1 . When I spent the summer with my grandmother, she always set me down to the general store with a list. Behind the counter was a lady like no one I’d ever seen.
“Excuse me,” I said. She looked up and said, “I’m Miss Bee.”
“I need to get these.” I said, holding up my list. “So? Go get them.” Miss Bee pointed to a sign. “There’s no one here except you and me and I’m not your servant, so get yourself a basket from that pile.”
I visited Miss Bee twice a week that summer. Sometimes she shortcharged me. Other times she overcharged. Going to the store was like going into battle. All summer long she found ways to trick me. No sooner had I learned how to pronounce “bicarbonate of soda” and memorized its location on the shelves than she made me hunt for it all over again. But by summer’s end the shopping trip that had once taken me an hour was done in 15 minutes.
“All right, little girl,” she said. “What did you learn this summer?” “That you’re a meanie (小气鬼)!” I replied. Miss Bee just laughed and said, “I know what you think of me. Well, I don’t care! My job is to teach every child I meet life lessons. When you get older you’ll be glad!” Glad I met Miss Bee? Ha! The idea was absurd…
Until one day my daughter came to me with homework troubles. “It’s too hard,” she said. “Could you finish my math problems for me?”
“If I do it for you, how will you ever learn to do it yourself?” I said. Suddenly, I was back at that general store where I had learned the hard way to add up my bill by myself. Had I ever been overcharged since?
1. What did the author’s grandmother always ask her to do during her summer vacation?| A．Go to see the lady in a store. | B．Make lists for her shopping. |
| C．Buy something in the general store. | D．Send lists to the lady in the general store. |
| A．Teaching kids lessons was Miss Bee’s job at that time. |
| B．She neither shortcharged the author nor overcharged her. |
| C．Her tricks made the author finish shopping in a shorter time. |
| D．She used to learn to pronounce the names of some goods in the store. |
| A．express her opposition to Miss Bee |
| B．tell readers Miss Bee’s influence on her |
| C．show her satisfaction with her kid’s homework |
| D．inform readers of her irresponsibility for her kid |
| A．A Precious Lesson By Meanie | B．Being a Responsible Mother |
| C．Making a Meaningful Life List | D．An Unforgettable Summer Travel |
2 . From now on, never spend your precious time thinking of reasons for your failures and shortcomings. Instead, realize that the seeds of success were planted within you when you were born. Only you have the power to make those seeds grow.
The seeds, and the power to grow them, are contained in the most awesome (令人惊叹的) machine ever created: the human mind. Success is a choice and not a chance. You were born a winner. You were born rich. You can be a success if only you make the right choice.
You cannot be successful without first developing your self-esteem (自尊). Your level of self-esteem is always based on the degree of control that you are able to exercise over yourself, and thus over your life. People with low self-esteem are people who do not believe that they have any power, or responsibility for their lives. They are leaves tossed(摇摆)by the winds of chance blown about with any sudden change in the weather.
You can exercise control over your life only to the degree that you believe that you are responsible for everything that happens in your life. Failures think that everything happens by accident and chance. Successful people realize that they are responsible.
Everything happens as a result of something. If we can identify the cause, we can control the effect. We are responsible for what we choose to think and believe. One generally rises to the level that one expects. We are responsible for setting our expectations. Our success is dependent upon our level of confidence.
If you associate with positive-thinking people, you are definitely going to achieve success. On the contrary, the opposite happens. We are responsible for finding, planting, and nurturing (养育) the seeds that contain future victory, born from setbacks (挫折).
In short, in all areas of your life, whether they be financial, physical, emotional, or spiritual, you are responsible. Once you recognize this, accept it, and firmly believe it, you are on the road to success.
