1 . It is natural to compare ourselves to others and to get caught in a mental comparison loop, and yet this seldom is beneficial. You may have heard the expression. “Comparison is the thief of joy. “To me, this rings true as I have found it is quite difficult to compare myself to others and feel joy at the same time.

Comparison not only robs us of joy, but it can also fuel self-criticism and a lack of self-acceptance. Typically, comparison leads to perceiving others as superior to you in some way and feeling inadequate or inferior. “I am not as successful, competent, attractive as they are. “Why don’t I have what they have?” We use comparison as an avenue for self-criticism, “What’s wrong with me? I must be an inadequate loser.” This hinders(阻碍)self-acceptance.

We often tell ourselves we are acceptable only if we meet certain standards, and we evaluate how we measure up by looking at others. The tendency is to conclude that we are not measuring up, particularly if we have a low sense of self-worth, and we worry that others are going to judge or criticize our perceived failures. We don’t just ask ourselves. “What’s wrong with me?” We worry what others will think: “What’s wrong with them?” The looming(迫近的)sense of possible rejection creates uneasiness and anxiety.

Comparison is deceptive(造成假象的). It tells us that if we meet the expectations, lose weight, get a promotion, or buy the house, we will feel better, calmer, more self-assured, and stop comparing ourselves. This may be temporarily true, yet, a comparison is an internal process that is ultimately based on our thoughts and sense of self, not external circumstances. We can always find something else to compare, another expectation we tell ourselves we are not meeting.

To stop comparing ourselves to others, we have to recognize that the comparison game is unwinnable and exhausting and stop playing. We should shift from being guided by comparison to being guided by personal values.

1. What is the author’s attitude towards comparison?

A．Supportive.

B．Tolerant.

C．Negative.

D．Uncertain.

2. What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?

A．The significance of comparison.	B．The joy of self-acceptance.
C．The necessity of self-criticism.	D．The consequences of comparison.

3. What can be inferred about comparison from Paragraph 4?

A．It is rooted in our inner thoughts.

B．It makes us become better.

C．We will stop it if we achieve our goals.

D．It is a reliable measure of success.

4. What will the author talk about in the following paragraph?

A．How we can change personal values.

B．Why personal values are important to us.

C．How personal values help stop comparison.

D．What impact technology has on comparison.

2 . At 102 years old, toy inventor Eddy Goldfarb is still going like freshly wound Yakity-Yak Talking Teeth, one of his more than 800 creations. Goldfarb also dreamed up the Bubble Gun, battery-powered Stomper vehicles and KerPlunk, in which hopeful players hold their breath as they strategically remove sticks without disturbing the marbles above.

“Being active and being creative is my secret, and I think it could apply to a lot of people,” the Toy Industry Hall of Fame inductee (新成员) says in an interview before singing the praises of his pair of 3D printers. “That’s the most wonderful machine because you start with nothing, and it goes layer by layer and builds something.”

The Chicago native still creates in his workshop and is the focus of Eddy’s World, a documentary that aired on TV. The 28-minute film is directed by his daughter, Lyn Goldfarb.

Goldfarb knew he was going to be a creator at 5 when his father invited an inventor to dinner. “That’s when I learned the meaning of the word,” he says, “and I knew from then on that I was going to be an inventor.” The designer couldn’t afford college and joined the Navy during World War II. He thought of the ideas for his first three toys while serving on the USS Batfish.

Goldfarb feels “very lucky” to still be alive at his age. He owes his longevity (长寿) to being creative and his optimistic personality. “During the war, I was on the submarine (潜艇) and saw a lot of action, and I think I realized what’s important and what’s not,” he says. “I found out that most things aren’t that important. I can overlook a lot.”

What’s next for the centenarian (百岁老人)? He’d fancy another milestone birthday. “Oh, I’d like to turn 105,” he says. “I’m fortunate that I’m healthy. I don’t have any of the aches and pains that I heard about all my life. So life is worth living. At 105, we’ll start thinking about what we should do.”

