Alexander sang all the time. He simply liked singing and practiced it all the time. He sang in the shower, and he sang while he walked to school. Personally, Alexander believed his voice was imperfect. “There will be tryouts for bays’ choir this weekend in our school.” he heard Kevin announcing in class.
Everyone around school knew Kevin had a fantastic sing voice. More importantly, warm-hearted and helpful, Kevin was always generous to give someone a hand.
With the tryouts in mind and an initial surge of interest, he kept imagining himself as a member of the boys’ choir, his heart thudding (砰砰直跳). However, he would explode with anxiety when he thought of singing with others. After school, walking slowly, he debated (反复思考) whether to attend it, for fear of being a drag (拖累) on others. “It would be nice if I could solo(独唱) he thought to himself. Just then, out of the rom walked Cevin, whose eyes brimmed with smile. Kevin patted his shoulder and whispered,” Let’s sign up together. “Inspired, Alexander signed his name.”
The next morning, Alexander came to the tryouts. Taking a deep breath, he walked into the building, and then noticed the other boys who were all practicing delightfully. Alexander was seated on the chair alone, looking at other competitors nervously and not knowing how to join them.
Later, the choir director walked in and declared: “The whole selection process includes the individual performance and the group singing” Immediately things started. When Alexander’s turn came, his voice filled the room, loud and clear. He felt satisfied when he was done. After a short pleasure, however, the fear of singing with others flickered across his mind, casting him a surge of gloom.
注意：
1. 所续写短文的词数应为100左右;
2. 续写部分为1段，开头语已为你写好。
Then came the group singing.
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The team-up between Kweichow Moutai, one of China’s top liquor
Topics such as “Young people’s first sip of Moutai” or “No drunk driving” have gone crazy online, attracting more people
The well-known brand Moutai has definitely pushed up the heat of the cooperation. Those high-ranked brands on the Brand Z report, he said,
It is not the first time that alcoholic brands in China
When a tornado hit the small town of Otwell, Indiana, many families found themselves completely ruined. Afterwards all the local newspapers carried a lot of human-interest (有人情味的) stories featuring some of the families who suffered the most.
One Saturday, a specific picture deeply touched me. A young woman stood in front of a completely destroyed mobile home, her face overshadowed by a cloud of sadness. Beside her, a young boy, aged six or seven, stood with eyes downward. Clinging to (紧紧抓住) her skirt was a tiny girl who gazed into the camera, her eyes reflecting a mixture of confusion and fear.
The article that went with the picture gave the clothing sizes of each family member. With growing interest, I noticed that their sizes closely matched ours. This would be a golden opportunity to teach my children to help those less lucky than themselves. I stuck the picture of the young family on our refrigerator, explaining their difficulty to my eight-year-old Brad and also to my three-year-old Meghan.
“These poor people have lost everything,” I shared. “Let’s extend a helping hand.” Then, I brought three large boxes down from the room upstairs and placed them in the living room. Meghan observed (观察) the process seriously, as Brad and I filled one of the boxes with canned goods and foods.
While I sorted through our clothes, I encouraged Brad to go through his toys and donate some of his less favorite stuffs. Meghan watched quietly as her brother piled up his less cherished old toys and games.
To my surprise, Meghan walked up with her favorite Barbie doll tightly hugged. She came to the box that held the toys, pressed her round little face into Barbie’s pretty little face, gave her a final kiss, and then laid her gently on top of the other toys.
“Oh, Honey,” I sighed. “You don’t have to give away Barbie. She means so much to you.”
Meghan nodded seriously, tears held back in her eyes. “Barbie makes me happy, Mommy. Maybe she’ll make that other little girl happy, too.”
注意：1. 所续写短文的词数应为100左右；
2. 续写部分为一段，开头语已为你写好。
Brad had watched, open-mouthed, as his baby sister placed her favorite Barbie doll in the box.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Zhang Zeduan’s Qingming Scroll (《清明上河图》) is an amazing masterwork of Chinese art, which
Zhang
Zhang’s timeless scroll stands as an example of realism in the history of Chinese paintings,
5 . Early on the morning of October 13, LaPierre was heading to the Chicago Marathon on the city’s Blue Line L. The
At the Cumberland station, most of the passengers suddenly
As the armed man hopped onto the next train gar, LaPierre followed him. “I could not
The man turned and saw LaPierre, his head down, bull-rushing him. Although the man was far
This was not the first time LaPierre had jumped into a(n)
| A．bus | B．plane | C．train | D．ship |
| A．seat | B．change | C．food | D．time |
| A．thanked | B．quit | C．known | D．given |
| A．pulled | B．escaped | C．boarded | D．started |
| A．encouraged | B．disappointed | C．confused | D．frightened |
| A．begging | B．rescuing | C．robbing | D．stealing |
| A．walk away | B．give away | C．step forward | D．come along |
| A．path | B．track | C．marathon | D．gym |
| A．larger | B．slimmer | C．wiser | D．quieter |
| A．off | B．under | C．beyond | D．against |
| A．shoot | B．chase | C．spot | D．miss |
| A．prizes | B．funds | C．lives | D．rights |
| A．naturally | B．thankfully | C．generally | D．unfortunately |
| A．stand by | B．stand out | C．take on | D．take over |
| A．protest | B．fight | C．argument | D．position |
6 . No one likes interruption. We are born to seek balance and order. No matter what it is that you are doing, being interrupted involves a forceful stop midway and then having to re-enter your former state, sometimes with great difficulty. Popular belief has it that interruption breaks the flow of your thinking and affects productivity negatively, and so it is advisable that you have an uninterrupted session of intensive work before your next break.
