1 . When Eugenie George first heard that her friend passed a financial exam, her heart sank. She’d ______ the same test weeks earlier.

“Envy was eating me up,” recalls George. But anyway she ______ her friend. “And I told her I failed and admitted I was ______,” she says. George knew that being ______ would ease her envy, but she was surprised that it also enabled her to ______ her friend’s happiness and experience her own in turn.

Finding ______ in another person’s good fortune is what social scientists call freudenfreude, the great joy we feel when someone else succeeds, ______ it doesn’t directly involve us. Freudenfreude is like a kind of social______, says Catherine Chambliss, a professor of psychology. It makes relationships “closer and more enjoyable.”

Too often, we think our friends ______ us most during their hard times: a job ______, getting divorced. In fact, how friends ______ our joy is even more important for us than how they respond to our ______. Too often, we think of joy passively. We see it as something that come to us, instead of something we can ______. While it can be difficult in practice, freudenfreude can lift us up and ______ our day. So celebrating our friends’ ______ is a win-win to us all.

1.

A．taken

B．passed

C．failed

D．prepared

2.

A．congratulated

B．forgave

C．blamed

D．ignored

3.

A．badly-behaved

B．over-burdened

C．short-sighted

D．green-eyed

4.

A．tough

B．honest

C．tolerant

D．optimistic

5.

A．imagine

B．understand

C．share

D．increase

6.

A．hope

B．passion

C．confidence

D．pleasure

7.

A．even if

B．as if

C．now that

D．so that

8.

A．platform

B．glue

C．booster

D．routine

9.

A．support

B．annoy

C．upset

D．need

10.

A．loss

B．change

C．interview

D．application

11.

A．look forward to

B．contribute to

C．get used to

D．react to

12.

A．envy

B．complaints

C．suffering

D．mistakes

13.

A．predict

B．produce

C．choose

D．measure

14.

A．fill

B．start

C．brighten

D．balance

15.

A．survival

B．success

C．recovery

D．generosity

2 . I ask every student I interview for admission to my institution, Pitzer College, the same question, “What do you look forward to the most in college?” I was astonished and delighted recently when a student replied, “I look forward to the possibility of failure.” Of course, this is not how most students respond to the question when sitting before the person who can make decisions about their academic futures, but this young man took a risk.

“You see, my parents have never let me fail,” he said. “When I want to take a chance at something, they remind me it’s not a safe route to take. Taking a more demanding course or trying an activity I may not succeed in, they tell me, will ruin my chances at college admission.”

I wish I could tell you this is an uncommon story, but kids all over the world admit they are under great pressure to be perfect. When I was traveling in China last fall and asked a Chinese student what she did for fun, she replied: “I thought I wasn’t supposed to tell you that? I wouldn’t want you to think I am not serious about my work!”

Students are usually in shock when I laugh and tell them I never expect perfection. Of course, this goes against everything they’ve been told. How could a dean (院长) of admission at one of America’s most selective institutions not want the best and the brightest? The reality is, perfection doesn’t exist, and we don’t expect to see it in a college application. In fact, admission officers tend to question students who present themselves as individuals without shortcomings.

We get the most excited when we read an application that seems real. It’s so rare to hear stories of defeat. If their perspectives are of lessons learned, these applicants tend to jump to the top at highly selective colleges. We believe an error in high school should not define the rest of your life, but how you respond could shape you forever.

1. What can we learn about the student in the first two paragraphs?

A．He is taught not to take risks.

B．He tries to avoid any chance of failure.

C．He cares little about his academic futures

D．He is seldom allowed to take part in activities.

2. Why does the author mention the Chinese student in paragraph 3?

A．To emphasize the importance of hard work.

B．To compare students from different countries.

C．To give an example of the students he favors.

D．To illustrate the widespread stress on students

3. What is probably admission officers’ attitude towards a perfect application?

A．Doubtful.

B．Confused.

C．Favorable.

D．Casual.

4. What is the key to success in college according to the author?

A．A desire for perfection

B．The ability to learn from defeats.

C．The opportunity of making mistakes.

