四、词汇运用(本题共10小题;每小题1分,满分10分)
请认真阅读下面短文,根据语篇内容,在空白处填入括号内单词的正确形式,使短文通顺、连贯。
[2025南通市海安市期中]It was an unusual day when our teacher announced a speech competition in our class. Most of the students 46.
preferred
(prefer) to avoid speaking in public, but this time, every student in our grade 47.
was required
(require) to take part. I felt nervous—delivering a speech in front of the whole class seemed impossible, especially since I had never done anything like this before.
While I 48.
was wondering
(wonder) whether to give up or not, my English teacher noticed my hesitation and encouraged me to try. She said, “Don’t fear mistakes. Just speak from the heart. Believe in 49.
yourself
(you), and you can make it.” Her kind words gave me the courage to make an important 50.
decision
(decide). I would have a go, no matter how scared I felt.
For the next two weeks, I worked hard, practising my speech every day after school. I wanted to make sure I could present my thoughts clearly and 51.
correctly
(correct). My parents praised my determination, though they reminded me that success wasn’t just about 52.
winning
(win). It was about doing my best.
On the competition day, my hands shook as I stood on stage. To my 53.
surprise
(surprised), as I began speaking, the audience was actually listening carefully. When I finished, several classmates came up to praise me. Later, when the judges announced the results, I couldn’t believe it. I won second place!
This experience taught me some 54.
valuable
(value) lessons. Encouragement from others can help us achieve things we thought were impossible. Sometimes we need to push through our fears 55.
to discover
(discover) our true abilities. Now, whenever I feel nervous about speaking up, I remember that unusual day—the day I learned that every challenge is an opportunity for growth.
