II. Grammar and Vocabulary Section A
Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.
Rescue in the Rapids
ON A BREEZY Saturday in April 2014, former police officer Kevin O’Connor and his son, Ryan, were standing in a park near the Fox River in Geneva, Illinois. As Kevin gazed at the river, he caught
sight of several people on the bank (21)_________(motion) toward the water. When he looked in that
direction, he noticed a bright red boat turning in a spinning circle in the stormy water at the base of the Geneva Dam，300 feet away.
Kevin assumed the person on the boat (22) _________ (jump) out of it. “Then I heard a warning signal with a loud sound,” says Kevin, now 42. “That’s (23) _________I realized somebody was in trouble.”
He couldn’t see anyone in the river, (24) _________he sped toward the bank and dashed into the
freezing water. About 150 feet from shore, he spied an object moving downriver. “I thought it was a life
jacket,” he says. “When I caught up to it, I realized it (25) _________ (attach) to a person.”
Now in water up to his neck, Kevin grabbed the man, (26) _________was floating on his back
unconscious, under both armpits and held his head above the surface. Kevin struck the man’s chest again and again. After five hits, the man coughed up water and began speaking incoherently. Just back to life,
the man was still weak. Battling the current, Kevin sidestepped his way (27) _________the shoreline,
repeatedly digging his shoes into the river’s rocky bottom. When he reached the bank, someone jumped into the river and helped Kevin lift the 200-pound drowning man over a six-foot brick retaining wall to waiting doctors, who took him away in an ambulance. The man recovered, but a friend who was boating with him died after being trapped underwater near the dam.
Kevin pulled (28) _________up to sit on the shore beside Ryan, who had followed his father’s path
down the river. “When I caught my breath, I realized I saved someone’s life, which is what I (29) _________do.” Kevin says.
In December 2015, Kevin received an award from the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission. “Lots of
honour-receivers lost their lives saving someone,” he says. “(30) _________ (put) in the same category is very humbling.”
Section B
Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.
A. covers B. process C. accomplish D. grand E. consume F. physics
G. consistently H. spare I. overcomes J. continue K. especially
How to Stick to Good Habits by Using the “2-Minute Rule”
Most of the tasks that you procrastinate on (that is to say, you postpone doing what you should be doing,) aren’t actually difficult to do — you have the talent and skills to _____31____ them- you just avoid starting them for one reason or another. The 2-Minute Rule ____32_____ procrastination and laziness by making it so easy to start taking action that you can’t say no. It might sound like this strategy is too basic for your ____33_____ life goals, but I beg to differ. It works for any goal because of one simple reason: the
_____34____of real life.
As Sir Isaac Newton taught us a long time ago, objects at rest tend to stay at rest and objects in motion tend to stay in motion. This is just as true for humans as it is for falling apples. Once you start doing something, it，s easier to ___35______ doing it. I love the 2-Minute Rule because it takes up the idea that all sorts of good things happen once you get started.
The most important part of any new habit is getting started — not just the first time, but each time. It’s not about performance, it’s about ____36_____ taking action. In many ways, getting started is more important than succeeding. This is ____37_____ true in- the beginning because there will be plenty of time to improve your performance later on. The 2-Minute Rule isn’t about the results you achieve, but rather about the _____38____ of actually doing the work. I can，t guarantee whether or not the 2-Minute Rule will work for you. But, I can guarantee that it will never work if you never try it.
The problem with most articles you read, podcasts you listen to, or videos you watch is that you ____39_____ the information but never put it into practice. I want this article to be different. I want you to actually use this information, right now. What’s something you can do that will take you less than two minutes? Do it right now. Anyone can ____40_____ the next 120 seconds. Use this time to get one thing done.
Go.
