I used to believe in the American Dream, which meant a job, a mortgage (按揭), credit cards, success. I wanted it and worked toward it like everyone else, all of us 36 chasing the same thing.
One year, through a series of unhappy events, it all fell 37 . I found myself homeless and alone. I had my truck and $ 56. I 38 the countryside for some place I could rent for the 39 possible amount. I came upon a shabby house four miles up a winding mountain road 40 the Potomac River in West Virginia. It was 41 , full of broken glass and rubbish. I found the owner, rented it, and 42 a corner to camp in.
The locals knew nothing about me, 43 slowly, they started teaching me the 44 of being a neighbor. They dropped off blankets, candles, and tools, and began 45 around to chat. They started to teach me a belief in a 46 American Dream—not the one of individual achievement but of 47 .
What I had believed in, all those things I thought were 48 for a civilized life, were nonexistent in this place. 49 on the mountain, my most valuable possessions were my 50 with my neighbors.
Four years later, I moved back into 51 . I saw many people were having a really hard time, 52 their jobs and homes. I managed to rent a big enough house to 53 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 54 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 55 we can all get by together.
| 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．at | B．through | C．over | D．round |
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| 小题6: | | A．occupied | B．abandoned | C．emptied | D．robbed |
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| 小题7: | | A．turned | B．approached | C．cleared | D．cut |
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| 小题8: | | A．but | B．although | C．otherwise | D．for |
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| 小题9: | | A．benefit | B．lesson | C．nature | D．art |
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| 小题10: | | A．sticking | B．looking | C．swinging | D．turning |
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| 小题11: | | A．wild | B．real | C．different | D．remote |
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| 小题12: | | A．neighborliness | B．happiness | C．friendliness | D．kindness |
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| 小题13: | | A．unique | B．expensive | C．rare | D．necessary |
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| 小题15: | | A．cooperation | B．relationships | C．satisfaction | D．appointments |
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| 小题16: | | A．reality | B．society | C．town | D．life |
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| 小题17: | | A．creating | B．losing | C．quitting | D．offering |
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| 小题18: | | A．put in | B．turn in | C．take in | D．get in |
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| 小题19: | | A．yards | B．shelters | C．camps | D．cottages |
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| 小题20: | | 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:C
小题6:B
小题7:C
小题8:A
小题9:D
小题10:A
小题11:C
小题12:A
小题13:D
小题14:A
小题15:B
小题16:C
小题17:B
小题18:C
小题19:B
小题20:D |
小题1: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。
小题2: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。
小题3: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。
小题4: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。
小题5:此处是指在河的上方，所以用“over”。
小题6: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。
小题7:本句意思是打扫了屋子的一角住了下来。“approach”接近；着手处理;“clear” 通过；清除；使干净；跳过。
小题8:开始的时候当地人并不认识他，后来慢慢的变成了朋友，所以上下文是转折关系。
小题9:此处指当地人教给我与做邻居的方法艺术。“benefit” 利益，好处；救济金;“lesson” 教训；课;“nature” 自然；性质；本性；种类;“art” 艺术；美术；艺术品。
小题10:本句意思是他们聚在一起聊天。“stick” 坚持；伸出；粘住;“swing” 摇摆；转向；悬挂；大摇大摆地行走。
小题11: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。“remote” 遥远的；偏僻的；疏远的。
小题12:本句意思是“美国梦”不是指个人所取得的成就，而是与邻居们友好和睦。“neighborliness” 睦邻友好；和睦；“friendliness” 友谊；亲切；亲密；“kindness” 仁慈；好意；友好的行为。
小题13: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。“unique” 独特的，稀罕的；唯一的，独一无二的；“expensive” 昂贵的；花钱的；“rare” 稀有的；半熟的；稀薄的；“necessary” 必要的；必需的；必然的。
小题14: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。
小题15:本句意思是我最宝贵的财产是邻里之间的关系。“cooperation”合作，协作；协力；“relationship” 关系；关联；“satisfaction” 满意，满足；赔偿；乐事；“appointment” 任命；约定；任命的职位。
小题16:本句意思是四年以后作者回到了城市。
小题17:从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。
小题18: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。
小题19:本句意思是如果我们不团结在一起那么我们都得住在避难所里，即无家可归。“yard” 院子；码；庭院；“shelter” 庇护；避难所；遮盖物；“camp” 露营；“cottage” 小屋；村舍；（农舍式的）小别墅。
小题20: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。 |
核心考点
试题【I used to believe in the American Dream, which meant a job, a mortgage (按揭), cre】；主要考察你对
题材分类等知识点的理解。
[详细]举一反三
In 1978, I was 18 and was working as a nurse in a small town about 270 km away from Sydney, Australia. I was looking forward to having five fays off from duty. Unfortunately, the only one train a day back to my home in Sydney had already left. So I thought I’d hitch a ride (搭便车).
