2 . I had reached the age of twenty-eight. Still, I _________ whether the letter from my past would make it to me, all these years later. It sounded ridiculous, but it was a _______ writing task when I was eighteen. The teacher collected our letters to our future selves in self-addressed envelopes with stamps and promised to _______ them ten years later. But since so much time had passed, would he even _________?

Thinking back on the _______ I recalled giving my future self some advice. When you’re eighteen years old, twenty-eight seems like a   _______ age, but I wasn’t feeling as mature as I believed my younger self had _______ me to be.

When the letter finally reached me, I opened it _______ . It began, How much do you bet this letter will never get to you? It continued to greet me casually as if we were having an IM (instant messaging) chat. As a senior in high school, facing the _______important exams and college application, my eighteen-year-old self was so ________! She was apparently not quite happy and hoped I wouldn’t worry so much in the future, and that I would live in the present and __________ my life!

________ to my belief, my eighteen-year-old self did not have any demands on me, expectations I might have failed to meet. Instead, she wrote, “I’ll ________ whatever you do. Even if you are not the one I’m imagining now, I’ll support you, because maybe who I’m imagining is someone else, but you’re not someone else — you’re me.”

I was touched, and tears came to my eyes at this ________ time. I had put a lot of pressure on myself to be the best version of myself that I could be. ________, I came to realize what I would have accomplished in ten years would pale in comparison to how feel and who I’d be.

1.

A．bet

B．believed

C．considered

D．doubted

2.

A．hopeless

B．happy

C．tough

D．creative

3.

A．write

B．correct

C．mail

D．answer

4.

A．calculate

B．remember

C．understand

D．explode

5.

A．letter

B．comment

C．study

D．application

6.

A．promising

B．grown-up

C．made-up

D．happy

7.

A．told

B．convinced

C．encouraged

D．expected

8.

A．calmly

B．cautiously

C．eagerly

D．naturally

9.

A．appearing

B．arising

C．approaching

D．approving

10.

A．depressed

B．stressed

C．carefree

D．ambitious

11.

A．start

B．value

C．enjoy

D．earn

12.

A．Strange

B．Contrary

C．Surprised

D．Superior

13.

A．stand by

B．stand with

C．stand for

D．stand against

14.

A．self-acceptance

B．self-defense

C．self-confidence

D．self-concern

15.

A．Besides

B．Therefore

C．However

D．Then

3 . It was 4 o’clock in the morning when I received the phone call.

“This is the emergency room calling and your son was just ______ in with serious burns on his face, neck and arms.” The doctor described the ______ , which caused the burns. At 6 am, our son and his friends decided to barbecue hamburgers in the courtyard of their apartment. Unfortunately, the charcoal (木炭) burst into flames because they had sprayed too much petrol. The flames ______ my son’s shirt tail and shot from his waist to well over his head.

______ , one of the boys was quick-minded, grasped my son, and ______ him on the grass. While it saved his life, there was not enough ______ to save him from fearful burns and the terrible scars (伤疤).

After he recovered from the treatments, the doctors told him they would not do plastic surgery (整形手术) for 6 months ______ it took that long for the skin to stop shrinking and wrinkling. So he had to return to college with typical scars of burns.

When I was a child, my mother told my sister who had a very ______ 10-inch scar on her arm, “Nancy, if you ignore the scar, other people will ignore it. It does not mean they will not ______ it, but it means it will not matter to them if it doesn’t matter to you.”

I ______ this wisdom on to my son. He took my advice to heart and returned to school with his head held high — glad he was alive. By the end of the six-month waiting period, he decided that the scars did not ______ , so he made the ______ to give up any plastic surgery.

We all have “scars” that we believe will ______ people to keep away from us. And we spend a lot of time thinking that if we looked differently, or dressed differently, people would like us better. But you see, people will only judge you by your looks, or your clothes, if you are judging yourself by these same ______ standards. Put your imperfections out of your mind and concentrate on what you value ______ yourself, and your beauty will shine through.

