【推荐1】It’s not easy feeling like you’re always under the spotlight being judged for each little mistake you make. Your mind is in an endless circle playing what you said and did over and over again. You wish you had a time capsule to go back and make things right if you find mistakes. You fear what others will think about you and that they will reject and dislike you. You seek to be socially perfect.

Academically, you work long endless hours just to make those excellent marks. Although most would say “it’s good to have high standards,” they have no idea about the internal hell you put yourself through to achieve perfection. If you come up less than your desired goal you feel as though you have failed, but you’re far from failing, you just don’t see it that way. So instead you are telling yourself that you’re stupid, and not smart. The pressure you place on yourself weighs you down and you wear the “not good enough” label each and every day.

You not only have high standards for yourself but you also have them for others. If people don’t perform up to your expectations, then you think they are incompetent. This causes a lot of frustration because you can’t trust anyone to get things right. So instead of being a team player, you fly solo (单飞) and try to do two or three jobs at once. Your unrealistic expectations cause you to criticize and judge others and that leads to problems in other areas of your life.

The attempt to be perfect is called perfectionism and it’s the unachievable American dream that’s damaging our emotional and mental health. We strive (奋斗) for perfection with our body, in our performance, and in our relationships. In a society that overstates mistakes, is it any wonder, in that so many young people attempt the impossible task of being perfect?

We all have flaws (弱点), fears, and make mistakes, and that’s perfectly OK. It’s our imperfections that make life interesting and they help us grow into a stronger and more adaptable person. We don’t have to strive to achieve the impossible. We are designed to be perfectly imperfect.

1. Which of the following is a perfectionist most likely to agree?

A．Nobody is perfect.

B．Be generous with praise.

C．A contented mind is an everlasting feast.

D．There is no best, only better.

2. What can we infer from the underlined sentence in Paragraph 4?

A．More and more people are tolerating mistakes.

B．It’s unusual for a society to seek perfectionism nowadays.

C．Many young people find it impossible to be perfect.

D．The society is partly to blame for perfectionism.

3. What does the author think of imperfection?

A．It’s unbearable.	B．It’s part of our life.
C．It deserves to be overcome.	D．It does harm to our mental health.

4. What might be the most suitable title of the text?

A．Far From Failing	B．Perfectionism Phenomenon
C．Perfectly Imperfect	D．Unachievable American Dream

【推荐3】请阅读下面短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。
注意：请将答案写在答题卡上相应题号的横线上。每个空格只填一个单词。

Unless you’re one of the lucky few who already know what their passion is and what they really enjoy, you will be spending a lot of time trying new things and figuring out what you’re good at and what you like. Don’t be afraid to try new things and fail in them; failing builds character. You have a lot of growing up to do in your 20s, a lot of self-examination and exploration. Use this time wisely to get to understand yourself as best as you can — not that you won’t change as you continue to get older, but it’s definitely a time of discovery, getting to know yourself and what you want in this world and what you have to contribute in the world.

Life is about change; don’t go against it and just go with it. Learn from your mistakes and grow. Let go of things you can’t change. Sometimes change will be so painful that you will want to tear your heart out, but you’ll be okay if you just hang on and know that no matter what happens, you will be alright. Win, lose or draw, life will go on and you’ll get another chance to start your life over if things haven’t gone according to your plan.

Nothing lasts forever. Enjoy every moment that you have. Enjoy life and practice being present at the moment because time goes by extremely fast. There will be both good and bad times. The bad thing about ups is that there are always downs. It’s important to really enjoy the good moments in life because you’ll need those memories to reflect back on when the bad times come. The first 10 years after high school go by at a really high speed and before you know it you’re 28 and wondering how the time has escaped you.

Choosing a life partner is hard. Relationships in general are hard, not just romantic ones but friendships, and family relations as well. Stay in touch with people who you really care about and who really care about you. Make an effort to stay an active person in their life if you really care. You will not have as many close friends as you get older and you will probably lose some friends as well. Remember that it is okay because not everyone who comes into your life is meant to stay forever; let them go and try their best to love the people who are still in your life.

Happiness, love and confidence come from within. Life is what you make of it and what you put into it. You can create whatever life you want, and if you create that life and it doesn’t work for you any more, guess what? You can create a whole new life that does work. You may not have a choice in things that happen to you but you have a choice in how you react to them. Try to stay positive no matter what life throws at you and get through the tough times by talking to friends, family and an adviser if you need to.