1. People with low self-esteem are compared to leaves because they ______.| A．are ready to change their minds |
| B．don’t have the ability to control themselves |
| C．can’t be successful with self-control |
| D．are easily affected by windy weather |
| A．their failure is accidental |
| B．working hard will lead to success |
| C．they are responsible for success |
| D．they should make efforts to succeed |
| A．our success results from our attitudes |
| B．one can rise to the level that one expects |
| C．we should be responsible for our thoughts and beliefs |
| D．setting our expectations is essential before taking action |
| A．the proof of the author’s points |
| B．an introduction to another topic |
| C．the conclusion of the argument |
| D．a comparison between two views |
| A．The secrets of success. |
| B．How to achieve success. |
| C．Develop our confidence. |
| D．Success depends on you. |
3 . Beep! Beep! Beep! I rolled over and turned off my alarm clock. It was still
I
I shivered (打寒颤) and
Our lives here are full of sweet
| A．rainy | B．dark | C．cold | D．snowy |
| A．curious | B．afraid | C．eager | D．able |
| A．coat | B．bite | C．leash | D．flashlight |
| A．temperature | B．condition | C．environment | D．weather |
| A．method | B．path | C．plan | D．calendar |
| A．check | B．forecast | C．test | D．provide |
| A．removed | B．needed | C．packed | D．washed |
| A．tried on | B．decided on | C．relied on | D．focused on |
| A．difficult | B．ideal | C．wrong | D．safe |
| A．water | B．mud | C．dust | D．frost |
| A．patience | B．balance | C．distance | D．promise |
| A．complained | B．smiled | C．suffered | D．doubted |
| A．pre-dusk | B．mid-night | C．pre-dawn | D．post-dawn |
| A．Actually | B．Suddenly | C．Effortlessly | D．Generally |
| A．avoided | B．regretted | C．stopped | D．continued |
| A．wonder | B．reality | C．signal | D．challenge |
| A．offered | B．refused | C．intended | D．failed |
| A．found | B．admired | C．reflected | D．lighted |
| A．discoveries | B．dreams | C．seasons | D．memories |
| A．Enjoy | B．Examine | C．Admit | D．Remember |
4 . Normally, I loved birthdays. When my son and three daughters were little, my husband, Charles, and I always made sure to have dinner, followed by a big cake and presents.
Later, when the kids grew up and lived in different states, they always called to wish me a happy birthday. But this year I could have skipped the whole day, knowing there was one call I wouldn’t be receiving, the one from my daughter Patty. She’d passed away unexpectedly just a month before. One thing which made me feel a little calm was a voice message that she’d left on my cell phone the night before she died, telling me she loved me.
Over the following days I played her message of wishes over and over again, listening to the last words she said. “I love you very, very much, Mom.” Then, a couple of weeks before my birthday, while I was doing laundry (洗衣服), I accidentally dropped my phone in the washing machine. Quickly I pulled it out and dried it off, but when I checked my voicemail, Patty’s message was gone. I cried, heartbroken. Day after day I kept checking my voicemail, hoping Patty’s message would reappear. It never did.
On the morning of my birthday, I received my son’s wishes. However, all I wanted for my birthday was to hear Patty’s voice again. “Happy birthday.” Charles said, “let’s go out for dinner and a movie. It might help take your mind off things.” Charles was right. I turned off my phone, settled into my seat in the movie theater and let the film take me away. But the minute it ended I started thinking about Patty again. As we were walking out of the theater, I turned on my phone. It rang, signaling I’d gotten a voice message. Probably just my youngest daughter, Leslie, calling to wish me a happy birthday, I thought.
I dialed up voicemail and the message began. It was Patty’s voice, clear as a bell, saying again, “I love you very, very much, Mom.”
1. How did the family celebrate the author’s birthday when the children were young? (no more than 10 words)2. Why didn’t the author want to celebrate her birthday this year? (no more than 10 words)
3. How do you understand the underlined sentence in the fourth paragraph? (no more than 8 words)
4. What happened when the author was doing some washing one day? (no more than 15 words)
5. What do you think of the story? Give your reasons in your own words. (no more than 20 words)
5 . Returning to nature
Imagine getting the chance to go camping for five days. It would be an adventure (冒险) in the wild. You could row on a lake every day and leave your smartphone at home. Would you want to try this?
In June, four teenage girls from Minnesota, US, went camping in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (边界水域泛舟区). They had a great time——even without their smartphones.
Julia Ruelle, 16, put the group together. Earlier this year, she won an essay contest sponsored (赞助) by a company. The award was a five-day canoe and camping adventure with up to three friends. No parents or guides would be there. This award was supposed to encourage kids to be less dependent on technology.
Ruelle had been to the area before, but she had always gone with her parents. Sharing the experience with friends would be very different. She invited three friends: Anna Wander, Madeline Wilson, and Julianna Torelli.
They came up with a daily plan. “We would wake up early every day. We were done paddling (划桨) by noon. We ate lunch at the campsite. Then it was time for hammocks (吊床), reading, writing, making friendship bracelets (手链), talking and napping,” Ruelle said.
“I’m a lot less worried about things,” Wander said when asked how she felt without her cellphone. Her favorite thing to do was lie in her hammock and look at the lake. Torelli enjoyed cooking. She made blueberry pancakes and sandwiches.
No one felt hungry or homesick. “Mental (心理的) health can be improved so much. It really helps to get away and reconnect with yourself,” Ruelle said.