1.

A．turned

B．given

C．showed

D．brought

2.

A．event

B．accident

C．reason

D．process

3.

A．burned

B．held

C．took

D．attracted

4.

A．Sadly

B．Happily

C．Fortunately

D．Surprisingly

5.

A．pushed

B．rolled

C．dropped

D．threw

6.

A．space

B．time

C．room

D．place

7.

A．if

B．while

C．although

D．because

8.

A．specific

B．violent

C．obvious

D．cruel

9.

A．mention

B．notice

C．reject

D．blame

10.

A．passed

B．kept

C．handled

D．sent

11.

A．grow

B．exist

C．matter

D．appear

12.

A．attempt

B．effort

C．decision

D．conclusion

13.

A．invite

B．cause

C．allow

D．remind

14.

A．false

B．tough

C．casual

D．general

15.

A．by

B．over

C．beyond

D．within

4 . I embarked on an overnight bus journey from Kolhapur to Aurangabad in India. The bus—an ordinary, non-air-conditioned one—was more than _________. All 55 seats were taken and there were some 20 people ___________ in the aisle(过道). The hot day_________ the discomfort of the 10-hour journey. Because I was travelling on a student bus pass I had no choice but to stand.

After approximately two extended hours, I was wet with ___________ in the noise of the bus. I suddenly ___________ a hand tapping my hand, asking for ___________. Turning around, I found a middle-aged man with a smile looking up at me. He stood up and said I could take his ___________ for a little while. I was pleasantly ___________ and immediately accepted his offer, my entire body feeling a sense of relief. And the man just stood next to me, looking around. After about 20 minutes, I signaled him to ___________ his space. Another man, who was sitting by the window on the other side of the bus, had observed our ____________.

Just then, something ____________ happened. Our observer stood up and offered his seat to another standing man. All of a sudden, we had unexpectedly caused a chain reaction: almost all the standees got a(n) ____________ to be seated. More surprisingly, people even started chatting with each other while exchanging their positions, and soon began sharing jokes. Needless to say, the rest of the journey was quite ____________.

The bus reached its destination the next morning. I stood in the early morning light, waving goodbye to the groups, who went their separate routines. But this extraordinary experience has stayed with me after all the years. I am always ____________ of an important life lesson—that we can all ____________ what we have, including our burdens, and help our co-passengers in the journey of life.

1.

A．narrowed

B．packed

C．advanced

D．delayed

2.

A．standing

B．sitting

C．lying

D．moving

3.

A．applied for

B．made up

C．added to

D．worked out

4.

A．rain

B．water

C．tears

D．sweat

5.

A．gave

B．held

C．supplied

D．sensed

6.

A．company

B．help

C．contact

D．attention

7.

A．advice

B．seat

C．hand

D．instruction

8.

A．frightened

B．surprised

C．awkward

D．confident

9.

A．take back

B．set up

C．cut in

D．give out

10.

A．adventure

B．conversation

C．deal

D．exchange

11.

A．confusing

B．powerful

C．magical

D．positive

12.

A．challenge

B．goal

C．arrangement

D．chance

13.

A．enjoyable

B．glorious

C．shocking

D．admirable

14.

A．warned

B．reminded

C．freed

D．affected

15.

A．throw

B．deliver

C．share

D．track

5 . Before I started high school my parents gave me the greatest gift any teenage boy could ask for: a cell phone. I______ that phone all summer. To me, being connected was more important than being present. So, you can imagine my ______ when I learned what my dad had ______ for my family vacation that year. “This year,” my dad said, “We are going camping!” His excitement was met with a disappointing sigh（叹气）. ______, he wasn’t upset.

The views during the trip were amazing, but none of those mattered to me. My mind was on my phone. I remembered the first time I looked up was for something shocking—my phone had no service. My dad said that it would be ______ until we returned home. I would be ______ in the forest for four days with no way to contact the outside world. I went to bed angry that night. But something ______ when I awoke in the morning. ______ immediately burying my head in my phone, I ______ something else: my surroundings. As my dad and I walked the trails（小路），I felt the weight of tons of stress off my shoulders.

