1 . It was 4:30 pm. As I was packing up, I noticed my colleague had left his laptop bag in the office. So I decided to bring it to him. It took me about 15 minutes to get to his house, where I
Suddenly a snowstorm came and within minutes I was in a whiteout. I stopped because I was afraid of driving into a farmer’s field, or worse. I kept the car
Those seconds after the call were
I texted my colleague, joking about my good deed ending in
Waiting in the car, I doubted whether
At 8 pm, I saw a tall figure in a yellow raincoat striding toward me in the dark, carrying a flashlight. I’d never been more
He turned around and started to trudge through the snow, sure of the direction. I drove behind him, feeling my heart begin to beat more
The experience has been a game changer for me. I now
| A．dropped off | B．filled up | C．set aside | D．put away |
| A．locked | B．parked | C．signaling | D．running |
| A．painful | B．critical | C．disappointing | D．impressive |
| A．failure | B．smoke | C．disaster | D．mystery |
| A．route | B．location | C．direction | D．destination |
| A．news | B．help | C．hope | D．faith |
| A．satisfied | B．surprised | C．relieved | D．worried |
| A．slowly | B．excitedly | C．nervously | D．strongly |
| A．recognition | B．admiration | C．satisfaction | D．appreciation |
| A．identify | B．present | C．approach | D．anticipate |
As a kid, I dreamed of becoming a marine biologist and I lived out this fantasy by setting up aquariums(鱼缸) at home. Then, at 20, I was introduced to photographer David Liittschwager, who hired me to help him with a magazine assignment on marine life.
David’s assignment was to document the amazing biodiversity found in the ocean. My role was to collect species for him to photograph. Every night, I would cast a floating lamp. Like moths drawn to a flame, mysterious creatures would emerge from the depths in search of this light. I’d then set up aquariums to house them as they waited for David to take their shot.
Those evenings made me feel as if I were on another planet. I had never imagined such strange life-forms could exist in our oceans. But I didn’t grasp the true magic of what was in front of me until I saw the photographs David took.
The biggest surprise was his image of a baby flounder. I caught this fish by accident. Only later did I notice its two tiny eyeballs staring back at me. But David’s photograph of this flounder revealed a universe of detail that even my eager eyes had missed. His macro lens magnified its ribs. The lightning-fast exposure froze its motion. A precisely aimed light released the rainbow hidden in its skin. And the black background removed all distractions to focus our attention on the quiet beauty at hand.
Years after that project, I was snorkeling(潜水) on a shallow reef. Out of the darkness, another baby flounder emerged and settled on my mask. This time I knew what to look for. Before working for David, I had assumed the goal of photography was simply to reproduce an observation so that others could share the same experience. It had never occurred to me that photography could expand our visual perception and therefore teach us to see the world anew.
2. Why was David’s image of a baby flounder the biggest surprise to the author?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
▶Encountering a baby flounder while snorkeling deepened the author’s understanding that photography could reproduce an observation.
4. What can help you see the world anew?(In about 40 words)
3 . Have we reached the peak of the culture war? Looking at my social media feeds, it seems that polarised thinking and misinformation have never been more common. How am I supposed to feel when users I once admired now draw on questionable evidence to support their beliefs?
Perhaps it is time for us all to adopt a little “existential humility”. I came across this idea in a paper by Jeffrey Greenat Virginia from Common Wealth University and his colleagues. They build on a decade of research examining the benefits of “intellectual humility” more generally — our ability to recognise the errors in our judgement and remain aware of the limits of our knowledge.
You can get a flavour of this research by rating your agreement with the following statements, ranging from 1 (not at all like me) to 5 (very like me): I question my own opinions because they could be wrong; I recognise the value in opinions that are different from my own; in the face of conflicting evidence, I am open to changing my opinions.
People who score highly on this assessment are less likely to form knee-jerk reactions on a topic, and they find it easier to consider the strengths or weaknesses of a logical argument. They are less likely to be influenced by misinformation, since they tend to read the article in full, investigate the sources of a news story and compare its reporting to other statements, before coming to a strong conclusion about its truth.
Developing “intellectual humility” would be an excellent idea in all fields, but certain situations may make it particularly difficult to achieve. Greenat points out that some beliefs are so central to our identity that any challenge can activate an existential crisis, as if our whole world view and meaning in life are under threat. As a result, we become more insistent in our opinions and seek any way to protect them. This may reduce some of our feelings of uncertainty, but it comes at the cost of more analytical thinking.
For these reasons, Greenat defines “existential humility” as the capacity to entertain the thought of another world view without becoming so defensive and closed-minded. So how could we achieve it? This will be the subject of future research, but the emotion of awe (a feeling of great respect and admiration) may offer one possibility. One study found that watching awe-inspiring videos about space and the universe led to humbler thinking, including a greater capacity to admit weaknesses.
