2 . I have the bad habit of skipping to the last pages of a book to see how it ends while I’m still in the middle of it. This habit ______ people around me. Often my ______ wouldn’t be confined(局限) just to the books I read but also to what others were ______ as well. Finally, one day my daughter told me with a little _______. “Dad, please just read a book one page at a time like everyone else!”

At times I didn’t ______ this bad habit to just reading books either. I also tried to skip ahead in my life and _____ what to do months and even years from now instead of ______ each day as it is intended. I knew that the book of my life wasn’t done yet and that I had many ______ left to go.________, that didn’t stop me from trying to write the ______ half-way through. Time and again, I would ______ jump ahead and try to solve every potential problem before it ______ so I could reach that storybook happily ever after ending. Life, however, doesn’t ______   like that. It loves to ______ us, and you never know what new problem or opportunity each new day will bring.

Life has often had to ______ me to slow down. Recently, when I found myself ______ to that bad habit of rushing ahead and living in the ______ again, I felt a special voice gently telling me, “ Live one day at a time.” Then I smiled, and turned the book of my life back to the ____ page. Each of us has to live the book of life one page and one day at a time. Each of us has to write it ______ and moment by moment. We have to trust that it will bring our ______ to its perfect end.

1.

A．concerned

B．annoyed

C．frightened

D．embarrassed

2.

A．impatience

B．difficulty

C．influence

D．effort

3.

A．demanding

B．carrying

C．writing

D．reading

4.

A．interest

B．excitement

C．anger

D．sadness

5.

A．extend

B．spread

C．limit

D．devote

6.

A．bring out

B．let out

C．try out

D．figure out

7.

A．fearing

B．enjoying

C．doubting

D．imagining

8.

A．pages

B．things

C．reports

D．novels

9.

A．Indeed

B．Still

C．Surely

D．Finally

10.

A．ending

B．plot

C．outline

D．passage

11.

A．happily

B．carefully

C．unwillingly

D．foolishly

12.

A．counted

B．left

C．happened

D．backed

13.

A．start

B．finish

C．work

D．change

14.

A．touch

B．amuse

C．worry

D．surprise

15.

A．allow

B．force

C．remind

D．encourage

16.

A．admitting

B．returning

C．responding

D．referring

17.

A．present

B．memory

C．dream

D．future

18.

A．right

B．first

C．new

D．blank

19.

A．more or less

B．line by line

C．one by one

D．now and then

20.

A．story

B．job

C．plan

D．hope

3 . The expression, "everybody's doing it," is very much at the center of the concept of peer pressure. It is a social influence applied on an individual in order to get that person to act or believe in a(n) ___ way as a larger group. This influence can be negative or positive, and can exist in both large and small groups.

People are social creatures by nature, and so it is hardly ___that some part of their self-respect comes from the approval of others. This instinct explains why the approval of peers, and the fear of ____, is such a powerful force in many people's lives. This instinct drives people to dress one way at home and another way at work, or to answer a simple “fine" when a stranger asks "how are you?" even if it is not necessarily true. There is a(n) _____aspect to this: it helps society to function efficiently, and encourages a general level of self-discipline that ___day-to-day interaction between people.

For certain individuals, seeking social acceptance is so important that it becomes a(n) ___: in order to satisfy the desire, they may go so far as to ___their sense of right and wrong. Teens and young adults may feel forced to use drugs, or join gangs that ____criminal behavior. Mature adults may sometimes feel ___ to cover up illegal activity at the company where they work, or end up in debt because they are unable to hold back the desire to buy a house or car that they can't afford in an effort to ___ the peers.

However, peer pressure is not always negative. A student whose friends are good at ___may be urged to work harder and get good grades. Players on a sports team may feel driven to play harder in order to help the team win. This type of ___can also get a friend off drugs, or to help an adult take up a good habit or drop a bad one.

Although peer pressure is sometimes quite obvious, it can also be so ___that a person may not even notice that it is affecting his or her behavior. For this reason, when making important decisions, simply going with a(n) ___is risky. Instead, people should seriously consider why they feel drawn to taking a particular action, and whether the real ____ is simply that everyone else is doing the same thing.

1.

A．traditional

B．similar

C．peculiar

D．opposite

2.

