1 . Do you think I’m insane?

This question came from Elon Musk near the very end of a long dinner we shared at a high-end seafood restaurant in Silicon Valley. I’d gotten to the restaurant first and settled down with a gin and tonic, knowing Musk would—as ever—be late. After about fifteen minutes, Musk showed up. Musk stands six foot one but he is absurdly broad-shouldered and sturdy. You’d figure he would use this frame to his advantage and perform an alpha-male strut (昂首阔步) when entering a room. Instead, he tends to be almost sheepish. His head tilted slightly down while walking, a quick handshake hello after reaching the table, and then butt in seat. From there, Musk needs a few minutes before he warms up and looks at ease.

Musk asked me to dinner for a negotiation of sorts. Eighteen months earlier, I’d informed him of my plans to write a book about him, and he’d informed me of his plans not to cooperate.

His rejection stung but sent me into dogged reporter mode. If I had to do this book without him, so be it. Plenty of people had left Musk’s companies, Tesla Motors and SpaceX, and would talk, and I already knew a lot of his friends. The interviews followed one after another, month after month, and two hundred or so people into the process, I heard from Musk once again. He called me at home and declared that things could go one of two ways: he could make my life very difficult or he could help with the project after all. He’d be willing to cooperate if he could read the book before it went to publication, and could add footnotes (脚注) throughout it. He would not meddle with my text, but he wanted the chance to set the record straight in spots that he deemed factually inaccurate. I understood where this was coming from. Musk wanted a measure of control over his life’s story. He’s also wired like a scientist and suffers mental anguish at the sight of a factual error. A mistake on a printed page would eat away at his soul—forever. While I could understand his perspective, I could not let him read the book, for professional, personal, and practical reasons. Musk has his version of the truth, and it’s not always the version of the truth that the rest of the world shares. He’s prone to lengthy answers to even the simplest of questions as well, and the thought of thirty-page footnotes seemed all too real. Still, we agreed to have dinner, chat all this out, and see where it left us.

1. Why did the author meet up with Elon Musk at the restaurant?

A．Because the alpha male forced him into this appointment.

B．Because his autobiography featured Musk’s legends.

C．Because he relied on this interview for factual accuracy.

D．Because the businessman was willing to help unconditionally.

2. Which statement is appropriate according to the author?

A．Musk’s rejection forced him to give up on interviewing anybody.

B．Many of his former employees resigned because of his bossiness.

C．Musk agreed to cooperate if he could read the book before publication.

D．Musk has behaved in an unconventional way from time to time.

3. What do you think Elon Musk is like based on this excerpt?

A．Dominant and impolite.	B．Creative and outgoing.
C．Shy and obsessive.	D．Caring and generous.

2 . About five days ago, my back started tightening in the middle region. A couple of days ago, I was trapped in my bed, unable to move.     1     So here I was, determined to make an appointment at an Eastern medicine school for my first experience getting acupuncture.

It was a wonderful experience. The room looked no different from a Western medicine examination room.     2     However, it differed from Western medicine in the way they sought to treat me.

    3     I was asked about things in my entire life, from my sleep patterns to my physical processes, to current life stressors. Then the medical student discussed a plan with the doctor. They came back, asked me to lie on my stomach, and started placing the needles. The needles didn’t hurt. I could barely feel their presence.

After they placed the needles, the doctor asked me how I felt. I told her I couldn’t feel any pain.    4     So they left me in the room with a heat lamp for about twenty minutes. This “baking” time was amazing. It was subtle, but strong.     5     When the appointment was over, I felt super relaxed, almost drunk. I would highly recommend this treatment option for anybody who thinks they may benefit.

A．The mysterious ancient healing art of acupuncture was amazing.

B．Chinese medicine tend to regard the patient’s symptoms as a whole.

C．I hated the looks from my doctor for symptoms that Western technology can’t handle perfectly.

D．I felt like I was in an altered state of relaxation, a different dimension, even.

E．The doctor told me to be patient and wait for the needles to take effect.

F．I sat down and discussed my symptoms with the medical student.

G．This actually indicated that I was responding well to the treatment.

3 . Since the first day of preschool, I was always the type to invest more time in my physical war than social activities, the type that _________ the girls who could get up in front of the class and _________ give a presentation. Anything in the area of being vocally confident was never my _________. But now I’m different. Such a change _________ my summer job.

My entire existence has been defined by the summers I’ve spent in Avalon, New Jersey. Then, in my 14th summer, I got a job, which made a _________ to me.

At first it frightened me:The idea of having to _________ my freedom. Not only was the loss of freedom saddening me, but the _________ in me came out to play when I realized that I was going to launch myself into a completely _________ environment.

The place was Brian’s Waffle House. At the beginning I was very nervous, _________ I gradually pushed myself much more and boosted my confidence. I’ve made so many great friends that I’ll __________ contact with even when the Waffle House is long gone. The time in the Brian’s Waffle House is not dull. And every customer is a valuable part of the __________.

