I used to believe in the American Dream, which meant a job, a mortgage, credit cards, success. I wanted it and worked toward it like everyone else, all of us 51 chasing the same thing.
One year, through a series of unhappy events, it all fell 52 . I found myself homeless and alone. I had my truck and $56. I 53 the countryside for some place I could rent for the 54 possible amount. I came upon a shabby house four miles up a winding mountain road over the Potomac River in West Virginia. It was 55 , full of broken glass and rubbish. I found the owner, rented it, and 56 a corner to camp in.
The locals knew nothing about me, but slowly, they started teaching me the 57 of being a neighbor. They dropped off blankets, candles, and tools, and began sticking around to chat. They started to teach me a belief in a 58 American Dream—not the one of individual achievement but of neighborliness.
What I had believed in, all those things I thought were 59 for a civilized life, were nonexistent in this place. 60 on the mountain, my most valuable possessions were my 61 with my neighbors.
Four years later, I moved back into 62 . I saw many people were having a really hard time,
63 their jobs and homes. I managed to rent a big enough house to 64 a handful of people. There are four of us now in the house, but over time I’ve had nine people come in and move on to other places. We’d all be in shelters if we hadn’t banded together.
The American Dream I believe in now is a shared one. It’s not so much about what I can get for myself; it’s about 65 we can all get bytogether.
| 小题1: | | A．separately | B．equally | C．violently | D．naturally |
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| 小题3: | | A．crossed | B．left | C．toured | D．searched |
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| 小题4: | | A．fullest | B．largest | C．fairest | D．cheapest |
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| 小题5: | | A．occupied | B．abandoned | C．emptied | D．robbed |
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| 小题6: | | A．turned | B．approached | C．cleared | D．cut |
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| 小题7: | | A．benefit | B．lesson | C．nature | D．art |
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| 小题8: | | A．wild | B．real | C．different | D．remote |
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| 小题9: | | A．unique | B．expensive | C．rare | D．necessary |
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| 小题10: | | A．Up | B．Down | C．Deep | D．Along |
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| 小题11: | | A．cooperation | B．relationships | C．satisfaction | D．appointments |
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| 小题12: | | A．reality | B．society | C．town | D．life |
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| 小题13: | | A．creating | B．losing | C．quitting | D．offering |
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| 小题14: | | A．put in | B．turn in | C．take in | D．get in |
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| 小题15: | | A．when | B．what | C．whether | D．how |
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小题1:A
小题2:B
小题3:D
小题4:D
小题5:B
小题6:C
小题7:D
小题8:C
小题9:D
小题10:A
小题11:B
小题12:C
小题13:B
小题14:C
小题15:D |
试题分析：文章介绍作者一开始的美国梦就是我们所有人都各自追求相同的东西，在乡村呆了一段时间后，当地人教会作者相信一个与以前自己所追求的不同的“美国梦”，即：美国梦不是指个人所取得的成就，而是邻居们一起取得的成就。
小题1:考查副词：本句意思是我们所有人都各自追求相同的东西。“separately” 分别地；分离地；个别地；“equally”平等地；“violently” 猛烈地，激烈地，极端地；“naturally” 自然地。选A。
小题2:考查词组搭配：本句意思是经过了一系列的不幸事件，一切（梦想和追求）都破灭了。“fall off” 减少；跌落；下降；离开；衰退；“fall apart” 崩溃；土崩瓦解；破碎；“fall over” 跌倒，摔倒；绊了一跤；“fall out” 发生；脱落；争吵；离队；结果是。选C.
