1 . Research suggests that confidence is important to health and psychological well-being. But developing and maintaining confidence isn’t easy and it’s an easy thing to lose when you feel like you’ve failed or made a mistake.     1    .

Stop Comparing Yourself to Others

Do you compare how you look to people around you? Or do you compare your salary to what your friend earns? Making comparisons is natural. But it isn’t likely to help boost your self-confidence.     2    . When you notice that you are drawing comparisons, remind yourself that doing so isn’t helpful. Everyone is running their own race and life isn’t a competition.

Surround Yourself With Positive People

The people you spend time with can influence your thoughts and attitudes about yourself, perhaps more than you realize.     3    . If you feel bad about yourself after hanging out with a particular person, it may be time to say goodbye. Instead, surround yourself with people who love you and want the best for you.

    4    

Self-talk that is optimistic can help you overcome self-doubt and take on new challenges. The next time you begin to think that you have no business speaking up in a meeting or that you are too out-of-shape to work out, remind yourself that your thoughts aren’t always accurate. Then find a way to turn those thoughts around into more positive self-talk.

Set Realistic Goals

The more you achieve your goals, the greater your confidence in yourself and your abilities. To set realistic goals, write down what you want to achieve.     5    . If the answer is slim to none, the goal may be a bit too high. Dial (调整) it back so it is more realistic and more achievable.

A．Be Kind to Yourself

B．Practice Positive Self-Talk

C．It may even have the opposite effect

D．So, pay attention to how others make you feel

E．Next, ask yourself what chance you have of achieving it

F．Here are a few positive effects of learning how to be confident

G．Fortunately, there are several ways you can increase your self-confidence

2 . My first job at KCRW was Ruth Seymour’s assistant. Soon after, I became Assistant General Manager and worked closely with her for 16 years. Therefore, I have had the opportunity to observe her and the enormous impact she had on KCRW and the other radio stations.

Ruth did nothing conventionally and nothing she created was a reaction to anything. She created KCRW not to gain the most listeners or to win any awards but to be an intellectual force for arts, culture and smart ideas. She wanted to start the conversation, not just contribute to it.

Ruth had the highest artistic standards, which is why KCRW aired radio dramas like the 10-hour Babbitt and 30-hour Ulysses. She created Jewish Short Stories From Eastern Europe and Beyond in two audio collections that featured famous actors reading the work of Jewish authors like Sholem Aleichem, Philip Roth and Isaac Bashevis Singer. KCRW sold more of those collections than anything else in our history.

Ruth went to a newsstand every day and read articles from New York Times, word for word, on the air at noon because ordinary people couldn’t easily get that paper then. She discovered people who matched her intellect at dinners or parties and gave them on-air shows on journalism, literature, film, art, theater, travel, dance or music.

She said it best, “I wanted to do the program as an act of love and respect.”

When she came to KCRW in 1977, she found herself building the station in a junior high classroom right off the playground. Now KCRW could be heard across Los Angeles. Most powerfully, the radio format (总体安排) she created continues to be used by radio stations — news of the day, debates of ideas, art, artists, food, literature and film.

Outspoken and fearless women leaders were rare in the 1960s and 1970s — in fact, women couldn’t get credit cards apart from their husbands until 1974 — which is why her achievements are so singular.

1. Why did Ruth broadcast Ulysses and Babbitt?

A．The listeners loved them.

B．They were award-winning works.

C．The authors were her friends.

D．They were artistically important.

2. What does the sixth paragraph mainly focus on?

A．Ruth’s widely-felt influence

B．Ruth’s hard working conditions.

C．Inspiration of Ruth’s programs.

D．The variety of Ruth’s radio formats.

3. What does the word “singular”, underlined in the last paragraph mean?

A．Strange.

B．Reproducible.

C．Remarkable.

D．Lasting.

4. How is the text mainly developed?

A．By making comparisons.	B．By listing examples.
C．By following time order.	D．By conducting surveys.

3 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头请续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

When Emily was 16, she had a dream of becoming a professional singer, a dream that was as bright as the stars in the night sky. Emily’s parents, though supportive, often reminded her of the importance of her studies. This made Emily feel torn (为难) between her passion and her responsibilities

Each day, Emily trained herself for hours. She would sing in the mirror, imagining every audience was fully attracted by her singing. The sound of her voice filled the empty room, giving Emily a sense of purpose and fulfillment (成就感).

