1 . The curb cut (下斜路缘). It’s a convenience that most of us rarely, if ever, notice. Yet, without it, daily life might be a lot harder—in more ways than one. Pushing a baby stroller onto the curb, skateboarding onto a sidewalk or taking a full grocery cart from the sidewalk to your car—all these tasks are easier because of the curb cut.

But it was created with a different purpose in mind.

It’s hard to imagine today, but back in the 1970s, most sidewalks in the United States ended with a sharp drop-off. That was a big deal for people in wheelchairs because there were no ramps (斜坡) to help them move along city blocks without assistance. According to one disability rights leader, a six-inch curb “might as well have been Mount Everest”. So, activists from Berkeley, California, who also needed wheelchairs, organized a campaign to create tiny ramps at intersections to help people dependent on wheels move up and down curbs independently.

I think about the “curb cut effect” a lot when working on issues around health equity (公平). The first time I even heard about the curb cut was in a 2017 Stanford Social Innovation Review piece by PolicyLink CEO Angela Blackwell. Blackwell rightly noted that many people see equity “as a zero-sum game.” Basically, that there is a “prejudiced societal suspicion that intentionally supporting one group hurts another.” What the curb cut effect shows though, Blackwell said, is that “when society creates the circumstances that allow those who have been left behind to participate and contribute fully, everyone wins.”

There are multiple examples of this principle at work. For example, investing in policies that create more living-wage jobs or increase the availability of affordable housing certainly benefits people in communities that have limited options. But, the action also empowers those people with opportunities for better health and the means to become contributing members of society—and that benefits everyone. Even the football huddle (围成一团以秘密商讨) was initially created to help deaf football players at Gallaudet College keep their game plans secret from opponents who could have read their sign language. Today, it’s used by every team to shield the opponent from learning about game-winning strategies.

So, next time you cross the street, or roll your suitcase through a crosswalk or ride your bike directly onto a sidewalk—think about how much the curb cut, that change in design that broke down walls of exclusion for one group of people at a disadvantage, has helped not just that group, but all of us.

1. By “might as well have been Mount Everest” (paragraph 3), the disability rights leader implies that a six-inch curb may become ________.

A．as famous as the world’s highest mountain

B．an almost impassable barrier

C．a connection between people

D．a most unforgettable matter

2. According to Angela Blackwell, many people believe that ________.

A．it’s fair to give the disadvantaged more help than others

B．it’s impossible to have everyone be treated equally

C．it’s necessary to go all out to help the disabled

D．it’s not worthwhile to promote health equity

3. Which of the following examples best illustrates the “curb cut effect” principle?

A．Spaceflight designs are applied to life on earth.

B．Four great inventions of China spread to the west.

C．Christopher Columbus discovered the new world.

D．Classic literature got translated into many languages.

4. What conclusion can be drawn from the passage?

A．Everyday items are originally invented for people with disabilities.

B．Everyone in a society should pursue what is in his or her interest.

C．A disability rights leader changed the life of his fellow men.

D．Caring for disadvantaged groups may finally benefit all.

2 . You’ve heard an old Chinese saying before: Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. You may even be nodding your head in agreement right now. However, we can have a different understanding about it.

When a person is starving, that’s not the time to fill their head with knowledge but to first give the person a fish-eradicating their hunger-and only then teach them to fish. Far too often, people ignore this common sense first step. They see someone who is struggling, and they rush to offer wisdom. “Let me tell you what I’d do in your position,” a well-meaning individual might offer.

But few of us understand the anxiety, confusion and uncertainty that come with overwhelming need. People meeting with personal disasters don’t have the ability to think straight. Their nerves may be shot. Their confidence may be non-existent. Can you imagine what it would be like to be in that person’s situation?

Rushing to offer a struggling person long-term advice is a waste of time. Instead, it makes far more sense to help them regain their emotional balance. Once their ears, heart and mind open, you’ll have an opportunity to teach a new skill.

