1 . Setting goals is common in our life. We look ahead, predict what may make us happy in the future, and then narrow down the things to something specific. For the most part, having goals is better than not having any, but there are also problems that come with spending an entire life living from goal to goal.

For one thing, we attempt to predict an unpredictable future. Who is to say that what you want next year is the same thing you want right now? What if what you want right now isn’t in the right direction over the long term?

Secondly, and just as importantly, you only confine your expectations of happiness and satisfaction to the goal you have set so that you often forget that other things in your life can also add just as much joy to your experience. This creates a strange conflict.

To solve this conflict, we have to move towards something more vague (模糊的). Going after interestingness, I think is what we should do. It’s vague enough to be honest about the unpredictability of the future.

Interestingness isn’t hedonism (快乐主义). It’s deeper than that. It’s taking on that random project you had no plan to take on because you have a feeling that you might just learn something you didn’t know about yourself. It’s seeing a person you just met not as a potential partner or someone who can do something for you but simply as someone who may open a new, unknown and unique world for you. Goals incorrectly assume that we already know what we want. Interestingness is more modest. It makes up its mind as it moves, slowly blowing from one thing to another, until it eventually grasps something that lies beyond prediction.

1. Setting goals is to predict an unpredictable future because __________.

A．it fails to reach our true potential

B．it proves meaningless in the long run

C．it may lead us to the opposite direction

D．it overlooks possible changes in our life

2. What does the underlined word “confine” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Devote.

B．Limit.

C．Deliver.

D．Compare.

3. What’s the benefit of pursuing interestingness?

A．Bringing us self satisfaction at once.

B．Improving our relationship with others.

C．Making us gain something unexpected.

D．Helping us successfully predict the future.

3 . When I was 12 years old, I already knew that my teen years were going to be the worst years of my life. I was a total outsider, bullied (欺凌) at school. I felt completely alone in my small town.

But by starting to do volunteer work when I was 14, I turned my problem into a passion for helping others. The opportunity to practice kindness made me feel like my life had a greater purpose. The more positive energy I shared, the more kindness and appreciation I received. I realized that my purpose in life would be to reach out to people, specifically teenagers, and help them feel less alone.

Books were my true friends back then. I was so thankful that the authors wrote those books. The kindness they offered me with their books saved my life. One of my biggest dreams was to become an author so I could write books that would help other teenagers the way those books helped me.

After surviving terrible experiences at school and at home, I made a choice to take the optimistic, positive road in the next steps of my journey. My dream career, one I thought was only possible for the authors I loved, is what I am doing now. I have been a full-time author of teen novels since 2007 and am grateful for this amazing opportunity to reach out to readers every single day.

Kindness saved me when I needed help the most. Even small acts of kindness can change someone’s life. You never know what someone else is going through. But by practicing daily kindness, you become an architect of positive change.

1. What was the author’s life like when he was 12?

A．Boring.

B．Peaceful.

C．Painful.

D．Meaningful.

2. How did the volunteer work benefit the author?

A．It made him popular in his town.	B．It helped him find the meaning of life.
C．It helped him understand others’ lives better.	D．It helped to shape his dream career.

3. Why did the author choose writing as his job?

A．He was inspired by his teacher.	B．He could pass positive energy to readers.
C．He wanted to share his school experiences.	D．He found he had a talent for writing.

4. What does the author suggest readers do in the last paragraph?

A．Say “no” to bullies bravely.	B．Make positive changes in their lives.
C．Treat others with kindness in daily life.	D．Learn to care more about others’ feelings.

4 . I have dreamed of taking a trip to Hawaii since I graduated, but the best thing always needs waiting.

I took a trip with my friends to Haleakala National Park, which lies in Hawaii.

When we arrived at Haleakala National Park, we were advised to watch the early morning sunrise. I was lost in the sightseeing (观光) that afternoon, so I could hardly wait to see the sunrise. The next morning, we all got out of bed very early and got to the seaside at 3 o’clock. In the first half an hour, we imagined how wonderful it would be when the first light came out through the thick clouds and how soft it would be when the light touched our skin, so we waited and waited. However, another half an hour later, I gradually lost my patience since there was nothing but the chilly darkness, and I felt that I was frozen to death. (冻死) But my friends were still extremely cheerful.

Nearly another one hour later, “Amazing!” Judy burst out and we all shouted to welcome the light, which was really unbelievable. Until today, I dare say that it is the most impressive sunrise in my life. However, waiting in the morning darkness is also one memory I can’t forget forever.

