1 . Is forgiveness against our human nature? To answer our question, we need to ask a further question: What is the essence of our humanity? For the sake of simplicity, people consider two distinctly different views of humanity.
The first view involves dominance and power. In an early paper on the psychology of forgiveness, Droll (1984) made the interesting claim that humans’ essential nature is more aggressive than forgiving allows. Those who forgive are against their basic nature, much to their harm. In his opinion, forgivers are compromising their well-being as they offer mercy to others, who might then take advantage of them.
The second view involves the theme of cooperation, mutual respect, and even love as the basis of who we are as humans. Researchers find that to fully grow as human beings, we need both to receive love from and offer love to others. Without love, our connections with a wide range of individuals in our lives can fall apart. Even common sense strongly suggests that the will to power over others does not make for harmonious interactions. For example, how well has slavery worked as a mode of social harmony?
From this second viewpoint of who we are as humans, forgiveness plays a key role in the biological and psychological integrity of both individuals and communities because one of the outcomes of forgiveness, shown through scientific studies, is the decreasing of hate and the restoration of harmony. Forgiveness can break the cycle of anger. At least to the extent the people from whom you are estranged (不和的) accept your love and forgiveness and are prepared to make the required adjustments. Forgiveness can heal relationships and reconnect people.
As an important note, when we take a classical philosophical perspective, we see the distinction between potentiality and actuality. We are not necessarily born with the capacity to forgive, but instead with the potential to learn about it and to grow in our ability to forgive. The actuality of forgiving, in real situations, develops with practice.
1. What is Droll’s idea about forgiveness?| A．People should offer mercy to others. |
| B．Aggressive people should learn to forgive. |
| C．Forgiveness depends on the nature of humanity. |
| D．People who forgive can have their own welfare affected. |
| A．To fight is to grow. | B．To give is to receive. |
| C．To forgive is to abuse. | D．To dominate is to harm. |
| A．Favorable. | B．Reserved. | C．Objective. | D．Skeptical. |
| A．Forgiveness is in our nature. | B．Forgiveness grows with time. |
| C．It takes practice to forgive. | D．Actuality is based on potentiality. |
2 . The fear of rejection is one of my biggest fears. Keeping myself in a
The
This fear is
Luckily, getting over the fear takes just a shift in
This fear will never truly
| A．safe | B．small | C．stable | D．thin |
| A．consequence | B．practice | C．experience | D．promise |
| A．reason | B．memory | C．impact | D．process |
| A．nervously | B．casually | C．curiously | D．randomly |
| A．interview | B．request | C．consideration | D．application |
| A．applicable | B．avoidable | C．ungrounded | D．unjustified |
| A．picked out | B．turned down | C．built up | D．laughed at |
| A．in private | B．in person | C．by design | D．by mistake |
| A．visual | B．timely | C．painful | D．fading |
| A．capitalized on | B．sought for | C．looked forward to | D．missed out on |
| A．priorities | B．tone | C．mindset | D．strategies |
| A．surviving | B．receiving | C．anticipating | D．hating |
| A．ease | B．cause | C．intensify | D．overlook |
| A．change | B．emerge | C．last | D．disappear |
| A．relative | B．significant | C．relevant | D．scary |
3 . Working in undergraduate admissions at Dartmouth College has introduced me to many talented young people through their college applications. The problem is that many remarkable students become indistinguishable from one another, at least on paper. It is incredibly difficult to choose whom to admit.
The greatest surprise I’ve ever come across in my admissions career came from a student who went to a large public school in New England. He was clearly bright, as evidenced by his class rank and teachers’ praise. He had a supportive recommendation from his college headmaster and an impressive list of extracurriculars. Even with these qualifications, he might not have stood out. But one letter of recommendation caught my eye. It was from a school doorkeeper.
This letter was different. The doorkeeper wrote that he felt it necessary to support this student because of his thoughtfulness. This young man was the only person in the school who knew the names of every member of the cleaning staff. He turned off lights in empty rooms, consistently thanked the hallway monitor each morning and tidied up after his peers even if nobody was watching. This student, the doorkeeper wrote, had a refreshing respect for every person at the school, regardless of position, popularity or influence.
