1 . To adjust your baby to the world, educating him is your main assignment. How will you educate him? What role will he play in the world?

According to Darwin's theory of evolution (进化) of the species, we are a competitive species and one survives by adapting itself biologically to various environments through various ways. Competition was a resource useful for the progress of society and for the survival of human beings.

Today, however, the challenges are different. The 21st century is a computer science age, but there are environmental imbalances, deaths of thousands of children every day by starvation and countless epidemics (流 行病). Therefore, it is important that the philosophy of preparing our children for competition and power be replaced by one of preparing them for love and cooperation.

The earth is a unique home to us all. The ecological balance has to be pursued (追 求) and this pursuit shows the internal balance of each living being. We must educate our children so that they want to protect nature and thus to protect the opportunity to make themselves more powerful and able in society. Our children have to learn that we don't need to practice actions that benefit only our homeland while all other countries are destroyed. The destruction of other countries and lives leads to the impossibility of the future existence of the place we call home.

It imbalances the ecosystem and shades the hope of a better future, We would not show hate to a flower, grabbing it and throwing it to the floor and stepping on it. It would be foolish! But we are insensitive to the sight of a homeless person thrown to the ground and pretend it’s not our problem! Competition has led us to a state of total insensibility! Therefore, we must teach our children that the main necessity of men is love. Love is being good to ourselves , others and nature.

1. According to Paragraph 2, competition is________.

A．interesting	B．beneficial
C．unnecessary	D．ineffective

2. Why should we prepare children for cooperation in the 21^st century?

A．We are faced with new challenges.

B．Many diseases are threatening people.

C．They will live in a more competitive society.

D．Environmental imbalance has caused many deaths.

3. What is the benefit of keeping an ecological balance?

A．It will help keep our internal balance.

B．Our kids will have more chance to succeed.

C．It will help make our future existence possible.

D．Our kids will have a better natural environment.

4. What is the purpose of this text?

A．To introduce ways of helping children overcome fears.

B．To explain the role competition plays in education.

C．To suggest an education of love and cooperation.

D．To explain why competition and cooperation should coexist.

2 . 人们对失败持有不同的态度。面对失败，有人能够经得起考验，从失败中汲取教训，并努力去完成他们下定决心要做的事情。然而，另一些人却丧失信心并退却了。请你用几句话对此进行阐述，并谈谈你自己的看法。

There are successes and failures, which can hardly be avoided in people’s lives. Faced with failure, ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3 . Why is being alone essential to personal growth?

For many people, being alone is a negative state of being. It often carries a social stigma (污名) that equals isolation or being an outsider. Of course, spending time with people you love is extremely important to your well-being.     1     Only if you’re connected to yourself can you become stronger.

Aloneness enhances your creativity. When you are alone, you are more likely to stay true to yourself and try new things that you don’t have the courage to do around others.     2     Picasso or Van Gogh wouldn’t have created the masterpieces if they hadn’t taken enough solitary (独自的) time to experiment regardless of others’ thoughts.

Being alone also prevents you from burning out. Sometimes you may wonder why you easily feel tired.     3     Especially for people who go to work every day, it is unavoidable to feel exhausted when you have to deal with work, family, and your own passions at the same time. How about giving yourself a few solitary moments? It doesn’t matter how you choose to spend those moments alone. As long as they relieve your stress, they’re worthwhile.

    4     When you take time to understand yourself, pursue your personal growth, and follow your dreams, you’ll definitely discover the truth about yourself. Regardless of how well you may think you know yourself, learning how to be alone will allow you to deepen your self-awareness.

Being alone makes you a more creative person and helps with personal growth.     5    

A．But it’s necessary to learn how to be alone.

B．Aloneness is often associated with mad artists.

C．It is impossible to be alone with the demands of daily life.

D．Aloneness frees us from the limits of the world’s opinions.

E．Self-exploration is perhaps the biggest benefit of aloneness.

F．One reason could be not giving yourself enough solitary time.

G．So spend some time alone today to become a brighter and better person.

4 . Growing up, I heard the word "genius" a lot.

It was always my dad who _________ it up. He liked to say, "You know, you' re no genius!" I don't remember how I _________ . Maybe I pretended not to hear.

