1 . You can’t imagine how terrible I felt at that time. A month before my first marathon, one of my ankles was injured and this meant not running for two weeks, leaving me only two weeks to train. Yet, I was determined to go ahead.
I remember back to my 7th year in school. In my first P.E. class, the teacher required us to run laps (圆圈) and then hit a softball. I didn’t do either well. He later told me that I was “not athletic”.
The idea that I was “not athletic” stuck with me for years. When I started running in my 30s, I realized running was a battle against myself, not about competition or whether or not I was athletic. It was all about the battle against my own body and mind. A test of wills!
The night before my marathon, I dreamed that I couldn’t even find the finish line. I woke up sweating and nervous, but ready to prove something to myself.
Shortly after crossing the start line, my shoe laces (鞋带) became untied. So I stopped to readjust (重新调整). Not the start I wanted!
At mile 3, I passed a sign: “GO FOR IT, RUNNERS!”
By mile17, I became out of breath and the once injured ankle hurt badly. Although my ankle was very painful, I stayed the course walking a bit and then running again.
By mile 21, I was so hungry!
As I came to mile 23, I could see my wife waving a sign. She is my biggest fan. She never minded the alarm clock sounding at 4 a.m. or questioned my expenses on running.
I was one of the final runners to finish. But I finished! And I got a medal. In fact, I got the same medal as the one that the guy who came in first place had.
Determined to be myself, move forward, free of shame and worldly labels (世俗标签), I can now call myself a “marathon winner”.
1. How did he author feel a month before the marathon?| A．Anxious. | B．Frightened. |
| C．Well prepared. | D．Confident. |
| A．To thank the support of his teacher. | B．To amuse the readers with a funny story. |
| C．To show he was not talented in sports. | D．To share a valuable memory. |
| A．He made it. | B．He quit halfway. |
| C．He got the first prize. | D．He walked to the end. |
| A．One is never too old to learn. | B．Failure is the mother of success. |
| C．A winner is one with a great effort of will. | D．A man owes his success to his family support. |
2 . One of our biggest problems many of us feel is having too much to do and not feeling like we have enough time to do it.
Of course, having “not enough time” is just a feeling. The fact is that we all have the same amount of time, but we often fill up the container (容器) of our days with too many things..
The problem is having too many things to fit into a small container (24 hours). If we look at task and time management simply as a container organization problem, it becomes simpler.
How do we fit all of the things we have to do into our small container? We do that by simplifying what we have to do.
Pay attention to all the things you should do today and tomorrow, and try to notice all the things you're fitting into the container of your day. What games are you playing on your phone? What are you reading? What work are you busy doing? How much time are you spending on Facebook of Twitter? How much TV are you watching? How much time do you spend cleaning, taking care of other people?
What you might realize is that you're fitting a lot of junk into the container. Throw some of that out. Prevent yourself from using certain sites or apps until you've done a few really important tasks.
Now ask yourself this: Which task would you do if you could only do one task today? That should be what you put your focus on next. So just focus on one important task. By picking your tasks carefully, you're taking care of the container of your time. You can pick important tasks or joyful ones, but you're being conscious (意识到的 ) about the choices. You're treating it like the gift of great value, for it is limited, valuable, to be filled with the best things, but not overstuffed.
1. How can we deal with the big problem mentioned at the beginning of the text?| A．By filling up our days with too many things. |
| B．By simplifying everything we have to do. |
| C．By having a bigger container of our days. |
| D．By improving our skills of doing tasks. |
| A．To prove that many people are enjoying playing games. |
| B．To help us learn the importance of balancing work and life. |
| C．To show there are many things which are not worth doing. |
| D．To tell us that there are no really important tasks to do. |
| A．Learn what the container of our days is. |
| B．Prevent ourselves from feeling time is not enough. |
| C．Try our best to do as many things as we can. |
| D．Focus on something that is really important. |
| A．First things first. |
| B．Easier said than done. |
| C．Practice makes perfect. |
| D．Don’t put all your eggs into one basket. |
3 . Half decade ago, at the end of my first semester teaching at Wharton, my student Kevin stopped by for office hours. He sat down and burst into tears. My mind started cycling through a list of events that could make a college junior cry: His girlfriend had broken up with him; he had been accused of cheating in exams; he forgot to turn in papers before the deadline. “I just got my first A-minus(减),” he said with his voice shaking.
Year after year, I watch in depression as students are crazy about getting straight A's. Some sacrifice their health; a few have even tried to charge their school after falling short(倒挂). All hold the belief that top marks are a ticket to best graduate schools and rewarding job offers. I was one of them. I started college with the goal of graduating with a 4.0. It would be a reflection of my brainpower and willpower, showing that I had the right stuff to succeed. But I was wrong.