Over 15 years and 30,000 applications in my admissions career, I had never seen a recommendation from a school doorkeeper. It gave us a new lens into a student’s life in the moments when nothing “counted.” That student was admitted by a shared vote of the admissions committee.
Next year there might be a flood of doorkeeper recommendations thanks to this essay. But if it means students will start paying as much attention to the people who clean their classrooms as they do to their principals and teachers, I’m happy to help start that trend. But the story shouldn’t stop there.
1. What mainly leads to the author’s difficulty in choosing whom to admit?| A．The growing number of applicants. | B．The limited recruiting guidance. |
| C．The varied versions of applications. | D．The overall excellence of applicants. |
| A．It provided a new angle into the candidate’s qualities. |
| B．It spared the routine elements and worked wonders. |
| C．It was written by a doorkeeper without telling the student. |
| D．It catered to the author’s inner criteria for college applicants. |
| A．Modest and admirable. | B．Intelligent and adventurous. |
| C．Kind and thoughtful. | D．Open-minded and outgoing. |
| A．Recommend it to friends. | B．Explore further behind it. |
| C．Use it as needed. | D．Evaluate its effects. |
It had been a challenging but rewarding term, filled with hard work and a thirst for knowledge. As I handed in my final assignment and saw it was graded A, a sense of pride and satisfaction washed over me. Little did I know that my accomplishments had not gone unnoticed by my families, who had been closely observing my progress.
At the first day of summer vacation, my mother told me excitedly that we would pay a visit to Marco the next day to cheer for my progress in academic study. When I got the good news, I felt on top of the world and could not hold back my high spirits. As I lay in bed that night, a mix of anticipation and delight welled up in my heart, and I slid into a dream-filled sleep, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the coming adventure.
After we arrived in Marco, my parents said that we would first visit the Marco tower. Marco Tower, built in the late 19th century, is a historic landmark that showcases the rich architectural heritage of the city. It is also considered one of the top tourist attractions in the region. Upon hearing the inspiring news, I bounced up and down with joy. But then I felt a bit uneasy because of my fear of heights.
Inside the lift, my palms grew sweaty as the anxiety consumed me. I paced back and forth in the tower lift, unsure of whether I would have the courage. After the lift reached the specific floor, I gasped (倒吸一口气) in horror. The floor here was made of glass, so one could appreciate the height of the tower and take a real adventure. Seeing my family both take out their phones to shoot the grand views, I felt under pressure. Then my mother smiled at me and said delightedly, “Just take it easy and you can do it.”
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。
I didn’t know whether to stay or not.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I was totally struck by the height of the tower.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I jumped into my mother’s car, shut the door and poured out my recent trouble. “Jenny is playing her mind games again. Training is less tiring than dealing with her and her feelings,” I complained.
Jenny and I were co-captains of our cross-country team. We’d been training for the coming tournament (锦标赛) for weeks: stretching, running, and making the seven of us into a team. Jenny, with exceptional running talent, always had a way to get ahead of her competitors on the course. She also helped all of us run faster and cheered us on. It seemed that she was anticipating the final show.
However, this week, her attitude shifted. She kept making excuses not to run with the team, from aching legs to headaches. I had to beg her, telling her repeatedly that the team couldn’t do without her. It went on all day and I was worn out. What’s her deal?
Mom pulled into our driveway, and turned toward me, “Well, I know a little about Jenny. She and her little brother have been together in foster care (寄养家庭). So close were they that every time they moved, Jenny would say that as long as they were together, they had a family.” My heart sank as Mom continued, “Jenny’s stepfather (继父) came for her brother this week, with gifts, hugs and big plans for their future. But Jenny wasn’t even part of his big plans.” My chest felt tight. “Poor Jenny, not to have a family.” I was close to tears. My mother patted my knee. “That’s it, honey. You got it.” And I did.
I decided that I should do something. I proposed that we organize a team gathering before the tournament. Each member was to write a heartfelt message for every teammate and prepare a special gift for the one they felt most connected to. I made sure that Jenny would come. It took some persuading, though.