1. The camping trip was unique because the girls _____.| A．had to live on a boat for several days |
| B．needed to finish many tasks |
| C．had to live without their smartphones |
| D．needed to find a guide on their own |
| A．not using her smartphone at school |
| B．asking her parents for help |
| C．working in a company |
| D．winning an essay contest |
| A．Worried. | B．Happy. |
| C．Hungry. | D．Homesick. |
| A．It is easy to get lost without our phones. |
| B．The girls didn’t make any camping plans. |
| C．Wilson enjoyed making pancakes and sandwiches. |
| D．Using smartphones less can improve our mental health. |
6 . On August 26, 1999, New York City was struck by a terrible rainstorm. Unfortunately, this happened during the morning rush hour. Many people who were going to work were
Unluckily, there were so many people waiting to
My coworkers and I spent most of the day drying off. When it was 5:00 p.m., I was ready to go home. I was about to turn off my computer
Garth’s email was short, but I learned more from that
| A．forced | B．refused | C．adjusted | D．gathered |
| A．climate | B．scenery | C．storm | D．burden |
| A．used | B．promised | C．deserved | D．happened |
| A．practice | B．routine | C．process | D．service |
| A．to | B．through | C．over | D．for |
| A．operating | B．cycling | C．turning | D．rushing |
| A．check | B．carry | C．find | D．board |
| A．street | B．ground | C．floor | D．platform |
| A．paused | B．crossed | C．reached | D．parked |
| A．wet | B．weak | C．sick | D．hurt |
| A．while | B．when | C．after | D．where |
| A．hardly | B．kindly | C．normally | D．eventually |
| A．devotion | B．offer | C．connection | D．reaction |
| A．interesting | B．urgent | C．brief | D．humorous |
| A．promise | B．appreciation | C．advice | D．importance |
7 . I was born a bookworm. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t read: It was almost like breathing to me. My fictional worlds took me to all the places I needed to go and I experienced everything indirectly.
My father was in the military service when I was a child, so we moved every two years, but we insisted on going to bookshops wherever we lived. He would take me to the nearest bookshop every Saturday morning and wait patiently while I browsed (随便看看)—after all, the choosing of a new book is something that cannot be rushed. And so started my lifelong love affair with bookshops.
One day I was thinking up the setting for How to Find Love in a tiny bookshop when a feeling of calm, contentment, and excitement came over me. It was a feeling of perfect happiness. That was my light bulb moment: My book would be set in a bookshop, and I could explore what books meant to each of my characters and how they had shaped their lives.
The book isn’t just about discovering romantic love. It’s about finding the love of books: something that can sustain you throughout your life, and provide escape, entertainment, education, comfortd and wonder. And, as I learned from my own father, it’s a love you can share with everyone. There is nothing more satisfying than sharing something you have read with someone else, knowing they will love it as much as you do.
But if we are to keep bookshops alive, we need to use them, and to encourage the next generation to make them a part of their life and view bookshops as a treat, a pleasure, an adventure, a gateway, so they become something we can’t live without. Thus my challenge to you, fellow readers, is to go to your local bookshops as often as possible and come out with something that might change your life.
1. Why did the author often move when he was a child?| A．Because her father loved travelling. |
| B．Because her father was in the army. |
| C．Because her parents divorced. |
| D．Because her parents wanted to find a better school for her. |
| A．Distant. | B．Casual. |
| C．Inseparable. | D．Cooperative. |
| A．A moment of relief. | B．A moment of peace. |
| C．A moment of sudden shock. | D．A moment of sudden inspiration. |
| A．How books affect people’s lives. | B．Romantic stories of the author’s parents. |
| C．How bookshops become popular. | D．Touching stories between father and daughter. |
| A．Purchase her books. | B．Go frequent book shopping. |
| C．Share books with others. | D．Sponsor local bookshops. |
8 . In the UK, the government showed throwaway cups should be forbidden altogether by 2023 if they are not all being recycled. As a result, Starbucks said it would try out a 5p (5 pence) cup charge in 20 to 25 central London shops. “We will begin it next month and at first it will last for three months,” the company said, adding that it continued to offer a 25p (25 pence) discount to customers who brought their own reusable cups.
The government agrees plastic waste is a problem and will consider taxing disposable (一次性的) plastics. The committee’s chair, Mary Creagh, said, “The UK throws away 2.5 billion disposable coffee cups every year. Almost none are recycled. Coffee cup producers and shops haven’t taken action to change this. So we need to kick-start a change in recycling.”
The Liberal Democrats said they had been suggesting a charge on coffee cups since September 2016. The party’s spokesman, Tim Farron, said, “The result is clear that the tax works. The 5p charge on plastic bags has largely cut down the usage and helped protect our environment.”
