1 . Animals help lift my spirits in the darkest of times.

“You should get a cat,” my therapist (治疗师) said. “A cat?” I couldn’t even look after myself. I took a deep _________ and carefully considered the idea of _________ a pet friend into my life.

When Elaine came home, it became increasingly _________ that she didn’t understand “no”, “stop it” or “don’t do that”. I was beginning to _________ my therapist’s advice.

Elaine used my bed as a litter box, and after visiting a vet (兽医), she concluded that she just wanted my _________. She fought tooth and nail to get a(n) _________ of my meals. She’d _________ lick (舔) sharp knives when left unattended and eat anything that fell on the _________.

She stole my heart with her bravery and kept me busier.

I decided to start taking Elaine for _________, I could hardly leave the house before, but my heart couldn’t say __________ to her. Elaine showed me what __________ looked like. She didn’t stop to __________ the possible outcome of a situation; she __________ went for it. If there was a dog nearby, she would run toward __________. She jumped without knowing where she would __________.

And following her journey of adventures every day, I got the same __________ as she created.

Elaine __________ after a medical accident, leaving a cat-sized hole in my heart. I’m no stranger to __________, but that was one of my most confusing emotional experiences.

Our time is often cut unpredictably, unmistakably __________. Elaine was supposed to help me through more of my life. She no longer wakes me up at 5 am __________ for breakfast, but she’s still the reason I get up every morning.

1.

A．look

B．rest

C．chance

D．breath

2.

A．welcoming

B．carrying

C．purchasing

D．dragging

3.

A．cute

B．interesting

C．obvious

D．vivid

4.

A．follow

B．doubt

C．like

D．seek

5.

A．training

B．food

C．attention

D．punishment

6.

A．reward

B．bite

C．prediction

D．advice

7.

A．fearlessly

B．calmly

C．rarely

D．carelessly

8.

A．bowl

B．meal

C．bed

D．floor

9.

A．walks

B．cares

C．granted

D．example

10.

A．goodbye

B．no

C．hello

D．thanks

11.

A．decision

B．bravery

C．interest

D．mystery

12.

A．find

B．predict

C．consider

D．accept

13.

A．rapidly

B．partly

C．naturally

D．simply

14.

A．it

B．me

C．the cat-house

D．the vet

15.

A．appear

B．land

C．locate

D．play

16.

A．prides

B．problems

C．joys

D．worries

17.

A．got injured

B．passed away

C．got recovered

D．fell ill

18.

A．tiredness

B．boredom

C．terror

D．sadness

19.

A．short

B．magic

C．permanent

D．remote

20.

A．waiting

B．paying

C．begging

D．applying

2 . 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。

Once upon a time, there lived a young man who was always worrying about things, and could never be truly happy with his life. Once one problem went away, he found another.

One day, he told his friend his problems. His friend said, “There is a wise man whom you can visit. Perhaps he’ll have answers to all your problems. ”

So the young man hurried to the place where the wise man was staying. After waiting for a while, he was invited to talk to him. “I’m unhappy all the time, ” he told the wise man. “I have problems at home, problems with work and problems with my health. Please show me how I can deal with all my problems and live a happy life. ”

The wise man smiled and said, “Young man, I’ll tell you how to solve your problems tomorrow morning. But first, can you offer me some help?” The young man was surprised, but he said that he could. “I’ve brought a hundred camels with me, ” said the wise man, “I’d like you to take care of them tonight. When each of them sits down, you can go to sleep!”

Then the wise man went away, leaving the confused young man to go and look after the camels. All night, the young man tried to get all the camels to sit down. But there were always some that were standing up.

Early the next morning, he found the wise man sitting outside his tent, drinking tea. “Young man, did you sleep last night?” the wise man asked.

“I didn’t sleep at all, ” the young man replied, with a yawn (打哈欠). “I tried and tried, but I couldn’t get all the camels to sit down at the same time. As soon as one group sat down, another stood up. ”

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。

“If I’m right, ” the wise man smiled and said, “this is what happened last night.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“So, ” said the wise man, “what you need to understand is that our problems are just like the camels.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3 . Maria stared thoughtfully at the tree fort. It was the first thing her grandpa had built for her. She had been little — it was_________ her younger brothers had been born. Of all her brothers, Maria felt that she was most like her grandpa. Grandpa had been a carpenter. Maria had always loved visiting him in his workshop. Only she had been_________ because she was the oldest. He could do anything with his own two hands, she thought_________.

Recently, Maria had decided that she was going to build a tree swing. Now she was standing_________ the tree, with her rope, seat, and tools, thinking about the best way to_________ the swing. She could throw the ropes_________ the branch. But then how could she tie the knot? She would probably need to_________ a ladder.

“Hey, what’re you doing?” called a voice from a little distance away. Maria_________ and saw her little brother Ricardo ran up to her. “None of your business,” she_________. Then, thinking better of it, she said, “__________ a swing.” “Really? Can I help?” Ricardo asked. Maria thought it over — it would be__________ to have some help. But she was the__________ in the family now, so she would have to solve her own problems.

“No,” Maria said. “I don’t need any help.” Suddenly, her other brother, Emil, came running towards them. “Hey, what’re you guys doing?” “We’re building a swing,” Ricardo said. “No, we’re not,” Maria said. “I am!” “Can I help? “Emil asked. “No!” Maria was turning red. “This is my__________. Not yours. You__________ even knew Grandpa.” She ran into the house, leaving Ricardo, Emil, and her__________ beneath the tree.