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。
As the team gathering began, there was tension in the air.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The day of the tournament arrived.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________6 . Robots have long been drawing inspiration from animals, with the creation of robot dogs or snake-shaped robots. And yet, the field of robotics is far less enthusiastic about the other kind of living things—plants. Barbara Mazzolai, an Italian roboticist owes this to a misconception about plant behavior: that they cannot move or think. “It’s not true at all,” she says. To challenge this view, Dr Mazzolai and her team recently launched a machine called “FiloBot”, a robot based on a climbing species.
To survive, a climbing plant must switch between several different behaviors. In forest environments, it must first grow out of the soil and travel along the ground in search of a support to hold onto, such as a nearby tree. Once a support is located, though, the plant fixes itself around the object and then growing towards the light. To choose the best angle to grow upwards, a climbing plant uses its shoots(芽) to receive information about light and gravity.
FiloBot has sensors on its main shoot. It can 3D-print its body with plastic and grow at a controllable rate. These functions, researchers found, enabled FiloBot to cross gaps, and find things to attach to. The lack of heavy on-board computing device means that it is light and requires minimal care, while its slow pace means that it doesn’t disturb things around it, making it possible to move through a complex, unseen environment, or monitoring disaster sites.
For now, FiloBot is still being tested. Its tendrils(卷须) have not left the laboratory. Still, it has already been employed in deconstructing plant behaviour. For example, it was long assumed that climbing plants find their supports by growing towards shade, though the exact mechanism was unclear. FiloBot could imitate this behaviour by detecting far-red light, which is typical of shaded areas, providing clues to how plants do it.
Dr Mazzolai hopes that such projects will inspire other roboticists to take their cues from plants and develop completely new technologies.
1. What does the misconception about plants in the field of robotics focus on?| A．Their shapes. | B．Their diversity. |
| C．Their body language. | D．Their capabilities. |
| A．It moves quickly. | B．It has a solid metal body. |
| C．It adapts to different environment. | D．It is attached to huge computers. |
| A．The limitations of FiloBot. | B．The current use of FiloBot. |
| C．The components of FiloBot. | D．The unique feature of FiloBot’s design. |
| A．A Role Model for Robotics Research |
| B．A Glimpse into the World of Robotics |
| C．A Plant-Inspired Innovation in Robotics |
| D．A Misunderstanding of the Plant Kingdom |
90 percent of the world’s fireworks are produced in China. The biggest importer is the US, which
The details of fireworks’ invention are lost to history, but
An explosive mixture of gun-powder and chemical compounds (化合物) is
The single biggest firework shell ever shot was part of a 2020 winter-carnival display in Colorado, US.
For centuries we had to light firework
8 . Sargassum is the smelly seaweed piling up on beaches across the Caribbean. It isn’t something most people
Years ago, as part of his gardening business, Omar launched a beach cleanup service to
“When I look at SargaBlock, it’s like looking in a
Luckily, Omar grew up in nature and poverty, which
The UNDP selected Omar’s work for their Accelerator Lab, which
| A．look upon | B．bring in | C．give up | D．come across |
| A．game | B．gift | C．race | D．trouble |
| A．access | B．harvest | C．remove | D．process |
| A．heat | B．image | C．presence | D．movement |
| A．worked out | B．called for | C．showed off | D．turned down |
| A．highlighted | B．undervalued | C．overemphasized | D．withdrawn |
| A．window | B．mirror | C．dictionary | D．puzzle |
| A．struggles | B．fears | C．desires | D．opinions |
| A．appreciated | B．infected | C．interrupted | D．rejected |
| A．fitted | B．shaped | C．revealed | D．described |
| A．operation | B．words | C．bills | D．profit |
| A．straightforward | B．transforming | C．natural | D．consuming |
| A．combines | B．provides | C．identifies | D．drafts |
| A．responses | B．reminder | C．appeal | D．issues |
| A．alongside | B．offshore | C．underneath | D．firsthand |
9 . It is William Shakespeare, the great coiner, who is given credit for the word. Coriolanus, one of his characters, compares going into exile (流放) to a “lonely dragon” retiring to his cave. He was talking about a physical state: someone who was lonely was simply alone. Then, thanks to the Romantic poets, the word took on emotional meanings. Loneliness became a condition of the soul. For William Wordsworth, who famously “wandered lonely as a cloud”, the natural world offered an escape from negative feelings of loneliness—a host of flowers could provide “cheerful company”. Today, loneliness is often seen as a serious public-health problem, creating the feeling of disconnection.
