1 . You hate me. You don’t even know me and you hate me. Before we’ve even spoken, you hate me. At least that’s how it feels on my end of the call as a female collections officer at a call center.

I dread the moment when I have to log on to our phone system first thing in the morning because I never know who is going to be on the other end of that call.

Sometimes it’s an easy task. The caller is pleasant and has accepted personal responsibility for their debts, and we get through the phone call with ease. Then there are the ones who call in looking for a fight, or looking for someone to blame. Through the luck of the phone system, that person is me.

I’ve had people who shout at me, call me horrible names, accuse me personally of taking their money and threaten me. Why? I think it’s because I am invisible. I think I would be treated with the same level of disrespect if we were face to face. Fortunately for me, I have had years of experience in customer service, so I’m fairly rich in not letting the negative encounters bother me.

The biggest and most effective skill when it comes to the job is empathy (同理心). I can appreciate the situation which the caller is in because I’ve been there. That’s why I’m good at my job — I understand what you’re going through, and I’m here to help.

Some days though, no matter how much I try to leave the stress behind when I hang up the phone, it stays with me. I may do some deep breathing, go for a quick walk or simply stick my head outside for a burst of fresh air. I do this so I don’t carry that negativity on to my next call. That next call may be a person having the worst day of their life, but I don’t want to ever be the one who makes it worse. We are all humans just trying to get by in life, which makes you and me equal. So please, the next time we talk, remember that.

1. What does the underlined word “dread” in paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Enjoy.

B．Fear.

C．Expect.

D．Avoid.

2. Why does the author think some callers treat her badly?

A．They get angry too easily.	B．They blame her for their debts.
C．They do not see her as a real person.	D．They accuse her of taking their money.

3. Why does the author think she is good at her job?

A．She can offer callers best advice.	B．She is always respected by callers.
C．She can put herself in others’ shoes.	D．She isn’t easily influenced by negativity.

4. What is the author’s main purpose in writing this text?

A．To call for understanding of her job.	B．To explain why she is good at her job.
C．To introduce what she is responsible for.	D．To complain about her being treated badly.

2 . My family always had some sort of animal around, but none of them were truly mine. My parents didn’t permit me to _________ my own until I was seven years old. Finally, I was _________ to have my own _________, a fish called George. I said it was my responsibility to _________ it.

Every Friday I would clean out his bowl. I found myself _________ invitations to go somewhere immediately after school, because I would have to feed my fish first. Every day he would remind me that I was _________ and that I had someone depending on me.

One day, I came home from school and headed to my room to _________George. I found a _________ thing had happened. I _________ my bag and ran over to the bowl. I saw my best friend George floating around lifeless.

My mom walked into my room. I turned around as tears started to well in my eyes. “Mommy, George d…d…died.” With that __________ word I started crying uncontrollably. My mom came to my side as I hid my face in my pillows.

Suddenly, I realized that George hadn’t just __________ me. He had taught me what __________ meant. I learned it through feeding him and cleaning his bowl. This made me feel __________ . To my seven-year-old self, this was a great __________ . Slowly, a smile crossed my face. George was gone.__________ , the lessons he taught me would forever be carved into my memory.

1.

A．draw

B．imagine

C．have

D．share

2.

A．doubtful

B．excited

C．surprised

D．afraid

3.

A．toy

B．mind

C．time

D．pet

4.

A．take care of

B．make use of

C．get hold of

D．look forward to

5.

A．reading out

B．putting away

C．turning down

D．showing off

6.

A．replaced

B．recognized

C．affected

D．needed

7.

A．feed

B．save

C．impress

D．find

8.

A．basic

B．terrible

C．funny

D．familiar

9.

A．dropped

B．emptied

C．hid

D．checked

10.

A．common

B．last

C．extra

D．new

11.

A．left

B．reminded

C．defeated

D．chosen

12.

A．preference

B．independence

C．difficulty

D．responsibility

13.

A．safe

B．good

C．sorry

D．tired

14.

A．agreement

B．treatment

C．disappointment

D．achievement

15.

