The famous Spanish painter Pablo Picasso once said, “I always do what I can’t do so that I can learn how to do it.” It strikes a chord with me because that’s exactly what I’ve done these years.
One of my earliest memories of doing before learning is of baking scones (烤饼) when I was about 10 years old. I wanted to bake them to surprise my mother when she returned home.
Before that I’d observed how my mother baked them many times. As I started to try, I didn’t know I shouldn’t handle the dough with my hands too much once I’d added the baking powder. However, I knew exactly how to roll out the dough and use a cookie cutter to cut the scones, because my mom had already taught me.
By the time my mom arrived home, the smell of freshly baked scones welcomed her into the kitchen. They were baked to golden brown perfection-flat, as a result of over handling the dough, but they tasted OK. My mom sweetly praised me for my attempt, rather than scolding me for the state of the kitchen, which was like a tornado had just blown!
Have my attempts always been successful? I wish! Some of my kitchen disasters were of such proportions that even the dogs wanted nothing to do with them. My gardening failures didn’t live to see another season.
But my habit of doing before learning is still helpful. Whatever computer program or application I have to learn, I do so by simply starting to use it. I do, learn, and improve. So if you ask me whether I regret that I tend to do first and learn later, I’d say I don’t, because what I have discovered from those is the wisdom to know when it’s OK to do and then learn, and when it’s probably better to learn and then do!
1. What can we learn about the author’s first experience of baking scones?| A．She practiced hard before actually trying. |
| B．She turned to her mom when necessary. |
| C．She wanted to perform better than her mom. |
| D．She managed to do it despite a little imperfection. |
| A．She made improvements to the scones. |
| B．She expressed her appreciation for the job. |
| C．She shared her first experience of baking. |
| D．She was surprised by the mess in the kitchen. |
| A．Most of them have ended up in failure. |
| B．They are just a barely usable method. |
| C．They contribute a lot to her self-improvement. |
| D．They only apply to the learning of specific skills. |
| A．To stress the importance of keeping learning. |
| B．To show the benefits of doing before learning. |
| C．To encourage people to do something they can’t do. |
| D．To call on readers to change their way of learning. |
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【推荐1】When I was 17, I read a magazine article about a museum called the McNay, once the home of a watercolorist named Marian McNay. She had requested the community to turn it into a museum upon her death. On a sunny Saturday, Sally and I drove over to the museum. She asked, “Do you have the address?” “No, but I’ll recognize it, there was a picture in the magazine.”
“Oh, stop. There it is!”
The museum was free. We entered, excited. A group of people sitting in the hall stopped talking and stared at us.
“May I help you?” a man asked. “No,” I said. “We’re fine.” Tour guides got on my nerves. What if they talked a long time about a painting you weren’t that interested in? Sally had gone upstairs. The people in the hall seemed very nosy (爱窥探的), keeping their eyes on me with curiosity. What was their problem? I saw some nice sculptures in one room. Suddenly I sensed a man standing behind me. “Where do you think you are?” he asked. I turned sharply. “The McNay Art Museum!” He smiled, shaking his head. “Sorry, the McNay is on New Braunfels Street.” “What’s this place?” I asked, still confused. “Well, it’s our home.” My heart jolted (震颤). I raced to the staircase and called out, “Sally! Come down immediately!”
“There’s some really good stuff (艺术作品) up there.” She stepped down, looking confused. I pushed her toward the front door, waving at the family, saying, “Sorry, please forgive us, you have a really nice place.” Outside, when I told Sally what happened, she covered her mouth, laughing. She couldn’t believe how long they let us look around without saying anything.
The real McNay was splendid, but we felt nervous the whole time we were there. Van Gogh, Picasso. This time, we stayed together, in case anything else unusual happened.
Thirty years later, a woman approached me in a public place. “Excuse me, did you ever enter a residence, long ago, thinking it was the McNay Museum?”
“Yes. But how do you know? We never told anyone.”
“That was my home. I was a teenager sitting in the hall. Before you came over, I never realized what a beautiful place I lived in. I never felt lucky before. You thought it was a museum. My feelings about my home changed after that. I’ve always wanted to thank you.”
