1 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。

Once upon a time, there were four seeds (种子) who were good friends. They travelled by wind and came to a forest. They hid     1     (they) in the ground, and hoped that they would be able to grow into big trees.

But when the first seed began to grow, they realized it would not be such     2     easy task. There lived a group of     3     (monkey), and the smaller ones loved throwing bananas at the plant     4     started to grow. They threw so many bananas at the first sprout (幼芽) that she was almost cut into two. When she told the other seeds     5     had happened, they thought that it would be better to wait until the monkeys went away.

They all agreed that, except the first seed. She     6     (think) she would at least try it. When she tried, she was harmed by bananas. The other seeds asked her     7     (stop) trying. However, she had made up her mind to become a tree. She tried again and again. The scars     8     (leave) by the bananas helped her grow stronger than the other seeds. Little by little, she had grown so strong that the monkeys couldn’t hurt her     9     (bad).

In the end, she grew into the     10     (big) tree in the forest. The other seeds still hid themselves in the ground, only hoping the monkeys would go away soon.

2 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

A Secret Promise Kept

When I was a little boy, I loved to visit the fire station where my father worked. Sometimes Dad would give me a ten cents to buy a soda (汽水).

One day, I took two friends to the station to show my dad off. I asked Dad if we could each have a soda before we went home for lunch. I sensed just the slightest hesitation in my father’s voice. But he said “sure” and gave us each a dime (一毛钱). We each bought a soda and headed home for lunch and a summer afternoon of swimming.

When I came home, I heard my parents talking. Mom seemed upset with Dad, and then I heard my name mentioned. “You should have just said you didn’t have money for sodas. Brian would have understood. We don’t have any extra money, and you need to have your lunch.”

I suddenly realized the sacrifice (牺牲) my father had made for it. For the next twenty years, he worked three jobs to support my big family.

One afternoon Dad’s old car broke down, and he asked me to take him to his doctor’s appointment. As I pulled up to the firehouse, I saw Dad outside around a brand-new pickup truck with the other firemen. It was a beauty. Dad said, “Someday, I’ll own a truck like that.”

My brothers and I were doing well in business. We had offered to buy him a truck, but he refused.

When Dad stepped out of the doctor’s office, his face was pale. “Let’s go,” was all he said.

We drove by the old house, the lake and the corner store, and Dad started talking about the memories each place held and how proud he was of us. That was when I knew he was dying, which totally shocked me. He made me promise that I would never tell anyone of his impending (迫近的) death. I agreed, knowing it was the toughest secret to keep.

注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

At the time, I was just looking to buy a new truck, so I invited Dad to go to the local car dealer’s (经销商) shop with me.

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I walked to my father with the key to the brown truck.

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3 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

Jack was a bright and curious child, always eager to learn new things and explore the mysterious world about science. However, he often found himself in disagreement with his mother. His mother was always busy with her work and she didn’t have enough time to learn about his interests and passions.

One day, Jack came home from school feeling particularly excited. He just found a sci-fi book about an adventure on the moon. Upon arriving at home, he couldn’t tear himself away from the book. He read and read until it was dark. Having finished reading it, he couldn’t wait to share it with his mother, only to be told that he should focus on more practical subjects like math and history, which would help him get into a good college and have a successful career.

Jack couldn’t understand why his mother didn’t see the value in what he was doing. He felt that she was holding him back and not allowing him to pursue his true interests. “Why can’t you see how important this is to me?” Jack asked his mother angrily. “I’m never going to be happy if I have to spend my life doing things that I show no interest in just because they are practical or make you proud.”

The once peaceful home was filled with tension and anger. His mother’s voice grew louder as she shouted, “You can’t just do whatever you want! You should be responsible for your future!” Jack, fueled by his own frustration, shot back, “I am tired of you always telling me what to do! I am not a child anymore! You only care about your own feeling! You never thought about my feeling!” They were so caught up in their own anger and hurt that they failed to see how their words and actions were affecting each other.

注意：
1．续写词数应为150左右；
2．请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

Jack rushed into his bedroom and locked the door heavily.

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When Jack heard his mother’s words, regretful tears rolled down his face.

