1 . T. S. Eliot wrote of “Distracted from distraction by distraction /Filled with fancies and empty of meaning.” T. S. Eliot never had a smartphone.

Neither did I for a long time. No Facebook account; not even email. But according to my date of manufacture, I’m supposed to be a digital native. Perhaps it’s because by the age of 20 I was living in the Welsh countryside with no signal and no Wi-Fi.

When I finally fell into the digital world, I fell hard. Unlike my friends for whom social media and mobile technology had grown and flowered around them, for me it was a sudden immersion. I got Facebook, Twitter and Gmail accounts at the same time that I got an iPhone 4. I would check my phone; five minutes later I would check my phone again. I was addicted and it started to affect my relationships with friends and family

One night, without a word, I abandoned my iPhone and bought a Nokia 3310 and became the talk of the town. Soon I became aware that not only had I stolen secret time back from the hurried days, but somehow a secret space as well. I could stretch out, free to think again, to be wholly creative and to learn meaningfully.

But, wherever I went I got bloody lost. Wandering blindly around London, only to miss appointments, became a frequent pastime (消遣). What did we do before Google Maps? I was useless. The change was worth it, though. I’ll sound like an overstatement but I think it changed my life. My choices are broader and healthier because I’m not being screamed at all day.

I bought a new Samsung phone last week. I had been scared of the rate of progress, crying: “Stop the train! Stop the madness.” But I want to be part of building the future, and to do that, you’ve got to swim in contemporary waters. Rejecting the modern world doesn’t help anyone. It slows you down and I need to be efficient. Time will tell whether I’ve mastered the wisdom to reject constantly checking my phone.

1. What can be learned about the author when she lived in the Welsh countryside?

A．She read a lot of T. S. Eliot.	B．She had no friends to talk with.
C．She had no access to the Internet.	D．She was afraid of the digital world.

2. Why did the author buy the Nokia 3310?

A．She thought she needed a spare phone.	B．She found her iPhone stopped working.
C．She wanted to attract people’s attention.	D．She hoped to break her smartphone addiction.

3. What happened after the author used the Nokia 3310?

A．She led a simple and healthy life.	B．She found her life was in a mess.
C．She spent more time with her friends.	D．She became an example for other people.

4. For what purpose did the author buy the Samsung phone?

A．To seek wisdom.	B．To stop her madness.
C．To keep pace with the times.	D．To get back to the real world.

2 . When I was nine years old. I pulled out my grandmother’s dress over my young frame, admiring myself in the mirror. I had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up. Later in senior high school, I began to dream of being an adult to explore a big world and make adventures. However, I knew adulthood for me was still distant because I supported myself mainly with the money from my family.

Fresh out of college, I was working as a middle school teacher. I was in charge of young people and heavy with that responsibility. I arrived at school early and stayed late, preparing lessons and chatting with students. I was an official adult. I paid my rent and taxes. But I still felt as if I were playing a role. I was the adult authority figure who secretly didn’t feel grown-up in a room full of children. But I wasn’t worried; I was convinced that it would happen soon.

To me, an adult is someone who is mature and trustworthy—a contributing member of the society. We strive to become adults while there is also someone who spends life constantly partying and avoiding responsibility. A grown-up, however, is a state of mind. Our body gets older but something inside us doesn’t feel as if it is progressing as quickly.

In the following ten years, I followed the routines of adulthood: getting married, giving birth and working. My 6-year-old daughter and I often held hands, running breathlessly and laughing wildly. I tried to avoid eye contact with the nearby people who glared at us. I suspect they would prefer adults who would never slide down a giant hill of sand.

I turned 57 recently and it occurred to me that maybe I had it all wrong; I should stop waiting to feel grown-up. What if we embraced (拥抱) the child-like part of ourselves to enjoy it, guilt free? If we’re responsible adults and do all the adult things in a way that works, why should it matter if we don’t feel grown-up deep inside? Non-grown-ups don’t necessarily play games, but it isn’t fun embracing the playful side of life? Why can’t we feel 57 and 15 years old at the same time?

1. How did the author feel about adulthood when she was a teenager?

A．She was unwilling to make adventures if she became an adult.

B．She showed no interest in thinking about it.

