2 . When I was 15 or 16 years old, I used to enjoy staring out of my bedroom window at night, at the sky and other houses. After a few minutes of focused attention, I would always reach a point where my vision shifted. The clouds would suddenly look different, stranger and more real. They weren’t “clouds” anymore, but different magical animal shapes that moved through space. The houses weren’t “houses” anymore-they were strange geometric structures made up of jigsaw (拼图) patterns of bricks.

It’s difficult to describe the shift in my vision, but it always felt exciting, as if I was seeing through to the heart of things, beneath a layer of familiarity.

In most situations, our perception is automatic. We see the familiar world, surrounded by objects and phenomena that we perceived thousands of times before and don’t pay real attention to. In addition, we perceive the world through filters (过滤器) of concepts. We have a conceptual label (or name) for everything we see. We label floating shapes in the sky as clouds; we label a masive variety of natural forms with spreading roots and branches as trees. Through filters of familiarity and concepts, our perception of the world is like a faded black-and-white image compared to a three-dimensional colour image.

This is why it always makes sense to side-step our normal familiar perception and perceive the world with fresh vision, free of concepts and expectations, looking at objects as if they had never been seen before, or as if they were other things.

We can see this in great artists. They go beyond familiarity and find a new way of seeing things. Familiar everyday objects like fruit and flowers and bottles are filled with freshness and beauty in the great still-life paintings of artists like Cezanne or Matisse. To look at paintings by Vincent van Gogh, such as Sunflowers, Irises or Van Gogh’s Chair, makes you feel as if an extra dimension of reality has been revealed.

And of course, this is the reason why we love to go to art galleries to see such paintings. To look at them is like going on vacation to a strange foreign country, a reminder of the raw beauty and wonder of the world, hidden beneath our normal automatic vision.

1. How did the author look out of the bedroom window?

A．With full attention.	B．In a normal way.
C．In astonishment.	D．With great care.

2. What does the author really mean by saying “our perception is automatic” in paragraph 3?

A．We perceive the world all the time.	B．We tend to look at things without thinking.
C．We have the ability to perceive the world.	D．We are familiar with the world around us.

3. Why are great artists mentioned in the text?

A．To introduce new ways to create art.	B．To show how real beauty is created.
C．To support what the author advocates.	D．To argue for what the author did as a teenager.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．Creating a New World through Art	B．Looking at the World with New Eyes
C．Appreciating the Beauty of Every Day	D．Experiencing Life in Unfamiliar Environments

3 . Warm and loving relationships are essential for living a happy life. I didn’t get a true taste of happiness until I quit my decade-long career as an academic, _______ all I’d need for many months onto a bicycle, and began my way to Bhutan, where I would learn more about _______ . That’s not to _______ knowledge acquired through books. Yet there’s a lot to be said for actually getting _______ experience in life.

As an academic, I saw how important relationships were for happiness in the data. But like many, I _______ realizing them in reality. We’re not taught that way and often think people will only love us when we _______ certain criteria, rather than _______ for who we are.

Goals bring directions and happiness in our day-to-day lives. When I was _______ to Bhutan, I wondered about it many times, and through doing so I ensured my journey remained _______ and enjoyable. And, when I did arrive, beautiful as Bhutan was, exhaustion and homesickness ________ . If we’re not happy along the way or have no goals, then we ought to ________ whether it’s worth going at all.

What shocked me most on my cycle journey was people’s ________ . People would invite me into their lives, offering me food or a place to stay, even when they owned ________ . When I set off, I was either suspicious of this kindness or racing too quickly onwards to consider ________ . But with time, I learned to let people in, and this led to deeper ________ and more happiness.

1.

A．awaited

B．packed

C．satisfied

D．composed

2.

A．happiness

B．geography

C．travelling

D．potential

3.

A．show

B．generate

C．preview

D．dismiss

4.

A．educational

B．direct

C．internal

D．previous

5.