A．Otherwise

B．Besides

C．However

D．Therefore

3 . What will you do when you feel like a failure? Feeling like a failure is part of the human experiences. Treat yourself with kindness and understand that failure does not define you, but it is a stepping stone on your journey. When you’re ready, take action and challenge yourself.

As some friends were deeply lost in the world of yoga and mindfulness, I’ve personally struggled with the feeling of failure, not on the yoga mat, but on the road to my entrepreneurship(创业). It all began several years ago when I threw myself into the business, driven by my passion and a dream.

In the early days, optimism flowed freely, but financial struggles and sleepless nights soon followed. I questioned my decision and felt like the biggest failure. However, every difficulty became a stepping stone towards growth. I learned more from my failures than from my successes, adapting and growing stronger with each obstacle. I reached out to instructors, friends and family, sought advice and slowly saw a ray of hope. One defining moment came when I gained my first long-term coaching partnership. It was a breakthrough, and my hard work paid off. Over the years, I faced many more failures, but I refused to let them define me.

Today, looking back at my journey, I realize that moments of feeling like a failure were essential to my success. They taught me humility, perseverance and the value of hard work. They shaped me into a successful entrepreneur I am today—someone who doesn’t fear failure but embraces it as a necessary part of the path to success. As we approach the end of the year of graduation, remember that success is not about avoiding failure, but about how we rise after we fall. Let’s support each other on this journey called life. Stay positive, stay inspired and stay true to ourselves.

1. What is the function of paragraph 1?

A．To give the definition of failure.

B．To list some examples of failure.

C．To introduce the topic of the story.

D．To stress the importance of experience.

2. What made the author start a business?

A．Internal motivation.	B．Advice from a coach.
C．Family financial crisis.	D．Encouragement from friends.

3. What can be concluded from the author’s entrepreneurial experience?

A．To teach is to learn.

B．A word spoken is past recalling.

C．Constant dropping wears away a stone.

D．Don’t count your chickens before they are hatched.

4. What does the author want to do in the last paragraph?

A．Inspire us with his lessons.

B．Persuade us to major in business.

C．Recall the key moments of his entrepreneurship.

D．Advocate avoiding obstacles on the way to success.

4 . I started a “question of the day” section in a family text group. We’d talk about everything from movies to politics. But despite several warnings from loved ones that some of my responses were judgmental and that I was too quick to attack an opinion, I all but killed that group text. It had a good 12 people in it. We’d shared laughs, encouragement, and funny memes (表情包). It took only one conversation — which I was in the middle of — to end it.

I realized that I had a problem. The medium for my problem is the smartphone. Before smartphones enabled instant communication, people talked on the telephone. In person, you could cut in a “What do you mean by that?” to correct a misunderstanding before it got out of hand. Don’t get me wrong: I love a good group text. It makes me feel connected to people in a way that I just can’t seem to anymore, now that I have a wife and kids.

I’m learning, but I had a relapse (复发) recently. I joined a new text group. I introduced my “question of the day” feature. I fooled myself into thinking that I was encouraging a healthy debate on current events. No. Others in the group saw it as me trying to prove that my way was the right way. Then I made the mistake of sharing some personal information that one friend had told me during a phone conversation. I thought everyone knew. Then this friend started referring to me as a snitch — not terms of kind word. So I asked him about it — in person. That’s when he told me I’d shared sensitive information he hadn’t told anyone else. I apologized plentifully and came away from the conversation more determined to slow down my texts.

My new resolve seems to be working. You should be pleased to know that I have avoided making a few points that I was tempted (鼓动) to make in individual and group texts. In some cases, I didn’t even respond. I haven’t lost any more connections by doing this.

1. How does the author introduce the topic?

A．By making judgments on politics.	B．By responding to some text messages.
C．By presenting a personal experience.	D．By starting a funny conversation.

2. What problem does the author have in digital communication?

A．Ignoring the need to listen to others.	B．Making quick and sharp responses.
C．Failing to express himself timely.	D．Focusing on the issues of his own.

3. Why was the author attacked by his friend in the text group?

A．He gave away the privacy of his friend.

B．He always made mistakes on current events.

