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 . Two years ago, I set foot in Tanzania for the first time as a volunteer. And now, I’m writing this at my home in the middle of a village in Tanzania. I never thought that a six-week volunteer program could change my life so greatly, but it did!

My volunteer task was in Moshi.Of course I was nervous when I got my task, but on my first day, I quickly fell in love with my students. They were some of the sweetest and most hard-working kids I had ever met. Each day, I’d have them write in their journals on a new topic. One of my favorite days was when I asked the kids to write about their own life stories. Some of them shared theirs with everyone, and it was great. They had all been through so many difficult times, but no one had ever asked them to tell their stories before. To be able to offer these wonderful kids a safe environment to share such personal stories was amazing. And I couldn’t have created that environment without what I had learned from Cross-Cultural Solutions(CCS)．

I completely fell in love with Tanzania during my time with CCS.I loved it so much that when I left in 2014, I knew that I had to return. So after I left college in 2015, I moved back to Tanzania and have been working at a school for Maasai children for almost one year now.

The experience that I had with CCS changed my career goals and my life greatly. I now plan to go into public health so that I can continue to help people around the world for the rest of my life.

1. The writer went to Tanzania for the first time to        .

A．do research with CCS

B．completely change her lifestyle

C．take part in a volunteer program

D．write something about the country

2. What did the writer think of her students?

A．Sweet but lazy.

B．Nervous but sweet.

C．Sweet and hard-working.

D．Hard-working and perfect.

3. What did the writer like doing when she was teaching there?

A．Telling stories to her students.

B．Writing about her personal stories.

C．Helping kids make up interesting stories.

D．Asking kids to write their personal stories.

4. The writer most probably found her time in Tanzania with CCS         .

A．wonderful	B．difficult
C．relaxing	D．boring

3 . 结合中文提示补全短文

It is the worst day that    1    (我经历过的). My alarm clock didn’t go off that morning.       2     (我起床的时候), it was 7: 30!   I was about to be late!    3     (我迅速刷牙洗脸以后), I took up my schoolbag and rushed out the door. Before I arrived at the bus stop,    4     (公交车已经离开了), so I had to rush to school by myself!  

By the time I went into my classroom,    5     (我的老师已经站在教室的前面). She looked at me angrily and asked for my homework. I was so sad because    6    (我把它忘在家里了)!   What a bad day!

4 . I like to bargain when I buy goods. It isn’t _______ I don’t have money. It feels good when I get goods _______ than other people.

Last winter vacation, I went to “Dong-Dae-Moon”, an open _______ market in Seoul. At that market, you can buy a lot of clothes at really _______ prices. I tried to buy a warm jacket to wear in Michigan this winter.

I got a _______ idea of putting only half of my money — sixty dollars — in my wallet to trick the seller. Since the market is really _______, I had to walk a lot to find a jacket that really _______ me. _______, I found the jacket I wanted. I asked the price and the vendor shouted, “eighty dollars, sir.” From my experience, I knew the price was _______ for it. I made a counter offer (还价) of sixty dollars; ________, he refused my offer. He said I had to pay ________ sixty-five dollars.

At that time, I realized ________ I really could get that jacket for sixty dollars, so I made a ________ face and told him that I really wanted it, but I had only sixty dollars ________ in my wallet. I showed him my wallet to ________ it.

After he had a quick look at my ________ and saw I had only sixty dollars in it, he agreed to sell me the jacket for that ________. I felt really good, but also ________ for him, because he worked really hard to make a living. ________ I have a chance one day, I will go shopping there again and purchase more goods. I’ll bargain of course, but I won’t bargain as ________ as the last time since the seller was really kind to me.

1.

A．why

B．because

C．since

D．what

2.

A．dearer

B．more

C．better

D．cheaper

3.

A．furniture

B．food

C．clothing

D．wood

4.

A．normal

B．high

C．bad

D．good

5.

A．wonderful

B．terrible

C．strange

D．complex

6.

A．cool

B．huge

C．tiny

D．modern

7.

A．fitted in

B．belonged to

C．liked

D．suited

8.

A．Immediately

B．Quickly

C．Finally

D．Gradually

9.

A．too much

B．too high

C．too low

D．too little

10.