D．An experience of defeat in high school

3 . Philosophers have a bad reputation for expressing themselves in a dry and boring way. The ideals for most philosophical writing are precision, clarity, and the sort of conceptual analysis that leaves no hair un-split.

There is nothing wrong with clarity, precision, and the like — but this isn’t the only way to do philosophy. Outside academic journals, abstract philosophical ideas are often expressed through literature, cinema, and song. There’s nothing that grabs attention like a good story, and there are some great philosophical stories that delight and engage, rather than putting the reader to sleep.

One of the great things about this is that, unlike formal philosophy, which tries to be very clear, stories don’t wear their meanings on their sleeve — they require interpretation, and often express conflicting ideas for the reader to wrestle with.

Consider what philosophers call the metaphysics (形而上学) of race — an area of philosophy that explorers the question of whether or not race is real. There are three main positions that you can take on these questions. You might think that a person’s race is written in their genes (a position known as “biological realism”). Or you might think of race as socially real, like days of the week or currencies (“social constructionism”). Finally, you might think that races are unreal — that they’re more like leprechauns (一种魔法精灵) than they are like Thursdays or dollars (“anti-realism”).

A great example of a story with social constructionist taking on race is George Schuyler’s novel Black No More. In the book, a Black scientist named Crookman invents a procedure that makes Black people visually indistinguishable from Whites. Thousands of African Americans flock to Crookman’s Black No More clinics and pay him their hard-earned cash to undergo the procedure. White racists can no longer distinguish those people who are “really” White from those who merely appear to be White. In a final episode, Crookman discovers that new Whites are actually a whiter shade of pale than those who were born that way, which kicks off a trend of sunbathing to darken one’s skin-darkening it so as to look more While.

Philosophically rich stories like this bring more technical works to life. They are stories to think with.

1. What does the author think of philosophical stories?

A．The meaning behind is very obvious.

B．They am extremely precise and formal.

C．They often cause conflicts among readers.

D．They are engaging and inspire critical thinking.

2. Which category might “Christmas” fall into according to paragraph 4?

A．Social constructionism.	B．Anti-realism.
C．Biological realism.	D．Literary realism.

3. What is Black No More in paragraph 5 mainly about?

A．Racial issues caused by skin colors.

B．A society view on race and self-image.

C．Black people accepted by the white society.

D．The origin of sun bathing among white people.

4. What is the best title of the text?

A．Stories Made Easy	B．Stories to Think with
C．Positions in Philosophy	D．Nature of Philosophical Writing

4 . Just about 50 years ago, needing money to support my family—my novels weren’t bestsellers—I had the idea of taking the longest train trip imaginable and writing a travel book about it. The trip was improvisational (即兴的). I didn’t have a credit card. I had no idea where I’d be staying nor how long this trip would take. And I’d never written a travel book before. I hoped my trip wouldn’t suffer a lot, though it was obviously a leap in the dark.

I set off with one small bag containing clothes, a map of Asia, a travel guidebook and some travelers’ cheques. I was often inconvenienced, sometimes threatened, now and then disturbed for bribes, occasionally laid up with food poisoning—all this vivid detail for my narrative.

What I repeated in the more than four-month trip was the pleasure of the sleeping car. Writing on board the Khyber Mail to Lahore in Pakistan, “The romance associated with the sleeping car comes from the fact that it is extremely private, combining the best features of a cupboard with forward movement. Whatever drama is being shown in this moving bedroom is heightened by the landscape passing the window...” A train is a carrier that allows residence.

I wrote The Great Railway Bazaar on my return in 1974, and it appeared to good reviews and quick sales. That’s the past. Nothing is the same. All travel is time-related. All such trips are singular and unrepeatable. It’s not just that the steam trains of Asia are gone, but much of the peace and order is gone. Who’d risk an Iranian train now or take a bus through Afghanistan?

But I’ve been surprised by some of the more recent developments in travel. I rode on Chinese trains for a year and wrote Riding the Iron Rooster, but now China has much cleaner and swifter trains and modernized destinations. A traveler today could take the same trip I took in 1986—1987 and produce a completely different book.

