1 . A fresh and gentle wind on your face, soft sand under your feet and blue waters as far as the eye can see. Is there any other Olympic sport that is played in such pleasant conditions as beach volleyball？

“I’ve gone to a lot of beautiful places, and met a lot of beautiful people. That wouldn’t have happened if I had been playing another sport.” said Randy Stoklos, America’s most famous beach volleyball player.

The sport began as a four-a-side game on beaches in Southern California in the 1920s. The first recorded two-man game took place there in 1930, and the first tournament (锦标赛) was held in Los Angeles 18 years later. The winners were awarded a case of Pepsi. In the 1950s, women started playing and the sport soon spread to Europe and South America. Yet at that time, beach volleyball was more an entertainment show than a sport, with beauty contests included. The Association of Volleyball Professionals was founded in 1983 and beach volleyball developed into a fast, athletic sport. Its world-wide popularity won beach volleyball a place at the 1996 Olympics in Atalanta, where 24 male teams and 16 female teams took part. At present, the US and Brazil are the best in the world at beach volleyball.

The game came to China in the early 1990s and there have been national tournaments since 1994. It became an official event at the Eighth National Games in 1997. China’s You Wenhui and Wang Lu finished ninth in the women’s beach volleyball world championships in Brazil.

1. The passage is mainly about ______.

A．the history of beach volleyball

B．how to play beach volleyball

C．the importance of beach volleyball

D．women’s beach volleyball in China

2. According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE？

A．Beach volleyball was first played like other Olympic: sports.

B．Beach volleyball has always been an entertainment show rather than a sport.

C．Beach volleyball began on beaches in Souther California.

D．Women started playing beach volleyball in South America in 1945.

3. When did beach volleyball officially become an Olympic event？

A．In 1948,

B．In 1996.

C．In 1950.

D．In 1997.

4. According to the passage, we can learn that______.

A．in 1996, beach volleyball became an official event in China

B．China’s beach volleyball team is the best in the world

C．China’s beach volleyball players won the first place in Brazil

D．beach volleyball came to China in the early 1990s

2 . When I was about 12, I had an enemy, a girl who liked to point out my shortcomings. Week by week her list grew: I was very _________, I wasn’t a good student, I_________ too much, I was too proud, and so on. I tried to bear all this _________I could. But at last, I became very _________. I ran to my father with tears in my eyes.

He listened to me _________. Then he asked, “Are the things she says true or not? Janet, didn’t you ever wonder what you’re like? Well, you now have that girl’s _________. Go and make a list of everything she said and _________ the points that are true. Pay _________attention to the other things she said.”

I did as he told me. To my great surprise, I discovered that about half the things were true. Some of them I couldn’t _________(like being very thin), but a good number I could — and suddenly I wanted to change. For the first time I got a clear __________of myself.

I brought the list back to Daddy. He __________to take it. “That’s just for __________,” he said. “You know better than anyone else the __________about yourself. But you have to learn to __________, not just close your ears in anger feeling __________. When something said about you is true , you’ll find it will be of __________to you. Don’t shut your ears. Listen to them all, __________hear the truth and do what you know is the __________ thing to do.

Daddy’s advice has __________me at many important moments. In my life, I’ve never had a __________piece of advice.

1.

A．strong

B．thin

C．tall

D．fat

2.

A．suffered

B．offered

C．talked

D．did

3.

A．if

B．as long as

C．until

D．by the time

4.

A．afraid

B．shocked

C．foolish

D．angry

5.

A．angrily

B．quietly

C．in surprise

D．in disappointment

6.

A．opinion

B．purpose

C．thought

D．disadvantages

7.

A．miss

B．mark

C．tell

D．improve

8.

A．some

B．more

C．much

D．no

9.

A．believe

B．accept

C．judge

D．change

10.

A．thought

B．decision

C．picture

D．memory

11.

A．refused

B．decided

C．promised

D．pretended

12.

A．me

B．you

C．all

D．her

13.

A．secret

B．information

C．truth

D．trouble

14.

A．listen

B．fight back

C．think

D．protect yourself

15.

A．unfair

B．stupid

C．happy

D．hurt

16.

A．the same

B．help

C．interest

D．no value

17.

A．even

B．or

C．but

D．and

18.

A．right

B．usual

C．different

D．special

19.

A．belonged to

B．returned to

C．stuck to

D．passed to

20.

A．worse

B．good

C．bad

D．better

3 . When I first arrived in Australia at the age of 16 to go to high school for one year and live with a host family, I was completely over the moon about everything. I had been planning for many months. But, even though all exchange students participated in a one-day preparatory meeting, culture shock couldn't be avoided.

Those first weeks are so-called “honeymoon phase Ⅰ” where you are happy to be in that culture. However, this feeling didn’t last forever. After about two months, differences became more evident. I started missing my friends and family more and more. Frustrating thoughts increasingly occupied my head-nobody really understands me, and my English is not good enough. I wish people would just he able to speak German for one day! I wish public transportation would work the same way as at home! And so on. I knew it was “honeymoon phase Ⅱ”.

