1 . Failing Is Better than Not Trying at All
Do you remember the last time you tried something new and failed?
Sure, there are a lot of uncertainties that come when trying something new.
Repeated failures can be very discouraging. But you don’t become a complete loser just because you failed.
Trying something new and different can be risky. Your time and efforts can be wasted when nothing happens.
It takes time to achieve success and your goal, but when you have tried everything available and nothing had happened, this is the only time you should give up and stop trying.
| A．If so, don’t worry. |
| B．So you never know if you can be successful or not. |
| C．There are several reasons why you may fear failures. |
| D．However, we won’t know if something fruitful can occur unless we try. |
| E．Having a solid support system can also help you build confidence in taking risks. |
| F．An excellent way to help somebody keep moving forward is to treat each failure as a life lesson. |
| G．Perhaps the most important thing you don’t want to experience from not trying is regret later in your life. |
No one is born a winner. People make themselves into winners by their own efforts. I learned this lesson from an experience many years ago. I took the head coaching job at a school in Baxley, Georgia. It was a small school with a weak football program. The school took part in the league matches every year. However, it never ended well. We were more of the audience, watching and cheering instead of sweating out in the fields.
Fortunately, the school held the tradition that the school’s old team was to play against the new team at the end of spring practice. For lack of resources, the old team bad no coach, and they didn’t even practice to prepare for the game.
I was assigned (指派) as the coach of the new team, which was why I was excited. I believed that we were going to win, but to my disappointment, we were defeated. I couldn’t believe I had got into such a situation. Thinking hard about it, I tried to figure out the reason and what I should do next.
It didn’t take long before I came to realize that my team was depending on me. Without proper guidance or previous experience, my team was at a loss what to do. I had to change my attitude so that I could bring out the best in them about their ability and potential.
I would let my action do the talking. First, I started doing anything I could to help them build a little pride. I could see their spirits lifted, with their head held high in great confidence. Most importantly, I began to treat them like winners. Only when they regarded themselves as winners could they willingly invest time and energy.
This summer, the other teams enjoyed their vacations.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Six months later, football season started.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________3 . My father started his own business in the 1980. For a breadwinner with seven children, it was a
To improve himself, my father spent his evening
One day, I asked him, “Dad, you have a job. Why do you read the ‘help wanted’ section every day?” “Well,” he replied, “it’s
Recently, as a runner, I was
The explorer mindset sought by On can
| A．courageous | B．joyous | C．generous | D．famous |
| A．visiting | B．founding | C．attending | D．contacting |
| A．instructors | B．secretaries | C．experts | D．managers |
| A．noticed | B．imagined | C．hoped | D．proved |
| A．gradually | B．specifically | C．entirely | D．probably |
| A．equipment | B．work | C．honor | D．information |
| A．difficult | B．convenient | C．important | D．suitable |
| A．looking for | B．talking about | C．referring to | D．dealing with |
| A．popular | B．current | C．alive | D．busy |
| A．enjoyed | B．adjusted | C．explored | D．reflected |
| A．followed | B．attracted | C．troubled | D．cheated |
| A．positions | B．opinions | C．suggestions | D．applications |
| A．plans | B．conditions | C．qualities | D．lessons |
| A．challenge | B．change | C．benefit | D．teach |
| A．dependence | B．creativity | C．determination | D．productivity |
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. |
| A．Shameful. | B．Unexpected. | C．Punishable. | D．Unaccepted. |
| A．Intentions to avoid mistakes. | B．Advantages of making mistakes. |
| C．Possibilities of making mistakes. | D．Efforts to avoid making mistakes. |
| 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 . As far as I could tell, there was only one problem with this year’s Super Bowl. The Green Bay Packers weren't green. They were blue. And even though I had never before seen a professional football game live and in living color, I had read enough from my subscription to Sports Illustrated to know that the dark jerseys (运动衫) worn by the Green Bay Packers were green, not blue.
“Maybe it's something special they're doing for the Super Bowl,” my dad suggested.
“The colors aren't right, Dad,” I said. “I’m sure of it.”
Eventually Dad agreed. “I'll get a repairman tomorrow,” he said. It was a minor annoyance, but it somehow cast a pall over our enjoyment of the pre-game festivities. This was highly anticipated Super Bowl, and we were watching it on our super new color TV. It was supposed to be super.
Just a few minutes before kickoff, my big brother Bud arrived with Craig, a college friend. Craig looked at the TV for a moment. “I think your tint (色调) is off a little,” he said. He reached behind the set and began feeling around for buttons. Suddenly our color TV was black and white. He reached behind the TV again. He must have found the right button, because a moment later color was restored — and perfected. The Green Bay Packers were in their traditional green and gold uniforms. The field was green, the sky was blue and it was a Super Sunday, indeed.
