1 . 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。

The skies were clear, not a cloud in sight. Although the calmness of the atmosphere should seem to ease my state of mind, my fear of heights overpowered any positive thoughts about the coming dive. Although I was terrified, I grew the courage to take a glance and was shocked by the breathtaking view that my eyes laid upon. The tops of the cloud gave forth a gold lining around them. “Oh, how beautiful!” I said to myself.

It was time to start preparing for my first dive. We rode into town and purchased some equipment such as a vest, a regulator and a tank. Everything seemed to be in good condition to dive with. All of my equipment was ready to see the waters.

We then ventured across the island to the spot where we were to begin our dive. Getting out of the car, I noticed that the air was quiet and misty. The wind was curiously strong and carried a cold chill(寒意)with it. “This is where we will get in,” the diving instructor said.

I was told that, in order to access the water, I had to jump. Now, this was not a simple “jump”. “There is little chance that I can do that. Do you even realize how high up we are?” I said to my mother. “Yes, you can! Just trust yourself. Just think of it as your chance to feel like you are flying,” my mother encouraged me.

My mother just could not seem to understand how fearful I was. My heart was beating violently. I was almost certain that the fish could even hear my heartbeat. Terrified and shaking uncontrollably, I could not make myself jump. The sound of the waves made me terrified. The waves were rhythmically pounding into the side of the bank, so violently that the water reached the same height that I stood.

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

Although terrified, I gathered courage and told myself that I could do it.

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Once in the water, I opened my eyes to a whole new world.

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2 . “To have passed through life and never experienced solitude(独处) is to have never known oneself,” writes Joseph Krutch in his memoir, The Desert Year.

    1       Especially during the bustling holiday season, when celebrations, shopping and gatherings appeal to you, the luxury of a moment of solitude is to be sought out and treasured.

It’s important to distinguish solitude from loneliness—the latter is a negative experience of isolation(隔离), and research shows that one need not literally be alone to feel lonely.     2     The choice to enjoy your own company has a large number of benefits.

    3     No one else gets to have your attention when you are alone at home, taking a light and active December walk or even sitting quietly in a cafe with a hot chocolate and a good book. When you can focus all your attention on what you want and what is on your mind alone, you will be free to see yourself more clearly.

It encourages a screen-free moment. When you choose to spend some time in solitude, that means you are prepared to step away from text messages and social media for a time. Taking even a small break from your attachment to those bottomless activities will refresh you.     4    

You have space to reflect on your priorities. “I find that the whole point of solitude is that you can not only enjoy your own company, but also review, change and improve who you are as a person,” writes the blogger Kirk Pineda. “If you already have a person in mind who is ideal, why don’t you become that person?”     5     And you will have the emotional and physical space to consider what areas of growth you can set your sights on.

A．Your attention is only your own.

B．Solitude is a gift we can choose to give ourselves.

C．However, for others, solitude represents a desirable time of comfort.

D．Solitude gives time and space for reflection on the course and path of life.

E．And it gives you a moment to notice your own thoughts and feelings in the meantime.

F．Solitude, by contrast, is the intentional activity of spending time in your own presence.

G．When you are in a self-reflective moment of solitude, you can see yourself with fresh eyes.

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。

I sat down to watch a recorded TV play after my husband left for his night-shift job. Not ten minutes into my favorite TV play, I was alerted to the unmistakable beep (哔哔声) of the smoke alarm indicating a low battery. Sighing, I paused my program and got up from the sofa.

I got a stepladder, climbed up it and quickly replaced the battery. The second I sat down and started watching my play, the beep started again. Evidently, the replacement battery was dead, too, so I went through all the motions again. I’d barely picked up the remote and pressed Play a third time when the alarm went off yet again. I gave out some unladylike comments. This time, I was one rung down when the same thing happened.

By then, I was out of all the batteries. I had to search the entire house for some electronic equipment that housed the same kind. I finally found one in an old clock. I crossed my fingers, hoping the battery still had some juice, and popped it in.

No luck! That round, plastic thing that was designed to save lives was about to make me have a nervous breakdown! Frustrated, I pulled the entire thing out of its “nest” and actually yelled at it to shut up before I tore it up into pieces. Holding it, I climbed back down and almost killed myself by practically falling over the dog and two cats who always watched every move I made and every breath I took. Driving my pet s away, I threw the alarm on the table and reminded myself to sleep fully clothed in case I smelled smoke. Carbon-monoxide (一氧化碳) detection would be taken care of by our back up alarm downstairs.

I glared at the troublesome item once more before walking off to seat myself on the sofa again. My program was already forty-five minutes into the play because I’d forgotten to pause it. Within seconds, that sound hit my ears again!

