I was the fool at school, regarded as a special needs student. I was termed as such. Obviously, because I was not interested in school and did not care for my _______.

Over time, I started to believe in my stupidity. I _______ the fact that I was in special needs classes and poured it out as anger and depression. But one activity _______ this view of myself: chess.

I started to play chess with my father after school _______because I wanted to beat him at something. My father was a _______ man, fond of physics, writing, religion, …, almost every___field. He was called a walking dictionary. So, winning in chess against my father would be a _______ that I had intellectual power. On the small chessboard, I had a chance to _______ my so-called inability.

Game after game, I wanted to beat my father even more. I started to study chess books and play against a chess computer to _______ my skills. One weekend, I finally checkmated(將殺) my father on a ferry ride, which made me feel _______.

Two years later, I became the second board _______ my school chess team, with our top board being the best high school player in the state. But before the tournament season, our top player _______to come. There came my chance to play as top board against the best players in other states.

I was determined to show who I had become: a(n)_______ person able to win with calculation, logic and will. My most _______ game came in the final round. Our team was facing a high school which only excellent students attended. It was _______ a match between a special needs student and a smart soul. My opponent(對手) was playing well and kept _______ while I kept defending to keep my king safe. He spent long trying to break down my defenses, but could not find the final push. I _______ with more defensive moves, trying to make it as difficult for him as possible. With little _______ left, he started to make rapid moves._______ he could make the final decision, he ran out of time. Honestly, as his clock flag fell, I jumped up out of my seat and kissed the floor out of excitement. Of course it was not the most sportsmen-like _______, but I could not control my emotions.

While holding my winner’s cup, I knew I was not _______. The inferiority complex(自卑感) had melted away, and I realized that underneath our thoughts, each person is a genius.

1.A. habits B. grades C. plans D. benefits

2.A. noticed B. explained C. accepted D. ignored

3.A. changed B. supported C. questioned D. showed

4.A. especially B. obviously C. simply D. hopefully

5.A. smart B. strict C. quiet D. strong

6.A. dream B. lesson C. theory D. sign

7.A. turn over B. turn down C. get over D. get through

8.A. teach B. sharpen C. choose D. invent

9.A. overjoyed B. disappointed C. puzzled D. interested

10.A. for B. in C. of D. on

11.A. promised B. managed C. happened D. failed

12.A. brave B. lucky C. active D. intelligent

13.A. terrible B. memorable C. dangerous D. popular

14.A. normally B. possibly C. actually D. partly

15.A. attacking B. smiling C. pausing D. escaping

16.A. returned B. quit C. won D. exchanged

17.A. patience B. time C. energy D. wisdom

18.A. Once B. Until C. Before D. Unless

19.A. spirit B. thought C. comment D. behavior

20.A. proud B. stupid C. bright D. lazy

At minus 130℃, a living cell can be _________ for a thousand years.

A. spared B. protected

C. preserved D. developed

It is reported 1. gender (性別) differences exist mainly in terms 2. sense of space and language ability. But that doesn’t necessarily mean all women have a poor sense of space or all women are good at languages. Women can become excellent drivers as long as they have the courage to challenge 3. (tradition) gender roles and believe in themselves.

In London, only one in ten bus drivers is a woman. Yet, according to the results of recent research, women are better at 4. (deal) with problem passengers, have fewer accidents and are quicker at learning to drive buses than men.

Connie Wilson 5. (become) a bus driver a year ago. “At first, driving 6. bus was quite frightening,” she says. “I had no idea of the size of the vehicle or how 7. (control) it. But after seven weeks of training, I passed the test first time. Trying to keep to the timetable when the traffic is heavy 8. (be) not easy but I like the challenge! Some passengers can be rude, 9. (especial) if they’ve had to wait a long time for the bus. But most are pleased to have a woman driver. There is no reason 10. women can’t do the job just as well as men. I’d say that to any woman.

The human athlete has a special trick that no other animal has. It is called self-talk. Athletes talk to themselves to warm up, to focus and to help themselves believe they will win. A few simple words like “I can do it!” and “It is now or never!” can make the difference between winning gold or not.

Self-talk is also used by speakers, actors and other performers. Before a speech, politicians believe that their words will win votes. And, self-talk helps students stay calm even when stumped by hard exam questions. Self-talk is a life skill you can use wherever you are, whenever you need it.

The whole idea of talking to themselves seems strange to many people. Imagine your teacher saying, “For homework, talk to yourself for half an hour tonight.” You might think he is playing a joke on your class. Instead, adults teach kids all about talking to other people. There are many books on why, when, what and how to communicate with the rest of the world. Thus, you can grow up knowing a lot more about people around you than about yourself.