I realized being ______ to nature made me focus more on myself. I let my mind speak to me and listened to my feelings. I had been so focused on staying connected that I hadn’t been hearing my own ______. That was 15 years ago, and I carry that ______ to this day. When I received my first work email. I ______ the reason why my dad chose a campsite with no access to technology. In a world that asks for more connectivity, the need to check up your cell phone becomes stronger. Having my own time is nearly ______ when I can be ______ at any time of day or night. So, I need to work harder.

Whenever I feel my inner self is slipping away, I follow my dad’s guidance. I pack up the tent and drive until my phone shows those two magic words: “no service”.

1.

A．wished for

B．applied for

C．lived on

D．learned from

2.

A．impression

B．displeasure

C．impoliteness

D．embarrassment

3.

A．revised

B．rented

C．mistaken

D．planned

4.

A．However

B．Besides

C．Therefore

D．Otherwise

5.

A．mobile

B．private

C．missing

D．useless

6.

A．trapped

B．punished

C．trained

D．attended

7.

A．appeared

B．ended

C．changed

D．formed

8.

A．Because of

B．Apart from

C．Along with

D．Instead of

9.

A．cleaned up

B．focused on

C．contributed to

D．showed off

10.

A．close

B．blind

C．similar

D．new

11.

A．contacts

B．parents

C．thoughts

D．sighs

12.

A．dream

B．lesson

C．stressor

D．trial

13.

A．understood

B．wondered

C．recorded

D．preferred

14.

A．painful

B．impossible

C．unreasonable

D．obvious

15.

A．appreciated

B．convinced

C．recognized

D．connected

7 . My daughter loved dancing until she didn’t find it attractive. After an _________ first year, I noticed her interest fading week by week. Then one day, she slowly walked to me before class and asked if she could just _________ it.

My first reaction was to advise her to “finish what you start”. _________, sticking with something difficult can teach perseverance, discipline and confidence. But watching mydaughter ____ herself into each ballet position, I started to question how much _________ that “blanket advice” made. Is it really in my kid’s best _________ or even practical, to make her stick to every commitment through until she reaches a bitter end? What if there are different but _________ valuable qualities, which can be gained by _________ the things that are not right for her.

After a few days’ consideration, she decided dance wasn’t for her - a choice I _________. Quitting is never a black and white issue. Sometimes, it means __________ a barrier in your way to love something else. In my daughter’s case, ending dance made space for her new hobbies, such as horseback riding and Girl Scouts. She’s into them for now, but it is okay if that __________ changes.

As adults, we are used to __________ the power of saying yes, but what about saying no? The ability to recognize when something isn’t an __________ investment of our time or energy is also important. As my daughter gets older, I want her to feel confident to __________ something that’s no longer meeting her needs. She shouldn’t be held back by the thought that she must finish something at any cost __________ because she has started.

1.

A．routine

B．passionate

C．depressing

D．independent

2.

A．defeat

B．make

C．try

D．skip

3.

A．After all

B．In case

C．In addition

D．By contrast

4.

A．addict

B．expose

C．drag

D．commit

5.

A．sufficiency

B．sense

C．energy

D．desire

6.

A．interest

B．help

C．manner

D．element

7.

A．seemingly

B．partly

C．equally

D．hardly

8.

A．insisting on

B．making up for

C．fixing up

D．letting go of

9.

A．required

B．suspected

C．ignored

D．supported

10.

A．spotting

B．clearing

C．challenging

D．crossing

11.

A．yet

B．once

C．still

D．even

12.

A．experiencing

B．stressing

C．monitoring

D．judging

13.

A．informal

B．unfair

C．external

D．proper

14.

A．abandon

B．attach

C．treasure

D．permit

15.

A．roughly

B．slightly

C．merely

D．nearly

8 . 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.

2. Why did the author decide to go to her office on Good Friday?

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.