But how do we know whether a person needs a fish before a fishing lesson? Two things: One is the ability to pay attention. We need to know whether the other person is open and receptive, or looking at the world through narrowed eyes? You can’t just take their words but have to look at how the person acts and what they don’t say. The other is empathy (共情).The more successful you are, the harder it is to imagine what it must be like to be the opposite. Try to create a safe environment for emotional acceptance before the fishing lesson.

1. What is the function of the first paragraph?

A．To illustrate a concept.	B．To bring in a new viewpoint.
C．To introduce the background.	D．To put up an example.

2. What does the underlined word “eradicating” mean in paragraph 2?

A．Getting rid of.	B．Paying attention to.
C．Making up for.	D．Putting up with.

3. What should we do first for those in disasters?

A．Get them to think straight.	B．Enhance their confidence.
C．Satisfy their primary needs.	D．Teach them a new skill.

4. Which does the author probably agree with according to the last paragraph?

A．Live and learn.	B．Never teach a fish to swim.
C．Put yourself in others’ shoes.	D．Don’t teach old dogs new tricks.

3 . Years ago, I decided to take the adventure and start working from home. I became a stay-at-home mom with two young boys. I felt lost after leaving the working world so I wanted something new to focus on.     1     I really wanted an excuse to connect with other adults regularly.

But only weeks into my new adventure, I was trapped in the comparison game. I constantly compared my progress with that of others on my team. It seemed that this business was coming easily to everyone but me.     2    

Then the leader of my team came to me. He gave me some advice and encouraged me to keep my blinders (马眼罩) on.     3     The blinders help them avoid distractions as they walk down the chosen path. So I took my leader’s advice of putting on “blinders”.

    4     I got more peaceful. And I became able to appreciate the little goals I had achieved in my business. I wasn’t making huge “jumps” like some others on my team. But as one small success led to another, my confidence and happiness grew. I was encouraged to make more progress.

From this experience, I’ve learned that comparing myself to others truly gets me nowhere. It not only prevents my ambition, but also overshadows my successes. Whether in business or parenting, there will always be someone performing better than me.     5     I’m running in my own race — enjoying it at my own perfect pace.

A．It turned out that it benefited me a lot.

B．But what was I going to do with the blinders?

C．I didn’t let others’ accomplishments lessen my own.

D．The weight of comparison made me close to quitting.

E．Do you know that horses wear blinders as they pull carriages?

F．And what I should hold to is that I’m not running in their race.

G．Preferably, it was something that had nothing to do with childcare.

4 . Many of us have stories about that one person who, along the way, chose to believe in or help us.

When I was a first-semester college junior, my GPA(Grade-Point Average)was in the 2.9 range—too ______ for the honors program that I was trying to get into because the GPA ______ was 3.0 at least. My advisor, Gwen Gustafson, chose to believe in me and she made a(n)______ for me, allowing me to get into the honors program at the University of Connecticut.

After I got into the honors program, I needed to have a faculty member who ______ to oversee my honors thesis (论文). Faculty members (全系教师) really get no extra ______ for overseeing students’ honors theses, and saying “no” is both ______ and easy; however, professor Amerigo Farina told me “yes” when I asked him to serve as my thesis advisor, which made my entire academic career take a big ______.

Life junctures (特定时刻) where someone in a position of ______ chooses to be ______ as opposed to (而非) negative can make all the difference in someone’s life. If you’re like me, you can point to a small set of special people who used their powerful roles to help ______ your life in a positive way.

If you find yourself in a position of power, ______ the requests of others is easy. It requires little ______ and costs you less time. ______ , saying “yes” to requests from subordinates (下级) can be costly, but it can help people develop in all kinds of positive ways. Such an ______ is most likely to come from a leader or an authority figure who can bring you a bright _______ rather than a dark one.

1.

A．difficult

B．ridiculous

C．low

D．sensitive

2.

A．assessment

B．information

C．standard

D．requirement

3.

A．exception

B．excuse

C．decision

D．reservation

4.

A．expected

B．agreed

C．prepared

D．promised

5.