It amazed me then — and often has since — what a major difference a minor adjustment can make. A well-placed nail or a tweak (拧) of a button from someone who knows what they’re doing can change everything. The same principle holds true in interpersonal matters. While there are some hurts that cannot be easily repaired, it's amazing how often a simple smile, a kind word, or a gentle touch can change our way of thinking, improve our mood, and make everything seem, you know, super.
1. About what did the author disagree with his dad?| A．Which channel to watch. |
| B．Which sports team would win. |
| C．Whether the colors on the screen were wrong. |
| D．Whether the players' uniforms were fit for the event. |
| A．Replaced. | B．Witnessed. | C．Ensured. | D．Damaged. |
| A．It took too long. | B．It saved much money. |
| C．It made matters even worse. | D．It breathed new life into the show. |
| A．Always put yourself in others' shoes. | B．It is important to learn basic life skills. |
| C．A small act can make a big difference. | D．Learn to smile through life's imperfections. |
6 . Sitting in the garden for my friend’s birthday. I felt a buzz (振动) in my pocket. My heart raced when I saw the email sender’s name. The email started off: “Dear Mr Green, thank you for your interest” and “the review process took longer than expected.” It ended with “We are sorry to inform you…” and my vision blurred (模糊). The position—measuring soil quality in the Sahara Desert as part of an undergraduate research programme — had felt like the answer I had spent years looking for.
I had put so much time and emotional energy into applying, and I thought the rejection meant the end of the road for my science career.
So I was shocked when, not long after the email, Professor Mary Devon, who was running the programme, invited me to observe the work being done in her lab. I jumped at the chance, and a few weeks later I was equally shocked—and overjoyed—when she invited me to talk with her about potential projects I could pursue in her lab. What she proposed didn’t seem as exciting as the original project I had applied to, but I was going to give it my all.
I found myself working with a robotics professor on techniques for collecting data from the desert remotely. That project, which I could complete from my sofa instead of in the burning heat of the desert, not only survived the lockdown but worked where traditional methods didn’t. In the end, I had a new scientific interest to pursue.
When I applied to graduate school, I found three programmes promising to allow me to follow my desired research direction. And I applied with the same anxious excitement as before. When I was rejected from one that had seemed like a perfect fit, it was undoubtedly difficult. But this time I had the perspective (视角) to keep it from sending me into panic. It helped that in the end I was accepted into one of the other programmes I was also excited about.
Rather than setting plans in stone, I’ve learned that sometimes I need to take the opportunities that are offered, even if they don’t sound perfect at the time, and make the most of them.
1. How did the author feel upon seeing the email sender’s name?| A．Anxious. | B．Angry. | C．Surprised. | D．Settled. |
| A．criticise the review process | B．stay longer in the Sahara Desert |
| C．apply to the original project again | D．put his heart and soul into the lab work |
| A．demanding | B．inspiring | C．misleading | D．amusing |
| A．An invitation is a reputation. | B．An innovation is a resolution. |
| C．A rejection can be a redirection. | D．A reflection can be a restriction. |
7 . “Work” and “play” have long been seen as enemies. When you’re
In an article
In fact, even many big
It seems that these people don’t
So next time when you prepare for an exam, try to take a break from “work” for a while, and let “play” do the
| A．searching | B．competing | C．preparing | D．standing |
| A．week | B．minute | C．month | D．day |
| A．seems | B．happens | C．means | D．deserves |
| A．useless | B．valuable | C．reasonable | D．impossible |
| A．written | B．published | C．expressed | D．founded |
| A．giving in | B．giving up | C．giving out | D．giving away |
| A．a decision | B．shelter | C．a goal | D．room |
| A．painful | B．sensitive | C．regular | D．simple |
| A．win | B．send | C．bring | D．hold |
| A．companies | B．schools | C．websites | D．hospitals |
| A．responsibility | B．reliability | C．popularity | D．productivity |
| A．as usual | B．for example | C．in fact | D．in return |
| A．discover | B．choose | C．create | D．decorate |
| A．allowed | B．asked | C．persuaded | D．ordered |
| A．play | B．race | C．walk | D．test |
| A．confidence | B．appreciation | C．mercy | D．comfort |
| A．consider | B．value | C．select | D．use |
| A．simply | B．magically | C．certainly | D．suddenly |
| A．drop | B．work | C．reward | D．change |
| A．production | B．puzzle | C．inspection | D．trick |
8 . Sending handwritten letters may have fallen out of fashion, but I’m a great believer in the power of letters. There’s something unique and special about handwritten things. You write a letter not because there’s something you need to know, but there’s something you want to say.
The letter is a powerful and memorable way to touch the ones you care about. When my granny died and I cleared her house, I found hundreds of letters she had kept.
