1 . I didn’t go to Santiago, Chile to look for friendship. In fact, Chile was not even on my wish list.

A mid-life crisis woman, I got a chance to study abroad. I only wanted to learn about global business, taste South American cuisine, and check “study abroad” off my wish list.

On the fifth day, I joined a group for a neighborhood work project aided by the anti-poverty (扶贫) organization. Our tasks were to build a water tower and paint the community center. Upon arrival, I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was like a scene out of a horrible film. That moment redefined poverty for me because I had never seen such terrible living conditions. As advised, I showed no signs of the motional battle going on inside me.

Just as I was about to start work on painting, a request came through for a few volunteers to help Nadia, a local resident who volunteered to cook for us. I raised my hand to help because I wanted spend time with the people of the neighborhood despite my shortage of Spanish speaking skills.

Nadia had a sincere smile but not overly friendly. Even without speaking each other’s language we started to learn about one another. We chatted about our children, our upbringing, shared picture of our family, struggled to instruct each other to communicate in the other’s language, and laugh many times.

After we fed everybody and the dishes were washed, my day was over. But I found myself hesitant to leave. It was as if I had known her my entire life. I had not predicted the unselfishness heart I would encounter, and it was moving.

As we were waiting for the car to pick us up, Nadia showed me her plants that are well-maintains. I could see that despite the hard conditions she was passionate about life. She made me long to be stronger person. She showed me that poverty was external, but happiness was internal. I was seeking to give 100 percent for a well-intentioned cause, but I left receiving 200 percent from her.

1. What was the author’s initial purpose of going to Chile?

A．To find new friends while traveling.	B．To participate in an anti-poverty project.
C．To fulfill the desire to study abroad.	D．To gain a graduate certificate in business.

2. What did the author do after seeing the living conditions in the neighborhood?

A．She decided to relieve the poverty.	B．She kept her emotions well hidden.
C．She comforted the shocked volunteers.	D．She refused to continue the present task.

3. Why did the author volunteer to work with Nadia?

A．She felt very sympathetic toward Nadia.

B．She longed to interact with the local residents.

C．She wanted to improve her Spanish speaking skills.

D．She preferred cooking to painting the community center.

4. What did the author learn from Nadia?

A．True friends are never apart in heart.

B．Happiness is defined by a positive attitude.

C．Language is not a barrier to great connections.

D．Unselfishness is putting others before ourselves.

2 . Last year, my younger brother Darrin tore the old engine out of his Dodge Challenger. Then he ________ it piece by piece, and put it back together again all by himself. He was 16. All he ________ was a Chilton’s shop manual (使用手册) for the car, his own curiosity, and a strong desire to ________ how things worked.

Later, I asked him about this ________ and how he made it. His answer was ________ — he just did it. He wanted a new car and couldn’t afford to buy another one, so this was really his only ________. He had nothing to lose and was highly ________ to make the engine work. He ________ with it, paid close attention to how he took it apart, made a lot of mistakes, and reached points where he wasn’t ________ what to do next. When that happened, he asked a friend or a friend’s dad for ________, tried this and tried that, until he finished the work. To me it was a (n) ________ achievement.

Our ________ to do hard things increases when we try doing those hard things. It is ________ limited by our own will and imagination. We learn by trying, by making mistakes, and by ________ help from those who know more sometimes just a little more-than we do.

Never ________ trying new things. The more one does, the more one can do.

1.

A．discovered

B．rebuilt

C．donated

D．reserved

2.

A．detected

B．preferred

C．occupied

D．had

3.

A．figure out

B．give away

C．bring up

D．rule out

4.

A．property

B．campaign

C．guide

D．project

5.

A．correct

B．serious

C．simple

D．funny

6.

A．luck

B．option

C．requirement

D．relaxation

7.

A．expected

B．forced

C．convinced

D．motivated

8.

A．communicated

B．competed

C．experimented

D．disagreed

9.

A．sure

B．afraid

C．curious

D．satisfied

10.

A．permission

B．courage

C．advice

D．reward

11.

A．amazing

B．common

C．confusing

D．strange

12.

A．anxiety

B．capacity

C．income

D．impatience

13.

A．rarely

B．necessarily

C．originally

D．mostly

14.

A．seeking

B．offering

C．affording

D．avoiding

15.

A．admit

B．stop

C．fancy

D．keep

3 . My friend and I recently took an art class together through our town’s community education program. Our classmates were a mix of ages, stages of life, and experience with making art. We stood out in the class—not for our artistic talent, but for our consistent encouragement of ourselves, each other, and the group. It got me thinking how encouragement had become a routine.

It became something of a joke between the two of us to compliment(赞美) each other, offer a positive comment when another student showed his or her work, and generally chat around the table about how fun our project was going. But reflecting back, our positivist was anything but a joke. It was a bright light in my week, a space where I knew I could be surrounded with kindness, gentleness, and positivist.