The evidence is clear: Academic excellence is not a strong predictor of career excellence. Across industries, research shows that the connection between grades and job performance is modest in the first year after college and unimportant within a handful of years. Take Microsoft for example, once employees are two or three years out of college, their grades have no bearing on their performance. (Of course, it must be said that if you got D's, you probably didn't end up at Microsoft.)
Academic grades rarely assess qualities like creativity, leadership and teamwork skills, or social, emotional and political intelligence. Yes, straight A students master large amounts of information and reproduce it in exams. But career success is rarely about finding the right solution to a problem—it’s more about finding the right problem to solve. This might explain why Steve Jobs finished high school with a 2.65GPA, and Martin Luther King Jr. got only one A in his four years at Morehouse.
1. Why did the student Kevin feel sad?| A．He was caught cheating in exams. | B．His girlfriend abandoned him. |
| C．He didn’t hand in his papers before headline. | D．He failed to get straight A's. |
| A．Marks didn’t reflect willpower and brainpower. |
| B．Top marks meant well-paid job offers. |
| C．It was wrong to care too much about marks. |
| D．Straight A's don't bring creative performances. |
| A．To stress the company values employees with top marks. |
| B．To indicate academic performance is important. |
| C．To show academic excellence isn’t a strong predictor of career performance. |
| D．To introduce successful example in the technology industry. |
| A．How to be a creative leader. | B．What to do with detailed information. |
| C．How to solve a problem. | D．What problems to be solved. |
4 . Reducing, reusing, and recycling is a way of life in Sweden. Recycling is required by law and garbage is sorted at home before if goes to a recycling center. Recyclables are sorted into seven categories and recycling stations are within just 300 meters of all residential areas. " Recycling almost everything is a must in Sweden now. It actually feels very uncomfortable when you visit another country and cant find easy ways to recycle, " said Owen Gaffney, an expert at Stockholm Resilience Centre and Future Earth.
But not all of its garbage is recycled. Sweden uses alternatives that include incineratinggarbage to make electricity instead of using fossil fuels（化石燃料）to heat 1.2 million homes. About half of household garbage is sent to one of the 33 waste﹣to﹣heat plants. Sweden is importing garbage from other countries to keep these plants running. Sweden is also a world leader in turning food waste into eco﹣friendly biogas（沼气）. It has made food waste collection compulsory beginning in 2021. There is a food waste biogas plant, which allows biogas to be used to run public buses and to heat apartment buildings.
Sweden now wants to deal with those remaining items that cannot be recycled by using a circular（循环论证的）economy approach. It means that products can be reused and only recycled when absolutely necessary. The Swedish government formed an advisory group to find a way of making this part of its environmental policy.
This will not work effectively unless people are taught to change their behavior. Now the government is reforming its tax code so that people could get cheaper repairs or buy used things. The large Swedish clothing retailer（零售商）H&M operates a recycling program that gives customers discounts when they bring back old clothing.
Sweden is fighting climate change by doing all the right stuff. Waste recycling and the plans to switch to a circular economy will go a long way in reducing its carbon footprint and will help stop global warming.
1. What do we know about Sweden？| A．Sweden imports household garbage for biogas. |
| B．It is convenient to recycle things in Sweden. |
| C．Half of garbage in Sweden is used to produce heat. |
| D．Everything is recycled after being used in Sweden. |
| A．Burning. |
| B．Treating. |
| C．Throwing. |
| D．Reusing. |
| A．Teach people how to save fossil fuels. |
| B．Conduct a survey about the local economy. |
| C．Offer advice on environmental policy. |
| D．Make sure the citizens recycle wisely. |
| A．It provides various recycling programs. |
| B．It cuts down taxes on new products. |
| C．It gives discounts to regular buyers. |
| D．It offers lower prices for repairs. |
5 . Being a teenager is hard, which is why there are many amazing teen movies documenting the experience.Some are so good that they will become classics in a few years. Here is a list for you.
Mean Girls
"You go, Glen Coco!" "It's not going to happen!" "On Wednesdays we wear pink!" "You can't sit with us!" If you rank teen movies by how many lines（台词） of dialogues will live on forever, Mean Girls will certainly be on top. So many classic lines!
Eighth Grade
This movie will take you back to the eighth grade and remind you of all the good and bad times you had at that age. Kayla, a shy girl, who feels the most connected to the world through social media. It's Kayla's final week in the eighth grade and she promises to make it as great as possible before she moves on to high school.
13 Going on 30
This classic follows Jenna Rink, a girl whose wish on her 13th birthday is to grow up and escape from high school. The next day her wish comes true. She wakes up in her 30﹣year﹣old body only to find that she's an editor of a major magazine in America. Although she loves her new life at first, she quickly finds out that being grown﹣up isn't that much easier than being 13.
Shazam!