C．He made a fool of himself in chatting.

D．He liked enquiring personal information.

4. What does the author learn from his experience?

A．Hurry makes waste.	B．Understanding each other is vital.
C．Sometimes fast is just too fast.	D．Trust is the bridge of communication.

5 . We will all experience pain, disappointment, and almost certainly loss and sickness. Yet some people ________ by rising to the challenge, while others sink under the weight. What’s the difference? I ________ clinical psychologist Dr. Robert Puff, host of the Happiness Podcast, who speaks ________ about pain and suffering. He explains that ________ is an unavoidable physical feeling. ________, suffering comes from the thoughts we have about the pain we are experiencing-for example, “Why is this happening to me?” or “I’ll never feel good again.” These ________ are what cause suffering, and we can choose to ________ them.

John O’Leary is the host of the Live Inspired Podcast. When he was just nine years old, John suffered ________ burns over his entire body and doctors told him that he had one percent chance of ________. No one expected him to ________. However, after dozens of surgeries and years of treatment and deep inner work, he is a fairly happy, ________ man with a beautiful family. He inspires others through his ________ as a motivational speaker, author, and life coach. He feels that what happened to him was his greatest ________: the realization that, regardless of our personal and professional challenges, we can navigate and overcome to reveal a ________ vision. In John’s words, “You can’t always choose the path you walk in life, but you can always choose the ________ in which you walk.”

1.

A．subscribe

B．proceed

C．respond

D．express

2.

A．interviewed

B．imagined

C．introduced

D．recognized

3.

A．externally

B．joyfully

C．formally

D．wisely

4.

A．mood

B．pain

C．sadness

D．hurt

5.

A．Regardless

B．Instead

C．However

D．Therefore

6.

A．thoughts

B．opinions

C．theories

D．factors

7.

A．shelter

B．decrease

C．improve

D．change

8.

A．gentle

B．severe

C．certain

D．ordinary

9.

A．relief

B．recount

C．survival

D．refreshment

10.

A．make it

B．get across

C．go around

D．pull over

11.

A．potential

B．touchy

C．sincere

D．successful

12.

A．work

B．talent

C．fantasy

D．prediction

13.

A．desperation

B．gift

C．goal

D．task

14.

A．higher

B．rarer

C．brighter

D．calmer

15.

A．angle

B．manner

C．prospect

D．trend

6 . So, I did it. I moved back home, despite all the disapproval. I left my good job, my relationship, and the endless opportunities.

Some people questioned me, “Why did you move back?” It was hard at first to admit that I liked being home, and that, actually, I didn’t prefer New York City (as so many people do). But after time, it became easier and less of an issue. And when they asked me why I moved back home, I confidently said, “Because I wanted to.” Many people welcomed me back into the community.

The first few months home were the most relaxing of my life. Every day I wake up to birds chirping, and sunlight coming in from the window-no traffic sounds or people screaming on the streets. It sounds like a Disney movie, but it’s so true! There is something about the air here-it’s clean. It smells good. I can also see the Grand Mesa (the largest flat-top mountain in the world) from my bedroom window. My work commute (通勤) is a four-minute car ride. And on summer nights, my favorite thing to do is watch the sunset from my porch because it’s the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.

I’ve been home for almost three years now, much to the surprise of my friends and family. Some friends even made bets on how long “this” would last. So far, I’m winning. But since I’ve been home my life has flourished. I realized that home, for me, is a place that inspires me. Because before, in the city, I felt like I had to compete with everyone to get ahead. Many times, forgetting what I was “fighting” for, I was clouded in competition and not passion. I lost touch with the other parts of myself, never quite realizing that the quiet country life provided that to me.

By coming home, I found myself again, the true me. I didn’t expect a city to give me opportunities because I could make my own.

1. Why does the author mention “a Disney movie” in Paragraph 3?

A．To introduce a new topic.	B．To provide more details.
C．To give a vivid description.	D．To support an argument.

2. How did the author win the bets with her friends?

A．By staying home longer than expected.	B．By getting used to country life quickly.
C．By wining competitions at workplace.	D．By leading a better life than in the city.

