Here's the story of my growth over the past year. If anyone is inspired (激励) by this, that's wonderful.
I'd been stuck as this under-confident, fat and just frightened girl for years and years and years. Since I was a little girl, I'd been stuck like this, and I had lived a life where I'd be afraid of everything. But then it all started changing. Something clicked, and in over a period of 6 months I finally managed to stick to one of my diets, bringing me from overweight straight down to underweight. This proved ( 证明) that I could change myself.
One single time, I heard about a public speaking thing going on at my university, and for the first time, I managed to keep up the courage to go there. For the first time I was able to share my story, and able to do it in front of so many people possibly judging (评判) me, and suddenly all the fears about speaking publicly started vanishing. I never felt more confident.
This taught me I could get rid （去除） of my fears. It was from that point on that my road to change went from a rocky mess to a full-on empty highway.
Using the fact that I could change, and that I could get rid of my fears, I started working on them one by one. My fear of talking to strangers ,my fear of asking simple questions, my fear of hanging out with people, my fear of being myself... All of them were gone. And I still continue to progress to this day. I've never stopped.
1. When did the author know she could change herself?| A．When she was in her childhood. |
| B．When she refused a diet. |
| C．When she was underweight. |
| D．When she was overweight. |
| A．Moving. | B．Increasing. |
| C．Changing. | D．Disappearing. |
| A．The road to change was smooth. |
| B．Many other fears were on the way. |
| C．The author felt empty in face of fear. |
| D．The author started changing rapidly. |
| A．To inspire the readers. |
| B．To prove a new idea. |
| C．To teach how to speak publicly. |
| D．To show how to get rid of fears. |
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【推荐1】Eighteen years ago, Terry Grahl, was pregnant with her fourth child. “Money was very tight.” Terry recalls. So when her mom called to ask if she'd like to go shopping at the local fabric( 布料)store for the coming Christmas, she couldn't say no because she knew she badly needed some fabrics to make new clothes for her children. “1 remember walking around, gazing at all this beautiful fabric, wondering whether there is anything cheap that I could afford. And I could still get some money left to buy Christmas gifts for my family.”
Well, Terry’s mom must have known what Terry was thinking. Smiling kindly, she whispered to Terry, “You pick any fabrics you like. It’s your Christmas gift from me.” Terry’s eyes were filled with tears as the cart began to overflow with many fabrics, but not because Terry was planning on making herself a pretty dress or a pair of curtains for the kitchen. Rather, Terry’s mom's kindness had inspired some holiday gift ideas in Terry, and it didn’t take long for Terry to figure out what she was going to do with all that fabric.
“I was going to make my first quilt.” She explains. “Every night I would work on this queen-size quilt. With every stitch(一针), I thought about all that my mom had done for me over the course of my childhood, during which we were always battling homelessness, but Mom somehow managed to fill our lives with love and make everything okay.”
On Christmas day, five days after her baby girl was born, Terry handed her mom a gift box. Inside was the quilt she had sewn, from the fabric her mother had given her as a gift.
1. What do we know about Terry eighteen years ago?| A．Terry made a living by making clothes. |
| B．Terry had a bad relationship with her mom. |
| C．Terry and her family lived a hard life at that time. |
| D．Terry often went shopping at the local fabric store. |
| A．Strict. | B．Critical |
| C．Faithful. | D．Generous. |
| A．The value of the fabric. | B．The responsibility for her family. |
| C．The memory of her childhood. | D．The endless love from her mother. |
| A．A Christmas Day | B．The First Quilt |
| C．Colorful Fabrics | D．Hard Childhood |
【推荐2】By the age of sixteen years old, Ben had always been an outstanding student. He went to great lengths to achieve high grades and managed to keep his parents delighted and proud. Neither of his parents had the opportunity to attend university and it was their biggest ambition that Ben could land a well paid and decent job as a lawyer. He knew that achieving this goal would make his parents walk on air, but he wasn’t certain whether he would feel the same.
Since he was only a child, Ben had been passionate about computer programming. He taught himself how to use a computer, and by the age of 12, he had been expert in three different programming languages. He did all of this in his spare time. He was quite an introvert (内向的人), so he preferred staying in with his computer, rather than going out socializing with his fellow classmates or playing sports in the brilliant sunshine. It was acceptable with his parents, as long as he continued to focus on his studies.