My summer job has helped guide me in my own personal growth. Now I __________ to sing in front of a large group of people. And I never miss a __________ to allow my fashionable style to shine. If I hadn’t walked into the shop, I wouldn’t have __________ the social skills I have now. I will be __________ for the lessons and values I have learned forever.

1.

A．ignored

B．convinced

C．envied

D．consulted

2.

A．confidently

B．definitely

C．fortunately

D．secretly

3.

A．expectation

B．strength

C．excuse

D．ambition

4.

A．emerged from

B．departed from

C．suffered from

D．recovered from

5.

A．introduction

B．contribution

C．discovery

D．difference

6.

A．excite

B．possess

C．abandon

D．threaten

7.

A．shyness

B．delight

C．curiosity

D．pressure

8.

A．secure

B．strange

C．formal

D．natural

9.

A．as

B．or

C．but

D．so

10.

A．restore

B．lose

C．establish

D．maintain

11.

A．memory

B．experience

C．incident

D．journey

12.

A．dare

B．fail

C．promise

D．demand

13.

A．goal

B．plan

C．choice

D．chance

14.

A．assessed

B．acquired

C．exercised

D．applied

15.

A．ready

B．eager

C．grateful

D．suitable

4 . Barbara Washburn’s life atop the world’s highest mountains began with a job tip from her mailman in 1939. The position he recommended, as a secretary for Bradford Washburn, director of a museum, didn’t _________ her. She didn’t want to work in that museum and work for a _________ mountain climber.

But a year later, she married that mountain climber. Soon the young woman who had never _________ was standing on the 10,151-foot Mount Bertha “Once we gave u our planned route due to storms and took a step path instead,” she recalled.

Barbara became the first woman to _________ the Mount Hayes in 1941 with Bradford and their team. She took the _________ along a particularly dangerous path, because the team felt she could be _________ enough to be pulled up if the ground broke beneath her. She tried to stay _________ and confident, but she was trembling (发抖) _________as climbing ahead. Fortunately, she didn’t slip and everyone _________ safely behind her.

In 1947, Barbara made the hardest decision during her life—leaving her children at home and climbing Mount McKinley. After __________ nearly two months, she made it, and no woman followed in her __________ for another 20 years. “Climbing Mount: McKinley was not the last __________ of my life,” she said. “__________, my life has been filled with many dangerous journeys.”

Bradford was a trained cartographer (地图制作者), and the couple took on a charting project which look seven years and nearly 700 helicopter trips. They reached Nepal to __________ Mount Qomolongma in 1984. Four years later, the work was __________ and published in National Geographic.

1.

A．appeal to

B．apply to

C．relate to

D．belong to

2.

A．optimistic

B．reliable

C．generous

D．crazy

3.

A．worked

B．camped

C．complained

D．mailed

4.

A．analyse

B．approach

C．top

D．discover

5.

A．opportunity

B．credit

C．risk

D．place

6.

A．light

B．cautious

C．muscular

D．intelligent

7.

A．ambitious

B．out-going

C．warm

D．calm

8.

A．with excitement

B．with fear

C．in desperation

D．in anger

9.

A．observed

B．hid

C．stuck

D．followed

10.

A．struggling

B．debating

C．investigating

D．waiting

11.

A．career

B．trend

C．footsteps

D．guidance

12.

A．memory

B．desire

C．dream

D．adventure

13.

A．Eventually

B．Naturally

C．Actually

D．Fortunately

14.

A．map

B．examine

C．appreciate

D．measure

15.

A．identified

B．accomplished

C．abandoned

D．conducted

5 . It all began when I moved to Dallas in the fourth grade. I ______ that I was behind in my reading at Saint Michael's School. Reading out loud, I had difficulty with half the ______ . My teacher, Mrs. Agnew, said my reading comprehension and ability to ______ words was at a lower level than other fourth graders. She suggested that I be tested for dyslexia(阅读障碍). The test made me feel uncomfortable,and I was ______ to answer the questions, in fear of facing the ______

The test results showed that I had developmental dyslexia. At first I felt discouraged by this diagnosis(诊断) ______ eventually, I became determined to ______ my disability. I got tutors and speech therapy. I would read difficult books, hoping to ______ the confidence I had in myself.

I had finally overcome my learning disability. But even though I had conquered(征服)one of the biggest ______ in my life, I still felt like something was missing.

The missing link was ______ when I walked down the hall of the hospital as a ______ , the same hospital where I had once sat, nervous and confused. Because I felt so lucky to have got so much help from this facility, I wanted to ______ by helping patients here.

One day a little girl in a wheelchair asked me to read a book to her. I read the book very ______ so that she could understand the story. When I left, the girl thanked me for reading to her. Eight years ago I would have ______ to read a book to this little girl, but now I was ______ . I had overcome my disability and was helping others to overcome theirs.

1.

A．declared

B．assumed

C．recommended

D．noticed

2.

A．sentences

B．lectures

C．dictionaries

D．chances

3.

A．choose

B．exchange

C．pronounce

D．write

4.

A．motivated

B．scared

C．confused

D．disappointed

5.

A．treat

B．risk

C．trick

D．failure

6.

A．but

B．so

C．or

D．unless

7.

