1 . How to be more resilient (适应力强的)?

We’ve all heard of IQ, and terms like EQ, which relates to our emotional intelligence, are commonly used. But have you heard of AQ?     1     It measures our ability to resist the shock when life throws us curveballs — how likely we are to crumble(崩溃) or thrive in these situations.     2     .

Adverse situations can take us by surprise. In the workplace, it could be in the form of a layoff, the company we work for going under or being restructured, or even missing out on a promotion. Failed friendships and relationships, hard financial times and even loss of beloved ones are things that can occur outside of work.     3     So how can we learn to be more resilient?

Luckily, there are some steps you can take to help you be more resilient and adaptable in the face of adversity, according to Dr Shahram Heshmat, professor of health economics.

    4     Resilient people often have an aim and are able to concentrate more on a desired outcome, seeing negative situations as a bump in the road on the way to achieving their goal. Learning to relax and regulate your emotions is another key step — one way to help is to practise breathing exercises. Likewise, dwelling on things and letting them get to you can cause you to be stressed. So see difficulties more as an opportunity to learn and grow emotionally.     5     Being able to talk with someone about the challenges we face can help.

A．First, try and find a meaningful goal.

B．Things that happen in life are not always pleasant.

C．Finally, make sure you have a good social support network.

D．However, taking a few steps to be more resilient can make them a little easier to get through.

E．AQ stands for Adversity Quotient and measures our ability to deal with the ups and downs of life.

F．Being able to handle these rough times is important not only in our personal lives but in our professional lives too.

G．It can be used to predict our attitudes, perseverance, longevity, and the ways we learn from changes in the environment.

2 . I used to hate being called upon in class mainly because I didn’t like attention drawn to myself. And unless assigned (指定) a seat by the teacher, I always chose to sit at the back of the classroom.

All this changed after I joined a sports team. It began when a teacher suggested I try out for the basketball team. At first I thought it was a crazy idea because I didn’t have a good sense of balance, nor did I have the ability to keep pace with the others on the team and they would laugh at me. But for the teacher who kept insisting on my “going for it”, I wouldn’t have decided to give a try.

Getting up the courage to go to the tryouts (选拔赛) was only the half of it! Luckily, I passed them. When I first started attending the practice sessions, I didn’t even know the rules of the game, much less what I was doing. Sometimes I’d get confused and take a shot at the wrong direction—which made me feel really stupid. Thank God, I wasn’t the only one “new” at the game, so I decided to focus on learning the game, do my best at each practice session, and not be too hard on myself for the things I didn’t know “just yet”.

I practiced and practiced. Soon I knew the rules and the “moves”. Being part of a team was fun and encouraging. Very soon the competitive part in me was winning over my lack of confidence. With time, I learned how to play and made friends in the progress—friends who respected my efforts to work hard and be a team player. I never had so much fun!

With my improved self-confidence comes more praise from teachers and classmates. I have gone from “hiding” in the back of the classroom and not wanting to call attention to myself, to raising my hand—even when I sometimes wasn’t and not 100 percent sure I had the right answer. Now, I have more self-confidence in myself. Every time I come across a challenge, my teacher’s “going for it” rings in my ears.

1. What made the author decide to join a basketball team?

A．His teacher’s encouragement.	B．His determination to change.
C．His desire to show himself off.	D．His love for team cooperation.

2. Before attending the practice sessions, players must ______.

A．pass the tryouts	B．know what they will do
C．have enough courage	D．learn the rules in advance

3. From the last paragraph, what has happened to the boy?

A．He has got more praise and become overconfident.

B．He has continued to sit in the back of the classroom.

C．He is willing to answer questions in class now.

D．He focuses more on study rather than basketball

4. What does the author want to tell us in the passage?

A．Team spirit can teach us a lot.	B．Practice makes perfect.
C．Go for it, and we will make it.	D．Desire to compete does matter.

4 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Who are the speakers?

A．Teacher and student.

B．A couple.

C．Friends.

2. What are the speakers mainly talking about?

A．Whether kids should work for pocket money.

B．How kids can balance work and study.

C．What kids can do at home.

3. What did the man do when he was young?

A．He washed the dishes.

B．He worked on a farm.

C．He delivered newspapers.

4. What is the woman’s attitude towards sleep for young people?

A．They have too much sleep.

B．They should have enough sleep.

C．They should go to bed early.

5 . Melanie was born with spina bifida, a condition that rid her of the ability to walk. All her life, she had been using a wheelchair to get around. Trevor, on the other hand, has been blind since he was born.

The two ran into each other at an adaptive rock climbing class. They soon learned that they shared a common love for nature. Knowing all of this, the pair came up with a brilliant idea—with their strengths combined, they would climb the mountains of Colorado together!

Before the start of each journey, Melanie, secure in carrier, is hoisted by a friend or a fellow hiker onto Trevor’s back. Her role is to give verbal directions to her partner as they pass through the trail. “I describe everything I see and exactly how Trevor needs to move,” Melanie said of their hiking method. “It just seemed like common sense,” she told Good Morning America. “He’s the legs, I’m the eyes—boom! Together, we’re the dream team.”

