1 . Nowadays, more people feel depressed because they do not see themselves as happy. Instead, they feel guilty that they aren't as happy as everyone says they should be.     1     .

The books, blogs, You Tube videos and advice columns will tell you if you imagine, exercise write journals, stay busy, help others, eat healthy, read every day, then you too can be happy.

The simple truth is that no one can be happy all the time.     2     . This middle ground is a good place mentally and emotionally，and spending time there is a healthy choice.

    3    . When you are in that place, the stuff of life can be going on around you ,but you don't need to allow it to bother you.

I find contentment in walks, writing and talking with my partner and reminding each other that our life is good, despite difficult or scary moment. I can soften my reactions and respond differently.     4     .

Even though things around me now are a little out of control, I understand such is life.     5     because I'm actively living my purpose. I am now content and that feeling will last the whole day through. You can do the same.

A．I still carry on no matter what

B．Thus I'm still feeling pretty good

C．They are easily found in low spirits

D．This is really a sad state of emotional affairs

E．But you can find a middle ground called contentment

F．Contentment is some place between satisfied and peaceful

G．Doing this takes away stress and will keep my state of contentment

2 . I was excited for being invited to my friend Tom's birthday party. But two days later, my best friend called and invited me to go to Disneyland with her family. I loved Disneyland so I was ________ to go. So I ran to ask my mom. That's when my mom ________ me that Tom's party was on the same day. She said I couldn't change my ________ just because of something better.

I was mad. My ________ about going to the birthday party was gone. Tom's party would be ________ but not as fun as a whole day at Disneyland. I cried and ________ my mom. She said no. I tried every ________ I could think of. But my mom asked me to think about how I would feel if someone did that to me. Although I didn't want to ________ it, my mom was right. It would ________ my feelings if someone did that to me.

So on Tom's birthday, my mom ________ me off at Tom's home. I went inside ________. But something ________ happened after I got there. ________ the fact that I hadn't wanted to go, I had a great time!

On my way home, I told my mom all about the fun things. She was glad that I'd had a good time and told me that she was ________ of me for understanding the importance of ________ promises. Not only did I have a great time, but I learned an important lesson.

1.

A．ready

B．sure

C．eager

D．hesitant

2.

A．warned

B．informed

C．convinced

D．reminded

3.

A．mind

B．attitude

C．identity

D．habit

4.

A．concern

B．excitement

C．doubt

D．fear

5.

A．annoying

B．boring

C．acceptable

D．adjustable

6.

A．followed

B．persuaded

C．blamed

D．begged

7.

A．place

B．excuse

C．option

D．result

8.

A．change

B．realize

C．admit

D．imagine

9.

A．hurt

B．inspire

C．show

D．hide

10.

A．took

B．put

C．turned

D．dropped

11.

A．hurriedly

B．unwillingly

C．calmly

D．cheerfully

12.

A．interesting

B．terrible

C．awkward

D．unusual

13.

A．Despite

B．Through

C．Without

D．Against

14.

A．afraid

B．confident

C．proud

D．ashamed

15.

A．making

B．breaking

C．showing

D．keeping

3 . People will spend a large amount of time to save a few dollars. There’s often a lightbulb moment that happens when you ask them to calculate their time-dollar value, because it reveals that they’re spending more in soft costs than they’re accounting for.

Take a second to think about it. If you spend 3 hours avoiding paying $12 for something, you’ve saved money, but you’ve also been working at $4 per hour. If you’re an entrepreneur（企业家）, your time is worth more than $4 per hour, and while your choice has saved a “hard” cost, you’ve spent more in your time. Energy and attention are two other soft resources we need to be thinking about, too. Soft costs are just as real as hard                    costs. In that 3 hours, you could have been doing $300 worth of income-generating, high-value activities.

It’s a bit different when you’re employed by someone else, as you’ll make the same whether you spend 3 hours or 30 minutes to get something done. However, the people who actively add more value to their organization before being paid to do so are the ones most likely to get a promotion or advancement that honors their contributions.

The next time you’re thinking of making a decision that involves hard costs, also consider the soft opportunity costs of what you’ re currently doing.