I often think about how that one naughty childhood behavior led to such an enriching communication that stretched on for many years. It encouraged me to write to lots of other people in fact.
| A．That is the point of the letter. |
| B．They told the story of her relationships. |
| C．Receiving a letter is such a lovely surprise. |
| D．It’s also a way to make you more thoughtful. |
| E．And it’s something I keep up with to this day. |
| F．Then we started a communication that went on for years. |
| G．That’s why we would prefer handwritten letters to emails. |
9 . A song called Lonely Warrior (《孤勇者》) is always ringing in my ears. Six years ago, after hosting an annual ceremony for my school, I found that my left leg was a little swollen, and very soon I could barely walk. In fact, the swollen part became a fist-sized meatball that was so painful that I could barely sleep. Of course, I went to a local hospital, where I was given very bleak (不乐观的) news-osteosarcoma, which means bone cancer.
I underwent chemotherapy (化疗) for the next two years, and it was the worst time of my life. Physically, I felt that the side effects of chemotherapy were killing me. I lost all of the hair on my body and I became totally bald. I could barely eat anything, even if felt hungry. I no longer needed an alarm clock to wake up in the morning. Instead, what woke me was my body telling me that I needed to vomit (呕吐).
I had no idea where all this treatment would leave me, and the dreams I had once nursed about the future were entirely wiped out. I wanted to feel the world and experience more, so I stuck to the course of treatment. As time went by, however, I became weaker and weaker. The side effects now were far worse than they had been earlier.
I eventually suggested that the leg be chopped off, and the doctor said that might be the best thing to do, as long as I could cope with the psychological and social pressures afterward. I made my decision very calmly, because I knew things could not be worse than they were at that moment, and I was determined that this was just one more battle I would win.
Now, six years later, I have weathered all these difficulties. I have been so lucky to be able to find the strength to deal with all of this, and what I have to tell anyone still struggling with difficulties is this: have faith in yourself, and do not let bad moments drag you down. Just hang on and you will come through.
1. What can we learn about the side effects of chemotherapy?| A．They made the author suffer a lot. |
| B．They destroyed the author’s faith. |
| C．They were relieved after treatment. |
| D．They were more obvious in the daytime |
| A．Chopping off his leg. |
| B．Turning down the doctor’s advice. |
| C．Giving in to the cancer. |
| D．Seeking psychological assistance. |
| A．resisted | B．survived | C．escaped | D．produced |
| A．A light heart lives long. |
| B．A good medicine tastes bitter. |
| C．Time works wonders. |
| D．One with faith braves any hardship. |
10 . My childhood was a painted picture of sunny sky and rolling green fields stretching to the horizon. It tasted of sharp berries and smelt of sour grapes. My family lived in a cabin(小木屋) in the countryside but I lived in my mother’s arms. They were so delicate but strong, her red hair falling around me like a curtain separating me from the world.
Childhood was simple. The borders of my village were the furthest my troubles went and monsters only lived in the pages of books. Every day was a waking dream of running races and muddy knees. My village was archaic, dying cabins housing dying farmers with dying traditions. There weren’t many children but me and the other boys; boys of butchers and sellers formed our own group.
They called us wild. I suppose we were. Trees and mountains formed our playgrounds and fights broke out as easily as sudden laughter. Liberated from the restrictions of society, we would bound into the woods, deeper and deeper until we found a lake which, with a wild yell, we would jump into all at once.
My most vivid memories from boyhood center around that lake. Water shone brightly and the sounds of our screams broke into the outcry from birds. The shock of cold water against sweating skin would wake every nerve in my body and my bare feet would hit the sinking muddy bottom. As we submerged(淹没)， time would suspend， movements slowing as bubbles rose around us.
I was drowning. I was living. I was living. I was drowning.
For timelessness or a second (both felt the same), we would suspend, curl up, and then be forced back out into breathing air.
We should have known that it wouldn’t last forever. Yet, even under the best circumstances, there’s something so tragic about growing up: to have your perspective on the people and life around you change;to always struggle to reach a mirror only to find yourself tall enough to see your reflection one day. And find, a different person staring back out at you.
1. What does the underlined word “archaic” mean in paragraph 2?| A．Borderless. |
| B．Valueless. |
| C．Old-fashioned. |
| D．Poverty-stricken. |
| A．They played in the woods crazily. |
| B．They tricked others purposefully. |
| C．They frequently broke social rules. |
| D．They firmly refused school education. |
| A．By sharing feelings. |
| B．By expressing ideas. |
| C．By making comparisons. |
| D．By describing characters. |
| A．Loneliness and challenges make a man grow up. |
| B．The regret of growth is that you have never tried. |
| C．Growth is often accompanied by sad goodbyes to the past. |
| D．Growth begins when we begin to accept our own weakness. |
