Being on the road at 3:15 a. m. to drive 450 kms wasn’t in my plans for the weekend. I had been looking forward to a couple of   1  days to prepare myself for the following busy   2 .
My son, Simon, and his good friends were heading for the  3. Due to the last-minute issue（問題）with transportation, I   4  my car to make sure that everyone could get to the   5  point so that they could get together and enjoy their week’s   6  by snowboarding and skiing.
The only thing that   7  to me on my journey was that no sooner had I   8  and said goodbye than I would make the trip   9 ，in total, a round trip of 900 kms in just 10 hours. Such a long drive in one day was frightening,   10  as I was looking forward to relaxationSimon and I   11 , on our way, about his break and a whole lot of his school subjects. It was great to have this time with him as we   12  spent five continuous hours together, other than when we played Saturday cricket (板球).
On my return trip, I   13  a strange sense of loneliness in some heavy morning   14 . Within an hour it   15 . I spent the next four hours listening to some CDs and enjoying the scenery. Surprisingly, after my long trip home I was   16  refreshed and energized even though I was physically exhausted. And I knew that I would have a(n)    _17   sleep that evening.
A change  18 your environment, no matter how great, can provide you with the opportunity to  19_  something from different angles（角度）, as well as to be refreshed and energized.
Now I’m looking forward to my next   20  event and many more opportunities to spend quality time with those who are important to me and make my life more rewarding.

When I first entered university, my aunt, who is an English professor, gave me a new English dictionary. I was    36    to see that it was an English-English dictionary, also known as a monolingual dictionary.    37    it was a dictionary intended for non-native learners, none of my classmates had one.    38    , to be honest, I found it extremely    39    to use at first. I would look up words in the dictionary and    40    

not fully understand the meanings. I was used to the    41   bilingual dictionaries, in which the words are    42    both in English and Chinese. I really wondered why my aunt    43    to make things so difficult for me. Now, after studying English at university for three years, I    44    that monolingual dictionaries are    45    in learning a foreign language.

As I found out, there is,    46   , often no perfect equivalence(對應)between two    47   in two languages. My aunt even goes so far as to    48   that a Chinese “equivalent” can never give you the    49    meaning of a word in English!    50  , she insisted that I read the definition(定義)of a word in a monolingual dictionary    51    I wanted to get a better understanding of its meaning.    52   , I have come to see what she meant.

Using a monolingual dictionary for learners has helped me in another important way. This dictionary uses only a(n)   53    number of words, around 2,000, in its definitions. When I read these definitions, I am    54    exposed to(接觸)the basic words and learn how they are used to explain objects and ideas.    55    this, I can express myself more easily in English.

1.A. worried                       B. sad                                   C. surprised                        D. nervous

2. A. Because                     B. Although                         C. Unless                             D. If

3.A. But                               B. So                                     C. Or                                    D. Then

4. A. difficult                       B. interesting                     C. helpful                             D. practical

5.A. thus                              B. even                                 C. still                                   D. again

6.A. new                              B. familiar                           C. earlier                             D. ordinary

7.A. explained                    B. expressed                      C. described                       D. created

8.A. offered                        B. agreed                            C. decided                           D. happened

9. A. imagine                      B. recommend                   C. predict                            D. understand

10. A. natural                     B. better                              C. easier                              D. convenient

11. A. at least                    B. in fact                              C. at times                          D. in case

12. A. words                       B. names                             C. ideas                                D. characters

13.A. hope                          B. declare                            C. doubt                               D. tell

14.A. exact                         B. basic                                C. translated                      D. expected

15.A. Rather                       B. However                         C. Therefore                       D. Instead

16. A. when                        B. before                             C. until                                 D. while

17. A. LargelyB. Generally                                             C. Gradually                        D. Probably

18. A. extra                         B. average                          C. total                                 D. limited

19. A. repeatedl  B. nearly     C. immediately  D. anxiously

20.A. According to   B. In relation to                      C. In addition to                 D. Because of

