2 . We can create learning moments that students remember forever if we open up our classrooms to awe and wonder.

Toward the end of my high school year, our Spanish teacher organized a trip to see an Andean band perform in Philadelphia. My classmates and I egged one another on ironically (讽刺地): Who could enjoy the show? The performers’ clothing seemed odd. The instruments, strange. But then the performers kicked in, dancing to their bombo and wancara drums around the stage and the panpipes and quena announced a kind of sound—new to us.

We had spent too little time discussing the culture of the Inca in social studies but its traditions came alive for us that evening. Once the wonderful performance lit up the stage and the hall filled up with music, my teenage cynicism disappeared. I rose out of my chair to dance with honest joy.

I have spent the last seven years living and working in South America. But my thirst for cultural exploration and a desire to understand the world outside my language and country has been alive longer than that. Sometimes I think that night dancing to those ancient rhythms unlocked this fascination. Why do I remember it so clearly decades later?

In his recent book Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life, psychology professor Dacher Keltner explains that “brief moments of awe are as good for your mind and body as anything you might do.” Besides being a memorable emotion, awe boosts curiosity, builds humility, helps with critical thinking, and makes people feel more connected. It even makes us happier. “Twenty years into teaching happiness,” Keltner writes about how to find deep happiness, “I have an answer: FIND AWE.”

Moving forward, let’s do our best to build instances of awe into our curriculum (课程). So when our former students approach us on the subway years later, they will recall the magical moments from their days spent in our classes.

1. How did the students initially react to the Andean band’s performance?

A．They showed respect for it.	B．They approached it with doubt.
C．They left in disappointment.	D．They felt joyful to appreciate it.

2. What does the underlined word “cynicism” in paragraph 3 refer to?

A．A deep understanding of music.	B．A strong enthusiasm for exploration.
C．A negative attitude to the world.	D．A sense of connection with society.

3. What is paragraph 5 mainly about?

A．The importance of finding happiness in life.

B．The lasting impact of a memorable experience.

C．The benefits of understanding different cultures.

D．The positive role of awe in improving one’s life.

4. Who is the text intended for?

A．Teachers.	B．High school graduates.
C．Parents.	D．Psychology researchers.

3 . Like everybody else in America, I was looking for a side job that can make a few extra dollars, so I can afford my favorite things.

So I read all the articles about taking surveys (for pennies) or becoming a remote receptionist. I even briefly considered delivering pizzas, but I realized I’d be fired after the first night for picking all the sausages off customers’ pizzas and leaving just the bar e dough (面团).

I leafed through one of my four copies of Infinite Jest, and an idea slowly formed. I could sell books. My books. No, not books I’ve actually written, but all of the hundreds of books I’ve compulsively purchased over the years and never quite gotten around to. Since all roads lead to Amazon, I requested permission to join Amazon Marketplace.

After a certain age, you forget about the person you used to be. Apparently, I was a person who thought deep thoughts. Part of me wishes I was still that person, someone with intellectual curiosity.

But I forgot about all that when I discovered that my copy of Steve Martin’s 1977 masterpiece Cruel Shoes is worth $35．Should I hang onto it? It can only appreciate in value, right? What if Steve Martin dies? The price will go through the roof.

A year has gone by. I’ve added 10 books to the “sell” pile, and only after the kind of painful internal debate usually reserved for buying a new home. And even though I owned three copies of The Gunslinger, I felt ambivalent about letting it go. It was a book, and I loved it. I loved the memories of where I was in my life when I first bought it at a mall bookstore. The mall is gone. And now the book is.

But each book reminds me that authors live forever through their work. Each book, too, reminds me of a younger me, and I don’t want to let that younger me go.

So, please, whatever you do, don’t buy my books.

1. Why did the author join Amazon Marketplace?

A．To get rid of boring daily life.	B．To collect secondhand books.
C．To get some extra income.	D．To sell the books he wrote.

2. What kind of person did the author use to be?

A．Someone thirsty for knowledge.	B．Someone with unrealistic ideas.
C．Someone addicted to the Internet.	D．Someone expert at doing business.

3. What does the underlined word “ambivalent” in Paragraph 6 probably mean?

A．Relieved.

B．Hesitant.

C．Pleased.

D．Nervous.

4. Which word can best describe the author?

A．Greedy.

B．Knowledgeable.

C．Humorous.

D．Considerate.

