寻找梦想之旅
【1】 The headmaster hurried to the concert hall only _________ the speaker【译文】 校长匆匆来到音乐大厅，结果发现演讲者早已走了。 A. to find; left B. to find; gone C. finding; left D. finding; gone【答案及简析】 B。 不定式表结果时,常指出人意料的结果。第二个考察点是find+宾语+形容词(补语)，表状态。【2】 —I failed again. I wish I _________ harder.�—But you _________.【译文】 ——我又失败了。我真该努力学习。——但是你没有哇。 A. had worked; hadn’t B. worked; don’t C. had worked; didn’t D. worked; didn’t【答案及简析】 C。 第一空表达与过去事实相反的愿望,所以用过去完成时态表虚拟语气。第二空说明过去的事实,用一般过去时态。【3】 —Why not go out for a walk before breakfast? —Oh，yes. _________ is my favorite time of day.【译文】 ——早饭前你为什么不出去散步呢？ ——嗯。是的。那是我一天最美好的时光。 A. In the early morning B. Early morning C. The early of morning D. The early morning that【答案及简析】 B。 空处缺少一主语,而非状语。【4】 It was not until liberation that _________ to his hometown.【译文】 直到解放他才回到家乡。 A. did he return B. was he returned C. he did return D. he returned 【答案及简析】 D。 此句为强调结构： It is/was…that…强调之前的句子为： He didn’t returned to his hometown until liberation.要注意not…until…句型变成强调句后的not的位置【5】 —I�d like a pen which _________ well.—Will this one _________?【译文】 ——我很想又一只好写的笔。 ——这只笔如何？ A. writes; do B. writes; work C. is written; do D. is written；work【答案及简析】 A。 此处write作不及物动词,表事物的性质,类似词： sell，wash等。第二句用do来代替上句的write well。【6】 －－Can you finish the writing on time?� －－_________.�【译文】 －－ 你能按时完成你的协作么？ －－没问题。 A. Never mind B. With pleasure C. No problem D. All right【答案及简析】 C。 No problem表示"没问题"【7】 －－When _______ we meet again?� －－_______ it any time you like.【译文】 －－ 我们什么时候再相聚？ －－你喜欢何时见面都可以。 A. will; Do B. will; Make C. shall; Do D. shall; Make【答案及简析】 D。 "完全可以"。其他不合题意。【8】 Look! There are lots of ________ birds flying over the trees.【译文】 看！树上有许多好看的红色小鸟。 A. funny red little B. funny little red C. little funny red D. little red funny【答案及简析】 B。 shall用于第一【9】 They couldn’t eat in a restaurant because ______ of them had _______ money on them.【译文】 他们不可能在餐厅吃饭，因为谁都没带钱。 A. all; no B. any; no C. none; any D. no one; any【答案及简析】 C。 三人称,在问句中表示征求对方意见。【10】 －－Shall we meet right now?�－－Sorry. I’m too busy to _______ for the moment.【译文】 －－我们可以马上见面吗？ －－对不起，此刻我忙得抽不开身。 A. get through B. get away C. get off D. get together【答案及简析】 B。 只要你记住"限数描大形,新色国材名"这句话,此题就迎刃而解。【11】 _________ is known to all，good friends _________ happiness and value to life.�【译文】 众所周知，好朋友给说增添快乐和价值。 A. It; add B. As; add C. It; add up D. As; add to【答案及简析】 B。 as引导的定语从句修饰整个主句; add to sth."使增加,使增强"; add sth to sth. "把……加到……里边"; add up to"总计是……"。因句中已有介词to,所以只能选B。【12】 Mr. Green left _________ suddenly _________ he came.�【译文】 格林先生离开像来时一样突然。 A. so; that B. so; as C. as; that D. as; as【答案及简析】 D。 此句为as…as…结构。【13】 Good food，not _________，that’s how one gets fat.【译文】 食物好，锻炼少，这就是一个人长胖的原因。 A. enough exercises B. exercises enough C. enough exercise D. exercise enough 【答案及简析】 C。 enough修饰名词时只能放在其修饰的名词前,而修饰形容词时要放在后"锻炼"之意；用作复数名词时为"体操""运动"。而这里应该是"锻炼"的意思。面。exercise作不可数名词时为"训练"【14】 It was the very place _________ the soldiers fought over sixty years ago.