Recently, researchers in the US have carried out a study on laughing, one of the most natural characteristics of human behavior.
Jo-Anne Bachorowsky, a psychology professor at Vandebilt University, 36  a team of researchers who   37   a total of 11 short videos to 97 young adult volunteers in the US. They found that the participants produced a   38  of sounds when they laughed, 39  grunts(呼嚕聲) and snorts(哼聲).
The researchers found that some of the   40   were dependent   41  gender(性別). Men laughed with grunts and snorts more often than women,   42  women’s   43   was more song-like.
They also found that people’s laughter could change,   44  who they were with at the time. Whether they were with a man or a woman and   45  person was a friend or a   46   both played a part in laughter.
The researchers found that women’s laughter was very high with a   47   pitch(音高) when they were with male strangers. And women taking   48   in the study laughed more often when they were with a male friend than when they were with a(n) 49   friend or a male stranger. But men laughed more freely with friends of either sex than with strangers of either sex.
Scientists believe that the   50   consumed in laughing 100 times is   51  to 15 minutes on an exercise bike. Another 52   of laughter is 53   it improves our mental health. Laughter reduces our levels of stress. It also helps us   54   serious illness.
  55  ,we think laughter can make us feel good.

第二節(jié)完型填空（共20小題；每小題1.5分，滿分30分）
閱讀下面短文，掌握其大意，然后從36—55各題所給的四個選項（A、B、C和D）中，選出最佳選項
I hadn’t really planned on taking a trip this time of year, and yet I found myself packing rather hurriedly. I knew in   36   that this trip was going to be unpleasant.
I’m talking about my annual Guilt Trip. I got tickers to fly there on WISH – I – HAD’ airlines. I   37   my baggage all the way, which was weighted down with a thousand   38   of ‘what might have been’. No one greeted me at the ‘Regret City’ International Airport.
As I   39   into the Last Resort Hotel, I noticed to miss that great   41   occasion.
Many leading citizens went there. First, there was the ‘Should – Have - Done’ family.   42   came the ‘I – Wish’ family. Of course, the ‘Opportunities’ family, ‘Missed and Lost’, surely made an   43  . They each had a dad story to share. ‘It’s – Their - Fault’ treated us with stories about   44  things had failed in his life, and each story was applauded by ‘Don’t – Blame - Me’ and ‘I – Couldn’t – Help – It.’
To make a long   45   short, I became very depressed at the party   46  .
But as I though about all the stories of failures   47  from the past, it occurred to me that all of this trip and ‘pity party’ could have been cancelled by ME!
I truly realized that I didn’t have to be there to be   48  . One thing kept going through my mind – I can’t change yesterday, but I   49   have the power to make today a wonderful day. Knowing this, I left ‘Regret City’ immediately. Am I sorry for   50  I’ve made in the past? YES! But there is no physical way to undo them.
So, if you’re planning a trip to ‘Regret City’, please cancel all your reservations now.   51  , take a trip to a placed called ‘Starting Again’, which I like so much that I’ve made it my   52   residence. My neighbors, the ‘I – Forgive - Myselfs’ and the ‘New - Starts’ are so very helpful.
By the way, you don’t have to carry   53   heavy baggage, because the load is lifted from your shoulders   54   arrival. Surely you’ll find this great town – it’s in your own heart. Look me up if you’re ready for a (n)   55   changer in your life. I live on ‘I – CAN – DO – IT ’ Street.
36．A．person         B．time         C．a(chǎn)dvance       D．secret
37．A．grasped       B．held         C．lifted         D．dragged
38．A．inspirations      B．prescriptions    C．memories     D．souvenirs
39．A．checked       B．prepared      C．reserved       D．a(chǎn)ccessed
40．A．creating       B．hosting        C．introducing      D．participating
41．A．political       B．social              C．historical     D．cultural
42．A．There          B．Thus         C．Finally        D．Then
43．A．a(chǎn)chievement     B．a(chǎn)ppearance       C．a(chǎn)ppointment     D．a(chǎn)nnouncement
44．A．where          B．whether       C．how         D．which
45．A．story         B．event         C．comedy       D．tragedy
46．A．a(chǎn)fter all       B．in public      C．ever since     D．a(chǎn)s usual
47．A．brought back    B．taken down      C．kept up        D．carried on
48．A．motivated     B．depressed     C．refreshed     D．impressed
49．A．could              B．might          C．did           D．do
50．A．a(chǎn)ttempts      B．preparations     C．mistakes      D．efforts
51．A．Instead        B．Nevertheless     C．Therefore     D．However
52．A．independent     B．mature         C．permanent     D．dynamic
53．A．a(chǎn)way         B．through       C．out           D．a(chǎn)round
54．A．beyond        B．upon         C．under              D．a(chǎn)bove
55．A．total         B．a(chǎn)brupt         C．punctual      D．severe

