1 . In the 1950s, Japan began to focus on developing is economy. Every day, many people traveled by train between Tokyo and Osaka. Many industrial materials were also transported on those railway lines. But the Japanese railway system was so outdated that the 320-mile trip could take 20 hours. So in 1955 the Japanese railway chief asked the nation’s engineers to create a faster train.
Months later, a team managed to create a train going at a speed of 65mph — a speed that made it one of the fastest passenger trains worldwide at the time. But the railway chief wasn’t satisfied. He wanted 120mph. The engineers immediately explained that at those speeds, if a train turned too sharply, the speed would force the cars off the track.
But the railway chief didn’t change his mind. After making many attempts, the engineers eventually created a train running up to 120mph and had a big influence on the industrial design worldwide. This is an example of what a “stretch goal” (延展性目标) can achieve. When exploring psychology, I was frequently told by researchers that the most successful people tend to set goals differently from everyone else. In particular they tend to identify big, seemingly unrealistic objectives.
“Stretch goals break complacency (自满),” some scientists wrote. “By forcing a big rise in collective hopes, stretch goals can shift attention to possible new futures and perhaps lead to increased energy in the organizations. They thus can achieve more.”
This lesson can be used in the most ordinary aspects of life. Take to-do lists for instance. When making to-do lists, some people often write down tasks they can cross off right away. That’s wrong. Before writing easy tasks, you should first put down at the top of your list a big stretch goal that will constantly remind you of the main objective you’re trying to get done.
1. What does the description of Japan’s problem in the 1950s show?| A．The public’s discontent at its train service. |
| B．The unfavorable economic situation of Japan. |
| C．The practical need to improve its railway system. |
| D．The unbalanced development of its transportation. |
| A．They found it tough but worthwhile. |
| B．They considered it totally unrealistic. |
| C．They put forward their own research plan. |
| D．They believed it would gradually come true. |
| A．How to break down big goals into smaller ones. |
| B．How to understand “stretch goals” matters. |
| C．How to create success step by step. |
| D．How to set goals sets people apart. |
| A．encourage people to keep making to-do lists daily |
| B．indicate we’d better first achieve easy goals |
| C．prove to-do lists are crucial to organizations |
| D．show stretch goals can apply to our daily life |
| A．A stretch goal can be a double-edged sword. |
| B．Ambition pushes personal and social progress. |
| C．Readers need to listen to members’ opinions. |
| D．Goals should fit in with the reality. |
2 . Music is something I could never live without. Without music, I was
Everyone who wanted to be in show choir auditioned for the
A year passed, I was at a
| A．calm | B．mad | C．anxious | D．quiet |
| A．teach | B．express | C．praise | D．help |
| A．heart | B．brain | C．mind | D．head |
| A．looking forward to | B．getting along with | C．trying out for | D．picking up |
| A．pride | B．adventure | C．passion | D．courage |
| A．activity | B．programme | C．service | D．job |
| A．suggested | B．recorded | C．permitted | D．written |
| A．sound | B．scene | C．play | D．answer |
| A．relief | B．concern | C．anger | D．sympathy |
| A．removed | B．signed | C．expected | D．posted |
| A．signature | B．mark | C．name | D．position |
| A．kindness | B．confidence | C．pressure | D．luck |
| A．crashed | B．started | C．continued | D．existed |
| A．theatre | B．restaurant | C．garden | D．park |
| A．eat | B．dance | C．sing | D．drink |
| A．create | B．write | C．play | D．choose |
| A．struggled | B．stopped | C．cheered | D．voted |
| A．efforts | B．ideas | C．knowledge | D．hope |
| A．picked out | B．turned down | C．brought up | D．left behind |
| A．love | B．connection | C．touch | D．common |
3 . When I was growing up, I had an old neighbor, Dr. Gibbs. He didn’t look like any doctor I’d ever known. He never invited us to play in his yard, but he was a very kind person. When Dr. Gibbs wasn’t saving lives, he was planting trees. He owned a large field and wanted to make it a forest.