1. Why did the author refuse the help from the man in the house?| A．She disliked people who were nosy. |
| B．She felt nervous when talking to strangers. |
| C．She knew more about art than the man. |
| D．She mistook him for a tour guide. |
| A．Puzzled. | B．Concerned. |
| C．Frightened. | D．Delighted. |
| A．The real museum lacked enough artwork to interest her. |
| B．She was too upset to spend much time at the real museum. |
| C．The McNay was disappointing compared with the house. |
| D．The event happening in the house was more significant. |
| A．People should have good taste to enjoy life. |
| B．People should spend more time with their family. |
| C．People tend to be blind to the beauty around them. |
| D．People tend to educate teenagers at a museum. |
【推荐2】Last night, on my way home I stopped because of being attracted by some hamburgers at a fast food restaurant. On my way in, a homeless man approached me and asked, “Do you have any bottles lying around?” I knew he would recycle them for a few cents, but I didn’t have any, so I said no. And again he asked, “Can you spare some change (零钱)?” I smiled, and said no again. He was very respectful; he smiled back and said, “OK, thank you.” Even though he didn’t have anything, he was still in good spirits. From the way he spoke I could tell he was smart.
Then I bought one hamburger and enjoyed my meal, but in the back of my mind I wondered whether the homeless man was hungry. After I finished my meal I decided to order another one for him. At this point I didn’t know if he was still around, but I tried anyway.
At the counter I ordered a hamburger and also a hot chocolate, because it was cold outside, and I thought it would help warm him up. They delivered me the hot chocolate first and as I waited for my hamburger, I noticed the homeless man was standing right beside me. I looked at him and smiled, “This hot chocolate is for you.”He replied like a gentleman,“Thank you so much. That’s very kind of you.”
I always believe no matter how hard up (缺钱) I am, there are always those who are worse off than I. When you help someone, it’s not always about money, it’s about love. The love you give today, someone might forget tomorrow. It doesn’t matter. Love anyway, because the greatest thing you can give is love.
1. Why did the author stop at a fast food restaurant?| A．Because he was hungry and thirsty. |
| B．Because he wanted to help the homeless man there. |
| C．Because he hoped he could collect some bottles there. |
| D．Because the hamburgers there interested him. |
| A．was angry with the homeless man |
| B．decided to help the homeless man after his meal |
| C．was an old friend of the homeless man |
| D．finished his meal quickly to help the homeless man |
| A．old and sick | B．sad and nervous |
| C．polite and friendly | D．calm and confident |
| A．there is always someone that we can help |
| B．money cannot buy everything |
| C．we shouldn’t forget those who once helped us |
| D．love cannot be forced |
【推荐3】Myles, my four-year-old son, somehow got into an adult pool while we were out swimming. We ran over and pulled him out of the water, only to see his blue face and grey, still body. He was lifeless.
One person immediately contacted the front desk while another called 911. My friend, John Newland, and I began CPR(心肺复苏). But we hadn't received any professional training. Despite our best efforts, we failed to make any important progress in bringing back my son.
Another friend of mine realized two off-duty lifeguards, Liz and Alison Manley, were nearby. The sisters, 15 and 18, recently trained by the Red Cross in CPR, ran to help. Alison took over directly above Myles and Liz near his feet. Alison started chest compressions (胸部压迫), and Liz gave instructions. They turned him on his side, and cleared the airway as he expelled(排出) water.They continued chest compressions and rescue breathing, staying calm and cooperating as a perfect team.
As the scene unfolded, so many things went through my mind. It seemed that seconds, minutes and hours passed, all at once. I saw his life flash before my eyes, the image of my beloved son wearing his favorite Lightning McQueen jammies (睡衣) and then his t-ball uniform. All at once was filled with both regret and hope." What kind of a father lets this happen?”,“ Stay with me!”,“ Come on, Myles”,"I don' t want to live without you !” and finally "God help, somebody, do anything!" Then it happened. Myles slowly opened one of his eyes and began to cry. I picked him up and held him.
Myles was allowed to leave the hospital the next morning and, despite everything that happened, he asked to go to Worlds of Fun. This was the best Father's Day gift I could have ever received, seeing that my wife, son and daughter reunited and were all healthy, playing together again! No days are taken for granted any longer!