One day, while reading an article online about a young technology billionaire called Tom, Ben was fascinated by the magical power of technology and the wisdom and innovation of the young CEO. The inner voice told him that he longed to become a computer programmer. Everything changed for Ben.
Despite his parents’ hopes. Ben chose to pursue his love for computer programming. He worked hard, improving his skills and taking every chance to learn and grow in the tech field. Despite some initial doubts, he found great joy in his work. Eventually, Ben became a highly successful and respected computer programmer, achieving his childhood dream. While his parents had their doubts at first, thy eventually came to understand and support his chosen path, proud of the impressive career he had built for himself.
1. What does the underlined phrase “walk on air” in paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．Physically active. | B．Extremely happy. |
| C．Mentally healthy. | D．Incredibly energetic. |
| A．Curious and humble. | B．Talkative and outgoing. |
| C．Diligent and intelligent. | D．Determined and humorous. |
| A．His parents’ expectations. | B．An article about a billionaire. |
| C．Tom’s encouragement. | D．A desire to become a CEO. |
| A．Two wrongs don’t make a right. | B．Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. |
| C．A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. | D．Follow your passion, and success will follow. |
【推荐3】As the Camp Fire continued, killing at least 85 people and displacing thousands more in Northern California, Madison waited there.
Gaylord, the Anatolian shepherd mix’s owner, was not able to get to her home in Paradise, when the fire began to spread, meaning Madison was left behind. For weeks, all Gaylord could do was pray for Madison’s safety, according to California-based animal rescue organization Paw Print Rescue.
Sullivan, a volunteer with the organization, had already helped locate Madison’s brother Miguel in a different city. But Madison was even more difficult to find. Sullivan spotted Madison a few times in a canyon (峡谷), apparently guarding his land, and put out fresh food and water regularly in hopes that the dog would turn up, according to a Facebook post by Sullivan. She even placed an article of clothing that smelled like Gaylord near the home “to keep Madison’s hope alive until his people could return,” Sullivan wrote.
When the evacuation (疏散) order was lifted last week and Gaylord went back to her home—which had been ruined by the fire—her prayers were answered: Madison was there, seemingly protecting what little remained of his family’s home. “Well, I’m so happy to report that Gaylord was allowed to return to her home today and THERE MADISON WAS!!!! He had stayed to protect what was left of his home, and never gave up on his people!” Sullivan wrote in the comment on her Facebook post. “I’m so happy I’m crying as I write this! He didn’t give up through the storms or the fire!” she added.
Soon afterward, Madison was reunited with Miguel for the first time since the fire broke out. An emotional Gaylord said in an interview with the network that she was overcome with joy to see Madison waiting for her. She also expressed how grateful she was to Sullivan. Gaylord said fighting through tears, “You could never ask for better animals. He is the best dog.”
1. What did Madison do during the Camp Fire?| A．He rescued Sullivan. |
| B．He waited for Gaylord. |
| C．He stayed with Miguel. |
| D．He ran away from Paradise. |
| A．To keep Madison warm. |
| B．To get Madison to turn up. |
| C．To help Madison remember his owner. |
| D．To encourage Madison not to give up. |
| A．In a different city. | B．In a canyon. |
| C．At a camp. | D．At his home. |
| A．Patience. | B．Unity. |
| C．Devotion. | D．Wisdom. |
【推荐1】To make a bright future happen, I believe you need to be committed and determined to take on the challenges of achieving greatness.
I started my journey to entrepreneurship (创业) with the motto “You are an entrepreneur”.
When I first began my journey to entrepreneurship, I focused on mastering the basics of business, including marketing, branding, finance, and other areas of accounting and management.
My own experience has taught me that a bright future is not something that just happens. Instead, it is the result of unique achievements, good work, and the willingness to take on great challenges. As you begin your journey to a new challenge, you will develop a sense of self-confidence and purpose. This is a time for great change and a great chance to go after greatness.
| A．Success depends on the people who bring it into being. |
| B．Besides, I began to explore ways to make the future happen. |
| C．With that in my mind, I had confidence to begin my journey. |
| D．There was something I couldn’t understand through education. |
| E．By creating greatness, you’ll be able to enjoy a better future life. |
| F．I knew I was building a foundation for starting my own business. |
| G．This might mean leaving your comfortable life for an unfamiliar journey. |
For kids, happiness has a magical quality. Their delight at winning a race or getting a new bike is unreserved (毫无掩饰的).
