Recently I’ve had two good roles on television. But when I was just getting started in theater work 17 years ago, I never thought I’d make it. Back then I was recovering from surgery and had been off work for six months. Even worse, as a single mother with three youngsters, I had no place to live in. I felt hopeless.
One Sunday morning I saw actor Robert Young on the television talking about his faith: Believe yourself! If we confidently take that first step, well take the next, until we reach our goal.
The first step was scary. After I went working part-time, I looked for an apartment. The ones I saw were either too expensive, or I couldn’t raise my children in them. I knew a house, not an apartment, was more suitable for me. However, after seeing several houses, my confidence was shaken. I found two seemed right, but when I was about to make an offer, someone else had ordered.
I remembered a saying, “When one door closes, a better one opens.” I wouldn’t just sit staring at the closed one but got up and struggled on. In a real estate (房地产) agent, I found a small house with proper price. To buy it, I had to borrow $ 3,000 for a down payment and get a mortgage (按揭). Common sense argued that a mortgage for a single mother working part-time was impossible. But I had enough self-confidence without following common sense.
After getting the house, my new self-confidence grew. Later , when I began filling small parts in television productions, that self-confidence showed. I'd always played the role as the director wanted. Now I find myself freer to interpret (演绎) it.
Self-confidence has made it through life. Trouble can be scary at first, but each time I take that step, I believe I will win the next.
1. How did the author feel when entering television industry at first?| A．Hopeful. | B．Embarrassed. | C．Pessimistic. | D．Aggressive. |
| A．To show the value of self-confidence. |
| B．To share her different life experiences. |
| C．To introduce her toughest part of life. |
| D．To tell us her ways to get over difficulty. |
| A．Her sense of confidence. | B．The difficulty in her life. |
| C．The director’s good direction. | D．Her success in her first attempt. |
| A．Appear on the Stage | B．Struggle with Life |
| C．Stick to Your Plan | D．Believe in Yourself |
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【推荐1】Twelve years ago, Danny called me from a dark, damp subway station. “A baby!” he shouted. “Get down here, and flag down a police car or something.” By nature, Danny is a remarkably calm person, so when I felt his heart pounding through the phone line, I ran.
When I got to the subway station, Danny was holding a light-brown-skinned baby, about a day old. The baby had been wrapped in an oversize black sweatshirt and left on the ground in a corner behind the gate.
Three months later, Danny appeared in family court to give an account of finding the baby. Suddenly, the judge asked, “Would you be interested in adopting this baby?” The question stunned everyone in the courtroom, except Danny, who answered, simply, “Yes.”
“But I know it’s not that easy,” he said.
“Well, it can be,” assured the judge before barking out orders to allow me to be a parent-to-be.
My first reaction, when I heard, went something like: “Are you crazy? How could you say yes without consulting me?”
In three years as a couple, we had never discussed adopting a child. I was an ambitious playwright working as a part-time word processor. Danny was a respected yet wildly underpaid social worker. We had a roommate, who slept in our living room, to help pay the rent.
We knew how many challenges couples usually faced when they wanted to adopt. And while Danny had patience and selflessness, I didn’t know how to change a diaper(尿布), let alone nurse a child. I didn’t trust the system and was sure there would be obstacles. Also, I couldn’t handle parenthood. So I promised myself I wouldn’t get attached.
The caretaker held him and then placed him in my arms. But when the baby stared up at me, with all the innocence and hope he represented, I, like Danny, was completely hooked.
1. Why did the author rush to the subway station?| A．Because Danny finally found their long lost son. |
| B．Because she sensed Danny met something urgent. |
| C．Because Danny was knocked down by a police car. |
| D．Because Danny wasn’t a remarkably calm person by nature. |
| A．Surprised by the question. |
| B．Crazy to be a parent-to-be. |
| C．Annoyed at Danny’s decision. |
| D．Interested in adopting this baby. |
| A．the author will adopt the baby |
| B．the caretaker will take the baby away |
| C．the couple love each other very much |
| D．the baby will bring hope to the family |
| A．To introduce a story of a poor family. |
| B．To inform people of how to adopt a baby. |
| C．To call on people to donate money to them. |
| D．To show human’s kindness and love by nature. |
【推荐2】Six-year-old Stella Malpass is a first grader. She likes games, playing house and her favorite class is gym. But she has been learning to overcome some difficulties since she was born. Arthrogryposis multiplex congenita (AMC) is a condition that limits her ability to fully extend(伸展) her arms and legs. She has had five operations.
