I remember when I was young, people often asked me, “What are you going to be when you grow up?”
It ___21___ being a cowboy or some super hero. Later it was a fireman, a policeman, a lawyer. As I grew older, my dreams for the future ___22___ .When, I was in college, I set my heart on becoming ___23___ like my father. ___24___ I studied and prepared for that. I reached the ___25___ in the end and I was teaching ___26___ full-time for much of my adult life.
However, there is a “thief” that goes around stealing our ___27___ . Sometimes, the thief will come as a parent, or a friend, but the ___28___ thief is usually ___29___ .
We find ourselves just about reaching the top, and a “small” ___30___ inside says, “You’ll never make ___31___ .” “You ___32___ possibly do this.” On and on the “small” voice predicts our failure. Failure, ___33___ is one of the most important tools we have may teach us valuable ___34___ . When we learn these lessons well, we are ready ___35___ success.
I always tell my children that you are ___36___ to do anything that your heart desires. Remember the saying, “Nothing is ___37___ to a willing heart.” There are ___38___ “overnight” successes, but with determination, they will come. Imagine ___39___ a life you dream of. Then in your heart, believe it will happen to you. Then work, work, work. You’ll get the picture.
So, be true to your dream, and don’t let anyone ___40___ it from you---especially yourself.
21. A. insisted on B. kept on C. felt like D. started out
22. A. changed B. planned C. failed D. left
23. A. a doctor B. an engineer C. a musician D. a teacher
24. A. But B. Or C. So D. As
25. A. aim B. agreement C. decision D. position
26. A. hardly B. nearly C. slightly D. extremely
27. A. money B. plan C. dreams D. friends
28. A. greatest B. poorest C. tallest D. oldest
29. A. themselves B. ourselves C. yourselves D. itself
30. A. sound B. noise C. speech D. voice
31. A. it B. her C. him D. me
32. A. can B. can’t C. must D. mustn’t
33. A. where B. who C. when D. which
34. A. stages B. lessons C. suggestions D. choices
35. A. to B. for C. at D. with
36. A. able B. ready C. likely D. necessary
37. A. interesting B. important C. impossible D. necessary
38. A. many B. some C. different D. no
39. A. spending B. planning C. living D. changing
40. A. buy B. fool C. steal D. borrow
【答案】21. D 22. A 23. D 24. C 25. A 26. B 27. C 28. A 29. B 30. D 31. A 32. B 33. D 34. B 35. B 36. A 37. C 38. D 39. C 40. C
【解析】
本文是一篇夹叙夹议文，作者从自己小时候理想的变化入手，告诉我们要坚持自己的理想。
【21题详解】
考查动词短语辨析。A. insisted on坚持； B. kept on继续；C. felt like感觉像；D. started out起初是。根据本空后的“being a cowboy or some super hero. Later it was a fireman, a policeman, a lawyer.”可知，我的理想起初是当一个牛仔或超级英雄，后来是当消防员、警察或律师，故D项正确。
【22题详解】
考查动词词义辨析。A. changed改变；B. planned计划；C. failed失败；D. left离开。根据本空前的“As I grew older, my dreams for the future”可知，随着年龄的增长，我的理想改变了，故A项正确。
【23题详解】
考查名词词义辨析。A. a doctor医生；B. an engineer工程师；C. a musician音乐家；D. a teacher老师。根据本空后的“teaching”可知，上大学时，我决心像爸爸一样成为一名老师，故D项正确。
【24题详解】
考查连词词义辨析。A. But但是；B. Or否则；C. So所以、于是；D. As因为。我决心像爸爸一样成为一名老师，于是我努力学习并为此做准备，故C项正确。
【25题详解】
考查名词词义辨析。A. aim目标；B. agreement同意；C. decision决定；D. position位置。根据本空后的“in the end and I was teaching ___6___ full-time for much of my adult life.”可知，最后我达到了目标，在我成年后的大部分时间里，我几乎都是全职教师，故A项正确。
【26题详解】
考查副词词义辨析。A. hardly几乎不；B. nearly几乎；C. slightly轻微地；D. extremely极其。在我成年后的大部分时间里，我几乎都是全职教师，故B项正确。
【27题详解】
考查名词词义辨析。A. money钱；B. plan计划；C. dreams梦想；D. friends朋友。根据上文可知，本文讨论的是理想，此处是说有一个贼偷走了我们的理想，故C项正确。
【28题详解】
考查形容词词义辨析。A. greatest大的、主要的；B. poorest贫穷的；C. tallest高的；D. oldest古老的。根据本空前的“Sometimes, the thief will come as a parent, or a friend,”可知，那个偷走我们理想的贼可能是我们的父母或朋友，但最大的贼是我们自己，故A项正确。
【29题详解】
考查代词词义辨析。A. themselves他们自己；B. ourselves我们自己；C. yourselves你自己；D. itself它自己。根据上文可知，最大的贼是我们自己，故B项正确。
【30题详解】
考查名词词义辨析。A. sound声响；B. noise噪音；C. speech演讲；D. voice声音。根据本空后的“the “small” voice”可知，内心深处有一个声音说“你做不到”，故D项正确。
【31题详解】
考查固定搭配。内心深处有一个声音说“你做不到”，make it表示“成功、做得到”，故A项正确。
【32题详解】
A. can能；B. can’t不能；C. must必须；D. mustn’t禁止。根据本空后的“possibly do this.”可知，此处是说你不可能做到，故B项正确。
【33题详解】
考查非限定性定语从句。分析句子结构可知，此处为非限定性定语从句，先行词为Failure，指物，关系词在从句中作主语，故D项正确。
【34题详解】
考查名词词义辨析。A. stages舞台；B. lessons课、教训；C. suggestions建议；D. choices选择。根据本空后的“lessons”可知，失败可以教我们宝贵的经验教训，故B项正确。
【35题详解】
考查固定搭配。当我们很好地学会了这些经验教训时，我们就为成功做好了准备。be ready for表示“为……做好准备”，故B项正确。
【36题详解】
考查形容词词义辨析。A. able能够的；B. ready准备好的；C. likely可能的；D. necessary必要的。根据本空后的“to do anything that your heart desires.”可知，我总是告诉我的孩子，你可以做任何你想做的事，故A项正确。
【37题详解】
考查形容词词义辨析。A. interesting有趣的；B. important重要的；C. impossible不可能的；D. necessary必要的。Nothing is impossible to a willing heart是一句谚语，表示“世上无难事，只怕有心人”，故C项正确。
【38题详解】
考查形容词词义辨析。A. many很多；B. some一些；C. different不同的；D. no没有。根据本空后的““overnight” successes, but with determination, they will come.”可知，没有一蹴而就的成功，但只要有决心，就一定会成功，故D项正确。
【39题详解】
考查动词词义辨析。A. spending花费；B. planning计划；C. living过……的生活；D. changing改变。根据本空后的“a life you dream of”可知，想象过你梦想的生活，live a…life表示“过一种……样的生活”，故C项正确。
【40题详解】
考查动词词义辨析。A. buy买；B. fool愚弄；C. steal偷；D. borrow借来。根据本空前的“So, be true to your dream,”可知，要忠于自己的理想，不要让任何人偷走它，故C项正确。