1. When the author pulled his son out of the water, he found his son was __________| A．still breathing. |
| B．struggling hard. |
| C．crying loud in fear. |
| D．in a very bad situation. |
| A．They called 911 for help immediately. |
| B．They took immediate actions to save the boy. |
| C．They asked the pools medical team for aid. |
| D．They taught the author to perform CPR. |
| A．He was considered a terrible father. |
| B．He was really worried about his son. |
| C．He was responsible for the accident. |
| D．He always believed his son would be fine. |
| A．decided to learn first aid. |
| B．never let his son swim again. |
| C．allowed his son to do whatever he wanted. |
| D．valued the time spent with his family more. |
【推荐1】Elizabeth Bishop is considered one of the best American poets of the 20th century. She was born in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1911. Her dad died when she was just a baby and her mom never recovered from the loss; she went to live with her grandparents in Nova Scotia, Canada when she was five. Eventually Bishop attended Vassar College, where she began to write poetry.
At Vassar she discovered Marianne Moore’s poetry and met “Ms.Moore” and began their life-long friendship. She later met poet Robert Lowell. She wrote tons and tons of letters to both of them, which is good for us because we would otherwise know very little of her personal life. Bishop’s poetry is sometimes considered objective and cold because it shows almost nothing about the poet or her life.
Bishop published her first book of poetry in 1946 and wrote until her death in 1979. She would spend years working on a single poem. Her poems are not the result of hasty scribbling (匆忙乱写) on paper while eating breakfast. Over a lifetime of writing, she only published about 275 pages of poetry, and about 40 of those are translations. She would look through drafts of poems again and again and improve them until they were as close to perfect as she could get them.
Reading Elizabeth Bishop is like being transported to the very place, the very moment she’s writing about. She leads us to a microscope so we can see every smallest part of the scene. It seems she’s always asking us to notice more, and more until the poem is so clear in our minds that it’s almost painful—like a light that’s too bright. It might take your eyes a while to get used to it, but once they do, you’ll like what you see.
1. What do we know about Bishop’s early life?| A．She started to write poems at five. |
| B．She was always encouraged by her parents. |
| C．She spent her childhood mainly in Worcester. |
| D．She was mainly brought up by her grandparents. |
| A．They have a deep influence on other poets. |
| B．They offer much information about her life. |
| C．They help us study Moore and Lowell’s poetry. |
| D．They prove she had friendships with famous poets. |
| A．She liked to write in the morning. |
| B．She could write poems at high speed. |
| C．She tried her best to achieve perfection. |
| D．She published hundreds of books of poetry. |
| A．Exact. | B．Informal. |
| C．Humorous. | D．Enthusiastic. |
【推荐2】Chinese delivery driver, Gao Zhixiao, was featured on the cover of Time magazine in March because of his sense of commitment. Alongside five others, he was picked by the magazine as one of heroes during the novel coronavirus outbreak.
Ever since COVID-19 broke out, many restaurants have shut down or switched to takeout-only services. Millions of people have been staying at home to avoid getting infected. “People choose to order food online or buy fruit and vegetables to cook at home,” Gao told Time. As a result, delivery orders dramatically increased, placing a huge burden on delivery companies.
Born into a poor family in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Gao started to make a living in Beijing at age 16.After the novel coronavirus broke out, Gao hesitated for a second to continue working, but then picked up orders because he thought customers might be in need.
Due to the danger of person-to-person transmission, Gao must take care to avoid spreading viruses on his route around Beijing, including taking a regular health test and spending 20 minutes disinfecting his motorcycle and clothes each morning. Besides delivering goods, Gao once willingly cooked for an elderly customer who was living alone at her home.
It is the commitment of ordinary people like Gao that has made the biggest contributions in the fight against COVID-19.
