1 . Influential people have a great impact on everyone they encounter. Yet, they achieve this only because they exercise so much influence from inside, on themselves. Their focused pursuit of excellence is driven by five habits that you can follow and absorb until your influence expands (扩大):

1. They think for themselves.

Influential people aren’t affected by the latest trend or by public opinion.     1     They’re more than willing to change their mind according to facts, but they aren’t influenced by what other people think, only by what they know.

2. They welcome disagreement.

Influential people do not react emotionally to different opinions.     2     They’re humble (谦逊的) enough to know that they don’t know everything and that someone else might see something they missed. And if that person is right, they accept the idea wholeheartedly because they care more about the result than being right.

3. They are proactive (主动出击的).

Influential people don’t wait for things like new ideas and new technologies to find them; they seek those things out.     3     They see what’s coming because they intentionally look for it.

4. They respond rather than react.

If someone criticizes an influential person for making a mistake, or if someone else makes a mistake, influential people don’t react immediately and emotionally. They wait. They think.     4     Influential people know how important relationships are, and they won’t let an emotional overreaction harm theirs.

5. They believe.

    5     They believe in their power to achieve their dreams, and they believe others share that same power. They believe that nothing is out of reach.

A．Instead, they welcome them.

B．And then they deliver a proper response.

C．Influential people always expect the best.

D．They’re influential because they see what’s coming.

E．They form their opinions carefully, based on the facts.

F．They never believe that one person can change the world.

G．They fight back against these critics as hard as they could.

2 . A new study from researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles(UCLA)seems to suggest busy students listening to sped-up video lectures can actually understand a lot.

In the experiment, Alan Castel and a Dillon Murphy divided 231 undergraduate participants into four groups. Each group watched two video lectures: one about the Roman Empire and the other on real estate appraisals (房地产评估). The videos, at normal speed, ranged hetween13 and 15 minutes long. One group watched each video at its normal speed, the second watched them at 1.5 times normal speed, the third at double speed and the fourth at 2.5 times normal speed.

After each individual video, the participants were given a test made up of 20 questions to measure how well they remembered the information. The normal-speed group averaged 26 correct answers out of 40, and were closely followed by the 1.5-speed group and double-speed group, which each scored 25 out of 40. It wasn’t until participants watched the video at 2.5-speed that their performance on the test significantly dropped, to an average of 22 out of 40 questions answered correctly. A week later, when the same participants took new tests without rewatching the videos, the new scores saw the same order of decrease (降低).

The study suggests that, while sped-up videos did not improve student learning comprehension (理解力), they did not put them far behind, either —at least until the speed reached 2.5 times normal speed..

The increase in efficiency that students get from finishing a video in half the time could allow them to take more effective notes. “Students can spend the same amount of time studying, but in perhaps a better way,” Murphy said “That opens the door to the potential benefits of that additional study opportunity.”

The videos in the study were for subjects that can be explained in words pretty easily, Murphy explained, whereas students watching a difficult physics or chemistry lecture at high speeds might see different results. Further research on the same topic could provide details on how well students remember information offered at higher speeds when it comes to those kinds of more challenging topics, the researchers said.

1. Which best describes how the participants watched the two videos?

A．The first group watched videos at different speeds.

B．The second group watched the two videos twice.

C．The third group watched for less than 15 minutes.

D．The fourth group watched for more than 40 minutes.

2. What did the experiment show?

A．The normal-speed watchers did no better than other groups.

B．Sped-up videos sometimes affected only a little to the watchers.

C．There were great differences among the 4 groups in the testing result.

D．The content of the video made no difference in the experiment.

3. What is Murphy’s attitude to watching video lectures at higher speeds?

A．Critical.

B．Curious.

C．Doubtful.

D．Supportive.

4. What might the researchers at UCLA do in their future studies?

A．Give participants more difficult tests after they watch videos.

B．Observe the effects of watching videos at lower speeds.

C．Let participants watch videos of more complex topics.

D．Ask students from various majors to watch videos.

3 . For 18 years, I’ve feared the yearly event of writing a “vision statement (愿景宣言)” for our son, Ethan. He has autism (自闭症). In theory, the vision statement is a lovely idea — an opportunity for parents to express the future they plan for their child five years down the road. In reality, as Ethan grew up and his limitations became clearer, I found it harder every year to write the short paragraph.