In the teenage years the concept of happiness changes. Suddenly it’s conditional on such things as excitement, love and popularity. I can still recall the excitement of being invited to dance with the most attractive boy at the school party.
In adulthood the things that bring deep joy—love, marriage, birth—also bring responsibility and the risk of loss. For adults, happiness is complicated (复杂的).
My definition of happiness is “the capacity for enjoyment”. The more we can enjoy what we have, the happier we are. It’s easy to overlook the pleasure we get from the company of friends, the freedom to live where we please, and even good health.
I experienced my little moments of pleasure yesterday. First I was overjoyed when I shut the last lunch-box and had the house to myself. Then I spent an uninterrupted morning writing, which I love. When the kids and my husband come home, I enjoyed their noise after the quiet of the day.
Psychologists tell us that to be happy we need a mix of enjoyable leisure time and satisfying work. I don’t think that my grandmother, who raised 14 children, had much of either. She did have a network of close friends and family, and maybe this what satisfied her.
We, however, with so many choices and such pressure to succeed in every area, have turned happiness into one more thing we’ve got to have. We’re so self-conscious about our “right” to it that it’s making us miserable. So we chase it and equal it with wealth and success, without noticing that the people who have those things aren’t necessarily happier.
Happiness isn’t about what happens to—it’s about how we see what happens to us. It’s the skillful way of finding a positive for every negative. It’s not wishing for what we don’t have , but enjoying what we do possess.
1. As people grow older, they ____.
| A．feel it harder to experience happiness |
| B．associate their happiness less with others |
| C．will take fewer risks in pursuing happiness |
| D．tend to believe responsibility means happiness |
| A．She cares little about her own health. |
| B．She enjoys the freedom of traveling. |
| C．She is easily pleased by things in daily life. |
| D．She prefers getting pleasure from housework. |
| A．Psychologists think satisfying work is key to happiness. |
| B．Psychologists’ opinion is well proved by Grandma’s case. |
| C．Grandma often found time for social gatherings. |
| D．Grandma’s happiness came from modest expectations of life. |
| A．consider pressure something blocking their way |
| B．stress their right to happiness too much |
| C．are at a loss to make correct choices |
| D．are more likely to be happy |
| A．Happiness lies between the positive and the negative |
| B．Each man is the master of his own fate. |
| C．Success leads to happiness. |
| D．Happy is he who is content. |
【推荐3】We have to make certain our limited money is well spent. But what should we spend our money on? A 20-year study conducted by Dr. Gilovich, a professor at Cornell University, reached a powerful and straightforward conclusion: don't spend your money on things.
The trouble with things is that the happiness they provide peters out. We get used to new possessions, and what once seemed exciting quickly becomes the norm. We keep raising the bar and always look for an even better one. Possessions, by their nature, cause comparisons. We buy a new car and are thrilled with it until a friend buys a better one — and there's always someone with a better one. Most of us usually assume that the happiness we get from buying something will last as long as the thing itself. It seems intuitive (直觉的) that investing in something we can see, hear, and touch on a permanent basis delivers the best value. But it's not the case at all.
Gilovich has found that experiences deliver more-lasting happiness than things. Experiences become a part of our identity. Everyone's experience is unique. We are not our possessions, but we are the accumulation of everything we’ve seen, the things we’ve done, and the places we’ve been to. “Our experiences are a bigger part of ourselves than our material goods,” said Gilovich. “You can really like your material stuff. You can even think that part of your identity is connected to those things, but they remain separate from you. In contrast, your experiences really are part of you. We are the sum total of our experiences.”
Besides, we don't compare experiences in the same way that we compare things. It’s hard to quantify the relative value of any two experiences, which makes them that much more enjoyable. And expectation of an experience causes excitement and enjoyment, while expectation of obtaining a possession causes impatience. Experiences are enjoyable from the very first moments of planning, all the way through to the memories you keep forever. The temporary happiness achieved by buying things can be regarded as “puddles of pleasure”. In other words, that kind of happiness evaporates quickly and leaves us wanting more. Things may last longer than experiences, but the memories that remain are what matter most.
