Be yourself and always follow your heart. Never let anyone change who you are. This is the lesson I have learned from my childhood experience when I figured out I wasn’t invited to the party, Bridget’s party.
One morning, I got off the bus and saw my friends except me hugging under the tree where we used to stand. The circle seemed tighter as I approached；the white invitation cards being hastily stuffed into backpacks gave it away. I knew as well as the entire universe that Bridget’s party was this weekend. Bridget was the most popular girl in our class. She was thin and beautiful, always wearing fabulous clothes and fine makeup.
Why hadn’t she invited me? My feet were too big? No. Maybe. My face was broken out? Why did she invite every person in my group except me? I tried to think of any interactions I’d had with Bridget recently. A few days earlier, we’d been partners during a sixth period project. I was determined to get the project done and she was absorbed in looking at fashion magazines. She barely spoke to me except to say, “You’re so serious. You know, you should smile more."
Soon, I had overheard all the details about the party. They were going swimming. It was a sleepover. They were renting scary movies and were going to stay up all night. Each time someone mentioned the party, I smiled weakly and nodded, with my stomach in knots.
When having my favorite English class, I found myself just unable to concentrate on the short stories we were supposed to be reading in class. Maybe she didn’t invite me because of my coat. It is pretty ugly compared to some of the other girls’ coats. I should have bought another color. Maybe I should smile more but I just can’t get into smiling at people unless I know them really well. But I just couldn’t pretend to be the person I wasn’t. I felt sick.
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。
At lunch, my friend Kate who had been invited came over to me, trying to show off.
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I was about to let it go when Bridget invited me as a substitute for a girl who couldn’t come.
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2 . I came to work in New York about three years ago. Not long after I came to the city I learnt a good lesson.
I'm good at making friends. Soon after I came to New York, I made some very good friends. Loving parties, I often invited my colleagues and friends over. We often had fun together till late night. But people in the building disliked it. I was considered as a black sheep in the building.
One night, when I was throwing a big party for some Chinese students in New York, a neighbor could no longer stand the noise and he called the police. The police came, and many of my neighbors came, too. It was an unhappy night.
However, some days later, I found something very unbelievable. My neighbor Sam threw a big birthday party in his apartment. They sang and danced till midnight. But nobody went to ask them to stop the party. Feeling confused (疑惑的), I went to Sam the next morning and asked him why he could throw a party for his friends while I couldn't. He didn't say anything. Instead, he took me to a notice board in the hall of the building. It said, “My dear neighbors, Sam living on the sixth floor will throw a party tonight. About twenty people will come. We’ll sing and dance. The party will be over around midnight. We may make some noise tonight. Please accept my apology.”
He apologized even before the party began. People felt respected in this way. And that was why nobody bothered them that night.
1. From Paragraph 2, what can we know about the author?| A．He didn't get along well with his neighbors. |
| B．He never had parties late into the night. |
| C．He didn't love parties at all. |
| D．He often invited his neighbors to his parties. |
| A．happy | B．worried |
| C．surprised | D．excited |
| A．By taking him to the neighbors. | B．By telling him an unbelievable story. |
| C．By giving reasons to him carefully. | D．By taking him to a notice board. |
| A．Americans treat foreign people differently |
| B．we should learn to respect others in a proper way |
| C．there is no reason to hold parties at late night |
| D．there is a secret to every success |
3 . I was recently told by someone that I am a people-pleaser, a person who works hard on satisfying other people. However, this person wasn't saying it in a nice way. So what's wrong with that? What's wrong with making sure others are happy with me? Moreover, what exactly are the negative results of being a people-pleaser?
People-pleasers bum their fingers because of their "others-focused" mindset, which puts them at a disadvantage. When others are not happy, people-pleasers cannot think of anything else, nor can they enjoy the moment, because they are often disturbed with the fact that there is someone on the planet who is not satisfied with them at the moment.
People-pleasers often make promises they can't keep—they write checks they can't cash. This is the situation I found myself in recently. I made a promise to someone that I would do something for him. But it was a bit unrealistic and would take more efforts than I was willing to put in. As a result, that promise was empty. The act of making the promise made them happy, and that, in turn, made me feel satisfied.
