Once upon a time, there lived a young boy named Ethan in a small village. With a passion for music, Ethan was enthusiastic about playing the guitar. Every day after school, he would rush home, grab his guitar, and lose himself in the melodies (乐曲) he created.
One summer, the village was hosting a talent show, and Ethan decided to participate. However, doubts started to flood into his mind. He began comparing himself to other talented musicians and questioning his abilities. The fear of failure began to consume him.
But Ethan’s grandfather, who had always been his biggest supporter, noticed his grandson’s inner struggle. He sat down with Ethan and shared a story from his own youth.
“When I was your age, I had a dream of becoming a painter. But I was filled with self-doubt, just like you are now. I decided to seek guidance from a wise old artist in a nearby town.
The old artist listened to my worries and offered me a challenge. He asked me to paint a picture on a large canvas in front of a crowd. Overwhelmed by the challenge, I hesitated.
The wise artist smiled and told me not to focus on what others might think. He asked me to paint from my heart and pour my soul into every stroke. The beauty lies not in perfection, but in the authenticity (真实性) of one’s creation.
Encouraged by these words, I accepted the challenge. I painted with passion, letting my emotions guide my brush. Finally, a beautiful masterpiece appeared on the canvas.”
Finishing the story, Ethan’s grandfather said, “That day, I realized that success is not defined by how perfect we are or how we compare to others. It’s about embracing our unique talents, taking risks, and expressing ourselves with passion and authenticity.”
注意: 1. 续写词数应为150个左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Inspired by his grandfather’s story, Ethan decided to give the talent show his all.
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Ethan didn’t pay much attention to the surroundings until he heard the applause at the end of his performance.
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2 . During the 2020-2021 school year, due to a special event, I was one of two fully remote fourth-grade teachers in my school. We each taught the required disciplines: English language arts, math, social studies, and science. Given the reduced distribution time on camera with students, the flexibility of focusing on additional topics was almost impossible. Yet, while I was virtually teaching a life sciences unit, a “teachable moment” on news literacy came up.
The skill being taught was supposed to be to compare and contrast, a requirement in fiction and nonfiction texts — a lesson that all literacy educators are familiar with and have tools in their toolboxes to address. My students were intrigued by a sidebar (侧边栏) that said the crabs have a plant-based diet, eating such items as leaves, fruits, and flowers. One of the kids — an experienced social media user — then said something wild: crabs eat their babies.
They all perked up (活跃起来). Suddenly it seemed everyone was interested in the lesson. I hadn’t planned on teaching news literacy skills, but it became clear that we needed to take that detour (绕道而行). It was almost time for a break, so I asked my students to see if they could figure out what red crabs eat.
When we returned, we started a list of what we’d found. The first few students said it was true: red crabs do eat their babies. One especially thoughtful student found a video with over 600,000 views that seemed to corroborate the notion that crabs eat their babies. During the break, however, I found a website disagreeing with the exact video my student had shared. Like so much misinformation, there was some truth to the video, but it was highly misleading.
Rather than teach another lesson on comparing and contrasting, I engaged my students in a discussion about sourcing and how to know what to trust. We focused on famous news organizations and how to spot signs of bias. We engaged in “lateral reading”: a method of going to other sites to learn about those sources that we weren’t sure about.
1. How did the special event have an effect on the author’s teaching?A.He was the only one to teach disciplines online in the school. |
B.The length of an online course was reduced. |
C.He was not allowed to talk about additional topics. |
D.The disciplines he taught became fewer. |
A.Interesting and open. | B.Relaxing and noisy. |
C.Serious and quiet. | D.Lively and competitive. |
A.Oppose. | B.Doubt. | C.Ignore. | D.Prove. |
A.The ability to compare and contrast is valuable. |
B.A teacher should be knowledgeable enough to answer questions from students. |
C.Gather more information when we have no idea of what to trust. |
D.Critical thinking and the courage to question are key to finding the truth. |
3 . In the campus bookstore, I shop for the items on Morrie’s reading list. I purchase books that I never knew existed, titles such as Youth: Identity and Crisis, I and Thou, The Divided Self.