3. Which word(s) can best replace the underlined word “foregone” in Paragraph 3?

A．given up.

B．Lacked.

C．Avoided.

D．Wasted.

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A．The Emotional Well-being	B．The Two Saddest Words
C．The Most Useful Rule	D．The Peace of Mind

9 . I have a degree in business. But it was my father’s ________ for me to seek a business major. He thought that having a business major would ________ me more available choices and make me more competitive in entering a global labor market.I ________ his advice. However,even though my college expericnces were ________. I had no interest in any ________ of commerce (商业), let alone having a long-term-career as a businesswoman.

After I graduated,I worked as a marketing planner at a computer company.My________ and working environment were great, yet I ________ didn’t feel happy doing something that held little attraction for me.After two months of working there, I made up my mind to ________ and decided to do what I love, namely ________ history. I have now been doing this job for over twenty years. I am fond of being with my students.

If you are in a ________ where you don’t love what you are learning or doing, please ask yourself what you are really ________ and what you truly want for your life. Don’t ________ to get yourself a quick answer. Take some time to think about what career could bring ________ to you.

I like this motto “Success is not the key to happiness. ________, happiness is the key to success.” Happiness ________ the inside of you, not the outside. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.

1.

A．comment

B．task

C．decision

D．response

2.

A．ensure

B．save

C．leave

D．pass

3.

A．argued

B．valued

C．took

D．opposed

4.

A．fantastic

B．awkward

C．painful

D．plain

5.

A．paper

B．field

C．college

D．person

6.

A．comment

B．dream

C．campus

D．pay

7.

A．only

B．still

C．also

D．even

8.

A．quit

B．continue

C．consider

D．wait

9.

A．promoting

B．writing

C．teaching

D．studying

10.

A．firm

B．game

C．story

D．place

11.

A．anxious about

B．annoyed at

C．interested in

D．familiar with

12.

A．rush

B．panic

C．intend

D．stop

13.

A．love

B．joy

C．confidence

D．knowledge

14.

A．Besides

B．Meanwhile

C．Therefore

D．However

15.

A．applies to

B．spreads to

C．differs from

D．comes from

10 . As I walked onto the soccer field I had a knot (结) in my stomach. I was too shy to ___________ the year before but decided to go for it this year.

When the coaches came, I felt as if I was going to pass out. With no ___________ ability I began to wonder why I was ___________ here. Everyone immediately took a ball and began to ___________. I stood there, not knowing what to do. My friends came over to ___________ me a few quick moves and drills. I had fun and ___________ enjoyed playing. Every other girl on the team was far more skilled than I. The moment I ___________ that to myself, I was fine.

This ___________ has stuck with me all through high school. Without ___________ it, I learned a valuable lesson about myself. ______________ I tried out for the soccer team, I always wanted to be ______________ at everything. Previously (以前), I would do anything to achieve the high ______________ I set for myself. I was so stressed out over schoolwork that I never had fun. I decided it was time for a (n) ______________________.

Like most high school students, my ______________ with more responsibilities and worries, began to change as I got older. Balancing school and sports has not been easy. But through it all, I have become a ________________ person.

1.

A．give up

B．pass by

C．try out

D．walk away

2.

A．logic

B．sports

C．language

D．communication

3.

A．just

B．even

C．never

D．always

4.

A．warm up

B．make up

C．calm down

D．turn around

5.

A．ask

B．pass

C．show

D．throw

6.

A．nearly

B．really

C．hardly

D．partly

7.

A．kept

B．expressed

C．proved

D．admitted

8.

A．match

B．activity

C．experience

D．performance

9.

A．checking

B．realizing

C．practicing

D．considering

10.

A．When

B．After

C．Unless

D．Before

11.

A．quick

B．clever

C．perfect

D．pleased

12.

A．speed

B．record

C．position

D．standard

13.

A．break

B．escape

C．change

D．holiday

14.

A．life

B．team

C．friends

D．coaches

15.

A．better

B．kinder

C．warmer

D．quieter