1 . My mother turned ninety. I knew I needed to find a senior _______ center. Not for her — for me. If I were at her age, I would want to stay in shape to _______ life, getting a lot of pleasure. Yes, walking in local parks was my _______, but I wasn’t so active as before.

I called a nearby center, “Do you have aerobics (有氧运动) classes _______ for seniors?” “Sure. Come and check us out! We start at 10 am,” the receptionist (接待员) replied and _______. The next morning, I went there. One part of me was _______ that the class was too easy, not doing me any good. The other part feared it was too hard for me to _______.

When I came into the room, a woman _______ me, “Oh, you’re new. Welcome.” Then the music started. The hour-long workout woke up the muscles I didn’t often _______ in daily walks, suiting me fine. I became a member there. My classmates ranged in age from fifty to ninety. Most gave the exercises their own ________, doing as much or little as they could. ________ no one kept score. Soon I learned physical well-being wasn’t the only ________ there. During breaks, people chatted happily. Whenever some people were ________ we asked around. Were they busy? Were they in hospital? Moreover, we signed cards for those who were ill.

I ________ to be in good shape now as I’ve hoped. Still, I’m grateful for things more valuable from the class — close friendships and new social ________.

1.

A．leisure

B．fitness

C．community

D．learning

2.

A．change

B．remember

C．wait

D．enjoy

3.

A．routine

B．aim

C．challenge

D．plan

4.

A．attached

B．familiar

C．appropriate

D．vital

5.

A．comforted

B．invited

C．promised

D．welcomed

6.

A．sure

B．disappointed

C．anxious

D．hopeful

7.

A．make up for

B．look down on

C．get down to

D．keep up with

8.

A．greeted

B．recognized

C．helped

D．introduced

9.

A．relax

B．stretch

C．strengthen

D．use

10.

A．improvement

B．agreement

C．interpretation

D．conclusion

11.

A．Fortunately

B．Consequently

C．Naturally

D．Surprisingly

12.

A．problem

B．contribution

C．standard

D．focus

13.

A．lonely

B．absent

C．unhappy

D．tired

14.

A．fail

B．manage

C．attempt

D．continue

15.

A．backgrounds

B．connections

C．skills

D．duties

2 . It is easy to get carried away in an argument.

While having a rational conversation with someone who has a different opinion might seem like a challenge, it is possible. One way is to approach the other person with empathy.

The Empathy Challenge is an exercise created by Zoe Chance, senior lecturer at the Yale School of Management. At Yale, Chance teaches a course called “Mastering Influence and Persuasion” where -students learn to communicate more effectively.

In her blog, Chance explains that it’s important to listen to people who disagree with you. “As they explain their position, you listen for their underlying values. Finally, you look for common ground as you reflect those values back. That’s it.”

Chance first took this challenge herself before asking her students to try. As she couldn’t understand why many people chose to vote for Donald Trump, she found three Trump’s voters and spoke with them.

Through asking questions, Chance was able to empathize with them and realize they had similar feelings. One man, an Orthodox Jew, explained that he supported Trump because Trump’s daughter and son-in-law are Jewish. The next man was a Russian immigrant passionate about freedom. The third was a lawyer who believed that authenticity(真诚) was important in political leaders.

Although Chance and Chose people had different political beliefs, they were able to relate to the life values of others. And that’s the point of the exercise-to understand others as fellow human beings.

1. Which of the following does the Empathy Challenge faces on?

A．Leadership skills.	B．Public speaking skills.
C．Communication skills.	D．Problem solving skills.

2. What does Chance suggest people do when handling a disagreement?

A．Defend their position.	B．Find common ground.
C．Reflect on their own values.	D．Meet the needs of others.

3. What do paragraphs 5-6 mainly talk about?

A．The challenge of performing empathy.

B．The importance of empathy.

C．How Chance practiced empathy.

D．How Chance helped people develop empathy.

4. What drove the three men to vote for Donald Tramp?

A．Their life values.	B．Their career history.
C．Their family background.	D．Their childhood experience.