It is good to speak and listen to others. But there is great value in making time to listen to yourself. When you do, you get to know yourself better. Along the way, you may discover the power you have for using words well.

Such ideas are so exciting to psychologists that they have been trying to learn more about self-talk. In the study, people found certain lost items at home more easily when they talked to themselves while searching for the things.

1.By saying “It is now or never!”, the athlete means that “________”.

A. the time is valuable B. it is possible to win gold

C. I must try my best to win D. it is never too late to learn

2.What is the main idea of paragraph 2?

A. Self-talk makes a speech wonderful.

B. Self-talk is helpful for different people.

C. Self-talk helps the students pass the exam.

D. Self-talk is especially important for performers.

3.Why do many of us learn less about ourselves?

A. We don’t like doing the homework.

B. We don’t know how to talk to ourselves.

C. There are no books about ourselves.

D. We spend too much time in learning other people.

The human athlete has a special trick that no other animal has. It is called self-talk. Athletes talk to themselves to warm up, to focus and to help themselves believe they will win. A few simple words like “I can do it!” and “It is now or never!” can make the difference between winning gold or not.

Self-talk is also used by speakers, actors and other performers. Before a speech, politicians believe that their words will win votes. And, self-talk helps students stay calm even when stumped by hard exam questions. Self-talk is a life skill you can use wherever you are, whenever you need it.

The whole idea of talking to themselves seems strange to many people. Imagine your teacher saying, “For homework, talk to yourself for half an hour tonight.” You might think he is playing a joke on your class. Instead, adults teach kids all about talking to other people. There are many books on why, when, what and how to communicate with the rest of the world. Thus, you can grow up knowing a lot more about people around you than about yourself.

It is good to speak and listen to others. But there is great value in making time to listen to yourself. When you do, you get to know yourself better. Along the way, you may discover the power you have for using words well.

Such ideas are so exciting to psychologists that they have been trying to learn more about self-talk. In the study, people found certain lost items at home more easily when they talked to themselves while searching for the things.

1.By saying “It is now or never!”, the athlete means that “________”.

A. the time is valuable B. it is possible to win gold

C. I must try my best to win D. it is never too late to learn

2.What is the main idea of paragraph 2?

A. Self-talk makes a speech wonderful.

B. Self-talk is helpful for different people.

C. Self-talk helps the students pass the exam.

D. Self-talk is especially important for performers.

3.Why do many of us learn less about ourselves?

A. We don’t like doing the homework.

B. We don’t know how to talk to ourselves.

C. There are no books about ourselves.

D. We spend too much time in learning other people.

Up to 60 Shanghai maths teachers are to be brought to England to raise standards, in an exchange arranged by the Department for Education.The announcement comes as a campaign is launched to raise adult maths skills.A survey of 300 adults for the numeracy campaign found that over a third thought their level of maths had held them back.An accompanying economic analysis said that a lack of maths skills cost the UK 20 billion pounds per year.

The plan to bring 60 English-speaking maths teachers from Shanghai is an attempt to learn from a city that has been the top performance in the OECD's Pisa tests.The OECD says that children of poor families in Shanghai are on average better at maths than middle class children in the UK.The Shanghai teachers, expected to arrive from the autumn, will help share their teaching methods, support pupils who are struggling and help to train other teachers.

“We have some smart maths teachers in this country but what I saw in Shanghai-and other Chinese cities-has only strengthened my belief that we can learn from them.” said education minister, Elizabeth Truss, who has recently visited Shanghai, accompanied by head teachers from England, “They have a can-do attitude to maths-and I want us to match that, and their performance,” She stressed the economic significance of raising maths standards, for individuals and the country.'As part of our long term economic plan, we are determined to drive up standards in our schools and give our young people the skills they need to succeed in the global race.Good maths qualifications have the greatest earning potential and provide the strongest protection against unemployment,” said the education minister.

1.Poor maths skills have caused serious _____ consequences in England.

A. academic B. economic

C. cultural D. political

2.What is the main factor behind Shanghai teachers’success in maths teaching?

A. Their students are from poor families

B. Their students have a talent for maths

C. They have a positive attitude to teaching

D. They teach in a highly developed city.

3.According to Elizabeth Truss, raising maths standards can be helpful in_____.

A. equipping young people with global competitiveness

B. promoting the pupils’ international test performance

C. teaching how to earn money in the global market

D. discovering one’s maths talent at an early age

4.What can be the best title for the passage?

