1 . Some of the most successful people have done their best work in coffee shops. Pablo Picasso, JK Rowling, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Bob Dylan ---whether they’re painters, writers, philosophers, or singer-songwriters, people across nations and centuries have tapped into their creativity working away at a table in a café.

There are many ways coffee shops stimulate our creativity in a way offices and homes don’t. Research shows that the stimuli in these places make them effective environments for work; the combination of noise, visual variety and casualness can give us just the right amount of distraction to help us be at our sharpest and most creative.

Some of us put on our noise-cancelling headphones as soon as we sit down to work in a public setting. But background noise can benefit our creative thinking. A 2012 study published in the Journal of Consumer Research showed that a low-to-moderate level of background noise in a place like a cafeteria can actually increase our creative output. Another study from 2019 had similar findings: the right amount of noise benefits our senses. And while that right level of noise is different for everyone, audio (听觉的) stimuli in the background also help us improve decision-making. So, the jazz music, light conversation and noises from coffee bar workers aren’t vexatious —they could help you come up with your next masterwork.

Also, one thing that can make working from home and the office dull is the unexciting visual environment. “Visual stimulation has an effect on peoples creative thinking process. Coffee shops generally have visual stimuli,” says Sunkee Lee, whose research suggests that visual variety “helps you to think outside the box”. Korydon Smith, who co-wrote a recent article on the benefits of working in coffee shops, says, “People come and go. The daylight changes. The colours of food vary. These activities inspire our brains to work a bit differently than at home”.

And while the typical coffee shop user might be a lone worker, experts say these café settings can also benefit work groups who are brainstorming. “There is an implied formality when gathering on office-based or digital meeting platforms. By contrast, there is an air of informality when meeting up at a bar or café. Agendas are not required to meet someone for coffee, but are inbuilt in a scheduled meeting, virtual or otherwise, which can kill creativity,” says Smith.

1. What does the author intend to do in paragraph 2?

A．Add some background knowledge.	B．Summarize the following paragraphs.
C．Support the first paragraph with examples.	D．Introduce a controversial topic for discussion.

2. Which of the following best describes the underlined word “vexatious” in paragraph 3?

A．Unexpected.

B．Permanent.

C．Annoying.

D．Original.

3. What do Lee and Smith both stress about coffee shops?

A．Visual variety there encourages creativity.

B．Audio stimuli there help with decision-making.

C．A lo ne worker can meet like-minded people there.

D．Bar workers there always make people feel at home.

4. What can, benefit group discussions in a coffee shop?

A．Its air of excitement.	B．Its implied formality.
C．Its casual atmosphere.	D．Its nice food and drink.

2 . A great skill to have is the ability to solve problems effectively, specifically interpersonal and behavioral problems. In order to achieve this, you need to follow a few key requirements.     1    

First, you should understand “why” the problem exists.     2     If you know something about why the problem exists, you’ll have a better time to resolve the problem. Let’s take the example of a child who doesn’t want to come to school. Before you can reach a solution, it is important to find out why the child doesn’t want to come to school.

Once you have clearly identified the problem, you need to understand what you have control over and what don’t.     3     You may not control whether a child comes to school, but you are able to deal with the barrier to the child not wanting to attend school.

Don’t jump to conclusions. Once you have all of your information, analyze it carefully and look at it from various viewpoints. Be as objective as possible and don’t be quick to judge.     4     This is a time for you to use your critical thinking skills.

    5     How many options do you have? Are you sure? Which options seem reasonable? Have you weighed the pros and cons (事物的利与弊) of your options? Are there any limitations of your options? Are there any options better than others and why? Are there advantages and disadvantages you need to take into consideration?

A．Now determine your options for solutions.

B．Remain judgment-free as much as possible.

C．Ask yourself questions about what options you have.

D．That means figuring out the actual root cause of the problem.

E．Read on to find how to become a more effective problem solver.

F．The strategies in problem-solving are good lifelong skills to have.

G．Your efforts must be within the areas where you are in the driver’s seat.

3 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。续写的词数应为150左右。

We Survived Getting Swallowed by a Whale

Respect and revere (敬畏) nature. I’m Julie, 56 years old, living in San Luis Obispo, California, about four miles from the beach. Every few years, the humpback whales come into the bay for several days while migrating.

In November 2020, the whales were around, so I took out my yellow double kayak (皮划艇) to watch the wildlife. I paddled out the pier (长堤) and saw seals, dolphins, and about 20 whales feeding on silverfish. They sprayed through their blowholes. Each one is huge, about 15 metres long. Sometimes they turned side fins as if waving at me. It was incredible.

At the time, my friend Liz was with me. We had met 28 years earlier. I asked Liz if she wanted to see the whales. I really wanted to share the magnificent experience with her.

“No way,” she said. She’s terrified of whales and sharks. I promised that the craft was stable and safe enough. Moreover, humpback whales couldn’t swallow down kayaks for their throats were tight even though they had enormous mouths and white-wall-like internal mouth structures, not to mention that we got paddles and life jackets. After some persuasion, Liz finally agreed.

We set off at about 8:30 the next morning. There were already about 15 other kayakers in the bay. One hour later, I spotted two whales right past the pier, swimming toward us. We were in awe, feeling amazed to be so close to a creature that size.

When whales swam down after breaching (跃身激浪), they disappeared in ripples. I figured if we paddled there, we’d be safe since they’d just left. We followed them at a distance—or what I thought was a distance. I later learned that it’s recommended to keep 90 metres away, or about the length of a football   field. We were probably 18 metres away.

All of a sudden, a swarm (群) of fish started jumping out of the water into our kayak. Their movement sounded like crackling glass. Now I knew we were too close. I was terrified. Then our kayak was lifted out of the water—about two metres—and tipped back into the ocean. I figured the whale was going to drag us down somehow, and I had no idea how deep.

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 realize that Liz and I sitting in the kayak were in the whale’s mouth.

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Thankfully, the whale spitted us out, people paddling to help, shooting videos.

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4 . The employee has ______ finishing the work and hopefully will ______ the employer’s expectations.

A．made a comment on; contribute to	B．shown the determination of; live up to
C．made an impact on; break down	D．fallen in love with; apply for

5 . My duties at the school ______ beyond just teaching.

A．extend

B．transform

C．restore

D．resolve

6 . After the little boy saw this ______ scene, he stood there, frozen ______.

A．frightening; on board	B．fearful; in embarrassment
C．scary; in fear	D．frightened; with horror

7 . After taking up a position in the community, he ________ (commit) himself to keeping the neighbourhood safe ever since.

8 . The building ________ a closed space provides people, animals and plants with a place to live together.

A．consisting of

B．consists of

C．is made up of

D．being composed of

9 . The garden was so fantastic to admire that he was lost in it, ________ it had got dark.

A．having not noticed

B．not noticed

C．not noticing

D．to have not noticed

10 . The bookstore, ________ was a legendary fixture in the neighbourhood, was a place where anyone could ________ and connect through their love of books.

A．as; drop in at

B．which; drop in

C．it; drop in on

D．where; drop out