1. What can we know from Paragraph 1?| A．Gao was chosen on the cover of Time magazine due to his selfless commitment. |
| B．Gao was the only one to deliver food during the novel coronavirus outbreak. |
| C．Gao manages a delivery company. |
| D．Gao comes from a rich family. |
| A．People were too lazy to go out for meals. |
| B．There was a discount if people chose delivery orders. |
| C．People were asked to order food online by the government. |
| D．People were afraid of being infected with the novel coronavirus by going out. |
| A．Hard-working and honest. | B．Brave and humorous. |
| C．Selfless and warm-hearted. | D．Positive and selfless. |
| A．The Horrible Pandemic | B．A Delivery Hero |
| C．A Brave Heart Beats Anything | D．Never Say Never |
One important variable affecting communication across cultures is destiny（命运）and personal responsibility. This refers to the degree to which we feel ourselves the masters of our lives, contrary to the degree to which we see ourselves as subject to things outside our control. Another way to look at this is to ask how much we see ourselves able to change and act, to choose the course of our lives and relationships. Some have drawn a parallel between the personal responsibility in North American settings and the view itself. The North American view is vast, with large spaces of unpopulated land. The frontier attitude of “King” of the wilderness, and the expansiveness of the land reaching huge distances, may relate to generally high levels of confidence in the ability to shape and choose our destinies.
In this expansive land, many children grow up with a heroic sense of life, where ideas are big, and hope springs forever. When they experience temporary failures, they encouraged to redouble their efforts, to “try, try again.” Action, efficiency（效率）, and achievement are valued and expected. Free will is respected in laws and enforced by courts.
Now consider places in the world with much smaller land, whose history reflects wars and tough struggles: Northern Ireland, Mexico, Israel, Palestine. In these places, destiny’s role is more important in human life. In Mexico, there is a history of hard life, fighting over land, and loss of homes. Mexicans are more likely to see struggles as part of their life and unavoidable. Their passive attitude is expr4essed in their way of responding to failure or accident by saying “ni modo”(“no way” or “tough lick”), meaning that the failure was destined.
This variable is important to understanding cultural conflict. If someone believing in free will crosses paths with someone more passive, miscommunication is likely. The first person may expect action and accountability. Failing to see it, he may conclude that the second is lazy, not cooperative, or dishonest. The second person will expect respect for the natural order of thins. Failing to see it, he may conclude that the first is forcible, rude, or big headed in his ideas of what can be accomplished or changed.
1. The author thinks that one’s character is partly determined by .
| A．physical senses | B．general attitude |
| C．financial background | D．geographic characteristics |
| A．impractical | B．dishonest | C．ambitious | D．hesitant |
| A．a topic of a discussion | B．a branch of knowledge |
| C．a person being experimented on | D．a person under the power of others |
| A．vast land may lead to a more controllable desire |
| B．heroic sense of life roots deeply in a small country |
| C．living in limited space contributes to an accepting attitude |
| D．fighting over land may help people gain high levels of confidence |
One evening Barton showed his friends a large gold coin at the supper table. The coin was passed around and praised by everyone. At the same time they were talking and talking. They soon forgot about the coin. After supper, Barton asked for his coin, but nobody could tell where it was. It was lost. One man said that everyone must be searched. One by one they turned their pockets inside out. Only Clinton refused, however.“I didn’t steal the coin, and I will not be searched,” he said.After that, people turned their heads away from Clinton when they met him. He grew poorer. Soon his wife died.
A few years later, Barton had his house repaired. The lost coin was found under the floor. Barton felt sorry and went to Clinton to apologize. “But,” he asked, “you knew the coin was not in your pocket. Why did you refuse to be searched?” “Because I was a thief,” Clinton answered. “My pockets were full of food at that time. I had taken some food from the table to carry to my hungry wife and children.”
1. The story took place ________.
| A．in 1920 | B．after 1945 | C．in 1950 | D．1916 |
| A．Clinton was rich | B．the supper was good |
| C．it was a large gold coin | D．they were happy |
| A．they were thieves | B．the gold coin was lost |
| C．Clinton stole the gold coin | D．they stole the gold coin |
| A．he was afraid to be found that there was some food in his pockets |
| B．he didn’t steal the coin |
| C．he was poor enough |
| D．the gold coin was in his pocket |
| A．people thought of him as a beggar |
| B．people took no notice of him |
| C．people look down upon him |
| D．Clinton refused to see his friends |
【推荐2】Having grown up in northern Arizona with the immortal Grand Canyon and the iron red plateaus of Sedona in my backyard, I believed that the southwestern state is home to the most beautiful landscapes on the planet. Towering mountain titans, a cozy valley and an infinite blue sky promised fantastic potential for exploration. For me, no newly discovered sights or foreign landscapes can compare with its beauty.
