1 . In the mornings, as I walked from the train station to the office, I planned my day by making a to-do list in my head: the scientific articles I would read, the data sets I would analyze, and most urgent of all — the insights into human nature that it was my job to discover.
Each evening, I went back to the station, again going through my mental checklist but this time sizing up my performance against the expectations I’d set for myself that morning. Time and again, when comparing my to-do list with my got-done list, I felt frustrated because I had fallen short.
But one day, something very strange happened. During my trip home, without any conscious intention, my thoughts began to change. Instead of feeling bad about my weaknesses, I said aloud very softly: I’m a nice person. I’m a nice person. I’m a nice person. By the time I boarded my train, I was done with my little chant until the next day when I walked home. And again, after counting my failures, I found myself saying quietly: I’m a nice person. It turns out that there’s a technical term for this practice: values affirmation (肯定). And what it emphasizes is recognizing and strengthening the personal values.
When you affirm a core personal value, you raise your sense of self-worth. You broaden your outlook: Instead of focusing on your shortfalls, you switch to a wide-angle view that includes your resources and opportunities. And the people who do this are happier, healthier, and more hopeful. Overtime, I made progress in my research and learned a lot about what makes most successful people special, including this: Nobody has passion and determination unless what they do lines up with their values.
Try values affirmation for yourself and teach the practice to your students. Take a moment and think of a value you hold, whether it’s kindness, creativity, or gratitude. Whatever it is, name it. And then say to yourself: Come what may, I know who I am. Your values are your foundation and your compass, too. Trust them, and they will lead you home.
1. How did the author feel when comparing his to-do list with his got-done list at the beginning?| A．Satisfied. |
| B．Pleased. |
| C．Disappointed. |
| D．Unconcerned. |
| A．Changing. |
| B．Forming. |
| C．Denying. |
| D．Judging. |
| A．strengthening a core personal value to himself |
| B．talking aloud to himself on his way home |
| C．counting his failures |
| D．making his to-do list |
| A．It changes people’s focus to their shortcomings. |
| B．It improves their sense of self-worth. |
| C．It limits their resources and opportunities. |
| D．It makes them more critical of themselves. |
| A．To constantly compare oneself to others. |
| B．To improve one’s kindness and gratitude. |
| C．To highlight values affirmation and spread the practice. |
| D．To become successful with passion. |
| With a history of about 5,000 years，Stonehenge is one of the world wonders. It’s a circle of stones of different heights. The stones used to be about 200 kilometers away. Now, people still wonder how these people moved the huge stones without machines’ help. |
| No visit to Paris is complete without a trip to Louvre Museum, one of the largest and most famous art museums in the world. About 35,000 works of art from different centuries are on show. |
| Heavy snow, cold wind and thin oxygen，Mount Qomolangma seems to say “no” to any climber who dreams about making it to the top of the world. Tenzing and Edmund were the earliest to arrive at the top, but they were up there for just 15 minutes before coming down. |
| In the north of England lies Lake District National Park, which is very beautiful, with hills, lakes, and forest. Most tourists enjoy walking around the lakes and climbing mountains. Lake District National Park is also a perfect place to paint the beautiful countryside. |
| A．wrote the history of machines |
| B．made different stones |
| C．walked 200 kilometers |
| D．managed to move the stones |
| A．heavy snow |
| B．large lakes |
| C．cold wind |
| D．thin oxygen |
| A．Stonehenge |
| B．Lake District National Park |
| C．Mount Qomolangma |
| D．Louvre Museum |
| A．Stonehenge has a history of five hundred years |
| B．the works of art in Louvre Museum are from the same century |
| C．Tenzing and Edmund were the first to reach the top of Qomolangma |
| D．Lake District National Park is in the south of England |
| A．a travel guide |
| B．a diary |
| C．a news report |
| D．a story book |
3 . Clara Daly was sitting on an Alaska Airlines flight from Boston to Los Angeles when she heard a worried voice over the loudspeaker, “Does anyone on board know American Sign Language?”
Clara, 15 at the time,
Clara
When it arrived, Clara returned to her seat. She came by again a bit later because he wanted to know the time. On her third visit, she stopped and
“He didn’t need anything. He was
So for the next
“Clara was amazing. Even though Cook couldn’t see her, she
| A．put | B．pressed | C．knocked | D．moved |
| A．person | B．way | C．situation | D．question |
| A．passenger | B．air hostess | C．reporter | D．pilot |
| A．though | B．or | C．so | D．but |
| A．when | B．where | C．why | D．what |
| A．called | B．said | C．saw | D．learned |
| A．across | B．toward | C．against | D．into |
| A．seat | B．door | C．exit | D．window |
| A．Deeply | B．Surprisingly | C．Slowly | D．Proudly |
| A．stayed | B．slept | C．danced | D．sang |
| A．happy | B．lonely | C．brave | D．disappointed |
| A．hour | B．week | C．month | D．year |
| A．read | B．repeated | C．shared | D．wrote |
| A．looked for | B．looked at | C．looked over | D．looked after |
| A．no one | B．everybody | C．anyone | D．someone |
| A．get through | B．get across | C．get down | D．get over |
—______. I will use my iPad instead.