Over the next few months, though, I slowly and unknowingly entered the “adjustment phase”. I developed my own little routine, learnt to adapt to stress through various techniques, and made many new friends. My English improved dramatically!

I understood Australian culture better and better. That was a major breakthrough for me personally. Every day I felt more and more comfortable with my new home. I adopted many new traits（特征） while also keeping earlier ones from my home country. I would often refer to myself as “having a second nationality”. This process which happened over my last few months abroad is called the “mastery phase”. My happiest moment was when my dear friend one day said during a conversation, “You are Australian now, Jude! You sound just like us!”

I want to point out that the effects of culture shock are different for everyone and can result in different behaviour and feelings. The timing of the different phases also varies a lot from person to person. One thing is for sure-though culture shock is unavoidable, acceptance is the first step towards adjusting better to a foreign culture.

1. According to the passage,which phase is the most difficult to go through?

A．Honeymoon phase Ⅰ.	B．Honeymoon phase Ⅱ.
C．Adjustment phase.	D．Mastery phase.

2. What happened in the “mastery phase”?

A．The author got rid of his earlier habits.

B．The author quitted his nationality.

C．The author adjusted to the culture better.

D．The author made many new friends.

3. What’s the most important thing to deal with culture shock?

A．Ignoring it.

B．Avoiding it.

C．Accepting it.

D．Changing it.

6 . While the arts can’t stop the COVID-19 virus or the social unrest we see in the world today, they can give us insight into the choices we make when moving through crises and chaos. The arts invite everyone to think in new ways.

We often experience works of art as something that’s pleasing to our senses without a full understanding of the creative effort. Great art often shows us contradictions and crises, and we can learn a great deal from their resolutions. Through our understanding of art, we can gain a deeper understanding of how we might overcome our own challenges. In understanding extremes of contrast, we can see the beauty in art with themes that are not simply pleasing for their magnificent features or qualities.

Beethoven offers a wonderful example of moving artfully through crises and chaos. He composed his Symphony No.9 as his hearing loss became more and more pronounced. The opening of the symphony seems to come out of nowhere, from near silence in the opening to a full expression of what many consider to be the joy of freedom and universal brotherhood with Schiller’s Ode to joy (欢乐颂). Beethoven appears to have created a work of art that not only freed him from his personal struggles, but one that also speaks to the joy of living together in peace and harmony.

Have a dialogue between the two opposing parts and you will find that they always start out fighting each other until we come to an appreciation of difference—a oneness of the two opposing forces. The arts offer many lessons that can help us gain the knowledge we need to move more confidently in today’s competitive and uncertain environment. An openness to arts-based solutions will give you more control over your future.

1. What value does art have beyond pleasing people’s senses?

A．It brings people inner peace.	B．It contributes to problem-solving.
C．It reduces the possibility of crises.	D．It deepens understanding of challenges.

2. What can we learn about Beethoven’s Symphony No.9?

A．It celebrates freedom and unity.	B．It aims to show crises and chaos.
C．It opens with Schiller’s Ode to Joy.	D．It is unfinished due to his hearing loss.

3. What is the author’s suggestion on dealing with conflicting forces?

A．Leaving things as they are.	B．Making a choice between them.
C．Separating them from each other.	D．Engaging them in a conversation.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．How COVID-19 changes art	B．Moving artfully through crises
C．Essentials of Symphony No.9	D．How to appreciate arts in new ways

7 . In the dictionary of Jessica Cox, a woman aged 36 from Tucson, Arizona, there seems to be no such words——can’t or impossible. How does that ________?

Jessica was born without ________ but that has only ________ her doing one thing: using the word “can’t”. While she________ prosthetic limbs (义肢) as a child, she finally gave them up and used her feet to________ everyday tasks. “Prosthetic limbs can never________ the tactile (触觉的) ability of flesh and bone——but my feet have that ability,” she said.

She has lived with her ________ since birth with no explanation of why she was born________ what most of us________ as essential (基本的) parts, and she has been proving that she can do________ people with arms can do, ________ what most people are proud of. With her feet, she can eat with chopsticks, type on a keyboard, play the piano and even surf on the sea. To our________, she became the first armless black belt in the American Tae Kwon Do Assocaition. But what ________ people most is that in 2008, she became the first________ to fly a plane with her feet, ________ her a Guinness World Record.

Now Jessica and her husband are working together touring the world as Jessica gives encouraging speeches. “I wanted to________ others not to let fear stand ________ of their opportunities.”

So, next time you are ________ to tell yourself “I can’t possibly …”, remember this ________ woman and change the vocabulary in your________.

1.

A．take down

B．take place

C．take apart

D．take up

2.

A．arms

B．legs

C．feet

D．ears

3.

A．kept

B．believed

C．enlarged

D．stopped

4.

A．dressed

B．equipped

C．wore

D．applied

5.

A．perform

B．operate

C．direct

D．lead

6.