I wasn't the _________ problem. My dad didn't think my brother and sister were geniuses, either. By his standards, none of us _________ up to Einstein. Apparently, this was a great _________ .

Two years ago, I was _________ enough to be awarded a MacArthur Fellowship, sometimes called the "genius grant." It is an award _________ by a secret committee that includes the _________ people in your field.

I was surprised and grateful for being thought of doing _________ and creative work. A girl who is told __________that she's no genius ends up __________ an award for being one. The award goes to her because she has discovered that what we eventually __________ may depend more on our great interest and perseverance than on our inborn __________ .

The morning the MacArthur was __________ , my dad said to me, "I'm proud of you." I had so much to say in response, but __________ I just said, "Thanks, Dad."

I knew that my dad was proud of me. Still, part of me wanted to __________ back in time to when I was a young girl. I'd tell him what I know now.

I would say, "Dad, you think I'm no genius. I won't __________ with that. You know plenty of people who are __________than I am." I can imagine his head nodding in __________ .

"But let me tell you something. I'm going to grow up to love my work as much as you love yours. I'll challenge myself every day. When I get __________ down, I'll get back up. I may not be the smartest person in the room, but I'll try my best to be the grittiest (坚毅的)."

1.

A．brought

B．took

C．got

D．grew

2.

A．played

B．suggested

C．responded

D．hid

3.

A．difficult

B．only

C．real

D．final

4.

A．added

B．stood

C．faced

D．measured

5.

A．satisfaction

B．disappointment

C．relief

D．surprise

6.

A．fortunate

B．careful

C．healthy

D．precious

7.

A．given

B．accepted

C．passed

D．shared

8.

A．generous

B．local

C．top

D．young

9.

A．mysterious

B．complex

C．free

D．important

10.

A．especially

B．loudly

C．repeatedly

D．frankly

11.

A．deciding

B．recognizing

C．naming

D．winning

12.

A．set

B．live

C．achieve

D．agree

13.

A．appearance

B．talent

C．character

D．leadership

14.

A．found

B．announced

C．invented

D．considered

15.

A．besides

B．instead

C．somewhat

D．therefore

16.

A．date

B．look

C．travel

D．throw

17.

A．vary

B．deal

C．discuss

D．argue

18.

A．kinder

B．older

C．weaker

D．smarter

19.

A．agreement

B．return

C．disapproval

D．delight

20.

A．mocked

B．closed

C．cut

D．settled

5 . When I was young, I had a wrong understanding of being great. I believed I was special and different and should be rich and famous because of my talent. I was going to live my dream rather than being a “normal” person. But as time passed, reality set in and my perspective changed.

I am a teacher, married to a salesman with a baby and a mortgage（按揭贷款）. Could my life be more normal? Yet, I am okay with this.

Were I to have a conversation with my twenty-year-old self, she wouldn't understand why I'm not going to NYC to get an audition （试演）. In four years my coworkers have never heard me sing. If I'd bought a house, it should have been in an interesting neighborhood with coffee houses at every corner. She would laugh at the corner house in the neighborhood I now call home.

But I know things she didn't know. Life is so much more complicated, wonderful and terrible. I know what it means to work for love, not just sitting back and letting it happen the way it can when you're young. I know about bringing life into the world, and the complexity of emotions.

My life is simple. It is small, and may seem interchangeable with so many other lives there. I may never make an impact outside my house. But I've learned it is important to be relative. To my little girl, I am irreplaceable. When she cries, she calls for “Mama”. When she reaches out, it's for me alone. So, is it a small life? It's perfectly fine to me. In fact, I think it's what I've wanted all along.

1. What was the author like when she was young?

A．She was honest.	B．She was brave.
C．She was proud.	D．She was cautious.

2. Why does the author imagine talking to her twenty-year-old self?

A．To show she has become mature.	B．To prove her dream has come true.
C．To reveal the key to her success.	D．To introduce her present unhappiness.

3. What is the author's present focus?

A．Learning the complexity of emotions.	B．Opening her heart to the world.
C．Living with her daughter specially.	D．Caring for her family.

4. What does the author intend to tell us in the text?

A．We can achieve our dreams if we work hard.

B．We will come back to a normal life some day.

C．We should keep in contact with our families.

D．We can be the one we feel satisfied with.