�【译文】 这就是战士们60多年前战斗过的地方。 A. that B. which C. where D. there【答案及简析】 C。 定语从句。the very place 在从句中充当地点状语。【15】 ——What about _________ job?� ——It�s too difficult _________ job for me.�【译文】 ——这个工作如何？ ——对我来说太难了。 A. the; a B. the; the C. a; the D. a; a【答案及简析】 A。 前面是特指，后面是泛指。【16】 It’s what he did _________ what he said that moved us.【译文】 是我们感动的是他所做的事而不是他所说的话。 A. except for B. but so C. instead D. rather than【答案及简析】 D。 考查强调句型。rather than"而不是"。【17】 -Have you seen _________ watch? I left it here this morning.�-I think I saw one somewhere. Is it _________ new one?【译文】 —你看到一只手表没有？上午我放在这儿的。—我想我见过。是一只新的？ A. a；/ B. a；the C. the；a D. a；a【答案及简析】 D。 考查冠词的使用。不定冠词表示泛指。【18】 -You must be excited about going to Japan for schooling.� -_________，but I’m afraid I can’t do well because my Japanese is poor.【译文】 到日本去读书，你一定很激动。 ——喔，我应该激动。但日语不好，我会担心做不好的。 A. Never mind B. Well，I ought to C. I don’t know yet D. Certainly not 【答案及简析】 B。 应为I ought to be excited about…Never mind用来回答道歉语，Certainly not用来回答别人的请求和询问等。【19】 The new machine，if _________ properly，will work at least ten years.【译文】 如果是用得当，这太新机器会使用10年的。 A. use B. using C. being used D. used【答案及简析】 D。 本题考查分词与主语之间的关系。"if the new machine is used properly…"【20】 -Do you think we can get there on time? -Yes，_______ the truck doesn’t break down.【译文】 —你认为我们会准时到达那儿吗？—会的。只要车不出问题。 A. even if B. unless C. until D. so long as【答案及简析】 D。 so long as=if。unless"除非"…unless the truck breaks down.【21】 Exercise is ______ as any other to lose unwanted weight.�【译文】 锻炼和其他减肥的方法一样好。 A. so useful a way B. as a useful way C. as useful a way D. such useful way【答案及简析】 C。 本题考查as…as比较结构,另： as，so，too，how +adj.+a+单数可数名词。【22】 -What do you do yesterday afternoon?�-I went to the bookstore，___ some books and visited my uncle.【译文】 ——昨天下午你在干吗？ ——我去书店了，买了几本书然后去看了我的叔叔。 A. to buy B. bought C. Buy D. buying�【答案及简析】 B。 went，bought，visited是几个连续发生的动作。【23】 The stone on the river bank rolled under her feet; she was _____into the river，and she called out for help.【译文】 河岸的石头滚到她的脚下；把她推到了河里，于是喊救命。 A. being jumped B. jumped C. pulled D. being pulled【答案及简析】 D。 was being pulled是过去进行时的被动形式。【24】 The Browns held _____ they called "family day" once each year.�【译文】 布朗夫妇每年举行一次他们称之为“家庭日”的活动。 A. that B. what C. which D. when 【答案及简析】 B。 what既作连词又在宾语从句中作called的宾语。【25】 -What shall we have for dinner tonight?� -Oh，I don’t care. ____. It’s your job to come up with the menu，so get on with it.【译文】 ——今天晚上我们吃什么好呢？ ——喔，我不介意，什么都行。 A. Anything will do B. I won’t have lessons tomorrow C. I needn’t to talk about it with someone D. What a nice meal【答案及简析】 A。 do为不及物动词,"合适","行"。【26】 I hate ______ their complains all day. one of these days I’ll tell them what I really think.【译文】 我讨厌他们整天的抱怨。哪天我会告诉他们我的真实想法的。 A. paying attention to B. to talk about C. listening to D. to have heard�【答案及简析】 C。 从意思上推断只能用C。hate可以加不定式或动名词作宾语。