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Practice OneDirections: Fill in the blanks in the following passage by selecting suitable words from the Word Bank given below. Each choice in the word bank is identified by a letter. You may not use any of the words more than once.It is sometimes very difficult to go against popular opinion and do your own thing. Many extraordinary artists and writers were never truly _1_ until after they died. Sometimes public opinion about what is _2_ takes a long time to change. We often say that an artist whose _3_ and greatness is only realized generations later “was ahead of his (or her) time.” It is as if such artists felt an obligation to _4_ the world of tomorrow instead of their own time. Their contemporaries simply _5_ and yawn without ever understanding the meaning of these artists works. Many _6_ acts have met a similar fate. Their humor was not received with laughter and applause, but rather empty looks of confusion. Their critics described them as crude and without _7_. Their discovery finally comes when a younger comic actor from the next generation notices and copies their act. “Where did you find your _8_?” people would ask. The young comedian(喜剧演员) answers, speaking of that past comedian who _9_ the way for his success. There is _10_ interest in the old recordings of the younger comedians teachers. Suddenly the public is amused by the humor of the man who could hardly find a friend a generation before. Sadly enough, the older comedian has passed away or is too old to enjoy his fame. Word BankA) paid I) initiative B) paved J) appeal C) enjoy K) inspiration D) entertain L) comedyE) current M) shrugF) popular N) delighted G) immense O) appreciatedH) initial Practice twoWhat happens in America when a person becomes disabled and cannot do the kind of work he or she did in the past? If a person has been injured on the job, he or she supposed to _1_ the medical worker, who would certify that there was a problem. Then, he or she may receive _2_ from the company. If the company provides for a _3_, the person may receive money monthly to make up for lost wages. The person who has been disabled may also take the company to _4_ if safety was neglected at the workplace. This usually results in _5_ of a payment to settle the dispute. In addition all workplaces are required to pay money to the government to pay for a program to take care of people disabled on the job. One _6_ within this program requires workplaces where more injuries _7_ to pay more money to the program. For this reason companies that require heavy physical labor take safety very seriously. Most people _8_ disability insurance. They think it is _9_ that a person should get paid without working. They should understand that this benefit is usually not enough to account for the _10_ and other bills of those who receive it. Most of these individuals want to work, but recovery from the injury and training for other types of employment takes time. Word BankA) court I) occur B) protection J) mislead C) provision K) misunderstand D) rent L) noticeE) compensation M) notifyF) reward N) fantastic G) pension O) ridiculousH) receipt Practice ThreeMr. Li runs a small Internet cafe in Sichuan province. He used to have to go to the post office but now he simply pulls his cell phone out and he can make a _1_ to almost anywhere. He just has so many more resources at his _2_ for communication than before. He has even started to make foreign investments, using all of this information. He can _3_ and make money almost anywhere.”The _4_ revolution has certainly changed the way we look at the world. And, very importantly, it has allowed people who once were without up-to-date technology and information, to get equal _5_ to the information. It has also costs and the amount of time it takes to acquire information. People in less developed areas of the world are taking _6_ of the benefits. He says, “I used to have a small farm, but now I am doing international trading.” This is just one of the many benefits of the information _7_. There are, however, some _8_ challenges we will have to take on if everyone is to benefit. There is also a great deal of concern over _9_ in the Information Age. Mr. Li _10_ this point. Hopefully, we can find better ways to deal with it. (Words: 212)Word BankA) attends I) advantage B) highlights J) privacy C) buy K) transformation D) invest L) transmissionE) telecommunications M) chargeF) superhighway N) disposal G) assess O) potentialH) access Practice FourWhen I was 25, I gave up my job and apartment to go and live in the woods. I was tired of this _1_ world dictating how much money I needed to make just to survive. I wanted to find _2_ so I could rest my weary (疲倦的) mind. So, I built a small hut to live off the land. I suppose I took _3_ from Henry David Thoreau. I remember he once says, “I never found the companion that was so _4_ as solitude.”There was a small pond near my cabin with a beautiful garden. I _5_ that I would spend my days writing poetry and playing my guitar while the birds sang. I had to boil the water in a kettle on the wood burning stove before I could drink it. Every morning I took my axe outside and _6_ wood for the fire. Every afternoon I _7_ my garden. Unfortunately, the sunlight had to _8_ through the trees and my garden never got enough light. Most of time I just ate dried beans and rice. I became so tired of eating beans and rice that I practically _9_ every time I took a bite. Every night, I wrote down my _10_ observations