小题3:考查动词：A. crossed 穿过，B. left 离开C. toured 周游，D. searched寻找，本句意思是我在农村寻找最便宜的出租地方。“search some place for something”为寻找---而搜---的地方。选D。
小题4:考查形容词最高级：A. fullest最满的，B. largest 最大的，C. fairest 最公平的，D. cheapest最便宜的，从上一句作者提到自己无家可归和独自一人可知是在寻找最便宜的房子。选D。
小题5:考查动词：从描述的房子现状—到处都是碎玻璃和垃圾—和作者找到房主可知这房子是废弃不用的。“occupy”占据，占领；居住；使忙碌；“abandon” 遗弃；放弃；“empty” 使失去；使…成为空的；“rob” 抢劫；使…丧失；非法剥夺。选B。
小题6:考查动词：本句意思是打扫了屋子的一角住了下来。Turned转身， approach接近；着手处理;clear 通过；清除；使干净；跳过。Cut切割，选C。
小题7:考查名词：此处指当地人教给我与做邻居的方法艺术。A. benefit利益，B. lesson功课，C. nature自然，D. art艺术，选D。
小题8:考查形容词：A. wild 野的，B. real真的，C. different不同的，D. remote遥远的，本句意思是当地人教会作者相信一个与以前自己所追求的不同的“美国梦”，即：美国梦不是指个人所取得的成就，而是邻居们一起取得的成就。选C
小题9:考查形容词：A. unique独特的，B. expensive昂贵的，C. rare罕见的，D. necessary必要的，本句意思是我曾经所相信的对文明是必要的那些东西（第一段中提到的工作、按揭、信用卡和成功等东西）在这里是不存在的。选D
小题10:考查副词：A. Up向上，B. Down向下，C. Deep深的，D. Along沿着，从第二段中“I came upon a shabby house four miles up a winding mountain road”一句可知是在山上。选A
小题11:考查名词：A. cooperation合作，B. relationships 关系，C. satisfaction满意，D. appointments失望，本句意思是我最宝贵的财产是邻里之间的关系。选B
小题12:考查名词：A. reality现实，B. society社会，C. town 城镇，D. life生活，本句意思是四年以后作者回到了城市。选C
小题13:考查动词：A. creating创造，B. losing失去，C. quitting放弃，D. offering提供，根据上文 I saw many people were having a really hard time, 和后面一句作者租了个大房子来帮助人可知这儿是指失去工作和家的人。选B
小题14:考查词组：此处指收容一些无家可归的人。“put in” 提出，提交；放入；种植；使就职；“turn in” 交上；归还；拐入；告发；上床睡觉；“take in” 吸收；领会；欺骗；接待;接受；理解；拘留；欺骗；让…进入；改短；“get in” 进入；到达；陷入；收获。选C
小题15:考查疑问词：A. when是吗时候，B. what什么C. whether 是否，D. how怎样，本句意思是“美国梦” 更多不是意味着我自己能得到什么，而是意味着我们怎样团结起来共同度过。本题容易选择“what”理解成获得什么，但是这儿用的是“get by”意思是通过；过得去；过活；获得认可。选D |
核心考点
试题【I used to believe in the American Dream, which meant a job, a mortgage, credit c】；主要考察你对
题材分类等知识点的理解。
[详细]举一反三
“Why do we shout in anger?” a saint (圣人) asked his disciples (门徒). “Why do people shout at each other when they are upset?”
His disciples thought for a while, and one of them said, “Because we 16 our calm, we shout for that.”
“But, why do you shout when the other person is 17 next to you?” asked the saint. “Isn’t it possible to speak to him or her with a soft 18 ? Why do you shout at a person when you’re angry?”
Disciples gave some other answers but none 19 the saint. Finally he explained, “When two people are angry at each other, their 20 distance a lot. To cover that distance they must shout to be able to hear each other. The angrier they are, the 21 they will have to shout to hear each other through that great distance.”
Then the saint asked, “What 22 when two people fall in love? They don’t shout at each other but talk softly, why? Because their hearts are very close and the distance between them is very 23 .”
The saint continued, “When they love each other even more, what happens? They do not speak loudly, only whisper and they get 24 closer to each other in their love. Finally they even need not whisper, they only 25 each other and that’s all. That is how close two people are when they love each other.”
The saint said finally, “When you argue, do not let your hearts get 26 , and do not say words that distance each other more, or there will come a day when the distance is so great that you will not 27 the path to return!”
| 小题1: | | A．miss | B．lose | C．avoid | D．refuse |
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| 小题2: | | A．already | B．yet | C．just | D．well |
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| 小题3: | | A．voice | B．sound | C．attitude | D．manner |
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| 小题4: | | A．excited | B．satisfied | C．surprised | D．persuaded |
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| 小题5: | | A．heads | B．brains | C．backs | D．hearts |
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| 小题6: | | A．faster | B．slower | C．louder | D．earlier |
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| 小题7: | | A．happens | B．matters | C．decides | D．concerns |
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| 小题8: | | A．short | B．long | C．easy | D．hard |
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| 小题10: | | A．look at | B．take over | C．turn away | D．rely on |
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| 小题11: | | A．empty | B．distant | C．cold | D．lonely |
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| 小题12: | | A．build | B．repair | C．follow | D．find |
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In all one’s lifetime, it is 28 that one spends the most time being with or dealing with, but it is precisely oneself that one has the least 29 of. When you are going upwards in life, you tend to overestimate yourself; when you are going downhill you tend to underestimate yourself. It"s 30 that you think it wise for yourself to know your place and stay away from worldly trouble wearing a mask of cowardice, behind 31 the flow of sap in your life will be retarded (妨碍).