3. What is it that the author dislikes about city life?

A．Bad work relations.	B．Few job opportunities.
C．Longer work commute.	D．Too much competition.

4. What does the author refer to with the word “that” in Paragraph 4?

A．The goal she was fighting for.	B．Living to be her true self.
C．The chance of getting ahead of others.	D．A more comfortable life.

7 . It’s 3 am. I _________ the phone on the wall, ending the conversation with the last of my friends. I can no longer press them for their _________ on what I should do: accept a job as a university officer or move to New York to be an actor?

I feel _________ about what to choose. My eldest sister says that deep inside, I know what the _________ path is, and if I just get quiet enough, that _________ will come up to the surface. But I don’t know how.

I _________ the advantages and disadvantages repeatedly. I can see myself being happy with either _________. “Safe but predictable (可预见的)? Creative but _________? Which should I choose?” I said _________ taking a deep breath.

Suddenly I had an idea. If it’s true that I can be happy with either path, then why not let __________ decide? From my jeans pocket, I __________ a coin. Heads, university. Tails, New York, I flip (轻抛) it.

It __________ beautifully on the table. Heads, Bad luck, Bad luck?! At that moment, I know what I must do. My passion (酷爱) __________ by itself, just as my sister says.

We make __________ every day. Some of them are important: others are not. My __________? Bring lots of change with you, and, like me, let it lead you to your heart.

1.

A．hang up

B．pick out

C．take apart

D．fix up

2.

A．goals

B．opinions

C．explanations

D．solutions

3.

A．doubtful

B．awkward

C．serious

D．sorry

4.

A．difficult

B．different

C．right

D．simple

5.

A．proposal

B．risk

C．trouble

D．answer

6.

A．ignore

B．weigh

C．collect

D．share

7.

A．choice

B．change

C．challenge

D．plan

8.

A．uncertain

B．acceptable

C．regretful

D．uninteresting

9.

A．formally

B．eagerly

C．particularly

D．heavily

10.

A．responsibility

B．emotion

C．chance

D．personality

11.

A．put back

B．pull out

C．throw away

D．set aside

12.

A．exists

B．rolls

C．lands

D．stands

13.

A．improves

B．appears

C．struggles

D．survives

14.

A．friends

B．mistakes

C．discussions

D．decisions

15.

A．complaint

B．dream

C．limit

D．advice

8 . Once there were three travelers checking in a hotel. When they went out in the morning, one traveler brought an umbrella and another one took a crutch (拐杖) _________ the third one left with _________ whatsoever.

When they were back in the evening, the man who brought an umbrella got his clothes _________ in rain; the one taking a crutch fell, all covered with mud; but the man empty-handed kept his clothes dry, _________ any mud on it. The former two guys felt it was _________, so they asked the third man why.

The third guy didn’t reply, but _________ asked the man with an umbrella, “Then why were you caught in the rain _________ without falling?”

“When it was raining, I felt so _________ for my prediction that I opened the umbrella and walked in the rain _________. I didn’t think I would be caught in the rain, but __________ my clothes got so showered. Going to the places which were too muddy to cross, __________ that I didn’t have a crutch for fear of falling, I walked very carefully. It __________ that I walked all the way back __________ and sound. ”

After hearing __________ the first man said, the third man then asked the man with a crutch why he became muddied all over himself instead of getting showered.

He answered like this, “When it was raining, I had no umbrella, so I __________ chose those places I could __________ from the rain to walk through. In the muddy places, I went on with my crutch, but I hadn’t thought I fell. ”

The empty-handed traveler __________, “When it was raining, I chose the places protecting myself from the rain and in the muddy places I kept particularly __________, so I was neither drenched nor fell. ”

The advantages are __________. Only if we create advantages by virtue of the objective environment can we __________ a success.

1.

A．When

B．As

C．While

D．Since

2.

A．anything

B．nothing

C．something

D．everything

3.

A．wet

B．muddied

C．dry

D．tidy

4.

A．despite

B．beyond

C．without

D．with

5.

A．common

B．strange

C．strict

D．ordinary

6.

