1 . Exhausted, Jia Ling ate five packs of chocolate cookies alone at night by her bed after wrapping up filming for her new film YOLO that day. “Recalling that moment, I felt so great, like a tired soldier claiming the spoils of war,” she said.
By then, she had lost an incredible 50 kilograms, and her entire image had changed. The chubby (胖乎乎的), round and cute comedian Jia Ling was gone, replaced by a cool, muscular warrior.
Audiences were shocked by her appearance on Chinese New Year’s Day, Feb.10, when the film was first released. Jia had kept everything so secretive, avoiding public appearances for a year, that her new look was only revealed when she appeared on the big screen. Conversations about her high-intensity weight loss training, along with her courage and determination, have become trending topics across China, propelling the film’s box office earnings.
YOLO, which stands for “you only live once,” is the theme Jia aims to tell in her new film. The story follows an overweight, depressed woman who becomes isolated from society. However, after meeting a boxing coach and taking up the sport, she begins to regain her passion and finds her way in life. The filming was divided into five stages. Jia had to gain 20 kilograms at first for the role, moving on to the final stage when she lost a significant amount of weight and became muscular. This method mirrors what some Hollywood stars, such as Christian Bale, have done, but Jia’s effort is jaw-dropping and takes it to an even more extreme level.
Yet, the film’s core goes beyond physical transformation. “This film is not about weight loss, nor is it much about boxing. It’s a film that tells the story of how a kind person finds her true self and learns to love herself,” Jia said.
1. What does the underlined word “propelling” in Paragraph 3 mean?| A．Disturbing. | B．Restoring. | C．Driving. | D．Slowing. |
| A．Generous and funny. | B．Determined and courageous. |
| C．Creative and sensitive. | D．Ambitious and enthusiastic. |
| A．A woman’s pursuit of boxing glory. |
| B．A woman’s journey through weight loss. |
| C．A woman’s struggle with social pressure. |
| D．A woman’s discovery of self-love and acceptance. |
| A．The early bird catches the worm. | B．Actions speak louder than words. |
| C．It’s never too late to change. | D．Don’t cry over spilled milk. |
2 . It happened on a rainy Saturday morning last month. My wife Catherine and I were driving along what some people called moose (麋鹿) alley. It was so
From then on, I often thought about the relationship between humans and
Certain philosophers and scientists keep repeating that if we don’t save animals, how we will be able to save ourselves. A better
| A．cool | B．early | C．wide | D．quiet |
| A．Unexpectedly | B．Suddenly | C．Fortunately | D．Obviously |
| A．delay | B．keep | C．avoid | D．excuse |
| A．shocked | B．lost | C．disappointed | D．injured |
| A．stopped | B．thought | C．understood | D．tried |
| A．worried | B．scared | C．sad | D．fine |
| A．lands | B．wildlife | C．plants | D．roads |
| A．exactly | B．silently | C．continually | D．mysteriously |
| A．strange | B．recent | C．unusual | D．natural |
| A．appearing | B．developing | C．decreasing | D．changing |
| A．according to | B．instead of | C．because of | D．along with |
| A．treatment | B．performance | C．world | D．knowledge |
| A．way | B．law | C．will | D．hope |
| A．shows | B．includes | C．predicts | D．protects |
| A．escape | B．survive | C．refuse | D．select |
3 . I used to be bad at playing basketball. Gym class in middle school was the worst. I was always the last kid to be picked. The only reason why I was even picked at all was that I was good friends with the best player in the class.
In the eighth grade, I finally decided I was sick and tired of being a nonentity. I dedicated (奉献) that entire summer to getting better. I spent every day playing basketball, practising for hours in the gym. I remember playing pick-up games with one group of kids until they all eventually got tired and left. Then a whole different group of kids would come in and I’d play with them too.
After months of this devoted routine, something amazing started to happen. People began passing me the ball. They trusted me to take the shot. They even started picking me first to be on their team! The last game of organized basketball I ever played was the culmination (高潮) of all my hard work. Against a team far more talented than mine. I scored 27 points. We still lost, but I walked away from that game feeling like a total champion.
What I learned from those years of rejection and waiting to be picked was that life really isn’t any different. Most of us spend our lives waiting for opportunities to land in our laps. What’s worse, sometimes we feel entitled (使有权) to them. And when things don’t go our way — when no one picks us — we find something or someone to blame.
I could have complained when no one wanted me on their team. I could have convinced myself that I deserved to be picked. But I didn’t. Instead I took matters into my own hands and put in the work to become better.
Should we have our fate controlled by a few people who in most cases don’t even know us? I certainly don’t think so. We have a choice. We can choose to create something meaningful, and so move forward with our ideas.