5 . 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。

My dad worked in construction. His day started early and ended late. All he wanted to do was crash on the couch and relax when he got home. For the most part that was what he did. No one complained; we were just happy when he was home.

But one hot and muggy summer, when my parents’ nineteenth anniversary was coming up, they made plans to go out, just the two of them. The big day finally arrived and Dad got home at seven. Mom had fed me early. She was dressed in her finest and wearing her favorite pair of high heels when he came in. He came through the kitchen and headed for the family room. It was obvious he was hot and tired.

“Honey, I just need a thirty-minute nap and then we will go out to eat,” he said as he sat down on the couch. Mom was already on her way over to the couch to give him a fresh cup of hot coffee. She bent over and kissed him on the head and said, “I’ll be ready whenever you are.”

I knew how important this evening was to my mother, but before long Dad was fast asleep. Then I watched my mother do the strangest thing. She reached into the refrigerator and took out eggs and bacon. Soon she had a batch of biscuits baking in the oven.

Before my eyes she piled a plate full of his favorite foods. As she set another fresh cup of coffee on the end table she bent down and kissed him while whispering in his ear. “It’s time to wake up.”

He sat up on the edge of the couch. As he looked up he found my mom standing in front of him with his dinner. “Honey, I promised you I would take you out to dinner and I meant it.” he said sincerely.

Mom sat down beside him on the couch as he took the plate of food. She said, “I know you would, but I also know you’ve had a hard day and you’re tired. What’s important is that we are together. We can go out any time for dinner.”

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。
My dad sat there, holding the plate of dinner prepared by my mom.
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Suddenly, the doorbell rang and I knew my special package for them came.
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6 . 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。

The skies were clear, not a cloud in sight. Although the calmness of the atmosphere should seem to ease my state of mind, my fear of heights overpowered any positive thoughts about the coming dive. Although I was terrified, I grew the courage to take a glance and was shocked by the breathtaking view that my eyes laid upon. The tops of the cloud gave forth a gold lining around them. “Oh, how beautiful!” I said to myself.

It was time to start preparing for my first dive. We rode into town and purchased some equipment such as a vest, a regulator and a tank. Everything seemed to be in good condition to dive with. All of my equipment was ready to see the waters.

We then ventured across the island to the spot where we were to begin our dive. Getting out of the car, I noticed that the air was quiet and misty. The wind was curiously strong and carried a cold chill(寒意)with it. “This is where we will get in,” the diving instructor said.

I was told that, in order to access the water, I had to jump. Now, this was not a simple “jump”. “There is little chance that I can do that. Do you even realize how high up we are?” I said to my mother. “Yes, you can! Just trust yourself. Just think of it as your chance to feel like you are flying,” my mother encouraged me.

My mother just could not seem to understand how fearful I was. My heart was beating violently. I was almost certain that the fish could even hear my heartbeat. Terrified and shaking uncontrollably, I could not make myself jump. The sound of the waves made me terrified. The waves were rhythmically pounding into the side of the bank, so violently that the water reached the same height that I stood.

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。

Although terrified, I gathered courage and told myself that I could do it.

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Once in the water, I opened my eyes to a whole new world.

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8 . The art of living is to know when to hold fast and when to let go. Many people _______ it this way, “A man comes to this world with his fist clenched (紧握), but when he dies, his hand is _______.”

Surely we ought to hold fast to life, for it is _______, and full of a beauty that breaks through your own earth. Sometimes we recognize this _______ only in our backward glance when we suddenly realize that it is no more.

We remember a beauty that _______, a love that disappeared. But we remember with far greater pain that we did not see that beauty when it flowered, that we _______ to respond with love when it was tendered.

A recent experience re-taught me this truth. I was _______ following a severe heart attack and had been in intensive care for several days. It was not a pleasant place.

One morning, I had to have some additional tests. The required machines were located in a building at the opposite end of the hospital, so I had to be _______ across the courtyard on a gurney (轮床).

As we _______ from our unit, the sunlight hit me. That’s ________. And yet how beautiful it was — how warming, how sparkling, how brilliant!

I looked to see whether anyone else enjoyed the sun’s golden glow, but everyone was ________ to and fro, most with eyes fixed on the ground. Then I remembered how often we had been ________ to the beauty of each day, too preoccupied with chores. Life’s gifts are ________ — but we always pay no attention to them.

