1 . Upgrade your problems

In 2017, I spent all my money buying my first flat — which meant I had no money to fix my first homeowner’s problem. I was sleeping on an air mattress because I couldn’t afford furniture. Then I noticed a leaky pipe under the bath, which created a wet puddle (水坑). I couldn’t afford a plumber (水管工) but I didn’t want to introduce myself to the neighbour by crashing through their wet ceiling.

The only option left for me was that I had to solve the problem on my own. I took the bus to a nearby store and talked with the nice guy behind the counter. He explained how to fix it and sold me a pipe cutter and a bit of pipework. I went back home, pushed my head under the bath, and got the job done.

It taught me a lesson that has since become a bit of motto for me: Upgrade your problems.

Having a wet bathroom floor is a problem — and the day before I bought the place, I would have had a landlord to call. But once the place was mine, this became my problem. I saw this as progress: You must own your own property to take care of this sort of situation.

Years later, when I founded my professional services company with my business partner, Adam, this motto became core to how we approach the business. There have been many problems, and there will continue to be new ones. However, we remember the reason we have these problems — it’s because we run our own business! A late-paying customer is a problem, but it’s one we encounter only if we have paying customers.

That is why I still keep the pipe cutter on my desk today. It reminds me that, no matter my level of frustration (挫败), I am fortunate to face the problems I do. The more I solve them, the more I upgrade to even better ones.

1. What did the author notice in his first flat?
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2. How did the author solve his problem with the bath?
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3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
The author still keeps the pipe cutter on his desk today because it reminds him of his success in business.
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4. What else would you do when you encounter problems in life? (In about 40 words)
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2 . 但这就是我的做事风格，不管做什么我都会全力以赴。（汉译英）

3 . 为了实现我想要的一切，我必须好好利用时间。(汉译英)

4 . 他想知道他的优势在哪。（汉译英）

5 . 阿里巴巴不仅成为了世界上最大的在线销售公司，还改变了人们的购物习惯。（汉译英）

6 . 但是和真正的社会损失相比，个人的愤怒和焦虑根本不值一提。(过去分词短语作状语)(汉译英)

7 . 课文背诵检测

In the 1400s and 1500s, Peru was the centre of the powerful ancient Inca Empire. The Inca emperor lived in the     1     Machu Picchu. Spain took control of Peru in the 16th century and ruled until 1821. It is for this reason that Spanish is the main     2     of Peru.

Michael Jordan, known as “Air Jordan”, changed basketball with his graceful moves and jumps. His skills were impressive, but the     3     that he showed made him unique.

Tangshan started to revive itself and     4    . With strong support from the government and the     5     of the city’s people, a new Tangshan was built upon the earthquake ruins.

8 . 假设你是红星中学高一学生李华。在寒假即将到来之际，你的英国笔友Tom来信询问你的假期计划，请你给他回信，根据以下要点介绍你所规划的假期生活。
form a good living habit     arrange time properly     develop interests and hobbies
注意：1.词数80左右（开头和结尾已给出，但不计入总词数）；
2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Tom,

How are you? The winter holiday is coming.

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Looking forward to hearing from you soon!

Yours truly,

Li Hua

9 . Xiao Ming would like to w________ (挥手) hands to show his delight of completing the race of 42.195 kilometers in Beijing Marathon on November 6^th in 2022. (根据中英文提示填空)

10 . Not every day is going to be great. Not every day is going to be your wedding day, graduation, or birthday. We have our routines; we go to school and meet a lot of the same people. Usually long periods of time in our lives are devoted to doing a specific set of things. The stress of life can disconnect us from our surroundings and make it easier to lose touch with our need and emotions.     1    

Essentially, casual magic is practicing the habit of seeing the beauty in small moments of mundane (单调的) life.     2     In a study that investigated what this does to your mood, 282 participants were observed on the positive effect of something they did. Researchers found that being present and focusing on positive moments gave a higher positive effect and resulted in a higher life satisfaction.

    3     Have you ever walked through a patch of forest or seen the sunshine over rooftops and noticed how vibrant the colors were? Or have you ever felt a breeze on the side of your face? You just need to learn how to treasure and enjoy these moments.

Now this is not to say that life shouldn’t be negative and that we should just ignore all the bad things that happen in life.     4     Such emotion may be a sign that it is time to propel change and growth. Negative things should be considered to be opportunities for learning and should not be dwelled upon.

Hence, I urge you to try it.     5     Appreciate something small: the sunlight resting on a window curtain, how green the leaves are, the happiness of laughing with a friend, the taste of an ice-cream. Not every day is going to be the best day of your life; but it can still be special.

A．However, casual magic is the road to happiness.

B．To prevent this, apply the concept of casual magic.

C．An adequate example to practice casual magic is nature.

D．Casual magic instead allows us to listen to and examine any negative feeling.

E．Put aside your screen, be present and give yourself a chance to find that special moment.

F．We should learn from negative things and move on to appreciating moments of casual magic.

G．It is centered around curiosity and focuses the energy on observing and reflecting on the little things.