and sang to myself. When winter came I became cold, lonely and ready for company, so I moved back to the city. Word BankA) exclusive I) complicated B) solitary J) choked C) solitude K) chopped D) imagination L) creepE) inspiration M) tended F) indispensable N) intended G) companionable O) imaginedH) compounded Practice FiveIn the past several years, many news stories about corporate greed (贪婪) have come to surface. We have watched helplessly as the criminal decisions of top executives have _1_ impacted our economy. What makes this worse is that these executives seemingly had the _2_ of many of our nations leaders. Political careers have become so expensive, that it has become very easy to _3_ lawmakers. There was recently a member of Congress from California who was caught demanding gifts from interest groups in _4_ for supporting new laws. Currently the majority leader of the House of Representatives is under _5_ for illegal activities. This doesnt even _6_ the surface of the problem. A few years back a company very close to the president and vice-president made many purposeful _7_ errors to fool investors. Many believe that one reason the problem became as big as it did was because our nations top leaders _8_ the company. By the time the truth was _9_, many innocent people had lost their entire savings. It is one thing for businessmen to _10_ the publics trust, but our nations leaders should have been selected to manage our country in an honest fashion. My observation is that as long as the political process remains so expensive, we will have leaders for hire rather than elected officials. Common people wont have the money it takes to get their voice heard.Word BankA) scrape I) exchange B) scratch J) investigation C) explore K) accounting D) exploit L) undiscovered E) consent M) unveiled F) consultant N) shielded G) bribe O) negativelyH) change Practice SixI have read The History and Geography of Human Genes by Luca Cavalli-Sforza but still have some questions. Even though these findings seemingly prove that races are essentially equal on a genetic level, there are differences unexplained. It was Darwin who first _1_ the theory of natural selection. His notion was that certain characteristics that help that species _2_ are selected over generations by that species. The species does not consciously make the choice for gene _3_. Instead, by surviving longer and being more fruitful members of that species with the preferred genes gradually become the _4_ breed. We may, as a species, all have _5_ our existence in one location, but this was long ago. Factors such as climate and other survival necessities have created needs for _6_. I believe these factors have contributed to races evolving with different _7_. This explains why you see phenomena such as Asians receiving better science and math scores. It _8_ light on why there are so many excellent athletes descending from Africa. I understand that this is a particularly _9_ statement. This is especially true in an age when races are mixing and the peoples of this planet are attempting to learn to live together. But, proving similar _10_ and only slight genetic differences cannot disprove (反证) apparent racial inequalities. We must learn to appreciate these equalities while also acknowledging them.Word BankA) origin I) evolution B) priority J) commenced C) preferenceK) advanced D) suspicious L) scatters E) controversial M) sheds F) dominant N) exist G) attributes O) surviveH) assets Practice SevenTo look at me, you would never guess I am in my late sixties. Most people _1_ that. I just smile and say, “A lady never _2_ her age.” There are good reasons why a lady doesnt. Older women get ignored in our society. We are _3_ and left to grow without the company of others.I understood from a very young age our society _4_ against the old. Our society is _5_ against women. And, our society makes _6_ based on the color of a persons skin. I am an old black woman. I have to use my every advantage in order to _7_ a vital part of my community. By staying fit I have managed to _8_ my looks while my wisdom has increased. Often younger men than I have made the mistake of _9_ my abilities. I quickly seized upon their ignorance to make advances. I should tell you that I am very skilled in the art of politics. I was for many years the mayor of a large urban center in the southern United States. After that I was selected by my district to _10_ them in Congress. I advise other women over sixty to not give up! We live longer, so we end up knowing more. Lets not let our knowledge go to waste.Word BankA) present I) prejudiced B) represent J) confirm C) distinguishesK) maintain D) discriminates L) suspect E) judgments M) stay F) discounting N) remain G) underestimating O) revealsH) undervalued Practice EightHave you ever been on the ride, Its a Small World, at Disneyland? It is Disneys attempt at _1_ for the different cultures around the world. For example, Euro Disneyland is reported to be _2_ in a manner appropriate to its European home. The problem is it is not _3_, but rather like a cartoon. The designers of the theme park dont seem to have the slightest idea about what the people of the world really like. But, then again, they dont have to. They are in the business of creating _4_ not reality. They have always _5_ to be the worlds best entertainers, not the worlds best educators. In fact, many people from the cultures and places that are exhibited at Disneyland are _6_ by the representations there. They actually believe that Disney has