1. What does the first paragraph tell us about Goldfarb?

A．He is a highly respected toy inventor.

B．He is one of the oldest toy inventors.

C．He has invented less than 800 toys.

D．He is still active in toy invention.

2. What can we know about Eddy Goldfarb from the text?

A．He directed a short film.

B．He once dropped out of college.

C．He was not famous until he was 102.

D．He became the focus of a documentary.

3. When did Goldfarb get the idea of his first three toys?

A．At the age of five.	B．While serving in the Navy.
C．When dining with an inventor.	D．During his stay with his daughter.

4. Which of the following can best describe Eddy Goldfarb?

A．Lucky and wealthy.	B．Greative and positive.
C．Determined and generous.	D．Ambitious and hardworking.

3 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

A type of glazed pottery(釉陶)with the main colours of yellow, green and white was very popular in the Tang dynasty. It was later called tri-coloured glazed pottery of the Tang dynasty, or Tangsancai.

Tri-coloured glazed pottery was usually used as burial    1    (object). Those human and animal figures have smooth     2     graceful(优雅的)lines. The soldier figures have strong muscles and carry swords or arrows. The human figures stand quietly,     3    (look)natural and elegant. The animal figures are mainly of horses and camels.

Tri-coloured glazed pottery of the Tang dynasty was mostly produced in Xi’an, Luoyang and Yangzhou,     4     were important cities along the Silk Road. Camels were the major form of transport     5     the ancient trade route during the Tang dynasty. Seeing these glazed pottery artworks, we can imagine the travellers and camels making their hard journey across the desert, depending on one another for     6    (survive).

Tang people were open-minded     7    (accept)different cultures from all over the world. Foreign traders, officials, and artists travelled thousands of miles along the Silk Road to visit the Tang’s capital city Chang’an. The evidence of cultural integration can     8    (find)in tri-coloured glazed pottery of the Tang dynasty.

Tri-coloured glazed pottery is the     9    (high)point of Tang pottery and it developed     10    (successful)during the dynasty’s early and middle period.

4 . Between 20 and 40 per cent of planet Earth is covered in grasslands, across every continent except for Antarctica. Grass is a low-growing, flowering plant with groups of narrow leaves growing from its base. Strong roots typically hold this plant’s leaves firmly to the ground.

One of the most common sights along stretches of grass is grass-eating animals. This is because many large animals rely on extensive grasslands to survive, and grass grows well with this regular trimming (修剪). The plants gain their energy from sunlight and require healthy cells to do so. If the leaves aren’t cut, the tips die and start to rot. When they are damaged with a clean cut, however, the cells are caused to grow quicker and produce new, healthy tissue. This is also why cutting your garden’s grassland regularly can make your grass look thicker and healthier.

Humans rely on grass for food, too. Many grasses, such as w heat or corn, are harvested as a main part of some diets. Meanwhile, grass is used indirectly to produce food in the form of livestock (牲畜). Cattle farmers require grass in their fields to feed cows and sheep before they are turned into meat for human consumption.

One of the most debated questions is how long ago grass evolved. Because grass doesn’t preserve well as a fossil, a definitive answer is hard to come by. Until recently, many scientists estimated that grass began to grow on Earth between 50 and 65 million years ago.

However, within the last decade, a piece of 100-million-year-old amber (琥珀) was found that appeared to contain the oldest grass fossil to date. Studies of fossilized dinosaur faces (粪便) also suggest that some dinosaurs lived at the same time that grass grew on the planet, incorporating it into their diets.

1. What is the function of the roots mentioned in Paragraph 1?

A．To fix the leaves to the soil.	B．To store water and nutrients.
C．To support the growth of the plant.	D．To protect the plant from animals.

2. How does regular cutting of grass benefit the plants?

A．By improving soil quality.	B．By encouraging cell growth.
C．By preventing the tips from dying.	D．By attracting more animals to eat them.

