1 . “Lonely” is defined in the dictionary as “unhappy because you are alone or do not have anyone to talk to”. However, in my perspective, “being alone” can also be meaningful and enjoyable. In other words, “being alone” isn’t equivalent to “loneliness”. Actually, we can literally enjoy our time when staying alone.

Think of loneliness as the “tunnel phase” of our lives. It’s a time when we don’t have a group of friends around to keep us company; when we are away from the hustle and bustle (熙熙攘攘) of the outside world; when we get the chance to tune in to our inner monologue (独白); when we are given the time to recharge ourselves on our own so that we can focus entirely on ourselves. It is during these periods that, without being disturbed and distracted, we are able to discover the things we truly want from our lives. This process is like digging a tunnel, through which we improve ourselves, achieve our goals and get a jolt of power to prepare for the or darkness we may meet with in our future lives.

A distinguished figure skater (花滑冰运动员) once said in his interview that he often felt lonely, but the external environment would to some extent affect his mind and body, making it difficult for him to concentrate during his practice and performance, and thus he was actually willing to be alone and at times would rather be isolated from the world. This type of “loneliness” must be one of the reasons why he has been able to deliver so many elaborate and splendid performances throughout his career.

So don’t be frightened by the temporary void or unhappy feeling when you have to he alone. Instead, cherish and enjoy the sense of loneliness you get when you are completely free. Spend time with yourself.

We become more independent in loneliness. We grow stronger in loneliness. Most importantly, we find our complete selves in loneliness. When we learn to embrace the feeling of “loneliness” and enjoy the time in which there is no other, loneliness itself ceases to exist.

1. What’s the author’s opinion about “being alone”?

A．Being alone is as something shameful

B．Being alone means being lonely and helpless

C．There is no point in being alone.

D．We appreciate our time more when we are alone.

2. How does the author develop Paragraph 2?

A．By providing examples.

B．By analyzing causes.

C．By making comparisons.

D．By listing figures.

3. Why is the distinguished figure skater mentioned in the passage?

A．To show athletes always feel lonely.

B．To demonstrate the factor of the success.

C．To indicate solitude (独处) is as important as practice.

D．To confirm the positive effect of “loneliness”.

4. What can we learn from the last two paragraphs?

A．Time spent with yourselves is more enjoyable than that with others.

B．People will always feel depressed when faced with being alone.

C．Loneliness can benefit us a lot in many aspects.

D．Loneliness can exist all the time, so we should change our attitude toward it.

5. What is the author’s purpose for writing this passage?

A．To illustrate different opinions on staying alone.

B．To encourage people to learn to value and enjoy their time of loneliness.

C．To persuade people into staying away from others.

D．To offer some suggestions on how to spend time alone.

2 . When things don’t seem to go right, what’s your first thought? Do you just give up or do you make a promise to try a different approach? If you give up the effort simply because you’ve run into difficulty, you’re not only giving yourself a reason to call yourself a failure, you’re also depriving (剥夺) yourself of the opportunity to learn.

Nothing in life stays the same. Everything is always in a state of change. Your ability to recognize change and make peace with it, while also finding the flexibility to adapt to changing conditions, will determine how effectively you can continue making progress toward your life goals.

Indeed, when you discover and accept your ability to be flexible, all things are possible. That’s because the realization that there are other ways to go about dealing with what happens in life and to find ways around seemingly impossible difficulties makes you stronger, more self-confident and satisfied. It also greatly improves your perception (感知) of your abilities.

Consider that overcoming difficulties is quite an achievement. When you combine that with the confidence you feel in being able to analyze and put together a workable approach or solution, you wind up with a positive outcome overall. This satisfying result adds to your motivation to solve the next item on your list, to go for another goal that may be a bit more challenging.

This ability to overcome difficulties doesn’t come about automatically, yet it is a talent you can foster. Indeed, it may seem like a losing plan, especially if you don’t see results right away. Instead of losing hope, keep on going.

Have you ever disappointed yourself despite your efforts when you’ve encountered challenges in adapting to changing circumstances? Suppose you haven’t been able to figure out a way around them or couldn’t determine a workable approach. Is this a terrible thing? Does it mean you’re certain to forever be at the end of the line when it comes to accomplishments? It’s not like that. What it does indicate, however, is that you may yet keep some unforgiving thoughts about your own abilities. You may, for example, not trust your instincts (本能) or you might not believe you’re capable enough of taking a calculated risk.