A．understandable

B．believable

C．acceptable

D．surprising

3.

A．disapproval

B．failure

C．absence

D．independence

4.

A．uncertain

B．practical

C．impossible

D．vague

5.

A．promotes

B．prevents

C．simplifies

D．increases

6.

A．challenge

B．inspiration

C．promise

D．addiction

7.

A．recognize

B．abandon

C．decrease

D．define

8.

A．avoid

B．encourage

C．decline

D．punish

9.

A．pressured

B．respected

C．delighted

D．regretted

10.

A．catch sight of

B．stay away from

C．make fun of

D．keep up with

11.

A．competitions

B．interaction

C．academics

D．adaptation

12.

A．knowledge

B．interest

C．assistance

D．influence

13.

A．abstract

B．ridiculous

C．subtle

D．reasonable

14.

A．consciousness

B．motivation

C．instinct

D．encouragement

15.

A．motivation

B．danger

C．support

D．achievement

4 . Fall down as you come onstage. That’s an odd trick. Not recommended. But it saved the pianist Feltsman when he was a teenager back in Moscow. The experienced cellist Rostropovich tripped him purposely to ______ him of pre-performance panic. Mr. Feltsman said, “All my fright was gone. I already fell. What else could happen?”

Today, music schools are addressing the problem of ______ in classes that deal with performance techniques and career preparation. There are a variety of strategies that musicians can learn to fight stage fright and its symptoms: icy fingers, shaky limbs, racing heart, ______ mind.

Teachers and psychologists offer wide-ranging ______, from basics like learning pieces inside out, to mental discipline, ______ visualizing a performance and taking steps to relax. Don’t deny that you’re tense, they urge; some excitement is ______, even necessary for dynamic playing. And play in public often, simply for the experience.

Psychotherapist Diane Nichols suggests some strategies for the moments before ______, “Take two deep abdominal(腹部) breaths, open up your shoulders, then smile,” she says. “And not one of these ‘please don’t kill me’ smiles. Then choose three friendly faces in the ______, people you would communicate with and make music to, and make eye contact with them.”She doesn’t want performers to think of the audience as a judge.

Extreme demands by conductors or parents are often ______ stage fright, says Dorothy Delay, a well-known violin teacher. She tells other teachers to demand only what their students are able to achieve. .

When Lynn Harrell was 20, he became the principal cellist of the Cleverland Orchestra, and he suffered extreme stage fright. “There were times when I got so nervous I was sure the audience could see my chest responding to the heartbeat, which was just total ______. I came to a point where I thought, ‘If I have to go through this to play music, I think I’ m going to look for another job.’” Recovery, he said, involved developing humbleness—recognizing that whatever his talent, he was likely to make mistakes, and that an ______ concert was not a disaster.

It is not only ______ artists who suffer, of course. The legendary pianist Vladimir Horowitz’s nerves were famous. The great singer Franco Corelli is another example. “We had to push him on stage,” his partners recalled.

______, success can make things worse. “In the beginning of your career, when you’re scared to death, nobody knows who you are, and they don’t have any ______,” Singer June Anderson said. “There’s less to lose. Later on, when you’re known, people are coming to see you, and they have certain expectations. You have a lot to ______. ” He added, “I never stop being nervous until I’ve sung my last note.”

1.

A．assure

B．cure

C．remind

D．rob

2.

A．anxiety

B．adolescence

C．principle

D．psychology

3.

A．absent

B．blank

C．keen

D．narrow

4.

A．advice

B．choices

C．services

D．education

5.

A．instead of

B．along with

C．such as

D．with regard to

6.

A．definite

B．neutral

C．natural

D．precious

7.

A．ceremony

B．performance

C．lecture

D．rehearsal

8.

A．audience

B．orchestra

C．staff

D．choir

9.

A．at the face of

B．at the root of

C．in favour of

D．in contrast with

10.

A．craze

B．fault

C．failure

D．panic

11.

A．unusual

B．imperfect

C．invalid

D．unpopular

12.

A．talented

B．unknown

C．young

D．experienced

13.

A．Actually

B．Certainly

C．Luckily

D．Similarly

14.

A．appreciation

B．contribution

C．expectation

D．satisfaction

15.

