2 . Learning to say “yes, and”

When I first heard about the improvisation (即兴交流) class, I was hesitating. As a quiet and shy girl, I feared improvising in front of strangers. However, I knew I wanted to work as a science communicator after finishing my Ph.D., so it seemed like a perfect chance to learn how to speak and communicate with others effectively. I signed up, knowing the experience would give me help.

During our first class, we learned an important concept of improvisation: “yes, and.” It means that, as improvisers, we’d better accept what fellow performers say. If someone says that rhinos (犀牛) are librarians, for example, then rhinos are librarians. We do not question the logic; we say “yes” and then continue with the scene as if nothing is wrong.

The first few scenes were hard, but as weeks turned into months, I became more comfortable and even started to enjoy our classes. I became better at listening, relating to my conversation partners, and communicating clearly in the moment. Once when I was giving a presentation about my science, an audience member surprised me with a question that didn’t grow out of the information I’d presented. Instead of getting confused and nervous, I took the “yes, and” approach—accepting the question and letting my mind focus on why it was asked. That helped me find an appropriate answer. I got pretty excited about it.

The benefits of improvisation go beyond communication. Before attending the class, I would get stuck when my experiments produced unexpected data, thinking that I had made a mistake. But now, instead of getting discouraged, I will stay open to the possibility that the results are real, keep exploring the data and end up identifying a new type of cell—one that isn’t behaving as expected.

I think all scientists can benefit from this lesson. If the data say rhinos are librarians, then it’s worth finding out whether rhinos are, in fact, librarians. As scientists, our job isn’t to challenge data that support, a preconceived story, but to say “yes, and.”

1. Why did the author attend the improvisation class?

A．To get a different experience.

B．To finish her Ph.D. at university.

C．To give up her job as a science communicator.

D．To improve her speaking and communicating ability.

2. What was the author’s change after attending the improvisation class?

A．She formed her own idea quickly.

B．She came up with lots of creative responses.

C．She paid more attention to the logic of answers.

D．She became a good listener before giving an opinion.

3. The author mentions applying the “yes, and” approach to her scientific experiments to ________.

A．explain the process of using the method

B．prove the benefits of the improvisation class

C．share her own research experiences with readers

D．attract fellow scientists to attend the improvisation class

4. What can be inferred about scientists from the last paragraph?

A．They should attend the improvisation class.

B．They should question all preconceived ideas.

C．They should carry on research by admitting earlier data.

D．They should try to improve their academic knowledge.

4 . One summer night, my friends and I stole into the Jordans’ backyard and started harvesting their sweet, juicy raspberries (树莓). We were enjoying every bite of the tasty berries_______Mr Jordan came charging outside all of a sudden.

“What are you boys doing out here?” he yelled as my friends ran off_______all directions. He attempted to catch one or two as they rushed past him, but they were too_______for the older gentleman to catch. Within seconds, the boys_______into the dark of the summer night. All except me.

However, speed was never my_______. I took the tongue-lashing(痛骂) that Mr Jordan gave me as he marched me down the block to my house, where my mother took over and scolded me_______. My friends said they could hear every_______word she spoke from the darkness of our backyard, where they had gathered to_______their escape and to observe my capture.

They teased me about it for days afterwards, while all I could do was complain about how_______it was that I was the only one who had to pay the price. After about a week of this, I complained to my father about the inequality of the situation. Dad said, “You took raspberries without________, and you get exactly the punishment you deserved.”

“But what about the other guys?” I asked. “They didn’t get punished at all!”

“That’s not my concern nor should it be yours,” Dad said. “You can’t________what happens to others. You can only________what happens to you. You made a bad choice that night, and you were punished for it.”

________the duration of the following years, I come to realize there is no guarantee that life will treat us fairly. That’s why we can’t________comparing our lives with the lives of others. Like Dad said, that isn’t our________.

1.

A．before

B．while

C．when

D．after

2.

A．towards

B．in

C．at

D．from

3.

A．smart

B．foxy

C．swift

D．intelligent

4.

A．hid

B．marched

C．hurried

D．disappeared

5.

A．strength

B．power

C．intention

D．option

6.

A．cruelly

B．bitterly

C．mercilessly

D．pitifully

7.

A．colorful

B．offensive

C．violent

D．creative

8.

A．negotiate

B．celebrate

C．plot

D．congratulate

9.

A．unhappy

B．frustrating

C．disappointing

D．unfair

10.

A．thinking

B．warning

C．asking

D．informing

11.

A．control

B．predict

C．accept

D．explain

12.

A．put up with

B．get away with

C．agree with

D．deal with

13.