1. We can infer from the first paragraph that ______.

A．running into difficulty is a valid reason to stop trying

B．it’s a rare thing for people to have a good opportunity

C．facing challenges offers learning and growth opportunities

D．it’s better to give up than persist when faced with difficulty

2. What do Paragraph 2 and Paragraph 3 talk about?

A．Adapting and persisting through change to achieve goals.

B．Changing conditions to create new opportunities.

C．Accepting failure when faced with difficulties.

D．Giving up to avoid further complications.

3. What can drive you to move forward successfully?

A．Engaging in self-criticism for every perceived failure.

B．Missing chances to gain insights from challenging situations.

C．Abandoning efforts when confronted with a difficult challenge.

D．Conquering challenges with confidence and achieving positive results.

4. What might be the cause of failing to adapt to changing conditions?

A．You may have negative thoughts about your own abilities.

B．You may have a strong capability for taking calculated risks.

C．You are likely to give up on accomplishing anything significant.

D．You are guaranteed to be always at the forefront of achievements.

5. What message does the passage convey?

A．The importance of avoiding difficulties.	B．The need to give up when facing challenges.
C．The benefits of staying in your comfort zone.	D．The significance of flexibility and adapting to change.

3 . On a cold morning in May, I received a fascinating email from a high school friend. inviting me to a 10-day all-female surfing adventure in Portugal. The offer was irresistible, and I instantly knew my answer was yes.

The trip seemed simple enough. Ten women, ranging from 30 to 45 years old, all strangers, will gather on the Portuguese coast to embrace the challenge of surfing the Atlantic waves.

As a travel enthusiast, I quickly sought permission from my boss for this once-in-a- lifetime journey.

Through my 33 years, I’ve observed a common adult tendency: we often limit ourselves to refining skills we already possess. There’s a certain pride in improving our expertise, becoming increasingly knowledgeable in our chosen fields, yet unintentionally, this focus often leaves other skills undeveloped and leads to neglecting other areas of potential growth.

Two days later, I arrived in Ericeira, a charming surf town, where I met my surfing group. Despite our different personalities and backgrounds, we were all united in a persistent desire to challenge ourselves, learn, tackle and grow.

The shores at Ericeira, where the beginners learn to surf, are shallow and covered with slippery rocks. They make for softer waves but are difficult to navigate (驾驭).

Guided by our amazing coaches, together, we faced the waves. Sometimes, it poured with rain, and the waves crashed around us, but we were still out there. And with every slip and fall, words of encouragement filled the air.

Honestly, I probably spent most of my days frozen to the bone, but that didn’t matter because a new level of genuine joy and personal achievement had been unlocked.

Learning a new skill taught me the humbleness that can come from doing badly at something new, and the pride that develops when you finally manage to grasp something you’ve been working on.

While surfing might not be my calling, trying it out inspired me to take more risks in life, to step outside of my comfort zone and to never stop believing in myself. You never know what you’re capable of if you don’t go out there and try.

1. What motivated the author to join the surf trip to Portugal?

A．The opportunity to improve existing skills.

B．The need to reconnect with a high school friend.

C．The chance to undertake work duties in Portugal.

D．The desire to embrace a challenge and learn a new skill.

2. What is the author’s view on adults focusing on mastering one field?

A．It narrows one’s abilities.	B．It is essential for career success.
C．It disrupts one’s work-life balance.	D．It develops creativity and exploration.

3. Which of the following words best describe the author’s surfing experience?

A．Tough but rewarding.	B．Boring and uneventful.
C．Difficult and frustrating.	D．Relaxing but unpredictable.

4. What can be inferred about the author?

A．She used to lack confidence in herself.

B．She became more willing to take risks.

C．She went on to become an expert surfer.

D．She discovered the surfing was her true calling.

5. What wisdom did the author gain from the experience with surfing?

A．The value of pushing your limits and trying new things.

B．The need to seek professional training in all new skills.

C．The benefit of traveling with unknown companions.

D．The importance of being an expert in one field.

4 . Most of us in the enterprising community are blessed—or harmed—with higher-than average ambition. Ambitious people strongly desire accomplishments and are willing to take more risks and spend more effort to get them.

