1 . Once a year, around the time when Christians celebrate Easter, Muslims celebrate Ramadan and Jews celebrate Passover, I often invite my 24-person team to a joyful and special dinner at my place. To
I think this
Yet when people
I’m also really
As the person in charge of the lab, I see preserving a variety of cultural backgrounds as an important part of my job. Such an accessible, varied and supportive
| A．accommodate | B．avoid | C．change | D．control |
| A．enjoy | B．throw | C．prepare | D．taste |
| A．dream | B．tradition | C．promise | D．debate |
| A．strange | B．conservative | C．poor | D．diverse |
| A．gives up | B．turns down | C．consists of | D．leaves out |
| A．breakthroughs | B．backgrounds | C．ambitions | D．hobbies |
| A．differences | B．recipes | C．requirements | D．standards |
| A．visit | B．praise | C．join | D．aid |
| A．regret | B．charge | C．sympathy | D．love |
| A．surprised at | B．proud of | C．interested in | D．worried about |
| A．curious | B．casual | C．careful | D．relaxed |
| A．thank | B．defeat | C．compare | D．choose |
| A．scientifically | B．physically | C．mentally | D．financially |
| A．respect | B．protect | C．stand | D．doubt |
| A．chance | B．position | C．lecture | D．environment |
| look back, decide, compete, one, scare, pride, sit, kid, quick, short |
A group of boys stood around a tree. “What a tall tree!” they said to each other, “It would be exciting to climb to the top.”
The group of boys made a
One of the
Then the game started. All of the boys tried to climb as high as they could. Although the others climbed faster than David at
His mother was
“It was easy.” David said. “The other kids kept looking down as they climbed. When they realized how high they were, they got
It is true in life that if we just keep going forward without
3 . 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. |
| 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. |
| A．Her good personal qualities. |
| B．Her newly published books. |
| C．Her new apartment in New York City. |
| D．Her relationship with powerful women. |
| 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. |
4 . My first shopping in a general store was in Miss Bee’s when I spent the summer with my grandmother in New York.
“Go get them yourself” Miss Bee said, ignoring the shopping list held up before her nose. “I’m not your servant, so just get yourself a basket from that pile over there and start filing.”
It took me three wall-to-wall searches before I found the first item on my list―a pork can be placed between boxes of cereal and bread. Next up was toilet paper, found under the daily newspaper, and Band-Ads, found next to the face cream. The store was a puzzle, but it held some surprises too. I found a new Superman comic behind the peanut butter.
I visited Miss Bee a couple of times a week that summer. Some times she short-charged me. Other times she overcharged or sold me an old newspaper instead of a current one. Going to the store was more like going into battle. I left my Grandma’s house armed with my list—memorized to the letter—and marched into Miss Bee’s like General Patton (巴顿将军) marching into North Africa.
All summer long she found ways to trip me up. No sooner had I learned how to pronounce bicarbonate of soda (小苏打) and memorized its location on the shelf than Miss Bee rearranged the shelves and made me hunt for it all over again. By summer’s end, however, the shopping trip that had once taken me an hour was done in 15 minutes.
The morning I was to return to Brooklyn, I stopped into tell her that she was mean (刻薄的). To my amazement she laughed and said. “Well, I don’t care! Each of us is put on this earth for a reason. I believe my job is to teach every child I meet ten life lessons to help them. Think what you will, but when you get older you’ll be glad our paths crossed!”
I thought the idea was absurd until one day my daughter came to me with homework troubles.
“It’s too hard,” she said. “Could you finish my math problems for me?”
“If I do it for you, how will you ever learn to do it yourself?” I said.
Suddenly, I was back at that general store where I had learned the hard way totally up (结算) my bill along with the cashier. As my daughter went back to her homework, I wondered: Had Miss Bee really taught me something all those years ago? I took out some scrap paper and started writing.