Before college I did not know the study of human relations could be considered scholarly. Until I met Morrie, I did not believe it.
But his passion for books is real and contagious. We begin to talk seriously sometimes, after class when the room has emptied. He asks me questions about my life, then quotes lines from Erich Fromm. Martin Buber, Erik Erikson. Often he defers to their words, footnoting his own advice, even though he obviously thought the same things himself. It is at these times that I realize he is indeed a professor, not an uncle. One afternoon, I am complaining about the confusion of my age, what is expected of me versus what I want for myself.
“Have I told you about the tension of opposites?” he says.
The tension of opposites?
“Life is a series of pulls back and forth. You want to do one thing, but you are bound to do something else. Something hurts you, yet you know it shouldn’t. You take certain things for granted, even when you know you should never take anything for granted.”
“A tension of opposites, like a pull on a rubber band. And most of us live somewhere in the middle.”
“Sounds like a wrestling match,” I say.
“A wrestling match.” He laughs. “Yes, you could describe life that way.”
“So which side wins,” I ask?
“Which side wins?”
He smiles at me, the crinkled eyes, the crooked teeth.
“Love wins. Love always wins.”
1. Which of the following is the relationship between the author and Morrie?A.Uncle and nephew. | B.Teacher and student. |
C.Friends. | D.Classmates. |
A.The author’s college time is amazing. |
B.We should love everyone in life. |
C.Morrie is a senior full of wisdom. |
D.There is always surprise in the campus bookstore. |
A.To express that Morrie is unreliable. |
B.To show the confidence and pride of Morrie. |
C.To show how funny the author’s question is. |
D.To contrast with the author’s disappointment. |
A.Two forces in life limit our development. |
B.We need to take anything for granted if we want to go on. |
C.We are sandwiched between two forces in our lives. |
D.Sincere and loving heart can heal the life. |
4 . Even when you have confidence in yourself, your goals will sometimes seem out of reach. When that happens, get hold of the people who
When I was younger, I
Early in my
Even now, I
A.refer to | B.depend on | C.learn from | D.believe in |
A.quit | B.struggled | C.regretted | D.argued |
A.responsibilities | B.dreams | C.opportunities | D.doubts |
A.stopped | B.admitted | C.allowed | D.considered |
A.tracked | B.recommended | C.accompanied | D.encouraged |
A.serious | B.possible | C.hard | D.necessary |
A.request | B.unwillingness | C.inability | D.attempt |
A.difficulties | B.options | C.aims | D.standards |
A.career | B.experiment | C.business | D.recovery |
A.foolishly | B.simply | C.wisely | D.bravely |
A.original | B.familiar | C.typical | D.positive |
A.looking into | B.taking down | C.dealing with | D.pointing out |
A.introduce | B.remind | C.guarantee | D.warn |
A.experience | B.describe | C.compare | D.limit |
A.probably | B.fortunately | C.obviously | D.importantly |
5 . Shortly before he turned 60, Mark Fuhrmann realized what he wanted. He, now, at 65, has just returned from a second voyage. His 6,835 mile-round trip from Nova Scotia took in the great lakes of the US, the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic.
Fuhrmann started these journeys “to kickstart retirement” from the maritime PR business he ran in Oslo for the past 30 years. Before he set off, in June last year, he swapped (交换) his house for a flat, and greatly reduced his possessions. “It was good to get rid of all of those things and say: ‘This isn’t a phase; this is a new season,’” he says.
Amazingly, he didn’t plan his trip, beyond committing to fundraise for Medecins Sans Frontières. “I thought: ‘I’ll try to do 40km each day.’ But I never knew where I was going to lay down my head.”