Things nobody tells you while you grow up
You’re going to spend a lot of time     1     things.	• Try new things and fail in them with no     2     because failing builds character. • Use your 20s wisely to know yourself as best as you can.
Assume change will come.	• Don’t     3     change. • Another change will come to     4     your life if things haven’t gone according to your plan.
Time is a     5    resource.	• Make an enjoyment of every moment because time     6    . • Good memories help you go     7     bad times.
Relationships don’t come easy.	•     8     people who you really care about and who really care about you. • Let someone go and love those who     9    .
You get what you put in	• Choose the way you react whatever happens to you. • Stay positive and turn to others if     10    .

【推荐1】Directions: Complete the following passage by using the sentences given below. Each sentence can be used only once. Note that there are two more sentences than you need.

We may have 750 friends online，but we’re lonely

My phone and my laptop are within constant touching distance, whether Tm eating, drinking, in the shower, or watching the football. Before I get up every morning, I check my email, my texts and my Twitter feed. By the time I’ve got out of the shower, it’s time to do it again. I have a constant drip-drop of information from any of the 750 online friends and followers that I associate with.     1    . How does a 28-year-old man get like this?

    2     In a recent survey of young people, 60 percent said they found it difficult to make friends ‘in real life’ compared with online. I’m way beyond being an awkward teen, but I am wired up most of the day, as are most of my friends. I go to parties, pubs and dinners, but I am there only in spirit. Far from bringing me closer to people, my phone drives me further away.

I feel isolated. During working hours, I chatter away on social-networking sites, delaying tasks. I am in a constant state of distraction. Paradoxically（矛盾地), I no longer see the very people I want to see because I have been ‘talking’ to them all day.

Last weekend, I threw a dinner party. The moment that the food arrived, one best friend aged 26 got up to make a phone call while my other best friend, 27, sat through dinner checking Twitter for football scores.     3     Social networking dominates.

The terrifying thing is that none of us can go cold turkey.     4    If you’re an alcoholic, you can avoid alcohol, but how do I avoid the internet or my phone? I need it to do my job, because my employers demand that they can contact me at any time.

That's the problem with social networking. You are hardwired in, but you are always the same cool distance apart.

A．Yet I have never felt lonelier.

B．I dropped Facebook for six months last year, but came back because I was missing invitations.

C．I am not alone in feeling like an island.

D．the thrill is looking for things to listen to rather than the listening.

E．What’s worse is that I didn’t think either was being rude.

F．Whatever I’m doing, wherever I am, I’ll tell you about it.

【推荐3】I was on my way home from work, cutting through the Bryant Park. On that day, the sun seemed to set faster than usual, and suddenly I found myself walking in the dark. I was less than half a mile from my apartment, but the path would lead me over a bridge, across train tracks, and through an unlit underpass.

Then I heard him – a stranger running alongside me, partly obscured(遮掩) by the bushes. My mouth went dry; my legs felt like water. But I didn’t pick up my pace – instead, I stopped, turned, and faced him. He came out of the bushes and said he’d been watching me “for a long time”.

As he walked beside me, I guided us towards the edge of the park. When we reached the bridge, a train rumbled(轰鸣着缓慢行进) past, and he seized the moment, attacking me with a knife around my throat. The self-defense skills I had learned years before kicked in, and I pushed my finger into his eye, hard. And then came the shock: That didn’t frighten him away. My mind flashed back to a tip from an old guitar teacher: “Press the strings like you’re squeezing a flea(跳蚤).” I put all my strength into that finger, and finally he let go.

I was shaking with fear, but I looked him straight in the eye and began to back away. I turned to run the hell out of there, but then I remembered another self-defense lesson: Never run, because then you’re a target. So I walked away alone – through the dark tunnel as I dialed 911 with trembling fingers. If you ever find yourself in this situation, use these self-defense skills that you already know. They can really make all the difference to you.

1. Which of the following word best describes the author’s way home?

A．Well-traveled.	B．Risky.
C．Boring.	D．Well-protected.

2. What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 suggest?

A．The author was desperate to go home.

B．The author was exhausted and thirsty.

C．The author was in a state of fear.

D．The author’s legs were wet.

3. Which statement may the author agree with?

A．The man is a casual acquaintance of her.

B．She was guarded home by the police finally.

C．She might feel grateful for her self-defense skills.

D．The man injured his eye himself when making an attack.

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A．How I survived an attack	B．Whether fortune smiles on me
C．What one should do when in danger	D．Why self-defense skills are important

【推荐1】It was decades ago now, but it’s still one of the most memorable conversations of my life. On a long, slow train heading north, with nothing to do but watch the rain, the man sitting opposite began trying to talk to me. Like most young women who have learned the hard way to be careful of strangers, I was unfriendly. But curiosity took over when he said that he was just bored, and liked talking.