Overall, this is a positive quality, especially for people trying to build their own businesses. Apparently, if you’re more naturally driven to set goals, you are more likely to succeed.

Actually, this isn’t always the case. In fact, in some cases, extreme ambition may end up doing more harm than good.

One major side effect of excessive ambition is the tendency to focus too determinedly on one particular vision or end goal. This is problematic because it prevents your ability to adapt to new circumstances, which is vital if you want to be a successful entrepreneur (创业者). If a new competitor emerges to threaten your business, you may need to change direction, even if that means moving away from your original vision. If you have too much ambition, you’ll find this hard, if not impossible.

Few people are successful when they try to build their first brand. Unfortunately, for the most ambitious entrepreneurs, a failure is seen as disastrous and impossible to recover from.

It’s a clear departure from the intended plan to ward the intended goal. For people with limited ambition, however, failure is viewed as something closer to reality. Remember, failure is unavoidable, and every failure you survive is a learning experience.

Ambitious people tend to be more successful in material wealth than non-ambitious ones. However, they’re only slightly happier than their less-ambitious counterparts, and tend to live significantly shorter lives. This implies that even though ambitious people are more likely to achieve conventional “success,” such success means nothing for their health and happiness—and if you don’t have health and happiness. what else could possibly matter?

Clearly, some amount of ambition is good for your motivation. Without any ambition, you wouldn’t start your own business, set or achieve goals and get far in life. But inappropriate ambition can also be dangerous, putting you at risk of burnout, stubbornness and even a shorter life.

1. What does the author think of most entrepreneurs?

A．They are more willing to risk their own lives.	B．They are more ambitious than ordinary people.
C．They achieve greater nonconventional success.	D．They have more positive qualities than most of us.

2. What does the author imply by saying “this isn’t always the case” in Paragraph 3?

A．Ambitious people may not have a greater chance of success.

B．Ambitious people may not have more positive qualities.

C．Entrepreneurs’ ambition docs as much good as harm.

D．Entrepreneurs are more naturally driven to success.

3. What does the author say is of extreme importance for one to become a successful entrepreneur?

A．Holding on to once’s original vision.	B．Being able to adapt to new situations.
C．Focusing determinedly on one particular goal.	D．Avoiding total change in one’s career direction.

4. How do the most ambitious entrepreneurs regard failure in their efforts?

A．It will awaken them to reality.	B．It is a lesson they have to learn.
C．It means the end of their career.	D．It will result in a slow recovery.

5. What does the author advise us to do concerning ambition?

A．Distinguish between conventional success and our life goal.

B．Follow the example of the most ambitious entrepreneurs.

C．Avoid taking unnecessary risks when starting a business.

D．Prioritize health and happiness over material success.

5 . As a child, it took many falls and shakes before I could comfortably ride a bike. When it came to swinging a bat, I had no problem with the swing, but locating a ball in midair was another thing altogether. Learning to swim was my greatest challenge. As an 8-year-old attending a camp, I looked on sadly as the other boys in my group sailed off while I remained behind, clinging to the side of the pool.

Perhaps this is why I hesitated when a friend suggested that I try stand-up paddle boarding. My fear was that my ability to grasp a new physical skill had not improved with the passing decades. In truth, stand-up paddleboarding had already caught my eye. During visits to Maine lakes, I had seen its practitioners paddling lazily under a warm sun. It looked so easy, as the only thing it needed was the ability to stand up, right?

So in a burst of optimism, I bought an inflatable (可充气的) paddleboard and, with my friend Mike in tow, headed for a lake deep in the woods, out of sight of potential laughing. I began by kneeling upon the unsteady platform. Slowly, laboriously, I tried to stand — and immediately flew into the water. I mounted it again, and again I flipped (滑倒).

They say that it is the sense of smell that most powerfully recalls distant memories. I disagree. It’s the act of falling that reminds one that learning is an energy-intensive effort: falling from my bike, falling after swinging a bat with all my strength through empty air, and falling through — instead of floating on — the water at the camp. New physical skills may seem to be more difficult to acquire later in life, but the effort — and the understanding that falling is part of the process — is accompanied by faith born of experience. I did learn how to ride a bike, I did learn to swim, and, I did learn to get that bat on the ball.