The good doctor had some interesting ideas about planting trees. He never watered his new trees. Once I asked why, he said that watering plants spoiled them, and that if you watered them, each baby tree would grow weaker and weaker, so you had to make things difficult for them and pick out the weaker trees early on. He talked about how watering trees made for shallow (浅的）roots, and how trees that weren’t watered had to grow deep roots in search of water under the earth by themselves. Deep roots were very important. So he never watered his trees. He’d planted an oak and, instead of watering it every morning, he’d beat it with a rolled-up newspaper. I asked him why he did that, and he said it was to get the tree’s attention.
Dr. Gibbs died several years after I left home. Every now and then, I walked by his house and looked at the trees that I watched him plant about twenty-five years ago. They’re very big and strong now. I planted some trees a few years back and carried water to them for a whole summer. After two years of caring too much, whenever a cold wind blows in, they shake a lot.
Every night before I go to bed, I check on my two sons. Mostly I pray (祈祷) that their lives will be easy. But lately I’ve been thinking that it’s time to change my prayer. I know my children are going to face difficulties. There’s always a cold wind blowing somewhere, so what we need to do is to pray for roots that reach deep into the brave heart, so when the rains fall and the winds blow, we could face it strongly and won’t be beaten down.
1. We know from the reading, the doctor ______.| A．didn’t know how to plant trees at all |
| B．had his own ways of planting trees |
| C．wasn’t good at his own medical job |
| D．had nothing to do but plant trees |
| A．some weak trees would be easily found out at the beginning |
| B．he would choose the weak trees to water earlier |
| C．the weak trees would be sent to his patients later |
| D．he would not plant weak trees so early anymore |
| A．beat all his trees with a rolled-up newspaper |
| B．often water his trees |
| C．took too much care of his trees |
| D．didn’t have a large field |
| A．his trees will be stronger than Dr. Gibbs' |
| B．his trees will not be beaten down |
| C．his sons will be better at planting trees |
| D．his sons will be able to face difficulties |
| A．Watering Trees |
| B．Growing Roots |
| C．Doctor and his Neighbor |
| D．Father and his Children |
4 . Do you remember the name of your kindergarten teacher? I do. Her name was Mrs. White.
I don’t remember much about what we learned in her
My mother said Mrs. White said “The children are just
Thanks to Mrs. White, I
| A．expression | B．school | C．class | D．home |
| A．sing | B．write | C．draw | D．speak |
| A．bring back | B．hand out | C．hand in | D．make up |
| A．signatures | B．mistakes | C．words | D．stars |
| A．regret | B．sadness | C．happiness | D．worry |
| A．saw | B．found | C．changed | D．corrected |
| A．meanings | B．spellings | C．use | D．place |
| A．beginning | B．leading | C．happening | D．choosing |
| A．reading | B．discovering | C．forming | D．hearing |
| A．thought | B．patience | C．courage | D．excitement |
| A．wait | B．advance | C．disappear | D．return |
| A．accept | B．prove | C．agree | D．say |
| A．that | B．what | C．which | D．how |
| A．grew | B．stood | C．added | D．gave |
| A．doubt | B．ability | C．confidence | D．opinion |
| A．as if | B．now that | C．if only | D．even if |
| A．hardly | B．usually | C．probably | D．actually |
| A．back | B．round | C．up | D．out |
| A．beautiful | B．interesting | C．unusual | D．strict |
| A．show | B．let | C．enjoy | D．allow |
5 . “I am truly frustrated by the way my teenage children behave with me. It is a roller coaster ride each day coping with their moodiness and argumentative nature. But I do appreciate the courage they project at times and the goals they undertake that make me feel that they really aim high in life.” This could be the feeling of most parents with teenage children.
I can understand and empathize with these parents, but they are not alone. Children start their journey into the broad world and are greatly influenced by what others have to say especially their peers that they consider more close than even their parents and family at times.
The brains teenagers or children in the ages of 13 to 19 undergo a lot of changes that bring about these effects that most parents like us fail to understand. One of the prominent changes is what takes place due to the beneficial pruning that takes place in the neutral branches of the prefrontal cortex. All these changes ultimately help build clear judgment, plan and control impulses skills.