Here’s the most special thing about it; my friend’s and my positive conversation wasn’t just encouraging, it was true. We didn’t go for cheap or false compliments like, “This painting should be in a museum!” Instead, we went for authentic(真实的) expressions of support and encouragement, like, “I love how you did that cloud!”

Over time, the class became something of a sacred space, because we had made a habit of using encouraging, supportive language. Sentence-starters like, “I like,” “I appreciate,” “I want to try”,   kept us present, positive, and honest.

The encouragement also kept us engaged in the work of making art. I feel sure that I learned more—and practiced more at home—because the activity was shown in such consistently positive terms, grounded in a growth mindset, self-acceptance, and encouragement.

Having a friend to share an encouragement habit is fantastic, but you can practice it on your own as well. Compliment yourself in the mirror every morning. Keep a running “great work.” list of thing? you are doing well today. Trust in your ability to find something loving—and true-to comment today and every day.

1. What do we know about the author’s classmates?

A．They admired those talented in art.

B．They didn’t take art class seriously.

C．They were of the same artistic level.

D．They were on good terms in the class.

2. How did the classmates turn their class into a sacred space?

A．By showing false compliments to others.

B．By decorating their class as a museum.

C．By displaying abstract art works in the class.

D．By offering supportive language around them.

3. What did the author think of the art project?

A．It made him hopeful and confident.

B．It needed to provide more practice.

C．It was cheap and easy to carry out.

D．It promoted his communication skills.

4. What is the author’s purpose of writing the text?

A．To introduce a community education program.

B．To call for good action to support those in need

C．To describe how to make encouragement a habit.

D．To comment on the power of authentic expressions.

4 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文.

Born to be different

I stood in front of the mirror, whispering to myself, “If I didn’t have this scar (疤痕), the world would embrace me more warmly.” With a heavy heart, I turned away from my reflection and gazed out of the window, the daily school routine—a constant reminder of the tightness in my chest. Each day, I prepared my sell for the unavoidable questions—the disgusted glances, and the eye-rolls as I bravely attempted to explain what it truly meant to be born with a cleft (裂缝，裂口).

Born with a cleft lip and orphaned (孤儿) at birth, I entered multiple adoptive homes until ages even when I was finally adopted by my forever home. But the frequent transitions had already left a bad mark on my young soul and I’d fallen behind in my schoolwork, and my appearance-related insecurities robbed me of any confidence. My future seemed clouded and uncertain, and I constantly sought approval from others, often finding myself in the wrong crowd.

Deep inside, I was fully aware that I was on the wrong path. Although the future remained a mystery, I desired something different and realized that I had to change the course of my life.

Thankfully, in middle school, my life took a turn. I started to hang out with uplifting friends—individuals who accepted me without judgment and taught me the value of self-love. My sixth-grade social studies teacher, Cynthia, with her passionate delivery of history, often had me staying after class to further explore global issues. She inspired me to become the change I longed to see in the world.

One day, I delivered a speech in front of my classmates, discussing the significance of the “Treaty of Versailles (《凡尔赛条约》)”. After my speech, Cynthia called to me. “Ashleigh, I would like to speak with you for a moment, please.”

注意：
1.续写词数应为150个左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

My legs shook like trees in a storm.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Cynthia nodded approvingly, “Ashleigh, I’d like to suggest you consider a career in polities.”

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5 . I was struggling earlier in the year, even though I’m a(n) _______ person by nature. The entire world seemed to have come to a stop all of a sudden. I was _______ with worry about my family and paying the bills, and whether life would ever be the same again.

Then, one evening I went outside and _______. The sky was dark and the stars were shining so brightly that I almost held my breath. As I stood under that splendid ceiling, I was filled with _______.

I really wanted to find out more about them. Suddenly, I remembered I’d _______ an app on my phone a couple of months earlier, which _______ all the stars and planets. Together with my daughters, I raced to the upstairs, where we had a perfect _______ of the night sky. Using the app, we were excited to _______ that bright white star hanging over the horizon was Venus. Then we looked past Betelguese, a dying red supergiant star 700 times the size of Earth, and many more. _______, the world no longer seemed like an unfamiliar place. It __________ me that the Earth had been around for 4. 5 billion years and had experienced things much more __________. That realization __________ brought my worries into a much broader perspective (眼界).

Plus, that twinkling night sky was just so beautiful — I felt happier and calmer just looking at it. It became our __________ to sit at the window every evening, gazing at the stars. Not only did it help us __________ the reality, but for half an hour each day we got to __________ outside our four walls.

1.

A．optimistic

B．patient

C．independent

D．considerate

2.

A．combined

B．questioned

C．consumed

D．impressed

3.

