1 . In some ways, the kitchen is the heart of the home. It is where we ______ our day with a cup of coffee or tea. The kitchen is where we ______ ourselves, body and soul.

Sometimes you need order in the kitchen for things to run ______. Sometimes you need one person to be ______ charge. Imagine you are cooking dinner for your friends. As you are making the soup, your friend Sara ______ it and says, “This needs more salt.” So, she adds more salt.

Then Harlan comes in. He tastes your ______ and says, “You didn’t put enough pepper.” So he grinds (磨碎) some fresh black pepper into the pot.

Cecilia sees him. She tastes the soup and says, “You forgot vinegar. It’s my ______ ingredient.” Then she ______ in some vinegar.

You are happy to spend time with your friends. But, quite ______, all their opinions about your soup are becoming ______. Worst of all, you taste the soup and it’s ______!

And that is where we get the expression “too many cooks ______ the soup.”

This expression describes an age-old ______: If too many people help to complete a task, it may not go very well.

So there should be a cook in the kitchen. He is the ______. Other people can be assistants helping him. And the cook has the final ______.

1.

A．enjoy

B．finish

C．start

D．spend

2.

A．prepare

B．eat

C．cook

D．feed

3.

A．frequently

B．actively

C．smoothly

D．quickly

4.

A．from

B．for

C．with

D．in

5.

A．tastes

B．heats

C．mixes

D．drinks

6.

A．meat

B．soup

C．vegetable

D．food

7.

A．wonderful

B．famous

C．secret

D．delicious

8.

A．pours

B．fills

C．puts

D．blows

9.

A．importantly

B．strangely

C．interestingly

D．frankly

10.

A．charming

B．inviting

C．annoying

D．embarrassing

11.

A．salty

B．awful

C．sour

D．hot

12.

A．spoil

B．share

C．make

D．polish

13.

A．mystery

B．discovery

C．tradition

D．problem

14.

A．leader

B．host

C．assistant

D．manager

15.

A．method

B．direction

C．advice

D．say

2 . Signs That You Are Growing

Growing is a lifelong process. Here are the signs that show that you are actually growing and not getting stuck in the process.

    1    

Often, we see how badly people look when they get overly upset due to unimportant things. So the first sign of maturity (成熟) is letting the small things go and not getting angry over a tiny detail that didn’t go as you planned.

You start forgiving and understanding other people

When we are young, we are often unforgiving. As we mature, we are better able to understand the world beyond black and white.     2    . It enables us to look beyond the obvious and let go of simple judgments. We begin to understand better that others have complex (复杂的) lives and personalities, and so we become more willing to forgive their mistakes.

You always complete things that matter

Immature people don’t know when to commit (承诺) themselves and their energy or resources are always not well employed.     3    . In this way, they can often keep their promises and honor their commitments.

You accept the possibility of being wrong

    4    . They are always able to accept the possibility that they are wrong, that they don’t know something, because there is always more to learn.

Being mature is knowing that you are always growing up. You are never done learning and developing. This means that you don’t set yourself up as the highest authority.     5    .

A．You follow the crowd

B．You let the small things go

C．Instead, mature people focus on completing things that matter

D．Immature and mature people can both have plans for their lives

E．Rather, you open your mind to other ideas and new possibilities

F．Becoming more understanding is a sign of strength, not weakness

G．Mature people appear more confident, however, they are not overconfident

3 . I live with my husband Jack in Iowa, which is far away from Florida. One day, my husband suddenly decided to play _________ in Florida.

“Why Florida?” I wanted to know. “We are so busy every day with our work. Why not someplace _________?”

“Because,” he said, “Florida is famous for golf. It’s just something I _________ to do.”

_________, I did understand. Just a week or so before, I _________ a diary of mine from my teenage years. What really got me about it was the list I’d _________ on the very first page—Things I’m Going To Do. But until now I haven’t done a third of them!

So when Jack talked about playing in _________, it got me thinking. There were a lot of things I wanted to _________. They were all the same things as I’d decided to do _________ I was sixteen. But always because of some reasons, my plans __________ to be carried out.

In order to make our life without __________, I told Jack, “Now let’s draw up all our life lists and have them __________ one by one together.” That was how our journey to Florida __________.