That is, until I was invited to explore Guizhou province by the China Storyteller Partnerships Tour. Had someone vividly described how beautiful Guizhou can be in poetic detail, they would not have done it exactly. There is no substitute for seeing with one’s own eyes. I will attempt to do so.
During my trip around the city of Xingyi, in Guizhou, I saw the artwork of the Bouyei ethnic group. They use dyes produced from local plants to make clothing of striking blues and greens. Local elders still practice weaving with artful wooden machines and pass that tradition on to their grandchildren.
My father used to drag my brothers and me on yearly fishing trips around Arizona. We would compete to catch the largest fish, and in the mornings, Dad would cook us a basic breakfast of bacon, eggs, and toast. I sat in a small boat in the middle of the lake, with fishing pole moving slowly in my impatient hands, and held my bored tongue while my father attempted to share with me the whispers of the wind, a fish dancing on the surface of the lake or the majesty of a hawk hunting for prey overhead. On my trip to Guizhou I had the opportunity to paddle on Wanfeng lake. At one point I rested, floating at the center of the lake, listening to the spaces between silence and taking in the surrounding karst (喀斯特) mountains. I thought about my childhood, and wished I had listened more closely to my father while fishing.
I’ve lived away from Arizona for 10 long years, carving my own destiny in China. I’ve managed to build myself a family, a career, a livelihood, and various projects. I feel as though I have everything that I need. For a moment, in Guizhou, I felt home.
1. What do we know about the author’s hometown?| A．Situated in the north of US, it is home to Grand Canyon. |
| B．It has varied landscapes, ranging from plateau to valley. |
| C．Apparently, there’s no comparison in terms of beauty. |
| D．The author spent his childhood and adulthood in his hometown. |
| A．Experience. | B．Replacement. |
| C．Objection. | D．Agreement. |
| A．To express his regret not listening to his father attentively. |
| B．To recall the most unforgettable experience with his family. |
| C．To compare the trip on Wangfeng lake with his former fishing trips. |
| D．To suggest that his trip in Guizhou takes him back to his childhood. |
| A．Inevitable. | B．Favorable. |
| C．Demanding. | D．Astonishing. |
【推荐3】After hours of delays, one New York-bound passenger thought that he was getting the private plane treatment when he boarded his flight and realized he was the only passenger.
The passenger, a Brooklyn-based man named Chris O’Leary, started talking about his amazement before the plane took off. “It was definitely the most memorable flight I’ve been on in recent memory. There were no screaming babies, or reclining(使后仰) their seats.”
Although it seemed like he was getting to fly home alone, the plane ended up going back to the gate one to pick up a second passenger. “He took advantage of the fact that the flight was empty and reclined his seat all the way and slept,” O’Leary said of the second passenger.
It isn’t clear how many people were originally scheduled to be on board the 76-seater regional plane, but according to O’Leary, he was the only who was not rebooked on an earlier flight after they faced a number of delays. O’Leary was actually scheduled on a 7:15 a.m. flight out of Cleveland but when that flight got cancelled, he was re-booked on this flight, which was scheduled to take off at 9:39 a.m. The flight was delayed for hours, and since O’Leary learned of the delays by phone notices, he stayed in his hotel until shortly before the flight was actually due to take off. When he arrived at the airport, he heard his name being announced on the loud speaker and he was informed that everyone else had been rebooked on earlier flights because of the delay.
A Delta Airlines spokesman confirmed that there were two passengers on board. Often times when planes fly with a small number of passengers it’s because the plane itself is needed in the destination city for a later flight.
1. How many passengers were there on board the plane to New York?| A．Only one. | B．Two. |
| C．Three. | D．Seventy-six. |
| A．enjoyed the flight very much |
| B．missed the 9:39 a.m. flight |
| C．didn’t get exact notices in time |
| D．boarded his booked flight |
| A．a private plane sent O’Leary back home |
| B．O’Leary booked a flight at 7:15 a.m at first |
| C．76 people were at first planned to be on board |
| D．The flight O’Leary was on took off at 9:39 a.m |
| A．the passenger O’Leary was very poor |
| B．it would take place of another plane in the destination city |
| C．hours of delays was common for a flight |
| D．many people in the destination city were waiting for it |