C．She was expectant and hopeful about it.

D．She had unknown fears for it.

2. What did the author believe would happen to her before long according paragraph 2?

A．Being respected by her children.

B．Becoming a capable teacher.

C．Living on her own.

D．Being a real adult.

3. What does the author mainly talk about in the third paragraph?

A．What an adult means in her opinion.

B．What an adult’s state of mind can be.

C．Why some people spend life avoiding responsibility.

D．Why it doesn’t progress so quickly to become a grown-up.

4. What advice does the author give to us through her story?

A．Be true to your inner self.

B．It’s never too late to learn.

C．Life is a bittersweet journey.

D．Nice souls are a masterpiece of time.

3 . On a common morning just inside the entryway to a subway station, a young man took his violin out of its case. He seemed quite common in _________. Then the man plucked (拨) the strings for minutes to tune his _________. After that, he reached into his pocket and _________ a few dollars, which he threw into the violin case, hoping that the passers-by would _________. Then he began to play, and thousands of people were hurrying to work, school, or wherever they were _________ as the morning rush was _________. Though the incredible sound of this man’s violin filled the subway station, it was apparently _________ by all.

If he were any other street _________, perhaps it would have been _________ that he earned little attention of people. __________ , he is Joshua Bell, one of the world’s most renowned __________, and he was playing one of the most classical masterpieces on his $3,000,000 violin. Actually, almost nobody noticed his playing. Why? One reason is that he didn’t look like a special man; the other is that everyone was too busy to __________ Joshua Bell’s excellent music.

“I’m busy!” is an everyday __________ from people like those who walked past Joshua Bell’s music without __________ a moment. All of this got me thinking: sometimes we should say no to useless busyness and allow for some __________ presence so as to perceive the beauty around us.

1.

A．appearance

B．speech

C．personality

D．skill

2.

A．instrument

B．behavior

C．posture

D．switch

3.

A．sorted out

B．made up

C．used up

D．pulled out

4.

A．set an example

B．follow suit

C．pay it forward

D．extend understanding

5.

A．suffering

B．attracting

C．heading

D．contacting

6.

A．in a dilemma

B．in full swing

C．by the book

D．by all accounts

7.

A．challenged

B．criticized

C．disturbed

D．ignored

8.

A．performer

B．beggar

C．promoter

D．defender

9.

A．strange

B．awkward

C．insignificant

D．unreasonable

10.

A．Furthermore

B．However

C．Therefore

D．Otherwise

11.

A．composers

B．organizers

C．violinists

D．donors

12.

A．miss

B．acknowledge

C．create

D．appreciate

13.

A．excuse

B．lie

C．practice

D．conversation

14.

A．recalling

B．choosing

C．sparing

D．capturing

15.

A．permanent

B．unplanned

C．inaccessible

D．constant

4 . 假定你是李华，最近阅读了寓言故事《龟兔赛跑》，请根据下面的提示写一篇小品文。
1.乌龟和兔子赛跑，兔子由于自满和大意输给了乌龟；
2.表明你的观点并列举生活中的例子；
3.总结这个故事说明的道理。
注意：1.词数80左右；2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3.开头已给出，不计入总词数。

One day a hare and a tortoise had a race

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5 . Once President Roosevelt's house was broken into and lots of things were stolen. Hearing this, one of Roosevelt's friends wrote to him and _______ him not to take it to his heart so much. President Roosevelt _______ immediately, saying, "Dear friend, thank you for your letter to _______ me. I'm all right now. I think I should thank God. This is because of the following three reasons: firstly, the thief only stole things from me but did not _______ me at all; secondly, the thief has stolen some of my things _______ all my things; thirdly, most luckily for me, it was the man _______ me who became a thief…"

Being _______ is an important philosophy of life and a great _______ . It is impossible for anyone to be lucky and successful all the time _______ he lives in the world. We should learn how to face failure or ________ bravely and generously and to try to deal with it. If so, should we ________ about our life and become frustrated and disappointed ever since then or should we be grateful for our life, and ________ again by ourselves after a fall? William Thackeray, a famous British writer, said, "Life is a ________ . When you smile in front of it, it will also smile and so will it when you cry to it. "

If you are grateful to life, it will bring you shining sunlight. If you always complain about everything, you may own ________ in the end. When we are successful, we can surely have many reasons for being grateful, ________ we have only one excuse to show ungratefulness if we fail.