A．learn

B．offer

C．say

D．lose

5 . If you look across the entire lifespan, what you see is an average increase in desirable personality traits（特点）.Psychologists call this the “maturity principle” and it’s comforting to know that, assuming your personality follows a typical course, then the older you get, the maturer you will become. However, it’s not such good news for young adolescents, because at this point, something known as the “disruption hypothesis” kicks in.

Consider a study of Dutch teenagers who completed personality tests each year for six or seven years from 2005. The boys showed a temporary dip in   conscientiousness—orderliness and self-discilpline in early adolescence, and the girls showed a temporary increase in neuroticism—emotional instability. This seems to back up some of the stereotypes we have of messy teen bedrooms and mood swings. Thankfully, this decline in personality is short-lived, with the Dutch data showing that the teenagers’ previous positive traits rebound（反弹）in later adolescence.

Both parents and their teenage children agree that changes occur, but surprisingly, the perceived change can depend on who is measuring, according to a 2017 study of over 2,700 German teenagers. They rated their own personalities twice, at age 11 and age 14, and their parents also rated their personalities at these times. Some differences emerged: for instance, while the teenagers rated themselves as declining in agreeability, their parents saw this decline as much shaper. Also, the teens saw themselves as increasingly extroverted（外向的）, but their parents saw them as increasingly introverted.

This mismatch can perhaps be explained by the big changes underway in the parent-child relationship brought on by teenagers’ growing desire for autonomy and privacy. The researchers point out that parents and teens might also be using different reference points—parents are measuring their teenagers’ traits against a typical adult, while the teenagers are comparing their own traits against those displayed by their peers.

This is in line with several further studies, which also reveal a pattern of a temporary reduction in advantageous traits in early adolescence. The general picture of the teenage years as a temporary personality “disruption” therefore seems accurate. In fact, we’re only just beginning to understand the complex mix of genetic and environmental factors that contribute to individual patterns of personality change.

Studies also offer some clues for how we might create more nurturing environments for teenagers to aid their personality development. This is an approach worth pushing further given that teenage personality traits are predictive of experiences in later life. For instance, one British study of over 4,000 teenagers showed that those who scores lower in conscientiousness were twice as likely to be unemployed later in life, in comparison with those who scored higher.

People focus so much on teaching teenagers facts and getting them to pass exams, but perhaps they ought to pay at least as much attention to helping nurture their personalities.

1. Which of the following can be an example of “disruption hypothesis”?

A．A kindergarten kid cries over a toy.

B．A boy in high school cleans his own room.

C．A teenage girl feels sad for unknown reason.

D．A college graduate feels stressed out by work.

2. According to the study of German teenagers ______.

A．parent give their teens too much automony and privacy

B．teens are more optimistic about their personality changes

C．teens and parents have the same personality rating standard

D．parents and teens can later agree on teens’ personality decline

3. We can infer from the last three paragraphs that ______.

A．teens should pay less attention to their scores in exams

B．developing teens’ personality has a long-term effect in their life

C．people’s success in later life depends on teenage personality traits

D．environmental factors outweigh genetic ones for personality change

4. What is the author’s attitude towards present teenager personality education?

A．Dissatisfied.

B．Approving.

C．Neutral.

D．Cautious.

6 . Hailing from Sweden, “plogging” is a fitness craze that sees participants pick up plastic litter while jogging adding a virtuous, environmentally driven element to the sport. Plogging appears to have started around 2016, but is now going global, due to increasing awareness and __ over plastic levels in the ocean.

The appeal of plogging is its __—all you need is running gear and a bin bag, and the feeling of getting fit while supporting a good cause. By adding regular squats(蹲) to pick up junk and carrying __ to jogging. we can assume the health benefits are increased.

Running and good causes have always gone __ — just think of all the fundraising marathon runners do. But there couldn’t be a more on-trend way of keeping fit than plogging.

Anything that’s getting people out in nature and connecting __ with their environment is a good thing, says Lizzie Carr, an environmentalist who helped set up Plastic Patrol, a nationwide campaign to __ our inland waterways of plastic pollution. There’s been a real __ in the public mindset around plastics, helped by things like Blue Planet highlighting how disastrous the crisis is,” she says.

We need to keep momentum high and the pressure up, and empower people through __ like plogging and Plastic Patrol.

