1 . Volunteering offers great help to people in need, worthwhile causes, and the community, but the benefits can be even greater for you, the volunteer.

    1     . Being a volunteer helps you make new friends and improve your social skills. Volunteering is a great way to meet new people, especially if you are new to an area. It develops your ties to the community, broadens your support network (人际关系网) and offers you chances to know people with common interests, neighbourhood resources (资源), and fun activities.

    2     , others are shy and have a hard time meeting new people. Volunteering gives you the chance to practise and develop your social skills, since you are often meeting with a group of people with common interests.

Volunteering is good for your mind and body.     3     . Working with pets and other animals has also been shown to help you feel more relaxed and less anxious. Studies have found that older volunteers are likely to walk more, find it easier to complete everyday tasks, and have better thinking skills.     4     .

If you’re considering a new job, volunteering can help you get experience in your area of interest and meet people in the field.     5     , volunteering gives you the chance to practise important skills used in the workplace, such as teamwork, communication, problem solving, project planning, task management, and organization. You might feel more comfortable stretching (伸展) your wings at work once you’ve improved these skills in a volunteer position (职位) first.

A．Volunteering connects you to others

B．Volunteering increases self-confidence

C．While some people are naturally outgoing

D．Even if you’re not planning on changing your job

E．Volunteering can also cut the risk of heart problems

F．Nothing lessens stress better than a meaningful connection to another person

G．Many people volunteer in order to make time for hobbies outside of work

2 . In seventh grade, my mum suggested I join the golf league (高尔夫球联盟). _______ the fact that I had been taking golf lessons since I could walk, I had never played nine real holes of golf. And she _______ me to join a league? I was sure the woman had lost her _______ . But as always, my mother _______ . I played on the middle-school golf team in seventh grade. . . and eighth. When the summer before high school came, I was _______ to play on the high-school team.

At a time when most teenagers try to spend the smallest amount of time possible with their _______ , I was growing closer than ever to mine. That summer I _______ almost every Sunday morning on the golf course with my dad, and too many afternoons there with my mum. This incredible   _______with my parents continued during my high-school years. Mum and I _______ it to the hours we spent together on the golf course. We talked about things in the middle of a round of golf that we ________ would at home, where she is Mum and I am an annoying (烦人的) teenager. On the golf course, we’re just two people who ________ golf.

Golfing has ________ a part of me over the past years. My friends know in the summer the place to find me is on the golf course. Golf has ________ me and made me into the person I am today. And I have to ________ that all of it is thanks to my mum making me join that middle-school golf league. I guess she was ________ —as usual.

1.

A．Given

B．Considering

C．Besides

D．Despite

2.

A．allowed

B．chose

C．wanted

D．reminded

3.

A．belief

B．mind

C．patience

D．confidence

4.

A．won

B．agreed

C．changed

D．finished

5.

A．afraid

B．willing

C．careful

D．anxious

6.

A．parents

B．teachers

C．friends

D．classmates

7.

A．wasted

B．missed

C．spent

D．counted

8.

A．friendship

B．relationship

C．conversation

D．adventure

9.

A．add

B．pass

C．credit

D．devote

10.

A．once

B．never

C．still

D．always

11.

A．love

B．watch

C．trust

D．remember

12.

A．left

B．reflected

C．removed

D．become

13.

A．freed

B．saved

C．shaped

D．protected

14.

A．prove

B．admit

C．decide

D．comment

15.

A．right

B．brave

C．lucky

D．successful

4 . What color of light is showing?

A．Orange.

B．Green.

C．Red.

6 . After a long winter, spring is the ideal time for sightseeing and exploring London’s green spaces.

Explore London’s parks and gardens

Springtime is one of the perfect times of year to explore London’s parks and gardens, when the city’s Royal Parks will be blooming with flowers. Go and admire the rainbow of azaleas (杜鹃花) at Richmond Park or hire a deckchair in St James’s Park with a view of Buckingham Palace.

Enjoy entertainments (娱乐活动) at a spring festival

There are a good many festivals and events held in London throughout spring. Make the most of the cultural exhibitions at the British Library Spring Festival, the Sundance Film Festival or the London Literature Festival; head to Shakespeare’s Globe, which hosts open-air Shakespeare performances from late April to early October.