Never too busy for the wonder and the awe of life. Embrace each hour, ________ each golden minute. Hold fast to life… but not so fast that you can’t let go. We must ________ our losses, and learn how to let go.

1.

A．take

B．put

C．make

D．get

2.

A．closed

B．tight

C．open

D．smooth

3.

A．amazing

B．surprising

C．frightening

D．frustrating

4.

A．gossip

B．fact

C．message

D．truth

5.

A．faded

B．ran

C．escaped

D．jumped

6.

A．tackled

B．reflected

C．failed

D．succeeded

7.

A．hospitalized

B．transferred

C．exchanged

D．delivered

8.

A．rolled

B．wheeled

C．pushed

D．pulled

9.

A．jumped

B．turned

C．disappeared

D．emerged

10.

A．horrible

B．terrible

C．awesome

D．shocking

11.

A．smiling

B．hurrying

C．trembling

D．lying

12.

A．indifferent

B．patient

C．innocent

D．excellent

13.

A．useful

B．expensive

C．valueless

D．precious

14.

A．strike

B．hit

C．seize

D．use

15.

A．accept

B．give up

C．stick to

D．cope with

9 . 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。

I was making my morning coffee and wondering how I would get through the day, especially with the rain coming down, when I caught sight of Tony’s photo on the wall, which showed Tony posing with a group of hunting dogs. I stared out the window, thinking of Tony. If only he really were still here.

Tony served in the Navy and we moved around a lot, every three years to a new naval base（海军基地）.It didn’t matter where we lived as long as we were together. After Tony retired, we moved into a farmhouse in north Georgia. I imagined a lifetime of sipping sweet tea on the back porch（门廊）, while Tony shared stories about hunting. His dream was to raise a hunting dog. Meanwhile, I had my heart set on getting a sweet Yorkie, a little dog that could fit in my handbag.

We had so many plans, so many dreams. But some months after we’d moved in, I found Tony on the porch, looking unsettled. “Doctor says my liver is failing,” he said. “I’ll need an operation.” In my eyes, he’d always been invincible（不可战胜的）. I didn’t want to believe he could die. I was overcome with grief when Tony died two months after the operation.

Our farmhouse, which had once been so lively and filled with laughter, was terribly quiet. So dark and empty. There was no one to greet me when I came home from work, no one to sit with on the back porch and no one to walk with around our property.

I stared out the window at the rain, which was coming down even heavier now. I was about to head back to the kitchen when I happened to notice movement.

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。
Something small and furry emerged from the woods in the backyard.
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I stared at the dog in amazement.
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10 . 阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。

I sat in my parents’ car. Mom had insisted I go with her to pick up Dad from work. Across from Dad’s office is a bike store. That was the day my eleven-year-old eyes first saw the purple BMX Mongoose bike. From that day on, all I could think about was that bike. I even drew pictures of the bike in class. Every evening afterward, at five thirty, I eagerly went along with Mom to get Dad.

And every day I told my parents, “I want that bike!” But they disagreed and replied that I had already had a perfectly good bike at home. I’d argue it was old and ugly, thinking that my happiness depended on that purple bike. Days later, I found the store had sold that bike. I knew I’d never be happy again.

A week later, returning home from school, I tripped over something. Lying in the weeds near a river and some wooded lots, was a bike — the exact bike from the store. “Hey, whose bike is this?” I shouted, scanning the area. No one replied, and there was no one in sight. Maybe its owner didn’t want it any longer. I couldn’t leave it lying in the weeds. So I took it home and hid it behind the garage. Every day after school, I sat there, admiring it. But I didn’t feel like riding and didn’t feel as happy as I had thought. Thinking about the bike made my stomach tighten and uncomfortable.

A few days later, during lunch at school, my friend said, “Did you hear about Tyler, in the other fifth-grade class? He lost his new purple BMX Mongoose bike he had just gotten for his birthday. He left it by a river while playing in the woods. It got dark, and he couldn’t find it.”

“I’d never go off and leave a new bike like that. He doesn’t deserve to have that bike,” I replied. My friend added, “Kids say he’s nice. And they say Tyler is upset because his dad worked overtime to buy the bike for him.” For the rest of the day, I couldn’t stop thinking about Tyler.

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。

After school, I returned home and dragged to my room.

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“I know Tyler’s house,” Mom said. “I’ll drive you there.”

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