A．however

B．therefore

C．otherwise

D．besides

11.

A．at most

B．at least

C．in total

D．on average

12.

A．whether

B．that

C．when

D．if

13.

A．relaxed

B．pleased

C．disappointed

D．delighted

14.

A．left

B．leaving

C．remain

D．putting

15.

A．count

B．see

C．prove

D．believe

16.

A．face

B．hand

C．head

D．wallet

17.

A．money

B．price

C．prize

D．value

18.

A．sorry

B．happy

C．angry

D．curious

19.

A．While

B．As

C．If

D．Unless

20.

A．little

B．hard

C．many

D．bad

5 . Fifteen years earlier, I was a single mom with two children, a _______ job and a long commute. So I had to shop for groceries and plan for the next week on weekends. _______, I went shopping on Sunday. When I _______ to the cashier that the store was really quiet that day, she replied, “It’s always _______ on Mother’s Day. You must be the only _______ out there shopping.” I know she was _______ telling the truth and she did not mean to _______ me. Needless to say, all I could do was finish paying and get to my car. I hadn’t _______ realized it was Mother’s Day. My children were too young to know it. How _______ I really was!

I was excited to see my ________ soon. I decided to treat myself to an ice tea and ________ to the sandwich shop next door. It was ________ except for a mom and her son ahead of me.________ this was a single mom, celebrating Mother’s Day with her son in the sandwich shop. When she finished ________, I handed the cashier a $20 bill and said, “This is my treat. Happy Mother’s Day!” The cashier and the woman were confused for a moment.

Wayne Dyer once talked about the power of kindness. He said studies showed that not only do the giver and receiver of an act of kindness ________, but an observer benefits in exactly the same way.

1.

A．routine

B．demanding

C．well-paid

D．miserable

2.

A．As usual

B．Seldom

C．Occasionally

D．For once

3.

A．reported

B．explained

C．commented

D．suggested

4.

A．classic

B．crowded

C．special

D．quiet

5.

A．customer

B．mother

C．parent

D．driver

6.

A．simply

B．deliberately

C．proudly

D．politely

7.

A．warn

B．discourage

C．hurt

D．remind

8.

A．just

B．still

C．ever

D．even

9.

A．defeated

B．alone

C．stubborn

D．warm-hearted

10.

A．children

B．husband

C．friends

D．neighbors

11.

A．rode

B．drove

C．walked

D．escaped

12.

A．clean

B．excellent

C．elegant

D．empty

13.

A．Luckily

B．Obviously

C．Fortunately

D．Sadly

14.

A．ordering

B．parking

C．eating

D．packing

15.

A．benefit

B．interest

C．understand

D．learn

6 . Around a year ago, I was eager to be friends with people around me. I thought that the more _______ I had, the happier I’d be. I had a few people who I _______ to hang out with, but they sometimes showed unwillingness. It was evident that my friendship wasn’t _______ to them at all, very one-sided. I realized I had to _______ myself.

So I decided to hug the “_______” of having no one around. I _______ everyone whom I didn’t like and was left with around four people. I also gave people chances to be my friends so that I didn’t _______ shut myself off. But I would no longer _______ friendships anxiously.

At first it was _______ and I was afraid to spend a second alone, but now I love being alone. I enjoy the feeling of not having to worry about ________. I also don’t have to think about whether people like me and who is saying what. Everything feels quiet and ________ now.

I feel like I’ve ________ my life again. People who have hurt me were previously given unlimited chances ________ my “must keep as many people as possible” thinking pattern, but now they won’t have the privilege (特权) anymore. Doing this has allowed me to give myself much more ________ and in turn has raised my confidence. We can’t push things to be what they shouldn’t be and if the world keeps ________ you, you can find out what it actually wants from you.

1.

A．teachers

B．friends

C．families

D．classmates

2.

A．loved

B．missed

C．promised

D．pretended

3.

A．helpful

B．positive

C．practical

D．valuable

4.

A．doubt

B．check

C．change

D．protect

5.

A．excitement

B．patience

C．loneliness

D．curiosity

6.

A．lost

B．refused

C．observed

D．remembered

7.

A．possibly

B．generally

C．fully

D．rapidly

8.

A．search for

B．wait for

C．prepare for

D．answer for

9.