So that’s what we did for hours and hours as the man turned out to be quite talkative. When the train finally pulled in, we didn’t change numbers. However, I still think about it sometimes on long, boring journeys, before getting a phone out and scrolling silently like everyone else. It’s a rare person who can cheerfully break the social rule about not talking to strangers without any ill intention, but life would be more interesting if more of us knew how to do it.

And that’s why I can’t be as cynical as I probably should be about “Tube Chat” campaign launched to encourage Britons to talk to each other. All anyone is being asked to do is to start a conversation they wouldn’t otherwise have had — maybe with a friend from whom they’ve been apart or a neighbor they don’t know.

Obviously, it takes more than a bit of small talk over garden fences to unite strangers together. More people live alone than did so a generation ago, and the rise in freelancing (自由职业) means more of us work alone too. We socialize increasingly through screens, sending texts instead of bothering to call.

It’s true that the “Tube Chat” campaign of a few years back failed in its attempts to make Londoners talk to each other on public transport. But even city people who would normally die rather than make eye contact with strangers still happily gather in large numbers by the Thames for the New Year’s Eve fireworks. They would get a far better view at home on television — it’s not really about the fireworks, but about being part of something communal (公共的).

There’s no guarantee (保证) that this latest campaign to reconnect will succeed wherever others have failed. But if there ever a moment to stop social disbelief it may start a fire to warm a world that sometimes feels cold. Wherever my train friend is now, I hope he’s still talking.

1. The author introduced her train friend to         .

A．share her most memorable but boring journey

B．express her deep regret for losing touch with him

C．show that talking to strangers can add interest to life

D．explain why people are becoming indifferent

2. The underlined word “cynical” is closest in meaning to        .

A．doubtful

B．supportive

C．confused

D．disappointed

3. The example of Londoners gathering for the New Year’s Eve fireworks is used to show that        .

A．“Tube Chat”, failed in its attempts to unite strangers together

B．it’s hard to break the social rule about not talking to strangers

C．people have a wish to be socially connected by nature

D．“Tube Chat” made some difference to reconnecting people

4. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A．Keep our desire to connect.	B．Avoid talking to strangers.
C．Show respect for social disbelief	D．Socialize with our friends.

【推荐2】Going to college was not optional. In my family, it was just another step toward the American dream. As soon as I graduated, I enrolled in the English Department of Colorado State University. I went on to earn two scholarships, and membership in the National Honor Society. I truly believed the hard work was worth it.

It wasn’t until a few months ago that I realized how clueless I was. I had been combing through the classifieds when my eyes fell upon my dream job: “National College Magazine looking for writers.”

Thrilled, I spent the weekend composing a resume. Needless to say, I was stunned when the interviewer barely took one glance before throwing it aside.

“No experience”, he said flatly.

I felt like screaming, “What do you mean, no experience? Look at these grades.”

I was left to absorb the shock of rejection, thinking that nobody ever told me that a 4.0 student would be turned down for a job.

Didn’t all of my hard work count for anything?

I see plenty of demands for two years of experience at a print publication, but none requiring extensive knowledge of how to write academic papers. Yet 95% of my energy in school went toward the latter, leaving me little time to devote to anything else. If career preparation is supposed to be the point of college, then why isn’t it the focus?

Has a college degree just become another societal status symbol like fancy cars or designer clothes?

Given my experience, I feel that a college degree would be a lot more valuable if students were required to get some outside experience to supplement their in-class knowledge. Instead of requiring four science classes, why not three science classes and an internship? In my college career, I took one class that taught me how to write and submit essays for publication. This ever so brief taste of the real world was like holding an ice cream sundae in front of a child and only giving her a small bite.

1. Why did the author study so hard at college?

A．To maintain a family tradition.

B．To land an ideal job.

C．To fulfill parents’ expectations.

D．To pay for the tuition.

2. What accounted for the author’s failure in job hunting?

A．His fancy resume.

B．His misjudgment in high scores.

C．His lack of experience.

D．His poor performance in the interview.

3. What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph imply?

A．Academic writing is a small part of college life.

B．College education always covers unimportant things.

C．Competition in college is not as fierce as that in the real world.

D．The author feels held back by his lack of real-world experience.

4. What does the author want to tell us by writing this article?

A．Get a college degree and you will go far.

B．College students should make the best of their time.

C．Career preparation is a necessity for college education.

D．Landing a successful career is better than a college degree.