After many years, our plans were all finished. __________ I’ve learned that the secret is to take life __________. If you’re in too much of a hurry, you need to stop, or you will fly past all the things that are the most fun.

1.

A．football

B．golf

C．basketball

D．volleyball

2.

A．farther

B．closer

C．larger

D．warmer

3.

A．dream

B．hurry

C．refuse

D．afford

4.

A．In fact

B．For example

C．At once

D．In case

5.

A．lent

B．bought

C．missed

D．found

6.

A．called

B．practised

C．made

D．explained

7.

A．Georgia

B．Hawaii

C．Iowa

D．Florida

8.

A．support

B．learn

C．finish

D．prepare

9.

A．where

B．when

C．although

D．because

10.

A．came

B．rose

C．failed

D．happened

11.

A．regret

B．hope

C．difficulty

D．difference

12.

A．turned down

B．taken away

C．put out

D．carried out

13.

A．started

B．changed

C．appeared

D．stopped

14.

A．Simply

B．Finally

C．Quietly

D．Sadly

15.

A．early

B．busy

C．slow

D．fast

4 . I am a professor of clinical psychology. Some time ago, I got halfway through a day of teaching before a co-worker pointed out to me I was quite carelessly wearing a pair of different shoes, one red and one black. I felt so embarrassed and upset but I would have to go teach my course like this. When I noticed how much I wanted to disappear and avoid this situation, I was determined to face it instead. I walked into class and announced to the students that I was wearing two shoes from different pairs, and directed their attention to my feet. Everyone laughed and we went on with class. Years later, a student in that class told me that this was the moment she first thought that maybe, just maybe, she could be a professor, too.

I shared my mistake because I realized that trying hide it was interfering with my ability to concentrate my mind on my teaching — but I had no idea that it would also help shorten the psychological distance between my students and myself.

Many contexts may punish or shame people for making mistakes. Our efforts to avoid them result from our desires for success, and how others will respond to our mistakes. We might feel self-criticism and shame if we do make some.

However, mistake making is part of learning new things, and it can draw us closer to others. It opens up the possibility of accepting mistakes gladly, letting us be more open and engaged in what we are doing.

We can say words of kindness and self-compassion to ourselves: Mistakes are natural and human; we can be kind to ourselves for this error and still try to do better next time; noticing our own imperfections can help us to be kind to others when we notice they are imperfect, too. When we practice our mistakes in this way, they can become opportunities to open up to others, learn about ourselves, and connect even more with what matters to us.

1. How does the author develop paragraph 1?

A．By giving some examples.	B．By following time order.
C．By doing scientific experiments.	D．By sharing personal experience.

2. What was the result of the author sharing his mistake?

A．Shameful.

B．Unexpected.

C．Punishable.

D．Unaccepted.

3. What does paragraph 3 mainly tell us?

A．Intentions to avoid mistakes.	B．Advantages of making mistakes.
C．Possibilities of making mistakes.	D．Efforts to avoid making mistakes.

4. What can we know about mistakes from the last paragraph?

A．They interfere with what we are doing.

B．They draw too much attention from us.

C．They are big opportunities to get us improved.

D．They make us feel irresponsible and defeated.

5 . One day, my 12-year-old daughter participated in a school poetry reading event. All her classmates were invited to write a “lie poem” about how ________ they were and read them aloud. They were supposed to ________ untruths about themselves that made them sound ________ wonderful. As I listened to the poems, I realized that the children were actually ________ the picture of their future. By “lying” to themselves, they were creating a ________ of who they wanted to be in the future.

I couldn’t help admiring the school for ________ the children to dream big in such a special way, even if it might not be the first intention. In fact, most of us are ________ to see the truth of who we could be. My daughter’s school developed an unintended ________ to that difficulty: If it’s hard for you to imagine the ________ in yourself, then you might want to begin by expressing it as a ________, as did the children who wrote the poems.

Think up some stories about who you would like to be. In due course, this ________ exercise would help you build the necessary blueprint for ________ your achievements. Without a picture of your ________ self, you can’t live into that self. So ________ it till you make it. The lie will become the ________ in the end.

1.

A．rich

B．busy

C．great

D．smart

2.

