1 . When you look ahead at the year to come, I hope you focus on all the positives even if the negatives exist, because positive thinking can help you get where you want to go.
Positive thinking is not the same as optimism. Being optimistic means believing that everything is going to work out great. But positive thinking is more than that. It’s a mindset or a way of looking at the world and what you do.
To think positively, first of all, we need to look at problems, mistakes and failures as normal. Imagine you bomb a big job interview. A negative thinker will be upset by the fact that he didn’t get the job.
One trick to positive thinking is to imagine how you’ll think back to things that are happening now.
Positive thinking is a mental habit. It takes practice. Sometimes, we have to remind ourselves to focus on the future and on possibility.
| A．A positive thinker will learn from the experience. |
| B．Negative thinkers will look at failures as end points. |
| C．Positive thinking often means separating the past and the future. |
| D．It’s a belief in possibility, solutions to problems and the big picture. |
| E．Sometimes, it’s hard to learn from our failures or see the big picture. |
| F．We can see the power of positive thinking when it comes to problem-solving. |
| G．You know from experience that the passing of time brings a fresh perspective. |
2 . On March 7, 1907, the English statistician Francis Galton published a paper which illustrated what has come to be known as the “wisdom of crowds” effect. The experiment of estimation he conducted showed that in some cases, the average of a large number of independent estimates could be quite accurate.
This effect capitalizes on the fact that when people make errors, those errors aren’t always the same. Some people will tend to overestimate, and some to underestimate. When enough of these errors are averaged together, they cancel each other out, resulting in a more accurate estimate. If people are similar and tend to make the same errors, then their errors won’t cancel each other out. In more technical terms, the wisdom of crowds requires that people’s estimates be independent. If for whatever reasons, people’s errors become correlated or dependent, the accuracy of the estimate will go down.
But a new study led by Joaquin Navajas offered an interesting twist (转折) on this classic phenomenon. The key finding of the study was that when crowds were further divided into smaller groups that were allowed to have a discussion, the averages from these groups were more accurate than those from an equal number of independent individuals. For instance, the average obtained from the estimates of four discussion groups of five was significantly more accurate than the average obtained from 20 independent individuals.
In a follow-up study with 100 university students, the researchers tried to get a better sense of what the group members actually did in their discussion. Did they tend to go with those most confident about their estimates? Did they follow those least willing to change their minds? This happened some of the time, but it wasn’t the dominant response. Most frequently, the groups reported that they “shared arguments and reasoned together”. Somehow, these arguments and reasoning resulted in a global reduction in error. Although the studies led by Navajas have limitations and many questions remain, the potential implications for group discussion and decision-making are enormous.
1. What is paragraph 2 of the text mainly about?| A．The methods of estimation. | B．The underlying logic of the effect. |
| C．The causes of people’s errors. | D．The design of Galton’s experiment. |
| A．the crowds were relatively small | B．there were occasional underestimates |
| C．individuals did not communicate | D．estimates were not fully independent |
| A．The size of the groups. | B．The dominant members. |
| C．The discussion process. | D．The individual estimates. |
| A．Unclear. | B．Dismissive. | C．Doubtful. | D．Approving. |
1. 中国传统节日的重要性；
2. 如何推广中国传统节日。
注意：
1. 词数80左右，开头与结尾已给出，不计入总词数；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Distinguished judges and dear fellow students,
It’s my honor to stand here and talk about “Promoting traditional Chinese festivals”.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Thank you very much for your attention!
I was invited to a cookout on an old friend’s farm in western Washington. I parked my car outside the farm and walked past a milking house which had apparently not been used in many years. A noise at a window caught my attention, so I entered it. It was a hummingbird (蜂鸟), desperately trying to escape. She was covered in spider-webs (蛛网) and was barely able to move her wings. She ceased her struggle the instant I picked her up.
With the bird in my cupped hand, I looked around to see how she had gotten in. The broken window glass was the likely answer. I stuffed a piece of cloth into the hole and took her outside, closing the door securely behind me.
When I opened my hand, the bird did not fly away; she sat looking at me with her bright eyes. I removed the sticky spider-webs that covered her head and wings. Still, she made no attempt to fly. Perhaps she had been struggling against the window too long and was too tired? Or too thirsty?
As I carried her up the blackberry-lined path toward my car where I kept a water bottle, she began to move. I stopped, and she soon took wing but did not immediately fly away.
Hovering (悬停), she approached within six inches of my face. For a very long moment, this tiny creature looked into my eyes, turning her head from side to side. Then she flew quickly out of sight.
During the cookout, I told my hosts about the hummingbird incident. They promised to fix the window. As I was departing, my friends walked me to my car. I was standing by the car when a hummingbird flew to the center of our group and began hovering. She turned from person to person until she came to me. She again looked directly into my eyes, then let out a squeaking call and was gone. For a moment, all were speechless. Then someone said, “She must have come to say goodbye.”