5. What’s the best title for the passage?

A．Respect different perspectives	B．Zoe Chance’s empathy
C．Vote for Trump	D．Chancels challenge

3 . How did one man prove that small kindnesses add up?

My family first met Wally Urtz, the gentle, modest manage of our local supermarket, on a windy day nearly 20 years ago just after we’d moved to Hasting-on-Hudson, a New York City suburb. As my wife made her way to the store’s exit, attending her groceries and two small children, Wally rushed up beside her. “I’ll get those, young lady,” he said brightly, taking her bags and leading her to the parking lot. Now that may seem like no big deal-except that these days things like that so seldom happen.

Our story, as it turned out, was typical Among Hasting’s 8,000 people living here, almost everybody had at least one about Wally’s politeness and generosity. There ware the times he’d reach into his own pocket when someone was short of money; the times he’d show small kindnesses to someone who’d just lost a loved one or who was in the middle of divorce; the many, many times he’d put himself out for older people.

“He just appreciated that when people get older, their lives get smaller-they don’t drive, their friends have passed on and how much it means to be treated warmly,” one woman, Kathy Dragan said, “When my mother was in her 80s, it was a treat for her to go to the store.” Wally would call out to the shop clerk and say, “You give her whatever attention she needs.” She’d tell me, “He’s kinder to me than some people I’ve known all my life.”

Yet few of us fully understood what Wally meant to the people’s life of our community-until he was sent to another store 20 miles away. For some unknown reason, the Food Emporium chain had decided to replace 67-year-old Wally after 26 years due to “operational issues related to operating a store the size of the one in Hastings.”

No one could believe it. Word spread quickly. Neighbors called each other seeking the feeling of emotional comfort. Some planned to bring Wally back and staged protest marches outside the store. Other flooded the local newspaper with angry letters. The mayor look up the cause. Even the police tried to set things right.

A grocer seems an unlikely figure to set of such an emotional outpouring. What he did shows the remarkable effect Wally-a man of endless warmth and good humor-had on people.

1. According to the passage which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．Wally Urtz is always ready to help others every day.

B．Wally Urtz is a man who wants to draw attention to him.

C．Wally Urtz helped the author’s wife on purpose.

D．The author had known Wally Urtz before we moved to Hastings-on-Hudson.

2. The purpose of Kathy Dragan’s words in paragraph 4 is to show ______.

A．in the whole life of Kathy Dragan’s mother, Wally is the kindest person to her

B．when people get older, they would like to live by themselves

C．Wally had always cared about helping the older people

D．you should give your old mother whatever attention she needs

3. What’s people’s reaction to Wally Urtz’s being moved away?

A．No one paid much attention to it.

B．Many people objected to it in different ways.

C．The police supported it will all their heart.

D．The mayor thought it was a good idea.

4. It can be inferred from the passage that ______.

A．A person in the grocery can easily express his feeling out to others.

B．A person full of warm-heartedness and humor has a great influence on people.

C．The mayor didn’t look into the reason of people’s emotional outpouring.

D．The author had joined in the plan of bringing Wally back.

5. Which of the following is the best title of this passage?

A．Wally Urtz and Old people

B．A Food Shopping Grocer

C．Wally Urtz’s Being Moved Away

D．The Heart of Town-a Man of Endless Warmth

4 . Perhaps the most quarrelsome issue between fathers and sons is the question of work and how to be successful in the real world. Right from the beginning, I thought I should start at the top. I was a talented young man and I thought everyone around me should realize this. With growing pride, I did not believe that I should have to pay my dues like other people. As a result, I constantly tried to find a short cut to the big time.

My father is a good example of the American dream coming to life, a self-made man who achieved success through hard work. Focusing on the promise of college, Dad won a scholarship to Brown University. Digging into his studies while forming a group of close friends, he achieved a lot at Brown. As the years passed and children were born, Dad worked with an unchanging dream, becoming a respected partner of the firm and the head of the sales team. He worked hard, but was also creative, and eventually became a famous expert in raising capital when others failed.