"She can’t run but she can walk really fast, but there are just certain things she wishes she could do," said Stella's mother, Kim Malpass. One of those things is going to the restroom on her own." This is the one thing in school she needs help with," Kim said, "she can do just about everything on her own but she just isn't able to pull her pants up."
Jodi Carroll, Stella's doctor for two years had been trying to find a solution, but had no luck reaching out to clothing companies. "After many searches I realized we needed to invent something," Carroll said. She then got in touch with the Petoskey High School drafting team, and no doubt they were all in.
"As soon as I told the students about it they supported me and we went to work right away," Lauren Liebler, the school's engineering teacher, says. Students say it was the perfect project for the students, combining brainstorming, design thinking, problem-solving and tests.
Once Stella tried the device(装置), it was kind of a disappointment to find out that the first one didn't work, but then it was just the matter of coming up with the next idea or seeing how they could improve the first one to make it work. After three tests, the class's 3D-prinled tool worked.
Liebler says the class can use its 3D printing technology to continue to work and grow with Stella. They can even print different colors to match her dresses.
1. What caused Stella’s physical condition?| A．An illness from her birth. | B．An accident in an operation. |
| C．A serious traffic accident. | D．A fire she experienced at six. |
| A．Walking fast. | B．Learning math well. |
| C．Taking a gym class. | D．Going to the toilet by herself. |
| A．She runs a clothing company on her own. |
| B．She is good at designing dresses for children. |
| C．She manages to help Stella recover completely. |
| D．She gets the idea of making something new to help Stella. |
| A．Hard and dangerous. | B．Easy but useful. |
| C．Useful and difficult. | D．Useless but funny. |
【推荐3】It’s been less than a month since Arnold, a Texas high school student, was forbidden from going to the prom and graduation unless he cut his locs. As his story spread on social media, celebrities and activists came to Arnold’s defence and encouraged him to stand up to his school’s hair discrimination. Now, in a significant turn of events, he’s proudly wearing his own hair-style at the 2020 Oscars.
Arnold and his mother were invited to attend as the guests of director Matthew A. Cherry, who won the award for Best Animated Short Film for Hair Love tonight. Fittingly, the short film tells the story of a Black father learning to style his daughter’s natural hair.
Arnold told us he couldn’t wait to walk the red carpet with the Hair Love team. “I’m so grateful. I never expected any of this,” Arnold says. “The message of that movie and my message go together so well. I think it’s really amazing how they reached out to me and how we can fight this together.”
Together, Cherry and Arnold are advocating for the nationwide passage of The CROWN Act, which is the law authored by California Senator Holly J. Mitchell that makes it illegal to discriminate against Black people for wearing their natural hair in the workplace or at school. Currently the Act has only been passed in New Jersey, California, and New York.
Arnold has also received the support of celebrities, including Ellen DeGeneres, who invited him to appear on her daytime show and surprised him with a $20,000 scholarship from Alicia Keys. Arnold says the scholarship will help him pursue his dream of becoming a veterinarian. Arnold tells us. “The most exciting thing is seeing all the people that are on my side. I thought it would be a lot more hate than support.” Tonight, Arnold is looking forward to sharing his story on a massive platform. “As teenagers, we have a voice and we’re the future,” he says. “I want more cultural acceptance. If there’s any other situation that I feel like I need to stand up for, I would do that in a heartbeat.”
1. What happened to Arnold not long ago?| A．He played a role in a short film. |
| B．He managed to apply for a scholarship. |
| C．He dropped out of school owing to his hair. |
| D．He was not allowed to attend some school activities. |
| A．Violence. | B．Discrimination. | C．Panic. | D．Starvation. |
| A．Hair Love was based on Arnold’s experiences. |
| B．Alicia Keys shaped Arnold’s cultural acceptance. |
| C．Mitchell had been punished for wearing natural hair. |
| D．The CROWN Act has not been adopted nationwide. |
| A．To share a teenager’s story. | B．To advocate the passage of an act. |
| C．To introduce an Oscar-winning film. | D．To express his dissatisfaction with society. |
【推荐1】In general, human beings must go through a personal learning or discovery process to create the future they want. There are four distinct aspects in this process of discovery.