And so, immediately, I mounted the paddleboard, ending with the slow, unsteady ascent onto my feet until — yes! — I stood upright.

1. What can we infer from the first paragraph about the author?

A．He had difficulty in learning at school.	B．He lacked talent in various sports events.
C．He was a slow learner of physical skills.	D．He faced challenges confidently in childhood.

2. Why did the author hesitate about trying stand-up paddleboarding?

A．He became a little lazy after growing up.

B．He doubted his ability to learn new skills.

C．He couldn’t bear practicing it in a burning sun.

D．He was afraid to fall into water while paddling.

3. Why did they go to a lake deep in the woods for paddleboarding?

A．To practice floating in a nice place.	B．To practice paddleboarding in the shade.
C．To paddle about lazily in the warm sun.	D．To avoid being laughed at by others.

4. What did the author learn from his learning experiences?

A．Falling is actually part of the process of learning.

B．The sense of smell reminds us of our past memories.

C．More energy is needed in the effort for learning.

D．Adults find it really difficult to learn physical skills.

5. What does the underlined words mean in Paragraph 1?

A．holding on to

B．mounting on to

C．getting on to

D．catching on to

6 . My knees started shaking, yet my body froze. It felt as though my soul left my body and I had no _______ of it. I looked through the list posted on the wall _______. My heart sank as I saw all my friends’ names on that list but was _______ to find mine.

Tears filled my eyes. Just then, a group of students _______ to see the final team list. Every one of them jumped with _______ after seeing that they made the basketball team. Trying to _______ about the situation, I walked home. However, I walked _______ and it felt as if I had a100-pound weight tied to my backpack. My mind was also _______.

Noticing my _______ facial expression, my father asked me what was wrong. “I didn’t make the basketball team,” I replied. “What are you going to do about it? Are you just going to sit there?” he asked.

I just shook my head and ________ myself in my room. Being alone in my room, I thought hard about what my dad said, and it started ________ to me. Nobody was going to give me a(n) ________ on that team. I would have to ________ it. Then I decided to take action. Conveniently, there was a ________ near my school, and I biked there after school every day and trained hard for two hours. I wasn’t sure if I could finally make it, but I ________ it.

After almost a year of ________, I tried out for my seventh-grade team. ________ the result, I knew I’d worked hard and learned about mental ________. The next day, I found out I made the team. As the saying goes, “The greater the ________, the sweeter the reward.” I couldn’t ________ with it more.

1.

A．sight

B．control

C．memory

D．record

2.

A．angrily

B．indifferently

C．aimlessly

D．anxiously

3.

A．unsure

B．unnecessary

C．unable

D．unwilling

4.

A．crowded

B．pretended

C．hesitated

D．announced

5.

A．regrets

B．confusion

C．sadness

D．excitement

6.

A．talk

B．forget

C．worry

D．argue

7.

A．heavily

B．bravely

C．quickly

D．smoothly

8.

A．open

B．wild

C．blank

D．clear

9.

A．irregular

B．unsuitable

C．irresponsible

D．unusual

10.

A．treated

B．locked

C．relaxed

D．comforted

11.

A．making sense

B．showing off

C．coming over

D．turning back

12.

A．excuse

B．account

C．spot

D．comment

13.

A．quit

B．earn

C．hide

D．share

14.

A．museum

B．library

C．supermarket

D．gym

15.

A．stuck to

B．focused on

C．cared about

D．admitted to

16.

A．waiting

B．planning

C．practicing

D．learning

17.

A．Regardless of

B．Thanks to

C．Apart from

D．According to

18.

A．health

B．toughness

C．attitude

D．weakness

19.

A．courage

B．patience

C．effort

D．confidence

20.

A．shake

B．agree

C．fix

D．deal

7 . One freezing morning last February, I walked through Ontario Place. Trees were frosted sculptures. Large chunks of ice floated in the lake. Then I saw a group of people in bathing suits bouncing up and down in the water. They held hands, shouting and yelling into the sky. They looked and sounded so free.

I’ve always found cold water thrilling. The shock of it is like pressing a switch. It seems to reset my body and soul.

And last winter, I definitely needed a reset. I woke up most mornings with a dull, grey feeling as I forced myself out of bed to start the day. I needed something to cheer myself up, but I didn’t know what, until that day.

