We would all love to learn how to be happy. And sometimes, the solution comes from a surprising place.
During his fieldwork in a remote African village, an anthropologist (人类学家) had devoted himself to studying the unique habits and culture of the local tribe. He had been working in the village for quite some time and on the day before his scheduled return home, he composed a gift—a basket full of delightful fruits from the area, wrapped thoughtfully in a piece of cloth. He placed this offering beneath a tree and then gathered the village children around.
The man drew a line in the dirt, looked at the children, and said, “As soon as I signal to start, dash to the tree; the first to arrive will claim the basket of fruits.” However, when he signaled, instead of racing against each other, the children joined hands and ran together to the tree. Then They settled around the basket and enjoyed their treat as a group.
Bewildered by their act of unity, the anthropologist asked why they chose to run collectively when any one of them could have seized all the fruits. A young girl looked up at him and said innocently, “How can one of us be happy if all the other ones are sad?”
Years later, Desmond Tutu, the well -known South African activist, remembered how a girl once thought about things in a simple yet deep way. He used the word “ubuntu” to describe her thinking. “Ubuntu” means “I exist because we all do.” In other words, we are who we are because of our relationships with others. For that tribe, to be human is to relate with and through others. They think that our happiness comes from the union of our joys and the meaningful impact they have on the community.
1. What gift did the anthropologist prepared? (no more than 10 words)2. How did the children reach the tree? (no more than 10 words)
3. What does the underlined word “bewildered” probably mean in Paragraph 4? (1 word)
4. What is the source of happiness for the tribe? (no more than 10 words)
5. Do you agree with the tribe’s belief about happiness? Please give your reason (s).(no more than 25words)
2 . “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. |
| A．By providing examples. |
| B．By analyzing causes. |
| C．By making comparisons. |
| D．By listing figures. |
| 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”. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
I have a big birthmark (胎记) on my face. But I don’t consider it a big problem. Instead, I think it’s something that makes me unique and memorable.
I especially admire a person called Joseph. He had a life which was full of hardships, from being sold as a slave by his brothers to being wrongfully accused and jailed in Egypt. And through it all, he kept his uniqueness, shared his talent and uplifted those around him. In my opinion, that he was able to rise to become an important official in Egypt was exactly because he could learn from his hardships and turn them into his advantages. They gave him the gifts of perseverance and bravery to stick to his faith and face any challenges that stood in his way.
Each of us has our struggles and pains in life, those things that we think hinder us from reaching greater heights. But what is important is that we know strength and beauty lie in the struggles, in overcoming hardships and in being open to people about your struggles.
When I meet someone, I try telling them, “The birthmark on my face makes me different, and would you mind my condition?” and with those few words, I show them that I have something special and I don’t avoid talking about it. Try that for yourself. Put the challenge up front so that you can put it aside from the start.
I hope this story of my struggle and the strength it has given me can add value to your life as well. We are on this journey of life together. With resilience and kindness, we can add light to our lives and the lives of those around us every day.