It is best that we just recollect how we behaved as a teenager and you would definitely come across some of our mums that support their teenage grandchildren and say we were much worse. I can empathize with such parents as probably our parents are getting a chance to air out their feelings that they could probably never do when we were teenagers. (Taking a positive look by realizing that it is a part of the growing process would help.)
We may tell our teenage children to have confidence in their abilities and not be influenced by what others say of them, but this anxiety of what society says of them can be overwhelming. It could be real enormous pressure that teens can never come about telling parents, but it would pay to build up trustworthy relationships with them. This would help keep a watch and monitor some of their inappropriate activities and avoid their getting into trouble due to peer pressure and emotional vulnerability.
1. What is the best attitude for parents to treat children’s changes?| A．Leaving them alone. | B．Thinking them crazy. |
| C．Understanding them fully. | D．Separating them emotionally. |
| A．physical reasons | B．spiritual reasons |
| C．emotional reasons | D．courageous reasons |
| A．parents | B．teachers | C．friends | D．peers |
| A．Taking a positive view. | B．Establishing their identity. |
| C．Monitoring their teenagers. | D．Recalling their youth. |
| A．Understand Your Teenagers | B．Why do Teenagers Change? |
| C．Give Confidence to Teenagers | D．Learn to Love Your Teenagers |
6 . Fire ants are famous for their construction projects (as well as their burning bites). When they need to, colonies of these insects turn themselves into ladders, chains and walls. And when flood water rises, a colony can float to safety by making an unusual boat. The ants hold tightly to each other, forming a floating disk atop the water. The antraft may float for months seeking safe harbor. The ants on the bottom don’t drown, and the ants on the top stay dry. Working together, the ants float to safety — even though a single ant alone in the water will struggle to survive.
“They have to stay together as a colony to survive.” Nathan Mlot said.
Fire ants and water don’t mix. The ant’s hard outer shell, naturally repels water. A drop of water can sit on top of the ant like a backpack. When an ant does end up underwater, tiny hairs on its body can trap bubbles of air that give the bug a boost up.
To investigate the science behind the antraft, the scientists placed hundreds or thousands of ants at a time in the water. A group of ants took about 100 seconds, on average, to build a raft. The researchers repeated the experiment multiple times. Each time, the ants organized themselves the same way, creating a raft about the size and the thickness of a thin pancake. The rafts were flexible and strong, staying together even when the researchers pushed the rafts underwater.
The scientists then froze the rafts in liquid nitrogen and studied them under powerful microscopes to figure out how the ants kept everyone safe and the water out.
The team found that some ants used their jaws to bite other ants’ legs. Other ants joined their legs together. Thanks to these tight bonds, say the scientists, the ants did a better job at keeping the water away than any one ant could do on its own. By working together, thousands of ants can stay alive in the face of a crisis like a flood by using their own bodies to build a boat.
1. When flood comes, fire ants ________.| A．will run away separately | B．find a hole to hide themselves |
| C．combine themselves into a raft | D．climb onto boats on the water |
| A．Tiny hairs on their body. | B．Their hard outer shell. |
| C．Their slippery skin. | D．Their backpack on its body top. |
| A．built a raft in 100 minutes | B．organized themselves into a flexible raft |
| C．organized themselves in different ways | D．liked to look for the food of pancakes |
| A．practice | B．calmness | C．cooperation | D．speed |
| A．how fire ants react in face of danger | B．fire ants’ differences from common ants |
| C．fire ants’ ability to live underwater | D．the building ability of fire ants |
7 . One day, Jack threw some papers on my desk. “What’s wrong?” I asked. “Next time you want to change anything, ask me first.” he said, and left. I had made just one small change. But it was not that I hadn’t been warned. My colleagues had said he was responsible for the resignations (辞职) of the two previous secretaries. As the weeks went by, I came to look down on Jack.
