While we may not be born with a nature talent, we can          for it with hard work.

break up

take up

bring up

make up

考查动词短语辨析。句意：虽然我们可能没有与生俱来的天赋，但我们可以通过努力工作来弥补。A. break up打碎；B.take up 拿起，开始从事；C.bring up提出；D. make up 弥补。根据上文we may not be born with a nature talent可知没有与生俱来的天赋，所以要通过努力工作来弥补。故选D项。

Her father         a writer.

turned

grew

has turned

has become

考查系动词的区别。句意：她的父亲变成了一位作家。Turn，grow，become用作系动词均可表示“变化”，使用时要注意：become主要指一个人暂时性的身心变化或永久性的自然变化，另外还可用于指天气变化和社会的趋势；grow主要表示逐渐变化，强度变化过程；turn后接名词，往往表示意想不到的变化，名词前通常不加冠词。故选D项。

It was along the Mississippi River _________ Mark Twain spent much of his childhood.

how

which

that

where

此处构成It was...that...强调句式，句中强调了介词短语along the Mississippi River。故选C。

So difficult __________ it to work out the problem that I decided to ask Tom for advice.

 I did find 

did I find

 I have found  

have I found

句子使用的基本句式为so…that…结构。按英语语法，当该结构的so…置于句首时，其后的句子(主句)要用倒装语序，如：So loudly did he speak that even people in the next room could hear him. 他讲话声音那么大，隔壁屋里的人都听得见。

Since this accident has nothing to do with him, he seems no way             .

to be blamed

to blame

blame for

to blame for

考查固定用法。句意：既然这次事故与他无关，他似乎也就无可指责了。短语sb to be blame“某人该受责备，某人应该负责”，为固定搭配，没有被动语态。故选B项。

Look! There is         over there. Do you know him?

a 8-year-old boy

an 8-year-old boy

a 8-years old boy

an 8-years old boy

考查形容词和冠词。句意：看！那边有一个8岁的男孩。你认识他吗？空格处为复合形容词作定语，其基本构成形式是：数词+名词（单数）+形容词，并且要用连字符连接，排除C和D项；8发音以元音音素开头，需用不定冠词an修饰。故选B项。

The teacher was so pleased with the progress that I had        in my study this term that she sent me an English-Chinese dictionary.

made

had 

kept

graded

考查动词辨析。句意：老师对我在这学期在学习上取得的进步非常满意，寄给我一本英汉词典。分析可知hat I had        in my study this term 应是之前名词the progress的定语从句，先行词在从句中属于固定结构make progress“取得进步”的宾语。故选A项。

Only then_______ how much damage had been caused.

she realized

she had realized

had she realized

did she realize

“only＋状语”位于句首，整个句子用不完全倒装．此外，由then可确定用过去时态．