Trains were used for long distance transportation.

Today the car is the most   1   sort of transportation in all of the   2  .It has completely taken the place of the horse as a   3  of  everyday transportation. The Americans use their cars for nearly 90   4   all their   5  .Most Americans are   6   to buy cars. The average(平均)   7   of a car was 2050 in 1950,2740 in 1960 and up to 4750 in 1975. During this period, American carmakers   8   improving their products. As a   9  ,the income of the average family   10   from 1950 to 1970   11   than the price of cars.  12  ,buying a new car takes a smaller part of a family’s   13   income today. In 1951, it   14   8.1 months of an average family’s income to buy a new car. In 1962,a new car   15   6.43 months of a family’s income. By 1975,it   16   took 4.75 months’ income.  17  ,the 1975 cars were technically   18   than those of the previous(先前的)   19  .

That’s why cars are so   20   in the USA.

1.A.useful　　　　　　　　　　 B.valuable　　　　　　　　　　 C.cheap　　　　　　　　　　    D.popular

2.A.United States 　　　　 B.world 　　　　　　　　　　  C.year　　　　　　　　　　　　  D.continent

3.A.development　　　　   B.journey　　　　　　　　　　  C.sign　　　　　　　　　　　　  D.means

4.A.percent　　　　　　　　   B.years　　　　　　　　  　　   C.miles　　　　　　　　　　　　 D.dollars

5.A.trips　　　　　　　　　　   B.lives　　　　　　　　　　　　  C.buissness　　　　　　　　  D.time

6.A.permitted　　　　　　    B.encouraged　　　　　　    C.anxious　　　　　　　　　　 D.able

7.A.value　　　　　　　　　　  B.cost　　　　　　　　　　　　  C.price　　　　　　　　　　　　 D.money

8.A.suggested　　　　　　   B.enjoyed 　　　　　　　　    C.made up　　　　　　　　    D.started

9.A.tool　　　　　　　　　　    B.result　　　　　　　　　　    C.drive　　　　　　　　　　　　 D.producer

10.A.reduced　　　　　　    B.increased　　&n

bsp;　　　　　　  C.received　　　　　　　　    D.needed

11.A.more slowly　　　　  B.smaller　　　　　　　　　　  C.faster　　　　　　　　　　    D.less

12.A.However　　　　　　   B.For example　　　　　　   C.Instead　　　　　　　　　　  D.For this reason

13.A.low　　　　　　　　　　  B.high　　　　　　　　　　　　  C.monthly　　　　　　　　    D.total

14.A.needs　　　　　　　　   B.took　　　　　　　　　　　　  C.spent　　　　　　　　　　    D.saved

15.A.spent　　　　　　　　    B.paid　　  　　　　　　    C.cost　　 　　　　　　　　 D.took

16.A.might    　　　　    B.really    　　　　　　　　  C.only　　 　　　　　　　　 D.would

17.A.Otherwise  　　　　 B.Besides　　　　　　   C.But　　  　　　　　　　　 D.Finally

18.A.improved   　　　　 B.better　　　　　　　　　　    C.lighter  　　　　　　　　    D.smaller

19.A.months　　 　　    B.years    　　　　　　　　  C.cars　　 　　　　　　　　 D.families

20.A.popular    　　　　  B.expensive　　　　　　　　  C.cheap   　　　　　　　　  D.good