【27】 Don’t be joking. It’s time to ______ your business.【译文】 不要开玩笑了，是干活的时候了。 A. set out B. take up C. go on D. get down【答案及简析】 A。 set out"着手""开始"; set out your business"开始干活儿"; take up"占用"; go on后不能直接接名词; get down to business"开始干正事"。【28】 -Everyone says you are a good student. You are never late for school，are you? -_______.【译文】 ——大家都说你是一个好学生。你从不迟到，是吗？——不，我有时迟到。 A. No，sometimes B. Yes，sometimes C. Yes，I did D. No，I do【答案及简析】 B。 肯定回答： Yes，I am late sometimes.否定回答： No，I am never late.【29】 _____ all the inventions have in common is ______ they have succeeded.�【译文】 所有发明共有的特点是他们成功了。 A. What; what B. That; what C. What; that D. That; that 【答案及简析】 C。 第一空既是主语从句的(谓语have)宾语,又是主句的主语,所以应该填what；第二空用that来引导表语从句。【30】 -Are you pleased with what he has done?� -Not in the least. It couldn’t be ____.�【译文】 ——你对他所做的工作满意吗？ ——一点也不满意。没有比这个更糟的了。 A. so bad B. much better C. any worse D. the best【答案及简析】 C。 否定词与比较级连用表最高级含义。【31】 -We want someone to design the new art museum for us.�-_____ the young fellow have a try?�【译文】 ——我们想找人为我们设计一个新的艺术博物馆。——是不是让这位年轻小伙子试一试？ A. May B. Shall C. Will D. Need【答案及简析】 B。 shall作为情态动词,用于二三人称,表示"询问"，"警告"，"允诺"，"命令"，"决心"，"强制"等语气。will作为情态动词，用于主语是各种人称的陈述句中，表示"意愿"和"倾向"。用于第二人称的疑问句中，表"请求"。【32】 When he was a little boy，he ______ on the farm.【译文】 但他是一个小孩时，常常在农场里劳动。 A. used to working B. used to work C. got used to work D. was used to work【答案及简析】 B。 used to do sth.意为"过去经常做某事"。be used to do sth.意为"被用来做某事"。be/get used to doing sth."习惯于做某事"。【33】 I’ll give the prize to _______ finishes the work first.【译文】 我将把奖品给最先完成工作的人。 A. whomever B. whoever C. who D. anyone【答案及简析】 B。 名词性从句中的“救从不救主原则”和“首选原则”。【34】 In the 16-19 age group，32 of women smoke ______ 28 of men.�【译文】 在16-19年龄组里，女性和男性抽烟的比例是32:28。 A. comparing to B. comparing with C. compared to D. compare with【答案及简析】 C。 与。。。相比较。【35】 How pleasant the picture is to _______！ 【译文】 这幅画看起来很不错！ A. be looked B. for looking at C. looking at D. look at【答案及简析】 D。 ＝It is peasant to look at the picture。故不定式用主动形式。【36】 It was five o’clock in the afternoon _____ they climbed up to the top of the mountain.【译文】 他们爬上山顶的时候是下午5点钟。 A. since B. when C. That D. until【答案及简析】 B。 此句为一主从复合句。"when"引导状语从句；若看作强调结构,应在five前加at。�【37】 -What did you think of ______ president?�-I didn’t care for him at first，but after ____ time I get to like him.【译文】 ——你认为这位总统如何？ ——起初我一点也不喜欢他。但过了一段时间，我却逐渐喜欢他了。 A. the; a B. /; the C. the; the D. /; a【答案及简析】 A。 the president特指"那个人",并非表"职衔"；"职务"。【38】 Last term our maths teacher set so difficult an examination problem _____ none of us worked out.【译文】 上学期数学老师考试出题太难，没有一个人能解出来。 A. that B. as C. so that D. which【答案及简析】 B。 as引导定语从句修饰"examination problem",在从句中作宾语,因其先行词前有限定词so。若看作"so…that…"结构,结果状语从句应加宾语,为"worked it out"。【39】 How pleased the detective was _____ what his customer told him!【译文】 侦探听到他的客户所讲的事很是高兴！ A. hearing B. heard C. to hearing D. to hear【答案及简析】 D。 "be pleased to do sth."为固定结构,不定式表原因。