All travel books are dated. That’s their fault that they’re outdated, and it’s their virtue that they preserve something of the past that would otherwise be lost.

1. What happened at the beginning of the author’s trip to Asia?

A．He made full preparations for the trip.

B．He had expected the journey to be rough.

C．He organized the trip with his family’s support.

D．He started the trip out of his passion for traveling.

2. Why did the author repeatedly recall the sleeping car?

A．For its romantic scenery.	B．For its reassuring privacy.
C．For its full equipment.	D．For its long distance.

3. What did the author try to convey by saying “Nothing is the same”?

A．The landscape in Asia was gone.	B．Train trip was no longer popular.
C．He couldn’t write another bestseller.	D．Transportation and travel had changed a lot.

4. Which of the following statements would the author most likely agree with?

A．Practice makes perfect.	B．Sharp tools make good work.
C．Travel, truth is not the arrival card.	D．The journey, not the arrival matters.

5 . Last year in early summer, I was walking to my house when I saw two large birds standing in my yard. They didn’t seem to _______ me until I was right in front of them and then they _______ disappeared into the nearby bushes. I was quite excited by the _______ of two special birds making a nest (巢) in my yard．

A few weeks later, the birds _______. I found them crouching (蹲伏) beside a tree. As I approached them, they _______ their heads and made a croaking (嘶哑地叫) sound. I didn’t know why they were croaking at me until a short time later I made an amazing _______: there were two small birds _______ around happily.

As I inched towards the birds, _______ not to make sudden movements, they started their croaking again, putting their necks forward so they seemed _______ and more threatening.

The mother put the baby birds under her wings and carefully crouched down over them so her babies were well ________.

I was watching them with respect when I suddenly ________ and fell to the ground. The mother took this as a/an ________ and the father raced towards me, ________ his wings to protect the mother and the baby birds.

I felt sorry to have disturbed them and left quickly. I am amazed by their ________ actions. Their parental love made them so courageous. It is hard not to show ________ for nature.

1.

A．remind

B．confirm

C．notice

D．protest

2.

A．immediately

B．familiarly

C．creatively

D．slowly

3.

A．feeling

B．sense

C．opinion

D．idea

4.

A．investigated

B．removed

C．gathered

D．reappeared

5.

A．stuck out

B．put down

C．hang out

D．turned around

6.

A．collection

B．discovery

C．conclusion

D．mission

7.

A．jumping

B．fighting

C．seeking

D．marching

8.

A．curious

B．patient

C．worried

D．careful

9.

A．neater

B．simpler

C．longer

D．stronger

10.

A．fed

B．hidden

C．raised

D．identified

11.

A．tripped

B．moved

C．alarmed

D．responded

12.

A．target

B．defence

C．threat

D．escape.

13.

A．shooting

B．spilling

C．folding

D．spreading

14.

A．military

B．individual

C．brave

D．average

15.

A．gratitude

B．respect

C．emotion

D．pleasure

6 . Father’s Day to me is just as special as Mother’s Day. Each parent has something to ____ and sometimes one parent ends up playing both ____ and I happen to be one of those parents.

I completely ____ my son by myself，though I wanted him to have a ____ figure in his life.I can remember how ____ it was to answer some of the questions of a man,which I wished his dad could have ____.Last year I had to have an operation.I have always been ____,so it hurt my pride that I had to rely on others for help.I can remember my son saying,“Mom,you took care of me for 21 years,now it’s my ____ to look after you.” It ____ me to hear him say that;he had ____ everything I had done for him.

Children don’t forget things when they are growing up,____ those who have raised them.My father played an important role in my life and when I look back on my ____,he was my total inspiration (灵感),He taught me a lot about life and helped me keep a(n) positive attitude even when I got into difficulties.He ____ me to never give up on my dreams ____ they could be my own reality one day. He has taught me that laughter,kindness and love are more valuable than gold.

Happy Father’s Day to those who are there to support and love their children.Happy Father’s Day to all the mothers out there who have to play a father’s role and to all the fathers who have to play a(n)mother’s role.Raising children has never been ____ but it takes a special parent to make a difference in a child’s life.

1.