The ice warriors (勇士) emerged from the lake, their skin steaming. Trembling, they were yet laughing and hugging each other. I called out:   “You guys are awesome!” One woman waved back, “Come and join us! We’ re here every Monday morning.”

The night before my first dip (游泳), I was excited and nervous. Cold water was one thing, but this icy lake was a whole other level. Should I back out? Eventually, I got up in the dark and drove to the meeting spot.

After some wild warm up, I charged into the lake along with others. We yelled into the sky. Teeth chattering heart rates slowing, fingers and toes going numb (麻木), we stayed there for somewhere between two and five minutes. Knowing it was my first time, people cheered me on. It felt amazing. I was stupid with cold, but I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt so happy.

Now I go dipping almost every day, and I’ve come to long for that moment when the cold becomes a second skin and my internal voice goes silent. Apart from the thrill of those first heart-stopping dives, which, ironically, saved me from going under, what has drawn me is this community of generous, open-hearted souls.

We laughed together, often, but from the stories we’ve shared about ourselves, I know I’m not the only one who faces life’s challenges. Holding hands in the freezing lake, we looked out for each other last winter and will do so through this one.

It won’t fix everything in our lives—but for some reason, it helps. At the end of each session I return home feeling stronger, lighter, more able to carry on. As another winter sets in, I’m more than ready to embrace the cold again.

1. When the author saw the people in the lake, her feeling can be best described as __________

A．nervous	B．amazed
C．frightened	D．calm

2. Why did the author think of joining the swimmers?

A．To expand her social circle.	B．To lift her spirits again.
C．To adapt to the cold weather.	D．To prepare for a new career

3. What can be learnt about the author’s first dipping?

A．She hesitated a bit before going.

B．She suffered from a heart problem.

C．She stayed in cold water too long.

D．She regretted not doing enough warm up.

4. What change has cold water swimming brought about in the author?

A．She is more intelligent.

B．She gets more competitive.

C．She becomes a better storyteller.

D．She regains her inner peace.

5. What message does the author most likely want to convey?

A．Severe cold builds up character

B．Group wisdom brightens our life.

C．Tackling the odds together cures.

D．Doing sports promotes friendship.

8 . My son is doing an MA (Master of Arts) in music, so for his final project he decided to explore the role of fantasy in society. He emailed home for help. “Naturally we all love escapism,” he wrote, “but the important question is why? You’re a fantasy writer, Mum, got any ideas?”

This is what I came up with: Fantasy is important for the human mind. It begins as the psychological process by which a child learns to fill the space between knowledge, reality and experience.

When we were small children, trying to get to sleep, a creaking (嘎吱响的) floorboard was really frightening. Who or what could be making the noise? The only way to make sense of the experience was to fantasise : there’s probably a tiger under the bed.

Children frighten themselves silly like this, but while they have no knowledge of central heating pipes swelling (管道膨胀), they have to use make-believe to fill the space between experience and knowledge. As time passes and children learn about the effect of heat on pipes and floorboards, they will often prefer the tiger story. Fear, within a safe environment, is fun.

As they grow, children need stories that include war, falling in love, becoming a hero and saving the world. They provide a framework (框架) within which developing emotions can awaken, ready for “real life”   when it hits.

Louis Sachar’s Holes is a great modern explanation of this, but the best ones are those we make up for ourselves. A friend who is a child psychologist was treating a boy who’d been mistreated by a relative. The child loved this person, and was puzzled and hurt by what had happened, so my friend wrote him a story about a baby rabbit that loved his uncle, a wolf. One day, the wolf hurt him. The rabbit remembered the love, but he also understood that wolves were dangerous, and had to be avoided. The child went away with the tools to reconcile (和解) the irreconcilable.

Taking one step away from reality to that “safe” place of pretend prepares us to look at the world’s hard realities in the face.

1. Which question puzzled the author’s son?

A．Do people love escapism?

B．Why is fantasy so important?

C．Is escapism good for people?

D．What is the purpose of fantasy music?

2. How can fantasies about creaking floorboards benefit children?

A．By helping them to get to sleep quickly.

B．By encouraging them to find out the truth.

C．By helping them to overcome fear on their own.

D．By allowing them to explore their feelings in a safe way.

3. Which of the following about fantasy would the author agree with?

A．It frees kids of concerns.