此感叹句的陈述句形式为： The detective was pleased to hear what his customer told him.【40】 Mrs. Brown was much disappointed to see the washing machine she had _____ went wrong again.【译文】 布朗太太看她修好的洗衣机又坏了很失望。 A. it repaired B. to be repaired C. to repair D. repaired【答案及简析】 D。 考查"have sth. done"结构,原句含定语从句"…the washing machine that s he had repaired…"【41】 -Has Tommy finished his homework yet?�-I have no idea; he ____ it this morning.【译文】 ——汤米完成了他的作业了吗？ —— 我不知道，今天上午他在做呢。 A. was doing B. had been doing C. has done D. did【答案及简析】 A。 表示今天上午一直在做作业。【42】 -If you have time tonight，I’d like to invite you to a ball.� -That’s very nice of you，but are you ____?�【译文】 ——如果你今晚有时间，我想邀你去跳舞。 ——太好了，是真的吗？ A. free B. careful C. serious D. true【答案及简析】 C。 serious：严肃的；认真的。"你是当真吗?"【43】 -You couldn’t have chosen any gift better for me.� -______.【译文】 ——你再不能选出比这更好的礼物了。——_______. A. Oh，I’d choose a better one for you next time.� B. You’ve had a gift for music，haven’t you? C. I’m glad that you like it so much. D. Sorry，but don’t blame me，dear.【答案及简析】 C。 本句意为"你再不能选出比这更好的礼物了。"意即"这是最好的礼物。"【44】 -My mathematics is very poor.� -Don’t worry. I’ll help you ______ I can.�【译文】 ——我的数学很差。 ——不要着急。我将尽力帮助你。 A. as far as B. as soon as C. as quickly as D. as possible as【答案及简析】 A。 as far as："就……"；"到……程度",表范围。D项应为"as…as possible"。【45】 -Did your uncle fly to Paris directly?� -No，he travelled from Hong Kong _____ London.【译文】 ——你叔叔直接飞巴黎去了？ ——不，他从香港出发取道伦敦飞抵巴黎。 A. through B. by way of C. across D. on way of【答案及简析】 B。 by way of意为"途经"；"经由"；"取道"。【46】 Canada，Australia and New Zealand are all ____ countries.【译文】 加拿大，澳大利亚和新西兰都是讲英语的国家。 A. spoken�English B. English�spoken C. speaking�English D. English�speaking【答案及简析】 D。 spoken�English的意思是：口头英语。English�speaking countries：讲英语的国家。【47】 He ____ me to keep away from cigarette and take more exercise.【译文】 他答应我不抽烟并且参加锻炼。 A. agreed B. suggested C. promised D. hoped【答案及简析】 C。 promise sb. to do sth.的用法。还可根据句义排除A【48】 The Beatles (一乐队名)，________ many of you are old enough to remember，came from Liverpool.【译文】 Beatles乐队，正如你们能记住的那样，来自利物浦。 A. for B. though C. As D. since【答案及简析】 C。as引导的非限制性定语从句，as代替整个主句。【49】 We used to work in the same office and we _________ have coffee together.�【译文】 我们过去在同一个办公室上班，常常一起喝咖啡。 A. would B. should C. which D. might【答案及简析】 A。would do sth.表示过去常常做某事(不涉及现在的情况)，used to do sth.过去常常做某事(现在已经不发出该动作了)。【50】 Is it Shakespeare Theatre _______ you are going to watch the play The Merchant of Venice?【译文】 这就是你看“威力斯商人”的那个莎士比亚剧院吗？ A. where B. that C. which D. as【答案及简析】 A。【51】 I _____ to take a holiday this summer, but I had to change my plan .【译文】 我原打算今年暑假休假，但我不得不改变主意。 A. would hope B. was hoping C. had been hoped D. had hoped【答案及简析】 D。 hope动作发生在had to change动作之前,是"过去的过去",故用过去完成时。【52】 -I heard Back Street would sing at the New Theater.�-Where did you _____?【译文】 ——我听说Back Street将在新戏院演唱。 ——你从何处得到这个消息的？ A. pick that up B. put that up C. make that up D. take that up【答案及简析】 A。 