1. What can we know about the author in the first paragraph?| A．He was always to be picked. |
| B．He was picked because of his good friend. |
| C．He was once crazy about playing basketball. |
| D．He used to be really good at playing basketball. |
| A．short person. | B．A superior player. |
| C．An important player. | D．An insignificant person. |
| A．People still refused to play with him. |
| B．Now he is good at playing basketball. |
| C．He gained people’s trust through his effort. |
| D．His team was defeated by a more talented one. |
4 . As an immigrant from China, my mother loves Chinese culture deeply. She
Why is American Chinese food not
My mother has a deep feeling for authentic Chinese food and restaurants, so I decide to open a restaurant where she and other immigrants can feel the
| A．orders | B．cooks | C．donates | D．receives |
| A．However | B．Therefore | C．Besides | D．Otherwise |
| A．alternatives | B．restrictions | C．meals | D．comments |
| A．unwilling | B．illegal | C．ambitious | D．quick |
| A．agreeable | B．contemporary | C．massive | D．complicated |
| A．complex | B．actual | C．expensive | D．previous |
| A．believe | B．find | C．deny | D．conclude |
| A．deserves | B．helps | C．hates | D．refuses |
| A．make | B．prepare | C．defend | D．distinguish |
| A．process | B．cuisine | C．mood | D．discount |
| A．differently | B．generously | C．abnormally | D．vividly |
| A．build | B．equip | C．accept | D．monitor |
| A．careers | B．platforms | C．ranks | D．tastes |
| A．decrease | B．atmosphere | C．reflection | D．duty |
| A．spied on | B．called on | C．handed down | D．broken down |
5 . A professor entered the classroom and told the students about a surprise test. All students were
Students were
Now, professor began to explain, “Here everyone
Our life is a
We should try to take eyes
| A．disappointed | B．curious | C．concerned | D．surprised |
| A．handing out | B．working out | C．dealing with | D．mixing up |
| A．open | B．read | C．defend | D．turn |
| A．annoyed | B．addicted | C．confused | D．amazed |
| A．bring | B．speak | C．write | D．talk |
| A．still | B．hardly | C．never | D．mostly |
| A．communicated | B．described | C．accepted | D．used |
| A．concentrated on | B．depended on | C．insisted on | D．counted on |
| A．for | B．so | C．and | D．but |
| A．likes | B．means | C．prefers | D．deserves |
| A．picture | B．lesson | C．gift | D．text |
| A．events | B．adventures | C．solutions | D．problems |
| A．connected | B．compared | C．addicted | D．attracted |
| A．on | B．in | C．off | D．under |
| A．formally | B．differently | C．obviously | D．positively |
6 . Do you have a best friend at work? A person once said, “Relationships
We hear a lot about this and it’s true. We spend more time with our co-workers than our families. Getting along well with workmates is the
Gallup, our employee engagement survey provider, has been asking us to
I’ve worked with a lot of people over my career. The most
I’ve been through a lot with many people I would
Good relationships and a sense of
| A．measure | B．matter | C．compare | D．succeed |
| A．significance | B．foundation | C．resources | D．details |
| A．deserve | B．remember | C．select | D．require |
| A．approach | B．admission | C．response | D．method |
| A．determine | B．observe | C．reflect | D．rate |
| A．connection | B．agreement | C．gap | D．trend |
| A．effective | B．memorable | C．qualified | D．professional |
| A．classmates | B．teams | C．committees | D．families |
| A．mixing | B．corresponding | C．commenting | D．chatting |
| A．comes across | B．sticks to | C．lies in | D．takes up |
| A．consider | B．replace | C．attract | D．acquire |
| A．tasks | B．arrangements | C．processes | D．achievements |
| A．humor | B．direction | C．belonging | D．progress |
| A．Responsibly | B．Fortunately | C．Hopefully | D．Particularly |
| A．city | B．destination | C．castle | D．workplace |
7 . Two of the saddest words in the English language are “if only”. I live my life with the goal of never having to say those words, because they express regret, lost opportunities, mistakes, and disappointment.
My father is famous in our family for saying, “Take the extra minute to do it right.” I always try to live by the “extra minute” rule. When my children were young and likely to cause accidents, I always thought about what I could do to avoid an “if only” moment, whether it was something minor like moving a cup full of hot coffee away from the edge of a counter, or something that required a little more work such as taping padding (衬垫) onto the sharp comers of a glass coffee table.
I don’t only avoid (避免) those “if only” moments when it comes to safety. it’s equally important to avoid “if only” in our personal relationships. We all know people who lost a loved one and regretted that they had foregone an opportunity to say, “I love you” or “I forgive you.” When my father announced he was going to the eye doctor across from my office on Good Friday, I told him that it was a holiday for my company and I wouldn’t be here. But then I thought about the fact that he’s 84 years old and I realized that I shouldn’t give up an opportunity to see him. I called him and told him I had decided to go to work on my day off after all.