In contrast to my father’s hard-earned success, I grew up as a privileged Upper East Side New Yorker who expected everything to be handed to him. I went to Brown where I majored in literary theory, and partied until the morning. After college, I headed out to Los Angeles where I fed into the dream of selling a big screenplay (剧本). Although my partying became habitual and out of control, I always thought the next big script sale would change everything.

Seeing my attitude, my father told me that there were no short cuts. I never listened. Eventually, I lost my house and my marriage. Never listening to the sound advice of my father and insisting on following my own path toward self-destruction, I ended up in a terrible place.

My father, however, never gave up on me and has been remarkably supportive to me. With the faith of my family and the support of my father, I have been able to pay my dues and launch my career as a technical writer. Like my father tried to teach me, there are no short cuts.

No matter how talented or fortunate you may be, success is the product of sweat in the form of hard work—showing up each day and doing your job to the best of your abilities.

1. At first, the author and his father disagreed about ________.

A．the appreciation for being helped	B．the approach to success
C．the spirit of game winning	D．the quality of being an expert

2. What do we know about the author’s father from Paragraph 2?

A．He studied hard but had few friends at college.	B．He achieved success with the help of his parents.
C．He was a top student when he was at college.	D．He went to America as a foreigner and realized his dream.

3. The author’s father can be best described as ________.

A．kind-hearted

B．considerate

C．imaginative

D．determined

4. What can be inferred about the author from the passage?

A．He bought a new house with the help of his father.

B．He became a renowned expert in his field.

C．He put his heart into his work after losing everything.

D．He learned a lot from his father but still disagreed with him.

5. Which of the following proverbs can we get from the passage?

A．You harvest what you sow.	B．All roads lead to Rome.
C．He who has health has hope.	D．Two heads are better than one.

5 . Small children are easy to throw up in the air and catch-and they _________ it. “Again, Daddy, again!” Jacky shouts as I throw him skywards and catch him on the way back down again. He throws his arms and legs out _________ he were flying, his eyes wide with _________. His trust in me is _________ which is quite a nice feeling, but at the same time gives me a huge sense of _________ .

I hope Jacky will always trust me fully, but I know that, as he gets _________ , it will need more effort and sound judgment_________ . Trust is such an important part of a _________ relationship that it’s something that can’t _________ to lose. Every time I __________ Jacky to something new, he’ll do it only because he trusts me and feels __________ in the knowledge that he won’t get hurt .__________ , teaching Jacky to swim means he has to __________ that, when he’s swimming in the big pool, I’ll come to his rescue if his doggy paddle lets him down.

__________ in the workplace, trust is important for strong __________ . It is something that every manager should work hard to __________ among their team. If people don’t trust you, they’re unlikely to __________ your directions and willingly become a loyal (忠诚) team member. A __________ of trust can make people work against you rather than for you. At the very least, it means that people are not going to be __________ you their best. Good __________, like good parenting, is a long-term commitment.

1.

A．deserve

B．miss

C．love

D．know

2.

A．as if

B．in case

C．even though

D．so that

3.

A．fear

B．excitement

C．doubt

D．astonishment

4.

A．reasonable

B．limited

C．absolute

D．important

5.

A．relief

B．satisfaction

C．achievement

D．responsibility

6.

A．older

B．busier

C．quieter

D．healthier

7.

A．on my behalf

B．on my part

C．in my honor

D．in my name

8.

A．long-distance

B．high-risk

C．parent-child

D．teacher-student

9.

A．afford

B．choose

C．wait

D．expect

10.

A．attach

B．compare

C．adjust

D．introduce

11.

A．safe

B．happy

C．proud

D．grateful

12.

A．Above all

B．In addition

C．At first

D．For example

13.

A．admit

B．believe

C．suggest

D．imagine

14.

A．However

B．Therefore

C．Similarly

D．Fortunately

15.

A．affection

B．determination

C．friendship

D．leadership

16.

A．assess

B．organize

C．develop

D．understand

17.

A．repeat

B．follow

C．change

D．forget

18.

A．gesture

B．measure

C．bond

D．lack

19.

A．telling

B．giving

C．selling

D．sending

20.

A．management

B．personality

C．communication

D．education

6 . 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

7 . 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

8 . 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.

9 . 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 )

10 . 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.