pick up为"获悉或打听到消息"之意。【53】 -Are you satisfied with her answer?�-Not at all. It couldn’t have been _____.【译文】 ——你满意他的回答么？ ——一点也不满意。不应该这样的糟。 A. worse B. so bad C. better D. the worse【答案及简析】 A。 can’t/couldn’t与比较级连用时表示"再也没有更……的了"。【54】 I will give the book to _____ wants to read it.【译文】 我将把这本书给那些想读它的人。 A. whoever B. whomever C. who D. whom【答案及简析】 A。 whoever在引导的名词性从句中作主语,整个从句做介词to的宾语。此处可用anyone who来替换。【55】 -Thank you very much.� -You are welcome. I was _____ glad to help.【译文】 ——非常感谢你。 ——欢迎你。我很高兴能帮助你。 A. too much B. only too C. not so D. very much【答案及简析】 B。 too…to…前面有only时表示肯定含义。【56】 If _____ the same treatment again, he’s sure to get well.【译文】 如果再进行同样的治疗，他肯定会好的。 A. giving B. give C. given D. being given【答案及简析】 C。 在条件状语从句中,如果其主语和主句的主语一致,那么可以把条件句中的主语和系动词be同时省略。此题中即是在If后省略了he is。【57】 His best known work that is _____ all praise can be seen in the museum.【译文】 在博物馆将会看到他那令人赞叹不已的最出名的作品。 A. with B. beyond C. without D. within【答案及简析】 B。 此处beyond意为"超出(……的范围)"。【58】 -What do you think of the book?� -Oh, excellent. It is worth _____ second time.【译文】 ——你认为这本书如何？ ——喔，不错！只得再看一遍。 A. to read a B. to read the C. reading a D. being read the【答案及简析】 C。 be worth doing本身就表示被动含义,即"值得做某事"。a second time表示不确定的"第二次",实为"又一次",并非特定,故不用the。【59】 Let us hope we can settle the matter without _____ more trouble.【译文】 让我们希望解决这个问题没有任何麻烦。 A. any B. a little C. some D. little【答案及简析】 A。 any一般用在具有否定意义的短语或句子当中。【60】 Charles did what he could _____ the servant, although he himself was in danger.�【译文】 尽管他自己也在危险中，Charles尽了他的一切努力救助他的仆人。 A. rescue B. rescued C. to rescue D. rescuing【答案及简析】 C。 此题中could后省略了do,而不定式to rescue是目的状语。这些都是09年各个省市的调研试题,出处我实在是找不到了(不好意思,但是你说高考题要注明出处,这些绝大多数都是高考题的改编)
叮叮猫儿要飞
许多在眼前看来天大的事，都不是人生一战，而只是人生一站。确实高考备战让你们很辛苦，可是已经坚持了这么久，这就已经是胜利。祝高考成功!下面是我为大家推荐的河北英语高考题2017年，仅供大家参考!
第I卷
注意事项：
1.答第I卷前，考生务必将自己的姓名、准考证号填写在答题卡上
2.选出每小题答案后，用2B铅笔把答题卡上对应题目的答案标号涂黑。如需改动，用橡皮擦干净后，再选涂其他答案标号。不能答在本试卷上，否则无效
第一部分听力(共两节，满分30分)
做题时，先将答案标在试卷上，录音内容结束后，你将有两分钟的时间将试卷上的答案转涂到答题卡上
第一节(共5小题;每小题1.5分，满分7.5分)
听下面5段对话。每段对话后有一个小题，从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项，并标在试卷的相应位置。听完每段对话后，你都有10秒钟的时间来回答有关小题和阅读下一小题题。每段对话仅读一遍。
例：How much is the shirt?
A.￡19.15. B.￡9.18. C.￡9.15.
答案是C。
1. Where is Mary?
A. In the classroom. B. In the library. C. On the playground.
2. How much should the man pay for the tickets?
A. $16. B. $12. C. $6
3. Why can’t the woman give the man some help?
A. She is quite busy now.
B. She doesn’t like grammar.
C. She is poor in grammar，too.
4. What happened to Marx?
A. He lost his way.
B. He found his bike missing.
C. He lost his wallet.
5. Why did the man fail to attend the party?
A. He forgot it.
B. He didn’t know about the party.
C. He wasn’t invited to the party.
第二节(共15小题;每小题1.5分，满分22.5分)
听下面5段对话或独白。每段对话或独白后有几个小题，从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项，并标在试卷的相应位置。听每段对话或独白前，你将有时间阅读各个小题，每小题5秒钟;听完后，各小题将给出5秒钟的作答时间。每段对话或独白读两遍。