The plastic Patrol app allows users to __ plastic anywhere in the world by collecting discarded items, photographing them and __ to the app, giving us a better knowledge of what sorts of plastic and which brands are being thrown out. “I’d urge all ploggers to get involved,” adds Carr.

Plogging isn’t the first fitness trend to combine running with a good cause, Here are some of our favourites:

Good Gym

Its idea is simple: go for a run, visit an elderly person, have a chat and some tea, and run back.

__ among the elderly is a growing problem in the UK. With over 10,000 runs so far, __, Good Gym is finding a solution.

Guide Running

Guide runners volunteer their time to helping blind people get __. By linking themselves together, the __ —impaired individual can feel safe while both work of a sweat.

___for the Homeless

Start-up Stuart Delivery and the Church Housing Trust collaborated last year in bringing clothing and healthy food to the homeless. Deliveries are mostly made by bike, so those who deliver keep fit while helping rough sleepers(无家可归者).

1.

A．satisfaction

B．hesitation

C．fear

D．control

2.

A．complexity

B．simplicity

C．instrument

D．expense

3.

A．substance

B．responsibility

C．value

D．weight

4.

A．one on one

B．head to toe

C．hand in hand

D．on and off

5.

A．positively

B．neutrally

C．objectively

D．fairly

6.

A．accuse

B．rid

C．assure

D．rob

7.

A．shift

B．interest

C．aid

D．delight

8.

A．motives

B．performances

C．exercises

D．initiatives

9.

A．eliminate

B．map

C．seek

D．degrade

10.

A．leading

B．devoting

C．ending

D．uploading

11.

A．Disappointment

B．Tiredness

C．Sickness

D．Loneliness

12.

A．therefore

B．moreover

C．however

D．instead

13.

A．excited

B．ready

C．active

D．smart

14.

A．visually

B．audibly

C．visibly

D．sensibly

15.

A．Running

B．Plogging

C．Driving

D．Cycling

7 . The notion of building brand personality is promoted by Starbucks as a part of company culture to embed meaning in their products and thus attract more customers.

Starbucks literally changed the definition of “a good cup of coffee”. For Starbucks, the brand had three elements: coffee, ________ and stores. Strict control over the quality and processing of the beans ________ that the coffee would be of the highest possible quality. Outstanding store personnel were employed and trained in coffee knowledge and ________ service. Store design, atmosphere and aroma (浓香) all ________ the “Starbucks Experience”.

Almost all Starbucks stores were corporately owned and controlled. Starbucks prided itself on the “Starbucks Experience”, ________ coffee to provide a unique experience for its customers.

_____ those traditional coffee houses providing you with the grab-and-go service, Starbucks provides you with more than coffee. You get great people, first-rate music, a comfortable and upbeat meeting place, and ________ advice on brewing excellent coffee at home. At home you’re part of a family. At work you’re part of a company. And somewhere in between is a place where you can sit back and be yourself. That’s what a Starbucks store has been ________ to creating for its customers — a kind of “third place” where they can ________, reflect, read, chat or listen.

The green Starbucks logo is a mermaid that looks like the end of the double image of the sea. It was designed by Terry Heckler, who got the ________ from the wooden statue of the sea. Mermaid logo also ________ original and modern meanings: her face is very simple, but with modern abstract forms of packaging; the middle is black and white, the only color on the outside surrounded by a circle.

Starbucks makes the typical American culture gradually broken down into elements of ______: the visual warmth, hearing the way, smelling the aroma of coffee and so on. Just think, through the huge glass windows, watching the crowded streets, ________ sipping a coffee flavor, which is in line with the “Yapi”, the feeling of experience in the ________ life.

But the ________ of Starbucks is not about the coffee, although it’s great coffee. Coffee is only a carrier. Coffee consumption, to a great extent, is an emotional and cultural level of consumption.

1.

A．people

B．managers

C．customers

D．clients

2.

A．assured

B．promised

C．ensured

D．predicted

3.

A．emergency

B．environment

C．employment

D．customer

4.

A．consisted of

B．benefited from

C．contributed to

D．headed for

5.

A．going beyond

B．coming across

C．making up

D．depending on

6.

A．With regard to

B．In addition to

C．Compared with

D．In terms of

7.