A．pulled over

B．looked up

C．headed off

D．calmed down

4.

A．wonder

B．pride

C．anxiety

D．guilt

5.

A．designed

B．downloaded

C．advertised

D．tested

6.

A．reflects

B．connects

C．measures

D．identifies

7.

A．view

B．memory

C．record

D．example

8.

A．explain

B．imagine

C．discover

D．indicate

9.

A．By the way

B．At first sight

C．At that moment

D．By all means

10.

A．benefited

B．warned

C．challenged

D．struck

11.

A．informal

B．flexible

C．conventional

D．dramatic

12.

A．constantly

B．instantly

C．secretly

D．randomly

13.

A．regret

B．routine

C．adventure

D．responsibility

14.

A．describe

B．ignore

C．stress

D．face

15.

A．train

B．gather

C．travel

D．recover

6 . Observing the natural world is a wonderful way of learning more about ourselves. Elisabeth Bailey found ________ from her tiniest and slowest friend from nature, a woodland snail (蜗牛).

You may not know a woodland snail’s shell adds layers as it ages, and that it has 2,462 teeth. Bailey knew well about such ________ details about the tiny creature because for years, this woodland nail was her ________ companion.

At the age of 34, Bailey suffered a serious illness which ________ her in bed for a long time. As Bailey’s ability to ________ declined, she had little choice but to ________ the slow lane (跑道) with the woodland snail that a friend had left on her bedside table.

“It had evolved its long ________ mechanisms (机制) and will probably be on Earth much longer than humans. “Its ________ outweighs its figure: A snail can glide effortlessly right up a tree trunk or a wall without any other equipment,” said Bailey.

On the days Bailey was unable to engage in the normal human world, she was ________ in the world of the snail. In the ________ space they both inhabited, Bailey witnessed the snail growing. She observed its habits, such as its ________ to sleep during the day and adventure at night.

And it was during this year of slowing down and ________ that the snail taught Bailey an important lesson. “This little animal had been ________ from its habitat, and it was able to ________. Its such ability convinced me that I would eventually make it to adapt to my illness ________.”

1.

A．comfort

B．trust

C．love

D．fault

2.

A．beneficial

B．decisive

C．minute

D．regular

3.

A．previous

B．political

C．cruel

D．constant

4.

A．replaced

B．trapped

C．persuaded

D．arrested

5.

A．applaud

B．create

C．move

D．calculate

6.

A．join

B．pass

C．find

D．measure

7.

A．review

B．defense

C．delivery

D．survival

8.

A．patience

B．strength

C．head

D．tooth

9.

A．sunk

B．struck

C．released

D．cheated

10.

A．sufficient

B．alien

C．silent

D．available

11.

A．curiosity

B．courage

C．ability

D．tendency

12.

A．migrating

B．noticing

C．mixing

D．exposing

13.

A．removed

B．rescued

C．driven

D．freed

14.

A．fade away

B．break down

C．fit in

D．come to

15.

A．otherwise

B．somehow

C．instead

D．indeed

7 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Almost all the people like travelling. For some people, travelling is a chance to relax and escape     1     the busy daily life. For others, it’s interesting to learn about other people’s cultures and lives. They consider it to be     2     best way to have fun.

Of course, there are people who are always     3     (happy) with the way the life is. But luckily, those people     4     (be) rather few and most people understand how exciting and interesting travelling is.

As for me. I enjoy watching all-round views from some altitudes. I enjoy watching them in my hometown and as soon as I am in some new city. I start     5     (look) for such places right away. When I’m in such a place, I just hold my breath and enjoy the beauty. At such moments I think about what beauty it     6     (offer) us and how important it is to value each moment of     7     (we) lives.

From such places it’s so exciting     8     (enjoy) city views and imagine how     9     (thousand) of people live there and experience so many different feelings. I understand that I’m not alone, that I have so many chances and     10     I can reach all my goals. While watching the views of nature. I wonder how such beauty can be created and how much it is important not to break it.

8 . 阅读下面材料, 根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段, 使之构成一篇完整的短文。

I’d like to share with you a funny incident that occurred almost 4 years ago.

I was an 8th grader at high school. One day, the teacher gave us a group assignment and we went to some libraries after class to collect data. In the evening, I found that my group members were complaining that they were hungry and needed to have some food.

Together we entered a restaurant nearby. When the waiter approached our table, one of my classmates made an order directly without even looking at the menu. And after we were done with our food, a classmate asked the group leader to pay the bill. The group leader was surprised as he had not offered the meal and said that he did not have the money to pay the bill. I asked the waiter to bring the bill and we were shocked to see the amount. It was much more than we had expected. Though we were a bit worried, we started laughing and enjoying the whole thing. At this moment, a group member suggested we collect all of our money to pay the bill. We searched our wallets, pockets and bags for money. There were so many coins there that we had to count 2-3 times. But unfortunately, the total amount was still not enough to pay the bill.