I know there will still be occasions when I have to say “if only” about something, but my life is definitely better because of my policy of doing everything possible to avoid that eventuality (可能发生的事). And even though it takes an extra minute to do something right, or it occasionally takes an hour or two in my busy schedule to make a personal connection, I know that I’m doing the right thing. I’m buying myself peace of mind and that’s the best kind of insurance (保障) for my emotional well-being.
1. Which of the following is an example of the “extra minute” rule?| A．Start the car the moment everyone is seated. |
| B．Leave the room for a minute with the iron working. |
| C．Wait for an extra minute so that the steak tastes better. |
| D．Move an object out of the way before it trips (绊倒) someone. |
| A．To keep her appointment with the eye doctor. |
| B．To meet her father who was already an old man. |
| C．To join in the holiday celebration of the company. |
| D．To finish her work before the deadline approached. |
| A．given up. | B．Lacked. | C．Avoided. | D．Wasted. |
| A．The Emotional Well-being | B．The Two Saddest Words |
| C．The Most Useful Rule | D．The Peace of Mind |
8 . Once there was a dandelion (蒲公英) living alone by the road. It felt bored and sad all day as no one ever stopped to take a look at or talk to it.
One day, a mother was walking on the road with her baby. The baby was crying hard and loudly. No matter what the mother did, she couldn’t get the baby to stop crying. Then the mother looked down, and she found the lonely dandelion. It looked so lovely in the sun with its white seeds widely open, and more beautiful than other plants around.
The mother squatted down, (蹲下) picking the dandelion softly. Then she brought it up to her baby so that he could see it clearly. When the baby saw the flowers of the dandelion, he quickly stopped crying and looked at them with interest.
His mom put the dandelion near her mouth and blew the flowers up and down. The dandelion seeds then flew in the air, spreading far away with the wind. The mother gave the dandelion to her son. He didn’t know what the plant was, but he knew it was fun to play with, which made him giggle (咯咯笑) so happily.
Now the dandelion knew its value and didn’t feel sad. It lived a beautiful life just by being itself. It wasn’t as beautiful as other flowers, but it brought the child a simple kind of happiness that money can’t buy.
The dandelion’s story tells us that everyone is special and great. We can help others in one way or another. We’re far greater than we think we are.
1. Why did the dandelion feel lonely at first?| A．Because no one noticed it . | B．Because it left its mother. |
| C．Because it lived by the road. | D．Because it had no friends. |
| A．Kind and honest. | B．Friendly and helpful. |
| C．Patient and careful. | D．Beautiful and funny. |
| A．it could travel farther | B．it found its value |
| C．it was powerful again | D．it had more seeds than before |
| A．Great minds think alike. |
| B．Two heads are better than one. |
| C．Rome was not built in a day. |
| D．All things in their being are good for something. |
9 . I don’t usually watch TV at night. Last Thursday night, I finished my homework early and
The program was about food waste (食品浪费). It asked cooks (厨师) to make meals from food that people threw away (扔掉). The cooks went to
From the program, I learned how much food people throw away every week. It is
People don’t want carrots when they are very big or very small,
The program showed people that food waste is a big problem. We must
| A．waited | B．helped | C．decided |
| A．activity | B．program | C．competition |
| A．libraries | B．museums | C．supermarkets |
| A．still | B．only | C．ever |
| A．meat | B．fruit | C．cake |
| A．terrible | B．difficult | C．expensive |
| A．buy | B．pay | C．use |
| A．price | B．color | C．size |
| A．but | B．so | C．if |
| A．save | B．share | C．fight |
10 . My wife and I moved into our home two years ago. We had a yard with a lot of
Last summer, I found a tiny little plant in the yard that I could not immediately identify. I knew I didn’t plant it and Denise said she didn’t either.
We decided to let it
Weeks passed and as I made my way back to the
That’s when I
We need to believe in ourselves knowing we have the
| A．flower | B．insects | C．vegetables | D．rocks |
| A．water | B．fertilizer | C．color | D．shape |
| A．stop | B．continue | C．improve | D．escape |
| A．weak | B．strange | C．lonely | D．pretty |
| A．collect | B．tend | C．remove | D．watch |
| A．unusual | B．wonderful | C．terrible | D．valuable |
| A．passed | B．started | C．left | D．died |
| A．air | B．top | C．sun | D．house |
| A．hoped | B．realized | C．doubted | D．regretted |
| A．fill in | B．put in | C．worry about | D．believe in |
| A．forget | B．hate | C．aim | D．wait |
| A．wish | B．plan | C．ability | D．idea |
| A．faith | B．energy | C．virtue | D．courage |
| A．aware | B．afraid | C．proud | D．tired |
| A．forgive | B．support | C．upset | D．affect |