Now that we've got an idea of the negative aspects of people-pleasers, what can we do to get rid of those aspects? Where can we start? The biggest challenge people-pleasers must overcome is to get used to saying "no". I find that it is a struggle, indeed. However, if I want to change my ways, then I must learn to overcome that discomfort
Are you a people-pleaser too? Don't worry. It doesn't make you a bad person, or a dishonest person. But it can sometimes leave you open to unneeded anxiety or be cheated by truly selfish people who only wish to take advantage of your kindness. Keep the good intentions and the good-heartedness in your heart. Just work on how you express your real feelings and hold on to your position through your actions.
1. What does the underlined phrase 'burn their fingers” in Paragraph 2 mean?| A．Hurt their fingers. |
| B．Suffer some losses. |
| C．Get slightly burned. |
| D．Feel angry with people. |
| A．Breaking his word. | B．Behaving selfishly. |
| C．Saying no to others. | D．Cashing his checks. |
| A．To instruct people to express true feelings. |
| B．To stop people-pleasers from being cheated. |
| C．To sum up negative aspects of pleasing others. |
| D．To put forward suggestions for people-pleasers. |
4 . I’m an American-born Chinese. I wouldn’t say I’m more American than Chinese or vice versa. My character was equally molded by both cultures. For a long time, I was comfortable with being from two cultures. I was fluent in “Chinglish”.
However, as I grew up, something unexpected rose, causing a parallel tension between the two corresponding cultures. During Chinese events when I was in China, the host would sometimes make fun of America. My relatives would look at me and laugh, asking me how I felt. But how could I respond to a question like that? If I said I was uncomfortable, it would just make me seem even more American in their eyes. But I couldn’t pretend to laugh either. So, I often just stayed quiet and smiled.
Sometimes, I’d leave China feeling less Chinese than when I went in.
This past summer, on my way back to Rochester, a man at the airport kept asking my father and I where we were from. When I told him I was from the United States, he didn’t seem to believe me.
He then went on to ask the terrible question, “But like where are you really from, like, where were you born?” And no matter how specific our answers were, the man still seemed a little doubtful. He then went on to ask us if we knew where Tampa, Florida was and if we knew anything about it. It’s moments like these when I realize that sometimes my appearance makes it hard for me to seem fully American.
These experiences made me question if I was more Chinese or American.
I felt like I was neither. So, if I wasn’t completely one culture or the other, what was I? In China, I would feel more American, while in America, I would feel more Chinese. There was no balance between my two cultures.
But this doesn’t mean that I don’t embrace (拥抱) both my identities. I love both my Chinese cultural identity and my American one. I just need to learn to love them together.
1. How did the author feel about his identity at the very beginning?| A．Special. | B．Confident. | C．Confused. | D．Ridiculous. |
| A．Because he found it hard to remain quiet and have a big smile. |
| B．Because he was unable to speak fluent Chinese at his hometown. |
| C．Because he had lost face in front of his relatives and friends. |
| D．Because he was treated as an American by his Chinese relatives. |
| A．His cultures. | B．His experience. | C．His look. | D．His air tickets. |
| A．Being Culturally Homeless | B．A Boy with Two Identities |
| C．A Chinese Boy Born in American | D．Better Chinese than American |
5 . Simple Tips to Increase Self-Confidence
Having confidence begins with having a mind full of confident thoughts. A mind is controlled by you, therefore believing only the things that will bring you things you desire. Almost anyone in the world can have confidence.
Set goals
It’s a great idea to keep a “Goals Book” and every time something enters your mind you’d like to achieve, list it in the book. Soon you’ll see a pattern among all your goals.
People usually can’t tell you how you should live your life when it’s just an expression of their own shortcomings. Don’ allow the shortcomings of others to affect your life negatively. No one but you knows your interests and ambitions. Work in the direction of your true loves and ignore everything that enters your mind going against your own desires.
Challenge your beliefs
Get started
Don’t expect changes right away and have patience in knowing that it takes time to be the person you wish to be. The wonderful thing about becoming a more self-confident person is that little benefits start taking shape almost immediately.