Perhaps we could all benefit from interrupting our despair with awe-inspiring content. At the very least, we can try to question our preconceptions before offering our views on social media and be a little less ready to criticize when others disagree.
1. Regarding the culture war on social media, the author is _______.| A．embarrassed | B．concerned | C．panicked | D．stressed |
| A．Existential humility reduces the threat to identity. |
| B．People with intellectual humility tend to jump to conclusions. |
| C．Awe could promote existential humility by encouraging modest thinking. |
| D．The higher you score on the assessment, the more you stick to your values. |
| A．Overcome an Existential Crisis | B．Show a Little Humility |
| C．The Path to Screening Information | D．The Approach to Achieving Humility |
4 . My birth was a little more dramatic than the standard way a baby enters the world. I was born missing my left hand. Indeed, my limb (手臂) difference could have been a disaster if it hadn’t been for what happened next. A nurse placed me in my mother’s arms and instructed, “You will take her home. You will love her and treat her as normal.”
That is exactly what happened. I played sports, acted in theater, excelled in school and had playdates with friends. While I did get some stares and “polite” questions about my disability, I was lucky because I wasn’t made fun of for it.
However, that fact that I was different hit me hard my first day of high school. I was 13, an age when kids are already very self-conscious and the need to fit in is intensified. I remember one of the other kids on the school bus stared just a little too long at my left arm. I felt a sudden urge to hide my hand, so I slipped it into my pocket. I told myself that I’d just hide it that one day, while I was trying to make friends. But one day of hiding turned into a week, a month, and years — 25 of them to be exact.
When I was 38 years old, tired of hiding and lonely, I met someone special and invited him in. The combination of me finally feeling ready to unhide and his willingness to go through the unhiding process with me was exactly what I needed. For the first time in my life, I allowed someone to really hold my limb, look at it, touch it, love it — love me. I saw my limb difference as something unique about me, something that should be shown, not hidden.
It was a transformational experience, and I learned to love me too. It changed how I lived my entire life and made me happier. I also discovered and joined the Lucky Fin Project, an organisation devoted to people with all types of disabilities.
Hiding things, especially from loved ones, is tiring and lonely, and it prevents us from getting help and support. It’s time to change that.
1. What was the author’s childhood like?| A．She had no social interactions with friends. |
| B．She was raised with care and treated normally. |
| C．She faced some challenges in school activities. |
| D．She was upset about the attention to her difference. |
| A．She began to ignore her disability. |
| B．She suffered prejudice from some kids. |
| C．She started hiding herself away from friends. |
| D．She became sensitive due to her self-awareness. |
| A．She started to open up and be herself. |
| B．She met someone who cured her disability. |
| C．She was fed up with the company of others. |
| D．She reduced involvement in the disability group. |
| A．Misfortune is a good teacher. |
| B．Disability is not a barrier to success. |
| C．Self-acceptance can lead to self-love. |
| D．Nothing beats the feeling of being loved. |
5 . As an ordinary senior school student, I’ve discovered a wonderful way to
When I get on my bike and ride around familiar streets, it feels like I’m on a small quest. It’s not just about reaching a(n)
Another thing that cycling has taught me is to be ready for surprises. The road isn’t always
The most important part, though, is how cycling makes me feel happy and
In the end, my daily bike rides have become more than just a way to get around. They’ve become a(n)
| A．estimate | B．approach | C．guarantee | D．challenge |
| A．phenomenon | B．coincidence | C．adventure | D．entertainment |
| A．flexible | B．unique | C．traditional | D．responsible |
| A．cooperation | B．dilemma | C．crisis | D．destination |
| A．discovery | B．value | C．comment | D．growth |
| A．top | B．coast | C．stage | D．platform |
| A．describe | B．detect | C．remove | D．overcome |
| A．delicate | B．fragile | C．smooth | D．tough |
| A．volunteer | B．insist | C．pray | D．panic |
| A．original | B．unexpected | C．crucial | D．natural |
| A．useful | B．efficient | C．carefree | D．curious |
| A．apply | B．recharge | C．develop | D．recognize |
| A．alarmed | B．embarrassed | C．fresh | D．emotional |
| A．audience | B．passenger | C．victim | D．guide |
| A．determination | B．attempt | C．comfort | D．calmness |
6 . I hadn’t seen Anne in nearly 20 years since college, yet we could still party like old times. It was great to have her here,
She was looking at the few blooms (花) left in my yard. I hadn’t planted much after losing my job. It had been a
“One of my hobbies is taking photos of
Suddenly a hot song rang from her cell phone. “I set it to remind me to take my medicine,” she said calmly.
