In 2003, Joe wrote and produced the short 10
,“Joe Wong For President,” which won Best Short Film at the 2003 Cambridge Fringe Fest beating out nationwide competition. After the Fringe Fest, he appeared on the local television show Chowdah. B. film
Cheered on by his fellow comedians, Joe was a
11
in the 2003 Boston International Comedy Festival, thus making his way to the top eight of some 300 contestants from all over North America. During the competition, lots of reporters took
12
. B. notice
A. finalist
In the 2005 Boston Comedy Festival, Joe participated in the talk shows where his performance won great
13
from the press. Later that year, he was
14
by a public radio station.
Nowadays, Joe Wong performs
15
in major comedy clubs and colleges throughout the country.
D. reviews A. interviewed A. regularly
(12)
Today we tell a traditional American story called a “tall tale.” A tall tale is a story about a person who is larger than life. An African-American man named John Henry was the
1 of the people who built the
2 . He was known for his
3 . He worked for the railroads.
B. soul C. railroads A. strength
By the time John Henry was a young man, he was one of the best
4
in the country. People said he worked so fast that his
5
moved like lightening. A. steel-drivers B. hammers
One day, a salesman came to the work area with a new drilling machine powered by
6 . He said it could drill holes faster than twelve men working together. But the supervisor of the workers
7
the salesman’s claims. He told the salesman that John Henry could
8
more than twenty men working together. But the salesman didn’t believe him so a
9
took place.
A. dismissed B. beat A. race D. steam At first, the steam-powered drill worked two times
10 than John Henry did. Then, he started working with a hammer in each hand. He worked faster and faster. His wife and son cheered when the machine was pulled from the tunnel. But he kept on working, faster and faster. He hit the
11
so hard that his body began to fail him. He became weak, and
12 . His wife and son cried sadly.
B. faster C. steel D. died
Soon, the steam drill and other machines
13 the steel-drivers. Many laborers left their families, looking for work. They took the only jobs they could find. As they worked, some sang about John Henry. We are not sure whether John Henry really lives but many people say he
14
the spirit of growth in
15 during this period. B. replaced
A. represented
D. America * It’s not that we find truth with a big “T”. We investigate and sometimes we find things out and sometimes we don’t. There’s no way to know in
15
. It’s just that we have to go on as though there are answers to questions. We must go on as though we can find things out - even if we can’t. B. advance
(5)
When I was a kid, most of my friends could stay home from school after making any excuse but not me. I had to be
1
in order to stay home. My parents
2
to say that they were teaching me how to have a good
3
ethic(道德). A. lying C. used D. work
Last week, I was on the train and sat behind a young man who was
4
to his friend about his life. His passion in life is to make movies but he will not
5
it because he has no
6
if he can make enough money and he does not want to waste
7
because probably it will take years to make it big.
D. complaining
A. pursue B. clue
C. time
He then admitted to thinking about becoming a(n)
8
because he thought he can
9
make six figures within one year. His friend agreed because as he put it, “I have no
10
to work long hours and not make much money. Accounting is good because you can make tons of money and only work like 30 hours.” A. desire
C. easily D. accountant
However, many people these days don’t
11 that when things seem to happen immediately, it is only because a lot of
12
, determination and time has gone into it. In the television show Fame, the dance teacher told her dance students, “if you want fame, fame costs and here’s how you start
13
for it, in sweat.”
B. effort C. paying D. realize
Every time I watched that show, my dad would
14
state how right she was because in order to succeed you have to work hard.
There was no
15
for laziness. D. excuse B. proudly (6)
Tess was eight years old when she heard her parents talking about her little brother, Andrew. All she knew was that he was very sick and they had no money. Only a very costly
1
could save him now and no one wanted to
2
them the money. She heard Daddy say to her Mother 3
,“Only a miracle (奇迹)can save him now.” 真情故事 D. operation B. lend D. sadly
Tess got all the change he had and
4
her way to Rexall’s Drug Store.
“What do you want?” the clerk asked.