注意：
1．续写词数应为150左右；
2．请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
I realized that my frustration was not the solution to the problem.
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The technician arrived shortly.
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5 . In the 1950s, British historian Northeaster Parkinson came up with a concept which was later known as Parkinson’s Law of Triviality. It states that the amount of time spent discussing an issue in an organization is oppositely associated with its actual importance.

Parkinson’s Law of Triviality is also known as “bike-shedding (车棚)”, after the story Parkinson uses to illustrate it. He asks readers to imagine a financial committee meeting to discuss a three-point agenda. The points are as follows: A proposal for a f10 million nuclear power plant; A proposal for a f350 bike shed; A proposal for a f21 annual coffee budget.

What happens? The committee ends up running through the nuclear power plant proposal in little time. It’s too advanced for anyone to really dig into the details. The discussion soon moves to the bike shed. Here, everyone’s an expert. In the end, the committee runs out of time and decides to meet again to complete their analysis.

Bike-shedding happens because the smaller a matter is, the more people will have an opinion on it, even when there is no real value to add. When something is outside of our circle of competence, like a nuclear power plant, we don’t even try to express an opinion. But when something is understandable everyone wants to show that they know about the topic at hand.

How can we avoid bike-shedding? The main thing you can do is to have a clear purpose. Priya Parker, the author of The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters, says that any successful gathering needs to have a focused purpose. “Specificity,” she says, “is a key element.”

When it comes to choosing your list of invitees, Parker writes, “if the purpose of your meeting is to make a decision, you may want to consider having fewer cooks in the kitchen.” Getting the result you want—a thoughtful, educated discussion about that power plant—depends on having the right people in the room.

1. What is Parkinson’s purpose of presenting the imaginary meeting?

A．To state a fact.

B．To clarify a concept.

C．To make a prediction.

D．To introduce a new point.

2. What can be inferred from Paragraph 4?

A．The more you know, the less you speak.

B．What is simple for you may be tough for others.

C．What requires more work may get less attention.

D．The more you put in, the better your result will be.

3. Which is the author’s suggestion for a successful meeting?

A．Planning before the meeting.	B．Getting the right people to the table.
C．Spending less time on the minor issues.	D．Taking different opinions into account.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Purpose: The Key to an Effective Meeting

B．Talent: A Crucial Element in Organizations

C．The Bike Shed Effect: Avoiding Small Matters

D．Nuclear Power Plant: The Less-known Proposal

7 . 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’m sorry, Lisa, but Debbie and I are going to move back into the house. You’re going to have to find another place to live.”

I couldn’t believe what Neil, my landlord (房东), was telling me on that warm April night. I had tears in my eyes, and so did he. I had lived in his Staten Island house for more than twelve years.

Neil had never raised my rent, which was $750 a month, very cheap for New York City. This was a big comfort when I was laid off from my newspaper job and couldn’t find any work for two years. He promised me that I would always have a home, even if I had a hard time paying the rent. But now, I was going to have to find a new apartment and pay more.

Although he gave me six months to find a new place, I was still astonished and worried. So I called Jon, my best friend, to complain about my bad experience. But Jon surprised and annoyed me.

“Look on the bright side.” he said. “Maybe you will find a place you like better. Do you remember you complained all the time about the crowded bus to and from the house? Why don’t you find a place where you don’t have to take that bus?”

“How can you say that?” I shouted at him. “This is way out of my comfort zone!”

“Come on, Lisa. Did it ever occur to you that change could be good?” Jon said.

“No!” I screamed and hung up on him.

I felt upset for the next few days about our argument. But what if Jon was right? Why did I assume that every change would be bad? Maybe my life needed to be shaken up.

That summer, as I started looking for apartments, I began to think about new possibilities. Maybe I could find an apartment with better furniture.

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

Finally, that October, I spotted the apartment of my dreams in a new home in a nice neighborhood.

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As time went on, I found myself doing more things out of my comfort zone and feeling more positive about life.

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8 . At 28 years old, I lost my job as a full-time magazine editor. I’d always dreamed of becoming a self-employed writer, but I _______ doing it at 35 or even 40 years old, _______   I had a more solid(坚实的) financial footing.

Despite the fear I felt at _______ this dream before I was ready, it was my best, most practical _______ at the time. With my husband’s encouragement, I took a leap of faith, _______ my fear and jumped.

I’ve been working for myself full-time for two years. Not only am I happier thanks to a(n) _______ schedule and the freedom to take on the projects I want, but I’m earning much more than I did as a _______ editor.

When it comes to big dreams, many of us plan out every last detail so that we feel     _______for success. But often, this over-planning prevents us from ever taking action. No matter how much planning we do, we’ll never feel 100% ready.