A．beg

B．borrow

C．give

D．gain

2.

A．purposes

B．promises

C．roles

D．tasks

3.

A．raised

B．encouraged

C．helped

D．loved

4.

A．teacher

B．father

C．mother

D．teenager

5.

A．foolish

B．interesting

C．excellent

D．difficult

6.

A．asked

B．forgot

C．explained

D．understood

7.

A．independent

B．confident

C．grateful

D．reliable

8.

A．opinion

B．turn

C．duty

D．honor

9.

A．bothered

B．touched

C．affected

D．confused

10.

A．ignored

B．doubted

C．disliked

D．appreciated

11.

A．especially

B．regularly

C．equally

D．generally

12.

A．history

B．youth

C．childhood

D．suffering

13.

A．forced

B．believed

C．reminded

D．ordered

14.

A．because

B．though

C．after

D．until

15.

A．easy

B．boring

C．happy

D．tiring

7 . How do we make good things out of bad? How do we look at ourselves? Can there be a _______ side even in our pain?

There was an elderly woman. She needed to walk down to the river every morning to _______ water for drinking, cooking and cleaning. She _______ two buckets, filled them up on the riverbank and walked back with them to her rural _______ .

One of the buckets was newer, perfectly sealed (密封) and _______ its water completely. The second bucket was older and contained a few thin cracks that would _______ water as the elderly woman walked. By the time she arrived home, _______ about one third of the water in the second bucket was left.

One day, on the walk down to the _______ , the cracked bucket that had always felt like it wasn’t as good as the other bucket said to the elderly woman,“I want you to know that water has been spilling out every morning for the past several years. I’m so sorry for being cracked and making your life more _______ , I understand if you need to ________ me with a better bucket.” The elderly woman ________ , “Do you really think I haven’t known about your cracks this whole time? Look at all the beautiful flower that grow on the ________ from my cottage to the river. I ________ their seeds, but every morning was you who ________ them.”

We all have a few cracks, but choose to see how it’s exactly those ________ that make us go enough.

1.

A．riper

B．wiser

C．broader

D．brighter

2.

A．order

B．fetch

C．drop

D．boil

3.

A．carried

B．repaired

C．searched

D．lost

4.

A．store

B．school

C．cottage

D．farm

5.

A．purified

B．held

C．hid

D．heated

6.

A．leak

B．absorb

C．pollute

D．empty

7.

A．reasonably

B．suddenly

C．amazingly

D．typically

8.

A．lake

B．well

C．river

D．sea

9.

A．ordinary

B．comfortable

C．boring

D．difficult

10.

A．mark

B．replace

C．reward

D．combine

11.

A．smiled

B．sighed

C．shouted

D．defended

12.

A．wall

B．tree

C．path

D．border

13.

A．abandoned

B．saved

C．booked

D．planted

14.

A．picked

B．watered

C．removed

D．spread

15.

A．characteristics

B．buckets

C．cracks

D．strengths

8 . 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。

Ryan picked up a snowball and began to polish it so that soon it was hard as a cricket ball. He smiled to himself. Now, all that he needed was a target. He walked down the High Street.

Paul was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was a skinny boy whose legs were so thin that they looked as if you could break them. He was so skinny that the other kids used to joke about him getting blown away when it was windy. He was helping old Mrs McTell by sweeping the snow off the path and putting salt down to melt the ice. He liked Mrs McTell.

Paul had his head down and was sweeping a piece of ice when the snowball struck him full in the face. He staggered(踉跄) back, put his hand to his lip and wiped off the dirt. He heard Ryan laughing and shouting names. But Paul ignored it. He had had problems with Ryan at school and did not want to stir up more trouble. He ducked down and made his way round to the back of Mrs McTell’s to see if she wanted any shopping.

Bored by the silence, Ryan soon gave up and walked down to the park. It was a short-cut to home and by now his fingers were aching with the cold. The park pond was frozen over and Ryan laughed at a couple of ducks, waddling(摇摆着走) on the ice. They were finding it hard to keep balance. Quickly, Ryan picked up a stick and without thinking made his way onto the ice. In his mind’s eye, he could see the feathers flying as he hit one of the ducks.