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4 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

Brianna Kemp’s father had to move her entire family from Chicago to a small town in Maryland after his business went bankrupt. He didn’t lose faith in life, though, and decided to start his family’s new life there.

Along with the move came a new school for Brianna, who was 14 years old. She had a difficult time accepting the move, as she was a popular cheerleader at her school in Chicago. She also had a good set of friends, and she didn’t exactly like meeting new people.

When it was time to go to school, her father drove her there to wish her well. “Good luck, sweetheart. I know this is going to be difficult for you, but you can do it. I know you can!” he said, giving her a kiss on the forehead.

“Thanks, Dad,” Brianna said quietly before leaving the car. While she was sad, Brianna didn’t want her dad to worry even more, so she put on a brave smile and waved before her father drove away.

When she got to the school, she was greeted by the school secretary, Mrs. Keppler. “Hello, welcome to Chester Middle School! I’m going to give you a quick tour of the school,” she said.

“Thank you,” Brianna responded shyly and nervously.

Mrs. Keppler showed Brianna around, pointing her to the cafeteria, the school auditorium, and the gym. They also passed through the art and music rooms, the science laboratories, and the kitchen.

Finally, Brianna was led to the classroom and started her suffering first school day. Faced up with so many new faces, she made a brief self-introduction, still nervous. Then she was guided to sit in the back row alone. During the breaks, all the students seemed so familiar with each other. Brianna found it hard to start a conversation with any one of them, as they were always busy with their own friends. She felt like she was an outsider and didn’t belong. What a suffering the first school day was! So were the following weeks.

注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

When the day was finally over, Brianna shared her day with her father.

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Over the next few weeks, things changed beyond Brianna’s imagination.

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5 . According to a study published this week, habitual napping (打盹) appears to be associated with a large brain volume in adults although experts stressed that further research was needed. It reduces the cost caused from the lost time and the fatigue-related errors. The work followed previous studies that suggested a brief doze could improve people’s ability to learn.

Arianna Huffington, a co-founder of Huff Post and the founder and chief executive of Thrive Global, said, “Given the latest science on the effectiveness of napping and the clear link between employees feeling well rested and their productivity, it’s long past time that businesses embrace short naps at work.”

Some businesses, including Thrive Global, have already introduced facilities for employees to take naps. Google introduced sleep pods as far back as 2014 and companies like Nike and Ben & Jerry’s introduced nap rooms. The practice has even been adopted by the NHS, with a growing number of hospitals introducing sleep pods for staff in an effort to help them get more rest. Employees, it seems, are enthusiastic. Sean Greenwood, of Ben & Jerry’s, said, “If a quick nap gets employees more involved and creative, we’re happy to provide that for our team members.”

Unfortunately, the practice of napping still suffers from our collective concept that sleep equals weakness and laziness. However, the performance-enhancing benefits of naps have been no secret to many leaders throughout history. It also gives the higher-ups the chance to acknowledge the 24/7 culture and come up with top-down   solutions that encourage workers to take care of themselves in and out of work.

While sleep experts stressed that a daytime doze could be beneficial, they said it was crucial to get enough shut-eye at the end of a day. It is the late stage of sleep, sometimes missed by early risers, that strengthens the nerve circuits that make for learning and memory, allowing the brain to make and consolidate new neutral connections. Additionally, prioritizing sufficient sleep during the regular nightly sleep period is essential for overall well-being.

1. What is paragraph 1 mainly about?

A．Work stress.	B．Learning abilities.
C．A research finding.	D．The brain volume.

2. What is Arianna Huffington’s attitude toward napping?

A．Dismissive.	B．Approving.
C．Unclear.	D．Critical.

3. Why are so many companies mentioned in the passage?

A．To advocate enough rest.	B．To praise creative employees.
C．To compare the differences.	D．To present the current situation.

4. What will possibly be discussed in the paragraph that follows?

A．The approaches to shut-eye.	B．The importance of napping.
C．The secrets to well-being.	D．The benefits of memory.

