2 . Growing Roots

When I was growing up, I had an old neighbor named Dr. Gibbs. He didn’t look like any doctor I’d ever known. When Dr. Gibbs wasn’t _______ lives, he was planting trees.

The good doctor had some interesting theories on planting trees. He believed in “No pains, no gains”. He never _______ his new trees, which was _______ many people. Once I asked why. He answered that watering plants spoiled them, and that if you water them, each following tree generation will grow weaker and weaker. So you have to make things _______ for them. He talked about how watering trees made for shallow roots, and how trees that weren’t watered had to grow deep roots in search of water. I came to understand that he meant deep roots were to be _______. I planted a couple of trees a few years back and I took good care of them. Two years of _______ has resulted in trees that expect to be waited on hand and foot. Whenever a cold wind blows, they shake and tremble their branches. Funny things about those trees of Dr. Gibbs’. The lack of water seemed to _______ them in ways comfort and ease never could.

I used to pray for my sons that their lives will be easy. But lately I’ve been thinking that it’s time to _______ my prayer. I know my children are going to meet _______, and I’m praying they will be strong. The prayer for comfort is seldom met. What we need to do is to pray for deep roots, so when the winds blow, they won’t be __________ away.

1.

A．valuing

B．sacrificing

C．enjoying

D．saving

2.

A．watered

B．raised

C．loved

D．sheltered

3.

A．against

B．beyond

C．within

D．from

4.

A．harmful

B．favorable

C．tough

D．convenient

5.

A．treasured

B．challenged

C．respected

D．favored

6.

A．fondness

B．negligence

C．preference

D．devotion

7.

A．harm

B．raise

C．benefit

D．hurt

8.

A．attend

B．announce

C．change

D．maintain

9.

A．hardships

B．worries

C．opportunities

D．careers

10.

A．given

B．sent

C．broken

D．swept

4 . One morning, I was jogging and I noticed a person in front of me about 1/4 mile. I could _________ that he was running a little slower than me and I thought, “Very well, I shall try to _________ him.” I had about a mile to go _________ I needed to turnoff, so I started running faster and faster. Every block, I was _________   getting closer to him just a little bit. Just a few minutes later, I was only about 100 yards from him, so I really sped up,   _________ I was running the last lap of London Olympic competition. I was determined to keep up with him. Finally, I did _________ it! I caught and passed him. I really felt good, “I beat.” Of course, he didn’t ever know we were _________.

After passing him, I realized I had been so focused on competing against him that I had _________ my turn. I had gone nearly six blocks past it. I had to _________ and go back. Isn’t it what happens in our life when we focus on competing with classmates, co-workers, neighbors, friends, trying to leave them behind or trying to prove that we are more important or more __________?

In fact, we spend our time and __________ running after other people and we miss out on our own paths to our destination. The   __________ with blind competition is that it’s a   never ending cycle. There will always be somebody __________ you, someone with better grades or a more satisfying job, etc. But be __________ that we can be the best that we can be. We are competing with no one. Take what we have been __________, such as the height, weight and personality. We should feel lucky with them, stay focused and live a happy life.

1.

A．forget

B．tell

C．admit

D．argue

2.

A．fool

B．warn

C．catch

D．encourage

3.

A．before

B．because

C．once

D．although

4.

A．secretly

B．finally

C．possibly

D．gradually

5.

A．noticing

B．ensuring

C．imagining

D．announcing

6.

A．find

B．remember

C．make

D．control

7.

A．resting

B．racing

C．meeting

D．communicating

8.

A．taken

B．changed

C．valued

D．missed

9.

A．turn around

B．give in

C．show off

D．get through

10.

A．proud

B．successful

C．adventurous

D．helpful

11.

A．money

B．dream

C．knowledge

D．energy

12.

A．problem

B．possibility

C．requirement

D．influence

13.

A．friendly to

B．ahead of

C．close to

D．strict with

14.

A．sorry

B．afraid

C．confident

D．curious

15.

A．given

B．spent

C．taken

D．used

6 . In recent years, much of my life, as a consumer has shifted to what I like to call background spending. As I’ve subscribed to more apps and streaming platforms, significant sums of my money tend to slip away each month without my ever thinking about it.

Think of it as automated trade. Spending without the trouble of spending. Acquisition without action or thought.

But while this flood of subscriptions was sold to me on the condition that it would make my life more trouble free, there was a certain shock I felt upon discovering how much I was spending without realizing each month ($179.45).

You see, the thing about background spending is that it tends to happen, well, in the background without your full attention. And there lies the point.

“Hand over your credit card details and let us take care of the rest,” these companies promise us. But by agreeing to this trade, we’ve become lazy passive consumers. And this laziness breeds more laziness because most of us can’t be bothered with conducting regular reviews of our subscription spending. We’re too lazy to even notice or cancel!

I know it’s not just me who is suddenly living life as a smooth-brained subscriber. The average consumer spends $273 per month on subscriptions, according to a 2021 study of 2,500 by digital services firm West Monroe. Not a single person surveyed knew what his actual monthly spending was.

It’s understandable why this model is so attractive to businesses. As companies questioned traditional advertising models, subscriptions offered the promise of “selling once and earning forever.” And while subscription services have been around for decades (think Wine of the Month Club), more customers have been willing to sign up thanks to the widespread availability of smartphones and the increasing ease of home delivery.