Shazam! is about a kid named Billy Batson, who suddenly gets magic powers from the Wizard Shazam. By calling Shazam's name, Billy can be changed into a hero with powers like strength, speed and flight. Like in all the other movies of this kind, in Shazam! Billy is tasked with defeating his enemy who wants to steal all his powers.
1. What is special about Mean Girls？| A．It is about girls' adventures. |
| B．It ranks first on the movie list. |
| C．It is aimed at amusing the audience. |
| D．It contains lots of classic dialogues. |
| A．Eighth Grade. |
| B．13 Going on 30. |
| C．Mean Girls. |
| D．Shazam! |
| A．A superhero film. |
| B．A documentary. |
| C．A comedy. |
| D．A love story. |
6 . More than a billion people around the world have smart phones, almost all of which come with some kind of navigation（导航） app such as Apple Maps or Amap. This raises the age﹣old question we meet with any technology： What abilities is our brain losing to these apps？ But also, importantly： What abilities are we gaining？
Talking with people who are good at finding their way around or good at using paper maps, I often hear a lot of annoyance with digital maps. North/south direction gets messed up, and you can see only a small section at a time. I can really understand that it may be quite disturbing for the already skilled to be limited to a small phone screen.
But consider what digital navigation aids have meant for someone like me. Although being a frequent traveler, I'm so terrible at finding my way that I still use Apple Maps almost every day in the small town where I have lived for many years.
In many developed nations, street names and house numbers can be meaningful, and instructions such as "go north for three blocks and ---then west" make sense to those familiar with these rules. In Istanbul, however, where I grew up none of those hold true. For one thing, the locals seldom use street names. Besides, the city is full of winding and ancient alleys（小巷） that cross with newer streets at many angles.In such places, you'd better turn to the locals. In the American countryside, however, there is often nobody outside to ask, In fact, along came Apple Maps, like a fairy grandmother whispering directions in my ear. Since then, I travel with a lot more confidence, and my world has opened up.
Which brings me back to my original question： While we often lose some skills after depending on new technology, this new equipment may also allow us to gain new abilities. Maybe when technology closes door, we should also look for the doors it opens.
1. Why do people who are skilled at reading paper maps feel upset？| A．They like reading paper maps. |
| B．They are confused by digital maps direction. |
| C．They don't know how to use navigation apps. |
| D．They are limited to a single smartphone app. |
| A．Asking local people the way. |
| B．Following the navigation app. |
| C．Getting familiar with the city rules. |
| D．Looking for street names and house numbers. |
| A．Cautious. |
| B．Negative. |
| C．Favorable. |
| D．Critical. |
| A．Benefits of Navigation Apps |
| B．Disadvantages of Navigation Apps |
| C．My World Opens Up by New Technology |
| D．Have Navigation Apps Worsened Our Brain？ |
7 . Animals, including insects, do not have a language like ours. They do not talk to each other in words and sentences. But if we watch them, we can see that they do have ways of communicating with each other.
Can you see the rabbit’s tail? When rabbits see this white tail moving up and down, they run too. They know that there is danger. The rabbit has told them something without making a sound. It has given them a signal(信号).
Many other animals use this kind of language. When a cobra(眼镜蛇) is angry, it raises its hood(颈部皮褶) and makes itself look fierce. This warns other animals. When a bee has found some food, it goes back to its home. It cannot tell the other bees where the food is by speaking to them, but it does a little dance in the air. This tells the bees where the food is.
Some animals say things by making sounds. A dog barks, for example, when a stranger comes near. A cat purrs(咕噜叫) when pleased. Some birds make several different sounds, each with its own meaning. Sometimes we human beings speak in the same way. We make sounds like “Oh” or “Ah!” when we are frightened or pleased or when we drop something on our toes.
But we have something that no animals have-a large number of words which have the meanings of things, actions, feelings of ideas. We are able to give each other all kinds of different information in words and sentences, which no other animals can do. No other animals have so wonderful a language as we have.
1. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?| A．Animals do have a language like that of human beings. |
| B．Bees communicate with each other by dancing. |
| C．Some animals can use words. |
| D．Animals are brave. |
| A．warn other rabbits of danger |
| B．tell other rabbits where the food is |
| C．make itself look fierce |
| D．help it to run fast |
| A．rabbit | B．bee |
| C．bird | D．cat |
8 . In Paris, the Seine River plays many roles in the city. It separates the Right Bank from the Left Bank, acting as a dividing line in Paris. It provides riverboats as the means of transportation and the opportunity for romantic walks. In addition, lots of Paris’ tourist attractions are located on both sides of the river, including the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and so on.
The Basics
One of the best ways to see the Seine is to walk along it. You can also walk across the river on bridges to see some of the most well-known architecture(建筑) in France. Besides, a Seine River cruise (乘船游览) allows you to rest your legs and admire the same sights. If you book a lunch or dinner cruise, you can enjoy your sightseeing as well as a French meal.