注意：1. 续写词数应为 150 左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题纸的相应位置作答。
A few weeks later, I went to the farm again.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I was just about to leave when the hummingbird appeared.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________1. 助残的必要性；
2. 如何关爱残疾人；
3. 发出倡议。
注意：1.词数在80词左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3.题目已为你写好，不计入总词数。
Caring for Disabled People Is Our Duty
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
6 . Wholesale prices for gas and electricity are increasing suddenly across Europe,raising the possibility of increases in already-high utility (公共事业）bills and further pain for people who have taken a financial hit fromCOVID-19.
Governments are struggling to find ways to limit costs to consumers as scant natural gas reserves present yet another potential problem, exposing the continent to even more price increases and possible shortages if it’s a cold winter.
In the U.K., many people will see their gas and electricity bills rise next month after the nation’s energy regulator approved a 12% price increase for those without contracts that lock in rates. Officials in Italy have warned that prices will increase by 40% for the quarter that will be billed in October.
There are multiple causes for the price increases, energy analysts say, including tight supplies of natural gas used to generate electricity, higher costs for permits to release carbon dioxide as part of Europe’s fight against climate change, and less supply from wind in some cases.
Analysts at S&P Global Platts say electricity prices have risen due to strong demand from places like data centers and electric cars, but above all because of the rise in the price of natural gas used in generating plants. Utility companies’ exposure to natural gas prices has increased as high-emission coal plants have been retired, while utilities face higher costs for carbon allowances required by the European Union’s emissions trading system, which is aimed at reducing emissions of greenhouse gases.
The tight gas market could bite even more sharply if there’s an unusually cold winter. That’s because European distributors did not refill reserves reduced during last winter as they typically had done in summer months. In March 2008, when the freeze named “the beast from the east” hit Europe, industrial users in the U.K got a notice that there was a risk of interruption, although it didn’t come to that.
Could Europe run out of gas? “The short answer is Yes, this is a real risk,” said James Huckstepp, an analyst at S&P Global Platts. “Storage stocks are at record lows and there isn’t currently any spare supply capacity that is exportable anywhere in the world.The longer answer is that it’s hard to predict how it will play out given that Europe has never run out of gas in two decades under the current distribution system.”
1. What does the underlined word “scant” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．Total. | B．Additional. | C．Limited. | D．Regular. |
| A．The closure of some coal plants. |
| B．The great demand for electric cars. |
| C．The competition between utility companies. |
| D．The change in the emissions trading system. |
| A．More natural gas will be needed for industrial use. |
| B．European distributors don’t make good preparations. |
| C．It is not easy to fill reserves during the cold weather. |
| D．Utility companies work can be easily interrupted. |
| A．Europe is expected to seek help from other countries. |
| B．It is hard to control the gas price in Europe at present. |
| C．Europe might face a serious shortage of gas in the future. |
| D．There’s something wrong with Europe’s distribution system. |
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。
My best friend Lily and I met in high school. Ever since then, we had spent New Year’s Eve together. We’d watch together on TV the New Year celebration in Times Square, a the world-renowned tradition for millions to welcome the new year. Every year, thousands of people will gather in Times Square New York in person on New Year’s Eve counting down to the new year, with celebrations and performances after midnight. And we’d always say that one day we should go there ourselves.
Then we both went to college. Struggling through exams and schoolwork, we had little time to meet up. We missed each other terribly and decided it was time: to finally go to New York ourselves, to be present at the New Year’s celebration, and to do something fun together.
We worked out our schedule, bought tickets for everything and, most importantly, planned how to survive the long hours of waiting in the biting cold before the celebration — we wanted the best spot possible, and there’s only so much space, so we had no choice but to get to the Time Square early.
When the big day finally arrived, it became snowy and colder than any cold we had ever experienced. Actually it was one of the coldest New Year’s Eves on record. Everyone thought we were going to back out.
But we didn’t. We didn’t make it that far to back out.
We woke up and set off early. And, of course, we did freeze along the way, but we kept cheering each other up. Once we got there, we found our way to the line pretty quickly, considering everyone else was pushing their way in the same direction. We got in line and waited to finally get into our area in the Time Square, which thankfully was pretty spacious and close to the stage.
Halfway through the day, my friend and I couldn’t feel our toes.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Three, two, one. Happy New Year!” we screamed the words as loud as possible.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
There were only two tickets to the big basketball game. All three of us paid our attention to the tickets in Dad’s hand. Marcus, the oldest, asked the question running through everyone’s mind. “Only two tickets? But Dad, which of us gets to go with you?”
“Yeah, Daddy, who gets to go?” repeated Caleb, the youngest. “Dad, can’t you get any more tickets?” I asked. I was the in -between sister, but I also wanted to go out with Dad. “I’m Afraid not,” Dad answered. “Mr. Williams only had two tickets. He was thoughtful enough to offer the tickets to me when he found out he’d be out of town this weekend.”