听第6段材料，回答第6、7题。
6. Why must the man drive to work?
A. It is the quickest way.
B. He has to use his car after work.
C. He lives too far from the subway.
7. What’s the relationship between the speakers?
A. Boss and employee.
B. Grandmother and grandson.
C. Teacher and student.
听第7段材料，回答第8～9题。
8. When is Alice’s birthday?
A. Tomorrow. B. The day after tomorrow. C. Today.
9. What will the two speakers buy for Alice?
A. A recorder. B. Some flowers. C. A box of chocolates.
听第8段材料，回答第10~12题。
10. What does the woman do in the group?
A. Play the piano. B. Play the violin. C. Sing for the group.
11. Who is Miss Pearson?
A. Leader of the group.B. Director of the group. C. Teacher of the group.
12. How often does the group meet?
A. Once a week. B. Twice a week. C. Every third week.
听第9段材料，回答第13~16题。
13. Who possibly is the woman?
A. An air hostess. B. A native Indian. C. A travel agent.
14. How long does the trip last?
A. Seven days. B. Eight days. C. Nine days.
15. What will the man probably do at the second stage?
A. Do some shopping. B. Visit the Taj Mabal. C. See wild animals.
16. What will the speakers do next?
A. Say goodbye to each other.B. Find out the price. C. Go to India by air.
听第10段材料，回答第17~20题。
17. In what way does Jack like to travel?
A. With a lot of people.
B. With one or two good friends.
C. All by himself.
18. What does Helen prefer on holiday?
A. Staying at home.
B. Seeing famous places.
C. Enjoying nature quietly.
19. What does Bob like the best about travel?
A. Making more friends. B. Buying what he wants. C. Seeing and learning.
20. Who prefers to do shopping while traveling?
A. Jack. B. Helen. C. Bob.
第二部分阅读理解(共两节，满分40分)
第一节(共15小题;每小题2分，满分30分)
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
We have designed all our bank cards to make your life easier.
Using your NatWest Service Card
As a Switch card, it lets you pay for all sorts of goods and services, whenever you see the Switch logo. The money comes straight out of your account, so you can spend as much as you like as long as you have enough money (or an agreed overdraft (透支) to cover it). It is also a cheque guarantee card for up to the amount shown on the card. And it gives you free access to your money from over 31,000 cash machines across the UK.
Using your NatWest Cash Card
You can use your Cash Card as a Solo card to pay for goods and services wherever you see the Solo logo. It can also give you access to your account and your cash from over 31,000 cash machines nationwide. You can spend or withdraw what you have in your account, or as much as your agreed overdraft limit.
Using your cards abroad
You can also use your Service Card and Cash Card when you’re abroad. You can withdraw cash at cash machines and pay for goods and services wherever you see the Cirrus or Maestro logo displayed.
We take a commission charge (手续费) of 2.25% of each cash withdrawal you make (up to￡4) and a commission charge of 75 pence every time you use Maestro to pay for goods or services. We also apply a foreign-exchange transaction fee of 2.65%.
Using your NatWest Credit Card
With your credit card you can do the following:
* Pay for goods and services and enjoy up to 56 days’ interest-free credit.
* Pay in over 24 million shops worldwide that display the MasterCard or Visa logos.
* Collect one AIR MILE for every￡20 of spending that appears on your statement (结算单). (This does not include foreign currency or traveler’s cheques bought, interest and other charges.)
21. If you carry the Service Card or the Cash Card, ________.
A. you can use it to guarantee things as you wish
B. you can draw your money from cash machines conveniently
C. you can spend as much money as you like without a limit
D. you have to pay some extra money when you pay for services in the UK
22. If you withdraw￡200 from a cash machine abroad, you will be charged ________.
A. ￡4 B. ￡4.5 C. ￡5.25 D. ￡5.3
23. Which of the following is TRUE about using your NatWest Credit Card?
A. You have to pay back with interest within 56 days.
B. You can use the card in any shop across the world.
C. You will be charged some interest beyond two months.
D. You will gain one air mile if you spend ￡20 on traveller’s cheques.
24. The purpose of the passage is to show you how to ________.
A. pay for goods with your cards B. use your cards abroad
C. draw cash with your cards D. play your cards right
B
Once when I was facing a decision that involved high risk, I went to a friend. He looked at me for a moment, and then wrote a sentence containing the best advice I’ve ever had: Be bold and brave — and mighty (强大的) forces will come to your aid.