“An
“For my brain,” she smiled. “I have been diagnosed with a rare cancer, a small tumor (肿块) no bigger than your fingernail,” she laughed softly. That was Anne — ever
So
Later next day, an e-mail filled with the flower photos popped up from Anne — clear and beautiful. She had gotten past the anger, the pity and unfairness, taking one moment at a time and polishing it until it
I shifted my eye to outside, and I had her flowers in full bloom. Actually, I always had them, but it was Anne who got me to really
| A．saving | B．watching | C．sharing | D．controlling |
| A．normal | B．new | C．satisfying | D．difficult |
| A．last | B．same | C．only | D．right |
| A．yards | B．flowers | C．parties | D．people |
| A．bother | B．avoid | C．miss | D．stop |
| A．award | B．order | C．alarm | D．idea |
| A．optimistic | B．attractive | C．hard-working | D．confident |
| A．nervous | B．shocked | C．relaxed | D．lucky |
| A．ended | B．failed | C．shined | D．fruited |
| A．arrange | B．trust | C．colour | D．appreciate |
7 . As this year draws to a close, I still remember the fear I felt on a bright Saturday morning in late September, at a five-kilometer race in Clarkston, Georgia, as I waited for my 11-year-old son at the finish line.
I knew he could run a 5k in about 30 minutes. When I didn't see him at the 35-minute mark, I began to wonder what had gone wrong. Had he gotten lost? Was he hit by a car? About an hour earlier, when we drove into town, my son noticed an insect on my car. It was bright green, no longer than a fingernail. And it was friendly. This little green thing hopped onto my son's finger, where it stayed for a long, long time. It stayed so long that we eventually gave it a name: Little Friend.
A few minutes before the race, Little Friend jumped off my son’s hand and landed on the sidewalk. But pedestrian traffic was heavy and unpredictable. Little Friend was in danger. So my son knelt and reached out his hand. Little Friend came back.
The race was about to start, and the tiny green insect was in for a wild ride. My son would run fast, and the race would be long, and his arms would swing, and Little Friend would eventually be shaken off.
“You will lose Little Friend,” I told him.
My son nodded, treating the moment with appropriate seriousness.
The race began, and I lost sight of him.
The excitement at the finish line gave way to anxiety when my son did not show up.
I kept asking people if they'd seen him. No one had. And beyond the 40-minute mark, I was in a panic.
But there he was, thank goodness, just ahead of the 45-minute mark.
And there was Little Friend, riding on the upper crook of his right thumb like a very small captain on a very tall ship.
My predictions had been wrong. My son had not run fast, and he had not lost Little Friend. And these two facts seemed somehow related. He blamed a cold he was getting over. I suspected it was more than that, but I didn’t question him too much about it.
We walked back to the car, smiling, and found some bushes in the parking lot that seemed like a good place for my son to drop off Little Friend.
“Be free,” my son said, and gently put it in the bushes.
My son knew the truth. Sometimes life gives you something beautiful, a fragile, short-lived treasure in your hand. There is no need to rush ahead. Treat it gently. Enjoy each moment. Hold on while you can.
One day my son will leave too, running off on his own adventure.
1. How did the writer probably feel when he finally saw his son appear in sight?| A．Relieved. | B．Depressed. | C．Satisfied. | D．Disappointed. |
| A．he was lost | B．he was recovering from a cold |
| C．he was afraid to lose the tiny insect | D．he was slowed down by the heavy traffic |
| A．indifferent | B．anxious | C．appreciative | D．doubtful |
| A．Treasure every moment he has with his son. |
| B．Encourage his son to take more adventures. |
| C．Tell his son to take races seriously. |
| D．Get more insects for his son. |
8 . Even now, I have vivid memories of my last day of high school. In my mind’s eye, I’m cleaning out my locker, and then staring at the emptiness for a few extra beats before slamming it shut for the last time. I’m roaming the halls with my best friend, blissfully ignoring the bells going off every 50 minutes on schedule because, just today, we’re allowed to break the rules. I’m sitting on my desk, swinging my feet, and shooting the breeze (闲聊) with my English teacher, Mr. Carr, in a way that makes me feel almost grown up.
It was maybe my favorite day of the whole year. Like the final layer of watercolor, the freedom and lightness I feel seeps (渗透) into the rest of my memories of that day and turns them just a shade rosier.
If the school year hasn’t yet ended for you, consider what you can do to make the finale count. Why? Because when it comes to human memory, not all moments are created equal. Instead, our remembered experiences are disproportionately (不成比例地) influenced by peaks(the best moments as well as the worst)and endings (the last moments). Nobel Prize winner Danny Kahneman, who discovered this phenomenon, called this the peak-end rule. It suggests that our judgment of a past experience is largely based on its most extreme point and its endpoint.