A．award

B．qualification

C．compliment

D．compensation

6.

A．random

B．common

C．challenging

D．free

7.

A．surprise

B．chance

C．jump

D．hit

8.

A．power

B．trust

C．doubt

D．advantage

9.

A．determined

B．optimistic

C．responsible

D．supportive

10.

A．plan

B．analyse

C．control

D．advance

11.

A．adopting

B．changing

C．rejecting

D．raising

12.

A．effort

B．attention

C．equipment

D．knowledge

13.

A．Therefore

B．However

C．Besides

D．Otherwise

14.

A．attempt

B．opportunity

C．approach

D．accident

15.

A．future

B．impression

C．idea

D．experience

5 . How to develop self-discipline (自律)

Face the reality

It’s easy for us to make excuses for ourselves or show ourselves in a better way than our actual situation.     1    , we have to accept the truth. Sometimes people make comments on our reality. It is hard to hear, but we need to accept the truth before promising to change.

Set clear goals

We have to keep in mind where we want to go and what we want to finish. If we don’t set clear goals, we’ll float around like feathers in the wind. Then show these goals where you will see them every day.     2    . So I made a plan each day and ran 15 miles a week. Every day, I looked at those goals and made sure I achieved them.

    3    

No one likes to sleep in more than I do. I am entirely a night owl (夜猫子). However, when I’m in the habit of getting up early, I am much more disciplined and productive. Getting up early doesn’t give us the ability to create miracles, but it does help us start our day’s work in a focused way.

Do the small things

    4    . It doesn’t happen that way. Self-discipline starts by performing small and ordinary activities consistently. Every small act of faithfulness makes your self-discipline stronger.

Keep track of your progress

It’s pointless to have goals if you aren’t measuring whether or not you are moving toward them. Like I said, I need to update my spreadsheet every day. When I don’t track my progress, I stop doing things I need to do and become lazy. It’s easy to lack discipline when you lose focus on where you’re going.     5    .

A．Get up early

B．But if we want to change

C．And when I breathe deeply

D．I ended up in bed for six weeks

E．We all want big changes to happen quickly

F．Several years ago, I wanted to lose 20 pounds

G．Keeping track helps you stay in the right direction

6 . What a comedian can teach you about managing stress

We often accept stress as part of the cost of modern life, but it really doesn’t have to be. We all know that laughter is the best medicine.     1     People who can laugh at their own misfortunes bounce back faster and stronger. Here is what a comedian says about coping with stress.

You can try to find a different perspective.     2     Once a friend of mine fell asleep in the middle of a class. His teacher decided to make fun of him by inviting students to applaud, wondering whether my friend would applaud along when he woke up. He did and the whole class burst outlaughing. After learning everything, he was both embarrassed and ashamed of course but after a while, my friend laughed. “If this had happened to someone else, it would have been amusing. So it’s no less funny, just because it happened to me. “

    3     There’s no doubt that we all experience great stress now and then. We’ve all been personally affected, in some way. You might not have felt like laughing at the time But now, looking back, you could consider all of the strange aspects of the experience and all of the things you did to keep active or simply stay sane (神志正常的) .

When you share stories with your friends, you can choose to share stories of trauma (创伤) and pain, or you can choose to lift their spirits with stories of hope and growth.     4     Take the exact same story and change the focus from “feel sorry for me” to “laugh with me”. Keep in mind that we’re all in this together, that we all share the same ridiculous experiences, and that we can laugh together at whatever life throws at us.     5    

A．Always share a good story.

B．Why not do what comedians do?

C．You can also look again and laugh.

D．But laughter does more than cheer you up.

E．Then you are able to make a simple choice.

F．In this way. you will say goodbye to stress forever.

G．If you have trouble seeing the funny side, you may find the following inspiring.

7 . There are days when I find it necessary to step outside my classroom and check to be sure that my name is still in the TEACHER space over my door. Sometimes I feel that I am a student in my classroom rather than the teacher.