Ryan was a few yards out when the ice cracked. It sounded like gun shot across the frozen park. The ice broke into pieces before his eyes. Screaming, he fell straight down into the icy water. The ducks flew off.

1. 所续写短文的词数应为100左右。
2. 续写部分为一段，开头语已为你写好。

Paul heard Ryan’s voice as he entered the park.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

9 . I’m grateful to have a roof over my head, food in my belly, and the ability to take care of my family. This is why I try to help those ________ whenever possible.

Here are some words from unlucky souls that ________ my mind about what’s really important in life.

One hot day, I was sitting on my front door ________ a cold drink when a homeless young man wandered by my house.

“Hi, there. Would you like something to drink?” I asked.

“No, thank you,” he ________ . “What I’d really like more than anything is a clean pair of ________ ”

His response really ________ me right in my heart. I have a whole drawer of clean socks and he just wanted one pair.

Another time, I was coming home from work on payday (发薪日). I was ________ in the rush hour when I saw a man holding a cardboard that ________ “Need work or food. Anything helps.”

I ________ my window, and gave him a 100-dollar bill.

“Thank you so much,” he said ________ and then added, “Seriously, really need a job.” I shared with him some ________ on possible employment opportunities and went on my way, hoping his luck would change for the ________ .

Most homeless people are like us. They’re just ________ a hard time. They should win our respect in dealing with their everyday ________ . They’re just people who might need a helping hand from their neighbors. Now I’m ________ for all things that I have.

1.

A．in surprise

B．in doubt

C．in need

D．in charge

2.

A．changed

B．crossed

C．cleared

D．calmed

3.

A．recommending

B．enjoying

C．buying

D．appreciating

4.

A．thought

B．complained

C．warned

D．replied

5.

A．socks

B．shoes

C．glasses

D．shorts

6.

A．satisfied

B．worried

C．upset

D．hit

7.

A．buried

B．stuck

C．absorbed

D．lost

8.

A．read

B．wrote

C．listed

D．explained

9.

A．opened up

B．shut down

C．rolled down

D．pushed up

10.

A．anxiously

B．politely

C．curiously

D．angrily

11.

A．arrangements

B．evidence

C．comments

D．information

12.

A．former

B．worse

C．better

D．latter

13.

A．going through

B．reflecting on

C．responding to

D．breaking through

14.

A．accidents

B．struggles

C．schedules

D．emergencies

15.

A．responsible

B．eager

C．concerned

D．thankful

10 . If someone offered you a marshmallow (棉花糖) now, but promised you two marshmallows if you waited for 15 minutes, what would you do? There’s always the chance you don’t like marshmallows.     1     Would you prefer to snack on one right away, or remain patient enough to double your treat?

The Stanford Marshmallow Experiment, conducted over 20 years ago, presented this choice to a group of children between the ages of 3 and 6. At first, the experiment didn’t gain much attention. But about10 years later, the researchers followed up with the participants and discovered something interesting. Some of the kids who had chosen to wait for 15 minutes were doing better on tests.     2    

While some scientists believe there is no connection, others believe patience made the difference.     3     That extra patience helped students in other parts of their lives too, like studying and learning. Further experiments involving different snacks have yielded similar results

If, when you first started reading this, you thought you would rather eat your snack right away, that’s OK.     4     Experts emphasize that patience is a skill that can be developed and strengthened. Dr. Parker Huston, a psychologist, suggests individuals can cultivate patience by identifying the sources of frustration in their lives and preparing for those moments. When faced with frustrating situations, you can take deep breaths and count backwards from ten to one

    5     Regardless of whether you choose to eat the marshmallow immediately or wait the key is to maintain an open mind and learn to practice patience. No matter where your future takes you, patience can help you get there.

A．But let’s say you love them.

B．Let’s return to the marshmallow.

C．It doesn’t suggest you are meant to succeed.

D．Does patience help you plan ahead for your future?

E．The students who waited for the extra treat were more patient.

F．The good news is that we can all learn how to be more patient.

G．Could there be a connection between waiting and future success?