I took advantage of the peak-end rule years ago, when my girls were young enough to want a bedtime story each night. I remember thinking that whatever strife (冲突) and stress had occurred that day, I could make the last moments count. I could end on a note of calm and act like the patient mom I hadn’t quite managed to be just hours before.
Don’t mistake all moments as equal in significance. There’s a reason why yoga classes end with savasana (挺卧式). There’s a reason we eat dessert last. Do orchestrate (精心安排) endings. As Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll might say: Finish strong. Last impressions are especially lasting.
1. What does the underlined word in paragraph 1 mean?| A．Calmly. | B．Surprisingly. |
| C．Happily. | D．Curiously. |
| A．Peaks in life can be remembered better than endings. |
| B．The last moments matter the most in our memories. |
| C．Our judgment of the past is determined by first impressions. |
| D．The peaks and ends of experiences are easier to remember. |
| A．How the author applied the rule to daily life. |
| B．How the author treated her daughters. |
| C．What struggles the author had in life. |
| D．Why the author read stories to her kids. |
| A．To prove the peak-end rule can be used in sports. |
| B．To encourage readers to value the last moments of an experience. |
| C．To explain why last impressions are lasting. |
| D．To show the importance of doing sports. |
If you listen to the stream of articles and podcasts telling us how to become a billionaire in 10 easy steps, you might hold the belief that squeezing ourselves dry each second of the day will bring happiness and success.
But this obsession with productivity is costing us. Even a car doesn’t stay in the same gear the whole time. “We are not machines,” says psychologist Professor Drew Dawson. “Performance declines as a function of time, of task and time of day.”
Instead of moments of boredom, where we might let our minds wander and come up with novel solutions to problems and novel ways of thinking, we seek constant stimulation - and have a lowered tolerance for boredom as a result.
“It leads people to a false assumption that the world’s most successful people are literally making good use of every single minute,” Dawson says. “That’s a myth. We’re not hardwired to act that way as humans, and it’s a good recipe for burnout.”
COVID-19, for a variety of reasons, has led people to question and even opt out of this myth. “Who wants to lie on their deathbed going, ‘I wish I’d been more productive’?” Dawson says. “Post-COVID, people are starting to say, ‘what am I losing compared to what am I gaining?’”
So, if not more productivity, what should we be aiming for?
·Get our priorities straight.
A life spent chasing the state of being able to do everything is less meaningful than a life of focusing on a few things that count. We can reflect on five things that matter most to us and lead a life around them. Once clear on them, we also become clear on where to direct our attention and what to say “no” to.
·Enjoy downtime(停工期)for its own sake
Glorifying productivity can blind us to the value of other parts of our lives, including boredom, connection, creativity and play. But activities in our lives don’t need to always be productive or worthwhile-enjoying an activity is reason enough to spend time on it.
We weren’t meant to be productive all the time, so stop constantly struggling, and start chilling.
1. What does “obsession with productivity” refer to in the passage?2. How has COVID-19 changed the situation according to the passage?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
It is more meaningful to focus on a few things that count in life, so we can reflect on five things in our life to say “no” to. 4. Do you agree with the statement “enjoying an activity is reason enough to spend time on it”? Why or why not?(In about 40 words)
10 . On a bright afternoon, Jordan, Mahir and Mahir’s father gathered at the foot of a mountain. “Hey, Jordan, over here!” Jordan’s best friend, Mahir, waved his hand, pointing to a crack in the side of the mountain. “We could
Jordan tied his safety harness (系带) and checked his rope. He weighed one of them in his hand, determining its weight. Then he looked for
“At the time of a test, a person rises or falls.” said Ghanim, Mahir’s dad. Shaking his head in
His own father’s voice resounded in his thoughts, as if in a half-forgotten dream. “Climb a mountain, son, and you climb the insecurity in your own life. You climb over your shadow, climb over your
And now Jordan wouldn’t either.
| A．hike | B．pack | C．climb | D．dive |
| A．worthwhile | B．possible | C．unique | D．immediate |
| A．effectively | B．conveniently | C．amazingly | D．unbelievably |
| A．confusion | B．awareness | C．understanding | D．appreciation |
| A．agreement | B．destination | C．balance | D．crack |
| A．shock | B．power | C．doubt | D．struggle |
| A．accident | B．journey | C．event | D．trap |
| A．discouraged | B．connected | C．pulled | D．prevented |
| A．Agreed | B．Faced | C．Ended | D．Gone |
| A．Concentrating | B．Depending | C．Moved | D．Carrying |