3. Why is it difficult to determine when grass evolved?

A．Grass doesn’t preserve well as a fossil.	B．There are no fossils of grass available.
C．There is no solid evidence of its evolution.	D．Scientists can’t agree on its origin.

4. What’s the best title for the text?

A．The Variety of Grass	B．The Development of Grass
C．How Grass Change Life	D．How to Make Grass Grow Well

5 . 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。

I was making my morning coffee and wondering how I would get through the day, especially with the rain coming down, when I caught sight of Tony’s photo on the wall, which showed Tony posing with a group of hunting dogs. I stared out the window, thinking of Tony. If only he really were still here.

Tony served in the Navy and we moved around a lot, every three years to a new naval base（海军基地）.It didn’t matter where we lived as long as we were together. After Tony retired, we moved into a farmhouse in north Georgia. I imagined a lifetime of sipping sweet tea on the back porch（门廊）, while Tony shared stories about hunting. His dream was to raise a hunting dog. Meanwhile, I had my heart set on getting a sweet Yorkie, a little dog that could fit in my handbag.

We had so many plans, so many dreams. But some months after we’d moved in, I found Tony on the porch, looking unsettled. “Doctor says my liver is failing,” he said. “I’ll need an operation.” In my eyes, he’d always been invincible（不可战胜的）. I didn’t want to believe he could die. I was overcome with grief when Tony died two months after the operation.

Our farmhouse, which had once been so lively and filled with laughter, was terribly quiet. So dark and empty. There was no one to greet me when I came home from work, no one to sit with on the back porch and no one to walk with around our property.

I stared out the window at the rain, which was coming down even heavier now. I was about to head back to the kitchen when I happened to notice movement.

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。
Something small and furry emerged from the woods in the backyard.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I stared at the dog in amazement.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6 . At 7:30 am on Christmas Eve, Mary Black got a call from an unknown number. It was Nicola Grant, a Bletchley resident who had _________ Mary’s brother Roy Black. Roy was then 64, mentally _________, and left the group home in the deadly winter storm that began striking Bletchley the previous day.

After wandering for a long time, Roy _________ in a snowbank directly outside Nicola’s home. He was sobbing(啜泣) and crying out _________. Nicola went outside and found a stranger, screaming and confused. She went into the storm with her husband, carrying Roy into their home. Roy had _________ signs of severe frostbite: hands severely swollen and covered in multicolored blisters and sores. Nicola used a hair dryer to _________ his clothing, which stuck tightly to his shivering(颤抖) body. Still, despite all Nicola had done to treat his _________, Roy urgently needed _________ attention. Getting help seemed _________, though, for the roads were slippery with ice and snow. They were crying in despair(绝望). In a __________ cry for help on December 25—one full day after Roy __________ outside her house—Nicola posted a live video on Facebook.

Within half an hour, neighbors __________ to help, shoveling ice and snow around Nicola’s home. They wrapped up Roy warm and sped him to the __________ Medical Center. “The rescue is all __________ to Nicola,” said Mary, who was __________ with appreciation and relief that her big brother was safe.

1.

A．transported

B．rescued

C．dismissed

D．accused

2.

A．disabled

B．qualified

C．harmful

D．honest

3.

A．waked up

B．sped up

C．ended up

D．dressed up

4.

A．in sorrow

B．in disbelief

C．in regret

D．in comfort

5.

A．diverse

B．dramatic

C．incredible

D．visible

6.

A．iron

B．clean

C．remove

D．tidy

7.

A．illnesses

B．wounds

C．ankles

D．knees

8.

A．medical

B．subsequent

C．genuine

D．decent

9.

A．essential

B．predictable

C．unusual

D．impossible

10.

A．greedy

B．desperate

C．hopeless

D．regretful

11.

A．hurried

B．hesitated

C．showed

D．slept

12.

