1 . As the Editor-in-Chief of Cosmopolitan magazine, Jessica Pels is responsible for managing the content of one of the world’s largest young women’s media brands. Pels has ambitiously navigated her career to the top role relatively quickly, but the path she took wasn’t traditional.
Pels learnt ballet as a child and found her way to New York City dancing for a summer, but eventually gave up dance when she knew she “wasn’t good enough to be a star”. She didn’t give up her dream of working in the big city, though. Pels attended a film school at New York University and as a sophomore (大学二年级), got her first internship at The New Yorker. After graduation in 2008, many brands were in a hiring freeze. But Pels was not affected. She got a job doing communications for a charity.
Six months into her first job, Pels got a job at Glamour Magazine to work for the Editor-in-Chief Cindy Levy. She would turn this first assistant role into her career, and finally found her way to Cosmopolitan, where she became the youngest editor-in-chief in the magazine’s history.
Reflecting on her career and the worst advice she’s ever received, Pels said it was “to say yes to everything”. It was a habit she had to learn to break. And while she acknowledges the importance of seizing opportunities, she doesn’t think that strategically saying “no” would have been a damage to her career.
She remembers the conversation with her boss Kate Lewis that changed her perspective on over-committing. “I had just started at Marie Claire as the digital director, and she said, ‘I worry you’re going to burn out because you’re saying yes to everything and you are acting in such an aggressive way, and you need to take a step back and prioritize.’ And that really changed my life. I thought that was an incredible career moment.”
1. Why did Jessica Pels give up dancing?| A．She wasn’t eager to be a star. |
| B．She didn’t want to practice hard. |
| C．She didn’t think she was a gifted dancer. |
| D．She wanted to take an untraditional career. |
| A．She lost confidence in her future. |
| B．She gave up her hobby of dancing. |
| C．She was employed at The New Yorker. |
| D．She succeeded in landing herself a job. |
| A．She always refused to help others. |
| B．She didn’t seize opportunities in time. |
| C．She didn’t know how to ask for advice. |
| D．She seldom refused others’ requests. |
| A．Creative and generous. | B．Ambitious and determined. |
| C．Humorous and confident. | D．Considerate and energetic. |
2 . An 89-year-old man, Manfred Steiner, has reached a goal he spent 20 years working toward and nearly a lifetime thinking about: earning his Ph. D. And now he is a physicist
Steiner values this degree because it is what he always wanted and because he overcame health problems that could have affected his studies. “But I made it, and this was the most satisfactory point in my life, to finish it,” he said.
When he was young, Steiner wanted to become a physicist after reading about Albert Einstein. But his mother and uncle persuaded him that studying medicine would be a better choice. He earned his medical degree in 1955 and moved to the US soon after.
Steiner studied hematology（血液学）at Tufts University and biochemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He became a full professor and led the hematology department at Browns’ medical school from 1985 to 1994. Steiner helped establish a research program in hematology at the University of North Carolina. He directed that program until he retired from medicine in 2000.
Steiner found medical research pleasing, but it was not quite the same as his interest in physics. “It was something like a wish that was never fulfilled, that always stuck in the back of my head,” he said. At age 70, he started taking undergraduate classes.
Physics professor Brad Marston was surprised when Steiner entered his quantum mechanics class. But he became Steiner’s adviser for his dissertation（学位论文）after realizing how serious Steiner was about the subject and how hard he worked. “He has written many papers in medical science, more papers than I’ve written in physics,” Marston said. “One thing that’s really true about Manfred is that he perseveres.”
After the university published a story about Steiner on its website, people across the US contacted him to ask for advice on how to go after their dreams later in life. His advice is: Do what you love to do.
1. Why did Steiner value his degree in physics?| A．Because it solved his health problems. | B．Because it was his long-pursued dream. |
| C．Because it met his mother’s expectation. | D．Because it was inspired by Albert Einstein. |
| A．Steiner’s contributions to teaching. | B．Steiner’s researches after retirement. |
| C．Steiner’s achievements in hematology. | D．Steiner’s performances at Tufts University. |
| A．His taking undergraduate classes at 70. | B．His writing more papers in physics. |
| C．His sticking to becoming a physicist. | D．His being a role model for Americans. |
| A．Active and open-minded. | B．Enthusiastic and easy-going. |
| C．Intelligent and warm-hearted. | D．Perseverant and hard-working. |
3 . In my mind, the effect that experience had on me lasted forever. I was determined to learn swimming at the age of ten. There was a pool, at the K. P.L.B., offering the opportunity. My mother constantly warned against it, and bore fresh in my mind the details of each drowning in the river. But the K. P.L.B. pool was safe.
