1 . Thomas was a well-known wise man. One day, he wandered in a beautiful small town. Because of his fame, people from nearby towns who heard of his arrival all came to visit and seek his advice.
Many who came sought help with difficulties in daily life, and Thomas, unable to bear turning them away, patiently offered suggestions. Word spread quickly, and more and more people came to see Thomas for guidance.
One day, dozens of people crowded outside Thomas’s door, all clamoring (大声地要求) that their problems were the most serious and urgent, each insisting that Thomas address their concerns first, with no one willing to yield (让步).
After a moment of thought, Thomas took out some paper and a pen and said, “I can’t hear clearly with everyone talking at once. How about everyone write down your problem on a piece of paper and place it in this basket beside me?”
Once everyone had placed their notes in the basket, Thomas shook the basket and said, “Please each take a piece of paper from the basket and read what it says.”
As everyone read a note from someone else, they all realized that indeed, each person has their own troubles, and every household has its own challenges. Then Thomas spoke up, “Now, whose problem is the most urgent to solve?” Hearing that question, no one spoke again, because now no one dared to claim that their problem was the most severe.
Often, we are bound by our immediate feelings. When difficulties and problems strike, it feels as though we are caught in a vortex of pain. But if we shift our focus from ourselves and look towards others, we might discover that the problems we face are not so significant. Perhaps others are the ones who need help more urgently, or maybe there is something within our power that we can do for them.
1. Why did people visit Thomas?A.For advice. | B.For a meeting. |
C.For a competition. | D.For introductions. |
A.He ignored them. | B.He listened to each one individually. |
C.He prioritized the problems himself. | D.He asked them to write down their problems. |
A.The complexity of their difficulties. | B.The similarity of their situations. |
C.Their need for more advice. | D.Their living conditions. |
A.Competition. | B.Sympathy. | C.Prioritization. | D.Self-confidence. |
2 . I was born with facial differences. My first surgery was when I was 3. That same year, I started
I’ve had nine surgeries. I am forever
It’s a daily experience for people with facial differences to get
I want people to examine their deeply held beliefs about what they
The next time you see someone with a(n)
A.piano | B.dance | C.acting | D.violin |
A.notices | B.shows | C.values | D.anticipates |
A.affected | B.predicted | C.chose | D.meant |
A.see | B.help | C.need | D.change |
A.equal | B.resistant | C.awesome | D.grateful |
A.Instead | B.Therefore | C.Otherwise | D.However |
A.families | B.faces | C.chances | D.lives |
A.exciting | B.amusing | C.disturbing | D.astonishing |
A.complex | B.important | C.common | D.practical |
A.hope | B.pity | C.panic | D.pain |
A.think | B.recall | C.demand | D.obtain |
A.rely on | B.decide on | C.put aside | D.look like |
A.expression | B.personality | C.difference | D.background |
A.recognizing | B.announcing | C.improving | D.classifying |
A.unique | B.similar | C.obvious | D.desperate |
Special#2,Please
My flight arrived in San Diego around midnight, and by the time I drove home and got into bed it was nearly 2:00 a. m. I was tired and jet-lagged when I dragged myself out of the bed. Nevertheless,I had to be up bright and early that morning: I was the opening keynoter(主旨发言人) at a national conference.
In short, I needed to recover quickly. A hearty breakfast in the early morning sun was what I needed. I headed for Carlos & Annie’s, a popular restaurant located in the heart of the seaside town.
“I’d like steak and eggs, please,” I said to the waitress after I had finally found a table in the restaurant. “Oh, I'm sorry,” she apologized. “We're out of Special#2. We've served the last of our steaks. How about Special#14?” “Oh, no steak and eggs?” I couldn't seem to accept it.
I'm not sure if it was my heartfelt sigh that caught Carlos, the owner's attention. His warm, caring brown eyes seemed determined to pinpoint the best solution. He then said, “You know, I think I did see one final steak back
there.”Pressing my luck,I quickly declared, “Wow,that would be great. But you know, I’m not sure if I want a breakfast stenk at all. What I really want is a steak—one that’s two inches thick, tender and juicy, served medium rare.” “Not to worry,” Carlos assured meand left. The young waitress gave me a wink(眨眼) and said with a knowing smile, “Carlosis being Carlos again!” I did not give her words much thought.
Then, I noticed Carlos as he left the restaurant through the side door and walked into a neighborhood grocery store across the street. Carlos exchanged morning greetings with everyone he knew and even helped the owner of the bookstore next door by holding the items that filled her arms. Then he reentered the restaurant with a bag in his hand.
