1 . A girl is smiling at me from a picture on my desk. She is one of my sponsor (资助) children. I didn’t spend much money helping her. The joy from helping her gives me, however, is over the picture.

I can still remember the first time that I decided to help a child. It was many years ago, I was only a middle school student. I had a little extra (额外的) money each month. I didn’t feel like buying anything, though. A few years ago, we lost everything in a house fire. That fire bought me a lot. I cleared that I didn’t need a lot of things to be happy. From then on I began to care about the suffering of children in poor countries. With my mom’s help, I soon found a few groups and joined them. They were helping others around the world.

It felt so good being able to reach out and help others in need. It felt so good being able to make even one life better. I could feel the love growing in my head and beginning to change me. This feeling makes us into better people with bigger hearts. It helps us to love, to be kind, and to make this world a better place.

1. The writer began to sponsor a child ________.

A．when he studied in the middle school	B．before his house had a fire
C．when he felt like buying something	D．before he had a little extra money

2. What’s the Chinese meaning of the underlined word “suffering”?

A．苦难

B．经验

C．情绪

D．要求

3. What’s the third paragraph mainly about?

A．Why the writer helped poor children.	B．How the writer found a few groups.
C．When the writer began to care about others.	D．How the writer felt after helping others in need.

4. Which of the following is true?

A．The writer needed a lot of money to be happy before.

B．The writer spent much money on his sponsor child.

C．The writer spent lots of money doing shopping every month.

D．After joining the groups, the writer changed a lot in his heart.

5. From the passage, we can learn that the writer is a ________ person.

A．rich

B．lucky

C．kind

D．careless

2 . While Sam Bloom was on a vacation in Thailand, a balcony railing collapsed (倒塌), sending her falling 20 feet to the ground. The _________ left her with numerous injuries, including a broken spine. Her life was _________ changed.

In the many months that followed, she fell into a deep _________. Before her accident, she spent her time _______her family, surfing, exploring the outdoors, and traveling the world. Her _________ sense of self disappeared overnight—as she _________ it in her piece in a Time article, “I was no longer a(n)_________ woman, and I no longer _________ myself as a wife and mother.”

A few months after returning home, her son Noah _________ an injured baby magpie that had fallen from high in a tall pine tree. After no veterinarian (兽医) would rather __________ her in, the family decided to try and __________ her back to health themselves.

Due to its wobbly (摇晃的) walk and black and white __________, Bloom’s three boys decided to __________ the baby bird Penguin. And so, this __________ new creature became a member of the Bloom family. This new addition required constant __________, needing to be fed every two hours and kept warm constantly. This new __________ fell on Sam, and soon, Penguin became a form of __________ in soul to Sam.

“I didn’t feel as __________ anymore;my instincts as a nurse and mother came to life when I was __________ to this tiny, feathered soul. I didn’t __________ it at that time but, in a way, we were keeping each other alive.”

1.

A．fall

B．travel

C．railing

D．country

2.

A．gradually

B．recently

C．completely

D．hardly

3.

A．sleep

B．depression

C．hole

D．passion

4.

A．figuring out

B．talking about

C．calling at

D．caring for

5.

A．former

B．strange

C．weak

D．false

6.

A．made

B．had

C．got

D．put

7.

A．beautiful

B．excellent

C．independent

D．professional

8.

A．watched over

B．thought of

C．gave up

D．turned to

9.

A．discovered

B．hunted

C．dropped

D．trapped

10.

A．hand

B．trick

C．engage

D．take

11.

A．hope

B．nurse

C．send

D．show

12.

A．eyes

B．photos

C．feathers

D．dots

13.

A．keep

B．consider

C．name

D．accept

14.

A．greedy

B．needy

C．proud

D．energetic

15.

A．change

B．motivation

C．practice

D．attention

16.

A．responsibility

B．challenge

C．stress

D．chance

17.

A．escape

B．treatment

C．exercise

D．excuse

18.

A．useless

B．careless

C．quiet

D．lazy

19.

A．objecting

B．adjusting

C．sticking

D．tending

20.

A．answer

B．care

C．realize

D．believe

3 . Yesterday after work, the boss told me I was fired. When I walked along a riverbed sadly, I suddenly realized it was New Year’s Day, a day to start afresh.