1.

A．urged

B．advised

C．suggested

D．forbade

2.

A．went back

B．turned back

C．wrote back

D．fought back

3.

A．comfort

B．oppose

C．convey

D．resist

4.

A．kill

B．hit

C．hurt

D．strike

5.

A．instead of

B．instead

C．either

D．nor

6.

A．rather than

B．more than

C．less than

D．other than

7.

A．polite

B．grateful

C．elegant

D．successful

8.

A．wisdom

B．knowledge

C．regret

D．competence

9.

A．until

B．so long as

C．unless

D．as often as

10.

A．success

B．exploration

C．mercies

D．misfortune

11.

A．argue

B．complain

C．bother

D．worry

12.

A．climb

B．arouse

C．rise

D．raise

13.

A．behavior

B．philosophy

C．journey

D．mirror

14.

A．nothing

B．something

C．everybody

D．everything

15.

A．or

B．but

C．and

D．if

6 . In America, seldom do you go anywhere without hearing a principle called WIN-WIN. It sounds strange to me at first because throughout my childhood, I have always been taught to try everything possible to win an upper-hand, rather than to help other people win. However, as time goes by, I have gradually understood the essence (真谛) of WIN-WIN principle — it is the attitude of seeking mutual benefits.

When I was little, I used to play Chinese checkers (跳棋) which includes two basic tactics: One is to create paths for yourself; the other is to block the passages of your rival. Players may apply these two totally different approaches in the game, but the key for the player to win is to continuously create paths for him even if his opponent may take advantage of it. Finally he can always reach the destination a few steps ahead of the other player. Meanwhile, some player may take another approach to prevent his opponent from moving forward at all costs. In this way, he may get a short-term benefit, but couldn’t fix attention on the final goal. Thus, he would never truly develop further.

In the 1990s, a strategy called WIN-WIN became widespread in the western world. Its core is to achieve your objective while giving other people some benefits, so there is no real loser. One example of applying the WIN-WIN principle is the voluntary system in the US. Most Americans advocate the spirit of social service and voluntary contribution. In the US, schools and children organizations usually encourage and support kids to be engaged in community service so that the voluntary spirit can be enrooted in their minds from childhood. Moreover, a crucial standard for universities to judge new students is whether they have worked for the community or not.

In China, it’s quite usual that some people are too selfish and never take people’s interests into consideration, while someone who really has courage to do something for the public is often called “foolish” or “stupid”. Actually helping other people can be of great delight for the helper, for he can also learn something crucial for his life such as sympathy, care, devotion, etc. So only if you take other people’s interests into earnest consideration can you assure your own gain.

1. The purpose of the author in writing the passage is _______.

A．to tell us the cultural differences between China and the US

B．to tell us the different educational systems in the US and China

C．to tell us the importance and meaning of WIN-WIN

D．to show that WIN-WIN is popular in the US and China

2. We can know from Paragraph 2 that the one who _______ is most likely to win the game.

A．prevents his opponent from moving forward at all costs

B．creates the passages for his rival over and over

C．continuously creates paths for both himself and his rival

D．blocks the passages of his rival all the time

3. What is the author’s attitude towards WIN-WIN?

A．Criticism.

B．Encouragement.

C．Disagreement.

D．Doubt.

4. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

A．WIN-WIN: Thinking for Others

B．WIN-WIN: Reaching Your Goals

C．WIN-WIN: Defeating Your Rivals

D．WIN-WIN: Gaining Mutual Benefits

7 . Lately, I’ve been starting to feel as though my friends are so much farther ahead of me in life. Some of them got engaged and all of them have responsibilities while I’m still single. I see my friends a lot more _______ than I used to — everyone’s so busy with their work now. When we do get together, it’s a lot harder to _______. The only thing my friends want to talk about is their _______.

Actually, I’m _______ for them and I want what they have. Every time I see one of them _______ a new baby photo, I ask myself, “When is it going to be my _______?” But my body somehow has repeatedly _______ the idea. Meanwhile I’m still _______ dates!

