1 . Exercise and I had never had a good relationship due to my fear of sports. From a young age, my dad
When I entered the University of Regina, my dad
The spring semester came. A friend of mine
I went, and that was it. Zumba became my
| A．expected | B．allowed | C．forced | D．invited |
| A．therefore | B．though | C．instead | D．besides |
| A．avoided | B．risked | C．regretted | D．kept |
| A．in shape | B．for fun | C．at ease | D．on business |
| A．refused | B．happened | C．bothered | D．decided |
| A．hardly | B．merely | C．constantly | D．gradually |
| A．eager | B．content | C．embarrassed | D．disappointed |
| A．cheated | B．comforted | C．asked | D．annoyed |
| A．happy | B．proud | C．careful | D．sure |
| A．cup | B．part | C．share | D．mouth |
| A．curiosity | B．passion | C．fear | D．confidence |
| A．perfect | B．positive | C．adorable | D．official |
| A．accept | B．feel | C．display | D．compare |
| A．witness | B．separate | C．discourage | D．save |
| A．trouble | B．sense | C．peace | D．contact |
Once, when I was a teenager, my father and I were standing in line to buy tickets for the circus(马戏团). Finally, there was only one family between us and the ticket counter.
This family made a big impression on me. There were eight children, all probably under the age of twelve. You could tell they didn’t have a lot of money.
Their clothes were not expensive, but they were clean. The children were well-behaved, all of them standing in line, two-by-two behind their parents, holding hands. They were excitedly talking about the clowns, elephants, and other acts they would see that night with their brothers or sisters in a low voice.
One could sense they had never been to the circus before. It should be highlight of their young lives. The father and mother were at the head of the pack, standing proud as could be. The mother was holding her husband’s hand, looking up at him as if to say, “You are my knight in shining armor.”
He was smiling and responding in pride, looking back at her as if to say, “You got that right.” The ticket lady asked the father how many tickets he wanted. He proudly responded, “Please let me buy eight children’s tickets and two adult tickets so I can take my family to the circus.”
The ticket lady gave the price. The man’s wife let go of his hand; her head dropped, and his lips began to shake. The father leaned a little closer and asked, “How much did you say?”
The ticket lady told the price to him again. The man didn’t have enough money. How could he turn and tell his eight children that he didn’t have enough money to take them to the circus?
In fact, we were not rich. So I understand how the kids would feel. I felt sorry for them.
注意:1.所续写短文的词数应为150 左右；
2.续写部分分为两段，每段的开头已为你写好。
Paragraph l:
Seeing what was going on, my dad put his hand in his pocket.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2:
That day my father and I went back to our car and drove home without any tickets.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The event that stands out in Tom’s memory happened one morning when Tom was only ten years old.He was at home with his elder sister Jane.Tom was doing his homework when he heard raised voices.At first he thought nothing of it since customers in the motorcycle shop directly below their flat often became loud，but he soon realized this time it was different.
“Quick! Quick! Remove the motorcycles from the shop.” someone shouted.Then a thick burning smell filled the air.When Tom opened the front door of their flat to investigate，a thick cloud of smoke greeted him.The motorcycle shop had caught fire and people were running and crying.
Jane，who had been playing the violin in her room，hurried to the living room.They rushed out of the door and along the corridor (走廊) through the smoke.
They were heading towards the stairway at the far end of the corridor when Jane suddenly stopped in her track.She turned around and headed back the way they came.Tom had no idea what she was doing，but he followed her.
Jane had suddenly remembered the lady in her 70s who lived next door to them，who they called Makcik.Jane began banging on Makcik’s door，but got no answer.As the smoke thickened around them，Tom could see many of their neighbors—some still in their pajamas (睡衣)—running for safety.The thought of fear crossed his mind.
“She would have run for safety like everyone else!” Tom cried.However，Jane refused to give up.“I know Makcik’s still inside.” She said she was familiar with Makcik’s daily routine and was certain she would still be sleeping.She pounded against the door.“Go downstairs.Go now! Go!”
Paragraph 1：Tom noticed the flame (火焰) was reaching up.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2：
Luckily，some neighbors passing by stopped and offered help.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________4 . Gabriela worked for a multinational company as a successful project manager in Brazil. Later she was transferred to manage a team in Sweden. She was excited about her new role but soon realized that managing her new team would be a challenge.