This year, as Ethan completed his final year in the school system, we signed Ethan up to work at a local farm that employs young adults with disabilities assuming it would go the way he always has. He’d be interested at first, then bored, and then — because he was bored — silly and unsafe around the equipment in a way that would get him removed from the program. It was his pattern and if there’s anything we’ve learned, autistic kids love repeating their patterns.

Surprisingly, after a year, we were told he’d made it onto a landscaping team. “What do you do in the team?” we asked. Eth an listed a few machines we assumed he was watching other people operate. We’ve lived with Ethan for 21 years. We know his limitations.

At our last meeting for the vision statement, a man from the farm read a report on Ethan. Ethan was operating those machines, safely and effectively, along with the final line: “Ethan makes us laugh every day.” I could hardly believe it.

Ethan wrote his own vision statement this year. He read it aloud:

“I plan to work at Prospect Meadow Farm until I retire and live. at home with my family as long as I can. My goals for the future are to learn how to drive a lawn mower (割草机).”

I had tears in my eyes. Not simply because Ethan had made his own entirely reasonable vision statement, but because it involved the part of his present life that brings him joy. After years of making up visions for a future we never honestly thought possible, Ethan was offering one that was both hopeful and extremely simple: I want my life to keep looking the way it does NOW.

1. How did the author feel about writing a vision statement for her son?

A．It was difficult.	B．It was boring.
C．It was annoying.	D．It was embarrassing.

2. Why does the author mention Ethan’s pattern in paragraph 2?

A．To show her concern for Ethan’s safety.

B．To show her familiarity with autistic kids.

C．To show her low expectations for Ethan’s farm job.

D．To show her special responsibility as Ethan’s parent.

3. How did Ethan behave on the farm?

A．He went beyond his limits.

B．He made silly mistakes.

C．He liked watching others working.

D．He could hardly get along with others.

4. Which statement will the author probably agree with?

A．Success is built on failure.

B．Never lose faith in your high goals.

C．Family support helps to develop confidence.

D．The future should look like the best parts of the present.

4 . Parkinson’s is a progressive brain disease which leads to shaky hands and slow movement, and there is no cure. Tai Chi, a traditional Chinese martial art that combines (结合) slow, gentle movements with deep breathing and relaxation, may be an effective means of reducing the suffering. Recently, the researchers say that those who practised the martial art twice a week had fewer complications (并发症) and better quality of life than those who didn’t. Experts say the findings back up previous studies on the benefits of exercise for those with Parkinson’s.

The study, from Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, monitored the health of hundreds of Parkinson’s patients for up to five years. One group of 147 people practised regular Tai Chi while another group of 187 did not. The researchers found that the disease progressed more slowly in the Tai Chi group on measurements of symptoms (症状), movement and balance. This group also saw fewer falls, less back pain and dizziness, with memory and concentration problems also lower than in the other group. At the same time, sleep and quality of life continuously improved.

Prof. Alastair Noyce, professor in neurology and neuroepidemiology at Queen Mary University of London, called it “an important study”—the positive effects on aspects of motor (运动的) and non-motor functions are impressive — but said there were limitations in its design, and more tests were needed.

“We already recommend Tai Chi, as well as other forms of exercise, but understanding which forms of exercise are most beneficial is an important goal to improve the long-term management of patients,” he said.

1. Why was the study conducted?

A．To find a cure for Parkinson’s disease.

B．To improve the sleep quality of Parkinson’s patients.

C．To remove the misunderstanding of the previous studies.

D．To research the benefits of Tai Chi for those with Parkinson’s.

2. Which of the following is not the researchers’ finding?

A．Concentration problem was lower in the Tai Chi group.

B．The disease progressed more slowly in the Tai Chi group.

C．Patients in the non-Tai Chi group continuously fell down.

D．Back pain and dizziness were relieved in the Tai Chi group.

3. What can we learn from Prof. Alastair Noyce’s words?

A．Tai Chi should be given more preference.

B．Finding the most beneficial exercise is of importance.

C．It is unnecessary to do more related studies.

D．Improve the long-term management of patients is impossible.

4. What is Prof. Alastair Noyce’s attitude towards the study?

A．Confused.

B．Doubtful.

C．Positive.