When Jennifer Qiao got _______ , she struggled to find a modern version of a cheongsam, a traditional Chinese wedding dress, and an idea was________. Neither she nor Vivian Chan, her co-founder, had experience in entrepreneurship(创业). They didn’t even know if there was a ________ for their products in the U.S. But they decided to just start small and test out their idea ________. They never truly felt ready to start a(n) ________ , let alone make custom wedding dresses. However, through hard work, trial and error, they’ve   ________their team to a successful company.

Never let over-planning get in the________ of you taking action.

1.

A．enjoyed

B．imagined

C．started

D．suggested

2.

A．so

B．but

C．once

D．although

3.

A．diving into

B．carrying on

C．breaking up

D．letting out

4.

A．offer

B．option

C．application

D．judgement

5.

A．shared

B．treated

C．understood

D．faced

6.

A．strict

B．tight

C．flexible

D．ambitious

7.

A．chief

B．part-time

C．retired

D．salaried

8.

A．eager

B．grateful

C．prepared

D．regretful

9.

A．fired

B．employed

C．dressed

D．married

10.

A．born

B．forgotten

C．stolen

D．rejected

11.

A．plan

B．charge

C．market

D．deadline

12.

A．widely

B．quickly

C．secretly

D．officially

13.

A．business

B．challenge

C．organization

D．game

14.

A．adjusted

B．referred

C．contributed

D．grown

15.

A．form

B．way

C．beginning

D．middle

9 . Never lose hope. You never know what tomorrow may bring.     1    Though you can’t gain what you want from life now, you get something else instead.

    2     She was robbed on the train and pushed outside of the train. She lost her belongings and legs in that accident, which was very painful for her.     3    She struggled a lot and one day she met with Bachendri Pal, who was the first Indian woman to climb Mount Everest, and she told Pal that she also wanted to climb Everest. She is successful. Now, she is the first female disabled athlete that has climbed Mount Everest. If she lost hope then India would never ever get such a lady that makes her country proud.

You need to believe that you can do anything for the world because IMPOSSIBLE itself says I'M POSSIBLE. If it is in your mind, it is in your range.     4     Always be optimistic and seize the opportunity which is coming around. Sometimes it happens that failure can demotivate (使失去动力)you, make you inferior (较差的)but it doesn’t mean that you do not have the ability to move forward; it’s your choice that you want to fight it or you become a pessimist.

Do as I say, and we should fight until the last breath because you’ll never know what will happen.     5     Remember that fear can hold you prisoner, hope can set you free. Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.

A．But she didn’t lose hope.

B．Arunima Sinha is an exception.

C．So keep a good state of mind.

D．Take Arunima Sinha for example.

E．Because life works in a very mystical way.

F．Face challenges bravely when difficulty comes.

G．So if you want to do anything, just put effort into completing it.

10 . It was a beautiful midwinter day in Pretoria. The sun shone warmly, and the air was fresh, calling us outdoors. A friend and I went for a walk up a small hill. Everywhere around us the grass was a dull brown color, as if painted with a dirty brush. I told my thought to my friend who, in reply, drew from his coat a pocket microscope. Bending down, he picked some of the ugly-colored growth and handed it to me with the microscope. I could hardly believe my eyes, for suddenly I was looking at some shining tiny flowers of lovely color. It seemed strange that so much beauty should be so hidden, a secret life carried on by nature beneath a dull exterior (外表).

Some days later, while I was at the hospital where I worked, a woman entered with three children. Her hair hung in untidy wisps round a face whose uncared-for skin looked dried and dull. She sat down and waited her turn with the patience of the poor. The children gradually gathered courage and made braver explorations as time went by. Suddenly the little girl overbalanced and fell. Both her brothers, a little bigger than her, rushed anxiously to her aid. When the child fell, the mother had at first started up in alarm, but when she saw that the child was not really hurt and that her brothers were caring for her with such love, her eyes grew soft and a look of such indescribable love passed over her face — once again I looked at great beauty.

Beauty lies on every side; we must develop our own microscopes of perception ( 感知能力) in order to look through the physical exterior which, like the grass-covered hillside, conceals a beauty still hidden from our eyes.

1. Why did the author and his friend go for a walk up a small hill?

A．To enjoy the beauty of the day.	B．To test his friend’s microscope.
C．To find hidden beauty on the hill.	D．To check the growth of the grass.

2. What was the beauty the author found in the woman he met in the hospital?

A．Her kindness.	B．Her strong will.
C．Her patience as a patient.	D．Her great love as a mother.

3. What does the author intend to tell us through the text?

A．Nature can teach us a lot.	B．The poor have a soft heart.
C．We should learn to find hidden beauty.	D．We should never look down upon the poor.

4. What does the underlined word “conceals” in the last paragraph probably mean?

A．Steals.

B．Covers.

C．Freezes.

D．Exposes.