Despite their friendliness, Gabriela didn’t feel respected as a leader. Her new staff would question her proposals openly in meetings. When she gave them instructions on how to carry out task, they would often go about it in their own way without checking with her. When she announced her decisions on the project, they would continue giving their opinions as if it were still up for discussion.
What Gabriela was experiencing was a cultural shock in expectations. Dutch psychologist Geert Hofstede uses the concept of “power distance” to describe how power is distributed in different cultures. In her previous work environment, Gabriela was used to a high power distance culture where power is respected. In such a culture, leaders make the big decisions and are not often challenged. Her Swedish team, however, were used to working in a low power distance culture where employees often work together with their bosses to find solutions and make decisions. Here, leaders act as coaches who encourage independent thought and expect to be challenged.
When Gabriela became aware of the cultural differences between her and her team, she took the initiative(主动权)to have an open conversation with them about their feelings about her leadership.
Pleased to be asked for their thoughts, Gabriela’s team openly expressed that they were not used to being told what to do. They enjoyed having more room for initiative and creative freedom. When she told her team exactly what she needed them to do, they felt that she didn’t trust them to do their job well.
With a better understanding of the reasons behind each other’s behaviour, Gabriela was able to make adjustments to her management style. Finally she effectively motivated her team to achieve their goals.
1. What problem did Gabriela face with her Swedish team at the beginning?| A．Her Swedish staff didn’t understand her instructions. |
| B．Her authority was challenged by her Swedish staff. |
| C．They were always refusing to follow her directions. |
| D．They looked down upon her because she was a female. |
| A．Professional spirit and risk-taking behaviour. |
| B．Independent thinking and friendly atmosphere. |
| C．Active participation and creative thinking. |
| D．Competitive spirit and mild character. |
| A．Kind but changeable. | B．Strict but trustworthy. |
| C．Flexible and communicative. | D．Stubborn and forceful. |
| A．Birds of a feather flock together. | B．Don’t judge a book by its cover. |
| C．Two heads are better than one. | D．When in Rome, do as Romans do. |
Everything about moving day was a puzzle. I didn't know anything about our new building on a new street. Our old life was broken into pieces and packed up in piled boxes. I wondered if it would ever fit back together again.
Mom introduced me to our new neighbours, the Chens. Mrs Chen worked with Mom at the job she'd just started. Mr Chen was a famous craftsman(匠人) from China.
Mom said it was a fresh start, but it felt broken to me. I just wanted things to go back to how they had been before.
After the first day at my new school, I walked home alone. Mom had told me she had to work. I was still hoping she'd meet me after the bell. I had to open the door myself with the new key. I felt a bit hungry and went straight into the kitchen, ripping tape from the packed boxes while I searched for a clean plate. My fingers slipped, and something went crashing to the ground.
“Benjamin” cried Mom from the doorway. I didn't hear her come in. “What just broke?” she asked, kneeling to pick up the pieces. In her hands, I recognized the shattered pieces. It was Grandma's bowl. “I can't believe you broke this,” she said.
“Well, I can't believe we have to live here now! I can't believe I have to switch schools, and I can't believe you didn't even meet me after my first day” I ran into my room, slamming the door behind me.
The broom swept across the kitchen floor. Then the click of Mom's bedroom door closed behind her. I sneaked out into the kitchen and found the fragments in the dustbin. There were so many pieces in here, but maybe I could put them back together. Turning the pieces, I tried to match them,but this bowl would never look the same again.
“I'm sorry I yelled,” said Mom, as she opened her door. “Please just throw out the pieces. We can't make a fresh start with broken things.”
As I wandered down the hall, Mr Chen was emptying his garbage.
注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 续写部分分为两段,每段的开头语已为你写好。
Paragraph 1：
“Are you sure you want to throw that out?” he asked.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2：
I brought the repaired bowl into her room.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
When I was a child, I lived in a house with a beautiful garden full of different flowers, and roses were the most beautiful of them. There was nothing I enjoyed more than sitting in the garden with my mother, reading stories to me. When I was in primary school and old enough to read, I enjoyed reading stories aloud to her.