A．applauded

B．proposed

C．requested

D．offered

13.

A．nearby

B．temporary

C．amateur

D．alternative

14.

A．donated

B．owed

C．awarded

D．contributed

15.

A．burdened

B．satisfied

C．filled

D．provided

7 . It was a cloudy afternoon when Alex stepped off the train at Seattle’s 48th Street Station. The 22-year-old, who worked nights in a grocery store, was on his way to his grandfather’s so they could buy a car. Suddenly, one guy fell onto the tracks and started convulsing(抽搐).

The man fell on the third rail, the conduit of electricity that powers Seattle’s trains. As Alex and other horrified onlookers watched, he convulsed violently and his head bounced up and down.

Alex couldn’t just stand there. Assuming every rail was electrified, Alex took a few quick bounds, high-kneeing it as he’d done in high school football team, until he was standing over the victim. The train he’d just gotten off stopped, thankfully. Alex reached down and grasped the victim’s wrist. Instantly, he felt a blast of electric shock. Again, he was shocked again. But the third time he seized the man’s wrist, braving the shock. The guy’s body slid briefly along the third rail, coming to rest on the gravel(砂砾).

“Give him CPR!” yelled two lookers-on. And he worked on the man’s heart until the victim began breathing. Then nurses and firefighters arrived. They told authorities to cut the power, deactivating the third rail. His heart still racing from the electric shocks, he climbed back up and continued on to his grandfather’s.

As planned, they went to look at the car, but it had been sold. The Evening Next reported the incident, crediting an anonymous hero with saving the victim. After a friend revealed his identity, Alex became the toast of Seattle. A few days later, he was rewarded with a car. Alex was then recruited by the fire department and is now being trained.

1. What was Alex’s plan that afternoon?

A．Purchasing a vehicle.	B．Taking the train.
C．Visiting his grandfather.	D．Working in the grocery store.

2. What could be the major problem of the rescue?

A．The man’s heavy weight.	B．The long distance.
C．The height of the platform.	D．The electrified rail.

3. What does the underlined word “deactivating” in paragraph 4 mean?

A．Slowing.

B．Speeding.

C．Stopping.

D．Starting.

4. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．One good turn deserves another.

B．Caution is the parent of safety.

C．Three heads are better than one.

D．Lookers-on see more than players.

8 . “To have passed through life and never experienced solitude(独处) is to have never known oneself,” writes Joseph Krutch in his memoir, The Desert Year.

    1       Especially during the bustling holiday season, when celebrations, shopping and gatherings appeal to you, the luxury of a moment of solitude is to be sought out and treasured.

It’s important to distinguish solitude from loneliness—the latter is a negative experience of isolation(隔离), and research shows that one need not literally be alone to feel lonely.     2     The choice to enjoy your own company has a large number of benefits.

    3     No one else gets to have your attention when you are alone at home, taking a light and active December walk or even sitting quietly in a cafe with a hot chocolate and a good book. When you can focus all your attention on what you want and what is on your mind alone, you will be free to see yourself more clearly.

It encourages a screen-free moment. When you choose to spend some time in solitude, that means you are prepared to step away from text messages and social media for a time. Taking even a small break from your attachment to those bottomless activities will refresh you.     4    

You have space to reflect on your priorities. “I find that the whole point of solitude is that you can not only enjoy your own company, but also review, change and improve who you are as a person,” writes the blogger Kirk Pineda. “If you already have a person in mind who is ideal, why don’t you become that person?”     5     And you will have the emotional and physical space to consider what areas of growth you can set your sights on.

A．Your attention is only your own.

B．Solitude is a gift we can choose to give ourselves.

C．However, for others, solitude represents a desirable time of comfort.

D．Solitude gives time and space for reflection on the course and path of life.

E．And it gives you a moment to notice your own thoughts and feelings in the meantime.

F．Solitude, by contrast, is the intentional activity of spending time in your own presence.