It is often best to start this process with a description of the future you want to create.
Carrying out a plan is all about taking specific, concrete steps toward your vision(远见).
Reflecting on lessons is sometimes the most difficult and essential part of the process. It can turn bad news into great learning. The truth is, as long as you're willing to learn, you can create the future you want. The more clearly you see yourself and the world around you, the sooner you will realize your vision.
| A．You can turn your vision into reality |
| B．Even if you aren't sure what you really want |
| C．Moving forward in your life is sometimes difficult |
| D．Assessing results is how you get feedback（反馈） from the world around you |
| E．It should be something you can picture, like a movie projected on a screen |
| F．Like an actor in a movie, turn a written text of the movie into a great performance |
| G．In fact, the lessons you learn will help you clarify your vision and make it stronger |
【推荐2】Failure is probably the most exhausting experience a person ever has. There is nothing more tiring than not succeeding.
We experience this, tiredness in two ways: as start-up fatigue (疲惫) and performance fatigue. In the former case, we keep putting off a task because it has either too boring or too difficult. And the longer we delay it, the more tired we feel.
Such start-up fatigue is very real, even if not actually physical, not something in our muscles and bones. The solution is obvious though perhaps not easy to apply: always handle the most difficult job first.
Years ago, I was asked to write 102 essays on the great ideas of some famous authors. Applying my own rule, I determined to write them in alphabetical (按字母顺序), never letting myself leave out a tough idea. And I always started the day’s work with the difficult task of essay-writing. Experience proved that the rule works.
Performance fatigue is more difficult to handle. Though willing to get started, we cannot seem to do the job right. Its difficulties appear so great that, bow ever hard we work, we fail again and again. In such a situation, I work as hard as I can - then let the unconscious take over.
When planning Encyclopedia Britannica (《大英百科全书》), I had to create a table of contents based on the topics of its articles. Nothing like this had ever been done before, and day after day I kept coming up with solutions, but none of them worked. My fatigue became almost unbearable.
One day, mentally exhausted, I wrote down all the reasons why this problem could not be solved. I tried to convince myself that the trouble was with the problem itself, not with me. Relieved, I sat back in an easy chair and fell asleep.
An hour later, I woke up suddenly with the solution clearly in mind. In the weeks that followed, the solution which had come up in my unconscious mind proved correct at every step. Though I worked as hard as before, I felt no fatigue. Success was now as exciting as failure had been depressing.
Human beings, I believe must try to succeed. Success, then, means never feeling tired.
1. What does the author recommend doing to prevent start-up fatigue?| A．Writing essays in strict order. |
| B．Building up physical strength. |
| C．Leaving out the toughest ideas. |
| D．Dealing with the hardest task first. |
| A．Before starting a difficult task. |
| B．When all the solutions fail. |
| C．If the job is rather boring. |
| D．After finding a way out. |
| A．ignore mental problems |
| B．get some nice sleep |
| C．gain complete relief |
| D．find the right solution |
| A．Success Is Built upon Failure |
| B．How to Handle Performance Fatigue |
| C．Getting over Fatigue: A Way to Success |
| D．Fatigue: An Early Sign of Health Problems |
【推荐3】I’m a recovering addict. I was addicted to YouTube.
My addiction started several years ago. My first experience was on the recommendation of a friend to check out Susan Boyle’s amazing singing on Britain’s Got Talent. I didn’t think much about it and got on with my life.
But soon I found myself spending a lot of time staring at the screen and discovered onscreen offerings were truly endless. From one YouTuber I learned how to plant my own vegetable garden. Someone else gave wise sayings from philosophers. Down the rabbit hole I went, for hours and hours, watching other people living their lives and giving me advice on how to live mine.
As the months rolled by, checking in every day with people who were talking to me personally (or so it seemed) became an addiction. I subscribed to (订阅) many channels and waited anxiously for new weekly offerings. I found all this calming and therapeutic.