To get a thorough understanding of oneself 32 doing oneself a favor when it"s needed. In time of anger, do yourself a favor by giving vent (发泄) to it in a quiet place so that you won"t be hurt by its flames; in time of 33 , do yourself a favor by sharing it with your friends so as to change a gloomy mood into a cheerful one; in time of tiredness, do yourself a favor by getting a good sleep or taking some tonic. Show yourself loving 34 about your health and daily life. Unless you know perfectly well when and how to do yourself a favor, you won"t be confident and ready enough to resist the attack of illness.
To get a thorough understanding of oneself is to get a full control of ones life. Then one will 35 one"s life full of color and flavor.
| 小题1: | | A．oneself | B．yourself | C．one | D．you |
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| 小题2: | | A．awareness | B．understanding | C．sense | D．mind |
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| 小题3: | | A．perhaps | B．certain | C．likely | D．sure |
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| 小题5: | | A．requires | B．demands | C．asks | D．requests |
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| 小题6: | | A．happiness | B．sadness | C．illness | D．danger |
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| 小题7: | | A．respect | B．anxiety | C．concern | D．attendance |
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| 小题8: | | A．attain | B．feel | C．acquire | D．find |
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I never thought I would have a life-changing experience at Wal-Mart.
Although my thoughts were only on speed, the checkout line I was standing in wasn"t moving as quickly as I wanted, and I glanced toward the cashier.
There stood a man in his seventies, wearing glasses and a nice smile. I thought, well, he"s an old guy!
For the next few minutes I watched him. He greeted every customer before scanning the items. Sure, his words were the usual, "How"s it going?" But he did something different--he actually listened to people. Then he would respond to what they had said and engage them in brief conversation.
I thought it was odd. I has grown accustomed to people asking me how I was doing simply out of robotic conversational habit. After a while, you don"t give any thought to the question and just mumble something back. I could say, "I just found out I have six months to live," and someone would reply, "Have a great day!"
But that wasn"t the end.
He gave them the change, walked around the counter, and extended his right hand in an act of friendship. He looked the customers in the eyes. "I sure want to thank you for shopping here today," he told them. "You have a great day. Bye-bye."
The looks on the faces of the customers were priceless. There were smiles and some sheepish grins. All had been touched by his simple gesture--and in a place they never expected. They would gather their things and walk out, smiling.
Of course, he did the same to me and I got to know his name--Marty.
Who was that guy? It was as if Sam Walton had come back from the dead and invaded this old guy"s body.
I had never walked away from that shop feeling like that.
小题1:What was most customers" reaction to Marty"s behavior?| A．They thought it priceless. | | B．They thought it awful and odd. | | C．They felt somewhat offended. | | D．They were in some way moved. |
小题2:The checkout line the writer was standing in moved slower than expected because______| A．the cashier did more than scanning the items | | B．the cashier couldn"t work as fast as others | | C．there were some big purchases | | D．the writer was not patient enough |
小题3:What can we infer about Sam Walton?| A．He might be Marty"s father or grandfather. | | B．He might have died while working in the market. | | C．He might be friendly and devoted to Wal-Mart. | | D．He might have come back from the dead once before. |
小题4:According to the writer, when common people ask you "How"s it going?"| A．they are just practicing their conversation ability | | B．they are inquiring about your private information | | C．they don"t expect to hear any negative answers | | D．they don"t really care what you may answer |
小题5:What does the writer intend to express through the text?| A．Our everyday life is always full of surprises. | | B．Being different is a good way of doing business. | | C．A little positive action can make a big difference. | | D．Most customers enjoy being treated this way. |
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One day when I was driving on the freeway, I noticed all the way there were large dividing walls, which had been built between it and the road running parallel to it, for noise reduction (减少) and a sense of separation. The purpose was to create a sense of privacy (隐私) for people on the other side.