A．useful

B．funny

C．dangerous

D．terrible

10.

A．relationships

B．separations

C．challenges

D．differences

11.

A．boring

B．peaceful

C．normal

D．new

12.

A．risked

B．ignored

C．ruined

D．controlled

13.

A．due to

B．in spite of

C．instead of

D．in case of

14.

A．guidance

B．memory

C．respect

D．fame

15.

A．amusing

B．surprising

C．moving

D．upsetting

7 . Capturing a moment in time isn’t just about securing a memory- it can help us appreciate our life more every day.

As a student，my campus has been my whole world. While it may seem limiting，studying with the same classmates and the same teachers in the same classroom every day has given me many opportunities to make great memories. I love the jokes told by my teachers in class，the songs my roommates and I sing together and cheerleaders’ loud cries at basketball games. Even the glow of the sunset with the mixture of purple and vivid red over the playground is mesmerizing.

And that is why I began to record my school life，and I’ve kept this habit for three years up until now. The first attempt, in the form of a diary, fell through as soon as my actual experiences became far more exciting than my words. So I bought a camera, with which I recorded every fascinating moment in my school life. Every weekend I transferred those photos to my phone and posted them on my social media. Without fail, I would find how joyful my school life was and how much progress I made, which in turn instilled(注入) more passion and purpose into the coming weeks.

As I progressed to senior high school, that camera gave way to camcorder(便携式摄像机) More and more videos drove me to learn video editing. Those valuable videos witnessed me joining the school choir(合唱团), training for sports meets, complaining about the burden of studying and having fun in the dormitory. They have become a labor of love and naturally my source of happiness.

When I look back on my diaries, photos and videos during this winter vacation, those fond memories came flooding back. Recording my school life lets me not only capture every precious moment in the course of my growth but also gives me the ability to observe and appreciate my surroundings and create joy in my life. It creates positive impact on my friends, showing them how wonderful life is and how it all depends on how much enthusiasm you show. So imagine how amazed I was when people said they felt youth and vitality through my work!

1. What is the purpose of the author capturing the moment by camera? (no more than 10 words)
___________________________________________________________________________
2. The underlined phrase in Paragraph 2 may have a similar meaning as ______. (no more than 5 words)
___________________________________________________________________________
3. Why did the author buy the first camera? (no more than 12 words)
___________________________________________________________________________
4. What is the title of the passage? (no more than 10 words)
___________________________________________________________________________
5. How do you capture the unforgettable moment in your school life? Please explain it. (no more than 20 words)
___________________________________________________________________________

8 . When my family officially dropped me off at my new apartment in Galway, I felt a wave of different emotions. I was really nervous about what the next two weeks would bring. However, my roommates turned out to be overly welcoming and energetic, which made the transition very easy. Little did I know how close we would all become by the end of the two weeks!

For the next two weeks we attended classes and had field trips. It actually killed me because I was a terrible hiker. One day our teacher rented a bus and led us to go hiking to different spots. We arrived at a river to eat lunch and sit on the bridge. I sat up onto the bridge looking down at the water below me. My phone was in my lap while I ate my food. Suddenly I heard the actual worst sound — a splash (溅落声). Without even looking down, I knew that my phone had dropped into the river.

I was used to keeping my ID and bank cards in the back of my phone case. I stared down in disbelief at the flowing water. I stood up to jump off the bridge into the river, but Corina pulled me back. I started to scream because what else you could do when you were in a different country and your phone, ID and bank cards were about to disappear. Hope, one of my roommates, was along the bank and dove into the water to retrieve my things. With her help in time, I didn’t suffer any loss.

The best tiling that came out of my study experience abroad was my roommates who became my close friends. Corina, Hope and Emily made my study experience abroad so memorable. We had so many truly memorable experiences during our time in Galway. I was amazed at how close we became in such a short time. One thing I have learned this year is that you have to hold the moment now! If I had waited to study abroad until this summer, which I once considered, all of these friendships and memories wouldn’t exist.

1. What are the author’s roommates like according to Paragraph 1?

A．Talkative.	B．Talented.
C．Easy-going.	D．Intelligent.

2. What happened to the author when she was on the bridge?

A．Her phone and cards dropped into the river.

