1 . I am sitting at the table in my favorite Boston bookstore-café, laptop open, writing. Ten minutes ago I ordered coffee. The server—a young, dark-haired woman with a broad smile and glasses—stopped and quietly said, “I just want to tell you how much your TED talk meant to me, you helped me find out what I really wanted to do with my life—go to medical school—and then you helped me do what I needed to do to get there. Thank you.”

Tears in my eyes, I asked, “What’s your name?”

“Fetaine,” she said. Then we talked for the next ten minutes about Fetaine’s challenges in the past and new-found excitement about her future.

Everyone who communicates with me is special and memorable, but this kind of communication happens far more often than I’d ever have expected: a stranger warmly greets me, shares a personal story about how they successfully dealt with difficulties, and then simply thanks me for my part in it. They are women and men, old and young, poor and wealthy. But something connects them: all have felt powerless in the face of great pressure and anxiety(焦虑), and all discovered a quite simple way to free themselves from that feeling of powerlessness.

For most writers, the book comes first, then the responses. For me, it was the other way around. First, I performed experiments that led to a talk I gave at the TEDGlobal conference in 2012. In that talk, I discussed some interesting findings about how we can quickly increase our confidence and decrease(减轻) our anxiety in challenging situations. I also shared my own troubles and how I learned to become more confident. Soon after the twenty-one-minute video of the talk was posted on the Internet, I began hearing from people who had seen it.

Of course, watching my talk didn’t magically give Fetaine the knowledge she needed to do well on Medical College Admission Test. But it may have helped her get out of the fear that could have prevented her from expressing the things she knew.

1. What happened in the Boston bookstore-café?

A．The writer waited ten minutes for her coffee.

B．The writer came across a friend of hers.

C．A waitress expressed her thanks to the writer.

D．A waitress encouraged the writer to give a TED talk.

2. What do those people who communicate with the writer have in common?

A．They once faced problems and felt helpless.

B．They shared personal stories about strangers.

C．They were famous but under great pressure.

D．They were afraid to communicate with others.

3. What may be the theme of the writer’s talk in 2012?

A．How to increase confidence.	B．How to perform meaningful experiments.
C．How to overcome anxiety in a talk.	D．How to find interesting things in life.

4. How did the writer influence Fetaine in the writer’s eyes?

A．She gave Fetaine power to look to the future.

B．She helped Fetaine with her knowledge.

C．She advised Fetaine to go to medical school.

D．She helped Fetaine to get a good job.

2 . Actor Anthony Anderson has realized a dream 30 years in the making. The 51-year-old ________ a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Howard University last week. “It was all a dream! Words fail to ________ the feeling I’m having right now,” Anderson wrote on a social media platform. “My proudest moment is a sense of ________-finishing what I started many years ago.”

Anderson finished his junior year at Howard 30 years ago. ________ some financial difficulties, he had to ask for a ________ from school. He worked hard to make a ________. Later he started a family and his career ________. He played the starring roles in many films and became a ________.The following years he was occupied in his work and didn’t return to school. It was something he always felt ________ about-until his son, Nathan, gained ________ to Howard four years ago. That inspired his longing for university study, so he was ________ to go back and finish his degree.

“This spring I was ________ able to finish the work to graduate from Howard University,” Anderson said. He marked it as a ________ by calling it “a full-circle moment” and ________ his fans, “It’s never too late. Things happen when they’re supposed to happen!” Anderson, now a father of two, plans to ________ his education and go to graduate school for a master’s degree.

1.

A．took

B．received

C．deserved

D．held

2.

A．cause

B．give

C．describe

D．hide

3.

A．completion

B．identity

C．purpose

D．belonging

4.

A．In terms of

B．With regard to

C．On account of

D．By comparison with

5.

A．reward

B．favor

C．job

D．break

6.

A．fortune

B．promotion

C．living

D．reputation

7.

A．took off

B．started over

C．slowed down

D．pulled up

8.

A．director

B．leader

C．singer

D．hit

9.

A．confused

B．upset

C．anxious

D．regretful

10.

A．assistance

B．admission

C．invitation

D．permission

11.

A．willing

B．cautious

C．determined

D．satisfied

12.

A．gradually

B．eventually

C．obviously

D．temporarily

13.

