1 . Kai Ture, at 11 years old, is a budding (崭露头角的) actress. All of her acting roles mean that Kai has to ________ her acting and school life. ________, she doesn’t let those ________ upset her and takes a positive attitude to them. For her, going to auditions (试演) and getting acting roles mean that she is only ________ her acting career.

When Kai isn’t ________, she focuses on putting her ________ and community first. ________ her hard work, she was able to be ________ into a school for top students. Despite all her acting credentials (证书), Kai still regards her educational achievements as her biggest ________. Acting isn’t her only fine arts skill—Kai can ________ play the violin and piano.

Kai has worked hard to help her local community as well. With the help of her Girl Scout group leaders, Kai was able to ________ some of Atlanta’s homeless communities with food in a community service event. Kai remains ________ when helping the homeless and is working again with her Girl Scout group to organize a larger ________.

Kai enjoys her ________ schedule, doing all the activities she loves. Kai first started off in smaller roles and has been able to get larger roles. Start off with some small steps and you’ll ________ achieve your biggest dreams!

1.

A．balance

B．influence

C．record

D．continue

2.

A．Besides

B．However

C．Otherwise

D．Therefore

3.

A．challenges

B．arguments

C．adventures

D．shortages

4.

A．judging

B．simplifying

C．developing

D．rebuilding

5.

A．studying

B．suffering

C．exploring

D．acting

6.

A．education

B．family

C．health

D．interest

7.

A．As for

B．Thanks to

C．Despite

D．Besides

8.

A．refused

B．turned

C．accepted

D．forced

9.

A．comfort

B．success

C．problem

D．surprise

10.

A．again

B．soon

C．also

D．instead

11.

A．connect

B．avoid

C．feed

D．teach

12.

A．unusual

B．tired

C．unknown

D．devoted

13.

A．event

B．group

C．competition

D．dinner

14.

A．past

B．boring

C．familiar

D．busy

15.

A．immediately

B．finally

C．nearly

D．suddenly

2 . 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.

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 . 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.

8 . 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.

9 . When I woke up, I made myself breakfast, sat and listened to the traffic. Some of my friends asked me how I could stand living somewhere so noisy. It’s true that there’s always some kinds of noise in my neighborhood, but to me, these are the sounds of life.

It was Saturday morning, so I decided to go to the park. The taxi was the fastest way to go but I took the bus instead.

When you ride the bus, you get to see so much more of the city. It can be kind of loud on the bus, with some people talking on their phones, some people chatting with their friends, and others playing music. It’s just like the traffic’s sounds, though the noise on the bus represents people working, relaxing and living.

Once I got to the park, I picked a bench over near the play area where kids played while their parents sat nearby. I could see and hear almost everything from there. People­watching is one of my favorite things to do. However, I like listening even better. The only problem is that there’s so much to see and hear in the park!

Usually, I like to close my eyes. That way, I can pay more attention to the sounds and not get distracted by what I see. With my eyes closed, I could pick out parts of two old men’s conversation. One of them was telling the other about something his grandson said. I couldn’t hear the rest, but it must be hilarious because his friend’s laugh was so loud.

When I’m old, I hope that I will also have a friend who will sit in the park with me, and who will enjoy listening to the sounds of the city as much as I do.

1. Some of the author’s friends think “the sounds of life” are very________.

A．unpleasant	B．unique
C．magical	D．interesting

2. The author took the bus to the park because________.

A．there was no other transport to go there

B．he wanted to see more about people’s life

C．it was the most convenient way

D．his friend advised him to do so

3. The author closed his eyes in order to ________.

A．have a good rest

B．hide himself from view

C．enjoy the sounds of life

D．avoid talking with the two old men

4. The underlined word “hilarious” in Paragraph 5 probably means “________”.

A．truly different	B．quite popular
C．rather strange	D．extremely funny

10 . “Will they be bothered ( 打扰) by our presence?”; “They’re so big and look so dangerous. How are we going to feel once we’re in the water?” These are just some of the questions in our minds before cameraman Nick Porter and I set out to film whale sharks, the largest living fish, off the coast of Qatar.

I have always been passionate about wildlife. When I was a child, I wanted to be a marine biologist (海洋生物学家) but somehow ended up becoming a reporter. Now I am in Qatar and finally I have a chance to tell the story of the rich wildlife of Qatar, including the whale sharks.

After long and careful planning, we start the two-hour trip out to sea. Finally, we see them. There are hundreds. More and more of the harmless giants ( 巨物) surface with their mouths wide open as they skim (掠过) the top of the sea.

It’s time to join them. Nick and I jump into the water. Neither of us is nervous. I notice one and swim towards it, forgetting that Nick still doesn’t have fins on his feet, so he can’t really swim as fast as I can. But right now, I just want to be close to this unbelievable animal.

So I end up alone, next to a huge whale shark — huge compared with me, at least. This one is probably six or seven metres long, but they can get much bigger. There is so much to take in. Being so close for the first time, I get quite emotional.

Nick has now gotten his fins, and we swim together. He is filming and is as excited as I am.

After two hours, we return to the boat. Everyone is on a high. Whale sharks are endangered — unsurprisingly, mostly by human activities. They need more protection. The more people know about the beauty we have a privilege (荣幸) to host, the more we will want to protect it. It’s a privilege we should all work together to protect.

1. What does the author want to do in Qatar?

A．Record whale sharks.

B．Take up a swimming course.

C．Work with a marine biologist.

D．Do some research on wildlife.

2. What do the underlined words “passionate about” in paragraph 2 mean?

A．Aware of.

B．Satisfied with.

C．Frightened of.

D．Interested in.

3. Why does the author swim alone at first?

A．His partner isn’t fully prepared.

B．His partner is too nervous to swim with him.

C．He doesn’t want to be bothered by his partner.

D．He is less skillful at swimming than his partner.

4. What is the author’s purpose in writing this text?

A．To introduce whale sharks.

B．To invite people to travel in Qatar.

C．To call on people to protect wildlife.

D．To show his great love of whale sharks.