I passed by a man holding his son, one or two years old. The baby’s face was in pure joy, and his innocent eyes were full of wonder. The simple sweetness of the baby made me moved.

Walking on, I saw a young couple repairing their bicycle. They smiled at me and said, “Happy New Year!” I smiled and wished them the same. It was a simple thing, but for a moment it brought me a sudden joy.

I kept walking, enjoying the cheerful singing of birds. With people around laughing out loud, an old woman immersed herself in her sewing. She didn’t seem either happy or sad. A feeling of timeless peace flowed through me and all fear of what the future might bring disappeared. I thanked her in my heart, and moved on.

As I reached home, I was filled with great thanks and hope for life, which took me a long time to find. Actually, happiness could be simple and easy. Now I knew whatever the New Year would bring, there would be joy and enough love to help me through the hard times we all had to face.

“Happy New Year!” I said to myself.

1. What did the writer’s boss tell him after work?

A．It was New Year’s Day.	B．He was fired.
C．He needed a day to relax.	D．He had a day off.

2. When seeing the little baby, the writer was moved by his ________.

A．age

B．laughing

C．innocence

D．crying

3. When the writer saw the young couple, they were ________.

A．repairing their bicycle	B．waiting for the writer
C．watching the passers-by	D．celebrating the New Year

4. How did the writer feel when he saw the old woman?

A．Lucky.

B．Hopeless.

C．Fearful.

D．Thankful.

5. What can we learn from the passage?

A．Greetings make people polite.	B．Happiness could be simple and easy.
C．Walking makes people energetic.	D．Friendship lies in getting together.

4 . 阅读短文，按照题目要求用英语回答问题。

I was sitting in a chemistry class when I and six other kids were called down to the counselor’s (顾问) office. It was pretty strange because none of us were “ problem ” students. We were all curious about what she wanted to say.

This was when she told us she would be choosing one of us to be nominated (提名) for the largest scholarship in Canada. It was a very strange moment; I never realized I was that excellent. She said, since we all had a similar high average, she would talk to our teachers to see who was the most deserving.

A week later, I got an email from the counselor; it was addressed to me and another student at the meeting. I was shocked; this must have meant we were the two people she would be choosing from. We were required to write about where we see ourselves in ten years; I knew I had to make this count. I spoke from the heart, depicting my perfect life: living in the big city, having finished my degree, doing what I loved every day.

About a week later, I got called back to her office, only me. I didn’t want to be overexcited because maybe she was being personal, telling me I wasn’t chosen. She told me I was the one picked. Nobody could have controlled my smile, what a moment.

She told me about all the nice things my teachers said about me; I never realized I was held in such high-regard to them. Over 350,000 students graduate from high school every year and I was one of the only 1,500 kids nominated for this scholarship across all of Canada.

Unfortunately, I didn’t win but I’d still like to thank everyone who helped me get to where I am today.

1. Why did the author feel surprised when he was called to the office? ( no more than 10 words )
2. Why did the school went to choose from the six students? ( no more than 5 words )
3. What does he underlined word “ depicting ” in the third paragraph probably men? ( 1 word )
4. What was the purpose of the counselor calling the author to her office again? ( no more than 10 words )
5. What do you want to say to those who ever have given you recognition and help? ( no more than 20 words )

5 . Courage is a highly admired virtue. When asked to describe courage, most people conjure up (脑中浮现) the image of an individual running into a burning building, or maybe a hero saving the world. But there's another form of bravery that's much more important because it comes up more often. It's called moral courage.

Moral courage is the ability that allows us to face our fears and to conquer our darkest fears. It’s the ability to face the future without knowing what is certain. It’s the ability to stand tall and confront those who oppose us, those who prevent us from realizing who we are and what we are. But most importantly, it’s the ability to stand up for what’s right, even though there are risks that stand in your way. Sara Anderson once said that "It takes great courage to faithfully follow what we know to be true."

The potential of showing moral courage has the power of changing the world. It was because of the moral courage that Mahatma Gandhi was able to make India free from British rule. He fought bravely against them without the use of any weapon by presenting great moral courage. In this way, he also became a great example for the people of the whole world. It is not that we remember Gandhi because of his body or beauty. We remember him because of the great ideas and principles of his life.

