1 . We know from research that putting pen to paper has many benefits that can support wellness in this time of digital overload. It has been scientifically proven to reduce anxiety, lift your mood and strengthen your immune system.     1     Close your laptop, grab a notebook and pen, open to a blank page, and write down whatever comes to mind.

I’ve been journaling for more than 25 years. When I write by hand, I release feelings and emotions that roll down the tip of the pen and onto the page. Turns out that the art of formatting each letter on the page helps you better keep the information you are recording.     2    

    3     There’s no need to worry about the device I am working on being charged up, or being distracted away from the very thing I am working on with the endless noise of incoming messages, or getting the required signal from the Internet.

One weekend, I sat for over an hour and hand wrote three birthday cards. I found myself lost in the writing space and totally engaged in the hand-lettering design that I created on the envelopes.     4    That was a sharp contrast to the concentration of multitasking. Writing by hand builds your creative muscles, which don’t get stimulated in the same impactful way when you work on a keyboard.

The wise words of Nancy Olson show the benefits of writing by hand: “    5     It transports us to unexpected places, on wings that require only a small amount of ink to keep them high, destination unknown. And in the process, the mindfulness that writing creates encourages calm and creativity.”

A．So why not give writing by hand a try?

B．Perhaps this is the true magic of the pen.

C．It can also help you organize the thoughts.

D．The act of journaling takes many people offline.

E．The power of focus in that moment was charming.

F．Writing spaces, no matter how short, are like a mindfulness.

G．I love the directness of putting pen to paper without being interrupted.

2 . As a kid, I often got nosebleeds. My parents blamed all the fruits I ate that gave me “excessive heat”— especially the mangoes, my favorite. It didn’t stop me from wolfing them down by the dozens.

As I’ve grown older, my fixation on exotic (奇异的) fruit has intensified — the weirder, the better. The disadvantage of being an armchair pomologist (果树栽培学家) in Canada is that most of our fresh fruit is imported. The silver lining is that almost everything in my local stores qualifies as exotic and interesting. Trying a new fruit expands my understanding of the world and enriches my experience within it. “What lasted is what the soul ate,” Jack Gilbert once wrote, “The way a child knows the world by putting part by part into his mouth.” I think of these lines when I prepare to eat a new fruit. Each tasting is a chance to be reunited with my inner child, to be wide-eyed and wordless as I get to know it.

Those tasked with naming these fruits appear to be equally under a spell, producing names as simplistic as they are charming. Cotton candy grapes. Ice cream bean. Dragonfruit.

Most fruits I try only a couple of times, but there’s one I keep returning to: the soursop. At ideal ripeness, the soursop tastes like the ideal tropical fruit. Wait just a day, though, and it smells more like feet than fruit. This rapid rot comforts me, incredibly. Watching a beloved fruit transform from unripe one to sticky flesh feels like witnessing an act of living. The plant sacrifices fruit in hopes of spreading its seed; life was always the point. An approaching expiration date is only encouragement to enjoy these accessible joys as they come. We, too, will soon find our bodies softened and bruised. Will we have let our sweetest days go to waste?

1. Why does the author like exotic fruit?

A．She is a famous pomologist.	B．It helps broaden her horizons.
C．It reminds her of her hometown.	D．She only likes strange-looking fruit.

2. What does the author think of the fruit names in Paragraph 3?

A．Funny.

B．Useful.

C．Appealing.

D．Powerful.

3. What does the author imply in the last paragraph?

A．Never judge a book by its cover.

B．Time and tide wait for no man.

C．An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

D．Where there is a will, there is a way.

4. What’s this text mainly about?

A．Benefits of eating fresh fruit.

B．Memories of the carefree childhood.

C．Explorations of the natural world.

D．Experiences of trying exotic fruit.

3 . A teacher placed three similar models (模型) of a man and a flexible wire (金属线) near them on a table. He then asked his students to examine the models and identify (识别) the one showing the best human nature. The students studied the models for a long time. One of them found that there were holes in the ears and mouth of every model. He introduced the flexible wire into the holes in each ear of the three models. They gave different results.

The wire introduced into either ear of the first model came out through its other ear. The wire that went through either ear of the second model came out through its mouth. The wire introduced into the ears of the third model entered the head but did not come out.