A. Good Maths Skills Are about Hard Work

B. Why Are English Maths Standards Left Behind?

C. Why Are Shanghai Maths Teachers Getting Popular?

D. Chinese Teachers Bring the Art of Maths to English Schools

We all have our ways of marking time.My life is measured by taking pictures from one story to the next.My oldest son was born in the middle of a long story about endangered animals.My daughter came along with a pack of gray wolves.

It's the story in Alaska that I'll remember best,though.It was the story about the loss of wild land,during which my wife Kathy got cancer.That's the one that made time stand still.With anxiety,I stopped taking pictures on the day when she found that tumor（腫瘤）.Cruelly,it was Thanksgiving Day.Early examination saves time.But ours was not early.By the time you can feel it yourself,it's often bigger than the doctor wants it to be.

Cancer is a thief.It steals time.Our days are already short with worry.Then comes this terrible disease,unfair as storm at harvest time.But cancer also has the power to change us,for good.We learn to simplify it,enjoying what we have instead of feeling sorry for what we don't.Cancer even makes me a better father.My work has made me a stranger to my three kids.But now I pay attention to what really matters.This is not a race.This is a new way of life and a new way of seeing,all from the cancer.

In the end each of us has so little time.We have less of it than we can possibly imagine.And even though it turns out that Kathy's cancer has not spread,and her prognosis（預(yù)斷）is good.We try to make it all count now,enjoying every part of every day.

I've picked up my camera again.I watch the sky,searching for beautiful light.When winter storms come,Kathy and I gather our children and take the time to catch snowflakes（雪花）on our tongues.After all,this is good.This is what we're living for.

1.What is the writer?

A. A sponsor. B. A doctor.

C. A photographer. D. A director.

2.How did the writer feel after knowing Kathy's disease?

A. Anxious. B. Innocent.

C. Powerful. D. Optimistic.

3.What effect has the cancer had on the author?

A. He focuses much more on his work.

B. He spends more time with his family.

C. He becomes a stranger to his children.

D. He devotes much more to medical care.

4.What can be inferred from the passage?

A. Cancer steals time.

B. Kathy's cancer has spread.

C. Snowflakes make the family feel cool.

D. The author takes a different way of life.

閱讀下面短文，從短文后各題所給的A、B、C和D四個選項中，選出可以填入空白處的最佳選項。

I owe a great deal to my racist friends: they have given me a reason to try and achieve something great in my life.

My school is almost 1 with white students with only five percent African-Americans. During Marching Band freshmen year, I started to notice how frequently my white friends 2 the black people they saw. Once my best 3 friend casually used the n-word (nigger) after I had described to him the isolation I felt when the __4__ was used by anyone of any race. I have 5 numerous friends due to similar statements.

The 6 overtook me for a period of the freshmen year. I nearly 7 my high school in hopes of finding a healthier environment. Finally, I had learned what it meant to be 8 in America.

Instead of leaving, 9 , I chose to stay and fight the ignorance popular in my school. My first __10__ would be Black History Month. In sophomore year I was asked to create an activity for Black History Month. I spent hours 11 black authors, poets and speakers, trying to find different discussion points that could be made in the classrooms in my school. When told that the English Department at my school agreed to use my 12 , I had a feeling of accomplishment 13 many of my classmates doubted my ability.

However, I remained 14 . I quit band and joined my school’s newspaper staff in junior year, to address topics to help 15 race relations. Through my efforts, a meeting was held for students to discuss 16 such as ＂Should the n-word be used?＂ Though many white people didn’t attend it, the conversations I participated in __17__ many others at the school.

Though the majority of the people at my school have not left me 18 memories, I am grateful for the awareness they have helped 19 in me. As I move on to college I am ready to go on 20 ignorance and injustices.

1.A. filled B. acquainted C. impressed D. interfered

2.A. encouraged B. greeted C. influenced D. stereotyped

3.A. considerate B. white C. enthusiastic D. intelligent

4.A. standard B. method C. word D. opportunity

5.A. made B. lost C. changed D. supported

6.A. grief B. task C. challenge D. adoption

7.A. compared B. remind ed C. left D. entered

8.A. popular B. black C. stupid D. cautious

9.A. therefore B. also C. besides D. however

10.A. choice B. attempt C. battle D. visit

11.A. meeting B. admiring C. becoming D. researching

12.A. honors B. resources C. materials D. powers

13.A. so B. though C. unless D. because

14.A. successful B. calm C. resolute D. painful

15.A. ignore B. improve C. battle D. check

16.A. topics B. impacts C. situations D. missions

17.A. harmed B. gathered C. disgusted D. benefited

18.A. deep B. special C. positive D. negative

19.A. bring out B. take in C. hold up D. keep off

20.A. fighting B. ignoring C. proving D. witnessing