A．milestone

B．award

C．dreamland

D．wonder

14.

A．warned

B．begged

C．commanded

D．reminded

15.

A．record

B．acquire

C．further

D．finish

3 . “Just sign here, sir,” the deliveryman said as he handed Oscar Reyna a package.

The package consisted of a long, narrow box ____ wrapped in brown paper. ____ the box, Oscar saw an umbrella inside—a very old one with a beautifully carved wooden handle. ____ he had not seen it in more than 20 years, he recognised it immediately.

Oscar was 16 when he first saw the____ umbrella. He had gone to a concert with his grandparents. As they were leaving, he noticed an umbrella on an empty seat. Impressed by its beauty, Oscar felt a strong desire to find its ____.

Oscar ____ the manager to look in the record of advance ticket sales. Just as he thought, a name matched the seat ____ Oscar had found the umbrella. The name was Mrs. Katie O’Brien.

Oscar talked his grandparents into going by Mrs. O’Brien’s house on their way home. He rang the bell, the door opened, and an elderly woman appeared. “May I ____ you?” she asked.

“I’d like to return it if it’s yours,” Oscar said, ____ the umbrella as if presenting a gift that had long been wished for.

“Why, yes! It’s mine,” replied Mrs. O’Brien with a ____ smile and shining eyes. “It was given to me by my father years ago. Thank you so much for returning it. May I offer you a reward for your ____?”

“No, ma’am,” he said. “My grandmother says that a good deed is its own reward.”

“Well, that’s ____ what my father used to say. What is your name, young man?”

Years later Oscar was staring at the finely carved handle of the umbrella as he remembered Mrs. O’Brien. It was in perfect condition, considering how ____ it was. Why had it arrived here today?

As if ____, a note fell from the paper. It read: Mrs. O’Brien wanted you to accept this umbrella as a present for a kind, ____ gesture long ago.

1.

A．strictly

B．carefully

C．roughly

D．casually

2.

A．Opening

B．Seizing

C．Observing

D．Searching

3.

A．After

B．When

C．Since

D．Although

4.

A．average

B．unusual

C．plain

D．typical

5.

A．designer

B．seller

C．user

D．owner

6.

A．convinced

B．forced

C．encouraged

D．advised

7.

A．until

B．before

C．which

D．where

8.

A．invite

B．help

C．bother

D．know

9.

A．putting up

B．turning out

C．picking up

D．holding out

10.

A．wide

B．confident

C．proud

D．shy

11.

A．patience

B．kindness

C．courage

D．determination

12.

A．obviously

B．naturally

C．exactly

D．probably

13.

A．old

B．rare

C．precious

D．nice

14.

A．in contrast

B．in return

C．in exchange

D．in answer

15.

A．attractive

B．significant

C．unselfish

D．sympathetic

4 . 2020 is drawing to a close. I haven’t seen my ______ in a year.

“Take care of yourself, my dear granddaughter,” she spoke into the phone. “I’m ______ already and have lived long enough. Don’t you worry.”

I didn’t want this to be her last ______. While I stay locked in the Klang Valley, she lives far away and is indifferent (不感兴趣的) to modern technology — which makes _____  difficult.

I knew she really ______ to see my face and began to try to find a solution.

“Baby steps are the key. Start with what she already ______,” came the Internet advice. ______, she knows WhatsApp and that has a video call function.

While the task is simple enough to us, the cloudy eyes of old age make it a(n) ______ task — coupled with the fact that the Internet connection isn’t always ______.

The first attempt had some good results, ______ the angle (角度) was off. I could only see the very top of her head. In the second attempt, we made a little progress, but the poor Internet service ______ to allow us to see each other.

After two ______ attempts, I could tell she was getting upset. “It’s going to be worth it!” I ______ her during our next call.

Finally, on one good day of Internet connection, her face was on my screen.

Our experience shows that even if we can’t see each other ______, the Internet still makes it possible for loved ones to be continually ______.

1.

A．teacher

B．grandmother

C．friend

D．grandfather

2.

A．rich

B．busy

C．old

D．surprised

3.

A．questions

B．words

C．reviews

D．orders

4.

A．communication

B．development

C．separation

D．management

5.

A．remembered

B．decided

C．happened

D．wanted

6.

A．likes

B．misses

C．knows

D．wonders

7.