A．point out

B．make up

C．hold back

D．rely on

3.

A．unbelievably

B．unconsciously

C．unacceptably

D．unreasonably

4.

A．exaggerating

B．restoring

C．admiring

D．clarifying

5.

A．sample

B．vision

C．message

D．principle

6.

A．forcing

B．requesting

C．motivating

D．warning

7.

A．unable

B．anxious

C．nervous

D．unwilling

8.

A．excuse

B．balance

C．solution

D．connection

9.

A．interest

B．courage

C．expectation

D．potential

10.

A．fantasy

B．fortune

C．benefit

D．reference

11.

A．healthy

B．creative

C．gentle

D．formal

12.

A．ensuring

B．informing

C．stretching

D．measuring

13.

A．highest

B．biggest

C．happiest

D．bravest

14.

A．stop

B．forget

C．hide

D．pretend

15.

A．dream

B．reality

C．memory

D．nightmare

6 . The alarm rang in my ear. After silencing it, I remained in bed. My motivation to push ahead with my Ph. D. was disappearing, which made it hard to face each new day. Continuing would risk a total breakdown. With anxiety, I decided to cease my Ph. D. temporarily and take a 9-month position at a health care charity. Back when I looked for Ph. D. positions, I was unclear what I wanted to study. For me, the degree mostly served as a means to an end, securing more interesting and higher-paid positions in the private sector than my master’s degree would unlock. So I wasn’t picky and reasoned a variety of projects would provide the training and degree I wanted.

In hindsight (事后想来), I should have been more selective. I ended up working on a project I was technically capable of completing but over time felt full of disappointment. The purely academic research was intellectually interesting, yet I struggled to see how it would make an impact on the wider real world.

Some unexpected things amplified my trouble. I started my program in 2020, when meetings were virtual and in-person contact was actively discouraged, so I had few opportunities to form personal connections with co-workers. Research became my only focus, and when my interest in that faded, my project felt depressing.

After only 1 month at the charity, it became clear that I’d made the right decision. My mental health improved and I found it easier to come into work. Things 1 did could matter and energize me after all — if I chose wisely. That was exactly what I needed and desired. After that realization, I decided I wanted to return to my Ph. D. program and make changes. I told my teacher I wasn’t interested in the current research. To my relief, he was supportive, and we redesigned the project to better fit me. I will return to my program next month, optimistic that this time will be different. But if it doesn’t go as I hope, my charity experience has given me direction and confidence that I’ll live a satisfying life, with or without a Ph. D.

1. What did the author view the Ph. D. degree as at first?

A．A struggle for new days.	B．A way of getting a better job.
C．A breakthrough in his study.	D．A chance to build connections.

2. Why did the author become disappointed at his project?

A．It was of slight practical use.

B．It had a high degree of difficulty.

C．It failed to meet his social need.

D．It showed an unpromising future.

3. What does the underlined word “amplified” in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Reflected.	B．Caused.
C．Solved.	D．Increased.

4. How did the charity work affect the author?

A．It inspired him to face challenges.

B．It made him regain self-confidence.

C．It helped him find a purpose in life.

D．It fueled his enthusiasm for his program.

7 . Earlier this year, I moved into a suburb of Atlanta. I decided to _________ the area on foot. On my walks, as I admired the range of residential _________, I also admired another type of house: Little Free Libraries. I’d seen them all over Atlanta and _________ it’d be fun to build my own, but when I looked at the website’s official map, it turned out there were already a handful nearby. _________, I decided to seek each of them out.

I’ve since found six sites of these free book _________. Without them, I would never have been able to “meet” people in my community. I quickly _________ my neighbors’ reading tastes, sorting through their small boxes of books. Each library is unique and shows the _________ of the person who built it, with _________ colors and designs. These Little Free Libraries are also the perfect way to _________ conversations with strangers.

Since the pandemic began, Little Free Libraries have become a lifeline for many. They don’t __________ social distancing and everything is on an honor system. People __________ a book in exchange and some libraries have even become __________ food pantries (食品储藏柜) for people in need. In all the __________ they’ve taken on, these libraries have brought people together in a sense, especially when it feels like everything is trying to __________ us. Beyond conversation starters and personality __________, Little Free Libraries find common ground — a precious thing, pandemic or not.