“A miracle.” Tess answered. “My little brother has something
5
growing inside his head and my dad says only a miracle can save him now.”
“We don’t
6
miracles here, little girl.” the clerk said. A. made B. bad C. sell
The clerk’s brother was a well-dressed man. He 7 over and asked the little girl, “What kind of miracle does your brother need?”
“I don’t know,” Tess
8
with tears in her eyes. “I just know he’s badly
9
, but my dad can’t
10
for a miracle, so I want to use my one dollar and eleven cents”. Tess answered in a
11 voice. A. replied D. ill C. pay B. low C. came
“A dollar and eleven cents-the
12
price of a miracle for little brothers.” smiled the man. That well-dressed man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon. The operation was completed without 13
and it wasn’t long before Andrew was home again and doing well. That surgery is a real
14
. It costs one dollar and eleven cents, plus the
15
of a little child. A. exact C. charge B. faith
D. miracle
(7)
There are so many things our mothers do for us that are taken for granted, and too often are never given a second thought.
Mum was busy and always came home very
1 , but after her hard day at work, Mom would listen with great
2
and enthusiasm to all our long, drawn-out stories and
3
prattling(絮叨) that we had saved up all day to tell her. C. tired A. interest D. endless
One school’s “Theme Day”, the children were
4
to dress in costume(女套服). Though Mom was exhausted from working all day, she got right to
5
my costume. But I was horrified to
6
that she was using an old fifty-pound potato sack (麻布袋) for my costume! I couldn’t wear a potato sack!
B. make D. discover C. supposed Mom tried to assure me that it would be
7 , but it didn’t make me feel better. I went to bed that night, not wanting to
8
the next morning, and secretly planning to tell my teacher I forgot. A. ok B. face
When I woke up the next morning, Mom was up and
9
for work, and had just put the finishing touches on my costume. I looked at it reluctantly, but to my
10
, it was wonderful! I tried it on, and it
11
me perfectly! I couldn’t believe that such a good costume should come from an old sack! C. delight
D. fit
D. dressed
Mom was very pleased with my
12
, but looked very tired. It was not until then that I 13
Mom had stayed up all night,
14
my costume, but then had to go to work, without
15
at all! B. reaction A. sewing C. sleep D. realized (8)
Susannah was a shy but clever girl. She had worn
1
for as long as she could remember. And again, for as long as she could remember, some of her classmates had always made fun of her. The worst thing was that Lewis
2
her “Four Eyes”. She acted like she didn’t
3
, but in fact Susannah couldn’t stand it. 学校生活 D. called
B. mind
A. glasses
One day, the class went on a school outing to
4
some famous caves. The children were walking towards the caves, while Lewis
5
. While falling, he got
6
of Susannah, who walked next to him, and both
7
down the hole. D. slipped A. hold C. fell C. visit
They landed in a dark cave. Susannah and Lewis shouted for
8
, but no one came. The next morning they still hadn’t been found and Lewis continued shouting for help, but no
9
and he started feeling
10
. A. scared
B. response D. help
It must have been noontime, because Susannah
11
that the ray of light just landed on the floor in front of her.
12
, she took a piece of wood that had fallen into the cave, and, using her glasses as a magnifying(放大) glass, she focused the ray of light onto the
13
. Now they had a torch (火把). Lewis watched with surprise and excitement and off they went to explore the cave. B. Quickly C. wood D. noticed
It took them some time, and they had to burn quite a few torches, but
14
they found a way out. On top of hugs and cries of
15
, Lewis gave Susannah his heartfelt thanks. C. finally
B. relief (9)
A diary can play many roles. It can be a close
1
, a storehouse of dreams or a 2
that helps clearness of thought. A diary can also be a powerful source of
3 during challenging or upsetting periods. When you 4
those insights and incidents, you can return to your words days, weeks, or months later and find uniquely comforting reassurance.