A．Thankfully

B．Suddenly

C．Secretly

D．Seriously

8.

A．difficult

B．common

C．boring

D．interesting

9.

A．free

B．safe

C．good

D．slow

10.

A．but

B．because

C．so

D．or

11.

A．continued

B．refused

C．tried

D．started

12.

A．unimportant

B．half-hearted

C．unsuccessful

D．world-record

13.

A．praised

B．advised

C．encouraged

D．touched

14.

A．in person

B．at first

C．by chance

D．on purpose

15.

A．avoided

B．understood

C．invited

D．connected

6 . Owura Kwadwo Hottish teaches computer science in a school. It is a normal school except for the fact that it didn’t have______

Owura became famous after he posted photos of him on the Internet. In the picture. people could see he was teaching his students by______ an entire computer on the blackboard.The photos showed the______level of education for children in Ghana. People were______ that Owura made sure each button was drawn correctly. He would come to school half an hour ahead of______every day. He drew the computer on the blackboard, but at the end of his class, it was______off to start the next class, so he had to______it the next day! Owura’s efforts______when Microsoft took______of his act. They first took him to an international educators’ meeting in Singapore. He made a______about his teaching methods at the meeting and ______a standing ovation(欢呼) after the speech.

______,Owura got the thing he always wanted for his students—some companies______computers to the school. Not a single child in the school had seen a real computer in their lives. Thanks to their teacher’s______the world took care and treat them with ______

1.

A．classrooms

B．computers

C．playgrounds

D．tools

2.

A．operating

B．repairing

C．describing

D．drawing

3.

A．poor

B．unique

C．average

D．avanced

4.

A．annoyed

B．pleased

C．frightened

D．surprised

5.

A．line

B．culture

C．schedule

D．school

6.

A．rubbed

B．called

C．cut

D．shown

7.

A．exchange

B．improve

C．revise

D．repeat

8.

A．broke out

B．paid off

C．came back

D．held back

9.

A．care

B．control

C．place

D．notice

10.

A．suggestion

B．speech

C．decision

D．arrangement

11.

A．made

B．waited

C．received

D．carried

12.

A．Suddenly

B．Importantly

C．Exactly

D．Naturally

13.

A．lent

B．sold

C．donated

D．applied

14.

A．efforts

B．pains

C．legend

D．experiment

15.

A．glory

B．wisdom

C．kindness

D．pride

7 . When I was in fourth grade, I worked part-time as a paperboy, Mrs. Stanley was one of my customers. She’d watch me coining down her street, and by the time I’d hiked up to her doorstep, there’d be a cold drink waiting. I’d sit and drink while she talked, Mrs. Stanley talked mostly about her dead husband, “Mr. Stanley and I went shopping this morning,” she’d say. The first time she said that, soda went up my nose.

I told my father how Mrs. Stanley talked as if Mr. Stanley were still alive. Dad said she was probably lonely, and that I ought to sit and listen and nod my head and smile, and maybe she’d work it out of her system. So that’s what I did, and it turned out Dad was right. After a while she seemed content to leave her husband over at the cemetery (墓地).

I finally quit delivering newspapers and didn’t see Mrs. Stanley for several years. Then we crossed paths at a church fund-raiser. She was spooning mashed potatoes and looking happy. Four years before, she’d had to offer her paperboy a drink to have someone to talk with. Now she had friends. Her husband was gone, but life went on.

I live in the city now, and my paperboy is a lady named Edna with three kids. She asks me how I’m doing. When I don’t say “fine,” she sticks around to hear my problems. She’s lived in the city most of her life, but she knows about community. Community isn’t so much a place as it is a state of mind. You find it whenever people ask how you’re doing because they care, and not because they’re getting paid to do so. Sometimes it’s good to just smile, nod your head and listen.

1. Why did soda go up the author’s nose one time?

A．He was talking fast.	B．He was shocked.
C．He was in a hurry.	D．He was absent-minded.

2. Why did the author sit and listen to Mrs. Stanley?

A．He enjoyed the drink.	B．He wanted to be helpful.
C．He took the chance to rest.	D．He tried to please his dad.

3. Which of the following can replace the underlined phrase “work it out of her system” in Paragraph 2?

A．Recover from her sadness.	B．Move out of the neighborhood.
C．Turn to her old friends.	D．Speak out about her past.