B．Her good friends got drowned in the river.

C．She got lost in the hiking activity.

D．She lost a lot of money.

3. The underlined word “retrieve” in the third paragraph probably means “_________”.

A．cleaning something out

B．getting something back

C．checking something

D．hiding something

4. What did the author learn from her experience of studying abroad?

A．Waiting is sometimes necessary.

B．Choosing roommates is very difficult.

C．It is important to make friends in a foreign country.

D．Once you decide to do something, take action at once.

9 . Nearly a year ago, on a sunny July day, I drove to a nearby lake with my family and friends to have a picnic. I couldn’t wait to get in the water because I loved swimming. “Here I go,” I shouted, laughing, as I dove (跳水) from a boat dock into the lake. That was the last thing I remember. I was unconscious and pulled from the water with a severed spine (脊柱断裂), and paralyzed from the waist down.

After months of hospitalization, I was finally home. But things weren’t going well. I had to face many lifestyle changes. The gray sky outside my window matched how I felt inside. I sighed and turned away. Life had lost all meaning. I was impatient with myself as well as my family.

A few days later, I poured out my despondency to Jerry, a good friend of mine. “I don’t feel like I have a reason to get out of bed,” I told him. Jerry was quiet with his eyes focused on my mulberry tree. “Look,” he whispered. “There’s a cardinal (a kind of bird).” I saw it on that lower branch to the right. Cheer, cheer, cheer, the cardinal sang in a sweet voice. I’d seen cardinals before. Now as I studied this one, I realized I’d never really seen a cardinal. It was beautiful.

As I watched the elegant bird, something clicked (茅塞顿开). The hope of life, like a light, was awakened inside me. After Jerry left, I wheeled to the front of the house, smiled at the sky and felt relieved.

I now take bird watching as my new hobby. I record interesting sightings in my diary and photograph every bird I meet. Besides, I feel a new kind of pleasure when taking care of the potted plants in my yard. Of course, I still face many difficulties every day, but when I look out of my window, I see birds. And when I see birds, I see miracles (奇迹). And I’ve found my place among them.

1. What happened to the author about a year ago?

A．He fell off his boat.

B．He had a car accident.

C．He injured his spine in a dive.

D．He hardly got along with his family.

2. What is the probable meaning of the underlined word “despondency” in Paragraph 3?

A．Doubts.	B．Expectations.
C．Nervousness.	D．Discouragement.

3. How did the author feel after seeing the cardinal outside his window?

A．Indifferent.	B．Shocked.
C．Pleased.	D．Puzzled.

4. What can we learn about the author from the last paragraph?

A．He decides to raise birds himself.

B．He becomes hopeful about his life.

C．He determines to be a bird photographer.

D．He can deal with difficulties all by himself.

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

I was in Zimbabwe on a hike with 2 adults and 12 teenagers. On a three-day trip around waterfalls, we were just using a map and not following a marked path. This is probably why we had this extremely unusual experience.

We came to a dam with a 20 to 30-meter-long sandy beach, which looked very unnatural and totally took our breath away. At the place where the beach stopped, there were large round rocks, and it was a very attractive sight. We all agreed that the area would make a good campsite, so we set up for the night and then set out to do some exploring of the area nearby.

One hour later, some members of our team found a cave. The mouth was small and we had to slowly move forward on our hands and knees to get inside. After we managed to get through, the cave opened up to be about 3 meters high and 10 meters long. It was amazing. There was a crack in the ceiling allowing a line of light to come through. Naturally, the whole team was excited about the find and decided to sleep inside the cave. We moved our campsite inside the cave and fell into an easy sleep that night.

At one o’clock in the morning, I was shaken awake by the leader of the hike. He was telling everyone to get out of the cave because it already had a resident — a leopard, waiting secretly and anxiously just outside (leopards often choose caves to reside in). I did not bother to talk to him as this guy was always making childish tricks and jokes, so I rolled over and pretended to sleep. The next thing I knew, my sleeping bag was pulled off of me and I was being “ordered” to get out now or I would be responsible for myself.

注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右；2. 请按如下格式在相应位置作答。

I then realized he was not kidding.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Lucky for us, the leopard eventually walked away.

 __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________