【推荐3】阅读短文, 按照题目要求用英语回答问题。

It was 3: 34 in the morning. Suddenly the bed moved a little. I woke up. That bed used to move a lot so I just thought it was my wife rolling (翻)over. I looked over to her and she was fast asleep. So I thought it was just another small tremor (轻微地震). We used to get many small tremors in Chile. But then everything in the room started making noise. The tremor got a bit stronger. My wife woke up.

I went to open the front door to make sure it wouldn’t get stuck while my wife went to see how the kids were. They were still fast asleep.

I got to the front door and left it open. When I turned around to go back to the bedroom, the full force of the earthquake started to hit. I couldn’t move forward. While I was trying to hold myself up against the wall, I looked out the window. It was frightening, some buildings coming in and out of view and some already falling down. Then the earthquake made a strong push and our lights went out. In the darkness, I thought, “This is it! We’re not coming out of this alive. ”

Luckily, the violent(剧烈的)shaking gradually slowed down and then stopped. I could finally walk to our children’s room. My wife had been standing over them during the strongest part of the earthquake, making sure nothing fell on them.

After such a big earthquake, we expected the “smaller” aftershocks to be still very strong. There was still a chance that the building could collapse. So we woke the kids up, got some basic things and started to walk down the emergency(紧急情况)stairs. . . all 22 floors of them.

When we finally arrived at the ground floor many other people had already arrived, some in pajamas (睡衣), some half-dressed. The good news was everyone got out of the building safe and sound.

1. What woke the author up? (no more than 10 words)
_______________________________________________
2. When did the earthquake get really strong? (no more than 10 words)
_______________________________________________
3. What happened when the author looked out the window? (no more than 15 words)
_______________________________________________
4. What does the underlined word in Paragraph 5 probably mean? (no more than 3 words)
_______________________________________________
5. When an earthquake comes, what should we do if we are in the room? Please explain. (no more than 25 words)
_______________________________________________

【推荐1】"I really wrote it for me, It was what I found funny and what I liked". Those are the words of J K Rowling, author of the enormously popular "Harry Potter" books. The quote refers to the first in a series of novels featuring a young character who has carved out a permanent place for his creator in the world of children's literature.

Joanne Kathleen Rowling was born in England in 1965, and wrote her first story at the age of six. She was in her mid-20s when the idea for the Harry Potter novels came to her, during a long train ride. By the end of that journey, she says, the character of Harry and the school for wizards which he attends were more or less fully formed in her mind.

It would be several years, however, before the novel was completed. By that time, Rowling had been through a failed marriage. Living on welfare as a single parent, she wrote about Harry Potter while sitting in an Edinburgh café with her daughter asleep beside her. She could not have dreamed of the fame and success which Harry would bring her in the years to come.

Harry Potter is not your average superhero. He is 12 years old, skinny, wears glasses, and tends to worry a lot. Yet, he has captured the imagination of children and adults the world over, and has introduced millions to the joys of reading.

Harry's appeal stems from his role as a very ordinary boy who finds himself in extraordinary situations. Orphaned as a baby, Harry spends the next 10 years being mistreated by the awful relatives with whom he lives. On his 11th birthday, he learns that he possesses magical powers and is admitted for training at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The adventures of Harry and his friends at the school are superbly narrated by J. K. Rowling. She manages to lead her millions of readers deep into the world of the supernatural, while at the same time dealing with the fears and emotions of the ordinary human world. Many feel that this is the real magic of Harry Potter.

1. Joanne Kathleen Rolling wrote Harry Potter intentionally for ______

A．herself.	B．her husband.
C．her daughter.	D．becoming rich.

2. According to the passage, which statement is TRUE?

A．The novel was completed shortly after the journey in which she formed the outline .

B．When she completed the novel, she had a very happy family with her husband loving her .

C．When she was writing the novel, her daughter was being looked by her parents.

D．When she was writing the novel, she was living a rather hard life.

3. Why does the novel harry potter attracts so many readers ?It is because of _______

A．J.K Rowling’s vivid description of the world of the supernatural.

B．Harry Potter ‘s role as a very ordinary boy who finds himself in extraordinary situations.

C．dealing with fears and emotions of the ordinary human world.

D．all of the above.

4. What does the underlined word “narrated ”mean ?

A．give a lecture.

B．give a written description of something.

C．give a spoken description of something.

D．tell somebody a story orally.