My fear of water started from childhood. It began when I was four years old and father took me to the beach. There the huge waves knocked me down and swept over me.
The K. P.L.B. pool was quiet. I was afraid of going in all alone, so I sat on the side of the pool to wait for others. Then came a big boy. He yelled, "Hi, Skinny! How'd you like to be ducked?" With that he picked me up and threw me into the deep end. I landed in a sitting position, and swallowed water. But I was not frightened out of my wits-when my feet hit the bottom, I would make a big jump, come out of the surface. It seemed a long way down. I gathered all my strength when I landed and made what I thought was a great spring upwards. Then I opened my eyes and saw nothing bur water. I tried to yell but no sound came out. I went down, down, endlessly.
When I came to consciousness, I found myself on the bed in the hospital.
I never went back to the pool. I avoided water whenever I could. This misadventure stayed with me as the years rolled by. It deprived me of the joy of boating and swimming. Finally, I decided to get an instructor. Piece by piece, I practiced hard and finally he built a swimmer. Several months later, the instructor was finished, but I was not. Sometimes the terror would return.
This went on till July. I swam across the Lake Wentworth. Only once did the terror return. When I was in the middle of the lake, I put my face under and saw nothing but bottomless water. I laughed and said, "Well, Mr. Terror, what do you think you can do to me?"
I had conquered my fear of water.
1. Why was the author frightened of water originally?| A．His skill in swimming was very poor. |
| B．An experience of an outing to the beach affected him. |
| C．He had an unpleasant memory of the pool at the age of four |
| D．His mother warmed him about the danger of being drowned |
| A．The experience made him aware that the pool was safe |
| B．While he had no skill in swimming, he struggled to go upwards. |
| C．When he was thrown into water, he knew someone would save him. |
| D．The big boy eagerly wanted to help him to conquer the fear of water. |
| A．Diligent and cautious. | B．Determined and far-sighted. |
| C．Dependable and adaptable. | D．Demanding and courageous. |
| A．A fall into a pit, a gain in your wit. | B．Do one thing at a time, and do well. |
| C．Deed divides beings into lower and higher ones. | D．Success always comes from daring to challenge. |
Story One
Once upon a time a psychology professor walked around on a stage while teaching stress management principles to an auditorium filled-with students.As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they'd be asked the typical glass half empty or glass half full question. Instead, with a smile on her face, the professor asked "How heavy is this glass of water I'm holding?"
Students shouted out answers ranging from eight ounces to a couple pounds. She replied, "From my perspective, the absolute weight of this glass doesn't matter. It all depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute or two. it's fairly light. If I hold it for an hour straight, its weight might make my arm ache a little. If I hold it for a day straight, my arm will likely cramp up （抽筋） and feel completely numb and paralyzed, forcing me to drop the glass to the floor. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn't change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it feels to me."
As the class nodded their heads in agreement, she continued, “Your stresses and worries in life are very much like this glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Think about them a bit longer and you begin to ache a little. Think about them all day long, and you will feel completely numb and paralyzed – incapable of doing anything else until you drop them."
Story Two
One day a bright student wishing to be successful put this question to Socrates(苏格拉底）.
“Teacher, I have studied many years with you and even though I have learned many things I still have not learned the secret to success or what it really takes to be successful. Please train me in this mystery.”
Socrates looked at his student with a thoughtful expression and after a long pause, he responded. “My son, the secret is within each one of us if we only truly want it. If you walk-with me, I will take you to the river of life and show you.”
They walked side by side in silence for a while and upon reaching the river Socrates spoke. “My son, bend down here by-the edge of the river and stare deeply at these flowing waters." As the student bent down beside the river Socrates took him by the neck and plunged his head into the water. After only a few seconds (that felt like eternity to the young man), he started struggling to get his head out of the water, gasping for a breath.
After a couple of minutes, suddenly some inner strength burst into the young man and he pushed himself out of the water and gulped in precious air. After a few deep breaths he composed himself and pondered what had just happened. Was his teacher mad at him? What other reason would he act so strange?
The student blurted out, "Why did you do that?!"
Socrates answered rhetorically, "While your head was underwater, what was the one thing you wanted more than anything in life?"
“To take a breath of air to be able to stay alive,” he said.
“It is just as I told you earlier, the secret to success is already inside all of us. When you desire success as much as you wanted that breath of air, you will be successful.”