As the scene unfolded, the atmosphere shifted from casual laughter to a shared sense of responsibility. Realizing the gravity of the situation, I stepped up and decided to explain our situation to the manager, hoping for some understanding or perhaps a way to work out a payment plan. To our relief, the manager kindly listened to our story. Seeing our genuine efforts to resolve the issue, he agreed to let us pay what we had collected and arrange for the rest to be settled later.

注意：1. 续写词数应为150个左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

We left the restaurant with empty wallets but light hearts.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

This incident served as a reminder for better teamwork in the future.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

9 . 阅读下面材料, 根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段, 使之构成一篇完整的短文。

A lady named Ela lived in a small, pretty town surrounded by gentle hills and big. green forests. Her favorite place in the whole world was her kitchen. It was like her special art studio, but for making delicious food. Ella loved cooking, especially for her mom, who really enjoyed old-fashioned, tasty dishes. Every night, they would sit down together and enjoy the tasty food that Ella made with lots of care and love.

Ella’s mother always said, “Cooking is not just about feeding my body; it is about feeding my soul. ” Ella kept these words close to her heart, and cooking became a spiritual bond between her mother and her. They shared joyful times, with Ella carefully measuring each cooking material and making her mom’s favorite while her mom told stories of her own childhood kitchen adventures. On cold evenings, they would laugh together as they added spices to a hearty stew, the steam making the kitchen windows foggy and turning it into a warm, comfortable place.

However, this bond was broken when her mother passed away. The kitchen, once filled with warmth, the smell of spices and the sound of laughter, turned into a place that just reminded Ella of her mom and made her very sad. She avoided the recipe books, as they brought back memories of their cooking sessions- like the time they accidentally used salt instead of sugar in cookies, but ended up laughing it off and making it once again together. With her mom gone, the joy of cooking faded, leaving Ella with a heart heavy with loss.

Months turned into years, and Ella’s interest in cooking faded into a distant memory. But life had other plans for her. One day, Ella came across a volunteer group that attended to seniors in her community. Moved by their dedication, she decided to join them.

注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在相应位置作答。

As Ella spent more time with the seniors, she noticed their longing for home-cooked meals.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Ella finally found herself on the path to recovery and rediscovery.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

10 . Ten years ago, the professors Brian Lucas and Loran Nordgren encountered a contradiction. On the one hand, we recognize that other people are more likely to make creative breakthroughs when they persevere. On the other hand. when we feel stuck on a problem, most of us fail to sec how successful we’ll be if we just keep trying. We tend to believe that our creativity drops over time — that if our best ideas don’t come to us immediately, they won’t come at all.

Lucas and Nordgren call this misunderstanding the “creative cliff illusion”, which refers to the false belief that our creativity sharply declines after an initial period of effort, leading us to underestimate our ability to generate new and innovative ideas with continued perseverance. In one experiment, they asked participants to spend 10 minutes generating “as many original ideas for things to eat and drink at a Thanksgiving dinner as you can. ” Afterward, participants were asked to guess how many ideas they would come up with during a second 10-minute period. Most expected to generate far fewer ideas the second time around, but in fact they produced just as many during that second period — 66 percent more than they had guessed. And those were rated by other people as more creative than the initial ideas.

Though we tend to think our ability to come up with ideas is easily consumed, we actually get more creative the longer we focus on a problem or task. One major reason for this is known as the “serial-order effect”. Each next creative idea we have is likely to be better than the one that came before.

The serial-order effect isn’t always easy to see. Most of us have adopted the belief that creativity should feel easy, or “fluent”. And so we associate mental difficulty with pointlessness. But working through bad ideas is a necessary step in the creative process. The first solutions that come to mind tend to be either preexisting ideas or popular wisdom. These are the paths of least resistance. Though avoiding them requires some work, it’s the surest way to find original ideas that aren’t immediately manifest.

The serial-order effect applies to tasks that last minutes or days, but creativity also improves across years, decades, and even careers. The life’s work of most successful entrepreneurs proves it.

1. What does the contradiction mainly tell us about?

A．Two professors’ wonder.	B．The best ideas for failures.
C．People’s mental tendency.	D．Immediate solutions to creativity.

2. How would the participants feel about the second-round results?

A．Humble.

B．Surprised.

C．Hopeful.

D．Unconcerned.

3. What does the underlined word “manifest” mean?

A．Obvious.

B．Effective.

C．Attractive.

D．Acceptable.

4. What does the text intend to tell us?

A．People can be more creative with age.

B．Creativity comes from creative approaches.

C．Creativity actually increases with continued effort.

D．People can avoid misunderstandings about creativity.