1. Which one can replace the underlined words in paragraph 2?| A．Dies away. | B．Is too little. |
| C．Is not real. | D．Costs too much. |
| A．Experiences deliver less-lasting happiness than things. |
| B．Experiences can exist in our memory forever. |
| C．Our experiences take up all parts of ourselves. |
| D．Our experiences are what separate us from others. |
| A．Spiritual wealth is of great value to us. |
| B．Experiences can be compared with each other. |
| C．Expecting an experience increases our feeling of anxiety. |
| D．People are more likely to be impatient when buying things. |
| A．How can we gain happiness with money? |
| B．How can we make happiness last long? |
| C．Why should we spend money on experiences instead of things? |
| D．Why do experiences achieve permanent happiness than things? |
【推荐1】Miracle Moore, a 10-year-old girl has got praise as a hero from government officials at a ceremony (典礼) after she helped her mother give birth to her baby sister at home with little more than some guidance from a 911 operator.
Miracle Moore dialed up emergency help after her mom went into labor three weeks early at their home in Jennings, Missouri, north of St Louis, on 22 October. There wasn’t time to get her mother—Viola Fair—to a hospital, so the operator told the girl what she should do through the birthing process. The girl relayed the information to her mother over the 10-minute phone call. When it was over, Fair and Miracle welcomed a baby girl named Jayla to their family and the world.
“It was surely a miracle because once I had the baby, she came out, I couldn’t really pick her up, and then Miracle came and she wrapped (包裹) her up in a towel,” Fair said of her daughter. “She wiped her off and rubbed her back a little bit, so she could cry. So she was really helpful. I am very thankful.”
Medical staff soon arrived to bring the new baby and her mother to a hospital for an examination, and everyone was finally given a clean bill of health.
Miracle was honored for her heroism at the ceremony. Afterward, she said the most exciting moment of the entire experience for her was getting to be the first person who saw Jayla. Above all, the experience made Miracle realize what she wants to devote her life to when she grows up. “I want to be a doctor,” Miracle said at the ceremony.
The 911 operator who spoke to Miracle on the day of Jayla’s birth, Scott Stranghoener, said that the 10-year-old “did an amazing job”. “She followed all of my instructions to a T,” Stranghoener said.
She truly lived up to her name, Miracle Moore.
1. What is the second paragraph mainly about?| A．The government’s praise for Miracle. |
| B．How Miracle helped her mother in labor. |
| C．How Miracle rushed her mother to hospital. |
| D．Miracle’s preparations for her mother’s labor. |
| A．Brave. | B．Humorous. | C．Outgoing. | D．Positive. |
| A．Creatively. | B．Correctly. | C．Responsibly. | D．Immediately. |
| A．she had an idea of her future job |
| B．she got praise from the government |
| C．she was the first to see her baby sister |
| D．she improved her communication skills |
Mitchell lost his battle with Marfan syndrome at 26. The rare genetic disorder affects the body’s connective tissue, which is used to hold together organs, cells and tissue.
Ashley Whisenhunt, 22, cared for her husband until his death but said she was astonished when she discovered the 30 letters he left for her, their 18-month-old daughter Brynleigh and the community.
The little girl will grow up with a letter every year from her second to 18th birthday from a man she didn’t get to spend much time with but who left no doubt that he loved her unconditionally. “Through his testimony,there is so much she is going to learn,” Ashley told ABC News.
One letter was also addressed to their Longview, Texas, community, thanking them for their support.
“It just blows my mind,” Ashley said of her husband’s secret gesture. “He thought about everybody else instead of himself.”
Ashley said she would respect her husband’s wishes and open each letter as he planned, however there was one special surprise left for her that she said hit her the hardest.
In a spiral notebook that Ashley used before she dropped out of college to care for her husband, he wrote a letter to her asking that she publish a book of poetry he had written.
Mitchell Whisenhunt even planned his own funeral, and the funeral director said he couldn’t tell Ashley because it was Mitchell’s plan and secret. Ashley said she couldn’t help but wonder what other surprises her husband had in store. “There are ones we still don’t know about it,” she said.