1. What is the moral(寓意，教益）of the first story?2. As teachers in these two stories, what approach do the psychology professor and Socrates share in common to inspire their students?
3. What is the moral of the second story?How do you understand it?
5 . A couple had a son eleven years after they married. They were a loving couple and the boy was the apple of their eye. When the boy was around four years old, one day the father was very tired after work so he asked his wife to pick up their son. The mother, who was very busy in the kitchen, totally forgot about it.
Later the boy lost his way on the street. When the son was found missing, the mother hurried to look for him, but she didn’t find him. The mother felt very sad and didn’t know how to face her husband.
When the father went to the police station after hearing that the son was missing, he looked at his wife and said just four words. What do you think the four words were? The husband just said "I love you, darling."
The son was missing. If he had picked him up earlier, this would not have happened. There is no point in blaming (责备) anyone. His wife had also lost her only child. What his wife needed at that moment was comfort and understanding from her husband. That is what the husband gave his wife. Several weeks later, with the help of the police, the couple finally found their lost son. The family’s relationship became stronger over that time.
Sometimes we spend lots of time asking who is to blame. We miss many chances to give each other support and let each other feel the warmth of human relationships. Get rid of all your unwillingness to forgive, selfishness, and fears and you will find the world is much more wonderful.
1. The underlined part means a person who __________.| A．always has a sweet smile | B．is as pretty as an apple |
| C．is loved more than anyone else | D．looks like an apple |
| A．was very lazy | B．thought the mother had done that |
| C．forgot to do so | D．was too tired to do so |
| A．Be careful in everything you do. | B．Love is the most important. |
| C．Learn to forgive others | D．Everyone can make mistakes. |
| A．Warm-hearted. | B．Careful. |
| C．Hard-working | D．Broad-minded. |
6 . One day, Amanda was diagnosed (诊断) with cancer of an early stage. During this time, she was admitted to a college. She planned to save money to meet the college expense and then seek medical treatment for the cancer.
Her father, Clint and her friends didn’t want her to put off her treatment due to the expense. They took matters into their own hands and started a GoFundMe campaign. A longtime friend of the family was cofounder of a group named Praynksters, known for random acts of kindness. The friend decided to use their own group to help the family. The group came up with the creative idea to spread the word and invite families, friends, and strangers who wanted to help to take part in a donation activity. The event induced the enormous assistance from the local community.
Clint and Amanda were moved as the crowd passed by and the donations poured in. The event brought the family over $13, 000 in donations to go towards her medical treatments. The generous act of kindness gave the family a comforting, and optimistic feeling during a time when all hope seemed lost. Clint said that Amanda struggled with the idea of asking for help. She felt guilty and undeserving compared to others who are also struggling. She is still humbled by it all.
After several months of treatment, life for the family has started getting back to their normal routine. Once Amanda got her strength back, she returned to school and completed her bachelor's degree. The family is now inspired to volunteer in their local neighborhood and contribute to crowdfunding (众筹) efforts. They are grateful for the opportunity to give back and help others as many have helped them.
1. Why did Amanda postpone her treatment of cancer?| A．She didn't care about her disease. |
| B．She had to take care of her family. |
| C．She was in a bad economic situation. |
| D．She couldn’t find an effective treatment. |
| A．Brought about. | B．Made up. |
| C．Gave away. | D．Set about. |
| A．Shameful but caring. |
| B．Kind-hearted and grateful. |
| C．Curious and warm-hearted. |
| D．Hard- working and humorous. |
| A．It's quite easy to cure Amanda’s cancer. |
| B．Praynksters is a nonprofit organization funded by Clint. |
| C．Volunteering is very popular in Amanda's community. |
| D．A GoFundMe campaign is actually a crowdfunding activity. |
7 . I'd done it before, and so I had no reason to believe that this time would be any different. I was sure that when I returned home from my mission trip, as always, I'd bring back nothing more than some mud on my boots, a hole or two in my jeans and, of course, a lot of great memories.
The summer before my high school graduation, I went to West Virginia with others as volunteers to repair the homes of those in need. Arriving at our destination, my group was assigned the task of rebuilding sections of a home that had been damaged by fire. No sooner had we parked on the home's dirt driveway than we saw an excited little girl, no more than six years old, standing in the doorway of the family's temporary home. Shoeless and wearing dirty clothes and the biggest smile I'd ever seen, she yelled, "Ma, Ma, they really came! " I didn't know it then, but her name was Dakota, and four more days would pass before she’d say another word near me.