Things to Know Before You Go
While you are running through Paris’ main tourist areas, the Seine River is hard to miss. You won’t have to go far to find it. More than 30 bridges cross the Seine within the city limits. You ought to wear comfortable shoes for walking along the banks and bridges. You had better be prepared for crowds on popular bridges like Pont des Arts.
When to Get There
For a peaceful walk, head to the river in the early morning hours before most of the crowds arrive. Or go for an after-dinner walk to take in the reflections (倒影) of the City of Light on the water.
Exploring Canal Saint-Martin
In northeast Paris, the Canal Saint-Martin is connected to the Seine River. It is home to smaller waterways. Instead of the Seine’s busy traffic and noisy tourists, there are some quiet footbridges and friendly locals here. You can walk slowly along the tree-shaded paths and enjoy a more laid-back atmosphere.
1. If you take a boat trip on the Seine, you can ________.| A．get a book about the Seine |
| B．take part in the boat race in Paris |
| C．have a free French meal with the captain |
| D．appreciate the famous buildings comfortably |
| A．A guidebook of Paris. |
| B．A ticket to the Pont des Arts. |
| C．A pair of shoes suitable for walking. |
| D．A great deal of knowledge about bridges. |
| A．It’s noisier here. |
| B．It’s easier to find. |
| C．It has fewer visitors. |
| D．It has more beautiful trees. |
9 . Green is an important color in nature. It is the color of grass and the leaves on trees. It is also the color of most growing plants.
Sometimes, the word “green” means young, fresh and growing. For example, a greenhorn is someone who has no experience. In the 15th century, a greenhorn was a young cow or an ox whose horns(角) had not yet developed. A century later, a greenhorn was a soldier who had no experience in war. By the 18th century, a greenhorn had the meaning it has today—a person who is new in a job.
Someone who is good at growing plants is said to have a green thumb(大拇指). The expression comes from the early 20th century. A person with a green thumb can make plants grow quickly and well.
Green is also the color used to describe the powerful feeling, jealousy(嫉妒). The green-eyed monster(怪物) is not a dangerous animal from outer space. It is an expression used about 400 years ago by the British writer William Shakespeare in his play “Othello”. It describes the unpleasant feeling when someone has something he wants. For example, a young man may suffer from the green-eyed monster if you get a pay rise and he does not.
In most places in the world, a green light means to move ahead. In everyday speech, a green light means agree to continue with a project.
1. A greenhorn now refers to ________.| A．a person who is new in a job |
| B．a new soldier |
| C．a young horse |
| D．a cow without horns |
| A．who is good at growing plants |
| B．whose thumbs are of green color |
| C．whose garden is greener than others’ |
| D．who is younger than his neighbors |
| A．he sees a dangerous animal |
| B．he reads a sad play |
| C．his friend gets a prize that he wants |
| D．he can’t get something |
| A．a greenhorn |
| B．a green thumb |
| C．the Green Revolution |
| D．the word “green” and its story |
The heartbreaking appeal spread quickly, and Only's foster agency received calls from more than 10,000 people. Only ended up travelling to Ohio to live with a family. But after Only got into a physical fight with one of his elder would-be brothers, the family changed their minds.
Back in Florida, Only passed through four different temporary homes over the following year, until he called Connie Going, his adoption case worker, to make a special request. Only had known Going for nearly ten years, and had asked every year if she would adopt him, but she always hesitated. “I always believed there was a better family than us out there," Going said in an interview. But last July, when Only called and asked again if she might adopt him, Going said something felt different. "When he asked me, my heart felt this ache and I just
knew he was my son," she said.
So Going, 52, invited Only to start spending time with the rest of her family-her two daughters, Sydney, 21, and Carly 17, and a son Taylor, 14, who she also adopted out of foster care. Eventually, after seeing how well the arrangement was working, Going, who had rented a bigger home, started adopting Only. Only moved in with her family last December.He officially joined Going's family on April 22, 2015 when the adoption papers went through.
"Today, I feel blessed and honored to have been chosen to be the parent of all my children," Going said.
1. By making the appeal, Davion Only hoped that
| A．service in his foster agency would improve |
| B．his biological mother would come to him |
| C．a foster agency would accept him |
| D．he would be adopted by a family |
| A．he hated living with them |
| B．they finally refused to accept him |
| C．he has received another invitation |
| D．he often fought with his would-be brothers |
| A．Davion Only had fun living in different homes. |
| B．Connie Going had cared about Davion Only for over ten years. |
| C．Davion Only had a strong desire to be adopted by Connie Going. |
| D．Connie Going believed she would give Davion Only what he wanted. |
| A．Connie Going bought a bigger house |
| B．the four kids often had physical fights |
| C．Connie Going didn't regret her decision |
| D．another three kids were later adopted as well |