【推荐2】The Catnapper Mystery

Cody, the catnapper, had a talent for taking cats from trees, yards, and porches. He’d keep them until their owners paid for their return. One day, Milly’s kitten Mousie was missing. Milly accused Cody. “No way!” said Detective Denny. “I saw Cody catch a train to Planters Plain this morning. Mousie can’t have been kidnapped by Cody!”

“There are no paw prints on my lawn,” noted Milly. “Mousie didn’t just run off!”

“And there are no sneaker prints,” said Detective Denny. “Cody only wears sneakers.” Then he noticed tiny holes in the grass that looked like they were made by high-heeled shoes. Denny pulled out a pencil. He was very careful as he measured the holes. “Half a pencil deep! Only Patty Perry’s Pet Shop wears heels that high and thin.”

Milly and Detective Denny ran to Patty’s, where a man was loading pets into a van. “Where are these animals going?” asked Milly.

“To Carter’s Cats in Planters Plain,” he replied.

“Where is Patty Perry?” asked Detective Denny.

“She had to catch a train,” said the man.

“Hmmm,” thought Denny. “Cody’s full name is Cody Carter. Sounds like Carter’s Cats! And he’s on a train to Planters Plain.”

Denny figured Patty would sell the cats and then Cody would steal them back. Only this time, Patty made the snatch(抢夺). “They resell the cats in Planters Plain,” he realized, “and split the money!”

“Sounds illegal!” said the man with the van.

The Planters Plain police met the train and took the catnappers straight to prison. Best of all, the cats in captivity, including Milly’s Mousie, were returned to their owners.

1. Milly accused Cody of taking her cat because ________.

A．Cody was a detective	B．Cody had a van
C．Cody was a catnapper	D．Cody owned a pet shop

2. The clue that helped Detective Denny most was ________.

A．holes from Patty’s high heels	B．pets in the van
C．footprints from Cody’s sneakers	D．prints from Mousie’s paws

3. Which event happened after Milly and Denny ran to Patty’s Pet Shop?

A．Mousie was missing.	B．The catnappers went to prison.
C．Cody left for Planters Plain.	D．Denny looked at Milly’s lawn.

4. What is the main idea of the passage?

A．Milly’s kitten, Mousie, was kidnapped, leading to a pursuit and the involvement of Detective Denny.

B．Cody, known for catnapping, is wrongly accused by Milly, but Detective Denny discovers the true criminal, Patty Perry.

C．The man with the van is arrested for transporting animals illegally, leading to the return of the kidnapped cats, including Milly’s Mousie.

D．Detective Denny investigates the disappearance of Milly’s kitten, leading to the uncovering of a catnapping plan involving Cody and Patty Perry.

【推荐3】My mom was an astrophysicist, and Dad was a microelectronics specialist, each dealing with phenomenon bigger or smaller than the eye can see. As a kid, I was often into daydreaming that I won Oscars or Grammys (格莱美奖).     1     My parents, however, applied science and logic to most of the situations, like the time they cut the last olive (橄榄) in quarters because there were four of us.

    2     I watched “Powers of Ten,” a film by Charles and Ray Eames. Initially, they zoom (疾驰) out beyond our galaxy, moving 10 times farther away every 10 seconds, and then quickly zoom back into Earth, into a couple having a picnic, and then into his arm, hand, skin, atoms. It gave me a mix of existential fear and comfort.

    3     But the solar system itself seemed to me like a bunch of friendly, protective neighbor — especially

Saturn (土星). The first time I saw it, from an observatory on the hills of Barcelona, it was like what I imagine seeing Leonardo DiCaprio (莱昂纳多·迪卡普里奥， 著名影星) in person might be.     4     I later took to learning about Saturn’s weather and environment almost as if I were planning a holiday.

Saturn is considered the master of the universe. Glancing at them has the effect of making you feel insignificant and momentous (重大的) at the same time.

This summer, I traveled home for my mother’s 60-birthday-party, It consisted of a workshop (研讨会) in her honor in a small coastal town, with current and former colleagues of hers. I spent the day alone, swimming in the sea and joined them for meals while they presented papers to one another. All I had to do was sit, chat and quietly observe details.     5     They would travel to a scenic location to celebrate a birthday, then windup sitting indoors all day to discuss stars and planets.

A．The infinite (无穷尽的) universe was too much to digest.

B．And yet, somehow, I fell in love planets in my teenage years.

C．Saturn’s existence has always given me a real sense of possibility.

D．This group of people lacked the minimum level of humor to exist in the world.

E．I couldn’t help admiring this group of people for their commitment.

F．I wanted humor and lightness, even if that meant not always literal or all knowing.

G．Something you’ve always seen in two dimensions suddenly presents itself in three.