Seated in the classroom, my sixth grade students each held a different tool in the hand. The students discussed how words are like tools-they have the ability to build or to destroy, and they discovered how the right tool used at the right time for the right job can produce great results. I watched and listened with a sense of satisfaction. They got it!

A. few days later, one of my students, Laura, had an unexpected outburst in class. She refused to work with her group. I asked her to excuse herself and to go to our next door team center. She marched from the back of the room to our classroom door-shooting me an angry look, and then proceeded to slam the door as she left for the team meeting room.

Minutes later, I stood over her. Being extremely angry about her disrespectful behavior, I was sharp in my tone and harsh with my words. When I paused for her response, she stated, “You’re using your tool against me.” I was speechless.

There are times when you are at a critical crossroads with a student and the road you choose will make all the difference. I knew at that moment the right thing to do was to kneel down next to her chair, and softly say, “You’re right, Laura. I have used my words unwisely and unkindly. Will you forgive me?” She looked me in the eye and simply said, “Yes, I forgive you, Mrs. Ekre. I’m sorry, too.”

At the end of the year, she wrote me a beautiful letter, attached to which was a small key-a tool, she said, for a language arts teacher who taught her how important words can be. It serves as my reminder of a lesson I taught as a teacher but one I really learned from my student.

1. Why does the writer feel she is a student?

A．Her students often challenge her.	B．Her name is not in the TEACHER space.
C．Her students transform her ideas.	D．She abuses her power as a teacher.

2. What made the writer speechless when dealing with Laura?

A．Laura’s angry look.	B．Laura’s abrupt explosion.
C．Laura’s slamming the door.	D．Laura’s accusation against her.

3. Which words can best describe the writer?

A．Caring but stubborn.	B．Tolerant and open-minded.
C．Strict and changeable.	D．Sincere and flexible.

4. What is the passage mainly about?

A．The power of words.	B．The importance of teaching.
C．The value of forgiveness.	D．The beauty of understanding.

8 . Kala has deep ties to her Hawaiian roots. Her ancestors navigated (航行) the oceans for centuries using their knowledge of the stars, the sun, the currents and the wind. It’s not that she does it in a canoe without technology, but rather uses the natural technology around her. It’s called Way finding, and was taught to her by her father.

“My father was my foundation, my rock.” she says of her first voyage with him from Oahu to Lahaina in a traditional canoe. He taught her how to read the stars, the ocean swells and how to use them to hold the course. “Over 200 stars have specific names and purposes when you are Way finding. You have to look at each and determine if they are rising or setting. You know this star and the direction it represents. If you can do that, you can use it as a tool to orient (确定方向).” Kala added.

Kala Tanaka sailed the canoe in the ocean for up to three weeks. During the day, Kala used the sun until it hit a certain height. When she got closer to land, she looked for certain species of land birds and clouds that indicated there was land below. When Kala sailed she felt “I feel very connected to the crew and the canoe. We’re a family.” The longer voyage required Kala to spend hours studying the day and the night skies. It was demanding physical work. But it also had its moments of awe. For Kala, the beauty was in tying together the past and the present to enjoy the moment. So when she was not sailing, she was teaching Way finding skills to school-aged children in hopes of preserving the skills her ancestors relied on.

It’s easy to be lost in the immediacy of the technology of our day, to be consumed by screens and miss the nature that unfolds around us. But if we will take the time to look up, to see the stars and the sun, the way the clouds move, the miracle of life beneath and above us, we will discover something deep inside us, something that will always lead to happiness.

1. How does Kala navigate the ocean in a canoe?

A．By observing the natural elements around.

B．By following the course of ocean currents.

C．By using hi-technology navigation devices.

D．By recalling the first voyage with her father.

2. What did Kala think of the three-week canoe voyage?

A．It was a heroic adventure.	B．It brought great joy to her life.
C．It was school children’s favorite.	D．It represented a kind of innovation.

3. What does the author suggest we do?

A．Enjoy the screens.	B．Explore the universe.
C．Get close to nature.	D．Keep the earth clean.