At some point, though, I got annoyed by these artistic and seemingly perfect lives. Who are filming them? Do they happen to live in a meadow (草地)? The questions started to disturb me while forcing comparisons with my own somewhat more ordinary existence.
Regardless of my growing anxiety, I continued to click on the YouTube icon on my phone whenever I had a spare five minutes. I compared my life constantly with the images onscreen. I started to hate the endless rules presented for good health, financial stability and mental contentment. In a moment of clarity (清晰), I realized that I had a full and happy life myself, which suited me perfectly although it wouldn’t win awards for perfection onscreen. I put my phone away and started paying attention to my own life, instead of watching other people live theirs. I still like checking in once in a while for some entertainment and inspiration, but I’ve limited my exposure. I am content in the knowledge that my addiction to life onscreen has been replaced by life itself.
1. What led the author to use YouTube for the first time?| A．Her search for gardening tips. | B．Her friend’s recommendation. |
| C．Her curiosity about the platform. | D．Her admiration for a famous singer. |
| A．Informative and relaxing. | B．Dull and discouraging. |
| C．Creative and puzzling. | D．Addictive and useless. |
| A．She gradually lost purpose in life. | B．She tried to copy others’ lifestyle. |
| C．She sought for the peace of country life. | D．She kept making comparisons with others. |
| A．Stop surfing online. | B．Upload videos about her life. |
| C．Appreciate real-life experiences more. | D．Spend more time on her social life. |
【推荐1】Throughout my 41 years at General Electric, I’ve experienced a lot. In the media, I’ve gone from prince to pig and back again. And I’ve been called many things.
In the early days, some called me a crazy, wild man. When I became CEO two decades ago, Wall Street asked, “Jack who?”
When I tried to make GE more competitive by cutting back our workforce in the early 1980s, the media called me “Neutron Jack.” When they learned we were focused on values and culture at GE, people asked if “Jack has gone soft. ” I’ve been No. 1 or No. 2 Jack, Services Jack, Global Jack, and, in more recent years. Six Sigma Jack and e-Business Jack.
When we made an effort to acquire Honeywell in October 2000, and I agreed to stay on through the transition (过渡期), some thought of me as the Long-in-the-Tooth Jack hanging on by his fingertips to his CEO job.
Those characterizations said less about me and a lot more about the stage our company went through. Truth is, down deep, I’ve never really changed much from the boy my mother raised in Salem, Massachusetts.
When I started on this journey in 1981, standing before Wall Street analysts for the first time at New York’s Pierre Hotel, I said I wanted GE to become “the most competitive enterprise on earth.” My objective was to put a small-company spirit in a big-company body, to build an organization out of an old-line industrial company that would be more high-spirited, more adaptable, and more flexible than companies that are one-fiftieth our size. I said then that I wanted to create a company “where people dare to try new things, where people know that only the limits of their creativity and drive, their own standards of personal excellence, will be the ceiling on how far and how fast they move. ”
I’ve put my mind, my heart, and my courage into that journey every day of the 40-plus years I’ve been lucky enough to be a part of GE.
1. According to the first two paragraphs, the author ______.| A．had many ups and downs | B．had a poor image in public |
| C．became CEO of GE 41 years ago | D．suffered from some mental illnesses |
| A．his company’s different stages of development | B．the various opinions of different journalists |
| C．the change of his character with the time | D．his popularity among his friends and relatives |
| A．was a big company with a small-company’s spirit | B．was the most competitive company in the world |
| C．differed from many old-line industrial companies | D．should seek broader space for development |
| A．Seeking a higher position in GE | B．Travelling from home to office |
| C．Taking GE to a new height | D．Growing from a baby into an adult |
【推荐2】When we think of 10-year-old girls, the first things that come to mind may be ballet, kitchen science experiments and crazy photo faces. There’s a special bond between young girls and their moms before life fills up with more demanding schoolwork, career choices and the stress of being a grown-up.
For Joyce Phillips, taking on adult emotions came sooner than expected. Her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer when Joyce was 10 years old. The thought of losing her mother at such a young age must have been troubling Joyce. But instead of waiting out the process on the sidelines, Joyce decided to join the fight against cancer so that other kids wouldn’t have to experience the pain she was going through.