C. pleasure A. record
C. tool
D. friend
A diary with a specific purpose
5
the urgency of your life and thus provides you with a landmark to return to when you begin to doubt yourself. If
6
does arise, simply open your diary to copy your experiences to recapture those
7
of confidence, passion, and bravery you felt in the past. D. reflects B. doubt D. feelings
You should give some thought to the
8
of diary that will serve you best. A series of diaries might describe those accidental occurrences in a meaningful way, pushing you
9 . A pride diary makes note not only of those times you felt
10
of yourself but also precisely why you were pleased with your efforts. And a cause-and-effect diary can help you become more decisive by
11
you of all the wise choices you have
12
. C. type
C. proud
C. reminding D. made
B. forward
Regardless of the type of focused diary you choose to keep, your recollections will 13
a positive feedback circle that helps you cope with doubt in a constructive way. Reading through your diary when
14
seems uncertain can show you that your doubt is
15 . You will know without a doubt that you are indeed living your purpose. A. life B. unfounded
A. create
(10)
Tommy, an only child, had always been happy, cooperative and an excellent student. How could I
1
his father and mother that his recent
2 grades reflected a broken-hearted child’s reaction to his adored parents
3 and forthcoming divorce? I called both of them to come to school, but neither
4
that I had summoned the other. 生活万象 A. failing D. separation C. knew B. convince
Tommy’s mother entered and took one of the
5
I had placed near my desk. Soon the father arrived. Good! At least they were concerned enough. A look of
6
and irritation passed between them, and then they pointedly
7
each other. C. surprise A. ignored
A. chairs I found a crumpled tear-stained sheet in his desk, on which
8
covered both sides, just a single sentence scribbled over and over.
9
I smoothed it out and gave it to Tommy’s mother. She read it and then without a word 10
it to her husband. He frowned. Then his face softened. He studied the scrawled words for what seemed a long time.
B. Silently
B. handed C. writing At last he
11
the paper carefully, placed it in his pocket, and reached for his wife’s outstretched
12 . She wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled at him. He
13
her with her coat and they left together.
C. helped A. hand C. folded
I could
14
describe my feelings at that moment, but I finally understood that it is 15
that makes the world go around.
The words on the paper: “Dear Mom, Dear Daddy, I love you ...I love you ... I love you.” D. love
D. hardly 名人轶事 (11)
Joe Wong is a Chinese-American comedian. His jokes
1
from racial, personal, and political. It’s not always easy to
2
his humor, but it is always inspiring. B. range C. classify
In China, Joe enjoyed watching
3
Chinese stand-up comedy. Continually fascinated by the American
4
he tried to learn about it through rock music from radio stations, books and movies. Joe graduated at Rice University in Texas. In 1996, Joe tried his
5
skills by writing for the campus newspaper. He was excited to find out how much people enjoyed his humor. B. traditional
D. culture D. writing
Moving to Boston in late 2001 to take advantage of the well-established comedy scene, Joe
6
in stand-up comedy classes. He quickly became a famous
7 . Joe has
8
the Lizard Lounge weekly comedy contest six times, thus
9
out in the comedy club in Cambridge, Massachusetts noted for its smart comedians. C. comedian
D. won A. standing
A. enrolled
生活经历 (1)
I will never forget the smile and the look of a young man’s face on the train.
One day I took the train home. There was an
1
seat facing a young man. The man looked
2
and you could easily notice his drug addiction from his
3 . The train was extremely
4 but no one wanted to sit near him. B. empty C. dirty A. appearance D. crowded C.dirty I
5
to him and sat directly opposite to him. I looked him in the eye and smiled. I would never forget the
6
on his face. It was a special look of shock, shame and amazement. He was obviously
7
that someone would sit opposite him. Then a look of shame
8
the shock.
B. walked
A. look C. shocked B. replaced
He realized that his drug addiction was so
9
that I could easily see it from his appearance. Then he tried to clean up himself
10
and quietly. He straightened his posture and
11
his hair. After the clean-up, he said nothing nor tried to get closer. He just stared out of the
12
. Sometimes he looked at me with an 13smile. D. obvious A. secretly B. window
C. arranged A moment later he arrived at his
14
. Right before going out of the carriage, he put on a big and
15
smile. “Have a good day,” he said. The smile was unforgettable. All I did was smile and what I got was amazing.