Outside of “work” situations, think about how much time you spend doing things you’d rather not do, say, cleaning your house. Is it worth $100 to not have to spend your weekend cleaning your house? Why should you clean your house any more than you should spend time with your kids?

Keeping costs down is always a great thing to focus on. Just make sure that your focus on keeping costs down isn’t also keeping your income or earning potential down.

1. According to Paragraph 2, which of the following belongs to a “hard” cost?

A．Money.

B．Time.

C．Energy.

D．Attention.

2. The employee who is most likely to get promoted ________.

A．shows up early every day	B．works efficiently when paid
C．spends more time than needed	D．actively makes profit for the company

3. What’s the author’s attitude towards spending weekends cleaning the house in Paragraph 5?

A．Supportive.

B．Disapproving.

C．Sympathetic.

D．Uncertain.

4. How is the text organized?

A．Opinion—Argument—Explanation.	B．Opinion—Description—Conclusion.
C．Introduction—Analysis—Conclusion.	D．Introduction—Comparison—Examples.

4 . I'd spent decades telling my girls that their bodies were a means to a long and satisfactory life, not objects to be admired because of how they look. I told them that good health and the energy to enjoy life should be their ultimate goals, not fitting into society's preconceived ideas of what is beautiful.

This year I'm sixty years old. I appear much older than before. This aging body of mine is not the one I expected to have. Looking at the old, fat, wrinkled woman in the mirror, I begin to complain about it. I've actually spent a lifetime focusing on my flaws, constantly complaining about my less-than-perfect self. As I was complaining yet again, my younger daughter told me, “Mom, stop. Stop putting yourself down. This is the body you live in now. It's beautiful because it's yours.” If I'm unwilling to accept my aging self with grace and dignity, how can I possibly expect my girls to do the same when they face these same physical changes?

And then, I learned that a friend of mine, the same age as me, died. At her funeral, her three heartbroken daughters spoke of their mother's devotion, wisdom, and compassion. They never said a single word about her appearance though her body had melted away during her last months. It didn't matter. I left that funeral desperate to hold my own girls in my arms, to kiss them and tell them how much they mean to me , and to promise that I will do better, be better—for them as well as for myself.

And so, to honour the memory of my dear friend and to set a good example to my beloved girls, I promise to love my aging body, and celebrate the gift of being alive.

1. What can we learn about the author from the first two paragraphs?

A．She forgot to listen to her own advice.	B．She was more of a talker than a doer.
C．She was unaware of her words’ effects.	D．She was unwilling to accept others’ advice.

2. What does the underlined word “flaws” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Advantages.

B．Imperfections.

C．Appearances.

D．Treasures.

3. What did the death of the author's friend make her aware of?

A．Action speaks louder than words.	B．Lies can never change facts.
C．Beauty comes from the depths of the soul.	D．Whatever is worth doing is worth doing well.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．Running through Life	B．Rebuilding Your Life
C．Remembering to Respect Others	D．Finding Beauty in Ourselves

5 . I want to tell you three stories from my life. The first story is about connecting the _________. When I was at Reed College, it offered perhaps the best calligraphy _________ in the country. I decided to take a calligraphy class. At that time _________ of what I learned about calligraphy seemed to have even a(n) _________ of any practical application. But later when we were _________ the first Macintosh computer, it all _________ to me. And we put it all into the Mac. _________ you can only connect the dots looking backwards. But you have to trust that the dots will _________ connect in your future.

My second story is about love. I _________ Apple at twenty. And then at thirty, I got fired. __________ something slowly began to strike me - I still loved what I did. And so I __________ to start over. In a wonderful turn of __________, I returned to Apple. The only thing that kept me going was that I __________ what I did. So, if you haven't found what your interest, keep looking. Don't __________.

My third story is about death. About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs __________, which is doctors' code for “prepare to __________.” Later it turned out to be curable (可治愈的) with surgery. I had the surgery and, __________, I am fine now. This was the __________ I've been to facing death. Having __________ it, I can now say this to you: Your time is limited, so don't __________ it living someone else's life.

1.

A．signals

B．skills

C．dots

D．elements

2.

A．instruction

B．indication

C．exploration

D．operation

3.

A．each

B．some

C．much

D．none

4.

A．hope

B．lack

C．intention

D．idea

5.