However, a Russian psychologist, Bluma Zeigarnik, might tell you otherwise. The connection between interruption and memory drew her attention when she was dining in a restaurant. She noticed how the waitresses had an amazing memory of the detailed orders yet to be paid for, but little memory of the orders that were already completed.
Back in her laboratory, she conducted studies in which subjects were required to complete various puzzles. Some of the subjects were interrupted during the tasks. All the subjects were then asked to describe what tasks they had done. It turns out that adults remembered the interrupted tasks 90% better than the completed tasks, and that children were even more likely to recall the uncompleted tasks. To put it another way, uncompleted tasks will stay on your mind until you finish them!
In comparison to tasks that were already finished and ones that we haven’t even started, half-done projects are highlighted in the mental to-do list our brains draw up for us. Zeigarnik described this finding in the late 1920s, which was later called Zeigarnik effect. One possible explanation is that with interrupted tasks, we are longing for them to be completed, in order to regain a sense of balance. Finishing them also means that we can finally clear up the mental backlog and give the space to more upcoming tasks.
Zeigarnik’s effect can be found everywhere, especially used in media and advertising. Have you ever wondered why cliffhangers work so well or why you just can’t get yourself to stop watching that series on Netflix? Ernest Hemingway once said about writing a novel, “It is the wait until the next day that is hard to get through.” So next time, when you are interrupted, appreciate it and take advantage of it to promote your productivity.
1. What is a common practice to finish a task?| A．Working in a focused period. | B．Working with uncommon breaks. |
| C．Working with a stop midway. | D．Working in an interrupted session. |
| A．Interruption recalls details. | B．Interruption betters memory. |
| C．Interruption breaks balance. | D．Interruption reduces efficiency. |
| A．The physical backlog. | B．The desire for balance. |
| C．The outside pressure. | D．The upcoming tasks. |
| A．Fashion shows. | B．Talk shows. | C．Online news. | D．TV series. |
7 . Simon James is a super-trail runner (越野跑步者) who encourages people to reconnect with nature in the name of exercise. He has completed Super Trail in the Alps, the Andes and the Himalayas. A late-night bet with a client (客户) got him tied to running.
“In 2006, a business client challenged me one evening in a bar to a 36-hour walk across 54 miles of the West Highland Way, and I foolishly said ‘yes’,” James said. “He then rang me the next day to tell me we would be running it.”
At the time, James was 20 kilograms overweight and the longest he had run before that was just under 8 miles, but he managed to finish that run and has never looked back.
According to a report, two-thirds of adults in the U.K. are overweight, one-fifth suffering from depression (抑郁). The huge influence caused by modern lifestyle has worsened these issues. We are aware of the importance of exercise in everyday life, and no amount of virtual meetings can make up for direct social contact. James said, “Only one thing can fix these problems — trail running.”
What is unique about trail running, he explained, is that “it reconnects us to our beautiful nature and connects our physical, mental and spiritual aspects, as well as providing us with an experience which can connect us to other people”.
Inspired, he quit his city life of working 16-hour-plus-days as a banker, and spent more time in trails and mountains.
James is now in charge of the trail running company Run the Wild. He said every run has been a gift following a physical operation in 2015, even though his doctor told that he could hardly run again. He said, “The outdoors is such a great place for us all to experience.”
1. How did Simon James take part in trail running?| A．He was inspired by a friend. | B．He tried to deal with his health issue. |
| C．He made a bet with a client. | D．He had a passion for workout. |
| A．It focuses largely on overweight British people. |
| B．It has little influence on people’s mental health. |
| C．It connects people through virtual community. |
| D．It helps to build the social connection for people. |
| A．Adventurous. | B．Sociable. | C．Kind-hearted. | D．Determined. |
| A．A Unique Experience | B．Running Wonder |
| C．A Trail to Nature | D．Depression Disorders |
8 . It can be really challenging to learn a language well without living in a country full of native speakers! You have to find something captivating! Here’s the solution: TV series.
Game of Thrones
You should really start watching it. The language is beautiful and easy to follow. Drama, love and good characters mark the show and there are actors from all over the world. You won’t know what’s going to happen at the ending. This is a must-see!
Sherlock
A British masterpiece. Is there any language learner who has not heard of Sherlock Holmes and his friend John Watson? The writers placed the stories into London in the 21st century, so it’s basically a modern version of the original stories. Here you have everything that an English language leaner could wish for. British accents, good acting, long and interesting conversations with a sense of British humour.
Friends
Everybody knows Friends, which couldn’t be missed off of this list. With many different accents to be heard and a variety of dialects, this is the perfect show for English learners. The plot is relatively simple to understand. Six friends battle with tough jobs, complicated relationships and life in Manhattan, New York. In parts of the show there are also British accents to listen to and learn.
How I Met Your Mother
It is one of the most successful situation comedies in the United States, attracting the audience all over the world. It’s about the life of five friends that live in New York, focusing on their work and their favourite leisure time activity: sitting in their favourite bar. You get to know many modern American expressions and can enjoy various dialects that make the show even more engaging.
1. Which of the following has an unexpected ending?| A．Game of Thrones. | B．Sherlock. |
| C．Friends. | D．How I Met Your Mother. |
| A．American dialects. | B．American humour. |
| C．British accents. | D．Complicated acting. |
| A．It is about five American students’ daily life. |
| B．There are many formal expressions in the show. |
| C．It’s the most successful situation comedy in the US. |
| D．It enjoys popularity among audience around the world. |
1. 说明网瘾的危害；
2. 提出建议。
网瘾 network addiction
注意：
1. 写作词数应为80左右；
2. 请在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Dear Jack,
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Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
Acupuncture (针灸),
Acupuncture is an
Practices can vary in forms, including needle insertion, cupping and scraping. Needle insertion is carried
Acupuncture has been considered effective, particularly when
As an ancient Chinese medical practice, acupuncture has earned