A．general

B．reasonable

C．legal

D．fascinating

8.

A．committed

B．alerted

C．subjected

D．required

9.

A．negotiate

B．perform

C．conceal

D．escape

10.

A．imagination

B．inspiration

C．patent

D．philosophy

11.

A．creates

B．cultivates

C．credits

D．conveys

12.

A．brand

B．logo

C．possession

D．experience

13.

A．greedily

B．gently

C．persistently

D．indifferently

14.

A．busy

B．easy

C．miserable

D．energetic

15.

A．product

B．vision

C．essence

D．importance

8 . Everyone knows that taxation is necessary in a modern state: without it , it would not be possible to pay the soldiers and policemen who protect us; _____ the workers in government offices who   _____ our health, our food, our water, and all the other things that we cannot do for ourselves. _____ taxation, we pay for things that we need just as much as we need somewhere to live and something to eat.

_______ everyone knows that taxation is necessary, different people have different ideas about ________ taxation should be arranged.

In most countries, a direct tax on _____, which is called income tax, exists. It is arranged in such a ______ that the poorest people pay nothing, and the percentage of tax grows ______ as the taxpayer’s income grows. In some countries, for example, the tax on the richest people goes up as high as ninety-five per cent!

And countries with taxation nearly ____ have indirect taxation too. Many things imported into the country have to pay taxes or “duties” Of course, it is the men and women who buy these imported things in the shops _____. really have to pay the duties, in the ______ of higher prices. In some countries, ______, there is a tax on things sold in the shops. If the most necessary things are taxed, a lot of money is ______ but the poor people suffer most. If unnecessary things ______ jewels and fur coats are taxed, less money is obtained but the tax is _______ as the rich pay it.

Probably this last kind of indirect tax, together with a direct tax on incomes which is low for the poor and high for the rich, is the best arrangement.

1.

A．nor

B．neither

C．never

D．not

2.

A．look into

B．look over

C．look after

D．look through

3.

A．In accordance with

B．By means of

C．With reference to

D．On account of

4.

A．If

B．When

C．Though

D．As

5.

A．when

B．how

C．why

D．which

6.

A．persons

B．sectors

C．communities

D．classes

7.

A．form

B．way

C．measure

D．method

8.

A．quicker

B．speedier

C．more

D．larger

9.

A．periodically

B．almost

C．often

D．always

10.

A．which

B．who

C．what

D．whom

11.

A．manner

B．form

C．means

D．way

12.

A．either

B．also

C．too

D．often

13.

A．lent

B．saved

C．borrowed

D．collected

14.

A．alike

B．like

C．as

D．for

15.

A．heavier

B．fairer

C．finer

D．better

9 . Globalization: Good or Bad?

Globalization is defined in many ways .One simple _______is that it is the rapid increase in international free trade, investment, and technological exchange. It is argued that this international trade has been one of the main causes of world economic _______over the past half century. Although there is little doubt that the global economy has developed enormously in the last 50 years, some people believe that this trend has only benefited certain countries, and that others have suffered as a result.

Improved income?

An argument_______globalization is that the benefits of increased international trade are shared among everyone in the country. An example of this is China, where per capita income(人均收入)rose from about $1400 in 1980 to over $4000 by 2000._________per capita income rose by over 100% in India between 1980 and 1996. It would appear that countries which open their doors to world trade tend to become_________ .

However, these sorts of_______might not be giving a true picture. They are “average”, and despite the fact that there has been a substantial increase in income for a small minority of people, the vast majority have only seen a_________improvement.

More imports, more exports

Supporters of free trade point out that there is another direct benefit to be gained from an increase in international trade: exports_________imports. Take coffee as an example. Countries which produce and export coffee import the packaging for it: a(n) _______ trade which enables commerce to develop in two countries at the same time.

__________ maintain that, in general, it is poorer countries that produce and export food such as coffee, and richer countries that produce and export manufactured goods such as packaging materials. Furthermore, it is the richer countries that control the price of good and, __________, farmers may be forced to sell their produce at a low price and to buy manufactured goods at a high price.