In his book Solitude, Netta Weinstein, a psychology professor wonders the rewards of time spent alone. He begins with an account of stories of solitude created by figures such as Michel Montaigne, a writer, and Edward Hopper, a painter. Netta then draw on laboratory work, interviews and surveys to clarify how being alone really affects the human mind.
It is common to treat loneliness and solitude as synonyms (同义词), but they are not. The author suggests that what is negatively described as one state can be positively expressed as the other. Loneliness, often perceived as negative, can potentially be transformed into a positive experience of solitude. To this end he emphasizes how being alone can help restore people and offers practical advice. In a noisy world, he argues, people should make time to be alone, away from attention-grabbing motives.
The book’s interviewees mostly regard a lack of company as a contributor to autonomy. But this depends on whether solitude is desirable or not. Enforced solitude, such as that experienced by prisoners, typically leads to nothing but suffering. Elective solitude, by contrast, affords space for self-reflection. It can open the door to “peak experiences” such as wonder, harmony, and happiness. In a highly-connected digital age, however, many readers do not fancy their chances of ever taking a long enough break to have such experiences.
1. How does paragraph 1 introduce the concept of loneliness?| A．By tracing its development. | B．By analyzing causes. |
| C．By making a point to be argued. | D．By sharing a romantic story. |
| A．The various terms of solitude. |
| B．The societal impact of solitude. |
| C．The long-standing history of solitude. |
| D．The psychological benefits of solitude. |
| A．stressful | B．essential | C．changeable | D．never beneficial |
| A．Enforced solitude is a matter of choice. |
| B．Enforced solitude contributes to autonomy. |
| C．Elective solitude is rare in the digital world. |
| D．Elective solitude interrupts peak experiences. |
10 . Aptitude Tests Recommendations
Aptitude tests are helpful to job seekers of all ages. While career quizzes explore your values and work style, aptitude tests provide a more objective evaluation of your skills, helping you select a career you’re most likely to succeed in. Below are some of the best aptitude tests out there.
Clifton Strengths
The Clifton Strengths program was created based on research around leadership. The research in question pointed to common strengths among successful leaders, like strategic thinking, adaptability and communication. To complete the test, you must answer around 150 questions, each within 20 seconds. Allen Cheung, a tech blogger, notes that CliftonStrengths is more valuable than your average career test because it includes “tricky questions which aren’t as easily gamed”.
Red Bull Wingfinder
Developed and tested out by psychology experts, the Red Bull Wingfinder assesses your thinking under pressure. Questions include image sorting, logic puzzles and leadership-related questions. Once you complete the test, you’ll receive a nine-page report and career coaching tailored to your results.
SEI Development Report
The SEI Development Report is an extensive EQ aptitude test that has timed right-and-wrong answers that assess eight fundamentals, including emotional literacy, emotional management and empathy. At the end, you’ll receive a 20-page report with recommended courses on workplace EQ development.
CareerOneStop
While it only takes a few minutes to complete, the CareerOneStop Skills Assessment will help you rank both your technical and soft skills. The career suggestions at the end can be sorted by relevance, annual wages, and job outlook, coupled with with professional coaching or consultation improve your skills.
1. What do aptitude tests mainly assess for job seekers?| A．Their work ethics. | B．Their career interest. |
| C．Their preferred work style. | D．Their professional competence. |
| A．It evaluates leadership skills. | B．It is developed by experts. |
| C．It includes challenging questions. | D．It offers a comprehensive report. |
| A．Clift on Strengths | B．Red Bull Wingfinder |
| C．SEI Development Report | D．CareerOneStop |