Waiting sometimes is really a hard thing for most of us as it needs patience and strong-willed determination (决心) , but what about the result after that? It might turn out to be pleasing and unbelievable. So, it is really worth (值得的) waiting for the best.

1. What can we learn from the passage?

A．he author’s friends and the author took a trip to China.

B．Hawaii is a good place to enjoy the sunrise.

C．Sometimes, it is worth waiting for the best.

D．The author enjoyed the worst sunrise in his life.

2. When did they see the first light of the sunrise?

A．About 3 o’clock.	B．About 4 o’clock.
C．About 5 o’clock.	D．About 6 o’clock.

3. What’s the meaning of the underlined word in Paragraph 2?

A．Total.

B．Cold.

C．Terrible.

D．Interesting.

4. How did the author feel when waiting for the sunrise?

A．Excited all the time.	B．Afraid all the time.
C．Firstly excited then afraid.	D．Firstly excited then impatient.

5 . My wife and I moved into our home two years ago. We had a yard with a lot of ________. Very often when we have flowers, Denise or I would plant some between the rocks, just to add some ________ to the area.

Last summer, I found a tiny little plant in the yard that I could not immediately identify. I knew I didn’t plant it and Denise said she didn’t either.

We decided to let it ________ growing until we could find out what it was.

Weeks passed and as I made my way back to the ________ plant, it appeared to be a sunflower. I decided to ________ the weeds (杂草) around it. As I pulled rocks from the area to get to the weeds, I noticed something ________.The sunflower had not ________ where I saw it begin. It actually had begun under a big rock and grown under and around it to reach the ________.

That’s when I ________ that if a tiny little sunflower didn’t let a big rock stand in its way of developing, we too have the ability of doing the same thing. If we ________ ourselves like that little sunflower, we can reach where we ________ to go and get what we need for growth.

We need to believe in ourselves knowing we have the ________ to achieve our goals. Like the sunflower, it knew it had the ability to get over the rocks because it had ________ in itself that it would succeed. Stand tall like the sunflower and be ________ of who and what we are, and then the environment will begin to ________ us. We will find a way to go under or around any “rocks” in order to reach our goals.

1.

A．flower

B．insects

C．vegetables

D．rocks

2.

A．water

B．fertilizer

C．color

D．shape

3.

A．stop

B．continue

C．improve

D．escape

4.

A．weak

B．strange

C．lonely

D．pretty

5.

A．collect

B．tend

C．remove

D．watch

6.

A．unusual

B．wonderful

C．terrible

D．valuable

7.

A．passed

B．started

C．left

D．died

8.

A．air

B．top

C．sun

D．house

9.

A．hoped

B．realized

C．doubted

D．regretted

10.

A．fill in

B．put in

C．worry about

D．believe in

11.

A．forget

B．hate

C．aim

D．wait

12.

A．wish

B．plan

C．ability

D．idea

13.

A．faith

B．energy

C．virtue

D．courage

14.

A．aware

B．afraid

C．proud

D．tired

15.

A．forgive

B．support

C．upset

D．affect

6 . Most of us assume that we go to college in order to be educated, to become _________, and be _________ to our society when we complete our studies. Of course, this is true, but there is more to it than that. We go to college not only to learn knowledge, but to prepare ourselves for the real world, for college is a _______in miniature(微型复制品). Thus, it teaches us how to _________ relationships between different kinds of people later. College life provides many _________, which is a stepping stone in the real world. College education also _________ a student to develop a mind that is able to think clearly and critically.

While we are at college, we should have as _________ contacts with our teachers as possible. They are as human as we are but with a wider _______of knowledge than we do, which can help _________ our secret little problems. Therefore, they can help us in more ways than just teaching us school ____________.

Some of us tend to go to ____________. We are either too fond of studies and become bookworms or too much ___________ by off-campus activities. The former kinds of students, ___________, are star pupils at college but not likely to be successful in their career because they lack the knowledge of real human beings and their range of interests is too ____________. The latter, since they lack the basic knowledge of science and humanities, are not likely to succeed, either. Thus we must steer(把握方向) the middle __________ between these two extremes.

1.

A．leaders

B．scholars

C．ancestors

D．authorities

2.

A．helpless

B．enjoyable

C．practical

D．useful

3.

A．organization

B．society

C．group

D．band

4.

A．handle

B．unload

C．release

D．transport

5.

A．organizations

B．conflicts

C．activities

D．communities

6.

A．chooses

B．assigns

C．trains

D．employs

7.

A．quick

B．initial

C．vivid

D．frequent

8.

A．range

B．reach

C．control

D．distance

9.