The first model shows an indifferent (漠不关心的) man. He hears much but does not keep anything in his mind. He fails to benefit from the words of others. The second model is of a talkative person who talks without thinking about everything he hears. He does not exercise any limit and so may talk unnecessarily and end in trouble. The third person gathers information from his surroundings but intelligently (聪明地) analyses the data and speaks out only what is essential and true. He will not hurt the feelings of others by his words. He will be acceptable to all.

It is foolish to speak badly of others. If you are sensible, you will keep quiet. Do not use harmful words, but only helpful words, the kind of words that builds up and provides what is needed so that what you say will do good to those who hear you.

1. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The teacher asked the students to find the differences among the three models.

B．The first model is of a person who is talkative and keeps everything in his mind.

C．The second model is of a person who is sensible and exercises every limit.

D．The third model is of a person who is intelligent and won’t hurt others.

2. From the last paragraph, we can learn that________.

A．we can look down upon others	B．we can use some harmful words
C．we should use helpful words	D．we should always keep quiet

3. Which of the following sentences is suitable without hurting others?

A．It’s none of my business.	B．I’m sure black is my favorite.
C．You are saying something stupid.	D．I’m afraid you can do it in another way.

4 . The proverb “Work is worship (热爱，崇拜)” emphasizes the importance of work in our life. It states that doing work must be the real worship of the life of every human being.

Human beings are considered the most important entity (独立存在体) in this universe because we are blessed with brains and intelligence. The brain provides the power to think and understand about different things in the world. We all have some purpose in our lives and doing work helps in achieving the purpose of our lives.

It is very important for all the students to understand the importance of work. This stage is very important in every person’s life. The habit that is developed at this age is continued till death. If the students learn to work in this stage they continue the same in future too. For the students, real worship is not the worshiping of god but doing their studies in a sincere way. They need to do regular studies with proper concentration every day.

The students who are attentive and do their work sincerely are rewarded with good marks while the lazy students who avoid doing their work suffer later in their lives. This is because there is no substitute (代替) for hard work. Hard working students grow up to became good citizens of society and the nation in future. Work teaches the students to be disciplined in their life.

Every day we hear of new inventions and achievements made by the people in the world. It could not be possible if the people would not have done their work sincerely. Our history is shining bright because of the great deeds of some great personalities. This is also because of the people who considered their work as worship and performed it honestly. Such people never ran away from doing work. They would not be able to make their names shine in history without hard work. Thus, it can be stated that every success has a big struggle and dedication behind it. People who worship their work can achieve great heights in their life.

“Work is worship.” is a popular quote to make people understand the importance of work in everyone’s life. The one who understands the importance of the work does it properly without thinking of the fruit. The fruit will surely be sweet if the effort is honest.

1. What makes us human beings outstanding in the universe?

A．The importance of work.	B．The blessing of God.
C．The purpose of life.	D．The power of brain.

2. Why does the author emphasize the importance of work to students?

A．Work prepares them for the future.

B．Work makes them more intelligent.

C．Work offers them more substitutes.

D．Work qualifies them for teaching jobs.

3. Why does the author talk about inventions in Paragraph 5?

A．To make them known to the world.

B．To honor those great personalities.

C．To use them as supporting evidence.

D．To call on students to invent things.

4. What is the author’s real purpose of writing the text?

A．To explain the quote “Work is worship”.

B．To encourage people to be hardworking.

C．To teach students to be disciplined it their life.

D．To analyse the reasons for those great successes.

5 . When you need to find a solution to a design problem, you could ask yourself, “What animals or plants face a similar problem in their lives, and how do they handle it?”    1     Termites (白蚁) in Africa control the temperature and air currents in their nests by having thick walls and air spaces in the top part. The Eastgate Centre in Harare, Zimbabwe was designed in a similar way, with thick overhangs shading the windows, and all the offices connected to a big chimney letting hot air escape. This allows it to stay cool while using much less air-conditioning.    2    

Engineer Nakatsu also asked himself the same question.    3     A keen birdwatcher, Nakatsu realised that kingfishers also experience an abrupt pressure change when diving into the water, but their beaks allow them to pierce through the water smoothly. His team found that putting a long, pointed nose on the train greatly reduced the loud booms in the tunnel and allowed it to run faster.

Having a big picture of the world we live in also helps us understand how technology can be used to protect instead of destroy it.    4     On the other hand, plastic packaging creates a lot of waste and pollution. One company has come up with an alternative material made of com husk waste and some big companies are starting to use it.