Get active

Warmer weather means there’s no excuse for staying indoors, so go for a walking or cycling tour of London. Alternatively (或者), walk the Thames Path, which follows the river all the way from central London to the countryside; make the most of London’s Boris Bikes, which are available for hire all around the city and are free of charge for the first half hour. If you’re really looking for a challenge, sign up for the famous London Marathon, held annually in April.

Take to the waters

Whether cruising (乘船游览) along the River Thames, hiring a rowing boat in Hyde Park or riding a canal boat around Little Venice, there are lots of fun ways to get out on the water in London. Held every year since 1829, the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race allows teams from England’s most famous universities to compete against each other, and draws huge crowds of people to watch.

1. Which of the following is true according to the text?

A．You can see Buckingham Palace from St James’s Park.

B．London’ Boris Bikes are free to use for a whole day.

C．Outdoor Shakespeare performances are held only in spring.

D．The Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race has a history of over 200 years.

2. If you are interested in British culture, you are advised to__________.

A．visit Richmond Park	B．row a boat in Hyde Park
C．attend the festivals in London	D．walk the Thames Path

3. According to the writer, which of the following activities challenges you most?

A．Watching the Boat Race.	B．Joining in the London Marathon.
C．Cruising along the River Thames.	D．Cycling around London.

8 . When Schauna Austin was 20 years old, she lost her husband in a car crash. Unable to raise a baby alone, she made a difficult decision during pregnancy — to place her baby for adoption. She gave birth to a child she named Riley, and held him for 72 hours straight. “It was perfect,” Austin said, holding her new baby. “I knew I would have him for a short time, so I made every minute count. I didn’t sleep for three days until the time came to let him go.”

Her Riley became another family’s Steven. Like most closed adoptions, a firewall went up between Austin and Steven’s new parents — no communication whatsoever. But that only lasted about a week. Adoptive mother Jennifer Schoebinger and her husband, Chris Schoebinger, said they had no interest in excluding the birth mother. “You know, you can’t have too many people loving you, right? Why couldn’t he be both of ours?” Chris Schoebinger said.

So, year after year, they sent Austin piles of pictures and bound books detailing Steven’s every major and minor milestones. The Schoebingers said they did this so that when Austin and their son were ready, they could pick up right where they left off. The two reunited when Steven was 7 years old. Austin taught him how to fish, and they have kept in contact ever since. Austin felt blessed beyond words, and Steven felt he got the best of both worlds.

Steven is now 26, married, and with a baby boy of his own. Much to the delight of Austin, he named the child Riley. “I think the lesson we learned is that sometimes we create barriers where barriers don’t need to be. And when we pull down those barriers, we really find love on the other side,” Chris Schorbinger said.

That love on the other side has continued to grow. The families spend Thanksgiving as one, and will of course be getting together again in the days ahead.

1. What does the underlined sentence in the second paragraph mean?

A．The less people love you, the better.

B．There are too many people who care about you.

C．Being loved by many people is desirable.

D．It’s a burden to be cared about by too many people.

2. What was Austin’s attitude towards reuniting with her son?

A．Tolerant.

B．Grateful.

C．Uneasy.

D．Angry.

3. What can we learn about the Schoebingers from the passage?

A．They did not give birth to any children.

B．They contacted Austin as soon as they took Steven in.

C．They felt blessed beyond words when Austin taught Steven how to fish.

D．They believed it better to get the biological mother involved.

4. What does the author want to convey most through the passage?

A．Biological parents are crucial to a child’s growth.

B．People create barriers where barriers don’t need to be.

C．Adoptive parents and biological parents should raise children together.

D．Love is found when we pull down unnecessary barriers.

9 . Every year I’d read over 2,000 college applications from students all over the world. It is quite _______ to choose whom to admit. _______, in the chaos of SAT scores and recommendations, one _______ is always irresistible in a candidate: kindness.