Moral courage is essential not only for a noble life, but a happy one. Without moral courage, we have no control over our lives. Our fears destroy our spirit and make us trapped in depression. Mark Twain said, “Courage is not the absence of fear but the resistance of fear, the mastery of fear.” If our fears cause us to lose confidence in the power of virtue, we will lose something very precious.

People with moral courage rarely get medals, but it is the best marker of true character and a virtue others can be proud of. We must try to develop the power of moral courage that will surely help in ending injustice and wrong and grant us a better world.

1. What is the main function of Paragraph 1?

A．To make a comparison.

B．To propose a definition.

C．To introduce the subject.

D．To provide the background.

2. In the author’s view, moral courage is not _________.

A．the willingness to face and conquer fears

B．the capacity to stick to what is right

C．the ability to confront opponents

D．the desire to control whoever opposes you

3. What does the example of Mahatma Gandhi tell us?

A．Moral courage can make a difference to the world.

B．Moral courage makes people faithfully follow the truth.

C．Moral courage is essential for leading a happy life.

D．Moral courage restricts great ideas and principles.

4. What can be inferred from Mark Twain’s words?

A．Courage is being brave without any fear.

B．Courage is a spirit to overcome the fear.

C．Having a fear can limit our future lives.

D．Fear can stop us from achieving our goals.

5. What does the author advise us to do in the last paragraph?

A．To end injustice and wrong.

B．To pursue excellent virtues.

C．To strengthen moral courage.

D．To create a better world.

6 . In the 1950s, Japan began to focus on developing is economy. Every day, many people traveled by train between Tokyo and Osaka. Many industrial materials were also transported on those railway lines. But the Japanese railway system was so outdated that the 320-mile trip could take 20 hours. So in 1955 the Japanese railway chief asked the nation’s engineers to create a faster train.

Months later, a team managed to create a train going at a speed of 65mph — a speed that made it one of the fastest passenger trains worldwide at the time. But the railway chief wasn’t satisfied. He wanted 120mph. The engineers immediately explained that at those speeds, if a train turned too sharply, the speed would force the cars off the track.

But the railway chief didn’t change his mind. After making many attempts, the engineers eventually created a train running up to 120mph and had a big influence on the industrial design worldwide. This is an example of what a “stretch goal” (延展性目标) can achieve. When exploring psychology, I was frequently told by researchers that the most successful people tend to set goals differently from everyone else. In particular they tend to identify big, seemingly unrealistic objectives.

“Stretch goals break complacency (自满),” some scientists wrote. “By forcing a big rise in collective hopes, stretch goals can shift attention to possible new futures and perhaps lead to increased energy in the organizations. They thus can achieve more.”

This lesson can be used in the most ordinary aspects of life. Take to-do lists for instance. When making to-do lists, some people often write down tasks they can cross off right away. That’s wrong. Before writing easy tasks, you should first put down at the top of your list a big stretch goal that will constantly remind you of the main objective you’re trying to get done.

1. What does the description of Japan’s problem in the 1950s show?

A．The public’s discontent at its train service.

B．The unfavorable economic situation of Japan.

C．The practical need to improve its railway system.

D．The unbalanced development of its transportation.

2. How did Japanese engineers react to the railway chief’s idea at first?

A．They found it tough but worthwhile.

B．They considered it totally unrealistic.

C．They put forward their own research plan.

D．They believed it would gradually come true.

3. What did the author often hear about when he was studying psychology?

A．How to break down big goals into smaller ones.

B．How to understand “stretch goals” matters.

C．How to create success step by step.

D．How to set goals sets people apart.

4. The author takes the to-do lists for example to ______.

A．encourage people to keep making to-do lists daily

B．indicate we’d better first achieve easy goals

C．prove to-do lists are crucial to organizations

D．show stretch goals can apply to our daily life

5. Which of the following does the author probably agree with?

A．A stretch goal can be a double-edged sword.

B．Ambition pushes personal and social progress.

C．Readers need to listen to members’ opinions.

D．Goals should fit in with the reality.

7 . We had a painter in our home recently. Unlike many, he was _________ and completed the work in a timely way. And he went above and beyond the call of _________, like filling in little nail holes in the hallways.