Joyce loves to sew. She wanted to make something to sell and also advertise her need for help. While trying to piece together a solution, she hit upon the ubiquitous coffee cup. People everywhere seem to be on the go in the morning with their cup of take-out coffee. So Joyce designed a coffee cup sleeve and created her nonprofit Cozys for the Cure. It was a hit. Today, Joyce has raised over $120,000 to help fund breast cancer research. It all started with a desire to help. She lets us know each of us has the ability to make a difference, no matter how old or how young.
Joyce’s mother won her fight with cancer, but unfortunately, many more women and mothers will be affected. With kids like Joyce in their corner, perhaps the next best treatment will come a little sooner, save a few more lives, and means mothers and daughters will have a little more time to have fun together.
1. How does the author find the childhood of normal girls?| A．Carefree. | B．Stressful. | C．Demanding. | D．Challenging. |
| A．Rare. | B．Visible everywhere. | C．Special. | D．Meaningful. |
| A．Her mother’s breast cancer. | B．More women and mothers. |
| C．Doctors who suffer with cancer. | D．The research of breast cancer. |
| A．Turning Waste into Wealth | B．True Love Is Unconquerable |
| C．Turning Tough News into Hope | D．Time and Tide Wait for No Man |
【推荐3】During the 1930s, the Great War broke out. A 25-year-old American soldier, probably never thought that his life would change forever when he volunteered to go to France.
One night while the American unit was returning to the base after a bloody fight, Suleyman stumbled(绊倒)into the ground and noticed a bit of movement from the bush. Being stuck between two choices either its enemy or an animal, Suleyman found a five-year-old girl from the bushes shivering(颤抖)with cold and utmost fear. Due to the atrocity of the war, the girl was abandoned by her family and the whole village was killed.
During the war, it was impossible to find the child’s family so Suleyman took this little French girl under his wings and gave her an American name Flora which means like the flower. Soon, Flora became the apple of the eye of everyone living in the army camp.
For one and a half years, Flora and Suleyman became inseparable; however, every fairy tale comes to an end. When the war ended, Suleyman was sent back to USA, while Flora was put in an orphanage(孤儿院), the Normandy School, which was founded by the American government for orphaned French children to have an education.
For years, Suleyman always thought about Flora. When the French National Olympic Team was playing in the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in 1984, Suleyman gazed through the audience on TV, hoping to catch a glimpse of Flora, but he never could.
At the age of 85, Suleyman attended the 60th anniversary reception of the Great War where Suleyman shared his story with American and French officials. After hearing his story, a French journalist started to investigate the story, and all government files were read in detail. The moment the journalist helped dial the number, in tears, Flora said Suleyman was her hero, and everything came flooding back to her.
1. What does the underlined word “atrocity” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．Cruelty. | B．Challenge. | C．Loss | D．Stress. |
| A．Because Flora might be in the French team. |
| B．Because Suleyman was greatly interested in sports. |
| C．Because Flora might be watching the event. |
| D．Because Suleyman wanted to travel to Los Angeles. |
| A．Flora and Suleyman became attached to each other. |
| B．Flora was sent to an orphanage called Normandy. |
| C．Suleyman found some animals in the bush. |
| D．Suleyman would never see Flora again. |
| A．A Tough Flower in the War | B．The Influence of the War |
| C．The Apple of the Father’s Eye | D．The Lost and Found Love |
“I suppose we could get the blanket and see if we can convince the poor cat to jump down· But he doesn’t really look too scared…”Jim said to the woman．
“Dave，get over here!” Jim called over his shoulder to the fire truck driver．Dave walked over and looked where Jim was pointing．
“How’d he get up there?”
Jim shrugged，similarly puzzled．“Do you suppose we could get the blanket and convince him to jump?”