When she learned about the local singing competition, Emily felt a spark of excitement in her heart. She chose a song that reflected her emotional journey and practised it over and over again. The lyrics spoke to her heart, allowing her to relive (回味) moments of joy, heartbreak and growth.

Finally came the day of the competition. With butterflies in her stomach, Emily could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she walked onto the stage. As the music began, Emily closed her eyes and let her voice flow out. She could hear the audience gasp (倒吸气) as she hit the high notes, and she felt a sense of connection with them that she had never experienced before.

注意：1. 续写词数应为80词左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答；
3. 写作提示：第一段可写出 Emily比赛时的表现；第二段可写出 Emily 获奖后的表现和感悟。

As she sang, Emily’s emotions poured out.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

When the judges announced Emily as the winner, she felt a wave of joy washing over her.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4 . Fun Fall Weekend Getaways

Gulf Shores, Alabama

Alabama’s Gulf Shores is attractive year-round, but the fall months bring fewer crowds and more affordable prices on hotels. Head to Gulf Shores for warm ocean waters and lovely whites and beaches that you may have all to yourself. There’s also plenty to do at this beach destination outside of playing in the sand and surfing. For example, you can visit a downtown music bar.

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Albuquerque’s amazing landscapes provide an enjoyment for visitors year-round. However, visiting in fall allows you to enjoy the famous Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, which takes place in October. Book a trip in early October to see hundreds of brightly colored balloons dot the sky—you can even take a balloon ride yourself. Because this hot air balloon festival is such a popular event, you’ll want to secure accommodations well in advance.

Laconia, New Hampshire

You may not have heard of Laconia before. This small New Hampshire city is mostly known for its incredible fall festivals. Perhaps you’ve heard the famous New Hampshire Pumpkin Festival, which takes place here in late October. Plan a weekend getaway to check out the amazing display of jack-o’-lanterns, live music, the Children’s Costume Parade, a cornhole tournament and more.

Shenandoah National Park, Virginia

Located around 75 miles southwest of the nation’s capital is Shenandoah National Park, a great place for leaf peeping(赏叶) and exploring the outdoors in autumn. This national park has more than 200, 000 acres of forest, waterfalls, flower fields and plenty of wildlife. For example, you can spot black bears, deer and birds throughout the national park.

1. What can tourists do in Alabama’s Gulf Shores?

A．Enjoy whites and beaches.

B．See beautiful fallen leaves.

C．Attend pumpkin exhibitions.

D．Watch the Children’s Costume Parade.

2. Why are people advised to travel to Albuquerque in fall?

A．There are fewer tourists.	B．There is a famous balloon festival.
C．They can take a balloon ride for free.	D．They can save money during the trip.

3. Which place should you visit if you are interested in wildlife?

A．Gulf Shores.	B．Albuquerque.
C．Laconia.	D．Shenandoah National Park.

5 . The teenager likes exploring nature. (变成否定句)
The teenager________exploring nature.

6 . I watch TV every day.(变成一般疑问句)
________ ________ watch TV every day?

7 . Four Cool Languages

Chinese

Around 1.4 billion people speak Chinese. Chinese is a tonal (声调的) language, meaning that changing the tone of just one syllable (音节) can affect a word’s meaning. Chinese writing has ancient roots, which is thought to have developed starting around 2000 B. C.

Arabic

Over 370 million people speak Arabic. Written Arabic uses a cursive-style font (连笔) that looks more like artworks than writing. Arabic is written from right to left rather than left to right, making it different from many other languages.

English

Around 379 million people speak English as a native language. It’s an official language in a huge number of other countries.

English is the most widely spoken second language, with over a billion people speaking it as a non-native language. That means around twice as many people speak English as a second language than people who speak it as a first language.

Italian

Nearly 68 million people speak Italian. If you play music or sing, chances are that you already know a lot of Italian because many familiar musical terms are actually Italian.

Not only will learning Italian help you pick up vocabulary, but it will also help you understand the meanings of musical terms in greater depth.

1. What is a feature of Arabic?

A．It doesn’t have cursive-style fonts.	B．It helps artists with their artworks.
C．It is written from right to left.	D．It is closely related to music.

2. Which language is the most widely used as a second language in the world?

A．Arabic.

B．English.

C．Chinese.

D．Italian.