9 . Jonathan Jones, 12, was overcome with emotion after his principal, who is also color-blind, let him _______ his unique glasses during science class last week.

As soon as Jones put the glasses on, he appeared to be immediately _______ . He initially smiled and laughed, _______ he broke down moments later. He then walked around the classroom excitedly, _______ the now-vivid colors around him.

“I was feeling joy that I could _______ see all this color, and a little bit of _______ that I couldn’t see color my whole life,” Jonathan told ABC news.

The boy’s mother posted a(n) _______ of Jonathan seeing color for the first time online and started a GoFundMe campaign to buy a pair of the unique glasses for Jonathan, which reportedly cost $350. However, so many people were _______ by Jonathan’s story, and the campaign actually ended up _______ more than $25,000.

She wrote: “After posting the video we’ve been touched by how many ________ people have wanted to help him. We’ve had multiple pairs donated to Jonathan and will use 100% of ________ funds to purchase color-blind glasses for those who can’t ________ them.” “The glasses company will match every pair we purchase with a free pair, which ________ the number of people we can ________ ,” she continued.

For Jonathan, with the new glasses comes a new ________ of the world. He said his favorite color is blue and he’s excited to visit the Caribbean this winter so he can see the ocean in all its glory.

1.

A．borrow

B．polish

C．remove

D．adjust

2.

A．disappointed

B．annoyed

C．surprised

D．embarrassed

3.

A．and

B．but

C．so

D．or

4.

A．mixing

B．painting

C．changing

D．exploring

5.

A．finally

B．rarely

C．constantly

D．occasionally

6.

A．tension

B．sadness

C．relief

D．shame

7.

A．picture

B．article

C．video

D．introduction

8.

A．moved

B．shocked

C．confused

D．entertained

9.

A．loaning

B．costing

C．saving

D．collecting

10.

A．wealthy

B．generous

C．competent

D．ambitious

11.

A．limited

B．managed

C．donated

D．needed

12.

A．find

B．produce

C．fix

D．afford

13.

A．doubles

B．decreases

C．replaces

D．compares

14.

A．treat

B．instruct

C．help

D．accompany

15.

A．future

B．view

C．situation

D．record

10 . My husband and I have little money lately. We haven’t eaten out for a while, so we went to a _________ last night.

When we saw the _________, we knew we could only afford to get a small pizza, so we would have enough money left for _________. Before long our pizza that was cut to 4 pieces arrived. My husband wanted to act like a _________, so he would like to put a piece of pizza on my plate. Unluckily it dropped onto the floor. I knew he would be _________ about others’ opinions on him. I told him, “Honey, don’t let other people _________ us. We still have three pieces left.”

The manager _________ this and came over with a broom (扫帚). He _________ the pizza and said he was sorry that the oven (烤箱) had been turned _________, or he would have brought another pizza for us. At the end of our meal he __________ to our table again to thank us for being here. Then he gave us one coupon (优惠券) for a free small pizza. We were __________ because he could have chosen a __________ attitude when he saw the pizza we dropped during their closing time. Instead he chose to make sure we could left __________. My husband was going to give him tips for our meal that we had prepared, __________ the manager didn’t take them. To some people it might not be important, but to us it meant a lot. Our rare treat of enjoying a night out was made more __________.

1.

A．church

B．supermarket

C．park

D．restaurant

2.

A．prices

B．sizes

C．waiters

D．names

3.

A．clothes

B．drinks

C．tips

D．desserts

4.

A．gentleman

B．policeman

C．doctor

D．teacher

5.

A．worried

B．sure

C．mad

D．hopeful

6.

A．know

B．influence

C．recognize

D．work

7.

A．doubted

B．believed

C．noticed

D．liked

8.

A．threw

B．hid

C．picked

D．cleaned

9.

A．off

B．down

C．on

D．up

10.

A．waved

B．pointed

C．returned

D．shouted

11.

A．moved

B．proud

C．relaxed

D．serious

12.

A．wrong

B．bad

C．friendly

D．careful

13.

A．freely

B．politely

C．readily

D．happily

14.

A．because

B．if

C．but

D．so

15.

A．interesting

B．successful

C．surprising

D．pleasant