1 . Why is being alone essential to personal growth?
For many people, being alone is a negative state of being. It often carries a social stigma (污名) that equals isolation or being an outsider. Of course, spending time with people you love is extremely important to your well-being.
Aloneness enhances your creativity. When you are alone, you are more likely to stay true to yourself and try new things that you don’t have the courage to do around others.
Being alone also prevents you from burning out. Sometimes you may wonder why you easily feel tired.
Being alone makes you a more creative person and helps with personal growth.
| A．But it’s necessary to learn how to be alone. |
| B．Aloneness is often associated with mad artists. |
| C．It is impossible to be alone with the demands of daily life. |
| D．Aloneness frees us from the limits of the world’s opinions. |
| E．Self-exploration is perhaps the biggest benefit of aloneness. |
| F．One reason could be not giving yourself enough solitary time. |
| G．So spend some time alone today to become a brighter and better person. |
In the north of China, nowadays, it is not only going to the seaside that becomes a trend, but also the group barbecue takes the fashion lead. According to CCTV.com, it was young people on the Internet
The high-speed railway trains are packed with visiting tourists and the air smells of cumin.” This is how netizens described Zibo,
Since March, the search volume of “Zibo barbecue” on the whole platform
6 . We’ve all had cases where we’ve waited just a bit too long to pay an electric bill or speeding ticket. But one man, from California by reasonable assumption，who goes by “Dave”，recently took procrastination (拖延) one step further, by paying a parking ticket almost a half-century after it was given.
In December 2018, the Minersville Police Department in Pennsylvania received a letter in the mail. Whoever wrote the letter decided it was best to keep his name somewhat unknown，so he put the return address as “Wayward Road，Anytown California” under the name “Feeling guilty”.
When the officers opened the envelope，they found a brief letter, along with a $5 bill, and a parking ticket dating all the way back to 1974. The note read，“Dear PD，I've been carrying this ticket around for 40 plus years always intending to pay. Forgive me if I don't give you my info. With respect，Dave.”
Even though the initial parking ticket was only for $2, “Dave” must have felt awfully guilty because he left 150 percent，or $3, in interest.
Michael Combs, the Police Chief of the Minersville Police Department, stated in an interview that the same ticket would cost about $20 if it were given today. Combs went on to share that the original ticket from 1974 was given to a vehicle that had an Ohio license plate.
Because there was no system for tracking tickets given to out-of-state cars back then，“Dave” could have gotten away with never paying the $2 fine. But apparently，guilt got the best of him，and he decided to finally cough up the money more than 40 years past its due date.
1. How much do we know about “Dave”？| A．He lives in Wayward Road，Anytown California. |
| B．His car probably came from Ohio at that time. |
| C．The police are trying to find out more about him. |
| D．“Dave” is of course the man’s real name indeed. |
| A．He completely forgot about it in the past 44 years. |
| B．He didn’t find it until almost half a century later. |
| C．He didn’t pay for it just because of procrastination. |
| D．He failed to find out who he should pay the money to. |
| A．A strong sense of guilt. |
| B．Fear of being tracked by the police. |
| C．Worry about being fined more. |
| D．Sudden change of his financial situation. |
| A．Police Chief of the Minersville Police Department Shares a Story |
| B．Parking Ticket Carried Around for Almost Half a Century from Ohio |
| C．Unusual Letter Comes from Wayward Road, Anytown California |
| D．Mysterious Procrastinator Finally Pays 44-Year-Old Parking Ticket |
7 . Last year I ruined my summer vacation by bringing along a modern convenience: the iPad.
Instead of looking at nature, I
So this year I made up my mind to try something
With determination and the strong support of my wife, I succeeded in my vacation struggle against the Internet. I finally
I knew I had
| A．received | B．selected | C．checked | D．removed |
| A．online | B．informal | C．local | D．traditional |
| A．opinion | B．mind | C．identity | D．curiosity |
| A．attractive | B．logical | C．magical | D．different |
| A．as | B．unless | C．though | D．so |
| A．generous | B．capable | C．eager | D．determined |
| A．battery | B．button | C．signal | D．function |
| A．grateful | B．tough | C．stuck | D．puzzled |
| A．rely on | B．go through | C．connect to | D．adapt to |
| A．method | B．goal | C．trick | D．choice |
| A．expected | B．realised | C．permitted | D．suggested |
| A．approach | B．sign | C．evidence | D．problem |
| A．won | B．forgotten | C．suffered | D．recovered |
| A．Somehow | B．Anyway | C．However | D．Therefore |
| A．take apart | B．give up | C．turn up | D．go off |
8 . Online, English has become a common language for users from around the world. In the process, the language itself is changing. There are now thought to be some 4.5 billion web pages worldwide. Some language experts predict that within 10 years English will occupy the internet — but in forms very different to what we accept and recognize as English today.
That’s because people who speak English as a second language already outnumber native speakers. And increasingly, they use it to communicate with other non-native speakers, particularly on the internet where less attention is paid to grammar and spelling and users don’t have to worry about their accent (口音).
Users of Facebook already socialize in a number of different “Englishes” including Indian English, Spanish English and Korean English. While these different styles have long existed within their cultures, they’re now expanding and coming online. Technology companies are introducing newly-developed English words with products aimed at enabling users to add words that are not already in the English dictionary. And most large companies have English websites, while smaller businesses are learning that they need a common language — English — to reach global customers.The increasing popularity of the internet allows more languages to develop quickly.
“Most people actually speak several languages — it’s less common to only speak one,” says Mr. Munro. “English has taken its place as the world’s common language, but it’s not pushing out other languages.” Instead, other languages are pushing their way into English, and in the process creating something new.
1. What does the text mainly talk about?| A．English is a common language around the world. |
| B．There are now many different language styles. |
| C．English language is developing with the Internet. |
| D．Smaller businesses are learning a common language. |
| A．People need to spell exactly. |
| B．Grammar is not so important. |
| C．People do not care about their accent. |
| D．Most English-speakers are not native speakers. |
| A．We can only communicate online in English. |
| B．It’s impossible to find all the English words in the dictionary. |
| C．Some technology companies start to publish English dictionaries. |
| D．Smaller businesses are not allowed to have English websites. |
| A．The other languages are enriching English. |
| B．One can’t live well without speaking several languages. |
| C．English will become the only language in the world. |
| D．Chinese used to be the world’s common language. |
| A．a number of people | B．the number of people |
| C．many people | D．a great number of people |
