1 . A little stream flowed down from a high mountain far away through many villages and forests, until it reached a desert. The stream then thought, “I’ve been through countless obstacles. I should have no problem crossing this desert!” But soon she found herself gradually disappearing into the mud and sand. After numerous tries, she found it was all in vain and was very upset. “Maybe it’s my destiny! I’m not destined to reach the vast ocean in the legend.”

At this time;a deep voice came, saying, “If a breeze can cross the desert, so can a river.”

It was the voice of the desert. Unconvinced, the little stream replied, “That’s because a breeze can fly, but I cannot.”

“That’s because you stick to what you are If you’re willing to give it up, and let yourself evaporate (蒸发) into the breeze, it can take you across, and you can reach your destination,” said the desert in its deep voice.

The little stream had never heard of such a thing. She could not accept this idea. After all, she had never experienced anything like it before. Wouldn’t it be self-destruction to give up what she was now?

“How do I know if this is true? and will I still be what I am now?” asked the little stream.

“Yes, and no. Whether you’re a river or invisible vapor, your inner nature never changes. You stick to the fact that you’re a river because you don’t know your inner nature,”answered the desert.

Deep down, the stream vaguely remembered that before she became a river, it was perhaps also the breeze that had carried her halfway up a high mountain, where she turned into rain and fell onto the ground and became what she was now. Finally the little stream gathered her courage and rushed into the open arms of the breeze; which carried her to the next stage of her life.

The course of our lives is like the experience of little stream. If you want to surpass the obstacles in your life in order to head for the destination of Truth, Virtue and beauty, you should also have the wisdom and courage to renounce (放弃) your ego (attachment to yourself).

Perhaps you can try asking yourself these questions: What is my inner nature? What is it that I cling to? and, What is it that I really want?

1. What obstacle did the stream come across when starting to cross the desert?

A．Her effortless attempt.	B．Her unrealistic goal.
C．Her bowing to fate.	D．All that struggle for nothing.

2. Which are the right changes of the stream’s attitudes according to the text?

A．Confident — shocked — determined — withdrawn

B．Sad — determined — disappointed — shocked

C．Disappointed — doubted — confident — surprised

D．Hopeful — upset — shocked — determined

3. What’s your understanding of the underlined phrase “Yes, and no.”?

A．Give up what you are, and you will never owe it again.

B．While you change physically, your inner nature will never change.

C．Only by sticking to yourself can you realize your dream.

D．Changing yourself means losing control of everything.

4. Which of the following is NOT the author’s attitude to life?

A．When you can’t change the environment, change yourself.

B．Stick to your inner nature rather than what you are.

C．Once starting the journey, you should stick to your goal.

D．Be flexible and adaptable, venturing into the unknown.

2 . I didn’t quite know what I was looking for when I flew to Mongolia for a term abroad. I just needed something different, far from the late-night libraries of my college town. Most different, I hoped, would be my rural homestay: two weeks in central Mongolia with a family of nomadic(游牧的) herders.

I was studying Mongolian at the time, but still, there was so much I couldn’t say or understand. As we walked in the snow behind the goats, my host mom would ask me if I was cold, then giggle (咯咯地笑) and copy a big shiver to make sure I understood. In the evenings, she showed me how to make dumplings with her fingers. My host siblings would talk with me, speaking too fast for me to understand, as we explored the rocks around our tent; I’d listen and nod.

This verbal(言语的) barrier was strangely freeing. In the crowded dining hall at home, meeting new people made me anxious. I’d stay quiet, measuring out my words, struggling for something to say that wouldn’t expose me as unfunny or boring. In Mongolia, I couldn’t perfect my words. I could only smile, and try out one of the phrases I’d mastered: “May I help?” “Where is the dog?” “Are you tired?” My host family laughed at my pronunciation, at the way I threw up my hands and eyebrows in a frequent gesture of confusion. But in their laughter, I felt safe, unembarrassed.

With my Mongolian family on the grassland, I found a feeling of ease I’d never felt before. We were so different, they and I, and not just in language. Their skin was hardened and darkened by sun; I’d been hidden under hats and sunscreen since birth. My host siblings(兄弟姐妹) grew up drawing water from frozen streams and jogging behind herds of sheep; I spent summers at tennis camp.