After that another of his episodes (片段) had left me in tears. I stormed into his office. “What?” he said suddenly. “Jack, the way you’ve been treating me is wrong. I’ve never had anyone speak to me that way. As a professional, it’s wrong for me to allow it to continue,” I said. Jack smiled nervously, “Susan, I make you a promise that I will be a friend. I will treat you as you deserve to be treated, with respect and kindness.”
Jack avoided me the rest of the week, and never questioned my work again. I brought cookies to the office one day and left some on his desk. Another day I left a note, “Hope your day is going great.” Over the next few weeks, there were no more Jack episodes. One year later, I discovered I had breast cancer, and was scared. The statistics were not great for my long-term survival.
One day, however, Jack visited me in the hospital and silently handed me a bundle with several bulbs inside. “Tulips (郁金香),” he said. I smiled, not understanding. “If you plant them when you get home, they’ll come up next spring. I think you will be there to see them when they come up. Next spring you will see the colours I picked out for you.” Tears clouded my eyes and he left. I have seen those red and white striped (有条纹的) tulips push through the soil every spring for over ten years now. This past September the doctor declared me cured. At a moment when I was praying for just the right words, a man with very few words said all the right things. After all, that’s what friends do.
1. Jack became angry that day because ________.| A．he was feeling unwell |
| B．Susan had failed to keep his office clean |
| C．he felt Susan changed too much about the papers |
| D．Susan had changed something without his permission |
| A．he wasn’t worthy of respect |
| B．he should apologize to her right away |
| C．she would treat him the way he treated her |
| D．one should show others respect and kindness |
| A．Moody but friendly. | B．Shy and demanding. |
| C．Confident and friendly. | D．Tough and troublesome. |
| A．Jack cares about his employees |
| B．Jack gets along well with his employees |
| C．Jack is always particular about his work |
| D．Jack doesn’t care about the feelings of others |
| A．a friend in need is a friend indeed |
| B．a few words can be as meaningful as many |
| C．a friend who says little must be a good friend |
| D．we must treat disrespectful people with disrespect |
8 . Family get-together are a great way for family members to understand the lives each other and strengthen family bonds. For younger family members, get-togethers can reinforce (加强) family traditions and can be learning experiences that help them to grow and mature. Traditional Family get-togethers can include a meal and an activity such as going to see a movie. However, there are other ideas that can help make get-togethers memorable and provide moments that enrich the lives of family members.
________
One way to make a family get-together memorable is to give it an environmentally friendly theme. A garden can be planted, for example. Include vegetables that can be eaten and future get-togethers. A tree could be planted and called the family tree. The family get-together could also be planned for a specific place such as a community nature center. The family could participate in an environmental project such as a neighborhood clean-up, or cleaning streams or roadsides.
Be active
Family get-togethers can have physical activity as a main focus of the fun. Families can gather at a beach and go swimming. Building sand castles also requires exertion. Other beach activities can include kite flying and searching for shells. A family get-together can also be planned for a park that has a nature trail. A picnic meal can provide food, and everyone can take a hike for exercise. A family get-together can also have a sports theme when planned for a location that has a basketball court, tennis court or some other sporting venue. For places with snow, families can go sledding or skiing together.
Museum or Historic Site
A family get-together can also be an educational gathering. For example, a get-together planned at a museum can provide entertainment as well as educational value. Family members can talk and catch up with one another while touring the museum. Contact the local chamber of commerce (商会) to find historical sites, which can provide memorable scenery to a family get-together.
1. The main purpose of the passage is ________.| A．to give us some advice on how to plan a family get-together |
| B．to introduce some ways of making family get-togethers unusual |
| C．to compare traditional family get-togethers with modern ones |
| D．to tell us why and where we often need a family get-together |
| A．Be planned. | B．Family tree. |
| C．Go green. | D．Community nature center. |
| A．Ability. | B．Effort. | C．Exercise. | D．Skill. |
| A．A family planting a family tree. |
| B．A family gathering at a beach. |
| C．A family gathering of sports theme. |
| D．A family gathering at a museum. |
| A．Seeing a film. | B．Planting a tree. |
| C．Having a picnic. | D．Visiting a historic site. |
9 . Searra, an eight-year-old brain cancer patient, was a “regular” in the Radiation Department. With my office located near the
I had prepared toys and coloring materials for her in my office. When she walked into the
I was surprised by the love CC had for Mommie.