This got me thinking: How often do we put up mental barriers that keep us distant from others? Lifting the artificial barriers that keep us apart can offer opportunities to express our goodwill and create better relationships. If we can do like this, maybe our life will be a little different.
There is a little post office in a nearby town, and since it is closer to me than the post office in my own town, I go there. One day, with many people jammed into the little building, a man came hurrying in to mail a letter, and the girl at the counter saw he had too little postage on it. She told him he needed 2 more cents. Obviously he was a little at a loss. He had hurried over from his office, and didn’t have any money on him or time to stand in line. He was going to run back to get the needed money and wait in line again, but he hurried to get the letter mailed in the first place.
As we were watching him, one woman volunteered a two-cent stamp, and the whole line became very quiet. It was a beautiful moment. The man hesitated for a little while and asked her if she was sure, and she assured him she was fine with giving him the stamp. He offered to go back to his office to get the two cents, and she told him not to bother.
It was a small thing, but it meant something to both of the people involved, and to the rest of us. We aren’t a yard that needs defining or a freeway that needs barriers. We are human beings who can contribute to each other’s wellbeing by taking time to pay attention and interact. After all, we are all parts of a whole living in society.
小题1:The purpose of the first paragraph is to __________.| A．summarize the main idea | | B．give detailed information | | C．tell readers the author’s opinion | | D．introduce the topic |
小题2:What happened after the man being told he needed two more cents?| A．The man went back to his office immediately. | | B．The man turned to a lady for help. | | C．A woman offered a stamp to the man. | | D．The man waited in line patiently. |
小题3:What can we learn about the author?| A．She pays too much attention to privacy. | | B．She believes people should participate in the world around them. | | C．She confuses real barriers with false ones. | | D．She insists all small things always have the greatest meaning. |
小题4:Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?| A．Artificial Barriers | B．Unnecessary Separation | | C．An Unforgettable Experience | D．The Kindness of People |
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One of the most common questions parents ask me is，“How，in this competitive world，can you raise kind children” My answer is “to begin by being a adult”. When your child you go the extra mile to help a friend，he will naturally this as the right way to live.
We are mirrors for our . When children observe your examples of kindness，they"ll know to begin. One day，I mentioned that I had a ，and my 8yearold daughter upstairs to run a bath for me. You know who her stomachaches in just such a way.
Kindness is a quality that isn"t often in our schools，so we must make a strong effort to acknowledge it . A busy mother I know is making a(an) to acknowledge her young son"s kindness. She says，“Once I was with my son on a bus，and he sat next to a classmate using a wheelchair, I was amazed at helpful and considerate he was，and I was to praise him when we got home.”
Kindness，compassion(同情)，and love from understanding and respect，and in turn create more of . It would help to acknowledge kids" thoughtfulness instead of competition. In an achievementoriented (成绩导向型) culture，we may focus more grades and sports victories than on of the heart. the time to acknowledge kind actions as having true worth. We can kindness in our everyday lives，for example，by creating a “kindness board”.
| 小题1: | | A．normal | B．knowledgeable | C．selfless | D．kind |
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| 小题2: | | A．sees | B．watches | C．stares | D．inspects |
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| 小题3: | | A．think | B．consider | C．respect | D．look |
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| 小题4: | | A．students | B．kids | C．parents | D．adults |
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| 小题6: | | A．headache | B．fever | C．cold | D．stomachache |
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| 小题7: | | A．walked | B．moved | C．rushed | D．stepped |
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| 小题8: | | A．had treated | B．was treating | C．has treated | D．would treat |
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| 小题9: | | A．given | B．rewarded | C．received | D．accepted |
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| 小题10: | | A．in public | B．in secret | C．at home | D．on a bus |
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| 小题11: | | A．plan | B．trick | C．promise | D．effort |
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| 小题13: | | A．quick | B．late | C．slow | D．sorry |
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| 小题14: | | A．leave | B．give | C．make | D．grow |
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| 小题15: | | A．both | B．none | C．neither | D．all |
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| 小题16: | | A．increasing | B．reducing | C．preventing | D．filling |
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| 小题18: | | A．weight | B．values | C．easiness | D．satisfaction |
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| 小题19: | | A．Spend | B．Cost | C．Waste | D．Take |
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| 小题20: | | A．push | B．form | C．throw | D．make |
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