| A．Go ahead |
| B．Thank you |
| C．Sorry, you can’t |
| D．I’m afraid not |
Milan-based company Krill Design is changing the way we think about waste by creating furniture products from a plastic-like biomaterial named Rekrill. The special material is biodegradable, and can be used repeatedly.
Founded in 2018, Krill uses fruit skin, orange seeds and coffee grounds collected from businesses in Italy to create their unique designs, including bookends, clocks, bowls, and lamps. Each product is made through a four-step process. “There are a lot of companies that create designs, and we want to be different,” says MarcoDi Maio, director of operations at Krill.
Krill has worked together with some well-known brands and has also joined in a Co. ffee Era project with the government of Milan to reduce coffee waste produced in three of the city's neighborhoods. Krill has made products that match the color of food waste. For example, bright orange products are from orange skin and rich dark brown products are from coffee grounds.
Rekrill is as strong as wood and breaks down safely unless it's touched by water or acidity. It is also safe for fish to eat. But despite its eco-friendly benefits, Rekrill is more expensive than common plastic due to its complex production process. However, Krill hopes that as awareness of the environmental impact of plastics grows, Rekrill will be more widely used. Krill is exploring the use of other food waste, such as eggshells and leftover tomatoes and grapes, aiming to make its production process more efficient and cost-effective.
The company believes Rekrill is the material of the future. Every small step they take toward a sustainable world contributes to a more recyclable economy and inspires others to follow suit.
1. How does the company Krill Design change the way people think about waste? (no more than 10 words)2. How many steps does each product need before it is made? (no more than 2 words)
3. What is the disadvantage of Rekrill compared with common plastic? (no more than 5 words)
4. What does the underlined word in paragraph 1 mean? (no more than 1 word)
5. What do you think of Rekrill and explain? (no more than 20 words)
10 . It’s not uncommon in America for a person to belong to some kind of volunteer group. Donating one’s time and services is very much a part of the American way of life. Most charitable activities are organized by churches and groups around the nation and even encouraged by the government. The helping hand is extended to the poor, the homeless and the disabled. Some people work to teach youngsters how to read. Others open up soup kitchens to feed the homeless. Volunteers also take care of the disabled by making reading tapes for the blind and working in orphanages (孤儿院) to help children without parents.
High school students are often encouraged to become volunteers and many school club activities center around volunteer services. Students may work with disabled children during a summer program, or participate in a club activity which helps to bring meal to senior citizens who are shut-ins. With their sense of idealism students are often eager to donate their spare time. They see such activities as a way of becoming involved in the community and the adult-world. Social action for them becomes as important as their academic studies.
In a like manner, throughout the year, fund raising drives are also conducted by schools and community groups to raise money for a worthy cause. They may respond to a recent earthquake in a foreign country, a flood somewhere within their own, or another natural disaster which has left people destitute and homeless. They may organize drives to collect food, clothing and medicines to serve an immediate need. Today even the Halloween custom of ‘trick or treat’ has become an occasion to collect money for a charitable cause.
The motive to help those less fortunate comes from the poor origins of the American nation. Those immigrants who were poor and downtrodden (受压迫的) became dependent on the kindness of their neighbors to make a new life for themselves.
American volunteers work throughout the world in less developed countries. They volunteer by serving as a champion of goodwill both at home and abroad, which no doubt enriches both his life and those whom he serves.
1. Which of the following charitable activities is NOT mentioned in the passage?| A．Some people open up soup kitchens to feed homeless people. |
| B．Some students bring meals to old people who can’t go out easily. |
| C．Some people collect money to help a foreign country with a recent earthquake. |
| D．Some students donate books to children in mountainous areas. |
| A．Because they want to participate in some social activities. |
| B．Because they want to go to better universities. |
| C．Because they can get higher scores at school. |
| D．Because they can realize their dream sooner. |
| A．lifeless | B．penniless | C．useless | D．valueless |
| A．Americans are always ready to share with others |
| B．Americans are mostly kind |
| C．poor immigrants needed help to make a new life |
| D．poor Americans couldn’t live on without help |
| A．The Call from the Poor | B．Voluntary Work in the US |
| C．Ways to Help the Poor | D．American Volunteers around the World |