注意:1. 续写词数应为150左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Paragraph 1: Within minutes,an exact Special#2 was in front of me.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2: I was about to leave when I learned Carlos had already sold the restaurant.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________5 . As a writer, I miss rejection slips. Not that I enjoyed receiving those pre-printed slips of paper, but at least when I got one, I was pretty sure that a flesh-and-blood
Nowadays, rejection slips seem to have disappeared with the use of online submissions. Most editors don’t feel it a must to
For me, there are three
Learning to
A.writer | B.reader | C.mailman | D.editor |
A.demanding | B.indicating | C.suspecting | D.arguing |
A.boring | B.novel | C.lengthy | D.particular |
A.thrilling | B.upsetting | C.embarrassing | D.amusing |
A.buy | B.reject | C.check | D.substitute |
A.prove | B.determine | C.explain | D.acknowledge |
A.proposals | B.drafts | C.contributions | D.instructions |
A.meanings | B.stages | C.wonders | D.rewards |
A.relief | B.frustration | C.anger | D.hesitation |
A.valueless | B.expensive | C.characterless | D.shiny |
A.make up | B.put away | C.turn down | D.insist on |
A.easier | B.better | C.shorter | D.longer |
A.print | B.revise | C.download | D.submit |
A.accept | B.criticize | C.judge | D.evaluate |
A.thinner | B.fatter | C.older | D.newer |
6 . My wife and I parked by a rough path the same time as a young man covered in tattoos (纹身). I
Hours later we turned back
He continued, “During much surgery and
My
A.assumed | B.remembered | C.admitted | D.confirmed |
A.tell | B.distance | C.save | D.free |
A.turn away | B.set out | C.catch up | D.settle down |
A.politely | B.secretly | C.carelessly | D.accidentally |
A.though | B.unless | C.because | D.before |
A.impress | B.interrupt | C.persuade | D.engage |
A.target | B.story | C.plan | D.journey |
A.confused | B.discouraged | C.ignored | D.injured |
A.observe | B.judge | C.manage | D.challenge |
A.silence | B.pain | C.failure | D.guilt |
A.massive | B.funny | C.random | D.popular |
A.brilliant | B.gentle | C.weak | D.sensitive |
A.allowed | B.begged | C.forced | D.expected |
A.doubt | B.sympathy | C.prejudice | D.resistance |
A.reputation | B.message | C.appearance | D.insight |
I had a very special teacher in high school. Her husband unexpectedly died of a heart disease. About a week after his
When the class was nearly over, she
Her eyes began to water,
The class was completely quiet.
8 . The true test of an effective team is one where the members operate as a self-managing team. The
I followed up with one of our customers to see first-hand what a very successful team looked and felt like. Here is their story on what they do to
This team
The reason why I know this information is that when you have the opportunity to see how a team really works, you want to
As I stayed and communicated with the team members to find out how they worked together, they described to me their requirements for team development.
They said, “Each member has a good time, and we are in tune (协调) with each other, and we have a great
Their hard work and effort paid off as they became known as “the stars” of the company. They were described as “
It is clear that this team developed to compete for the goal instead of against each other. This team has stayed
A.leader | B.learner | C.waiter | D.customer |
A.defend against | B.look into | C.leave out | D.serve as |
A.set out | B.stand out | C.work out | D.run out |
A.accounts for | B.concentrates on | C.consists of | D.cares about |
A.conditions | B.habits | C.states | D.attitudes |
A.bothered | B.reminded | C.trained | D.observed |
A.far from | B.in return for | C.apart from | D.in case of |
A.pay | B.mood | C.diet | D.rent |
A.delivery | B.smell | C.quality | D.shape |
A.compare | B.uncover | C.adjust | D.keep |
A.taste | B.bite | C.review | D.sense |
A.limitation | B.prejudice | C.purpose | D.complaint |
A.special | B.normal | C.hesitant | D.ridiculous |
A.pity | B.security | C.pride | D.tense |
A.self-centered | B.self-employed | C.self-funded | D.self-driven |
9 . The doorbell rang one mid-December evening. I frequently had unexpected visitors in those early days after my husband’s
Sam had died that fall,
The next night, the doorbell rang again. Another
For the next couple of nights, my boys waited near the front door to see who was leaving the gifts, but the bearer would always choose the moment they left to
I didn’t know who the secret Santa was. But there was one thing I did know. In those dark days of
After 11 days of offerings, we weren’t sure what to
A.promotion | B.death | C.retirement | D.operation |
A.Otherwise | B.Besides | C.Instead | D.Therefore |
A.rope | B.paper | C.flower | D.ribbon |
A.leaving | B.finding | C.naming | D.considering |
A.agreed | B.planned | C.managed | D.promised |
A.arrived | B.returned | C.ended | D.escaped |
A.book | B.toy | C.box | D.pet |
A.designing | B.including | C.showing | D.making |
A.get through | B.set off | C.move on | D.turn up |
A.regret | B.sadness | C.anger | D.disappointment |
A.annoying | B.funny | C.urgent | D.powerful |
A.dream | B.light | C.future | D.home |
A.difference | B.effort | C.comparison | D.contribution |
A.support | B.offer | C.expect | D.appreciate |
A.something | B.nothing | C.anything | D.everything |
Once upon a time, there lived a poor but cheerful shoemaker. He was so happy that he sang all day long. The children loved to stand around his window to listen to him.
Next door to the shoemaker lived a rich man. He used to sit up all night to count his gold. In the morning, he went to bed, but he could not sleep because of the sound of the shoemaker’s singing. One day, he thought of a way to stop the singing. He wrote a letter to the shoemaker inviting him over for a cup of tea.
The shoemaker came at once, and to his great surprise, the rich man gave him a bag of gold as a gift. The shoemaker took the bag and thanked the rich man. When he returned home, the shoemaker couldn’t wait to open the bag. He had never seen so much gold in his life! He sat down at his bench and began, carefully, to count it. The children watched through the window.
There was so much there that the shoemaker was afraid to let it out of his sight. So he took it to bed with him. But he could not sleep for worrying about it. So he got out of bed and went to hide it in the attic (阁楼), but he was not sure if that was a good place.
Very early in the morning, he got up and brought his gold down from the attic. He had decided to hide it up the chimney (烟囱) instead. But after breakfast, he thought it would be safer in the chicken house. So he hid it there. But he was still uneasy, and in a little while he dug a hole in the garden and buried his bag of gold in it.
注意:1. 续写词数应为150左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Paragraph 1:
He was in no mood for singing and found it difficult to focus on his work.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2:
At last the shoemaker felt so unhappy that he took his bag of gold and ran next door to the rich man.
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