A．deny

B．lose

C．overcome

D．hide

8.

A．shake

B．share

C．express

D．increase

9.

A．challenges

B．secrets

C．decisions

D．mistakes

10.

A．mentioned

B．filled

C．recommended

D．assessed

11.

A．relative

B．visitor

C．volunteer

D．patient

12.

A．turn away

B．cut in

C．hold on

D．give back

13.

A．properly

B．sincerely

C．slowly

D．softy

14.

A．dared

B．hesitated

C．attempted

D．happened

15.

A．confident

B．independent

C．careful

D．grateful

6 . As a child, Marta was surprisingly creative, painting pictures before she received any formal training. At age 8, she informed me she planned to become a film-maker and stuck to that until, at 17, she and I decided that instead of taking a course in film, she should be apprenticed to a brilliant sound editor, Bruce Nyznik, and his talented associates such as Peter Tilley, with whom I was then working.

Marta's love of trains led to the creation of her first film, Train of Thought, in 1991.After that transition from sound to film, she continued to direct and produce, as well as edit. Her works include Shattered Dreams, a 2006 documentary about a disadvantaged youth in Toronto; The Saviour of Ceylon, a film about the heroism of RCAF officer Leonard Birchall; and the seven - part television series Being 80with Jean Vanier.

Marta was diagnosed with cancer nine years before her death. She saw her cancer as something to be grateful for because it made her concentrate her attention on lasting spiritual realities, rather than the temporary passions that define most of our lives and most of the time.

Marta had worked as an editor and director on more than 30 films with Jean Vanier , the founder of L' Arche, an international organization that assists the developmentally handicapped. So she came to her great trial with some hope that her physical pain could promote spiritual growth. She had had little contact with formal religious practice, so what changed her was having to find the meaning of the cancer that threatened her life.

In her final year or so, she began to write about her experience with cancer and the enlightenment that came with it. She meant to give purpose to her life by helping others. Above all, she wanted her friends and family to share the help she was able to give.

In a conversation shortly before Marta's death, I expressed some discouragement in my life, and she advised me to concentrate on something for which I was grateful.

1. What did Marta do in order to achieve her goal?

A．She decided to pay a visit to Bruce Nyznik.	B．She planned to take a related course.
C．She wanted to learn from a famous sound editor.	D．She hoped to make friends with Peter Tilley.

2. After Marta was diagnosed with cancer ________.

A．she had to turn her attention to her condition	B．she produced over 30 films with Jean Vanier
C．she realized what defined most of her life	D．she took a positive attitude toward life

3. Marta wrote about her experience with cancer ________.

A．to share it with other cancer victims	B．to remind her family of her serious illness
C．to provide help for others	D．to provide information for cancer research

4. What do you think of Marta in the passage?

A．Hard-working

B．Inspiring.

C．Humorous.

D．Stubborn.

7 . When I was 9, we packed up our home in Los Angeles and arrived at Heathrow, London on a gray January morning. Everyone in the family settled quickly into the city except me. Without my beloved beaches and endless blue—sky days, I felt at a loss and out of place. Until I made a discovery.

Southbank, at an eastern bend in the Thames, is the center of British skateboarding, where the continuous crashing of skateboards left your head ringing .I loved it. I soon made friends with the local skaters. We spoke our own language. And my favorite: Safe. Safe meant cool. It meant hello. It meant don’t worry about it. Once, when trying a certain trick on the beam(横杆), I fell onto the stones, damaging a nerve in my hand, and Toby came over, helping me up: Safe, man. Safe. A few minutes later, when I landed the trick, my friends beat their boards loud, shouting: “ Safe! Safe! Safe!” And that’s what mattered—landing tricks, being a good skater.

When I was 15, my family moved to Washington. I tried skateboarding there, but the locals were far less welcoming. Within a couple of years, I’d given it up.

When I returned to London in 2004, I found myself wandering down to Southbank, spending hours there. I’ve traveled back several times since, most recently this past spring. The day was cold but clear: tourists and Londoners stopped to watch the skaters. Weaving(穿梭)among the kids who rushed by on their boards, I found my way to the beam. Then a rail—thin teenager, in a baggy white T—shirt, skidded(滑)up to the beam. He sat next to me. He seemed not to notice the man next to him. But soon I caught a few of his glances. “I was a local here 20 years ago,” I told him. Then, slowly, he began to nod his head. “Safe, man. Safe.”

“Yeah,” I said. “Safe.”

1. What can we learn about the author soon after he moved to London?

A．He felt disappointed.	B．He gave up his hobby.
C．He liked the weather there.	D．He had disagreements with his family.

2. What do the underlined words “Safe! Safe! Safe!” probably mean?

A．Be careful!

B．Well done!

C．No way!

D．Don’t worry!

3. Why did the author like to spend time in Southbank when he returned to London?

A．To join the skateboarding.	B．To make new friends.
C．To learn more tricks.	D．To relive his childhood days

4. What message does the author seem to convey in the text?

A．Children should learn a second language.

B．Sport is necessary for children’s health.

C．Children need a sense of belonging

D．Seeing the world is a must for children.