I grew up in a house where the TV was seldom turned on and with one wall in my bedroom entirely lined with bookshelves, most of my childhood was spent on books I could get hold of. In fact, I grew up thinking of reading as natural as breathing and books unbelievably powerful in shaping perspectives (观点) by creating worlds we could step into, take part in, and live in.
With this unshakable belief, I, at fourteen, decided to become a writer. Here too, reading became useful. Every writer starts off knowing that he has something to say, but being unable to find the right ways to say it. He has to find his own voice by reading widely and discovering which parts of the writers he agrees or disagrees with, or agrees with so strongly that it reshapes his own world. He cannot write without loving to read, because only through reading other people’s writing can one discover what works, what doesn’t and, in the end, together with lots of practice, what voice he has.
Now I am in college, and have come to realize how important it is to read fiction (文学作品)．As a law student, my reading is in fact limited to subject matter—the volume (量) of what I have to read for classes every week means there is little time to read anything else. Such reading made it all the clearer to me that I live in a very small part in this great place called life. Reading fiction(小说) reminds me that there is life beyond my own. It allows me to travel across the high seas and along the Silk Road, all from the comfort of my own armchair, to experience, though secondhand, exciting experiences that I wouldn't necessarily be able to have in my lifetime

1. 1.

   What does the underlined word in paragraph 1 mostly probably mean?

   1. A.
      even
   2. B.
      almost
   3. C.
      tiredly
   4. D.
      gradually
2. 2.

   What can be inferred about the author as a child?

   1. A.
      He never watched TV
   2. B.
      He read what he had to
   3. C.
      He found reading unbelievable
   4. D.
      He considered reading part of his life
3. 3.

   The underlined word "voice" in the second paragraph most probably means “________________ ”

   1. A.
      an idea
   2. B.
      a sound quality
   3. C.
      a way of writing
   4. D.
      a world to write about
4. 4.

   What effect does reading have on the author?

   1. A.
      It helps him to realize his dream
   2. B.
      It opens up a wider world for him
   3. C.
      It makes his college life more interesting
   4. D.
      It increases his interest in worldwide travel
5. 5.

   Which of the following can be the best title of this text?

   1. A.
      Why do I read?
   2. B.
      How do I read?
   3. C.
      What do I read?
   4. D.
      When do I read?

完形填空（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从1-20各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

The trip to that city was eye-opening for everyone，and near its end，all the young people in our group began to reflect on what it had meant. We _1__the first night we had arrived. We had all gone into the markets of the city __2_the young people could experience its energy. But what we actually saw simply __3_ us all—the rundown houses，the children in rags，the people begging for money...Walking home，__4under a low bridge，we came across __5__families of homeless people seeking a bit of dry ground to sleep on __6_the night. We had to step over bodies as we found our way through the darkness.

The poverty(贫困) was __7_than anything my young companions had ever imagined. Back in the hotel，an air of sadness settled over the group. Many _8__ and cried. Spending time in this 9_ moves a person to care about humanity.

That evening，our group spent hours talking about what we had _10_.Gently，I encouraged everyone to talk about the difficult _11__ that day's discoveries had inspired. Sitting together __12_ a circle as everyone had a chance to speak，we all began to realize that __13__ of us was alone in our struggle to cope with our reactions.

Based on my __14__in poverty-stricken areas，I suggested that __15_ the emotions we had were painful，they could also be important in helping us to move forward. We all__16_ that we had seen things that should never be allowed to happen._17__，what could we do about it？Together，we began to brainstorm ways we could help to ease the __18__ we had seen. As I encouraged group members to focus on __19__ they could do，a sense of determination __20__ the previous sadness. Instead of despair，these young people began to feel a call to action.

The trip to that city was eye-opening for everyone, and near its end, all the young people in our group began to reflect on what it had meant． We   41  the first night we had arrived． We had all gone into the markets of the city   42  the young people could experience its energy． But what we actually saw simply   43  us all --- the rundown houses, the children in rags, the people begging for money… Walking home,   44  under a low bridge, we came across   45  families of homeless people seeking a bit of dry ground to sleep on   46  the night． We had to step over bodies as we found our way through the darkness．

The poverty was   47  than anything my young companions had ever imagined． Back in the hotel, an air of sadness settled over the group． Many   48  and cried． Spending time in this   49  moves a person to care about humanity．

That evening, our group spent hours talking about what we had   50 ． Gently, I encouraged everyone to talk about the difficult   51  that day’s discoveries had inspired． Sitting together   52  a circle as everyone had a chance to speak, we all began to realize that  53  of us was alone in our struggle to cope with our reactions．

Based on my   54  in poverty-stricken areas, I suggested that   55  the emotions we had were painful, they could also be important in helping us to move forward． We all   56  that we had seen things that should never be allowed to happen．   57  , what could we do about it? Together, we began to brainstorm ways we could help to ease the   58  we had seen． As I encouraged group members to focus on   59  they could do, a sense of determination  60  the previous sadness． Instead of despair, these young people began to feel a call to action．

When I was about ten years old, I spotted a mouse running across our living room floor. My four younger brothers and sisters heard me  1 at the top of my lungs and joined me on the sofa,   2  my father found us standing, yelling and pointing.

Dad grabbed a broom and 3  that mouse all over the place. We followed him in hot pursuit,   4  him on, “Get it, Dad. Get it!”5  , the mouse was cornered, but when Dad pushed the broom into it, the mouse  6  a little scream. All five of us jumped our father. We pulled at his arms and legs, “Don’t  7  him. Let him go!”

Dad dropped his head in defeat. He pulled the broom away  8  the mouse ran off. “Run,” we yelled. “Run.”My father looked at us  9 we’d turned into a group of  10  . Ray, my husband, and I  11  in the country. I was in the garage the other day, when a mouse ran  12  the floor. I froze. Snicker, our  13  , was sleeping in her bed, so I whispered her name to get her  14  . She had the mouse immediately.

Then I heard the scream. “Let it go,” I yelled. When she  15  , I ran into the house to get my husband. “Snickers has a mouse!”

“Good.”

“No. You’ve got to save it!”

I watched through a crack in the door as my husband  16  a pair of work gloves, took the mouse out of the cat’s mouth ,walked it out to the  17  , and let it go.

Opening the door all the way, I thanked him.   18  my husband and the cat looked up at me. They had a  19  look on their faces. I’d seen that look before. It was the same  20  my father had on his face, all those years ago.

1．A．laughing           B．screaming       C．speaking         D．singing

2．A．where           B．which          C．why            D．when

3．A．watched          B．killed            C．drove           D．chased

4．A．keeping          B．pushing         C．cheering         D．moving

5．A．Therefore         B．Finally          C．Instead          D．However

6．A．let out            B．gave out        C．made up        D．turned on

7．A．threaten          B．protect          C．care            D．hurt

8．A．or               B．but            C．and            D．for

9．A．since            B．like             C．if              D．once

10．A．fools           B．mice           C．strangers       D．adults

11．A．stay            B．drive           C．travel          D．live

12．A．through        B．beyond         C．across         D．over

13．A．dog            B．cat            C．guard          D．employee

14．A．attention        B．action          C．measure        D．determination

15．A．admitted        B．obeyed         C．followed        D．refused

16．A．put off         B．dressed up      C．put on          D．wore out

17．A．road           B．field           C．river           D．room

18．A．Both           B．Neither         C．Either           D．Each

19．A．kind           B．horrible        C．same           D．familiar

20．A．that           B．it             C．one             D．this