A．offering

B．designing

C．selecting

D．pursuing

6.

A．came back

B．handed over

C．led up

D．threw forward

7.

A．By accident

B．Of course

C．In that case

D．As a result

8.

A．instead

B．otherwise

C．somehow

D．thus

9.

A．imagined

B．desired

C．admitted

D．started

10.

A．But

B．So

C．Or

D．Even

11.

A．refused

B．decided

C．tended

D．promised

12.

A．dilemma

B．atmosphere

C．events

D．procedures

13.

A．suited

B．loved

C．entrusted

D．featured

14.

A．escape

B．fade

C．ignore

D．settle

15.

A．in return

B．in despair

C．in case

D．in order

16.

A．fight

B．set off

C．die

D．figure out

17.

A．thankfully

B．significantly

C．oddly

D．definitely

18.

A．most scared

B．dearest

C．most unwilling

D．closest

19.

A．carried on

B．lived through

C．headed to

D．passed away

20.

A．intend

B．permit

C．waste

D．lose

6 . “What do you want to be when you grow up?” When I was a kid, I was afraid of the question. I never had a good answer. Grown-ups always seemed terribly disappointed that I wasn’t dreaming of becoming something great, like a film-maker or a spaceman.

In college, I finally realized that I didn’t want to be one thing. I wanted to do many things. So I became an organizational psychologist. My job is to fix other people’s jobs. And I think that asking kids what they want to be does harm to them.

First, the question forces kids to define (界定) themselves in terms of work. When you’re asked what you want to be when you grow up, it’s not socially acceptable to say a “father”, or, a “mother”. This might be one of the reasons that while many parents say that what they value most is to care about others, their kids believe that success is more important. When we define ourselves by our jobs, our worth depends on what we achieve.

The second problem is that it tells kids there is one calling out there for everyone. Although having a calling can bring people joy, research shows that searching for one leaves students feeling lost. After the actor Chris Rock heard a teacher tell high schoolers, they could be anything they want to be, he asked, “Lady, why are you lying to these children?” Maybe four of them could be anything they want to be, but the other 2,000 had better learn how to weld (焊接). He added, “Tell the kids the truth. You can be anything you’re good at.”

I’m all for encouraging kids to dream big. But it is no good asking kids what they want to be. Instead, invite them to think about what kind of person they want to be -- and about all the different things they might want to do.

1. How did the author feel when he was asked the question?

A．Angry.	B．Stupid.
C．Uneasy.	D．Disappointed

2. What is one problem with the question according to Paragraph 3?

A．Kids may put success first.

B．Kids may stop dreaming big.

C．It makes kids refuse to grow up.

D．It makes kids depend more on others.

3. What can be inferred from Chris Rock’s words?

A．Nobody is perfect.

B．Not everyone has a calling.

C．Nothing is impossible.

D．Nobody can succeed without working hard.

4. What does the author suggest grown-ups do?

A．Teach kids some useful skills.

B．Let kids know more about society.

C．Encourage kids to try to achieve a lot.

D．Ask kids to consider different possibilities.

7 . The Fisherman's Fantasy was a club which attracted lots of people claiming that fishing was their favorite hobby. There were streams and lakes filled with hungry fish in the neighborhood. The club members met regularly to discuss the excitement of catching fish. They seemed to get crazy about fishing!

The group carefully defined fishing, the purpose of fishing and so on when somebody thought that they needed philosophies of fishing. They not only outlined fishing strategies and skills, but also thought about different questions. Do fish view the world as we humans do? What do fishermen look like to the fish? What do fish feed on? With so many questions to answer, they started their serious research and attended various discussions on fishing. Some even traveled faraway to study different kinds of fish, with different habits. What's more, some made effort to gain a PhD in biology with the objective of further exploring fish. But surprisingly, no one had yet gone fishing even once!

Because there were too many fishing places for fishermen to choose from, they even set up a special committee to make choices before a list of selected fishing places was posted on walls. Nevertheless, believe it or not, still, no one was fishing!

Finally the club carried out a survey and found out that some were attracted to study fish, some to clean fishing equipment, and several to go around encouraging others to go fishing. They were so occupied that they just simply didn't have time to fish themselves.