How do I stop _______ myself with others when their lives look so amazing? My roommate, Harper, ________ about a big promotion at work on Twitter. And all I could do was comment, “You go, girlboss!” while sending out yet another job ________.

I know life isn’t linear, and I shouldn’t compare my ________ with anyone else’s. We’re just in different places in our lives. At the end of the day, ________ we are in our journeys, I know that my friends love me.

So, for now, I’m just going to focus on myself, maybe by ________ or taking a pottery (陶艺) class, to really use the time I have out here in the woods alone for some ________. I know that someday I will find my person, and see that the long journey is all worth it!

1.

A．infrequently

B．inaccessibly

C．inaccurately

D．impossibly

2.

A．speak

B．relate

C．care

D．worry

3.

A．idols

B．secrets

C．kids

D．failures

4.

A．delighted

B．sorrowful

C．guilty

D．apologetic

5.

A．putting off

B．showing off

C．calling off

D．working off

6.

A．family

B．baby

C．turn

D．success

7.

A．preferred

B．generated

C．accepted

D．rejected

8.

A．going on

B．depending on

C．getting on

D．taking on

9.

A．confusing

B．connecting

C．combining

D．comparing

10.

A．replied

B．commented

C．posted

D．wrote

11.

A．paper

B．interview

C．application

D．offer

12.

A．study

B．health

C．treasure

D．path

13.

A．whenever

B．wherever

C．whatever

D．whoever

14.

A．sleeping

B．eating

C．drinking

D．travelling

15.

A．self-discovery

B．self-discipline

C．self-study

D．self-respect

8 . Growing up on Long Island with a father who gave me dieting tips at 13, a mother who taught me to use makeup as I left for middle school, and peers (同龄人) who shared weight-loss tips on the bus, I developed an unusual self-image. By the time I became a teenager, I felt horror when I encountered photos of myself and saw a huge stomach in the mirror even though I was never overweight.

Throughout my early 20s, I’d wear lipstick and mascara (睫毛膏) and hold my mouth in a half-smile as I walked down the street in order to look more attractive to others. Following popular body-positive advice, I’d flip through Facebook photos of myself, trying to identify at least one desirable feature in each. I’d stare at my reflection, hoping to blink and see a different shape when I opened my eyes. Instead, I’d just fall further into the glass like Alice, deep in the darkest places of my imagination.

A year and a half ago, to escape this personal Wonderland, I decided not to put a mirror in my room when I moved into a new apartment. The small one above my bathroom sink would be enough. I was burnt out from attempts at body positivity. Rather than make peace with my reflection, photographs and scale, I’d avoid them altogether.

As I stopped trying to like my appearance, it no longer tortured (折磨) me. I stopped wearing makeup daily. Instead, I developed a sense of identity from my unfailing punctuality (准时性), my sharp analyses of movies, and my ability to pay rent in New York City as a freelance writer. I looked up to Amy Schumer and Lena Dunham instead of women who tried to diet, noticing that the most powerful women seemed undistracted by weight. Since I wasn’t always disappointing myself by trying to love my body and failing, I became happier.

1. Why did the author develop an unusual self-image when she was young?

A．She hated to wear makeup.

B．She suffered from being overweight.

C．She was influenced by people around her.

D．She wanted to have a huge stomach.

2. What does the author mainly want to tell us in Paragraph 2?

A．She was attracted by others’ photos on Facebook.

B．She paid too much attention to her appearance.

C．She felt ashamed of her appearance.

D．She was addicted to taking selfies.

3. What did the author take pride in later?

A．Her good personal qualities.

B．Her newly published books.

C．Her new apartment in New York City.

D．Her relationship with powerful women.

4. What has the author learned from Amy Schumer and Lena Dunham?

A．It’s important to eat healthily.

B．We should never disappoint ourselves.

C．It’s important to know others’ abilities.

D．We shouldn’t be distracted by our weight.

9 . The curb cut (下斜路缘). It’s a convenience that most of us rarely, if ever, notice. Yet, without it, daily life might be a lot harder—in more ways than one. Pushing a baby stroller onto the curb, skateboarding onto a sidewalk or taking a full grocery cart from the sidewalk to your car—all these tasks are easier because of the curb cut.