A．had difficulties

B．got down to

C．couldn’t stand

D．felt like

6.

A．outline

B．spot

C．mix

D．meet

7.

A．unconditionally

B．practically

C．dependently

D．cautiously

8.

A．walking

B．cycling

C．driving

D．jogging

9.

A．noticeable

B．appropriate

C．purposeful

D．crucial

10.

A．stuck

B．fought

C．dominated

D．reduced

11.

A．insist

B．mention

C．assume

D．question

12.

A．generosity

B．plainness

C．curiosity

D．unwillingness

13.

A．everything

B．nothing

C．little

D．much

14.

A．running

B．living

C．working

D．stopping

15.

A．judgement

B．connections

C．preparations

D．commitment

4 . I grew up 3 hours outside of Pittsburgh, with my _______ and 3 younger siblings. My mom was a single mother and worked a minimum wage job, so we _______ had much, but that was OK, we made _______ meet anyhow.

Freshman year of High School, I got a job at a local bakery and immediately started saving money for _______. I was accepted into the University of Pittsburgh and received some academic scholarships that _______ my tuition. Room and board were not covered, so I opted to pay for the meal plan but not the housing, _______ it was too expensive for me. I lived in my van for the next 2 years. Being homeless forced me to take _______ of everything the campus had to offer, I ended up spending most of my time throughout the week at the library. I _________ my professor office. I ended up getting really close to some of my professors because of this, and it really helped me excel in the classroom. I _______ a lot of social events, guest speakers, plays, charities, students’ life event around campus too, and this was really good for me, because I ended up ________ a lot of new friends by attending all these things. And I really developed an ________ personality because of it. But, prior to college I would have considered myself introvert.

Even after I moved out of the __________, I continued to spend hours at the library, working out every day, attending events, etc, and I really think that having to deal with the __________ that I had to go through really made me into a better person.

Since then I got a really good job and have been helping my ________ prepare for life and I’ve even been able to help my mother ________ a little bit. It just feels good.

1.

A．father

B．grandpa

C．mother

D．sister

2.

A．never

B．often

C．always

D．sometimes

3.

A．times

B．ends

C．money

D．foods

4.

A．campus

B．charity

C．community

D．college

5.

A．covered

B．met

C．got

D．made

6.

A．though

B．because

C．so

D．that

7.

A．luck

B．fortune

C．use

D．advantage

8.

A．interviewed

B．spotted

C．frequented

D．went

9.

A．attended

B．visited

C．organized

D．watched

10.

A．understanding

B．meeting

C．looking

D．knowing

11.

A．shy

B．friendly

C．serious

D．outgoing

12.

A．truck

B．dorm

C．van

D．camp

13.

A．disbelief

B．struggles

C．faiths

D．feelings

14.

A．siblings

B．myself

C．colleagues

D．classmates

15.

A．against

B．for

C．in

D．out

5 . I am a professor of clinical psychology. Some time ago, I got halfway through a day of teaching before a co-worker pointed out to me I was quite carelessly wearing a pair of different shoes, one red and one black. I felt so embarrassed and upset but I would have to go teach my course like this. When I noticed how much I wanted to disappear and avoid this situation, I was determined to face it instead. I walked into class and announced to the students that I was wearing two shoes from different pairs, and directed their attention to my feet. Everyone laughed and we went on with class. Years later, a student in that class told me that this was the moment she first thought that maybe, just maybe, she could be a professor, too.

I shared my mistake because I realized that trying hide it was interfering with my ability to concentrate my mind on my teaching — but I had no idea that it would also help shorten the psychological distance between my students and myself.

Many contexts may punish or shame people for making mistakes. Our efforts to avoid them result from our desires for success, and how others will respond to our mistakes. We might feel self-criticism and shame if we do make some.

However, mistake making is part of learning new things, and it can draw us closer to others. It opens up the possibility of accepting mistakes gladly, letting us be more open and engaged in what we are doing.