A．besides

B．otherwise

C．therefore

D．instead

7.

A．but

B．and

C．or

D．thus

8.

A．pity

B．glad

C．anxious

D．upset

9.

A．sensitively

B．curiously

C．constantly

D．bravely

10.

A．unlikely

B．unexpectedly

C．unacceptably

D．universally

11.

A．considered

B．to consider

C．considering

D．to have considered

12.

A．turned out

B．brought out

C．carried out

D．picked out

13.

A．safe

B．dirty

C．hurried

D．worried

14.

A．what

B．which

C．how

D．why

15.

A．already

B．yet

C．still

D．just

16.

A．prevent

B．protect

C．shelter

D．escape

17.

A．confused

B．regretted

C．depressed

D．laughed

18.

A．pessimistic

B．serious

C．casual

D．cautious

19.

A．absolute

B．relative

C．obvious

D．exact

20.

A．do

B．make

C．take

D．change

9 . “Software developer at Unidays, internatsonal speaker and enthusastie learner” is how Jess White describes herself on her blog. But it is not a path she’d originally planned to follow. After completing her psychology degree. White took a Master’s in neuro-science (神经科学), fully expecting an academic carcer. But after her interest was raised by the part of the course that involved coding (编码), she decided to take a Master’s course in computer science. She graduated with flying color.

Now 27, White hasn’t looked back. She joined Oakbrook Finance in Nottingham as a software developer, and stayed for two years, rounding off her time there by winning Rising Star of the Year at the 2018 Women in IT awards. At Unidays, a business offering discounts to students, she works as a back end developer in the maintenance team, “working on the systems and making them better”. It’s a job she loves. “It’s a challenge every day and you never get bored. There is always something to learn.” she says.

White believes that some graduates are put off technology careers because they don’t realize the range of jobs available, “A lot of people think tech is programing. But there’s also design product management—and everything in life is to do with tech these days. Whether it’s buying something with your cards or posting something on social media, you can’t really avoid it.”

A common misunderstanding, she says, is that IT is all about maths. “I’m terrible at maths and it scared the living daylights out of me when I started this because I thought I wouldn’t be able to do it,”   In practice, it hasn’t been a problem, and she has found that there are a lot of creative elements in programing. Her psychology background has proved to be a bonus, enabling her to bring a different perspective to her work, purticularly when she has to cooperate with user experience designers.

As for the future, White wants to learn as much as she can and become very strong in the area.

1. How many subjects has White learned?

A．Two.

B．Three.

C．Four.

D．Five.

2. What can we infer from Paragraph three?

A．Nothing is impossible because of technology.

B．More graduates are being attracted by technology.

C．Technology contributes to the development of economy.

D．We can’t live a life free from technology nowadaya.

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

A．Extra benefit.	B．Strong influence.
C．Unexpected challenge.	D．Satisfying income.

4. Which of the following is the best title for this passage?

A．Jess White, a Dependable and Helpful 1ady.

B．Jess White, a Talented and Confident Programmer.

C．Jess White, a Curious and Knowledgeable Learner,

D．Jess White, a Hard-working and Proud Expert.

10 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Almost all the people like travelling. For some people, travelling is a chance to relax and escape     1     the busy daily life. For others, it’s interesting to learn about other people’s cultures and lives. They consider it to be     2     best way to have fun.

Of course, there are people who are always     3     (happy) with the way the life is. But luckily, those people     4     (be) rather few and most people understand how exciting and interesting travelling is.

As for me. I enjoy watching all-round views from some altitudes. I enjoy watching them in my hometown and as soon as I am in some new city. I start     5     (look) for such places right away. When I’m in such a place, I just hold my breath and enjoy the beauty. At such moments I think about what beauty it     6     (offer) us and how important it is to value each moment of     7     (we) lives.

From such places it’s so exciting     8     (enjoy) city views and imagine how     9     (thousand) of people live there and experience so many different feelings. I understand that I’m not alone, that I have so many chances and     10     I can reach all my goals. While watching the views of nature. I wonder how such beauty can be created and how much it is important not to break it.