Behind Dakota was a woman in a wheelchair—her grandmother, we'd soon learn. I also discovered that my job that week would be to help change a fire—damaged dining room into a bedroom for this little girl. Grabbing our tools, we went to work. Over the following days, I noticed Dakota peeking at us every now and then as we worked. A few times. I tried talking with her, but she remained shy and distant, always flying around us like a tiny butterfly but keeping to herself.
By our fifth and final day, however, this was about to change.
Before I went to work on her home on that last morning, I spoke for a moment or two with the grandmother. I was especially pleased when she told me how much Dakota loved her new room so much, in fact, that she'd begged to sleep in it the previous night, even though it wasn't quite ready. As we talked, I noticed something I hadn’t seen before—Dakota was hiding behind her grandmother. Cautiously, she stepped into view, and I could see that just like her clothes, her face was still dirty. But no amount of soil could hide those bright blue eyes and big smile. She was simply adorable. I wanted so much to hug her, but respecting her shyness, I kept my distance.
Slowly, she began walking toward me. It wasn't until she was just inches away that I noticed the folded piece of paper in her tiny hand. Silently, she reached up and handed it to me. Once unfolded, I looked at the drawing she'd made with her broken crayons on the back of an old coloring book cover. It was of two girls—one much taller than the other—and they were holding hands. She told me it was supposed to be me and her and on the bottom of the paper were three little words that instantly broke my heart. Now almost in tears, I couldn't control myself anymore—I bent down and hugged her. She hugged me, too. And for the longest time, neither one of us could let go.
By early afternoon, we finished Dakota's bedroom, and so I gladly used the rare free time to get to know my newest friend. Sitting under a tree away from the others, we shared a few apples while she told me about her life. As I listened to her stories about the struggles she and her family went through daily, I began to realize how boring various aspects of my own life were.
I left for home early the next morning. I was returning with muddy boots and holes in my jeans. But because of Dakota, I brought back something else, too—a greater appreciation for all of the blessing of my life. I’ll never forget that barefoot little butterfly with the big smile and dirty face. I pray that she’ll never forget me either.
1. From the appearance description of the little girl, we know _______.| A．she formed a bad living habit |
| B．she hoped for a better education |
| C．she was an innocent and lovely child |
| D．she was strong and calm in the inner world |
| A．Enjoy your help. |
| B．Please don’t leave. |
| C．Help me, please. |
| D．Hug me close. |
| A．She worried about the little girl’s future. |
| B．She decided to keep helping the little girl. |
| C．She felt a greater affection for the little girl. |
| D．She got surprised at the little girl’s worthless gift. |
| A．One must learn to share life experiences. |
| B．One often wants to lead a meaningful life. |
| C．One occasionally benefits from the poverty. |
| D．One should be more grateful for the gift of life. |
8 . When Liberia was my home, they called it sweet. Sweet was the word I remembered the most during the war. When I was five, my father, two sisters and I fled from Monrovia, the capital city of Liberia, and headed north on foot among panicked masses of criers - a journey that ended in a village where we hid from flying bullets (子弹). Every dawn, my sisters and I joined my father and covered the pages of his small journal with words. My favorite word to write was “sweet,” one that had the power to numb the reality of our 6-month abandonment by peace and civilization.
Eventually, we were considered the lucky ones: part of the wave of refugees who left Liberia in 1990 to settle in America. My mother studied at Columbia University at the time, and we made our new home in her dormitory while awaiting her graduation. My father who left early in the mornings looked for work or news of a possible return to Liberia, only to return home with nothing to give us but new words to write in notebooks. He quickly found that the education he received in Liberia was not good enough for an engineering job in the United States. So he took whatever job he could find to make sure we always had food on the table - and books.
In 2011, I founded a children’s book publishing company: One Moore Book. It provides children’s literature for the children of countries with low literacy (识字) rates and underrepresented cultures by publishing culturally relevant books that have something meaningful to say to them. My hope is to give children the peace I was given through the words of my father, by allowing them to see themselves in literature. I also think it is important to provide books about foreign countries to children in the United States, to increase the overall awareness of the world outside them.
I will never be able to give my father back the twenty years he spent working to educate us, or the home and life in Liberia he lost. I repay his sacrifice (牺牲) by honoring the education he fought for and offering my art to the world, with stories that make the histories of my people come alive, and with words to live by.