A．reduce

B．remind

C．replace

D．react

7.

A．confidence

B．condition

C．comment

D．contact

8.

A．with

B．in

C．by

D．without

9.

A．regard

B．refer

C．skim

D．watch

10.

A．anything

B．nothing

C．none

D．neither

11.

A．overcoming

B．ensuring

C．achieving

D．entertaining

12.

A．disappointment

B．regret

C．attraction

D．amazement

13.

A．expressed

B．impressed

C．explored

D．influenced

14.

A．pilot

B．physicist

C．director

D．driver

15.

A．exporting

B．exploring

C．earning

D．exchanging

16.

A．demand

B．support

C．surround

D．encourage

17.

A．in a way

B．by the way

C．on the way

D．in the way

18.

A．willing

B．ready

C．confused

D．content

19.

A．outgoing

B．wealthy

C．excellent

D．thoughtful

20.

A．book

B．dictionary

C．notebook

D．argument

8 . From Mozart to Metallica, tons of people enjoy listening to various types of music while they paint, write, or draw. Many believe that music helps increase creativity, but an international study done by English and Swedish researchers is challenging that notion. Their findings show that music actually prevents creativity.

To come to their conclusions, researchers had participants complete verbal problems designed to inspire creativity while sitting in a quiet room, and then again while music played in the background. They found that background music “significantly damaged” the participants' ability to complete tasks connected with verbal creativity. The research team also tested background noises such as those commonly heard in a library, but found that such noises had no effect on participants' creativity.

The tasks were simple word games. For example, participants were given three words, such as dress, dial, and flower. Then, they were asked to find a single word connected with all three that could be combined to form a common phrase or word. The single word, in this case, would be “sun” (sundress, sunflower, sundial). Participants completed the tasks in either a quiet room, or while listening to three different types of music; music with unfamiliar lyrics, instrumental music, or music with familiar lyrics.

“We found strong evidence of damaged performance when playing background music in comparison to quiet background conditions,” says co-author Dr. McLatchie of Lancaster University. Dr. McLatchie and his colleagues conclude that music(even familiar music with well-known lyrics) damages the verbal working memory processes of the brain, blocking creativity. Also, as far as the library background noises having seemingly no effect, the study's authors believe that was the case because library noises create a “steady state” environment that doesn't affect concentration.

“To conclude, the findings here challenge the popular view that music strengthens creativity, and instead show that music, regardless of its types, consistently damage creative performance in problem solving,” the study reads.

1. What does the underlined word “notion” in Paragraph 1 mean?

A．Suggestion.

B．Principle.

C．Opinion.

D．Theory.

2. How many background conditions were created for the participants?

A．2.

B．3.

C．4.

D．5.

3. What’s the purpose of the study about music?

A．To prove that music is beneficial to health.

B．To test whether music is helpful for creativity or not.

C．To make it known that music can improve memory.

D．To indicate why background music in a library is popular.

4. Which of the following is actually damaged by background music?

A．Concentration.

B．Hearing ability.

C．Environment.

D．Patience.

10 . I never meant to be a teacher. I watched my mother over the years, and I knew it wasn’t for me.

Going back to school to learn French and then teach the language, our mother changed the center of her world when we are little kids.

I saw how hard our mother worked, the long hours she kept as she graded papers when we went to bed. I knew how worried she could be over her students when they were troubled and how much of their stress she took on herself.

What I didn’t realize was that this life she’d chosen offered her wonderful things in return.

As I grew up, I fell in love with a French-speaking Swiss man who asked me to marry him and move to Switzerland. Years later, when I found myself back in my hometown with a small child and a love of my second language, a chance came up for me to join my mother’s world of education, and I accepted it.

I found a teaching job in a primary school in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. From the first week, I knew I’d stick with teaching. This is the most challenging experience I’ve ever had, and absolutely the best. I teach French, and I have never felt so much excitement as when I receive smiles from children, or praise from other teachers.

Most of my students have not travelled outside the town where they live, and for some, a trip to the city museum proves the most adventurous experience in their lives.

I work late into each night creating lessons and activities for the following day, trying to come up with ways to attract my students and connect them to the larger world. I also plan to go back to school for further study so that I can also teach science, math, social studies, reading and writing.

1. Why did the author refuse to be a teacher at first?

A．She didn’t enjoy working with children.

B．She would devote too much time and energy.

C．Her mother wanted her to do something else.

D．She didn’t think she could do it well.

2. Why did the author fall in love with teaching?

A．When she had her own child.

B．During the time when she lived abroad.

C．Soon after she started teaching.

D．When she learned about her students’ dreams.

3. What can we know about the author’s students?

A．Their lives go within their hometown.

B．Most of them come from poor families.

C．They work hard and dream big.

D．They knew nothing about French in the beginning.

4. What does the author plan to do in the near future?

A．Teach more subjects besides French.

B．Seek for a new job in a larger school.

C．Try some new teaching ways.

D．Go to night school for further education.