6 . If you find yourself thinking, “I am a failure,” it’s important to know that there are things you can do to feel better. Knowing how to cope (应对) with failure in a healthy way takes some of the fear out of it.     1    

First of all, it’s important to acknowledge that everybody fails at one time or another, but that doesn’t make us failures—it just means we are human, and that things didn’t work out this time. If you do feel like a failure, calling a friend, going for a walk, or playing with your pet are just a few examples of healthy ways to deal with your pain.     2     So you should try to find out what does for you.

Failure can be a great teacher if you’re open to learning. Did you make a whole series of mistakes? Think about what you could do differently next time.     3     Instead of seeing a failure as a burden weighing you down, look at it as a stepping stone toward your goals.

Once you’ve identified your mistakes and where you can learn from them, you’ll be ready to make a plan for moving forward.     4     Stop thinking, “I am a failure.” and focus on thinking. “I am capable of trying again.” Create a plan that will help you put the information you gained into practice.

If you’ve spent most of your life avoiding failure, it can feel really scary when it finally happens. Facing your fears, however, can be the key to reducing the discomfort.     5     Do things that might get you rejected or try new things where you could fail. Over time, you’ll learn that failure isn’t as bad as you might imagine.

A．Practice stepping outside your comfort zone.

B．Not every coping skill works for everyone, though.

C．These will provide you with some temporary relief.

D．Then you can ensure your failure will become a life lesson.

E．And it helps reduce the pain so you can bounce back better.

F．Remember that focusing on your problems will keep you stuck.

G．There are many reasons why you might be feeling like a failure.

7 . What to Do When You Fail in Life

Most people are afraid of failure. The truth is that everyone, including all successful people, has ever failed time after time and will fail again.     1    

Learn from it

No matter how hard you try to avoid (避免，逃避) it, failure will happen. Having a “no fear” attitude towards failure does not mean you should expect to fail, but accept it when it happens.     2     Failure makes us rethink, reconsider, and find new ways and strategies to achieve our goals. Through failure, we will get to know ourselves better.

Stop fearing it

    3     You are supposed to push yourself to go to the limits. When you have a no-fear attitude and accept failure willingly, your determination can be made the best use of.

Let go of your self-worth

When your self-worth is in charge, you will not learn from the mistakes you have made, be open to other people’s views or see the situations clearly.     4     We need to learn, evaluate, and listen to other people if we want to see what needs to change in order to succeed.

Improve your mood (情绪) and cheer up again

We all feel upset after having failed, which is natural, human, and unavoidable. But how we respond to our failures is what decides our road to success. One way of improving your mood is listing the things you are grateful for at the moment, which will strengthen your positive emotions.     5    

A．There is value in failure.

B．The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.

C．The ordinary people experience failure, too.

D．It always tends to get in the way of you and your success.

E．In order to reach your personal best, you don’t need to fear failure.

F．So do not be afraid of failure, which is a part of your road to success.

G．Reading stories of successful people is another way to help us cheer up and move on.

8 . As my dad got a new job in southern Florida, we moved here from our old home, school, friends and everything. There were so many_______for me. In a new school full of strangers, could I make friends? Would I _________? My mind was filled with_______.

Being shy and quiet, I read a lot. Loving books and reading helped me get excellent results. Teachers _______me for that. But other kids disliked me getting top_______and answering questions in class. I felt like a ( n ) _______.

Then one day, a tall strong boy in English class walked right over to me. He_______himself. He said he was on the school basketball team. I _______that - he was the star player!

“ Hey,” he said.“ Do you think you could _______ me? You do really well in English class.” I could, and________I would. From that moment on, life at school________. Basketball players walked me to classes and ________ me in hallways. As the team tutor (导师), I fit in. Nobody ________me anymore. I was thankful to be________enough to help the team.

I taught the guys about grammar. They taught me how to dribble (运球) a basketball. More importantly, they gave me the________to be myself - and to be a short girl who really knew how to dribble a basketball!

1.

A．chances

B．activities

C．challenges

D．experiences

2.

A．move in

B．fit in

C．relate to

D．calm down

3.

A．dreams

B．ideas

C．lies

D．worries

4.

A．chose

B．thanked

C．praised

D．impressed

5.

A．talents

B．grades

C．awards

D．honors

6.