1. Why did the writer spend a long time doing her first shopping in the general store?| A．She was too young to remember all the items on the list. |
| B．Miss Bee didn’t treat her kindly. |
| C．Her grandmother asked her to buy too many things. |
| D．The store was in disorder and she was not familiar with the shop. |
| A．She was well prepared and full of confidence. |
| B．Going shopping in the store was a challenge to her. |
| C．She was very aggressive, taking Miss Bee as the enemy. |
| D．Going shopping was so fun that it was like playing a war game. |
| A．The writer would benefit from the experience of shopping in Miss Bee’s. |
| B．The writer would find shopping in Miss Bee’s store very interesting. |
| C．The writer would be happy to meet Miss Bee again later in life. |
| D．The writer would realize that Miss Bee could become her friend. |
| A．Don’t be so quick to judge other people |
| B．The best teacher isn’t only in school |
| C．Stick to your dream whatever happens |
| D．Things can be learned in daily routines |
5 . There was a time in my life when I lost everything. My physical health was the first thing to go. I lost the ability to walk and ended up in a wheelchair. I couldn’t go places and do the things I used to do.
After that, I lost everything else. I lost friends who grew tired and weary of waiting for a recovery that might never come. I lost my career, which I had worked for decades to build- my source of independent income. There went my sense of purpose, too. I lost my house. I had nowhere to live and had to move back in with my parents.
With no job, health, friends, or house to come home to, most people would fall into a deep despair. And I did experience depression. But it was my family that gave me faith. I think it was my ability to keep the faith that allowed the faith to be rewarded in the end.
My health returned slowly but surely. I no longer neglected myself and then put my body last. I was grateful that I could now see how necessary my health was, and that it was okay to prioritize myself over a paycheck. For me, health was more important than any other things and should be dealt with first.
New friends entered my life—people with authentic hearts and kind understanding. I was grateful that I lost people along the way to make room for the people who were supposed to be there all along. A new job presented itself as well. I was so grateful that I lost my old job so that one better suited to my hobbies could unfold before my eyes.
When bad things happen, it doesn’t mean that better things aren’t down the line. We just need the strength to hold on to hope. Yes, there was a time in my life when I lost everything—everything except my faith. But the new perspective that I gained was more important than anything that I lost.
1. Why did the author’s friends leave after she was sick?| A．They lost patience. | B．They were deeply in debt. |
| C．They minded their business. | D．They found themselves helpless. |
| A．New friendship. | B．Pursuit of career. | C．Desire for fame. | D．Family support. |
| A．She regards herself as a total failure. | B．She has got back what she once had. |
| C．She views things from a different aspect. | D．She has experienced a lot of tough days. |
| A．Everything comes to those who wait. | B．When one door closes, another opens. |
| C．History is a mirror reflecting reality. | D．Action is worry’s worst enemy. |
6 . The history of human beings is naturally a process to pursue happiness, which is the ultimate purpose of life. Happiness makes us cope with our careers energetically and harmonise life
Obviously, defining happiness has
Nevertheless, although happiness is indefinable, it is still easy for us to find the
Furthermore, to be realistic, a beggar, while struggling in poverty, can never be as peaceful as a millionaire
To summarise, to define happiness will not be so hard if humans can understand happiness in a standard way and eliminate (消灭) their
| A．instantly | B．optimistically | C．permanently | D．definitely |
| A．gives | B．breaks | C．backs | D．puts |
| A．helped | B．changed | C．confused | D．interrupted |
| A．interpretations | B．compositions | C．solutions | D．options |
| A．Fame | B．Health | C．Liberty | D．Wealth |
| A．dissatisfaction | B．sacrifice | C．motivation | D．success |
| A．copied | B．settled | C．expected | D．expanded |
| A．unique | B．walking | C．rare | D．running |
| A．weak | B．slim | C．sound | D．large |
| A．brought about | B．held back | C．cut down | D．pulled up |
| A．find | B．grasp | C．test | D．clear |
| A．luxury | B．cycle | C．outcome | D．sunshine |
| A．singing | B．living | C．sailing | D．flying |
| A．greed | B．fear | C．dream | D．poverty |
| A．value | B．goal | C．cause | D．potential |
7 . When I was little, my dad would let me sit beside him on the porch while he painted. He would tell me how the cow by itself is just a cow, and the meadow by itself is just grass and flowers, and the sun peeking through the trees is just a beam of light, but put them all together and you’ve got magic.