A．In

B．For

C．Through

D．Since

14.

A．get stuck in

B．get engaged in

C．be involved in

D．be buried in

15.

A．problem

B．complaint

C．concern

D．choice

5 . Ten years ago when I was diagnosed with a serious illness, my first thought was, “Why me?” And this thought _______ me throughout my journey. It wasn’t until I was _______ enough to look back that I realized how much of my life was _______ by my illness not in a bad way.

Being _______ for our past experiences and _______ can be a hard thing to do. We sometimes wish events in our past could be _______ so we could start a new life. But without these events, we wouldn’t learn, change and grow.

The day I _______ this was volunteering with my boyfriend. A friend’s wife came up to me and asked me how school was, _______ I said I didn’t like it that much. She then _______ by saying, “Well, if you hadn’t gone, you wouldn’t have met him,” and pointed at my ________       .

This really opened my eyes, and after I left I started seeing everything in my life in this ________. If I hadn’t gone to that school, I would never have met my future husband. If I hadn’t battled ________ the illness, I wouldn’t have found my true ________. At first I didn’t see how my illness could have ever been a blessing. But when I looked at it as an experience for me, I started to see that I had a lot to be grateful for.

I grew closer to my mother while ________. I gained knowledge about myself that I could ________ gain through struggle, and learned how to take care of my wants and needs in a way that made me happy.

1.

A．injured

B．followed

C．delivered

D．struck

2.

A．well

B．brave

C．scared

D．ill

3.

A．widened

B．lengthened

C．shaped

D．unified

4.

A．mindful

B．thankful

C．hopeful

D．cheerful

5.

A．stories

B．replies

C．rewards

D．struggles

6.

A．ruined

B．caught

C．swept

D．taught

7.

A．recalled

B．reminded

C．removed

D．realized

8.

A．but

B．and

C．so

D．for

9.

A．responded

B．collected

C．refused

D．lectured

10.

A．boyfriend

B．girlfriend

C．husband

D．teacher

11.

A．way

B．system

C．regard

D．case

12.

A．through

B．for

C．within

D．against

13.

A．hope

B．self

C．relief

D．friend

14.

A．living

B．losing

C．recovering

D．searching

15.

A．never

B．already

C．only

D．also

7 . When I was in sixth grade, I joined the band program to learn to play the clarinet (单簧管). The beginning of the year had gone _________. But as most students progressed, I seemed to fall behind. One day, when my teacher told us to play in front of the other students. I was filled with fear. I knew I would _________. When I began to play, my rhythms (节奏) were good, but my tone was another _________. “Did you practice your lesson?” the teacher barked at me. I felt so ashamed and my world came _________ down in an instant.

From then on, I hated playing the clarinet and I kept getting _________. With the day of the new performance approaching, I grew increasingly upset. In a moment of _________, I asked for sick leave. It was so relieving and such a(n) easy way out.

The avoidance of my lessons continued until my mum asked me about it. “I want to quit.” My tears started _________. “If you really want to quit, why are you crying?” asked Mum. She _________ and I realized I wanted to stay in band and, by not facing my fears, I had created a black hole that would be difficult to _________ out of. I made a resolution not to hide from my fears and to stand up to even the worst of them, so a __________ could be achieved.

The next day I met with my band teacher and told her I was having a problem and couldn’t __________ why. She asked me gently to play for her. I tried, but only an unpleasant sound came out. She didn’t shout at me and handed me a new reed (簧片). I put it in place and tried again. To my great __________ I could play well. My problem was solved and my fear was __________ a lot that year.

Looking back, I’m glad that I overcame my fear. Fear can __________ everything in a person’s life. Hiding from those very fears only creates a hole, which makes a person stay __________ inside. After facing up to a fear, one may find life easier and much more enjoyable.

1.

A．badly

B．endlessly

C．randomly

D．smoothly

2.

A．mess up

B．move on

C．set out

D．take off

3.

A．impression

B．essay

C．story

D．factor

4.

A．crashing

B．moving

C．selling

D．bending

5.

A．stricter

B．worse

C．happier

D．smarter

6.

A．joy

B．panic

C．doubt

D．sympathy

7.

A．drying

B．disappearing

C．flowing

D．separating

8.

A．had a point

B．made a change

C．reached a level

D．took a break

9.

A．send

B．bring

C．pick

D．climb

10.

A．balance

B．degree

C．position

D．solution

11.

A．figure out

B．give away

C．think over

D．make up

12.

A．anger

B．sorrow

C．disappointment

D．surprise

13.