The most surprising _______ of kindness I’ve ever _______ came from a student who had excellent scores and a supportive recommendation from his college counselor (顾问). Even with these qualifications, he might not have _______. But one letter of recommendation caught my eye. It was from a school security _______. Letters of recommendation are typically written by people like former presidents, celebrities, and Olympic athletes.

The security guard wrote that he supported this student’s admission because of his _______. This young man was the only person in the school who knew the names of every member of the guard staff. He turned off lights in empty rooms, consistently _______ the hallway monitor each morning and tidied up the classroom after his peers left school ________ nobody was watching. This student, the security guard wrote, had a(n) ________ respect for every person at the school, regardless of position, popularity or power.

It gave us a ________ onto a student’s life in the moments when nothing “counted”. That student was admitted by unanimous (一致的) vote of the admissions committee.

Next year there might be a flood of security guard recommendations ________ this essay. But if it means students will start paying as much ________ to the people who clean their classrooms as they do to their principals and teachers, I’m happy to help start that ________.

1.

A．definite

B．difficult

C．delicate

D．desperate

2.

A．However

B．Otherwise

C．Besides

D．Therefore

3.

A．ability

B．quality

C．limitation

D．assumption

4.

A．signal

B．detector

C．appearance

D．indication

5.

A．come out

B．picked up

C．come across

D．brought up

6.

A．stood up

B．stood out

C．given up

D．given out

7.

A．guard

B．teacher

C．principal

D．counselor

8.

A．wisdom

B．bravery

C．encouragement

D．consideration

9.

A．bothered

B．answered

C．visited

D．thanked

10.

A．as if

B．now that

C．even if

D．so that

11.

A．weird

B．accurate

C．equal

D．initial

12.

A．passion

B．trouble

C．method

D．window

13.

A．due to

B．in need of

C．except for

D．along with

14.

A．money

B．notice

C．attention

D．curiosity

15.

A．policy

B．trend

C．arrangement

D．career

10 . I can’t miss the little old lady with her kerchief (方头巾) on her head, a black umbrella blowing all over. I can tell she is freezing. She is standing at a bus stop, and I’m driving by, late for my early morning shift. I decide to stop and offer her a ride.

Of course, she declines, but when I ask again and insist, finally, she gets in the car. I take her to her destination, and by the time she gets out of my car, she is smiling and thanks me.

I was late for work that day, but I was so glad that I stopped. That was 40 years ago, and the beginning of a new habit, one that continues when I’m out driving in bad weather.

If there’s someone at a bus stop, especially if it’s an elderly person waiting at off hours and in bad weather, I will pull over and ask if they need a ride.

Once, a young doctor jumped in. She had finished a long shift and had been waiting and waiting at the bus stop. She had no hesitation and, for the first time, I was able to help someone who performs miracles (奇迹) on a daily basis. That felt good.

But the best part of my ride offers is the conversation. I do tend to ask a lot of questions: where are you from, where are you going, family, background, pets and whatever else comes to mind. Surprisingly, everyone wants to chat. We are usually laughing by the time the ride is over. “What a shame!” I often think when they hop out, as the stories were just getting started.

Now as retirement approaches, I believe I have found my calling. I will be happy to join a community driving program to take people to one appointment or another — or perhaps just to the coffee shop to sit and listen for an hour.

As the years pass, perhaps I will be the one standing at the bus stop. Perhaps there will be somebody who rolls down a window and offers me a seat for a little ride. I will continue to take that leap of faith in the kindness of strangers.

1. What are the first three paragraphs mainly about?

A．How the author started offering rides.

B．The value of the author’s actions.

C．An old lady who impressed the author.

D．An accident that happened 40 years ago.

2. What does the author like most about her ride offers?

A．Helping people who contribute to society.

B．People accepting her offer without hesitation.

C．Chatting with her passengers.

D．Making friends with her passengers.

3. What does the author plan to do?

A．Become a taxi driver after retirement.

B．Continue driving people to their destinations.

C．Wait to be offered a ride at a bus stop.

D．Share her stories with more people.

4. What message does the author want to convey?

A．Elderly people need more care and support.

B．It is important to find a purpose in life.

C．Offering rides to strangers involves risks.

D．Always believe in the goodness in people.