Now, Fred, a new member to the fishing club, instantly went fishing after the first meeting. He tried some skills discussed in the meeting, got the hang of them, and caught a fish. At the next meeting, he told his story, and was honored for his catch, and then scheduled to tell others how he did it. Nowadays, Fred no longer had time to go fishing due to all the speaking invitations and his election to the board of directors of the Fisherman' Fantasy. Before long, he began to feel bored, restless and empty. He desired to feel the fish bite on the line once again. So he refused those restless and empty. He desired to feel the fish bite on the line once again. So he refused those speaking invitations and retired from the board.He said to a friend, “Let's go fishing,”. They did, just the two of them, and they caught fish.

The members of the Fisherman's Fantasy were many, the fish were plentiful, but the real fishers were few.

1. What did the Fishman's Fantasy regularly meet to do?

A．Set up clubs on fishing.	B．Search for streams and lakes.
C．Study features of hungry fish.	D．Discuss about catching fish.

2. According to paragraph 2, the group appeared to be ________ about fish.

A．particular

B．curious

C．worried

D．angry

3. The group never went fishing because they ________ .

A．were busy

B．were bored

C．lacked skills

D．lacked equipment

4. What led to Fred's success in catching a fish?

A．Guidance from the committee.	B．Combination of theory and practice.
C．Inspiration from the fishing club.	D．His being elected to the board.

5. What can be implied from the passage?

A．Actions speak louder than words.	B．God helps those who help themselves.
C．Great minds think alike.	D．Well begun is half done.

8 . 20 years ago, a dog near our apartment area hunted down a sparrow (麻雀) and was about to eat it. My friends and I _______ the dog and saved the sparrow. The sparrow was _______ hurt. It was bleeding from the abdomen (腹部) and was _______ to breathe.

My parents always told me to treat people and animals with _______, so I brought the sparrow home. I bandaged the sparrow and gave it some water and food. I did a lot to make it feel _______. Then I waited eagerly for its_______.   The next day as I couldn’t find the sparrow, I _______ about it. My mother said it flew away when my father left for work. _______ I was kind of upset, I was _______ that I saved a life.

One day when I was in high school, I ________ the topic and mentioned it to my mother. This time the story completely ________. She told me the sparrow ________ to its injuries that night and the dead body was found by my father in the morning. He ________ buried the bird near the playground while I was asleep. That moment I was shocked and ________. I never expected she had lied to me. My mother said in a calm voice, “Son, you were ________ back then and would not have wanted to see that bird dead. You would have cried all day. You were not in a position to bear the ________ it would have caused. At that time, I wanted you to ________ the sparrow as a bird which was ________ and flew with joy again. ”

I admired my mother’s ________ as I slowly accepted the fact. I came to realize that lying is not always a bad thing. It can be a right thing to do when someone is not in a position to accept the truth with ________.

1.

A．turned down

B．broke with

C．drove away

D．left out

2.

A．slightly

B．badly

C．hardly

D．equally

3.

A．learning

B．refusing

C．pretending

D．struggling

4.

A．talent

B．kindness

C．patience

D．weakness

5.

A．special

B．lonely

C．comfortable

D．disappointed

6.

A．rest

B．support

C．appearance

D．recovery

7.

A．heard

B．asked

C．lectured

D．explained

8.

A．Although

B．If

C．Because

D．Until

9.

A．worried

B．afraid

C．pleased

D．curious

10.

A．noticed

B．forgot

C．regretted

D．recalled

11.

A．changed

B．ended

C．developed

D．existed

12.

A．got used

B．gave in

C．settled down

D．showed off

13.

A．naturally

B．hopefully

C．secretly

D．anxiously

14.

A．excited

B．angry

C．touched

D．grateful

15.

A．safe

B．strange

C．pleasant

D．simple

16.

A．pain

B．expectation

C．desire

D．respect

17.

A．leave

B．remember

C．forgive

D．understand

18.

A．cured

B．obtained

C．recognized

D．abandoned

19.

A．excuse

B．honesty

C．wisdom

D．mistake

20.