I will never forget one day when I had been picked to be the princess in the school play. For weeks my mother had practised my lines so hard with me. But however easily I acted at home, as soon as I stepped, every word disappeared from my head. Finally, my teacher took me aside. She explained that she had written a narrator’s (叙述者) part to the play, and asked me to change my role. Her word, kindly expressed, still hurt, especially when I saw my part go to another girl.
I didn’t tell my mother what had happened that day. But she sensed my pain. Instead of suggesting we practice my lines, she asked if I wanted to take a walk in the garden.
It was May and roses were blossoming and, under the trees, we could also see yellow dandelions (蒲公英) in the grass, as if a painter had painted our garden with red, yellow and green. I watched my mother casually bend down by one dandelion.
“I think I’m going to dig up all these weeds,” she said, pulling it up by its roots. “From now on, we’ll have only roses in this garden.”
“But I like dandelions,” I protested. “All flowers are beautiful — even dandelions.”
My mother looked at me seriously. “Yes, every flower is beautiful in its own way, isn’t it?” she asked thoughtfully. I nodded, pleased that I had won her over.
“And that is true of people too,” she added. “Not everyone can be a princess, but there is no shame in that.”
Realizing that she had guessed my pain, I started crying as I told her what had happened. She listened and smiled reassuringly.
注意：1.续写词数应为150左右；
2.开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
Paragraph 1:
“But you can make a good narrator,” she said with encouragement in her eyes.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:
After successful performance in the play, I took home the dandelion carefully.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
7 . A woman is volunteering in ashelter. It all started because she missed her own
Sandy was at a loss when her beloved Angus died last year — terribly lonely, yet not quite
Remembering that her dog had loved being read to, she brought along a
It's now been 18 months sinceSandy first began
Sandy was
Inspired by Sandy's style of
| A．husband | B．kid | C．dog | D．animal |
| A．ready | B．free | C．sorry | D．grateful |
| A．However | B．Meanwhile | C．Besides | D．Therefore |
| A．comforting | B．admiring | C．missing | D．helping |
| A．toy | B．book | C．camera | D．photo |
| A．settling into | B．stealing into | C．heading for | D．looking for |
| A．duty | B．work | C．good | D．wrong |
| A．uneasy | B．unsure | C．unhappy | D．unaware |
| A．reading | B．attending | C．waving | D．whispering |
| A．content | B．patient | C．strict | D．careful |
| A．interviewed | B．trained | C．petted | D．photographed |
| A．teaching | B．living | C．thinking | D．volunteering |
| A．accepted | B．predicted | C．recorded | D．organized |
| A．involved | B．experienced | C．united | D．relaxed |
| A．competition | B．company | C．service | D．advice |
8 . I’m a standup comic. One day, a woman from The Daily News called and said she wanted to do an article on me. When she had finished interviewing me for the article, she asked, “What are you planning to do next?” Well, at the time, there was absolutely nothing I was planning on doing next, so I asked her what she meant, pausing for a moment. She told me she was interested in me! So I thought I’d better tell her something. What came out was, “I’m thinking about breaking the Guinness Book of World Records for Fastest-Talking Female.”
The newspaper article came out the next day, and the writer had included my parting remarks about trying to break the world’s Fastest-Talking Female record. At about 5: 00 p.m. that afternoon I got a call from Larry King Live, which I had never heard of, asking me to go on the show. They wanted me to try to break the record, and they told me they would pick me up at 8: 00---because they wanted me to do it that night!
Then I sat down to figure out what on earth I was going to do on the show. I called Guinness to find out how to break a fast-talking record. They told me I would have to recite something either Shakespeare or the Bible. Shakespeare and I had never really gotten along, so 1 figured the Bible was my only hope. I began practicing and practicing, over and over again. I was both nervous and excited at the same time.
Then I decided just to give it my best shot, and I did. I broke the record, becoming the World’s Fastest-talking Female by speaking 585 words in one minute in front of a national television audience. I broke it again two years later, with 603 words in a minute. My career took off.