But it was created with a different purpose in mind.

It’s hard to imagine today, but back in the 1970s, most sidewalks in the United States ended with a sharp drop-off. That was a big deal for people in wheelchairs because there were no ramps (斜坡) to help them move along city blocks without assistance. According to one disability rights leader, a six-inch curb “might as well have been Mount Everest”. So, activists from Berkeley, California, who also needed wheelchairs, organized a campaign to create tiny ramps at intersections to help people dependent on wheels move up and down curbs independently.

I think about the “curb cut effect” a lot when working on issues around health equity (公平). The first time I even heard about the curb cut was in a 2017 Stanford Social Innovation Review piece by PolicyLink CEO Angela Blackwell. Blackwell rightly noted that many people see equity “as a zero-sum game.” Basically, that there is a “prejudiced societal suspicion that intentionally supporting one group hurts another.” What the curb cut effect shows though, Blackwell said, is that “when society creates the circumstances that allow those who have been left behind to participate and contribute fully, everyone wins.”

There are multiple examples of this principle at work. For example, investing in policies that create more living-wage jobs or increase the availability of affordable housing certainly benefits people in communities that have limited options. But, the action also empowers those people with opportunities for better health and the means to become contributing members of society—and that benefits everyone. Even the football huddle (围成一团以秘密商讨) was initially created to help deaf football players at Gallaudet College keep their game plans secret from opponents who could have read their sign language. Today, it’s used by every team to shield the opponent from learning about game-winning strategies.

So, next time you cross the street, or roll your suitcase through a crosswalk or ride your bike directly onto a sidewalk—think about how much the curb cut, that change in design that broke down walls of exclusion for one group of people at a disadvantage, has helped not just that group, but all of us.

1. By “might as well have been Mount Everest” (paragraph 3), the disability rights leader implies that a six-inch curb may become ________.

A．as famous as the world’s highest mountain

B．an almost impassable barrier

C．a connection between people

D．a most unforgettable matter

2. According to Angela Blackwell, many people believe that ________.

A．it’s fair to give the disadvantaged more help than others

B．it’s impossible to have everyone be treated equally

C．it’s necessary to go all out to help the disabled

D．it’s not worthwhile to promote health equity

3. Which of the following examples best illustrates the “curb cut effect” principle?

A．Spaceflight designs are applied to life on earth.

B．Four great inventions of China spread to the west.

C．Christopher Columbus discovered the new world.

D．Classic literature got translated into many languages.

4. What conclusion can be drawn from the passage?

A．Everyday items are originally invented for people with disabilities.

B．Everyone in a society should pursue what is in his or her interest.

C．A disability rights leader changed the life of his fellow men.

D．Caring for disadvantaged groups may finally benefit all.

10 . Years ago, I decided to take the adventure and start working from home. I became a stay-at-home mom with two young boys. I felt lost after leaving the working world so I wanted something new to focus on.     1     I really wanted an excuse to connect with other adults regularly.

But only weeks into my new adventure, I was trapped in the comparison game. I constantly compared my progress with that of others on my team. It seemed that this business was coming easily to everyone but me.     2    

Then the leader of my team came to me. He gave me some advice and encouraged me to keep my blinders (马眼罩) on.     3     The blinders help them avoid distractions as they walk down the chosen path. So I took my leader’s advice of putting on “blinders”.

    4     I got more peaceful. And I became able to appreciate the little goals I had achieved in my business. I wasn’t making huge “jumps” like some others on my team. But as one small success led to another, my confidence and happiness grew. I was encouraged to make more progress.

From this experience, I’ve learned that comparing myself to others truly gets me nowhere. It not only prevents my ambition, but also overshadows my successes. Whether in business or parenting, there will always be someone performing better than me.     5     I’m running in my own race — enjoying it at my own perfect pace.

A．It turned out that it benefited me a lot.

B．But what was I going to do with the blinders?

C．I didn’t let others’ accomplishments lessen my own.

D．The weight of comparison made me close to quitting.

E．Do you know that horses wear blinders as they pull carriages?

F．And what I should hold to is that I’m not running in their race.

G．Preferably, it was something that had nothing to do with childcare.