The painter was always friendly and his prices were _________. I happily handed him a bottle of wine as an extra reward of our _________. As a famous writer puts, “Kindness _________ another; the painter’s friendliness makes me be friendly to others and so it goes.” Unfortunately the _________ is also true. Sometimes, people are rude to us and we tend to _________ in a kind way. My daughter recently moved across the country. The movers couldn’t have been more unpleasant. First they _________ to put the boxes in certain rooms. They threw them around and _________ many things including an expensive dining room table, but they were ____________ to take responsibility. I give my kid credit for reacting to the company with ____________ instead of rudeness.

I recently ordered some avocados (牛油果) online. Every single one was bad. Although I ____________ got a refund, I was troubled by the seller’s complete indifference to doing his job well and to the impact on the ____________. I was about to ____________ about his lack of service awareness. But I stopped myself. I was ____________ by the negative behavior and I had to work not to react.

We have to stop greeting rudeness with ____________ behaviors or performance. What ____________ is that, instead of waiting for others to be kind to us, we should make a positive ____________ to be kind to others. It doesn’t take a lot — a smile, a kind word and an offer to help or to ____________ another person. What a great deal — low ____________ and high reward!

1.

A．sensitive

B．stubborn

C．punctual

D．ridiculous

2.

A．conscience

B．emergency

C．moral

D．duty

3.

A．reasonable

B．absurd

C．unfair

D．changeable

4.

A．allowance

B．appreciation

C．celebration

D．evaluation

5.

A．leads to

B．makes up

C．builds up

D．consists of

6.

A．misunderstanding

B．concept

C．statement

D．opposite

7.

A．interrupt

B．decline

C．respond

D．ignore

8.

A．promised

B．refused

C．chose

D．pretended

9.

A．damaged

B．stole

C．abandoned

D．exchanged

10.

A．afraid

B．sorry

C．unwilling

D．ready

11.

A．aggression

B．doubt

C．politeness

D．criticism

12.

A．easily

B．accidentally

C．basically

D．illegally

13.

A．partners

B．customers

C．monitors

D．deliverymen

14.

A．worry

B．think

C．discuss

D．complain

15.

A．affected

B．defeated

C．threatened

D．surrounded

16.

A．personal

B．violent

C．cautious

D．similar

17.

A．counts

B．appears

C．differs

D．disagrees

18.

A．influence

B．choice

C．contribution

D．appointment

19.

A．call up

B．come across

C．light up

D．hear about

20.

A．cost

B．standard

C．price

D．risk

8 . Many of us seem to have lives that follow a certain way. From kindergarten all the way to when we get married, every stage of our lives seems to be preset. And although this works well for a lot of people, according to British scholar Jay Shetty, there is no “right” schedule to live our lives by.

A few months ago, a video of Shetty’s speech “Before You Feel Pressure” became popular on the Internet across the world. In the video, he sends an important message that we should think “outside of the way” and have the courage to follow our hearts. As Shetty says in the video, we don’t have to get stressed and put ourselves in a race with our peers or judge our lives based on others’. “Everything in life happens according to our time, our clocks,” he says.

In his inspiring speech, Shetty points out that UK author J. K. Rowling got her famous “Harry Potter” series published at age 32, after being turned down by 12 publishers. Shetty also mentions that US actor Morgan Freeman didn’t get his big break until he was 52 years old. So we shouldn’t let anyone rush us.

As physicist Albert Einstein once said, “Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that’s counted truly counts. The key to staying on our own tracks is to be patient and keep our own interest. ” In Australian nurse Bronnie Ware’s best-selling book “The Top Five Regrets of the Dying”, she recorded the dying regrets of her patients, and the top one on the list was: “I wish I had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the one others expected of me. ”

Indeed, we are all unique in our personalities and gifts, and there’s no perfect fit for all. We should listen to our inner voices and ignore what the world has taught us, and what we’ve picked up from people around us. “It is important to allow people to go back to being self-aware of their own interests, needs and concerns,” Shetty told the magazine. “It’s disconnecting from what ‘makes sense’ to what actually moves you and what makes sense internally (内在地). ”

1. What does Jay Shetty agree to?

A．The stages of our lives should be preset.

B．Few people have lives that follow a certain way.

C．All people live their lives according to schedules.

D．We can live our lives not according to the given way.

2. According to Jay Shetty’s video, people should _________.

A．put more pressure on themselves

B．adjust their lives based on others’

C．decide their lives in terms of actual cases

D．compete with those who are better than themselves

3. Shetty lists the famous people in his speech to show ________.

A．everyone can be a winner	B．hard work is the key to success
C．great new life can begin anytime	D．success does not happen in one’s youth

4. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to Paragraph 4?