I understood what he was saying, but I’ve never felt what he was saying until one day when I was up in the sycamore tree to rescue a kite stuck in the branches. It was a long way up, but I thought I’d give it a shot. I started climbing. Then I looked down. And suddenly I got dizzy and weak. I was miles off the ground! But the kite was still beyond my reach. I caught my breath and forced myself to concentrate on the kite as I climbed up.
When I had the kite free, I needed a minute to rest. That’s when the fear of being up so high began to lift, and in its place came the most amazing feeling that I was flying. Just soaring above the earth, sailing among the clouds.
Then I began to notice how wonderful the breeze smelled. It seemed like sunshine and wild grass and rain! I couldn’t stop breathing it in, filling my lungs again and again with the sweetest smell I’d ever known.
I never got over the view. I kept thinking of what it felt like to be up so high in that tree. I wanted to see it, to feel it, again. And again.
It wasn’t long before I wasn’t afraid of being up so high and found the spot that became my spot. I could sit there for hours, just looking out at the world. Sunsets were amazing. Some days they’d be purple and pink, some days they’d be a blazing orange, setting fire to clouds across the horizon.
It was on a day like that when my father’s notion (观念) moved from my head to my heart. The view from my sycamore was more than rooftops and clouds and wind and colors combined.
And I started marveling (惊奇) at how I was feeling both humble and majestic. How was that possible? How could I be so full of peace and full of wonder?
It was magic.
1. Why did the author climb up the sycamore tree?| A．To play in the tree. | B．To get a trapped kite. |
| C．To prove her courage. | D．To practice climbing skills. |
| A．unusual but painful | B．competitive and imaginative |
| C．adventurous but rewarding | D．well-planned and interesting |
| A．Because the tree had the sweetest smell. |
| B．Because it could help her to concentrate. |
| C．Because her father encouraged her to do so. |
| D．Because she could enjoy more than good views. |
| A．Practice makes perfect. |
| B．Positive action leads to happiness. |
| C．Beautiful things don’t ask for attention. |
| D．The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. |
8 . 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 |
| 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 |
| 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. |
| 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. |
9 . A few weeks ago, my 3-year-old granddaughter Frances asked, ‘‘Why don’t cardinals (红雀) migrate?” Frances’s question
Preschoolers love thinking about possible
Fortunately, there’s no reason why we can’t all be lifelong learners. I’m 69, but I still experienced the same thrill of
By embracing children’s acts of wondering, you become their
| A．moved | B．confused | C．surprised | D．worried |
| A．chance | B．problem | C．influence | D．answer |
| A．struggled | B．learned | C．managed | D．hesitated |
| A．held back | B．gave in | C．walked away | D．put off |
| A．benefits | B．solutions | C．designs | D．explanations |
| A．nervous | B．disturbed | C．embarrassed | D．free |
| A．relief | B．joy | C．pity | D．blessing |
| A．regret | B．continue | C．stop | D．enjoy |
| A．challenge | B．discovery | C．doubt | D．competition |
| A．collect | B．hide | C．supply | D．write |
| A．until | B．before | C．because | D．though |
| A．busy | B．inspired | C．delighted | D．warm |
| A．compare | B．study | C．share | D．create |
| A．promising | B．encouraging | C．permitting | D．controlling |
| A．partners | B．teachers | C．employees | D．learners |
10 . Our group was about to board the plane. I was
The travel was part of a university program. We did many exciting things there, but it was our time of
| A．disappointed | B．scared | C．proud | D．excited |
| A．ignore | B．support | C．doubt | D．blame |
| A．persuading | B．contacting | C．following | D．postponing |
| A．consumed | B．shaped | C．resisted | D．welcomed |
| A．learning | B．investigating | C．volunteering | D．attacking |
| A．figure out | B．concentrate on | C．interact with | D．settle for |
| A．eye-opening | B．available | C．pleasant | D．challenging |
| A．as for | B．regardless of | C．except for | D．instead of |
| A．value | B．priority | C．accommodation | D．gap |
| A．belongings | B．achievements | C．arguments | D．requests |
| A．Gradually | B．Naturally | C．Hopefully | D．Simply |
| A．occasion | B．result | C．advantage | D．end |
| A．handle | B．explore | C．leave | D．monitor |
| A．encounter | B．involve | C．attract | D．identify |
| A．expressed | B．limited | C．matched | D．described |
