I confess to being astonished at this ______ statement.

Part II Reading Comprehension Section A Directions: Fill in the blanks with a word or a phrase that best completes the passage. You may choose a suitable one from the list given. mark confused intentionally likely potential known called upon natural as opposed to even if Gifts are those talents and abilities that flow almost effortlessly from us. Gifts are sometimes ___16___ with skills. While skills can be developed, gifts are something we are born with — they are what we discover as we try new things and find that some things are as ___17___ to us as breathing. When we ___18___ make a decision to create our life and work based on our gifts, we are not only more ___19___ to succeed, but can also more thoroughly enjoy the journey toward creating and realizing our full ___20___. Take inventory of your life to determine where you are utilizing learned and developed skills ___21___ expressing and honoring your innate gifts. Are you operating based on what you think you “ought” to be doing or are you living an authentic life that is rich and fulfilling? ___22___ you are not in a place to pursue a new career based on your gifts, look for ways to make your gifts ___23___ to others and demonstrate them in as many areas of your life as possible. The more your gifts are ___24___, the more naturally you will fully accept and promote those gifts. The more you express your life through your innate gifts, the more you will excel. It’s a beautifully self-perpetuating process once you make the decision to begin. Your gifts are your signature, your unique paintbrushes — use them to express your greatness and make your ___25___ on the world! 16. __________

Section C Directions: Read the following text about analyzing a problem. Five sentences have been removed from the text. Choose the best sentence from the list A-F on the next page to fill in each of the gaps (36-40). There is one extra sentence which you do not need to use. World Population Human beings have been living on earth for over a million years, but for a long time there were not very many of them. The world’s population was never higher than 10 million. (36)_______________. Early inhabitants were mostly hunters and fishers. Some of them gathered berries from wild plants. After people started growing crops and raising animals they had more food and lived longer. When Jesus Christ was born about 2,000 years ago, about 300 million people inhabited the earth. (37)_______________. Many people died of illnesses and plagues (瘟疫). The Black Death, which sailors brought to Europe from Asia, killed about a third of the European populationin the Middle Ages. The Industrial Revolution , which began in the middle of the 18th century, started a period of rapid population growth, especially in Europe. Farmers were able to grow more and more food because they had machines to work with. New kinds of medicine helped to fight off many diseases that had killed millions of people in the centuries before. (38)_______________. Birth rates started to go up because families had many children. (39)_______________. The one billion mark was reached in the early 1800s. In the next one hundred years the population doubled to 2 billion, and in 1960 there were 3 billion people living on earth. (40)_______________. In Europe, North America, Japan and Australia the birth rate dropped because families wanted to have fewer children. Population growth in these areas slowed down. In the developing countries of Asia and Africa birth rates stayed high and better medical help in these regions lowered the death rates. That is why these countries are growing very rapidly. A. More babies than ever before survived the first few years of childhood. B. People died quickly because they didn’t have enough food to eat. C. Humans also lived longer because they had cleaner drinking water. D. The second half of the 20th century brought along some change. E. A large population demands a great deal of food supply and shelter space. F. During the next 1500 years the population of the world grew very slowly. 请填入正确答案的大写字母！ 36. __________