    5     Nakatsu worries that children today do not have the opportunity to touch and feel nature. He advises that students in university should study more than one narrow field so that they do not just have one fixed way of thinking.

A．In nature, everything gets recycled.

B．To mimic (模仿) nature, we must be familiar with it.

C．It turns out that natural beauty often has a logical reason behind it.

D．Large cities full of people are often compared to ants’ colonies (群).

E．This idea was used to arrange hundreds of mirrors at a solar power plant.

F．It could be a good solution for the hot and crowded cities in Southeast Asia too.

G．His problem was that the pressure from a bullet train rushing into a tunnel at high speed caused loud noises.

6 . Eating, probably one of the most-important parts of the day and probably one of things that change most when moving to another country. In Oaxaca, Mexico, adapting to eating patterns can take a while.

The first few months of living here I enjoyed eating Mexican food. I quickly learnt that big lunches and small dinners were the Mexican way and I kinda liked it. It made sense. As the months wore on I desired cooking and with it I desired the ingredients I knew and loved.

Oaxaca is known for its fantastic food and the food really is mind-blowing, but the problem for me was variety. I am from London, a city where you can eat food from a different country every day of the week, I was spoilt when it came to choice. I began to instruct friends and family who visited to bring Thai curry paste, sweet chili sauce, Indian curry sauces and gravy to make the perfect English Roast dinner.

For quite a while Oaxacan food lost its charm and the thought of cooking Mexican food was just too annoying. I would start to think about dinner at 5 just as my local market was shut and I would realize I had no ingredients and no means of getting any unless I took a long journey to the supermarket. It sounds like a strange thing to pet concerned about but I really think it was one of the biggest changes that I faced moving to Oaxaca.

However, just as I hit the two-year mark, things changed. I guess somehow I stopped fighting things and I began to adapt to the Oaxaca market food way of life. I shopped regularly for the freshest ingredients. I knew what was in season and I cooked accordingly. I started to realize just how super lucky I was to be able to eat fresh, locally sourced, seasonable food on my own doorstep. What started as culture shock turned into an improved way of living!

1. What did the author think of Mexican food for the first few months?

A．Boring.

B．Amazing.

C．Spicy.

D．Simple.

2. Why Did the author ask her friends and family to bring her food?

A．She wanted to save money.	B．She couldn’t afford Mexican food.
C．She was spoilt by her family.	D．She wanted to eat various foods.

3. What do we know about the author in paragraph 4?

A．She preferred shopping in the supermarket.

B．She was concerned about strange things.

C．Everyday cooking disturbed her quit a lot.

D．Food held little appeal for her.

4. What does the story tell us?

A．If you can’t beat them, join them.

B．Where there is a will there is a way.

C．Food brings people together on many different levels.

D．It is never too late to learn.

7 . 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。

It was early morning, yet already it had been a very bad day. One thing after another, the downward spiral (螺旋) continued when a large bottle of orange juice slid from my hands and fell to the floor. Glass and sticky juice splashed to the farthest corners of the kitchen. Shocked, I looked at the mess. Then I dropped heartbrokenly down to the floor, my eyes filling with tears. The tears seemed to show that “today is just not my day.”

Bad day or not, things had to be done. Filled with anxiety and negative mental baggage, I got in my car to drive into town. In the few minutes it took to travel to the bank I made a decision. I would be careful not to pass my bad day off to anyone else. I would be friendly and polite. And I would NOT be angry when that careless driver pulled quickly and rudely in front of me causing me to brake suddenly.

Standing in line at the bank, I was silently talking to myself. Actually, I was scolding myself. All of the events that had accumulated and contributed to my bad day were, in reality, so very minor and trivial. I was over-reacting. I was filled with self-pity. I tried to imagine the innumerable, individual lives that had been affected by terrorist attacks, by war, by hurricanes, earthquakes, and other natural disasters.

For the second time that day my eyes filled with tears as I realized how disconnected I felt from all those individuals who are trying to cope with truly miserable experiences in their lives.

They all seemed so distant and unknowable, and this justified and strengthened my belief that I was being self-centered and selfish. I was sure that all my efforts to be a caring and loving person were in vain.

A voice broke through my mental distractions. Somehow I had mechanically finished my bank transaction (交易) and the teller was trying to get my attention. “Young lady,” she was saying, gently, “Young lady!”