People often ask me how I did that. I tell them I live my life by this simple philosophy: I always say yes first; then I ask, “Now, what do I have to do to accomplish that?” Then I ask myself, “What is the worst thing that can happen if I don’t succeed? The answer is, I simply don’t succeed! And what’s the best thing that can happen? I succeed!
What more can life ask of you? Be yourself, and have a good time!
1. Why did the author pause before telling her next plan?| A．She took little interest in the topic. |
| B．She refused to share it with others. |
| C．She didn’t have any plan in her mind. |
| D．She needed time to think over the plan. |
| A．She was persuaded to set a Guinness record. |
| B．She was invited to give comic performances. |
| C．She succeeded in making a fortune overnight. |
| D．She finally agreed to make her parting remarks. |
| A．She could recite the Bible. |
| B．She received an interview. |
| C．She broke the record twice. |
| D．She developed her philosophy. |
| A．Do nothing by halves |
| B．Practice for perfection |
| C．Just say yes to yourself |
| D．Always hope for the best |
9 . I'm a geologist. I have been researching changes in the Antarctic ice sheets to help governments plan for floods and other
I first met Tom on the tip of Antarctica. He is a professional mountaineer who
Trust quickly grew between us, and our
When I got the date for my return journey, I started to feel
Saying goodbye to each other was a（n）
| A．advantages | B．consequences | C．tendencies | D．causes |
| A．instructs | B．familiarizes | C．assists | D．presents |
| A．stuck | B．deserted | C．locked | D．arrested |
| A．holiday | B．treatment | C．mission | D．sentence |
| A．distribute | B．carve | C．display | D．collect |
| A．danger | B．pleasure | C．shame | D．reward |
| A．health | B．safety | C．board | D．future |
| A．friendship | B．confidence | C．experience | D．hardship |
| A．sorted | B．shifted | C．avoided | D．discussed |
| A．peaceful | B．considerate | C．emotional | D．embarrassed |
| A．last | B．work | C．matter | D．end |
| A．doubts | B．memories | C．talents | D．complaints |
| A．option | B．struggle | C．honour | D．routine |
| A．leaving behind | B．picking up | C．taking in | D．appealing to |
| A．filmed | B．frozen | C．mentioned | D．forgotten |
10 . Having worked for more than a decade in finance in the oil industry in Canada, Tori Fahey found herself wanting more from life. But it wasn't through desperation that her circumstances changed: “I didn't get fed up and storm off, nothing like that; it was curiosity about other interests and wanting to experience something new.”
Fahey left her job and completed an MBA before setting up a move to New York to begin a degree. However, the opportunity of an open year between the MBA and the degree came up, and as a keen touring cyclist, Fahey realised that a much dreamed-about adventure was now becoming a possibility: "The ride in Africa had been on my fantasy list. It was a moment when I realised that I could do anything, so I should."
Fahey rode across Africa, a 7,500-mile trip that took four months. The whole experience had a life-changing impact. Fahey said: “Bicycles provide a literal freedom. You don't allow yourself to feel like that in everyday life because there are so many distractions. But when you' re out on the bike and there's nothing else, you' re really free to experience what life is.”
Post-degree, Fahey worked on projects with the UNDP(United Nations Development Project) in Montenegro with the aim of bringing investment to rural communities.
It was while working on these projects that the seeds were sown for the next new investment. “It was through my trip across Africa that I discovered pannier and rack systems inconvenient and I was never going to use them again.” Little did she know this would lead her to start up her own company.
In 2013, Apidura was born, producing storage solutions for people looking to travel the world by bike, race across continents and carry all they need to do so. It's now a successful global brand, but Fahey remains reflective about what else the company can do for people.
1. Why did Fahey leave her job in Canada?| A．She was bored with the job. | B．She was disappointed with life. |
| C．She wanted to add new dimensions to her life. | D．She found it hard to adjust to the circumstances. |
| A．Demanding. | B．Liberating. | C．Eventful. | D．Dangerous. |
| A．To encourage bicycle traveling. | B．To make her investment profitable. |
| C．To help cyclists carry traveling stuff. | D．To increase the pleasure of riding bikes. |
| A．A tough path to fame. | B．An adventure across Africa. |
| C．The benefits of green travelling. | D．The story behind the birth of Apidura. |