I waited by the side of the highway for three hours but no one stopped for me. Finally, a man walked over and introduced himself as Gordon. He said that although he couldn’t give me a lift, I should come back to his house for lunch. He noticed me standing for hours in the November heat and thought I must be hungry. I was doubtful as a young girl but he assured (使……放心)me I was safe, and he also offered to help me find a lift home afterwards. When we arrived at his house, he made us sandwiches. After lunch, he helped me find a lift home.
Twenty-five years later, in 2003, while I was driving to a nearby town one day, I saw an elderly man standing in the glaring heat, trying to hitch a ride. I thought it was another chance to repay someone for the favour I’d been given decades earlier. I pulled over and picked him up. I made him comfortable on the back seat and offered him some water.
After a few moments of small talk, the man said to me, “You haven’t changed a bit, even your red hair is still the same.” I couldn’t remember where I’d met him. He then told me he was the man who had given me lunch and helped me find a lift all those years ago. It was Gordon.
小题1:The author had to hitch a ride one day in 1978 because .| A．her work delayed her trip to Sydney | | B．she was going home for her holidays | | C．the town was far away from Sydney | | D．she missed the only train back home |
小题2:Which of the following did Gordon do according to Paragraph 2?| A．He helped the girl find a ride | | B．He gave the girl a ride back home. | | C．He bought sandwiches for the girl | | D．He watched the girl for three hours. |
小题3:The reason why the author offered a lift to the elderly man was that .| A．she realized he was Gordon | | B．she had known him for decades | | C．she was going to the nearby town | | D．she wanted to repay the favour she once got |
小题4:What does the author want to tell the readers through the story?| A．Giving sometimes produces nice results | | B．Those who give rides will be rapid. | | C．Good manners bring about happiness | | D．People should offer free rides to others. |
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Zigfried, a little mouse, blew his breath on the frosty window of the farmhouse and rubbed it to see the outside. Still nobody came. Maybe today, he thought 31 . It was only a few days before Christmas and he was watching for a miracle (奇迹).
This farmhouse had been 32 too long. It needed a family. Zigfried’s 33 made a noise. He realized that he hadn’t eaten anything since yesterday. He jumped from the windowsill (窗沿), grabbed a 34 from his home, and went next door to Farmer Mike’s.
Farmer Mike’s house had been a great place for the little mouse 35 the farmer married a wife who had a cat. Zigfried 36 when he thought of it. He looked around cautiously as he 37 into the room where grain was stored and was quite 38 as he filled his bag with wheat. He was turning to leave when suddenly he 39 a hot breath about his ear. His heart beat 40 , and without thinking he started to run and luckily 41 the cat’s paws (爪子).
The next afternoon Zigfried heard some good news: a 42 family would be moving into the farmhouse soon. Zigfried’s granny would arrive on Christmas Eve to 43 with him. He hoped that the family would come before his granny came. Before long, a car came 44 the road leading to the house, with butter sandwiches, cheese and chocolate.
Zigfried’s Christmas miracle did arrive!