1. How many letters will Ashley Whisenhunt receive from her husband?
| A．30. | B．22. | C．12. | D．13. |
| A．books | B．poems | C．notebooks | D．surprises |
| A．Love from Heaven | B．Fight against Diseases |
| C．Respect for Father | D．Secrets in Store |
【推荐3】Twenty years ago, I was invited to join a poker game made up of all middle-aged men. That game became an essential part of my life and it evolved with the group. We used to start at 7 p. m. with wine and play until 2 a. m. Now there is no wine, and we quit before midnight. The smoke of cigarettes is long gone. The food is better—over two decades we’ve gone from chips to homemade vegetable salad. All of these win favor with my wife when I go to play poker.
When the pandemic (疫情) arrived, we switched to online games. We downloaded a poker app on our phones and looked at those nine boxes containing our heads on our computer screens. The app dealt with all nine players at the same time, so the online version was much faster. Despite the efficiency, the app presented problems. It took all our concentration to keep track, on multiple screens, of what was going on with the game. The conversation didn’t really happen. It felt like any online poker game, the kind played with strangers. So I hated this way of playing.
When we finally met each other for our live game after a two-year break, we were excited. However, at our poker game, we learned one of our guys died of cancer without telling any of us he was sick. Actually, we once found Bert looked a bit thin and a bit tired. Then he was gone. According to Robin Dunbar, an evolutionary psychologist at Oxford University, men are less likely to discuss their personal affairs and opinions directly and honestly. It’s the reason why men are more likely to have mental problems.
So friendships with women are the perfect complement to male friendships. I have a wife to confide in (向……透露秘密), and a few female friends I regularly meet for lunch. I’m just really glad to have both types of friendships. I can meet my female friends for a nice lunch and a glass of wine. Then head off to poker.
1. Why does the author’s wife support him in playing poker?| A．It can make the author more intelligent. | B．It can make the author more relaxed. |
| C．The author’s lifestyle becomes healthier. | D．The author’s social skills become better. |
| A．The process of playing was slow. | B．Players always faced technical problems. |
| C．Players seldom interacted with each other. | D．The game was often interrupted by strangers. |
| A．Men are less sociable. | B．Men are less open-minded. |
| C．Men are less emotional. | D．Men are less outspoken. |
| A．Confused. | B．Disappointed. | C．Upset. | D．Satisfied. |
【推荐1】After seeing the famous movie series Pirates of the Caribbean(《加勒比海盗》),Alexander Marchenko，a 38-year -old businessman from a small Russian village，decided to build his very own copy of the Black Pearl pirate ship.
Marchenko has traveled all over Russia,and believes that there is no other land more beautiful than his hometown.He decided to take advantage of the beautiful environment and build a hotel.
He had noticed the other restaurants and hotels in the area all looked the same way，so he tried to come up with something special that would attract visitors. He was wondering what kind of hotel he would build when the Black Pearl came into his mind. He decided to build his own Black Pearl ship. Without any ship building experience，he went online and downloaded photos of famous ships to use as guides. And he started working on it immediately. It’s been two years since he worked on his ship. Now，his own Black Pearl is starting to take shape on the Yenisei River.
The 21meterlong vessel is made of wood produced locally,and the ship's“captain” plans to add all the tiniest details(细节)of the original Black Pearl. Right now,Marchenko is working on the interior decorations(内部装修)．He spends most of his time in the workshop,making all the little designs by hand. So far,he has spent 3.5 million rubles.
Marchenko hopes to finish the work this summer. Judged by the attention his ship is getting in its current state; he believes that upon completion，tourists will flock to see his wooden wonder.
1. Alexander Marchenko believes that______.| A．his hometown is cleaner than any other village |
| B．his small village will become a tourist attraction |
| C．he can build the Black Pearl pirate ship with ease |
| D．his hometown is more beautiful than any other land |
| A．Special. | B．Environmentally friendly. | C．Tiny. | D．Expensive. |
| A．hotel | B．car | C．movie | D．ship |
| A．He is very confident of its success. |
| B．He is doubtful about its success. |
| C．He is worried about its success. |
| D．He is not aware of the hotel's future. |
【推荐2】Between adolescence and adulthood, you go through changes-jobs, regrettable haircuts and relationships that come and go. But, as you grow older, does your personality change?