A．pride

B．luck

C．hesitation

D．relief

9 . Several weeks ago, I pulled an old road map out of the glove box and passed it to my children. They had never seen the province of Ontario laid out like that before. They stared at the map, asking about all the towns, parks, and other landmarks we'd visited, and I pointed them out on the map.

Google Maps and GPS are modern wonders that have gotten me out of many confusing places, but paper maps still have a role to play in our lives. Most of us adults learned to read them out of necessity, but it's up to us to pass on that skill to children whose need may not be so obvious, but who still stand to benefit from it.

As Trevor Muir wrote in an article on this topic, "When kids learn how to create and use paper maps, they are doing more than just learning how to get around. They are actually developing fundamental skills that they will use for the rest of their lives. Map skills still belong in today's classroom. "

As a child I had National Geographic maps taped to my bedroom walls. This aroused my curiosity and imagination about those places and thus made me eager to remember my geography and history lessons because they were tied to places I'd "seen". Even now as a mother of four, I've also spared time to travel to many of the countries whose maps I studied as a child.

Additionally, in this fast-changing world, unexpected events can rapidly influence one's usual way of life. When GPS satellites or Internet connections are affected, this old-fashioned skill can get you out of a mess without requiring a smartphone. Last but not least, paper maps arouse "big picture" thinking, showing kids that there's a much bigger world out there and helping to direct them within it.

So, now is a good time to pull out those dusty old maps and lay them on the kitchen table.

1. How did the children react when they were given the paper map?

A．They showed great curiosity.

B．They seemed totally confused.

C．They considered it old-fashioned.

D．They found it less convenient than GPS.

2. What might be the topic of the article written by Trevor Muir?

A．The teaching focus in today's classroom.

B．The situations where paper maps are used.

C．The necessity of digital maps in the modem world.

D．The benefit of developing paper map skills for kids.

3. Which of the following shows the author's opinion?

A．Internet connections are very reliable today.

B．GPS will sooner or later replace paper maps.

C．Paper maps provide kids with a grand vision.

D．Paper maps make people connected with each other.

4. What would be the best tide for the text?

A．Time to Teach Kids to Read Paper Maps.

B．How to Teach Kids about Different Kinds of Maps.

C．Time to Encourage Kids to Step into a Bigger World.

D．How to Teach Kids Fundamental Skills with Paper Maps.

10 . Fatima grew up in rural Gohr Province, where there was no schooling available to girls. But she insisted on listening to BBC radio, which she could ________ when high enough in the hills.

“My sisters were forced to get married. I decided that I would not continue in their ________. That was why I decided to ________,” Fatima says.

She joined Facebook groups for history fans. ________ of people who only related Afghanistan to conflicts, Fatima started writing ________ about places that foreigners might not know about. Fatima started getting ________ from online friends. A man reached out to her saying he was going to be________ in Afghanistan and asking whether she was interested in showing him around in Herat. She said yes. Later, he recommended her to someone else and ________ Fatima came to the attention of a travel agency. The company ________ her in late 2020, and she became her country’s first female ________ tour guide.

Of course, being a ________ is never easy. Fatima says many people have told her that it’s too dangerous for a woman to work, especially if it means ________ with men one-on-one. Fatima says that the ________ of her employers and the people she has met through giving tours is what keeps her ________. There’s also the implication（暗示）of what could happen if she does________:“If I give up, then other women will never start.”

1.

A．take up

B．pick up

C．turn up

D．build up

2.

A．life

B．choice

C．tradition

D．business

3.

A．work

B．live

C．study

D．travel

4.

A．Afraid

B．Convinced

C．Certain

D．Tired

5.

A．posts

B．letters

C．novels

D．speeches

6.

A．responses

B．donation

C．lessons

D．guidance

7.

A．teaching

B．settling

C．travelling

D．serving

8.

A．similarly

B．obviously

C．hopefully

D．eventually

9.

A．promoted

B．instructed

C．hired

D．trained

10.

A．intelligent

B．devoted

C．efficient

D．professional

11.

A．researcher

B．pioneer

C．specialist

D．celebrity

12.

A．playing

B．interacting

C．exploring

D．cooperating

13.

A．support

B．patience

C．protection

D．contribution

14.

A．refreshed

B．recognized

C．informed

D．motivated

15.

A．relax

B．skip

C．quit

D．insist