A．felt

B．shown

C．removed

D．voiced

14.

A．consume

B．examine

C．reflect

D．rescue

15.

A．unknown

B．unpunished

C．interested

D．trapped

9 . My son was one of the students who served as a volunteer in different services while in a high school. Nowadays it is _______ for high schools to have a volunteer service hour minimum as a part of their graduation _______. One day, I asked him why he worked long hours voluntarily every week. He gave me a reply _______ his years. He said, “Mom, you should not do community service just because it was assigned and you just need to _______ it in. You should do it because of the effects it has.” In many ways his opinion is _______ reasonable, and though the service hour requirement actually does get students to participate in volunteer work in their communities, does it _______ them to volunteer in the future?

In some cases, no. A study found that when 8th graders in some schools were asked to accumulate _______ volunteer hours, those same students were no longer doing any service by their senior year of high school. It _______ that mandatory (强制的) volunteer hours led to a “potential loss in long-term volunteering”. _______, other researchers discovered that young people were more likely to vote and attend civic (公民的) life in other ways as a result of their __________ to community service in high school.

If teens __________ the significance of doing volunteer work and do it with a bit of enthusiasm, serving others in their communities will bring in a lot of unexpected __________. My son’s exposure to a variety of non-profits during his high school years led him to __________ a service scholarship for college, where he is now required to complete seventy-five hours per semester. But to him, this is __________ a requirement; actually he has benefited a lot more than that. __________ is what he has always wanted to do.

1.

A．rare

B．common

C．convenient

D．flexible

2.

A．achievements

B．requirements

C．ceremony

D．celebration

3.

A．beyond

B．of

C．within

D．for

4.

A．take

B．bring

C．turn

D．let

5.

A．hardly

B．merely

C．absolutely

D．previously

6.

A．inspire

B．force

C．invite

D．persuade

7.

A．tough

B．random

C．rough

D．specific

8.

A．advocated

B．recommended

C．believed

D．concluded

9.

A．Besides

B．However

C．Subsequently

D．Similarly

10.

A．response

B．solution

C．access

D．exposure

11.

A．neglect

B．stress

C．realize

D．weigh

12.

A．requests

B．benefits

C．consequences

D．effects

13.

A．give up

B．receive

C．apply for

D．anticipate

14.

A．free from

B．nothing but

C．so far

D．far from

15.

A．Giving back

B．Going back

C．Taking back

D．Looking back

10 . Letting me move into my university dormitory wasn’t an easy decision for my parents. However, they knew if I wanted a good ________, I’d have to live away from home. I’d always dreamed of living alone: the life of no rules and regulations and being independent. So I was ________ about this new stage in my life.

________, during the first few months of living alone, I’d find myself crying every day. I’d call my mum every day. I ________ to fly back home as soon as I got any time off. That was the only thing I was concerned about. Coming from a big family, I was ________ to noises surrounding me. Therefore, the scary silence at night was the worst. I couldn’t even ________ without keeping the lights on.

As time went by, I started enjoying the ________ that came with living alone. I could do things in my own time: eat whenever I want, wake up whenever I want. The space of loneliness was also then ________ by friends who became like family, so I ________ missing my family less.

When it was time to say goodbye and go back home after my________, I was bittersweet. I’d enjoyed my time alone, learning things which wouldn’t have been ________ if I had never moved away from home. But I’d also missed my family too much.

I’d learned a lot from this ________. Living alone made me value ________ time even more. I realized that every second with them ________ though I might not get the freedom I had while living alone.

I guess it’s ________ for everybody, but for me, there is no warmth in a house unless it’s filled with loving members and people you love.

1.

A．memory

B．occupation

C．opportunity

D．education

2.

A．delighted

B．worried

C．serious

D．cautious

3.

A．Undoubtedly

B．Unwillingly

C．Unconditionally

D．Unexpectedly

4.

A．refused

B．pretended

C．wanted

D．failed

5.

A．deaf

B．cruel

C．accustomed

D．opposed

6.

A．sleep

B．talk

C．move

D．play

7.

A．confidence

B．safety

C．relief

D．freedom

8.

A．set aside

B．taken over

C．filled up

D．thrown away

9.

A．started

B．practised

C．resisted

D．preferred

10.

A．recovery

B．graduation

C．resignation

D．promotion

11.

A．useful

B．possible

C．reliable

D．worthwhile

12.

A．adventure

B．arrangement

C．experience

D．challenge

13.

A．family

B．study

C．work

D．growth

14.

A．flew

B．counted

C．stayed

D．repeated

15.

A．hard

B．common

C．meaningless

D．different