For me, these gaps made all the difference. Without shared social measures, I wasted no time wondering how I was measuring up. Only real things—kindness, helpfulness—mattered.

1. Why did the author go to Mongolia for a term abroad?

A．She dreamed of living a nomadic life.	B．She was tired of studying late at night.
C．She had to study Mongolians’ normal life.	D．She was collecting information for libraries.

2. What does the underlined word “shiver” in paragraph 2 mean?

A．Hug.

B．Smile.

C．Attack.

D．Shake.

3. How did the author behave at the dining hall in her home country?

A．She felt at ease in the crowd.	B．She usually weighed her words.
C．She asked a lot of funny questions.	D．She often made others laugh with jokes.

4. What did the author learn from her life in Mongolia?

A．You are judged wherever you go.	B．Nature makes humans feel insignificant.
C．Appearance reflects one’s standard of life.	D．Being kind is the common social standard.

3 . Robert and Henry were going home for lunch from school when, on turning a corner, Robert cried out, “A fight! Let’s go and see!”

“No.” said Henry, “let’s go home quietly and not meddle with(参与) this fight. We have nothing to do with it, and may get into trouble. ”

“You are a coward, and afraid to go,” said Robert, and off he ran. Henry went straight home, and in the afternoon went back to school, as usual. But Robert had told all the boys that Henry was a coward, and they laughed at him a great deal.

However, Henry knew that true courage was far more than that. He knew that he should be afraid of nothing but doing wrong.

A few days later, Robert was swimming with some schoolmates and got out of his depth. He struggled and cried for help, but nobody answered. The boys who had called Henry a coward got out of the water as fast as they could and did not even try to help him.

Robert was going down fast when Henry threw off his clothes and jumped into the water. He reached Robert just in time. With great effort, and with much danger to himself, he brought Robert to the riverbank and saved his life.

Robert and his schoolmates were ashamed of having called Henry a coward. They realized that he had more courage than all of them.

Never be afraid to do good, but always fear to do bad.

1. What did Robert want to do when he and Henry saw a fight?

A．To go away quietly.

B．To tell his friends about the fight.

C．To watch a fight that was happening.

D．To meddle with some troublemakers.

2. If someone calls you a coward, it means that ________ .

A．you can face danger by yourself.

B．you are not brave and easily scared.

C．you aren't afraid of doing anything.

D．you follow others in the face of danger.

3. What did Henry do when Robert was in danger while swimming?

A．He jumped into the water to save him as soon as possible.

B．He got out of the water and ran away.

C．He called the police to help Robert.

D．He cried for help to other boys.

4. What is the best title for the story?

A．The Meaning of True Courage

B．The Troubles of Being a Coward

C．The Common Fears of Doing Wrong

D．The Importance of Listening to Others’ Advice

4 . 阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写,使之构成一个完整的故事。

I was about nine the first time I got on a board. Something inside of me connected to surfing unlike any other sport. I had played a bunch of different sports, like baseball, soccer and hockey, but surfing became my true life interest.

By the time I was twelve, I began to compete in surfing. Before long, I was rated number one in the Juniors level of the Pacific Surf Series. I was featured in surfing articles and magazines, and companies began sponsoring me.

Things were really looking up. My lifelong dream of becoming a professional surfer was finally coming to a reality. Then came the day when my life changed forever.

On that day, I watched a little bit of a surf movie to prepare for my surf. I was excited; the waves were going to be so good. When I pulled up to the beach at Zuma, the waves looked great. Then I caught this one perfect south swell peak.

The wave hit me in my back so fast that I didn’t have time to put my hands up. I hit my head on a sandbar beneath the surface of the water. My whole body went numb (麻木), then I was floating face down — unable to move. When the next wave flipped (翻转) me over, I yelled for help. At first nobody came to help me, then finally my best friend, Brad, came over to me. I told him, “You gotta keep my head out of the water or I’m gonna drown!”

Finally, Brad was able to get me out of the water and onto the beach. I knew I was paralyzed (瘫痪). As I lay on my back, my dreams of becoming a pro surfer flashed in front of my eyes. What was going to happen to me? What kind of a life would I have if I was paralyzed forever? This can’t happen to me! Guess what? It did.