As you achieve confidence, and find little moments of confidence coming closer and closer, all the things you desire will come to you easier than you ever imagined.
| A．Follow your heart |
| B．They keep coming one after the other |
| C．Believe in a power greater than yourself |
| D．When you make conclusions about your goals |
| E．If you maintain a confident position long enough |
| F．And, it is entirely easier than you may have once believed |
| G．Examine all of your beliefs and determine if they are in line with the life you desire |
6 . I held them in awe. My supervisors at Cambridge in the 50s were of the generation who had served in the war: codebreakers, that kind of thing. They were fiercely intelligent in a way my schoolteachers had not been. I was full of admiration and fear. It was why I had studied hard to be there, to meet the finest brains in the land. But I was to learn a lesson.
Betty Behrens was formidable: tall, with long legs. She taught European history. In my first essay, about the French Revolution，I poured out my soul. I saw it as a new dawn of freedom and fulfilment such as Cambridge meant to me.
The essay came back untouched. I thought there must be some mistake. I had delivered it as required, on time, neatly handwritten. Now it lay on my table exactly as I had written it: no comments, no corrections of dates or names, nothing. My excitement disappeared. What of my beautiful writing-had it been somehow overlooked?
The truth was worse. On the final page, there was indeed an intervention by Betty Behrens: a line drawn through my writing and a brief paragraph. This piece of work was not worthy of any consideration by her: It was worthless, trite（老生常谈的）rubbish. If I was to continue to study with her, there must be a serious effort to understand what scholarship was.
I was knocked back with the force of her disapproval. There was nothing I wanted more than to impress this wise, clever woman. I was totally destroyed. What is clear now is those professors were not up on the niceties of human relations. There was no empathy in her remarks. In those days, issues of mental health were not considered. You were there to learn; they were there to teach.
In the event, the shock of her criticism paid off. I had nowhere to go but into my own head. The thought of sharing my shame with college colleagues was out of the question. I had some serious thinking to do. I went back to my books: the clear prose of Keynes, the measured tones of Plumb, the steady logic of Butterfield... the standard texts of the day. It proved a turning point for me. I began to examine what shaped my ideas — indeed, what shaped anyone’s ideas. I wanted and intended to do better.
Of course, my student life wasn’t all struggle and regret. I spent much of my time falling in and out of love and enjoying the world of Cambridge theatre. But when I became a journalist, Betty Behrens stood at my shoulder, my ghostly editor, reminding me the bedrock of all good journalism is thorough research, analysis of facts, a willingness to consider all points of view — and only then to let the emotions erupt on to the page.
1. What was wrong with the writer’s first essay?| A．It was too emotional | B．It was too short |
| C．There were too many mistakes | D．It was too long |
| A．The writer should rewrite her essay |
| B．The writer should rethink her approach to learning |
| C．The writer should check her work carefully |
| D．The writer should make her work briefer |
| A．She did more reading | B．She suffered mental health issues |
| C．She turned to her friends | D．She consulted her teacher |
| A．A tough but lasting lesson | B．An unsuccessful but promising essay |
| C．A kind and friendly teacher | D．A diligent and successful student |
7 . I was unemployed in 1994. Fortunately, I
My wife and I came to Tasmania on holiday in 2000. We went into a wildlife park because I wanted to
We
In 2007, I ran the London marathon to raise funds for the project with my family. I
| A．figured | B．suggested | C．pretended | D．opposed |
| A．retired | B．normal | C．daily | D．academic |
| A．felt | B．left | C．happened | D．ended |
| A．identify | B．study | C．adopt | D．protect |
| A．imagination | B．conversation | C．solution | D．encouragement |
| A．what if | B．if only | C．only if | D．even if |
| A．purchased | B．designed | C．established | D．promoted d |
| A．witnessed | B．demonstrated | C．anticipated | D．scheduled |
| A．washed | B．made | C．found | D．sorted |
| A．dropped in | B．set in | C．turned over | D．took over |
| A．saving | B．leading | C．improving | D．costing |
| A．rewrote | B．reminded | C．rearranged | D．removed |
| A．communities | B．owners | C．species | D．professors |
| A．substantially | B．gradually | C．instantly | D．successfully |
| A．admirable | B．energetic | C．sufficient | D．multiple |
1. 对故事的简要介绍；
2. 你从中悟出的人生哲理；
3. 你的希望……
注意：
1. 词数80左右。
2. 开头已给出, 不计入总词数。
参考词汇：树桩stump；锄头hoe；讽刺satirize
Dear John,
Glad to hear from you. I'd like to tell you something about a moral fable I recently read.
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Yours,
Li Hua