To them, the best part about hiking as a pair is that they get to give each other the chance to accomplish something that others might believe is impossible.

“It made me so happy to help someone experience what I’ve been able to experience my whole life. Just getting on top of a mountain, you just feel that sense of accomplishment. The best part is being able to make her smile. That gives me purpose,” Trevor said.

As for Melanie, she says that the activity also gives her the feeling of freedom. “I’ve been in a wheelchair my whole life, and it’s an amazing feeling to leave it miles behind on the trail. I even couldn’t get in it if I wanted to, and that’s a great feeling,” she said.

1. What do we know about Melanie and Trevor?

A．They are born disabled.	B．They are good at sports.
C．They show no interest in outdoor activities.	D．They’ve known each other since they were born.

2. Which of the following can best replace the underlined word “hoisted” in paragraph 3?

A．Caught.

B．Lifted.

C．Removed.

D．Pushed.

3. What does Trevor think of hiking with Melanie?

A．He thinks it meaningful.	B．He gets the feeling of freedom.
C．He thinks the experience amusing.	D．He feels it his duty to help Melanie.

4. What’s the topic of the text?

A．Two people worked together as a team.	B．Hiking as a pair proved to be successful.
C．Two disabled teamed up for hiking adventures.	D．A blind man helped a woman who couldn’t walk.

6 . Mike Flint was Buffett’s airplane pilot（飞行员）. Flint had also flown four US Presidents, so we can safely say he was good at his job. According to Flint, he was talking about his career（事业） priorities (优先事项) with Buffett when he asked him to go through a 3-step exercise.

STEP 1: Write down his top 25 career goals（目标）. So, Flint took some time and wrote them down.

STEP 2: Review his list and circle his top 5 goals. Again, Flint took some time, made his way through the list, and at last decided on his 5 most important goals.

STEP 3: At this point, Flint had two lists. The 5 items he had circled were on List A and the 20 items he had not circled were on List B.

Flint said that he would start working on his top 5 goals right away. And then Buffett asked him about the second list, “And what about the ones you didn’t circle?”

Flint replied, “Well, the top 5 are my primary focus (焦点), but the other 20 come in a close second. I still plan to give them my efforts.”

Buffett said, “No. You’ve got it wrong. Everything you didn’t circle just became your Avoid-At-All-Cost list. These things get no efforts from you until you’ve succeeded with your top 5.”

This is why Buffett’s strategy (策略) is great. Items 6 through 25 are things you care about. So you can’t help paying attention to them. And then you get 20 distractions (分心的事物) to stop you from focusing on（集中） your top 5 goals. Spending time on secondary priorities is the reason you have 20 half-finished goals instead of 5 completed ones. So force yourself to focus. The most dangerous distractions are the ones you love, but that don’t love you back.

1. What did Flint think of his items on List B?

A．They were important too.	B．They were much more difficult.
C．They were not worth his effort.	D．They were impossible goals to reach.

2. What did Buffett suggest to Mike Flint?

A．Giving up List B halfway.

B．Choosing only one priority from the 25 items.

C．Paying no attention to List B before finishing List A.

D．Reviewing all the items and deciding on another top 5.

3. According to Buffett’s strategy, ________.

A．getting 20 half-finished goals is useful too

B．we should break away from distractions decidedly

C．it’s impossible for us to finish two tasks at a time

D．secondary priorities will prevent us from succeeding

4. What can be the best title for the passage?

A．List A or List B?

B．How to choose your priorities

C．The secret of Buffett’s great success

D．Avoid distractions to focus on your priorities

7 . Stress Can Just Help

We all face quantities of stress in day-to-day living, whether at work, in the home, or anywhere in between.     1     Here’s how stress can help us on an everyday basis.

Sharpening your memory to be brightened.

Did you ever notice that sometimes when you are stressed, your memory seems to improve? Remember that test you passed where the answer seemed to come out of nowhere?    2     It’s because of stress hormones (荷尔蒙) that increase your alertness when it’s most needed.

    3    

Successful employees turn stress into motivation. Have you ever noticed that you get the least amount of work done when you have fewest deadlines? Too little stress can affect how much you actually get done. When you take risks and choose to get over the difficulty, it improves your mental toughness and self-confidence.

Helping your resistance against illnesses.

    4     Believe it or not, the right kind of stress can help your body’s defenses against illness. When you get sick, stress causes you to make hormones that battle threats to your health. That burst of stress is helpful to your immune system when your body faces a threat.

Making your life become more interesting.

Think about some stressful situation that we consciously put ourselves in to make life more interesting and enjoyable, like asking someone out on a first date, conquering a known fear, or learning something new. These may not immediately come to mind when you think of stress because of the positive outcomes.    5    

A．Helping your work to be better done.

B．Helping you get through difficult times.

C．This will happen whenever you are stressed.

D．That’s one way your brain responds to stress.

E．You need a healthy immune system to help fight diseases.

F．But they may help you achieve fulfillment and happiness.

G．But if handled properly, it can have benefits for the body and mind.