The 5p tax is being against by the makers of paper cups. Mike Tuner, of the Paper Cup Alliance, said paper cups were the safest solution for drinks. “The paper cups we produce in the UK can be recycled, and are being recycled. We are trying to increase recycling rates. Taxing the morning coffee run won’t solve the problem, but it will hurt consumers,” he said.
Disposable coffee cups are technically recyclable, but most are not because the UK has just three machines that can split the paper and plastic parts for recycling. The committee has called on the government to require coffee cups from cafes without in-store recycling systems to carry “not recycled” marks to remind customers. Cafes with in-store recycling systems should print their cups with “recyclable in store only”.
1. About the throwaway cups, Starbucks will ________.| A．offer a half-price discount to customers with their own cups |
| B．support the idea of forbidding throwaway cups till 2023 |
| C．charge customers 5p per throwaway cup in some shops |
| D．stop to offer throwaway cups in its shops right now |
| A．Coffee cup makers will take action to recycle the water. |
| B．The use of the disposable plastics is a nationwide problem. |
| C．Coffee cup users pay much attention to the plastic problem. |
| D．The UK government will ban all disposable coffee cups by 2023. |
| A．More people will fight against the charge. |
| B．There will be little change in our environment. |
| C．Fewer people will use the disposable coffee cups. |
| D．There will be a competition between coffee shops. |
| A．will be supported by the makers of the paper cups |
| B．will affect the consumers instead of solving the problem |
| C．can give a hand to increasing recycling rates of the makers |
| D．can be the best solution for the government to cut down waste |
| A．There are not enough professionals in this area. |
| B．There is not enough professional equipment. |
| C．Consumers don’t have recycling knowledge. |
| D．Cafes don’t have recycling systems at all. |
9 . My mother left the field of education formally after I was born. However, she did not leave it
On my first day of kindergarten, I was excited, but
There have been many napkin notes since the
This year, my mother
So I gave her a
As she opened up her “You can do it!” napkin note from me, tears began to run down her face. When her eyes met mine, I saw she
| A．finally | B．completely | C．clearly | D．naturally |
| A．lucky | B．crazy | C．helpful | D．fun |
| A．admitted | B．allowed | C．advised | D．invited |
| A．tired | B．shocked | C．nervous | D．bored |
| A．lunch box | B．school bag | C．pencil box | D．toy bag |
| A．thanked | B．loved | C．missed | D．accepted |
| A．spent | B．began | C．ended | D．won |
| A．same | B．recent | C．best | D．first |
| A．read | B．returned | C．sent | D．introduced |
| A．Because | B．Although | C．If | D．Unless |
| A．continued | B．escaped | C．changed | D．reduced |
| A．teachings | B．warnings | C．choices | D．dreams |
| A．suggest | B．offered | C．promised | D．decided |
| A．charge | B．memory | C．favor | D．control |
| A．show | B．know | C．imagine | D．hope |
| A．book | B．degree | C．award | D．answer |
| A．gift | B．chance | C．guide | D．speech |
| A．washed | B．filled | C．packed | D．opened |
| A．pictures | B．replies | C．suggestion | D．writing |
| A．remembered | B．trusted | C．understood | D．believed |
10 . The Enemy Is in My Pocket
Yesterday I went to a phone store. There were no other
“How can I help you?” One of them asked me.
I replied, “I
“Um, let me check on that.” She walked to the other end of the
That moment had come after months of struggle. I
But one day, I began to wonder how important being online really is and if it made me a
So, I wanted to
I've only been doing this for a few days, but I have found myself obviously more
Where there is a
| A．students | B．customers | C．friends | D．managers |
| A．wonder | B．doubt | C．question | D．ask |
| A．restaurant | B．store | C．street | D．market |
| A．good | B．latest | C．certain | D．bad |
| A．saying | B．announcing | C．giving | D．concluding |
| A．Exactly | B．Finally | C．Eventually | D．Actually |
| A．never | B．often | C．sometimes | D．also |
| A．take charge of | B．come up with | C．keep in touch with | D．carry on with |
| A．leave | B．catch | C．miss | D．make |
| A．better | B．funnier | C．worse | D．stronger |
| A．started with | B．ended up in | C．went with | D．succeeded in |
| A．memory | B．attention | C．energy | D．money |
| A．amazed | B．glad | C．puzzled | D．angry |
| A．regret | B．arrange | C．enjoy | D．forget |
| A．stay | B．sell | C．change | D．explore |
| A．sleep | B．rest | C．work | D．play |
| A．checking | B．trading | C．answering | D．seeing |
| A．sensitive | B．attractive | C．positive | D．productive |
| A．problem | B．will | C．road | D．lesson |
| A．beside | B．before | C．without | D．by |