A．star

B．child

C．author

D．failure

7.

A．applied

B．enjoyed

C．introduced

D．reminded

8.

A．expected

B．knew

C．imagined

D．doubted

9.

A．confuse

B．recognize

C．select

D．help

10.

A．interestingly

B．hopefully

C．certainly

D．usually

11.

A．changed

B．began

C．continued

D．stopped

12.

A．frightened

B．circled

C．respected

D．ignored

13.

A．troubled

B．invited

C．amazed

D．reminded

14.

A．creative

B．active

C．strong

D．knowledgeable

15.

A．confidence

B．intelligence

C．option

D．curiosity

9 . During the winter break, I found my dad’s old CD player in a drawer that I had never seen before. It reminded me of the three CDs I recently bought from Mostly Books, a second-hand media store on South Street. I knew I could put the player to good use with them.

However, I was a naughty kid who broke closet doors and shelves, so my dad was often unwilling to let me borrow his things. I couldn’t decide whether to ask my dad about using the player. “Can you help me with your old CD player? I want to play some CDs,” I finally asked him after walking into his home office that day. Despite my worries, my dad said yes.

Growing up, I felt that my dad disagreed with nearly everything I did. I was frightened to take his advice because listening to him felt like going against my own ideas.

       That day I looked at his office wall and saw a painting and he told me he bought it in the 1990s for a couple thousand dollars. Imagining him buying the artwork challenged my idea of him being too frugal (节俭的) and boring (没有情调的) to spend so much money on art.

This new side of my dad encouraged me to finally take the time to look for our similarities. I discovered how similar we really are while fixing the CD player with my dad, which helped me see him as someone I could relate to, instead of someone to avoid. Watching my dad prepare his old CD player for use was my first step toward understanding him. I observed several of his characters that I recognized in myself, like persistence, patience and calmness. Seeing these characters in my dad showed me how similar we are, which lowered the defenses (防御) I built against him, allowing our relationship to heal (愈合).

1. Why couldn’t the author decide whether to ask his dad about using the player at first?

A．He had no CDs to play then.

B．He feared his dad would say no.

C．He figured the CD player was broken.

D．He was afraid he’d break the CD player.

2. What was the problem between the author and his father?

A．They often had different views.

B．They hardly talked to each other.

C．They had no similar personalities.

D．They were shy to speak for themselves.

3. What did the author most probably realize after knowing about the painting?

A．He should challenge his father.

B．His father was very good at art.

C．His father was a really boring man.

D．He might not really know about his father.

4. What happened between the author and his father in the end?

A．They often argued with each other.

B．They greatly misunderstood each other.

C．They got on with each other much better.

D．They built great defenses against each other.

10 . Boston University (BU) is test-optional for first-year international applicants applying for fall 2023.

Students will be required to submit the TOEFL, IELTS or DET test scores as the primary means for evaluating English language capacity. High school records, teacher evaluation and your financial documents shall also be included in applicant checklist. Applicants must decide for themselves whether to include standardized test scores with their BU application.

Standardized Test Scores

BU accepts self-reported standardized test scores on your application. You may also submit your official test scores by the testing agency, or through the self-report form on the My BU Applicant Portal.

Please note: If you submit self-reported standardized test scores, an official score report from the testing agency will be required before registering at BU. If the scores on those differ even slightly from the scores you self-reported earlier, your application will most likely be disqualified.

High School Reports

Official copies of your high school reports must be submitted by a school official. If you are admitted in an international course with national exams, please see our High School Credentials (资格证书) page for how to submit these official results.

For most BU programs, the recommended high school courses are as follows: 4 years of English, 3—4 years of mathematics, 3—4 years of laboratory science, 3—4 years of history and/or social science.

1. Which are optional in applying to BU?

A．Financial documents.	B．High school records.
C．Standardized test scores.	D．Teacher evaluation reports.

2. What may cause a failure in your application?

A．Updating applicant information.

B．Submitting inconsistent test results.

C．Taking different English language tests.

D．Reporting scores on the My BU Applicant Portal.

3. Who is the text intended for?

A．Test organizers.	B．Primary students.
C．College professors.	D．International applicants.