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 looked up and into the eyes of the bank teller, a silver-haired grandmother with a gentle beauty.

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In the moment of her touching my hands, my self-doubt disappeared.

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8 . 假如你是李华，寒假期间你到外婆家探望，游览了附近的一个不知名的小古镇，古镇虽小却给你留下了深刻印象。这里山清水秀，风景优美，民风淳朴，你迫不及待想给同学们分享。请你就此写一篇题为My Winter Vacation的短文，记录下你的游览经历。
内容包括：
1.古镇情况
2.游览经历
3.个人感受
注意：1.文章要求词数为80左右；
2.文章题目已为你写好。

My Winter Vacation

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9 . Why You Should Stop Complaining

When living out our daily lives, it’s often easy to blame the world for our problems.     1     But the biggest difference is simply our reactions to them. Here are three reasons why you should change your reaction to a situation and stop complaining.

The world owes you nothing.

The world really does have nothing to do with you or anyone else. The planet will continue to exist without you on it.     2     However, it really isn’t the case once we’re an adult. The world doesn’t provide us with the same blanket of comfort as our carers once did, which only means one thing: It’s up to us to provide that blanket for ourselves and no one else.

    3    

If you look back at your own life, you’ll begin to realize that everything you have ever done was all a result of the decisions you’ve made sure there may have been people around you who have convinced you to do something. But it all ultimately depends on your decisions.     4     Your life is just like a blank canvas, and you are the painter. Start to think about what your hopes and dreams might be and remind yourself daily that it’s all up to you to make things happen.

You can’t be a leader if you behave like a victim.

It’s really easy to put blame on things that are external to you.     5     So what can you change? Being a leader in your life takes courage and requires the willingness to face your fears, experience failure, and take complete personal responsibility of everything that happens to you.

A．What are you worrying about?

B．So who’s really to blame?

C．You are in charge of your own life.

D．You are helped by people around you.

E．We were nurtured and looked after as kids.

F．It’s true that there are things in the world we can’t control.

G．As it avoids personal responsibility and allows you to refuse the possibility that you may have things that can be changed.

10 . I used to be the most determined resolution-maker. Every January 1st, I would dutifully sit down and write out my resolutions for the upcoming year. I always ________ big goals, like: In the new year, I will lose 50 pounds! And run a marathon! Oh, and be the best parent ever who never ________ my children!

The problem? I never accomplished those resolutions. I’d start out strong, but by February or March, I’d be out of willpower and I’d ________ quietly back into my old habits. Every winter, I’d feel ________ and ashamed, looking back at all of the amazing things…I didn’t do.

Two years ago, I started experiencing severe stomach pain. The doctors ________ a surgery to go in and ________ it out. But ________ I could have the surgery, I found a lump(肿块) and was diagnosed with breast cancer. I started treatment for the breast cancer only to ________ that the stomach pain was from appendix(阑尾) cancer. That’s ________: two different cancers, with two different treatment plans, at the same time, in the same body. It was a lot to ________, and I won’t lie – the next year was incredibly difficult.

The experience completely changed my perspective on my life— especially about what I consider “success” and “failure.” Before, I always felt like I was ________ somewhere, but now ________ being alive and with my family felt like a huge success.

I understand the ________ of having a new beginning, but I learned that you can take the opportunity to start over at any time. January 1st is just a day, and it’s not ________. You can make the day you decide to be a better person a special day, regardless of what the ________ says.

1.

A．achieved

B．picked

C．compared

D．missed

2.

A．shouted at

B．argued with

C．laughed at

D．bargained with

3.

A．settle

B．drop

C．circle

D．slide

4.

A．confused

B．annoyed

C．guilty

D．anxious

5.

A．performed

B．scheduled

C．completed

D．invented

6.

A．make

B．bring

C．figure

D．point

7.

A．since

B．though

C．until

D．before

8.

A．discover

B．imagine

C．remember

D．realize

9.

A．right

B．enough

C．possible

D．funny

10.

A．take up

B．learn from

C．find out

D．deal with

11.

A．leaving

B．belonging

C．failing

D．struggling

12.

A．honestly

B．equally

C．happily

D．simply

13.

A．appeal

B．necessity

C．motivation

D．difficulty

14.

A．important

B．magical

C．special

D．valuable

15.

A．computer

B．calendar

C．document

D．brochure