A．Everything that’s counted truly counts.

B．One should live a life as expected by others.

C．We should count and analyze everything in life.

D．The top dying regret was not living in the way one wanted.

5. We can conclude from the last paragraph that _______.

A．people should never listen to others’ advice

B．we should follow the heart and do what we want to do

C．what makes sense should not be about what people care internally

D．being self-aware of interests, needs and concerns is not acceptable

9 . 阅读短文，并按照题目要求用英语回答问题。

When I was a little girl, I spent memorable holidays with my grandmother, who lived in a small village. She was a farmer with a stooped (弯曲的) back that made it seem like she was always leaning forward to examine something. Early in the morning, she would tie a cloth around her waist and set out to the farm. I would skip breathlessly alongside, trying to keep up. On our way, she would greet everyone we passed.

There was the standard greeting, “Did you wake up on the right foot this morning?” Then, the more personalized greetings. To Patriarch Kosi who sat under the mango tree, she would ask, “Are the grandchildren in good health?” To the Bean Stew Seller who was preparing to serve breakfast, she would inquire, “Are your boys well?”

Sometimes, the greetings were spoken soothingly (安慰地). When we walked past the widow, Dada Mawusi, many months after her husband’s death, Grandmother would say directly, “How is your grieving?” She didn’t like to beat around the bush. The greeting made more sense to her to acknowledge the woman’s suffering, and in doing so, empathize (理解) with her.

The people that Grandmother greeted would respond similarly. “I see you have your granddaughter with you today. How is her father?” or “I see you have woken up before the cock’s crow today. May it be a fruitful day at the farm.” As a young girl, I thought these greetings were unnecessarily time-consuming. What I now realize is that the greetings increased a sense of belonging. My grandmother taught me that there is always time to greet someone before getting down to business. You can always take a few extra seconds to say a greeting to a person. We enrich our society when we acknowledge the unique presence of one another.

1. Where did the writer spend holidays when she was young? (no more than 6 words)
________________
2. What made the writer feel breathless? (no more than 8 words)
________________
3. How do you understand the underlined sentence in Paragraph 3? (no more than 10 words)
________________
4. What did the writer think about greetings when she was young? (no more than 10 words)
________________
5. Why do you think greeting neighbors is important? Give your reasons, (no more than 20 words)
________________

10 . 阅读短文，并按照题目要求用英语回答问题。

For years, I played around with writing. I wrote when I felt like it. Then one day, a friend asked what my dream was. When I said it was to be a writer, he said these words that changed my life, “You don’t have to want to be a writer. You are a writer; you just need to write.” So I started calling myself a writer. Everywhere I went, I introduced myself as “Jeff Goins, Writer,” and even put it in email signatures and on my Facebook page. And you know what? I started acting like it. Eventually, I even began to believe it. It turns out that sometimes you do have to fake it before you make it.

The lesson here is simple: If you wait for someone to give you permission to start pursuing your dream, you’ll be waiting for a long time. You have to begin before you think you’re ready.

After I decided to pursue my dream, I still had to find the time to do it. Working a full-time job and having a wife and other things to do, I didn’t have unlimited free time. I had to find time to write. For me, that meant getting up early. Like, 5:00 a. m. early. Every morning, I would wake up, get my coffee, and write for two hours. At first, this was difficult;I had to force myself out of bed and downstairs before the sun rose. But eventually, it became habitual. I did it without even thinking about it. And soon, what started as a discipline became a daily joy.

By doing this, I learned the excuse I had given myself — “I don’t have enough time” — wasn’t true. I did have enough time; it was just hiding in “inconvenient” places.

These days, most people I meet are talking about their dreams. For example, they want to bravely pursue a successful career. However, they’re doing it all wrong. They think they need to take a huge leap out into the unknown when, in fact, the opposite is true. So if you have a dream, just take action. And don’t say you don’t have time for it.

1. How did the friend’s words change his attitude towards writing? (no more than 10 words)
2. What does the underlined word “fake” mean in the first paragraph? (no more than 1 word)
3. How did the author find time for writing? (no more than 15 words)
4. What does the author advise us to do to pursue a successful career? (no more than 10 words)
5. Suppose you’re crazy about playing basketball, but you have no time for it. How will you deal with it?