Dave shrugged in response．“I don’t see why not．”
Jim looked up at the black mass on the top of the flagpole，the American nag waving proudly beneath
When the blanket was spread out below the cat，Jim and Dave began striking the flagpole．The cat looked down，and then gazed into the sky as if it were looking for something．Jim and Dave followed his gaze．Suddenly，out of the clear sky，appeared a dark figure．The figure swooped(俯冲)low toward the flagpole．It was an eagle! As it got closer，the cat leaped down the pole swiftly onto the ground，and then got lost in the bushes．
Jim，Dave，and the old woman were left with their mouths open．They all agreed it was the best way to get it down．
1. Why did the woman call the fire station ?
| A．Because the pole was on fire． |
| B．Because her cat was missing． |
| C．Because she felt it was strange． |
| D．Because she wanted to save the cat． |
| A．The cat． | B．Jim． | C．The king． | D．Dave． |
| A．To strike the pole． | B．To spread the blanket． |
| C．To shout at the cat． | D．To shrug helplessly． |
| A．An eagle． | B．The firemen． |
| C．The cat itself． | D．The people around． |
【推荐2】For most people, graduation is an exciting day the celebration of years of hard work. My graduation day... was not.
I remember that weekend two years ago. Family and friends had flown in from across the country to watch our class walk across that stage. But like everyone else in my graduating class, I had watched the economy turn from bad to worse. What I thought would take a week dragged into two. and then four, and 100 job applications later, I found myself in the exact same spot as 1 was before. And the due date to begin paying back my student loans was creeping ever closer.
You know that feeling when you wake up and you are just consumed with fear? Fear about something you can't control—that sense of approaching failure that remains over you as you hope that everything that happened to you thus far was just a bad dream? That feeling became a constant in my life. And the most frustrating part was no matter how much 1 tried, 1 just couldn't seem to make any progress.
So what did I do to maintain my sanity（理智）？ I wrote. Something about putting words on a page made everything seem a little clearer—a little brighter. Something about writing gave me hope. And if you want something badly enough... sometimes a little hope is all you need! So I channeled my frustration into a children's book. And then one day, without any sort of writing degree or contacts in the writing world — just a lol of hard work and perseverance—I was offered a publishing contract for my first book! After that, things slowly began to fall into place. 1 was offered a second book deal. Then, a few months later, I got an interview with The Walt Disney Company and was hired shortly after.
The moral of this story is... don't give up. Even if things look bleak now, don't give up. Things change If you work hard, give it time, and don't give up, things will always get better Oftentimes all we need is the courage to push beyond the river.
1. From Paragraph 2, we can learn that the author probably.| A．was having an exciting graduation |
| B．was getting into financial difficulties |
| C．missed the life in the university |
| D．had just applied for the student loans |
| A．By sending applications. | B．By offering contracts. |
| C．By keeping writing. | D．By publishing books. |
| A．unattractive | B．hopeless |
| C．thrilling | D．promising |
| A．Success belongs to the persevering. |
| B．A contented mind is a perpetual（长久的）feast. |
| C．A smooth sea never makes a skillful mariner. |
| D．Misfortunes tell us what fortune is. |
【推荐3】People need to relax and enjoy themselves. One way they can have a good time is to watch a baseball game or another sports event.Even thousands of years ago，groups of people gathered to watch skilled athletes(运动员)．
Over 2，000 years ago in Greece，certain days in the year were festival days. These were holidays when people stopped work and enjoyed themselves. They liked to watch athletes take part in races and other games of skill.
The most important festival was held every four years at the town of Olympia. It was held in honour of the Greek god Zeus. For five days，athletes from all parts of the Greek world took part in the Olympic Games. At the Olympic Games，people could watch them box，run，jump and so on. There was a relay race between two teams of men in which a lighted torch(火炬) was passed from runner to runner. The Olympic Games were thought to be so important that cities which were at war with one another had to stop fighting. People were allowed to travel to the games freely. Thousands of people came to Olympia from cities in Greece and from its colonies(殖民地) in Africa，Asia and Italy. They met as friends to cheer their favourite athletes and to enjoy themselves.
1. What happened in Greece over 2，000 years ago?| A．People stopped work and enjoyed themselves. |
| B．The cities there were often against one another. |
| C．People watched baseball games. |
| D．People didn't go to any games at all. |
| A．They fought. |
| B．They just talked to friends. |
| C．They cheered for good athletes. |
| D．They tried to find friends. |
| A．were weak |
| B．were strong |
| C．couldn't go to other cities freely |
| D．could see each other |
| A．Greece at War | B．Together for the Games |
| C．Stop Fighting | D．Sport |