注意：
1.续写的短文词数应为150左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题纸的相应位置作答。

At the medical center, I learnt what a serious injury I had.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I surprised myself by maintaining the will to live.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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

My best friend had dropped me off in front of the church. I found myself inside a small entrance, facing a locked door. As I turned to leave, I noticed a man, a vagabond (流浪汉), asleep in a corner, his head resting on an old bag.

My meeting with the man brought to mind an interview with a pastor (牧师) who had spent a day walking around downtown Toronto, handing out change to everyone who asked. The lesson he wanted to convey with his story was that we shouldn’t show so much limit about giving to those in need, because none of us will lose our wealth if we part with a couple of dollars now and then.

I could see the wisdom and truth of his words, but I still mistakenly believed that giving them money would only worsen the condition. When faced with a similar question, the pastor pointed out that we must try to offer charity in whatever manner we can to whomever is in need. That last message was now causing me to re-examine my beliefs towards homeless people.

“Miss? You wouldn’t happen to have a bit of money to spare, would you? Enough to buy breakfast?” the man asked. I hesitated a few seconds before offering, “I have a McDonald’s gift card. I could buy you something for breakfast.” “Thank you,” he replied.

We came to the nearest McDonald’s. After ordering breakfast and a coffee for himself, the man asked me to have time for a coffee, as the buildings don’t open for another hour. His comment caught me off guard, and I was unable to find a polite reason to excuse myself, so I ordered a tea and resolved to sit with him for a while. When we left, the man thanked me again for the breakfast and offered to show me around to thank me for my generosity.

注意：
1.续写的短文词数应为150左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题纸的相应位置作答。

I didn’t want to be impolite despite my hesitation.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

When leaving, the man took a delicate stone out of his bag.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6 . My wife and I parked by a rough path the same time as a young man covered in tattoos (纹身). I ______ he was unfriendly，so we tried to ______ ourselves from him. But he struggled hard to ______ and wanted to talk some. We slowed down. He said he was recovering from a bad time in his life. We ______ left him in the dust，heading up the river.

Hours later we turned back ______ a flash flood had taken out the bridge. There he was again, following to ______ us. He shared a little more of his ______. He lost his mother and sister in a car accident and he was permanently ______ too. We slowed down to the pace he could ______ for the whole way back.

He continued, “During much surgery and ______ I came to hate life...” Then he pulled up his shirt to show us a ______ life size tattoo from neck to waist. It was two ladies in a ______ light waving to him. “This is my mom and this is my sister,” he pointed, “They told me to stop hating everything. They loved me just as they always had and ______ me to live in love too!” He explained the brightly colored tattoo was the exact dream he had that day.

My ______ went away. It had painted a wrong picture of this wonderful person with a beautiful ______ . I learned more than he hoped to tell.

1.

A．assumed

B．remembered

C．admitted

D．confirmed

2.

A．tell

B．distance

C．save

D．free

3.

A．turn away

B．set out

C．catch up

D．settle down

4.

A．politely

B．secretly

C．carelessly

D．accidentally

5.

A．though

B．unless

C．because

D．before

6.

A．impress

B．interrupt

C．persuade

D．engage

7.

A．target

B．story

C．plan

D．journey

8.

A．confused

B．discouraged

C．ignored

D．injured

9.

A．observe

B．judge

C．manage

D．challenge

10.

A．silence

B．pain

C．failure

D．guilt

11.

A．massive

B．funny

C．random

D．popular

12.

A．brilliant

B．gentle

C．weak

D．sensitive

13.

A．allowed

B．begged

C．forced

D．expected

14.

A．doubt

B．sympathy

C．prejudice

D．resistance

15.

A．reputation

B．message

C．appearance

D．insight

7 . Emest Owusu was 13 in 1980 when he was given the opportunity to appear in the audience of a BBC show, and ask Thatcher how she felt about being called the Iron Lady. This encounter re-emerged in a BBC’s programme recently.

At the time of their meeting, Owusu was on free school meals, living on a public estate in Brixton, south London, where he and his sister were being raised by their mother Rose, a struggling hairdresser.