Those words made me see clearly that when I had fallen short in the past, it was seldom because I had tried and failed. It was usually because I had let fear of failure stop me from trying at all. On the other hand, whenever I had plunged into deep water, forced by courage or circumstance, I had always been able to swim until I got my feet on the ground again.
Boldness means a decision to bite off more than you can eat. And there is nothing mysterious about the mighty forces. They are potential powers we possess: energy, skill, sound judgment, creative ideas — even physical strength greater than most of us realize.
Admittedly, those mighty forces are spiritual ones. But they are more important than physical ones. A college classmate of mine, Tim, was an excellent football player, even though he weighed much less than the average player. “In one game I suddenly found myself confronting a huge player, who had nothing but me between him and our goal line,” said Tim. “I was so frightened that I closed my eyes and desperately threw myself at that guy like a bullet — and stopped him cold.”
Boldness — a willingness to extend yourself to the extreme—is not one that can be acquired overnight. But it can be taught to children and developed in adults. Confidence builds up. Surely, there will be setbacks (挫折) and disappointments in life; boldness in itself is no guarantee of success. But the person who tries to do something and fails is a lot better off than the person who tries to do nothing and succeeds.
So, always try to live a little bit beyond your abilities—and you’ll find your abilities are greater than you ever dreamed.
25. Why was the author sometimes unable to reach his goal in the past?
A. He faced huge risks. B. He lacked mighty forces.
C. Fear prevented him from trying. D. Failure blocked his way to success.
26. What is the implied meaning of the underlined part?
A. Swallow more than you can digest. B. Act slightly above your abilities.
C. Develop more mysterious powers. D. Learn to make creative decisions.
27. What can be learned from Paragraph 5?
A. Confidence grows more rapidly in adults. B. Trying without success is meaningless.
C. Repeated failure creates a better life. D. Boldness can be gained little by little.
C
The wallet is heading for extinction. As a day-to-day essential, it will die off with the generation who read print newspapers. The kind of shopping-where you hand over notes and count out change in return—now happens only in the most minor of our retail encounters，like buying a bar of chocolate or a pint of milk from a corner shop. At the shops where you spend any real money, that money is increasingly abstracted. And this is more and more true, the higher up the scale you go. At the most cutting-edge retail stores—Victoria Beckham on Dover Street, for instance—you don't go and stand at any kind of cash register when you decide to pay. The staff are equipped with iPads to take your payment while you relax on a sofa.
Which is nothing more or less than excellent service, if you have the money. But across society, the abstraction(抽象) of the idea of cash makes me uneasy. Maybe I'm just old-fashioned. But earning money isn't quick or easy for most of us. Isn't it a bit incredible that spending it should happen in half a blink(眨眼)of an eye? Doesn't a wallet—that time-honoured Friday-night feeling of pleasing, promising fatness—represent something that matters?
But I'll leave the economics to the experts. What bothers me about the death of the wallet is the change it represents in our physical environment. Everything about the look and feel of a wallet—the way the fastenings and materials wear and tear and loosen with age, the plastic and paper and gold and silver, and handwritten phone numbers and printed cinema tickets—is the very opposite of what our world is becoming. The opposite of a wallet is a smartphone or an iPad. The rounded edges, cool glass, smooth and unknowable as pebble(鹅卵石). Instead of digging through pieces of paper and peering into corners, we move our fingers left and right. No more counting out coins. Show your wallet, if you still have one. It may not be here much longer.
28. What is happening to the wallet?
A. It is disappearing. B. It is being fattened.
C. It is becoming costly. D. It is changing in style.
29. What makes the author feel uncomfortable nowadays?
A. Saving money is becoming a thing of the past.
B. The pleasing Friday-night feeling is fading.
C. Earning money is getting more difficult.
D. Spending money is so fast and easy.
30. Why does the author choose to write about what's happening to the wallet?
A. It represents a change in the modern world.
B. It has something to do with everybody's life.
C. It marks the end of a time-honoured tradition.
D. It is the concern of contemporary economists.
31. What can we infer from the passage about the author?
A. He is resistant to social changes.
B. He is against technological progress.
C. He feels reluctant to part with the traditional wallet.
D. He feels insecure in the ever-changing modern world.
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