D．Worried.

5 . While screen time is known to affect sleep, new research suggests that interactive (互动的) activities, such as texting friends or playing video games, put off and reduce the time spent asleep to a greater degree than passive (被动的) screen time like watching television, especially for teens.

The team studied the daytime screen-based activities of 475 teenagers using daily surveys. They asked the teens how many hours they had spent that day communicating with friends through social media and how many hours they spent playing video games, surfing the internet and watching television or videos. Finally, the researchers asked if they had joined in any of these activities in the hour before bed.

Next, the team measured their sleep time for one week. The researchers found that the teens spent an average of two hours per day communicating with friends via social media, about 1.3 hours playing video games, less than an hour surfing the internet and about 1.7 hours watching television or videos. For every hour throughout the day that they used screens to communicate with friends, they fell asleep about 11 minutes later averagely. For every hour to play video games, they fell asleep about 9 minutes later. Those who talked, texted or played games in the hour before bed lost the most sleep: about 30 minutes later.

Interestingly, David, lead author of the study, said the team found no obvious relations between passive screen-based activities and sleep. “It could be that passive activities are less mentally exciting than interactive activities,” said Anne, co-author of the study. “It’s a tricky situation,” she said. “These screen tools are really important to everyone nowadays, so it’s hard to put a limit on them, but if you’re really looking out for a teenager’s health and well-being, you might consider limiting the more interactive activities, especially in the hour before bed.”

1. Which of the following belongs to interactive screen activities?

A．Seeing movies.	B．Watching videos.
C．Texting friends.	D．Surfing the internet.

2. Who might lose the most sleep according to the text?

A．Lucy who watched a three-hour movie before going to bed.

B．Jack who had a 30-minute video chat with his brother before bed.

C．Sam who played computer games for two hours throughout the day.

D．Amy who chatted with her friends on WeChat for one hour in the morning.

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

A．Frightening.

B．Awkward.

C．Hopeless.

D．Encouraging.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Screen time activities cut down our sleep hours

B．Interactive screen use reduces sleep time in teenagers

C．Passive screen use is better than interactive screen use

D．Parents should prevent children from using social media

6 . Active listening is a communication skill that involves going beyond simply hearing the words that another person speaks but also seeking to understand the meaning and intention behind them. The word “active” implies that you are taking some type of action when listening to others.

    1    

Be fully present

Active listening requires being fully present in the conversation. It enables you to concentrate on what is being said. Being present involves listening with all your senses and giving your full attention to the speaker. To use this active listening technique effectively, put away your cell phone, ignore distractions, and shut down your internal dialogue.     2     And let everything else slip away.

Pay attention to non-verbal cues (非言语暗示)

As much as 65% of a person’s communication is unspoken,     3    . This involves not folding your arms, smiling while listening, leaning in, and nodding at key points. It can also be helpful to pay attention to your facial expressions when active listening so that you don’t convey any type of negative response.

Keep good eye contact

When engaged in active listening, making eye contact is especially important. This tells the other person that you are present and listening to what he or she says.     4     At the same time, you don’t want to use so much eye contact that the conversation feels strange. To keep this from happening, follow the 50/70 rule. This involves maintaining eye contact for 50% to 70% of the time spent listening, holding the contact for four to five seconds before briefly looking away.

Be patient

Patience is an important active listening technique because it allows the other person to speak without interruption. Being patient involves not trying to fill periods of silence with your own thoughts or stories. This also requires listening to understand, not to respond.     5     Also, don’t change the subject too abruptly as this conveys boredom and impatience.

A．Don’t prepare a reply while listening.

B．It also shows that you aren’t distracted.

C．This isn’t helpful during active listening.

D．So use open, non-threatening body language.

E．Don’t focus too much on insignificant details.

F．Place your focus on your conversation partner.

G．This involves using certain strategies or techniques.

7 . How to prepare for a new semester

If you’re a newbie in your final year, it’s a good idea to go into the new semester with a plan. Why?     1    . If you start your semester disorganized and out of your depth, it will be challenging to get a grip on things once classes and other commitments pour in.

    2    

Realistically, you’d need little more than a pen and paper to take notes in class. However, your courses may require special supplies. Make sure you make a list and gather your essentials first. Then you can let your creative juices flow. Markers, glitter pens, sticky notes — it’s up to you.