The challenges were psychological, physical, and sometimes life-threatening. In Florida, he was chased by an alligator (短吻鳄), but narrowly escaped from it. In the Boston area, he saw “a black fin moving towards me like a snake”. He lay his oar (划桨) across his lap and waited. “If a great white shark can swim leisurely, that’s exactly what it did. It just passed me,” he says. Ten minutes later, Fuhrmann pulled his kayak (小艇) into a cove, where he ran into a man who invited him into his home for coffee and apple pie. His whole trip was filled with these switchbacks and moments of connection with strangers, which Fuhrmann experienced as “a call to authenticity”.
What does he mean? “Nature is born within us. If you avoid that, you avoid experiencing something that is vital to who you are as a person. I want real things — life isn’t about having more. I think we need to accept where we are at this stage of life, at 60 or 65.”
“I look at retirement as a season,” he says. He started his latest voyage because “I wanted to have a better understanding of who I was. I wanted to have time for my thoughts to wander, to restart, to discover the value and power within myself.”
1. Why did Fuhrmann get rid of most of his possessions?A.To make donations to charity. | B.To start a new life in retirement. |
C.To make up for his business loss. | D.To collect money for the journey. |
A.Blessings. | B.Ambitions. | C.Defeats. | D.Challenges. |
A.The meaning of life is achieving more. |
B.Old people should take things as they are. |
C.It is good to have nature-based experience. |
D.It is advisable for aging people to play safe. |
A.To reflect on his past. | B.To discover his true self. |
C.To relax his mind and body. | D.To be free from the noisy world. |
I could hear one of my classmates expressing her impatience with my slow crawl up the ladder (梯子),“If she’s afraid of heights, why would she sign up for a Bungee Jumping (蹦极) class?” My friend was at the top of the ladder, trying to cheer me up. How did I wind up on a ladder hanging above the Hudson River?
It was my friend who invited me to the Bungee Jumping class. At first, I was doubtful, but her enthusiasm and guarantees of strict safety procedures won me over.
I had been fearful of heights since primary school. Avoiding my fear of heights became second nature. I tried not to look down at balconies or staircases. I avoided traveling by plane as much as possible. I declined invitations from friends to join them on roller coasters (过山车).
But here I was, at age twenty-six, facing my fear of heights in a rather extreme way. I had come around to the idea of trying Bungee Jumping. I figured it wasn’t much different from swinging on the monkey bars as a kid. The one obstacle I didn’t expect was the ladder. In order to reach the Bungee Jumping, I had to climb up a twenty-two-foot ladder.
My friend’s distraction techniques helped to take my mind off my dangerous task. I found a rhythm and kept going. With a slow and steady (稳定的) pace, I made it to the top.
An instructor tied me to a safety belt and told me to step to the edge of the platform. I held the Bungee Jumping bar with sweaty hands, surprised that it was too thick to fix my hand around. Instead of a firm grasp, my hands were in a weak, bear-claw position.
The cheers from my classmates rang out below. An instructor reminded me of the safety rules, including the net below that would catch me at the bottom. He reminded me to listen to the directions while in the air, so I could perform well.