A．suggest

B．solve

C．discover

D．explain

10.

A．symbols

B．imaginations

C．contributions

D．subjects

11.

A．ends

B．spots

C．degrees

D．extremes

12.

A．held

B．left

C．occupied

D．remained

13.

A．constantly

B．doubtlessly

C．nearly

D．directly

14.

A．narrow

B．broad

C．correct

D．foolish

15.

A．course

B．match

C．lesson

D．program

7 . When is that magical day going to come when everything is perfect and we can finally be happy? Well, we may sometimes _______ a day like that. But for most of the time there is always something that upsets us. And that is _______. Life is a mixture of happy, neutral, and not-so-happy _______.

The _______ is in what you concentrate on, which determines your mood. I love the saying “Seize the day.” To me it means that we should not just look forward, _______ the happiness to come from the future. Happiness is right here and right now. It is in the little moments, and you’ll _______ have to understand that good things are _______ around you. The other day I did have a try. That day I paid attention to everything I _______ in my day. I liked the sunshine, birdsong, and morning coffee. I liked the purr of a cat, and my _______ jeans. I liked the roads that were in good ________ I liked the leaves of spring. I liked the chat with my coworkers... You can do this with your phone too. Take a picture of everything that you like during the day. At the end of it, ________ your pictures, and maybe write a page about these good things into your diary. If you use a computer, paste the ________ into your electronic diary.

Another thing I did is see the good things even in a bad situation. Here’s how it works: You suffer a terrible thing, but you tell yourself the good aspects of it. You really ________ the day when you are able to concentrate on it. One day it was raining. People were not ________ about it—it was dark, gloomy and wet. But you tell yourself that the climate here is not ________, which explains the attitude.

1.

A．admire

B．achieve

C．earn

D．experience

2.

A．normal

B．perfect

C．suitable

D．right

3.

A．activities

B．moments

C．situations

D．accidents

4.

A．result

B．mystery

C．magic

D．ability

5.

A．accounting for

B．thinking about

C．referring to

D．waiting for

6.

A．hardly

B．simply

C．nearly

D．instantly

7.

A．nowhere

B．somewhere

C．everywhere

D．anywhere

8.

A．faced

B．liked

C．missed

D．wished

9.

A．shabby

B．poor

C．expensive

D．comfortable

10.

A．condition

B．time

C．fit

D．mood

11.

A．get through

B．go through

C．pull over

D．come across

12.

A．sayings

B．words

C．pictures

D．works

13.

A．get

B．remember

C．seize

D．forget

14.

A．happy

B．curious

C．clear

D．upset

15.

A．snowy

B．rainy

C．windy

D．dry

10 . I will never forget one summer in my childhood. While walking in the attic (阁楼), I stepped on something and ________ down, with my hand landing on a floorboard. When I ________ and looked inside the open space: There was gold in there! I ________ a handful of shining gold cubes, ran to the bottom stair and ________, “Mama, I found gold up there under the floor!”

When Mama opened the door and ________ her head in, she ________ said, “Honey, that’s insulation (隔热材料). Now put it all back.”

I felt really disappointed. I had thought I made a real ________.

When I ________ inside to put the fake gold back, my hand touched an old book: Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations.

I spent quite much time on it and found ________ in these pages. As I didn’t know how to express things clearly, I often ________ to talk about them. This book helped me ________ that I didn’t need to feel ashamed or ________.

Over the years, I’ve kept my original ________, which to this day I often refer to. Although it was a ________ to find the book, it liberated me in a way.

The book discovered under those floorboards was, ________, gold.

1.

A．slowed

B．calmed

C．looked

D．fell

2.

A．bent over

B．showed up

C．lay down

D．broke in

3.

A．stole

B．produced

C．seized

D．hid

4.

A．yelled

B．sighed

C．admitted

D．complained

5.

A．nodded

B．stuck

C．lowered

D．lifted

6.

A．simply

B．thoughtfully

C．honestly

D．angrily

7.

A．difference

B．choice

C．mistake

D．discovery

8.

A．sat

B．slid

C．reached

D．walked

9.

A．sympathy

B．comfort

C．honour

D．doubt

10.

A．tended

B．offered

C．managed

D．hesitated

11.

A．expect

B．remember

C．realize

D．imagine

12.

A．embarrassed

B．satisfied

C．astonished

D．tired

13.

A．mind

B．copy

C．plan

D．file

14.

A．dilemma

B．disaster

C．pity

D．coincidence

15.

A．still

B．indeed

C．normally

D．hopefully