Set up your study space

A clean, well-organized, and non-distracting workspace is essential for productivity. Set up your study space to be most beneficial to you.     3    .

When choosing your study space, make sure it has enough natural light, or a good light source. Make an estimate of how much surface area you’ll need and organize your space accordingly. You’ll be spending a good part of your week in your study space so make it as comfortable and functional as possible.

Know your class schedule

    4    . Check who your teachers are and find out what they expect from you regarding class participation, attendance, absence, late assignments, etc. Important things to include in your class schedule: course title, teacher, time, location.

From the above we can know that there’s a lot that goes into preparing well for a new semester.     5    , and won’t get caught off guard by important dates, difficult lectures or long assignments.

A．Prepare yourself well

B．Gather your supplies

C．You should check your class schedule to see your tutors’ names

D．Besides, think about what worked during your previous semester and what didn’t

E．The first few days back at school will set the tone for the rest of the semester

F．It’s important to be well prepared so that you can manage your time well

G．You must keep your class schedule somewhere easily accessible

8 . Professionals use the word “amateur” as a disapproving term for those who lack formal training and qualifications. I think such prejudice is a mistake. One day that amateur might just create a new industry.

Typical amateurs are free to invent as they please, try new ideas, fail, and get up and do it all again—but better. As Marshall McLuhan, the media theorist, said: “Amateurs can afford to lose.” They are self-improvers, chasing a dream rather than a laborious, life-long career within a group. Amateurs can do it part-time, for charity or for fun.

Thanks to the Internet, we can all be competent amateurs at almost everything. Now everyone can DIY and experiment—from blogging to film-making to online advice shops. The mysteries, terms and exclusiveness of the self-satisfied old crafts are revealed online for all to see. Besides, the world is vastly more complex now, but that means even the most respected professional needs expert help. The end of the age of authority means we no longer hold elites (精英) such as judges and bankers in such awe. For centuries the club-like professional bodies have taken society in their control, a form of freemasonry (互助协会) for the well-educated and connected.

Charles Leadbeater has written persuasively about the importance of serious amateurs, or “professional amateurs”, who have helped introduce innovations to the mainstream. These passionate amateurs cooperate to give disruptive ideas (颠覆性的观点) possibility. Their constructive ideas contribute to the improvement of mountain bikes. Social enterprises are dominated by enthusiastic amateurs whose priority is to improve the world rather than bill clients. Among the greatest cooperative achievements of the Internet Age have been Wikipedia and Linux. It is surprising there haven’t been more crowded-sourced successes. Perhaps business projects have been too chaotic and lacked the leadership necessary for any complicated project to come to fruition.

Nevertheless, I show my admirations for the armies of gifted amateurs. I don’t deny the importance of education, but I place greater emphasis on results and originality, which are the highlights of amateurism.

1. The advantages of amateurs are listed below except ______.

A．they enjoy more freedom in creation.	B．they can afford the cost of failure.
C．they are the fruit of the Internet Age.	D．they have a wide range of choices.

2. What can be seen in Paragraph 3?

A．The influence of professionals are being challenged.

B．Public opinion is influenced by the small group of elites.

C．Only the competent amateurs can make crafts revealed.

D．Human society has been governed by well-educated groups.

3. How does the author present his point in Paragraph 4?

A．By listing figures.	B．By making comparisons.
C．By explaining causes.	D．By giving examples.

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

A．The Evolution of Amateurism	B．A New Industrial Revolution
C．A Salute to the Amateur	D．The End of Authority Age

9 . The hand-drawn posters kept catching Aviram Cohen’s eye as he walked around his neighborhood in Queens, N.Y. They were colorful advertisements with a distinct style. Cohen, who builds exhibitions in museums and galleries, was eager to uncover who was behind the posters. It wasn’t easy.

“I found them by going from restaurant to restaurant until there was someone that had their phone number,” Cohen, 42, said, adding that he was hoping to ask them to create a sign for his wife’s yoga and Pilates studio in Jackson Heights.

When the artists, Carlos and Miguel Cevallos, met him at his wife’s studio that day in 2018, Cohen was shocked to see two brothers in their 80s, who for decades have spent their days in their shared Manhattan apartment making advertising posters by hand. They had long been relying on word of mouth to attract new clients. Then Cohen suggested they get on social media to preserve their work. “It should be documented so it doesn’t disappear,” Cohen said. Cohen offered to create an Instagram account for the brothers. They were on board with the idea.