G．When you are in a self-reflective moment of solitude, you can see yourself with fresh eyes.

9 . After skating, skiing or cleaning snow, nothing warms you up better than a cup of hot cocoa. Although today’s typical toppings—cream, marshmallows, crushed candy—may be wonderful, chocolate was first consumed in liquid form by the Olmec people of northwestern Central America around 1500 B. C. It was even enjoyed by the Aztec emperor Montezuma, and the Aztec word “Xocolatl” for it evolved(演化) into the English word chocolate.

But the Aztecs didn’t serve their coco a hot. And since sugar had not yet arrived from Europe, back then, the drink was often flavored with pepper and spices. It may not have been quite as various as today’s version, but it was more delicious if you believed, as the Aztecs did, that chocolate was a gift from the gods and had healing properties.

After the Spanish arrived in the Americas in the 1500s, liquid chocolate made its way across the pond, where wealthy Europeans added sugar and drank it warm. In Chocolate: History, Culture and Heritage, author Bertram Gordon says hot chocolate became “the beverage(饮品) of the upper class”, as sugar was still a luxury. Doctors also began using it to mask the unpleasant taste of medicines, and some doctors today still suggest that parents try that.

Soon enough, though, hot chocolate caught on with the masses. Chocolate houses—a cross between cafes and casinos(赌场) —started popping up around 17th-century Europe. In these lively places, hot chocolate was poured from golden pots into elegant cups. But by the end of the 18th century, chocolate houses had mostly died off, partly because the cost of chocolate was much higher than that of coffee or tea.

However you choose to jazz up your own cup, the simple pleasure of drinking a warm, chocolatey beverage is one that hasn’t gotten old for thousands of years. A gift from the gods? Perhaps. But it’s certainly one that keeps on giving.

1. What did the Aztecs believe about chocolate?

A．It should be served hot.

B．It was a godsend with healing qualities.

C．It was first consumed by the Olmec people.

D．It should be flavored with pepper and spices.

2. According to Bertram Gordon, why did hot chocolate become the beverage of the upper class?

A．It was a symbol of luxurious life.

B．It was a treat only the rich could afford.

C．Its recipe was only known to the upper class.

D．Its flavor was only enjoyed by the upper class.

3. Why did chocolate houses decline in popularity by the end of the 18th century?

A．The cost of chocolate increased.

B．The taste of hot chocolate changed.

C．Other alternative drinks were relatively cheap.

D．Chocolate houses were replaced by cafes and casinos.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．The origins and evolution of hot chocolate.

B．The lasting pleasure of drinking hot chocolate.

C．The rise and fall of chocolate houses in Europe.

D．The popularity of hot chocolate among the upper class.

10 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Praised by international media as a “winter wonderland” and “China’s ice city”, the city of Harbin attracted a record number of     1     (visitor) over the New Year’s Day holidays. The city’s     2     (popular) continued after the holiday as the 40th China Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival kicked off. Tourists from home and abroad     3     (draw) to the city by its grand and exquisite snow and ice sculptures. Among them, the 11 preschool children from Nanning, the subtropical capital city of Guangxi, over 3,000 kilometers away, were surely one of the     4     (high) profile guests.

Their trip, overloaded with cuteness, has become     5     online hit. Aged between 3 and 6 years old and accompanied by three teachers, the kids were affectionately given the nickname “little sugar tangerines (柑橘)” by netizens.     6     (express) gratitude for the great care and hospitality the kids received, Guangxi sent nearly 200 tons of fresh tangerines to Heilongjiang     7     a thank-you gift. The story continued with Harbin’s     8     (send) back more gifts to Guangxi,     9     gradually evolves (演变) to a “gift” and friendship exchange craze sweeping across the country.

More and more regions are joining in the exchanges between the north and south. The wave of exchanges     10     (bring) by the tourism boom in Harbin is a good sign and very encouraging.