3. What’s the number of people who speak Italian?

A．Nearly 68 million.	B．Around 370 million.
C．Over 379 million.	D．Around 1.4 billion.

8 . 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。

Emojis are widely used in our daily lives and have become     1     important way of communication. The first emojis were created in 1999 by Japanese designer Shigetaka Kurita,     2     worked on a mobile Internet platform     3     (call) i-mode. Kurita attempted to develop a simple way for people     4     (express) emotions in short text messages.

As emojis gained     5     (popular), they faced a significant technical hurdle (障碍) : early emojis could not     6     (send) across different mobile platforms, since there was no standardized encoding (编码). This issue was resolved in 2010 by the Unicode Consortium, an organization responsible     7     maintaining a standardized encoding of text and symbols across platforms. This allowed for cross-platform communication and continued expansion in emoji usage worldwide.

Given     8     (they) origins in Japan, many early emoji characters were reflective of Japanese culture. As they’ve spread     9     (global), new characters have been added to account for cultural differences and provide a more universal means of communication. Users must also consider cultural sensitivities when     10     (communicate) via emojis, as certain symbols can have hugely different meanings across different cultures.

9 . 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。

I walk into Prince’s Hot Chicken, and order hot fried chicken legs. “Oh, enjoy it,” says the hostess. Her reply is a commonly     1     (hear) Southern expression.

My chicken arrives and is too hot     2     (touch), but I don’t care about it. As I take a bite, the taste hits my mouth. It’s     3     (horrible) spicy. There’s sweetness before the heat hits. The taste is surprisingly amazing, as the spices dance inside my mouth. Although I’m sweating (出汗), I can’t stop     4     (eat).

How does a dish so challengingly hot become well-received? Like so many Southern foods, fried chicken has a long history. Hot chicken first appeared in the 1930s, when a man     5     is named James Thornton Prince     6     (begin) serving it at his BBQ Chicken Shack.

After a few years,     7     restaurant moved close to the Ryman Auditorium, where it became popular     8     the city’s country music stars. In the following years, Prince relocated his restaurant several times around the city, eventually changing     9     (it) name to Prince’s Hot Chicken in 1980, when André Prince Jeffries, his great-niece (侄女), took over.

These days, you’ll find hot chicken all over the city. I feel at home with the     10     (taste) food as it is a symbol of the city’s culture.

10 . Their father passed away, their mother is laid off, and the family has no heat in their house as the winter sets in. This is just one of the _________ stories that social workers in Northwest Suburban High School District 214 have _________.

Sometimes the solution is _________, like paying for a couple of nights’ stay at a local hotel, or providing a gift card to buy _________. When social workers are able to _________ that good news, there’s a sense of relief (宽慰), and usually tears from students and their parents who are _________ difficult times. “It’s things that we wouldn’t even think of, but for the family it is a big _________,” said Raymundo Galarza, a social worker with 214 Cares.

_________ in District 214 three years ago, 214 Cares is here to stay, now addressing _________ needs of students and their families, from helping pay the rent to putting food on the table. But the needs have __________, so social workers are trying to __________ the 214 Cares fund (专款) by calling on people to donate (捐赠) money.

“There have been other needs that have come forward, like medical costs for students,” said Michael Happ, the program’s director. “So there’s a real __________ for us to have a fund, which is trustworthy, and __________ by the community. People know they can give __________ to 214 Cares and it will go to help those kids and their families __________ in our community.”

1.

A．shocking

B．pleasant

C．strange

D．unique

2.

A．led to

B．come across

C．worked out

D．made up

3.

A．fun

B．real

C．risky

D．simple

4.

A．medicine

B．tools

C．food

D．houses

5.

A．miss

B．track

C．deliver

D．prefer

6.

A．concentrating on

B．going through

C．wondering at

D．finding out

7.

A．deal

B．lesson

C．game

D．loss

8.

A．Refused

B．Burned

C．Founded

D．Ignored

9.

A．digital

B．unusual

C．informal

D．various

10.

A．grown

B．hidden

C．shown

D．ended

11.

A．buy

B．report

C．increase

D．describe

12.

A．chance

B．hunger

C．pity

D．excuse

13.

A．replaced

B．questioned

C．disliked

D．recognized

14.

A．respect

B．money

C．humour

D．water

15.

A．in need

B．in patience

C．in peace

D．in control