People tend to think of personality as fixed. But according to psychologists, personality is a developmental phenomenon. That's not to say that you're a different person each day you wake up. In the short term, change can be nearly unnoticeable and our personality is actually stable.
That pattern of consistency begins around age 3, and perhaps even earlier. Psychologists study children's temperament-the intensity of a person's reactions to the world. Earlier temperament seems to affect later life experience. For example, children who were shyer and more withdrawn tended to grow into unhappier teenagers.
But those decades add up. Personality tends to get “better” over time. Psychologists call it “the maturity principle.” People become more extroverted(外向的), emotionally stable, agreeable and conscientious as they grow older.
Some individuals might change less than others, but in general, the maturity principle applies to everyone. That makes personality change even harder to recognize in ourselves- how your personality compares with that of your peers doesn't change as much as our overall change in personality, because everyone else is changing right along with you.
So why do we change so much? Evidence suggests it's not dramatic life events, such as marriage, the birth of a child or loss of a loved one. Some psychologists actually suggest these events reinforce(强化)your personality as you bring your characteristics with you to that particular situation.
Instead, changing expectations placed on us-as we adjust to university, the work force, starting a family-slowly wears us in, almost like a pair of shoes. Over time you are asked in many contexts across life to do things a bit differently. So we adapt.
1. Which word best characterizes the main feature of personality that the author stressed?| A．Unnoticeable. | B．Fixed. |
| C．Developmental. | D．Consistent. |
| A．Personality is an unmoving thing that you're stuck with and can't get over. |
| B．Children's temperaments have an influence on their adolescence. |
| C．Changes in personality can't become obvious in the long term. |
| D．Not everyone tends to become better in personality when he grows older. |
| A．Daily life. |
| B．The temperament in our childhood. |
| C．Dramatic life events. |
| D．The expectations from surrounding environment. |
| A．To explain a person's future can be figured out by his childhood. |
| B．To show a person's personality is always changing, but slowly. |
| C．To prove dramatic life events in life strengthen a person's personality. |
| D．To inspire one not to change his own personality. |
【推荐3】People who write dramas, also called plays, are known as “playwrights” or “dramatist”. Some popular types of drama include comedy tragedy, farce, opera and docudramas. Now, I'd like to tell you some popular types of drama.
Lighter in tone, comedies try to make the audience laugh and usually come to a happy ending. Comedies put unusual characters in special situations, causing them to do and say funny things. Comedies can also be sarcastic(讽刺的) in nature, creating fun at serious topics. There are also several different types of comedy, including romantic comedy, a comedy of manners, and tragic comedy-plays in which the characters take on tragedy with humor while bringing serious situations to happy endings.
Tragedy is based on darker themes. Generally, tragedies show serious subjects like death, disaster, and human suffering in a way that makes the audience think. Hardly enjoying happy endings, characters in tragedies, like Shakespeare's Hamlet, are often troubled by tragic character flaws(缺点) that finally lead to their death.
A farce is a type of drama in which characters overact and present physical humor. Examples of farce include the play Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett and the hit 1980 movie Airplane! written by David and Jery Zucker and Jim Abrahams.
Opera is a type of drama which combines theater, dialogue, music, and dance to tell stories of tragedy or comedy. Since characters express their feelings through singing rather than dialogue, performers must be both skilled actors and singers. The tragedy La bohème by Giacomo Puccini and the comedy Falstaff by Giuseppe Verdi are classic examples of opera.
A docudrama is a relatively new kind of drama. Docudramas talk about historic events or non-fictional situations. More often presented in movies and television than in live theater, popular examples of docudramas include the movies Apollo 13 and Twelve Years a Slave.
1. What do we know about comedies?| A．They don' t talk about serious topics. |
| B．They usually don' t have sad endings. |
| C．There' re always some arguments in them. |
| D．There' re four kinds of comedies mentioned. |
| A．Worried. | B．Cheerful. |
| C．Upset. | D．Thoughtful. |
| A．say something funny. | B．present physical humor. |
| C．be good at acting and singing. | D．tell stories through dialogue. |
| A．Girls loving romantic stories. | B．Children loving funny stories. |
| C．People interested in true events in history. | D．People interested in fictional situations. |