The house came 45 the next few days. Zigfried 46 every single hour of them. 47 , the day before Christmas when he was drinking hot chocolate with a 48 smile at the door of his home, he heard the 49 of the children of the family about what they might get for Christmas. What? A cat? The 50 froze on his face； his mouth fell wide open. After a long while, he at last found his voice: “Hey! Whose Christmas miracle is this?”
| 小题1: | | A．carefully | B．excitedly | C．hopefully | D．proudly |
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| 小题2: | | A．shabby | B．noisy | C．messy | D．empty |
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| 小题3: | | A．mouth | B．nose | C．stomach | D．throat |
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| 小题4: | | A．bag | B．stick | C．bowl | D．coat |
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| 小题5: | | A．although | B．until | C．whereas | D．unless |
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| 小题6: | | A．leapt | B．sniffed | C．trembled | D．withdrew |
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| 小题7: | | A．broke | B．marched | C．paced | D．stole |
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| 小题8: | | A．curious | B．nervous | C．pitiful | D．sensible |
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| 小题9: | | A．took | B．released | C．felt | D．drew |
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| 小题10: | | A．strongly | B．irregularly | C．slowly | D．wildly |
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| 小题11: | | A．escaped | B．seized | C．rubbed | D．scratched |
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| 小题12: | | A．close | B．happy | C．new | D．young |
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| 小题13: | | A．celebrate | B．communicate | C．compete | D．compromise |
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| 小题14: | | A．across | B．from | C．off | D．up |
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| 小题15: | | A．alive | B．loose | C．open | D．still |
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| 小题16: | | A．counted | B．enjoyed | C．missed | D．wasted |
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| 小题17: | | A．However | B．Instead | C．Moreover | D．Therefore |
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| 小题18: | | A．bitter | B．forced | C．polite | D．satisfied |
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| 小题19: | | A．introduction | B．discussion | C．comment | D．debate |
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| 小题20: | | A．blood | B．smile | C．tear | D．sweat |
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Some people think that success is only for those with talent or those who grow up in the right family, and others believe that success mostly comes down to luck. I’m not going to say luck,talent,and circumstances don’t come into play because they do. Some people are born into the right family while others are born with great intelligence, and that’s just the reality of how life is.
However,to succeed in life,one first needs to set a goal and then gradually make it more practical.And,in addition to that,in order to get really good at something,one needs to spend at least 10,000 hours studying and practicing.To become great at certain things,it’ll require even more time,time that most people won’t put in.
This is a big reason why many successful people advise you to do something you love. If you don’t enjoy what you do ,it is going to feel like unbearable pain and will likely make you quit well before you ever become good at it.
When you see people exhibiting some great skills or having achieved great success,you know that they have put in a huge part of their life to get there at a huge cost.It’s sometimes easy to think they got lucky or they were born with some rare talent,but thinking that way does you no good,and there’s a huge chance that you’re wrong anyway.
Whatever you do,if you want to become great at it, you need to work day in and day out,almost to the point of addiction,and over a long period of time.If you’re not willing to put in the time and work,don’t expect to receive any rewards.Consistent, hard work won’t guarantee you the level of success you may want, but it will guarantee that you will become really good at whatever it is you put all that work into.
小题1:Paragraph 1 mainly talks about ________.| A．the reasons for success | B．the meaning of success | | C．the standards of success | D．the importance of success |
小题2:In Paragraph 2,the underlined word that refers to ______.| A．being good at something | B．setting a practical goal | | C．putting in more time | D．succeeding in life |
小题3:Successful people suggest doing what one loves because ______.| A．work makes one feel pain | B．one tends to enjoy his work | | C．one gives up his work easily | D．it takes a lot of time to succeed |
小题4:What can we infer from Paragraph 4?| A．Successful people like to show their great skills. | | B．People sometimes succeed without luck or talent. | | C．People need to achieve success at the cost of life. | | D．It helps to think that luck or talent leads to success. |
小题5:What is the main theme of the passage?| A．Having a goal is vital to success. | | B．Being good is different from being great. | | C．One cannot succeed without time and practice. | | D．Luck,talent and family help to achieve success. |
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Home to me means a sense of familiarity and nostalgia(怀旧). It"s fun to come home. It looks the same. It smells the same. You"ll realize what"s changed is you. Home is where we ran remember pain, live, and some other experiences; We parted here; My parents met here; I won three championships here.
If I close my eyes, I can still have a clear picture in mind of my first home. I walk in the door and see a brown sofa surrounding a low glass-top wooden table. To the right of the living room is my first bedroom. It"s empty, but it"s where my earliest memories are.
There is the dining room table where I celebrated birthdays, and where I cried on Halloween-when I didn"t want to wear the skirt my mother made for me. I always liked standing on that table because it made me feel tall and strong. If I sit at this table, I can see my favorite room in the house, my parents" room. It is simple: a brown wooden dresser lines the right side of the wall next to a television and a couple of photos of my grandparents on each side. Their bed is my safe zone. I can jump on it anytime - waking up my parents if I am scared or if I have an important announcement that cannot wait until the morning.