Now 57, Owusu looks remarkably similar even with a greying beard. But his life has been transformed. The father of three is a human resources director, and the first black captain of the Addington golf club in its 110-year history. As a black guy, it is about breaking the glass ceiling. Speaking in its clubhouse, Owusu describes his rise in social status (地位) as a “Thatcherite Journey”. And he says it began by asking the woman herself. “To this day it still has an impact. My confidence changed from that sliding-door moment. Something about her connected with me.”

Thatcher told Owusu she enjoyed being called the Iron Lady. “I think it’s rather a praise, don’t you?” she said, “Because so often people have said to me if you’re in your job you’ve got to be soft and warm and human, but you’ve got to have a touch of steel.” Owusu recalls the moment, “I just remember her eye contact. She was answering me, not the camera. She welcomed the question saying you’ve got to be firm in this world. And that stuck with me.”

After the show was broadcast, Owusu said he became “a little hero in Brixton for a good three months”. Owusu added, “It all gave me extra confidence. Doors might not have opened so quickly. It was one of those key moments to make you do things maybe you wouldn’t otherwise have done.”

1. What do we know about Owusu when he was 13?

A．He met with Thatcher twice.

B．He joined a famous golf club.

C．He hosted a BBC’s programme.

D．He lived at the bottom of society.

2. What do the underlined words “sliding-door moment” in paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Turning point.	B．Important decision.
C．Social status.	D．Remarkable achievement.

3. Based on the text, what made a big difference to Owusu?

A．Others’ treating him equally at work.

B．Others’ voting him a hero in Brixton.

C．Thatcher’s efforts to preserve his dignity.

D．Thatcher’s faith in the necessity of toughness.

4. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?

A．The Art of Dialogue	B．The Power of Confidence
C．A Life-changing Meeting	D．A Status-improving Tale

8 . I finally climbed into bed at 1:20 in the morning after my 31th birthday celebration. I was about to fall asleep when I was awakened by the sound of ______ water, as if I were lying beside a waterfall instead of in my bedroom. When I got off the bed, I was ______ by the cold water rising to my knees and rising fast.

It has to be from a burst pipe in the ______, I thought. Shaking and in darkness, I grabbed my cellphone and ______ the flashlight. When I stepped from the bedroom to the bathroom, I saw it wasn’t a burst pipe at all. ______, water was shooting through the gaps of the door from outside. All around me, things were ______ -the lamps were shattering (破碎), the cupboards were being torn apart.

I ______ that I began to panic. Any effects of the celebratory drinks I’d had earlier were now gone; ______ cleared my head. And the water was now ______ my waist. I struggled to wade (趟过水) to the door. Finally, I made it to the door, through which I squeezed into the street. I stood there in the ______, wet and panting (喘气的). What was once a lovely, cozy street was now a waterscape, with ______ furniture and trees. The flood had drowned the neighborhood. Many of the houses around us were ______. Luckily, I was ______ by rescuers.

I came close to drowning that day. But rather than dwell on (沉湎于) that in my head, I prefer to ______ what my mother told me afterward: “Christian, don’t remember the day when you ______ everything. Remember the day you survived.”

1.

A．rushing

B．horrible

C．interesting

D．running

2.

A．thrilled

B．amazed

C．puzzled

D．shocked

3.

A．bedroom

B．living room

C．bathroom

D．hallway

4.

A．turned on

B．turned up

C．turned down

D．turned off

5.

A．Still

B．Therefore

C．Yet

D．Instead

6.

A．breaking

B．keeping

C．suffering

D．challenging

7.

A．realized

B．recognized

C．admitted

D．admired

8.

A．amazement

B．fear

C．gratitude

D．anxiety

9.

A．due to

B．up to

C．added to

D．related to

10.

A．shadow

B．garden

C．darkness

D．lightening

11.

A．floating

B．swimming

C．flying

D．diving

12.

A．designed

B．buried

C．destroyed

D．burnt

13.

A．prevented

B．stretched

C．saved

D．followed

14.

A．recall

B．recommend

C．experience

D．ignore

15.

A．spotted

B．flooded

C．failed

D．lost

9 . Time was introduced to us when we were just kids and only knew the playing hours, but when we grew up, we got our own senses about how important “The Time” is. There is a story on time management which can give you some guidance.