We can say words of kindness and self-compassion to ourselves: Mistakes are natural and human; we can be kind to ourselves for this error and still try to do better next time; noticing our own imperfections can help us to be kind to others when we notice they are imperfect, too. When we practice our mistakes in this way, they can become opportunities to open up to others, learn about ourselves, and connect even more with what matters to us.

1. How does the author develop paragraph 1?

A．By giving some examples.	B．By following time order.
C．By doing scientific experiments.	D．By sharing personal experience.

2. What was the result of the author sharing his mistake?

A．Shameful.

B．Unexpected.

C．Punishable.

D．Unaccepted.

3. What does paragraph 3 mainly tell us?

A．Intentions to avoid mistakes.	B．Advantages of making mistakes.
C．Possibilities of making mistakes.	D．Efforts to avoid making mistakes.

4. What can we know about mistakes from the last paragraph?

A．They interfere with what we are doing.

B．They draw too much attention from us.

C．They are big opportunities to get us improved.

D．They make us feel irresponsible and defeated.

6 . One day, my 12-year-old daughter participated in a school poetry reading event. All her classmates were invited to write a “lie poem” about how ________ they were and read them aloud. They were supposed to ________ untruths about themselves that made them sound ________ wonderful. As I listened to the poems, I realized that the children were actually ________ the picture of their future. By “lying” to themselves, they were creating a ________ of who they wanted to be in the future.

I couldn’t help admiring the school for ________ the children to dream big in such a special way, even if it might not be the first intention. In fact, most of us are ________ to see the truth of who we could be. My daughter’s school developed an unintended ________ to that difficulty: If it’s hard for you to imagine the ________ in yourself, then you might want to begin by expressing it as a ________, as did the children who wrote the poems.

Think up some stories about who you would like to be. In due course, this ________ exercise would help you build the necessary blueprint for ________ your achievements. Without a picture of your ________ self, you can’t live into that self. So ________ it till you make it. The lie will become the ________ in the end.

1.

A．rich

B．busy

C．great

D．smart

2.

A．point out

B．make up

C．hold back

D．rely on

3.

A．unbelievably

B．unconsciously

C．unacceptably

D．unreasonably

4.

A．exaggerating

B．restoring

C．admiring

D．clarifying

5.

A．sample

B．vision

C．message

D．principle

6.

A．forcing

B．requesting

C．motivating

D．warning

7.

A．unable

B．anxious

C．nervous

D．unwilling

8.

A．excuse

B．balance

C．solution

D．connection

9.

A．interest

B．courage

C．expectation

D．potential

10.

A．fantasy

B．fortune

C．benefit

D．reference

11.

A．healthy

B．creative

C．gentle

D．formal

12.

A．ensuring

B．informing

C．stretching

D．measuring

13.

A．highest

B．biggest

C．happiest

D．bravest

14.

A．stop

B．forget

C．hide

D．pretend

15.

A．dream

B．reality

C．memory

D．nightmare

8 . Whenever I get really depressed and anxious, my first impulse is to reach for my phone. Maybe I’ll get a message from a friend or discover some new distraction on social media. Unfortunately, during the past couple of years, one glance at my screen often makes me want to crawl back into bed.

That changed after I made friends with a strange creature named Webot. I’m finding that it makes me feel better-and it might work for you too. Like many apps, Webot sends me messages at random. But instead of tempting me into doom scrolling with shocking news alerts, Webot asks how I’m doing. When I text Webot my troubles, it asks me friendly questions, encourages me, and invites me to express some of my darkest thoughts. There is something intensely comforting about discussing your thoughts with a machine.

There are many therapy apps on the market, both free (like Webot) and paid for. But Webot is a particularly interesting case. Psychology researcher Alison Darcy at Stanford University created it after years of study. She says it was challenging on both a technical and artistic level because the chatbot is a character with its own personality. “It’s as careful a construction as you might find in a novel or poetry. Webot’s personality is humble, warm and wise, ”as Darcy puts it, “Webot isn’t an all-knowing authority. It is a mental health ally”.