I"m lucky because I know my first home still exists. It exists in my mind and heart, on a physical property(住宅) on West 64th street on the western edge of Los Angeles. It is proof I lived, I grew and I learned.
Sometimes when I feel lost, I lie down and shut my eyes, and I go home. I know it"s where I"ll find my family, my dogs, and my belongings. I purposely leave the window open at night because I know I"ll be blamed by Mom. But I don"t mind, because I want to hear her say my name, which reminds me I"m home.
小题1:Why does the author call her parents" bed her "safe zone"(Paragraph 3)?| A．It is her favorite place to play. | | B．Her needs can be satisfied there. | | C．Her grandparents" photos are lined on each side. | | D．Her parents always play together with her there. |
小题2:What can be learned from the passage?| A．The old furniture is still in the author"s fist bedroom. | | B．The author can still visit her first physical home in Los Angeles. | | C．The author"s favorite room in her first home is the dining room. | | D．Many people of the author"s age can still find their first physical homes. |
小题3:Sometimes when she feels lost, the author will _______.| A．Open the window at night | | B．lie down in bed to have a dream | | C．try to bring back a sense of home | | D．go to Los Angeles to visit her mom |
小题4:What is the author"s purpose of writing this passage?| A．To express how much she is attached to her home. | | B．To declare how much she loves her first house. | | C．To describe the state of her family. | | D．To look back on her childhood. |
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I went to a group activity, “Sensitivity Sunday” which was to make us more 36 the problem faced by disabled people. We were asked to “ 37 a disability” for several hours one Sunday. Some member 38 chose the wheel chair. Other wore sound-blocking earplugs (耳塞) or blindfolds (眼罩).
Just sitting in the wheelchair was a 39 experience, I had never considered before how 40 it would be to use one. As soon as I sat down my 41 made the chair begin to roll. Its wheel were not 42 . Then I wondered where to put my 43 , It took me quite a while to get the metal footrest into 44 , I took my first uneasy look at what was to be my only means of 45 for several hours. For disabled people, “adopting a wheelchair” is not a temporary(临时的) 46 .
I tried to find a 47 position and thought it might be restful, 48 kind of nice to be 49 around for a while. Looking around, I 50 would have to handle the thing myself! My hands started to ache as I 51 the heavy wheels, I came to know that controlling the 52 of the wheelchair as not going to be 53 task,
My wheelchair experiment was soon 54 . It made a deep impression on me. A few hours of “disability” gave me only a taste of the 55 , both physical and mental, that disabled people must overcome.
| 小题1: | | A．curious about | B．aware of | C．interested in | D．careful with |
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| 小题2: | | A．cure | B．adopt | C．prevent | D．analyze |
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| 小题3: | | A．inserted | B．strangely | C．as usual | D．like me |
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| 小题4: | | A．learning | B．working | C．satisfying | D．relaxing |
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| 小题5: | | A．convenient | B．awkward | C．boring | D．exciting |
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| 小题6: | | A．height | B．force | C．skill | D．weight |
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| 小题7: | | A．locked | B．repaired | C．powered | D．grasped |
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| 小题8: | | A．hands | B．feet | C．keys | D．handles |
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| 小题9: | | A．place | B．action | C．play | D．effect |
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| 小题10: | | A．operation | B．communication | C．transportation | D．production |
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| 小题11: | | A．exploration | B．education | C．experiment | D．entertainment |
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| 小题12: | | A．flexible | B．safe | C．starting | D．comfortable |
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| 小题14: | | A．shown | B．pushed | C．driven | D．guided |
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| 小题15: | | A．realized | B．suggested | C．agreed | D．admitted |
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| 小题16: | | A．lifted | B．turned | C．pressed | D．seized |
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| 小题17: | | A．path | B．position | C．direction | D．way |
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| 小题18: | | A．easy | B．heavy | C．major | D．extra |
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| 小题19: | | A．forgotten | B．repeated | C．conducted | D．finished |
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| 小题20: | | A．weaknesses | B．anxieties | C．challenges | D．illnesses |
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