CC taught me about what is really important in life. She
CC reminds me not to
| A．road | B．car | C．store | D．entrance |
| A．coming up with | B．putting up with | C．keeping up with | D．keeping in touch with |
| A．hospital | B．department | C．studio | D．waiting room |
| A．herself | B．Mommie | C．doctors | D．nurses |
| A．Whenever | B．Whatever | C．However | D．Wherever |
| A．spent | B．taken | C．cost | D．wasted |
| A．said | B．shared | C．spared | D．told |
| A．cured | B．experienced | C．treated | D．experimented |
| A．leg | B．face | C．head | D．hand |
| A．realized | B．noticed | C．knew | D．wondered |
| A．checks | B．belongings | C．bills | D．change |
| A．unlike | B．because of | C．as to | D．in front of |
| A．constantly | B．seldom | C．never | D．occasionally |
| A．excited | B．curious | C．surprised | D．angry |
| A．similar | B．familiar | C．different | D．unfortunate |
| A．talk | B．think | C．complain | D．ask |
| A．high | B．normal | C．full | D．low |
| A．look | B．take | C．link | D．think |
| A．reminded | B．informed | C．requested | D．admitted |
| A．girl | B．example | C．exception | D．patient |
10 . Africa is a large and varied continent containing some of the oldest civilizations on earth. It is home to a wide diversity of religions and cultures, and this colorful diversity is reflected in its diverse and colorful weddings traditions.
An African wedding is, more than anything, the bringing together of two people as a single family, or the combining of two families or even the mixture of two tribes into one family unit. The concept of family is one of the unifying ideas of the African continent. There are more than 1,000 cultural units in Africa and each culture, each tribe has its own wedding and marriage traditions, many of which can trace their origins back hundreds or even thousands of years. There are also many different religions represented in Africa. Many northern Africans, especially, have been influenced by Muslim traditions, while further south there are more Christian, Hindu, and even Jewish traditions with more ancient traditions.
In many places in Africa young girls are trained to be good wives from an early age. They may even learn secret codes and secret languages that allow them to talk with other married women without their husbands understanding what is being said.
Depending on which part of Africa you are in, wedding ceremonies can be extremely elaborate, some lasting many days. Often huge ceremonies are held during which many couples are united at the same time.
In Sudan and in other areas along the Nile a man must pay his wife’s family in sheep or cattle for the loss of their daughter’s labor in support of the family. A wife may cost a man as many as 30 to 40 head of cattle. In Somalia a man is allowed to have as many as four wives if he can support them all, and it is not uncommon for a girl to be engaged before she is even born.
Bright festive colors, song, dance, and music are vital elements of many African wedding ceremonies. Common to all wedding ceremonies is the concept of changing between childhood and adulthood. In many African cultures children are encouraged to marry as young as 13 to 15 years of age, as soon as they have reached physical adulthood.
1. When two young get married in Africa it means ________.| A．they will explore a wide diversity of religions |
| B．they will live together for the rest of their life |
| C．they will contribute to the union of African tribes |
| D．they will have a chance to enjoy their romance |
| A．All the tribes in Africa have the same belief. |
| B．Africa witnesses varieties of marriage traditions. |
| C．Most of Africans are believers in Islam. |
| D．People in South Africa are all Christians. |
| A．to have a good communication with their husbands |
| B．to give their children a good education in the future |
| C．to gain the ability to talk with other married women |
| D．to master the skills about having communication |
| A．Similar. | B．Familiar. | C．Difficult. | D．Different. |
| A．wedding ceremonies are full of happiness |
| B．there are more men than women in Somalia |
| C．the cattle are well worth a lot of money |
| D．Africans prefer dancing to anything else |