4. What is the best title of the text?

A．Finding Our Way	B．Navigating the Ocean
C．The Wisdom from Ancestors	D．An Unforgettable Journey

9 . When I retired, my wife Peg said “Great! You’ll have time to clean the garage!” After 30 years’ ________ as director of a radio station, I would finally have more time for housework, but I worried I’d lose the sense of________ I had felt in my profession.

I pushed at the garage’s wooden doors, but they were as ________as I felt in this new stage of my life. I finally got the doors open and started to empty the shelves. Then my hand hit something ________. It was a common old metal can. I ________ the cover and found a ________ envelope with a postmark of May 13, 1940 inside. ________, I opened it and found some flower seeds in it, “ Eighty years old! I wonder if they’ll still grow. ”

I ________the seeds in a plastic pot. I checked it every day, but nothing happened. “I guess they’re just too ________to be any good, ” I told Peg in ________ . I picked up the pot to get rid of it, but something made me ________. I changed my mind and set it aside. Meanwhile, I was keeping ________, buying some books to improve my photography skills and teaching my granddaughters everything I knew about gardening and dogs.

Six weeks later, I was out in the yard when I ________ to notice the pot. A new bit of green-a leaf had ________. I proudly showed it off to my granddaughters. “Look, girls, even something this old can still ________ for its purpose and be pretty cool. Just like your grand- papa!”

1.

A．dream

B．belief

C．study

D．service

2.

A．freedom

B．purpose

C．trust

D．security

3.

A．worn

B．stuck

C．broken

D．lost

4.

A．delicate

B．special

C．hard

D．sharp

5.

A．removed

B．washed

C．cleaned

D．fastened

6.

A．labeled

B．selected

C．yellowed

D．ruined

7.

A．Curiously

B．Sincerely

C．Skillfully

D．Bravely

8.

A．collected

B．planted

C．abandoned

D．stored

9.

A．old

B．wet

C．weak

D．small

10.

A．anger

B．surprise

C．regret

D．relief

11.

A．delay

B．reflect

C．hesitate

D．disappoint

12.

A．upset

B．awake

C．social

D．busy

13.

A．expected

B．attempted

C．failed

D．happened

14.

A．showed up

B．fallen off

C．taken off

D．dried up

15.

A．compete

B．grow

C．survive

D．relax

10 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

Sandy and Jane came to see the jobo tree on the hilltop again. Jobos were their favorite fruit, but the tree belonged to a lady who lived in the house by the hill. They heard she was difficult, but that sometimes she would give fruit in return for an errand(差使)

The girls finally gathered their courage to knock on her door. An elderly woman with a fierce look answered, staring down at the girls. “We heard …”said Sandy, her voice shaky, “that you give jobos in payment for running an errand.”

The lady raised one eyebrow, then went into the kitchen and took two baskets. She pushed them into the girls’ hands.“Go fill these with jobos, and come right back.”

The girls raced up the hill to the tree and filled the baskets with the ripest jobos. Back at the house, the lady filled a bag with rice and handed it to Sandy. “Take this bag and one basket of jobos to the Brown family. And ask them for the payment,” the lady added with a tight smile.“If you return without the payment, you won’t get the fruit.”

The girls struggled all the way with the bag and the basket. When they were there, Mrs. Brown answered the door. Inside on the floor were three little children, each painting something on papers.

Mr. Brown was lying sick in bed.Times were hard.

The girls handed her the food.“This is from the lady with the jobo tree, ” said Sandy.

“She asked for the payment, too.”Jane said awkwardly.

“The payment! The payment!” The children repeated, waving the paper in their hands happily.

Sandy and Jane looked at each other strangely. With a smile, Mrs. Brown handed Sandy a large sealed(密封的)envelope so full that it was almost starting to break open. The girls said goodbye and left quickly. “I wonder,” Sandy murmured, “whether Mrs. Brown can afford to pay for that food.”

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。

Worried, the two girls discussed what was in the envelope as they walked back.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The lady opened the envelope, took out a pile of papers, and smiled.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________