1. How does the author feel about his birthmark?(No more than 5 words)2. What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?(No more than 8 words)
3. What does the underlined word “hinder” in Paragraph 3 mean?(I word)
4. Why does the author talk to people about his birthmark?(No more than 15 words)
5. How does the author’s story inspire you? Please explain it in your own words.(No more than 25 words)
4 . I was living in Cali, Colombia. One day my younger sister decided to visit me for a holiday and I was supposed to go to meet her at the airport. I somehow lost
The driver said that I would be dropped
However, most of the situations we encounter in our lives are much less dramatic and can often be
Now more than ever, in this rapidly changing world,
| A．heart | B．sight | C．track | D．touch |
| A．heading | B．leaving | C．driving | D．going |
| A．better | B．easier | C．funnier | D．worse |
| A．picked up | B．checked up | C．ended up | D．came up |
| A．down | B．off | C．by | D．out |
| A．choice | B．evidence | C．hope | D．reason |
| A．arrive | B．pass | C．reach | D．return |
| A．station | B．direction | C．location | D．position |
| A．in time | B．on time | C．behind time | D．ahead of time |
| A．allowed | B．reminded | C．forced | D．begged |
| A．agreed | B．appeared | C．succeeded | D．signed |
| A．advice | B．control | C．responsibility | D．risk |
| A．coming into effect | B．getting into trouble | C．putting into practice | D．taking into account |
| A．approves of | B．looks up | C．goes after | D．turn to |
| A．accessed | B．altered | C．approached | D．avoided |
| A．dangerous | B．essential | C．pointless | D．priceless |
| A．extremer | B．faster | C．better | D．stranger |
| A．capability | B．flexibility | C．reliability | D．stability |
| A．breaks down | B．settles down | C．gets over | D．carries away |
| A．assistance | B．endurance | C．guidance | D．insurance |
5 . In the crowded hallways of high school, Edward, towering at 6 feet 5 inches, stood out. Yet, despite his
One evening, while
Edward’s eyes were filled with sadness, his clothes appeared
In that moment. Harriet perceived（察觉到）
Those words
This story clearly exemplifies（例证）how powerful language can be in our lives. It vividly shows how words can
| A．length | B．width | C．height | D．depth |
| A．by himself | B．for himself | C．of himself | D．to himself |
| A．position | B．decoration | C．accommodation | D．encouragement |
| A．seeing | B．counting | C．reading | D．grading |
| A．acquired | B．paused | C．delivered | D．confused |
| A．So | B．And | C．However | D．Therefore |
| A．paint | B．seek | C．head | D．design |
| A．unchanged | B．unfolded | C．uncovered | D．unlocked |
| A．history | B．power | C．goal | D．future |
| A．up to | B．more than | C．equal to | D．less than |
| A．ignored | B．struck | C．harmed | D．reminded |
| A．lit up | B．burned out | C．wound up | D．calmed down |
| A．confident | B．hungry | C．careful | D．sure |
| A．enjoy | B．remember | C．create | D．combine |
| A．challenging | B．cheering | C．questioning | D．recommending |
| A．planted | B．destroyed | C．rented | D．wasted |
| A．settled | B．replaced | C．discouraged | D．inspired |
| A．turned over | B．turned into | C．turned on | D．turned to |
| A．admit | B．cause | C．shape | D．wrap |
| A．As | B．When | C．If | D．Where |
6 . 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 |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
7 . 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. |
| 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. |
| A．Tough but rewarding. | B．Boring and uneventful. |
| C．Difficult and frustrating. | D．Relaxing but unpredictable. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
8 . 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
9 . 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| A．holding on to | B．mounting on to | C．getting on to | D．catching on to |
I had just finished my dance class, and it was a disaster: I started on the wrong foot and couldn’t get the steps that other students seemed to do easily. I began to doubt my talent for ballet.
Just then, my big sister Julissa arrived. She took one look at me and asked, “What’s wrong Lakeisha?”
“Nothing,” I said quietly. I was too shy to be perfectly frank with my sister.
“Uh huh,” Julissa replied. “Looks like a bad ‘nothing’ to me, so tell me what happened.”
“Well,” I mumbled (咕哝), “maybe I shouldn’t be taking dance classes? It felt like I was the only one who couldn’t land her pirouettes (单脚尖旋转) today.”
“Listen,” she said, “not every day is a great one, and not everything you try is going to work out the way you want. The point is to keep trying. Remember that and you’ll be fine.”
“I tried my best, but…” I replied.
Looking at me seriously, Julissa said, “Maybe ballet is not your thing, but dance is. I see how beautifully you shake and move all the time. There are all kinds of ways to dance, so maybe you just need to find your own style. Why not stick to jazz dance? You are so good at it.”
I thought about her words and my performances carefully. Yes, why had I never thought of that? I wanted to be a ballet dancer, but it may not be a good choice for me. It seemed as if I suddenly saw the light
“You’re right,” I replied. “Thank you. I’m so lucky to have you to guide me!”
1. What did Lakeisha think of her dance class? (no more than 5 words)2. Why didn’t Lakeisha show her true feelings at first? (no more than 5 words)
3. How do you understand the underlined part in paragraph 8? (no more than 10 words)
4. What advice from Julissa made Lakeisha happy in the end? (no more than 10 words)
5. What is your understanding of finding one’s style? Please explain. (no more than 25 words)