__________development

Finally, globalization often__________   a country to concentrate on industries which are already successful. These countries develop expertise(专门技能)and increase their share in the international market. On the other hand, those countries which__________ to support all their industries usually do not develop expertise in any one. Consequently, these countries do not find a world market for their goods and do not increase their gross domestic product(GDP).

Anti-globalists claim that there is a serious problem in this argument for the __________ of industry. Countries which only concentrate on one or two main industries are forced to import other goods. These imported good are frequently overpriced, and these countries, therefore, have a tendency to accumulate huge debts.

1.

A．indication

B．principle

C．definition

D．factor

2.

A．systems

B．solution

C．crisis

D．growth

3.

A．in favor of

B．on account of

C．with regard to

D．in honour of

4.

A．Fortunately

B．Similarly

C．Undoubtedly

D．Unusually

5.

A．freer

B．greater

C．stronger

D．wealthier

6.

A．figures

B．descriptions

C．countries

D．benefits

7.

A．severe

B．slight

C．further

D．general

8.

A．overtake

B．qualify

C．fight

D．require

9.

A．two-way

B．all-inclusive

C．official

D．legal

10.

A．Supporters

B．Advocates

C．Critics

D．Authorities

11.

A．otherwise

B．nevertheless

C．therefore

D．besides

12.

A．Global

B．Industrial

C．National

D．Economical

13.

A．encourages

B．restricts

C．forbids

D．forces

14.

A．stop

B．continue

C．fail

D．refuse

15.

A．globalization

B．transformation

C．specialization

D．identification

10 . The modern Olympic Games, founded in 1896, began as contests between individuals, rather than among nations, with the hope of promoting world peace through sportsmanship. In the beginning, the games were open only to _______. An amateur is a person whose involvement in an activity - from sports to science or the arts - is purely for ________. Amateurs, whatever their contributions to a field, expect to receive no form of compensation; professionals, ________, perform their work in order to earn a living.

From the perspective of many athletes, ________, the Olympic playing field has been far from fair. Restricting the Olympics to amateurs has excluded the participation of many who could not afford to be _______. Countries have always desired to send their best athletes, not their ________ ones, to the Olympic Games.

A slender and imprecise line separates what we call “financial support” from “earning money.” Do athletes “earn money” if they are reimbursed for travel expenses? What if they are paid for time lost at work or if they accept free clothing from a manufacturer or if they teach sports for a living? The runner Eric Liddell was the son of poor missionaries; in 1924 the British Olympic Committee ________ his trip to the Olympics, where he won a gold and a bronze medal. College scholarships and support from the United States Olympic Committee made it possible for American track stars Jesse Owens and Wilma Rudolph and speed skater Dan Jansen to train and compete. When the Soviet Union and its allies joined the games in 1952, the ________ of amateur became still less clear. Their athletes did not have to ________ work and training because as citizens in communist regimes, their government financial support was not considered payment for jobs.

In 1971 the International Olympic Committee (IOC) ________ the word amateur from the rules, making it easier for athletes to find the ________ necessary to train and compete. In 1986, the IOC allowed professional athletes into the games.

There are those who ________ the disappearance of amateurism from the Olympic Games. For them the games ________ something special when they became just another way for athletes to earn money. Others say that the designation(命名) of amateurism was always ________; they argue that all competitors receive so much financial support as to make them paid professionals. Most agree, however, that the ________ over what constitutes(组成) an amateur will continue for a long time.

1.

A．amateurs

B．professionals

C．men

D．women

2.

A．survival

B．fame

C．profit

D．pleasure

3.

A．at all costs

B．by contrast

C．as a result

D．at first

4.

A．however

B．therefore

C．furthermore

D．instead

5.

A．punished

B．trained

C．unpaid

D．educated

6.

A．youngest

B．smartest

C．strongest

D．wealthiest

7.

A．booked

B．extended

C．financed

D．cancelled

8.

A．value

B．definition

C．origin

D．use

9.

A．balance

B．begin

C．change

D．restrict

10.

A．restored

B．created

C．removed

D．studied

11.

A．field

B．support

C．organization

D．team

12.

A．regret

B．investigate

C．explain

D．welcome

13.

A．displayed

B．carried

C．retain

D．lost

14.

A．reasonable

B．questionable

C．unbelievable

D．valuable

15.

A．debate

B．complaint

C．concern

D．inquiry