Dad was lost in thought. “Caleb, don’t you think you ‘re too young to enjoy a professional basketball game?” “No!” Caleb shouted “I know all the best players! I know the team’s record! I know…” “All right, all right,” Dad finally had to agree. He turned to me and tried again. “Jill, since you’re a girl…” Before I could reply, Mom said, “Jill’s out there practicing with Marcus and all of his friends, and she’s better than quite a few of them!”
“Okay, okay,” Dad held up his hands. “I guess I’ll have to find out a fair way of choosing among the three of you by tomorrow morning. I’ll have to decide who deserves it most.”
The next morning, Marcus hurried into the kitchen and sat down at the breakfast table. “Where’s Dad?” he asked as he reached for a box of biscuits. “He and Mom went to pick up some books from the library,” Caleb answered, reaching his hand out for a biscuit. “And he said we should all get started on our Saturday chores (家务) as soon as we finish the breakfast,” I added, enjoying my apple juice. “Chores? He must be kidding,” Marcus said. “How can we do the chores when the big game is only eleven hours away? I’m going to play basketball.” “Wait for me!” Caleb added, drinking the last of his milk and running after his brother.
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。
Paragraph 1:
I looked at the messy breakfast table in front of me.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Suddenly, a white envelope on the left side of the breakfast table caught my attention.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
On market days when the farmers around Darrowby brought their goods to the little town to sell, I used to take a walk across the square to meet the farmers who gathered there to chat. One of the farmers was telling me about his sick cow when he saw a little dog among the market stalls (货摊). The thing that made us notice the dog was that he was sitting up, paws dangling (悬垂), head pointing expectantly, begging, in front of the stall selling cakes and biscuits.
“Look at that little fellow,” the farmer said. “I wonder where he’s from.”
As he spoke, the stallholder threw the dog some bread which the animal ate eagerly, but when the man came round and stretched out a hand the little thing ran away.
I was standing there, trying to see where he had gone, when a young policeman came up to me.
“I’ve been watching that dog begging among the stalls all morning,” he said, “but I haven’t been able to get near him.”
“Yes, it’s strange. You can see he’s friendly, but he’s also afraid. I wonder who owns him.”
“I think he’s a stray (无主的宠物), Mr. Herriot. I know just about all the dogs around here. But this one is a stranger to me.”
I nodded. “I’m sure you’re right. Anything could have happened to him. He could have been ill-treated by somebody and run away, or he could have been dumped from a car.”
“Yes,” the policeman replied, “I don’t know how anybody can leave a helpless animal to fend for (照料) itself like that. I’ve had a few tries at catching him, but it’s no good.”
A week passed before I met the policeman again in the market.
“Have you caught the dog, sir?” I asked.
The policeman looked very serious. “Yes,” he replied, “I’m afraid he’s been arrested.”
“Arrested?” I said in astonishment. “What do you mean?”
“Well,” he said, “it seems that it’s against the law for a dog to go begging in the market square.”
“I still don’t know what this is all about,” I said. “Where is he now?”
“I’ll take you to him,” the policeman replied.
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。
We walked a short way along the road to a pretty cottage.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A wave of relief swept over me.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
From her lifeguard station at the end of the pool, Jessica noticed clouds forming in the sky. By the time she took a break at 2:30, the wind was picking up and the sky was darkening. The pool manager announced over the loudspeaker that the pool was closing immediately, due to a weather warning. He asked everyone to head to the safety of home before the storm hit.
All of the swimmers had left by 3: 30 except for Jessica's neighbor, eight-year-old Zack Hill. Zack's mother had dropped him off at the pool while she went to work. She had planned to pick him up later, but the storm was coming fast. Jessica decided that she would drop Zack off on her way home. She taped a note for Mrs. Hill on the door of the pool office and headed out.
The minute Jessica and Zack left the parking lot, it was clear that this was no ordinary storm. The wind was very strong, the storm clouds were dark, and the sky had turned a terrible green. The rain hit just as Jessica turned onto her street, Jessica said, “Jack, I'm going to take you to my house. We need to get inside right away, and your house is farther away than mine.”
She pressed the garage-door opener, but nothing happened. The electricity was out. The front door was only a few feet away, but the wind was so strong that Jessica and Zack had to fight their way out of the car and into the house. Jessica held Zack's hand firmly. The door was heavy with the pressure of the wind. Finally, it opened, but it was blown out of Jessica's hand and it hit the side of the house. The window broke into pieces，Jessica picked up Zack and threw the two of them inside; her only thought was to get to a safe place.
注意：
1.续写词数应为150词左右；
2.请按如下格式作答。
Remembering everything she could learn from her emergency training, Jessica took Zack to the basement.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
After a final crash, the sound of the storm grew distant.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
