despite it being just a small one), and then point out what should be improved. What’s more, every time she came, instead of beginning the lesson right away, she would first play some music. She said, “To learn playing the piano, you should learn not only the skills of playing, but more importantly, to feel the music and love it.”

To my surprise, my daughter gradually became fond of piano lessons. Sometimes she even would like to show off a little bit in class after her skill had reached a certain level. Her confidence and sense of achievement were enhanced with the appreciation and acknowledgement from her teachers and classmates.

Surprisingly, my daughter said to me one day, “Mom, I was lucky because you didn’t give up my piano lessons.Learining piano is like climbing a mountain. You’ll feel tired when you are on the way. When you look down from where you are, you will realize that you have been making progress. But if you stop, you will never take one more step.” Hearing these inspiring words, I could not hold back my tears, thinking: that is the very thing I want to teach her, something that is more important than learning piano.                                     

56. My daughter __________ when she was not curious about piano.

  A. became sick         B. got tired of it        C. felt tired          D.felt relaxed

57. According to the passage, what is most important for the children to learn to play the piano _______

  A.praise            B.encourage           C.force             D.help

58. What made my daughter interested in piano again?

  A. Showing off in class.                        B. Her skillful performance.

C. Her confidence and sense of an achievement.     D. Her acknowledge from classmates.

59. What is best title of the passage?

  A.Piano is an useful instrument                  B. American teachers are excellent.

C.Playing the piano is very important             D. Be addicted, and you’ll succeed