While these subscriptions promise ease and happiness, not all of us are satisfied. Last year, the Kearney Consumer Institute found 40 percent of consumers believe they have too many subscriptions. Almost half of us also think we pay too much for streaming video-on-demand subscriptions.

1. What can we know about background spending in paragraph 2?

A．Its purpose.

B．Its feature.

C．Its procedure.

D．Its requirement.

2. What makes it possible for background spending to happen?

A．Its attractive price.	B．Some people’s poor habit.
C．Its secure service.	D．Some people’s addiction to it.

3. Why is the subscription model appealing to businesses?

A．It offers good home delivery services.

B．It is like traditional advertising models.

C．It is popular among smartphone producers.

D．It brings repeated profits through a single sale.

4. What’s the author’s attitude towards background spending?

A．Supportive.

B．Optimistic.

C．Critical.

D．Unclear.

9 . I am a guide at the California Academy of Sciences. Weeks ago, I was ________ with a lovely family at the Academy’s Swamp exhibit. Their young son was ________ by the swallow and asked many questions about it. As the family was leaving, I asked the boy if he would like a sticker to put on his shirt. He ________ chose a swallow sticker (贴纸), while the boy’s younger brother spent lots of time ________ all the sticker choices before choosing a butterfly. The boy who had chosen first said softly to his father, “I didn’t see the frog sticker.” His father immediately ________ the boy to ask me for a second sticker. The boy said, “No, I’m happy with what I have.”

I was so ________. Such grace, gratitude and ________, are all from an eight-year-old boy. Too often, we ________ to be happy with what we have and in our forgetfulness, we spread the infection of ________.

I recently purchased my first laptop computer. In discussions with the ________, he said, “Within two years, you’ll probably want a new one anyway.” Why would I want a new one, if my ________ one was working? Perhaps, “________” is the key word. I won’t ________ need a new laptop in two years but I will probably want one. I may want _________ things, but I don’t need them. What I do desperately need is the peace of mind. I need to ________ each of my sudden urges to purchase or possess as either “want” or “need”.

1.

A．seeing

B．visiting

C．leaving

D．saying

2.

A．trapped

B．called

C．caught

D．fascinated

3.

A．quickly

B．slowly

C．frequently

D．temporarily

4.

A．going about

B．going by

C．going for

D．going through

5.

A．expected

B．forced

C．urged

D．persuaded

6.

A．satisfied

B．astonished

C．rigid

D．excited

7.

A．wisdom

B．patience

C．passion

D．guilt

8.

A．used

B．tried

C．pretended

D．forgot

9.

A．fortune

B．greed

C．discontent

D．benefit

10.

A．cashier

B．host

C．salesman

D．waiter

11.

A．broken

B．old

C．favourite

D．dusty

12.

A．want

B．need

C．hope

D．mind

13.

A．obviously

B．specially

C．simply

D．necessarily

14.

A．violent

B．absurd

C．shiny

D．similar

15.

A．promise

B．identify

C．possess

D．access

10 . Three young men were on a crowded train when they encountered a heavily armed terrorist. With little regard for their personal safety, they rushed the terrorist and controlled him. Only some people seem capable of this split-second form of heroism. Why some men rise to the occasion — and others don’t — has been a bit tricky to explain. Psychologists have explored this question through biological and personality psychology.

Of course, heroism and courage can appear in many forms, and men and women risk their reputations, health, and social standing to do what they think is right. When it comes to physically risky bravery, people assume that men will take the lead. There are sound biological reasons for this fixed image. One of the most common fears in men is that they’ll be outed as a coward (懦夫), and a man who fails to display physical courage will suffer damage to his reputation in a way that a woman will not. Throughout human history, attaining a position of high status or dominance among one’s peers (同龄人) has been the ticket that needs to get punched for men to attract mates and father children.

People tend to have an idea of what heroes are like. When rating the personalities of movie heroes, participants expected them to be more careful and hard-working, open to experience, agreeable, and emotionally stable than the average person. But some studies indicate that people who exhibit heroic behavior score high on personality usually associated with madmen: risk-taking, sensation seeking, coolness under stress, and a tendency to take over in social situations.

The study of the relationship between personality and heroism is at an early stage. Psychologists are still at a loss to predict in advance who will heroically step up when needed. Often, the hero is an otherwise ordinary person who finds himself in extraordinary circumstances. Meanwhile, some individuals trained to behave heroically might hesitate during a crisis. Future disasters will cry out for further acts of true heroism. Hopefully, the right mix of circumstances and personalities enable courage to carry the day.

1. How is the topic introduced in the first paragraph?

A．By presenting a question.	B．By giving an example.
C．By making a comparison.	D．By drawing a conclusion.

2. What do the underlined words “get punched” in paragraph 2 mean?

A．Be bought.

B．Be talented.

C．Be abandoned.

D．Be acquired.

3. Why is it difficult to predict who will act heroically in a crisis?

A．There are numerous factors affecting heroism.

B．Heroes and ordinary people are always difficult to tell apart.

C．Unknown circumstances play a crucial role in heroic acts.

D．Individual personality is not a reliable indicator of heroism.

4. Which of the following is the best title for the text?

A．How Are Heroes Trained?	B．Why Are Heroes Important?
C．What Makes a Person Heroic?	D．Who Are the True Heroes?