B．It makes people emotional.

C．It helps people spot danger.

D．It prepares kids for real life.

4. How did the child psychologist’s make-up story turn out?

A．It worked well.

B．It confused the child.

C．It made the relative apologise.

D．It became more popular than Holes.

5. Which best describes the author’s tone in the text?

A．Approving.

B．Concerned.

C．Humorous.

D．Doubtful.

9 . 阅读下面短文，并根据短文内容完成下列各题。

The morning of my daughter’s first school play I had an important business meeting. I went to the play, getting a seat in the front row. I even brought my mum along in case it overran. But, not wanting to be late for my appointment, I moved quietly to the back. My daughter, who was just three at the time, noticed my empty seat and started to cry. Outside the doorway, I heard one mum say loudly and angrily, “She’s gone to work.” I watched as some of the others rolled their eyes. My stomach went cold.

It’s OK for a mum to have a job — as long as it’s part-time, fits around the school run or means she doesn’t have to leave the school play early or fly to the other side of the world now and again to earn a living. During the decade I’ve been a working mum I’ve received numerous critical comments from women about my work choices, but I think running my own business and travelling with my work when I can (while still taking my daughter to school most days and making pretty much every show or event) is setting a good example to my daughter. It shows her that it is possible to succeed at a time when women in many professions find it harder than men to reach the top and get less pay.

But I often feel I’ m in the minority. Do the women who roll their eyes at other women who leave the school play early or show up late to parents’ evening because their meetings overrun really believe females should only be in part-time, flexible work that fits around their children? I think it’s time for women to support each other’s career decisions.

1. What does the text mainly talk about?(no more than 10 words)
______________________________________________________________________________________________
2. What does the underlined sentence in the first paragraph probably mean?(no more than 25 words)
______________________________________________________________________________________________
3. What may the author’s daughter learn from her working mother?(no more than 30 words)
______________________________________________________________________________________________
4. What kink of job should a mother have according to other mothers who rolled their eyes? (no more than 5 words)
______________________________________________________________________________________________
5. Do you agree with the author? Give your reasons.(no more than 25 words)
______________________________________________________________________________________________

10 . Some people think asking for help is a sign of weakness, but the complete opposite is true. It takes strength to ask for help. It’s a hard thing to do. The truth is, there are more good people than bad. People truly want to help others. No one should ever have to be in that dark place.

I have a friend called Diane. Diane is one of the most positive people I have ever known. She is smart and funny, and by looking at her you would certainly think she had a perfect life. No one knew the terrible things she was dealing with. She never asked anyone for help when she was in great trouble. She thought that she would just be bothering people if she told them the truth. She thought loneliness was her answer. She masked her loneliness, but one day she hit her breaking point.

Diane tried to take her life one morning. She was lucky, though. Someone found her before it was too late. People finally knew her problems and with their help she got rid of them. She once told me that her biggest regret was not reaching out to someone sooner. Diane has greatly changed. She’s become positive and is always ready to help others.

Diane and I have grown quite close. She has helped me battle my own problems. She is an example of what help looks like.

To anyone out there who feels they are alone, I hope you know you are not. Even if you feel the world is closing in on you, there are people who care—people who will surprise you in the best ways. The best thing about our technological world is how easily you can reach people. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. You are not alone.

1. What does the author mean by saying “the complete opposite is true” in Paragraph 1?

A．Getting help from others is a great shame.

B．Asking for help shows great courage.

C．It takes bravery to offer help.

D．It is difficult to get help.

2. Why did Diane refuse to ask for help at first?

A．She was very positive.

B．She had no one to turn to.

C．She considered help useless.

D．She feared to make trouble for others.

3. What change did Diane show after being saved by people?

A．She turned her back on the author.

B．She masked her anger with a smile.

C．She thought highly of reaching out to others.

D．She has removed all her doubts about others.

4. What does the author think of our technological world today?

A．It makes people afraid of face-to-face conversation.

B．It makes communication between people easier.

C．It offers a variety of ways to care for others.

D．It is likely to make people feel lonely.

5. What’s the author’s purpose in writing the text?

A．To share a friend’s story.

B．To explain why people refuse to get help.

C．To encourage us to ask for help if necessary.

D．To show the harm of keeping problems ourselves.