1.

A．explore

B．search

C．measure

D．clean

2.

A．district

B．setting

C．development

D．architecture

3.

A．promised

B．explained

C．thought

D．proved

4.

A．Secretly

B．Fortunately

C．Naturally

D．Cautiously

5.

A．exchanges

B．giveaways

C．reservations

D．publications

6.

A．corrected

B．learned

C．improved

D．satisfied

7.

A．appearance

B．expression

C．health

D．personality

8.

A．standard

B．ordinary

C．varying

D．new

9.

A．go on with

B．strike up

C．break in on

D．act out

10.

A．require

B．permit

C．deserve

D．guarantee

11.

A．leave

B．order

C．edit

D．write

12.

A．fancy

B．traditional

C．private

D．temporary

13.

A．subjects

B．burdens

C．forms

D．risks

14.

A．inform

B．persuade

C．surprise

D．divide

15.

A．balancers

B．indicators

C．testers

D．separators

8 . I come from a long line of farmers. When my parents moved to Wisconsin, farming allowed them to _________ back to Laos, to the culture, and the land. Wisconsin’s cornfields _________ the rice fields of Laos. But for me as a child, farming was just a _________. I would be assigned (分配) a row of green beans. My mom _________ me a big basket and it was my _________ to fill it. That was how I spent my summer vacation _________ my friends were either at camp or doing other fun activities.

I didn’t _________ how farming brought hope to my parents until I was an adult. I am a _________ removed from Laos and I have found that farming allows me to _________ my parents’ story. It allows me to see a little bit into their story. What I’ve __________ from my mom is that you can grow just about anything. My mom wants to start growing __________ like she did back in Laos. With a snowy climate, it is something I never thought __________ here. To me, this shows resilience (适应力). Maybe it __________ and maybe it doesn’t. But there is __________ in that.

As a kid, I hated doing farm work and I never thought that someday I would say that I kind of __________ putting my feet in the mud and weeding (除草) the corn.

1.

A．connect

B．head

C．retire

D．report

2.

A．changed

B．covered

C．replaced

D．affected

3.

A．dream

B．game

C．chore

D．mystery

4.

A．sold

B．gave

C．sent

D．lent

5.

A．intention

B．opportunity

C．choice

D．job

6.

A．while

B．if

C．since

D．until

7.

A．regret

B．monitor

C．appreciate

D．complain

8.

A．generation

B．graduate

C．professional

D．beginner

9.

A．give away

B．make up

C．act out

D．relate to

10.

A．expected

B．learned

C．chosen

D．demanded

11.

A．corn

B．rice

C．beans

D．flowers

12.

A．flexible

B．necessary

C．legal

D．possible

13.

A．improves

B．revives

C．works

D．exists

14.

A．confusion

B．permission

C．balance

D．hope

15.

A．miss

B．risk

C．delay

D．escape

9 . 你校英文报正在举办主题为“戏剧人物评析”的征文活动。请你从《百万英镑》中挑选一个人物，写一篇短文投稿。内容包括：
1. 人物介绍；
2. 你的评析。
注意：
1. 参考人物：Henry Adams, the brothers (Roderick and Oliver), the clerks or the owner in the tailor’s shop…；
2. 写作词数应为80左右；
3. 请在答题卡的相应位置作答。
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

10 . 假如你是李华，即将参加校英语角举办的演讲比赛。请你就以下一则寓言写一篇演讲稿。内容包括：
1. 故事的简要介绍；
2. 你的感悟和体会。
注意：
1. 词数100左右；
2. 开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。

It’s never too late to mend

Once upon a time, there was a man who kept several sheep. One morning, he found one of his sheep was missing. After checking the pen carefully, he discovered a hole in the wall of the pen. It turned out that a wolf had broken into the pen and stolen his sheep.

His neighbor advised, “You should fix the pen and cover the hole right away.” But he rejected, “The sheep has already lost. It’s no use fixing it now.” However, the next morning, he found another sheep missing. The wolf stole the sheep through the hole again!

He regretted not taking the neighbor’s advice and began to cover the hole immediately. From then on, no more sheep was stolen.

Good morning, everyone. I’m Li Hua

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Thank you for listening!