Best of all, Webot is always there, even when I’m lying awake in the middle of the night. That’s exactly the point, according to Darcy. “Your therapist should not be in bed with you at 2 a. m,“ she laughs. But Webot can be. You can pull up Webot at the exact moment you need it most.

It is working. Last year, Darcy and her colleagues published a study showing that people like me are forming “bonds” with Webot. Bonding is a “meaningful“ process of “getting something off your chest, or managing your thoughts more objectively”.

And you know what? In the bizarre world of 2023, it might be healthier to bond with a robot than be “engaged“ on social media.

1. What does the underlined word “That” in paragraph 2 refer to?

A．I lost interest in my phone.

B．I was tired of social media.

C．My phone didn’t understand my impulse.

D．My phone didn’t help me feel any better.

2. According to the text, what do we know about Webot?

A．It bonds with me through social media.

B．It is a creature that makes me feel better.

C．It communicates with me and offers comfort.

D．It is a therapist helping me manage my thoughts.

3. From Darcy’s perspective, why can Webot make us feel better?

A．Because it can build mental connection with us.

B．Because it is free and has a favorable personality.

C．Because it is carefully constructed in a novel or poetry.

D．Because it can keep us informed of shocking news alert.

4. What is the author’s purpose of writing this text?

A．To urge us to quit social media.

B．To show us the functions of Webot.

C．To propose us interacting with Webot.

D．To encourage us to share our thoughts.

9 . George Headley would have been a dentist in the USA rather than one of the greatest cricketers (板球运动员) if he had got his papers from Panama on time. The Indian legend was born in Colón, Panama and a period of unemployment in Jamaica caused him to begin the process of seeking a career elsewhere.

The delay, however, gave Headley time to make his first-class debut (首次亮相) for Jamaica against the visiting Lord Tennyson’s XI from England. These were his scores in the three first-class games in the series: 16, 40, and 71. The rest, as they say, is history. Yet, consider what might have occurred if his documents had arrived on time and he had migrated to America. There would have been a missing chapter in cricket.

Headley’s ta le brings to the fore the role that happenstance (偶然情况) plays in life. In the song A Different Comer, George Michael lamented (哀叹) that a romantic union went wrong and suggested that it might have been better if circumstances had worked to prevent their first meeting: “Take me back in time; maybe I can forget. Turn a different corner and we never would have met.”

Our lives are the result of much planning and deliberate action. But they are the result of chance as well. “The harder I practice, the luckier I get” is a quote normally used by sportsmen to discount the occurrence or consequence of luck. Athletes like to think that whatever success they’ve had is only down to them. To admit otherwise is to devalue the skills and efforts.

The changes in luck are a large part of why we watch sports. It fosters uncertainty, which, in turn. enhances interest in the process and the result. On any given day, the underdog can be at the champion. Whenever that occurs, luck is likely to have played some significant part, and sport is better for it.

1. What decision did George Headley make before getting his papers?

A．To complete his official documents in Panama.	B．To sharpen his cricket skills in Jamaica.
C．To get a degree in medicine in the USA.	D．To work as a dentist in the USA.

2. What can we say about the delay of Headley’s papers?

A．It affected his debut performance.	B．It became a turning point in his life.
C．It benefited the England cricket team.	D．It led to a missing chapter in cricket.

3. Why did the author mention the song A Different Corner?

A．To stress the importance of chance.

B．To explain the necessity of planning ahead.

C．To show the significance of the first impressions.

D．To illustrate a love-hate relationship with friends.

4. What does George Headley’s career story mainly tell us?

A．Practice makes perfect.	B．Little people can make a big difference.
C．Efforts and chances are equally important.	D．Nothing is impossible to a willing heart.