The brothers, along with their older brother, Victor, opened a sign shop in Bogota in 1966. Victor taught his younger brothers all he knew about art. After Victor moved to New York in 1969, his brothers eventually followed him. Carlos came first in 1974 and produced posters with Victor in a small art studio in Times Square, and later in Queens. In 2005, Miguel moved to New York. After Victor’s death in 2012, Miguel and Carlos carried on their brother’s legacy(遗产)by continuing to make custom posters. Miguel outlines the letters and images, and Carlos is the colorist.

Recently, the brothers have received requests from potential clients across the United States, as well as internationally. The two have no plans to part with their pens and paintbrushes anytime soon. They intend to make art indefinitely.

1. Why did Cohen try to find the poster designers?

A．To reach out hands for them.

B．To order a sign for his wife’s studio.

C．To collect posters for his exhibitions.

D．To learn the technique of making posters.

2. How did Cohen help the two brothers?

A．He advertised them with posters.

B．He made a documentary for them.

C．He introduced social media to them.

D．He housed them in a downtown apartment.

3. What is the author’s purpose in writing paragraph 4?

A．To show the two brothers’ artistic origins.

B．To present the two brothers’ distinct art styles.

C．To explain why the two brothers’ business is on the rise.

D．To illustrate how the two brothers went through their tough years.

4. What will the two brothers do next?

A．Carry on with their art.

B．Promote their art globally.

C．Pursue their separate interests in art.

D．Attempt to use new tools to do their art.

10 . Wendell Berry was almost 30 when he packed up his life as a writer in New York and moved to Port Royal, a tiny community in Kentucky where generations of his forebears (祖先) had farmed the land. His friends thought he was mad. But he felt it was his inner calling to record the history of the place.

Since moving to Port Royal in 1964, he has lived as if he were in the 19th century, writing by hand and ploughing (耕) his fields with horses. His eight novels and more than 50 short stories are usually set in Port William, a stand-in (替身) for Port Royal. Nick Offerman, an actor, wanted to adapt his work for the screen. However, the actor was refused.

In Mr Berry’s opinion, humans must take care of the earth that grants them life. “The soil is the greatest connector of lives,” he has written. “Without proper care for it, we can have no community.” This philosophy dominates his writings. In The Unsettling of America, published in 1977, Mr Berry criticized the natural damage caused by large agribusinesses. He thinks capitalism has separated farming from culture and disconnected people from nature.

Mr Berry’s fiction explores the decline of sociable values by following Port William’s interconnected clans (家族) as they enter the modern age. In Dismemberment, a short story, Andy Catlett loses a hand to a harvesting machine and becomes a loner. He sees his withdrawal is mistaken and reconnects with the town, finding “the wealth of the family history in his ancestral place (祖籍)”. In Hannah Coulter, Mr Berry’s seventh novel, the main character Hannah Coulter grows old after a sad life and anticipates loneliness when her children leave to find work in the city. Instead, her hope is restored when her grandson returns to run the farm.

These stories offer insightful advice for readers living through ecological disaster. Though few can return to farming basics, Mr Berry’s messages of building communities, being a good neighbour and resisting the invitation of modern life are still valuable. Besides, his mission to find the “peace of wild things” is easily completed by spending a few hours in Port William.

1. Why did Mr Berry’s friends regard him as mad?

A．He moved to live in the countryside.	B．He turned down Offerman’s request.
C．He wrote most of his novels by hand.	D．He gave up his career as a writer.

2. What do Mr Berry’s writings often imply?

A．The challenges of farming in old days.	B．The harmony between man and nature.
C．The real benefits of large agri-businesses.	D．The hard lives of his forebears in Kentucky.

3. What do Catlett and Coulter have in common?

A．Both admire harvesting machines.	B．Both are from the same novel.
C．Both reconnect with the city.	D．Both find sociable values again.

4. What would be the best title for the text?

A．Wendell Berry: adaptation to new environments	B．Wendell Berry: a strong voice for modern farming
C．Wendell Berry: journey to his shining rural tales	D．Wendell Berry: a young productive writer