D. stop B. sincere (2)
On our way home we came across a bunch of checks belonging to a woman named Stacey. The checks totaled about $3000!
1
, there were 3 $100 bills. We thought that it would be funny if we brought the checks to the
2
and simply deposited(储蓄)it for the woman without
3 anything.
A. Besides
A. bank
B. saying
Although
4
the money was a good thing to do, I made the suggestion that we should
5
that she do something good in
6
.
C. depositing
C. request
B. return
So after some discussion, we got to Stacey’s bank, saying that “Hey, listen, at some point during the day a
7
named Stacey is going to come here
8
about losing her checks and some
9
. Tell her that her checks were found and the person that found them wanted her to read this
10
.” B. woman
A. worried
D. cash
C. note
“Stacey, Hello, I found your checks and 11 it to the bank. I don’t know if you take the train in the morning or if you live here, but there is a
12
man that sits outside the train station every morning, and I am sure that if you would like to
13
along the good deed, he would love a coffee and bagel (过水面包圈)tomorrow morning. Have a great day!” D. brought B. homeless
A. pass
I am
14
to say that the next morning when we got off the train, the homeless man was there and he had a big cup of
15
and a bagel.
B. happy C. coffee
(3)
An old woman in the supermarket had trouble getting her left shoe back on her foot. The
1
was that she couldn’t find a good place to
2
herself. I ran up next to her and asked, “Would you like some
3
?”
C. problem
A. balance
C. help
“Oh please.” she said “I took my
4
off because it had a small stone inside.” I
5
she place her left hand on my shoulder. It
6
just a moment and the task was done. D. suggested
B. took
D. shoe
After that, she said to me, “At my age I don’t get to meet many foreigners. You
7
like a wonderful young man. It would be like getting to eat a meal in a
8
country, without needing to travel. Would this be OK? I wouldn’t want to be
9
.” C. foreign A. disturbing D. seem
I must say her
10
caught me off guard. “Well sure!” I said. “I hope I buy things you won’t
11
eating.” As a way of seeing just how
12
she was, I put a bottle of wine in my cart. A. humorous
B. mind B. proposal “Is that wine?” she said. “I never tasted alcohol. After so many years of hard work it’s wonderful to
13
myself to such a luxury. This is the first time in my life I’ll try wine, and I’m going to pretend that I’m at a fine restaurant in Italy. Perhaps I’ll buy a phrase book to learn what to say to the
14
!”
Isn’t it wonderful, to make friends with a lady that has such a lively
15
! C. treat
C. waiter
D. imagination
(4)
When I was ten, I asked my
neighborhood, “Which city is further west, Reno or Los Angeles?” The correct answer is Reno. But he was so
1
that Los Angeles was west of Reno that he was willing to bet me two
2 . So I went to get my map of the USA. The guy looked at it and said, “The map is not
3
at all.” Actually it was. However, he was bigger than me. So I didn’t
4 my two dollars. 人生感悟 B. convinced
C. dollars
A. accurate
C. get
I
5
some conclusions from this story. There is such a thing as
6
, but we often benefit from ignoring it or directly
7
it. Also, truth is neither relative nor subjective. It may be
8
to find. But there is such a thing as truth and the pursuit of truth: trying to figure out what has really happened, trying to figure out how things
9
are.
D. drew A. truth D. denying
C. hard B. really
Almost 15 years ago, I
10
a story about a (n) 11 man, who had been sentenced to death in Texas. And through hard work, I was able to make the movie The Thin Blue Line and to help get him out of
12 . D. prison
A. innocent B. come across
What kept me going was the
13
that there had to be answers to the questions “Was he guilty or not?”, “If not, who was?” and that I could find
answers to these questions through
14
. C. investigating C. belief *