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。
I stood face to face with my fear of heights.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________My second round of Bungee Jumping went a bit more smoothly.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________7 . In present times, stress is one of the major causes of mental illness and physical illness. Stress is no
You get stressed because you
Most of us would take the easy
If you did your task or carried your
A.loser | B.stranger | C.holder | D.founder |
A.even | B.ever | C.rather | D.seldom |
A.make fun of | B.be fond of | C.take care of | D.get rid of |
A.refuse | B.admit | C.recognize | D.choose |
A.believe | B.guess | C.regard | D.decide |
A.naturally | B.specially | C.deliberately | D.occasionally |
A.easy | B.hard | C.rough | D.main |
A.row | B.avenue | C.route | D.street |
A.although | B.because | C.so | D.whether |
A.selfish | B.lazy | C.mean | D.clever |
A.honesty | B.mercy | C.virtue | D.faith |
A.difficulty | B.challenge | C.timetable | D.deadline |
A.weight | B.responsibility | C.plan | D.backpack |
A.takes | B.costs | C.spends | D.pays |
A.advanced | B.developed | C.learned | D.dated |
8 . The email hit me like a punch in the gut. It came from my
But despite my
But then, I surprised myself by quickly
Sometimes life sucks and things happen, and we cannot
A.housekeeper | B.parents | C.editor | D.customers |
A.desperately | B.unfortunately | C.hopefully | D.thankfully |
A.initial | B.endless | C.various | D.regular |
A.moved | B.committed | C.disturbed | D.thrilled |
A.laid off | B.approved of | C.seen through | D.looked into |
A.remarkably | B.ambitiously | C.identically | D.negatively |
A.promotion | B.threat | C.column | D.application |
A.boundary | B.failure | C.tendency | D.distance |
A.switching | B.objecting | C.adding | D.comparing |
A.self-defense | B.self-respect | C.self-doubt | D.self-approval |
A.suggestion | B.perspective | C.assistance | D.breath |
A.commanded | B.allowed | C.warned | D.inspired |
A.discover | B.track | C.forget | D.control |
A.routine | B.dream | C.reflection | D.principle |
A.goner | B.victim | C.delay | D.rank |
9 . Suri was a sweet boy and he was fond of elephants. However, he never had a(n)
As they
After spending two to three
In
A.idea | B.chance | C.choice |
A.Suddenly | B.Specially | C.Luckily |
A.touch | B.see | C.catch |
A.passed by | B.left for | C.lived in |
A.bored | B.moved | C.excited |
A.minutes | B.hours | C.days |
A.thin | B.strong | C.heavy |
A.when | B.how | C.why |
A.but | B.so | C.or |
A.his | B.their | C.our |
10 . We all have friends who make us frown when they walk in. We know that within five minutes they will have us completely depressed, and we feel that there is nothing we can do about it. Their lives are desperate, sad, tragic, bored or whatever, and if you have a sympathetic ear, you listen and they are likely to keep coming back to tell you more. Do you know why? It makes them feel better. But you just want to jump out the nearest window, and they leave whistling and smelling the roses.
If you are surrounded by people like this, it may be impossible to get them out of your life because they’re your biggest customer, a relative or your business partner. But whatever else you do, you really do need to draw a line in the sand. If more of the people you mix with are negative than positive, you have a problem, which will only get worse over time and keep you trapped in the cycle of feeling overwhelmed.
I made a very conscious decision a number of years ago about the type of people I would have in my life. I want to be surrounded by energetic, enthusiastic and positive people who are getting on with their lives. I don’t care what they do for a living, how much money they have or who they know. All I care about is their zest for life. These people inspire and motivate me to be the best person I can be; they are supportive of any decision or change that will help me to achieve this goal. If I fail, they are the first people to support me and say at least I gave it a go.
If I listened to the negative people, I wouldn’t do anything, because life is clearly so messed up that there is nothing I can possibly do that would make it any better. There is no malicious intention in these people, and it’s just a reflection of where they are in life at the time. And that is sad, but we all need to decide if we want to be equally sad. I made the decision not to and that was that.
I suggest keeping such people at arm’s length. Some of them won’t like you for it. Be prepared for some bad results, but try it because the pay-off is big. And developing a proper way will make it easier.
1. What is the function of the first paragraph?A.To explain the reason. | B.To introduce the topic. |
C.To criticize the behavior. | D.To analyze the phenomenon. |
A.The identity of a person matters when we choose who to mix with. |
B.We must stay away from a negative person even if he is our customer. |
C.Being negative is a reflection of the state of life negative people are in. |
D.The more negative people we stay with, the less overwhelmed we will be. |
A.Doubt. | B.Control. | C.Expectation. | D.Enthusiasm. |
A.How to define the pay-off. | B.How to ignore the bad results. |
C.How to say no to a friend you dislike. | D.How to keep a distance from negative people. |