1. What was the author’s family’s life like in Liberia?| A．Sweet and peaceful. |
| B．Frightening but positive. |
| C．Comfortable but boring. |
| D．Adventurous and exciting. |
| A．He was crazy about reading. |
| B．He regretted moving to America. |
| C．He worked hard to raise his family. |
| D．He tried to receive a higher education. |
| A．To meet poor children’s growing demands. |
| B．To provide multicultural books for children. |
| C．To support her father’s books about Liberia. |
| D．To help immigrants understand American culture. |
| A．Her pity for her father’s suffering. |
| B．Her thanks to her father’s devotion. |
| C．Her pride in working for her people. |
| D．Her disappointment over the life in Liberia. |
9 . Bloggers (写博客的人) are sometimes accused of being egomaniacs (after all, what could make one more proud than to assume that the whole world is interested in your thoughts?) and some are the source of ridicule. With more than half of all blogs on the Internet written by under-19s, parents are increasingly worried that their youngsters are putting their personal safety at risk.
Perhaps parents should focus on the positive. For a lucky few, blogging has led to fame and fortune on a scale that most people can only dream of. One of the best-known of these is Maisie Lim, whose fashion blog Style Cookie is read by such famous people as Miuccia Prada, Anna Wintour and Lady Gaga. Maisie is regularly invited to top fashion shows around the world and has thousands of fans.
Due to the fact that Maisie is only 15 years old, her parents have received a lot of criticism for letting her achieve so much at such a young age. Some people think it is inappropriate for a teen to become so heavily involved in the “adult” world. Maisie, though, is just one example of a growing phenomenon: the teen blogger businessperson.
“I was shopping at discount shops, taking photos of my clothes and writing down my thoughts. Starting a style blog seemed like the next logical step because it was a way to share things that inspired me jellyfish with a global audience. I started when I was 11, which was before blogs became big. I never dreamed it would take off.” says Maisie.
Besides updating her blog, Maisie spends time running a web magazine for teenage girls and employs four editors as well as numerous writers, illustrators and photographers.
For more inspiration, look at Suke Smith’s lifestyle blog Pay it Forward. Due to the success followers on Twitter. At 16, Suke is considered experienced on the blogging scene.
Despite the success of the teenage bloggers like Maisie and Suke, it can be tough for teens to be taken seriously because of their age. “But if you’re offering something a bit different, and you’re passionate about what you do, people will notice you,” explains Maisie.
1. The word “egomaniacs” (paragraph 1) most probably refers to bloggers who ________.| A．like to | B．worry about their parents |
| C．spend too much time online | D．have too much self-importance |
| A．concerned | B．surprised | C．uncomfortable | D．grateful |
| A．she employs a team of helpers |
| B．she is often invited to top fashion shows |
| C．she takes a tough attitude toward criticism |
| D．she shares things with great enthusiasm |
| A．Inspirational Teen Blogging | B．An Issue of Parental Concern |
| C．Different Views on Teenagers | D．Professional Fashion Bloggers |
My name is Brooke Parsons, and the story of my life is different. One day, in April, 1993, I was home alone when I had a stroke. When my parents came home, they took me to the hospital to learn what lay ahead for all of us. The stroke has left me with permanent brain damage. The doctors suggested I quit school. However, I chose the opposite.
After returning to high school, I learned very slowly. I had to decide whether or not to complete the twelfth grade in 2 years. Thinking I would fail if I chose to do it in one year, finally I made my decision. The staff at school were very supportive and helped me through the rough times. Finally, I graduated from high school. Graduating from high school was a huge achievement for me. That was an opportunity for me to be really proud of just how far I had come with all the odds I had to beat.
I can now walk, talk, dress myself, feed myself and be the independent person I am today. I have achieved my VCE and I am now at university, studying to be a social worker. I have been a scholarship winner. I have become a life-long member of the local musical band. All of these achievements are beyond my imagination. Now I am even in a novel called Second Chances by Neil Mitchall.
I could have easily listened to the doctors when I first had my stroke, but I decided I was going to prove them wrong as they did not know me, nor did they know just how determined I would be.
It’s a big world out there. I have done and achieved so much and never once will I allow the odds to get the better of me, as there is still a whole lot more things out there for me to do. I love life and I am living it to the maximum
1. How was the author affected by the stroke? (no more than 6 words)2. What decision did he make after returning to school? (no more than 10 words)
3. What did the authors efforts bring him? (no more than 10 words)
4. What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph mean? (no more than 10 words)
5. What do you think of the author and why? (no more than 20 words)