A philosophy professor, once, decided to teach the students a valuable lesson about Time Management, so he stood before his class with some items on the table. When the class began, wordlessly he picked up a big and empty jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks, about 2 inches in size. He then looked towards the class and asked the students if the jar was full. They all agreed that it was full. Therefore, the professor then moved to pick up a box of pebbles (鹅卵石) and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar gently. The pebbles, of course, rolled through the gaps between the rocks.

He then again looked up to the students and asked if the jar was full. They all again nodded their heads. For the last time, he turned towards the jar, this time, picked up a box of sand, poured it into the jar and shook it lightly. Of course, the sand moved into the gaps and filled up everything else. He then asked students for the last time if the jar was full or not. The students were surprised but responded with a unanimous “Yes.”

“Now,” said the professor, “I want you to realize that this jar actually is your life. The rocks are the important things — like your family, your children, your health, your partner. If nothing remained but only these, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter — like your job, your career, your house. The sand is everything else, the unimportant stuff.” “If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued “there is no space for the pebbles or the rocks.”

“The same goes for your life. If you keep on filling the jar with the sand, it means that you keep on spending all your time and energy on the pity things and you will never have room for the things that are important for you. First and foremost, focus on the rocks — the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.”

1. What’s the main function of the first paragraph?

A．To make a prediction.	B．To offer a guidance
C．To provide some advice.	D．To attract readers’ interest.

2. What can we know about the lesson from the passage?

A．The professor put the pebbles into the jar first.

B．The professor did four experiments altogether.

C．The result of the experiment was beyond students’ expectation.

D．It aimed to make students realize the importance of time for success.

3. According to the story, what are the “rocks” considered in life?

A．Your job and family.	B．Your career and children.
C．Your parents and body.	D．Your house and money.

4. What is the main lesson the professor wants to convey in the class?

A．It is important to make full use of time efficiently.

B．It is necessary to attach more importance to what truly matters in life.

C．It is crucial to strengthen the consciousness of managing time.

D．It is vital to arrange enough time for all aspects of life in advance.

10 . Our lives are measured by the passing years and shaped by major milestones such as graduating from school, getting jobs, getting married and having children. Sometimes, however, it’s the little things that we find play an important role. Often we don’t even notice them until they change or we suddenly don’t have them anymore.

My wife and I live on the top floor of an apartment. Looking out of the bedroom window, there were no buildings as high as ours and, as a result, we never had to close our curtains at night. If I was awake in bed at night, I could look up and see the stars. I would wonder if there were planets revolving around them, and were any of those planets like ours. I’ll probably never know the answers but the questions themselves intrigue me.

Last summer, the neighbors sold the little house next door and it was bought by a developer to build a new apartment building. It will be four floors tall, the same as ours. When the new building is ready for new residents, we have to start closing our curtains at night.

Perhaps I will be able to wait until everyone else is likely to be sleeping and reopen my curtains. That’s one possible course but I really doubt we’ll do this. More likely we will close the curtains before going to bed and not reopen them until morning. That means that when I wake up in the middle of the night as usual, the room will be dark and there will be nothing to see, no view out the window of the beautiful night sky and no interesting questions to think about.

I’m sure the night sky is filled with wonders we may never actually see and probably can’t even imagine. With that mind-set I have enjoyed lying in bed in the small hours of the night and looking at the heavens and wondering. Our little town is growing as it unavoidably would but I’m going to miss the stars.

Sometimes, it’s the little things.

1. What does the underlined word “intrigue” mean in Paragraph 2?

A．Trick.

B．Interest.

C．Shock.

D．Escape.

2. What may the author do when the new building is ready for use?

A．Plan to move out of the town.

B．Communicate with neighbors.

C．Keep the curtains closed when sleeping.

D．Appreciate the appealing night sky as usual.

3. What does the author think of the development of the little town?

A．Destructive.

B．Understandable.

C．Beneficial.

D．Meaningless.

4. What is the purpose of this text?

A．To arouse readers’ interest in the star observation.

B．To state the inconvenience of living on the top floor.

C．To remind the readers of the significance of little things.

D．To complain about the damage of building construction.