“What’s wrong, Maria?” Grandma asked. “Ricardo and Emil are bothering me,” Maria explained the__________. “They’re just trying to help. And how are you going to do it all by yourself?” “Grandpa didn’t need anyone’s help,” Maria said. “Who do you think helped him cut the boards for your tree fort?”

Grandma asked. Maria was__________. “But I don’t remember...” “Maria, Grandpa was a great carpenter, but even great carpenters need help sometimes. __________ he needed a second pair of hands, he’d ask me to help.” Grandma glanced out the window. “And it looked like you need help, too.” Maria hurried outside.

Ricardo and Emil were__________ the ladder in the yard, waving at Maria. Smiling, she began to wonder if she might not be the only one to__________ Grandpa.

1.

A．when

B．until

C．before

D．after

2.

A．forced

B．inspired

C．persuaded

D．allowed

3.

A．slowly

B．proudly

C．clearly

D．anxiously

4.

A．in

B．on

C．around

D．under

5.

A．use

B．hang

C．provide

D．hold

6.

A．over

B．by

C．into

D．down

7.

A．take

B．fetch

C．buy

D．create

8.

A．turned

B．fell

C．nodded

D．waved

9.

A．cheered

B．replied

C．warned

D．complained

10.

A．Repairing

B．Moving

C．Checking

D．Making

11.

A．annoying

B．surprising

C．nice

D．hard

12.

A．explorer

B．supporter

C．owner

D．builder

13.

A．career

B．research

C．project

D．discovery

14.

A．barely

B．surely

C．precisely

D．possibly

15.

A．collections

B．machines

C．experiments

D．materials

16.

A．action

B．procedure

C．situation

D．schedule

17.

A．confused

B．ashamed

C．disappointed

D．nervous

18.

A．Wherever

B．Whenever

C．Unless

D．While

19.

A．carrying

B．catching

C．rolling

D．climbing

20.

A．take on

B．take in

C．take after

D．take to

4 . I’ve had some pretty serious issues with some people in my community recently. As a result. I stopped away from them and did my best to _______ them. But the emotions that I felt from those events continued to _______ me and it began destroying the relationships in other parts of my life. I ended up making the _______ with people I really cared about.

Yesterday, I was _______ to attend a conference of community because of a major work event. 1 was _______ about this event for days and it was pretty _______ when I first saw the people I _______ with at the conference.

_______ all of this, the strangest yet most _______ thing happened to me: there were no ________ or drama with anyone. Some of the people didn’t even know who I was and it was ________ that a lot of people have moved on from the events. There wasn’t anything to worry about anymore. No one was holding ________ against me. I looked at them during the ________ and apologized in my head and ________ them. After doing this, I felt ________ in myself.

Through my recent practice in compassion, I ________ that when you forgive others, you ________yourself as well. This important ________ on forgiveness helps me to ________ things from a bigger view. I know people still ________ me during that time. I wish them the best life that they can have. And then, I move on.

1.

A．understand

B．comfort

C．forget

D．entertain

2.

A．disturb

B．frighten

C．inspire

D．amaze

3.

A．competition

B．break

C．decision

D．difference

4.

A．promised

B．allowed

C．persuaded

D．forced

5.

A．anxious

B．crazy

C．happy

D．sorry

6.

A．exciting

B．depressing

C．confusing

D．embarrassing

7.

A．quarreled

B．competed

C．chatted

D．combined

8.

A．Because of

B．In favor of

C．In spite of

D．In case of

9.

A．incredible

B．wonderful

C．important

D．popular

10.

A．instructions

B．double

C．bargains

D．argument

11.

A．necessary

B．impossible

C．clear

D．strange

12.

A．sorrow

B．surprise

C．anger

D．silence

13.

A．convenience

B．conference

C．performance

D．experiments

14.

A．forgave

B．complained

C．recalled

D．reminded

15.

A．pride

B．peace

C．gratitude

D．sympathy

16.

A．realize

B．suggest

C．insist

D．explain

17.

A．risk

B．free

C．ignore

D．believe

18.

A．shift

B．experience

C．lesson

D．lecture

19.

A．serve

B．gain

C．pay

D．see

20.

A．cheered for

B．cared about

C．depended on

D．looked after

5 . 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。

Rick, a ten-year-old boy, was constantly angry at everything around him. He always fought in school with the other kids. Once he had an outburst in school. Upset by something a classmate said to him, he pushed the boy, and a fight happened. When the teacher stepped in to break it up, Rick went crazy, throwing papers and books around the classroom and rushing out. His teachers couldn’t say anything that would comfort the kid. And the parents of his schoolmates were getting concerned. Rick was earning quite the reputation. After talking with school officials, Rick’s mom tried everything she could to calm Rick down.

She tried different methods until one day she came home with a canvas (画布) and paint. “What’s this?”, Rick asked. Rick’s mom handed over the painting equipment and said, “Whenever you feel angry, paint whatever you’re angry about instead of bursting out.” Rick wasn’t that happy about it but he gave it a try anyway. Over the next few weeks, the young boy created several artworks. They mostly showed disturbing images though. So his mom took all of the paintings and called Rick over so that they could talk about them. “Tell me, Rick. What are these paintings about?”

“Well, the first painting is about how some of the kids show off their new clothes and pencil cases. The next painting is about my teacher who keeps telling me about how I’m doing things wrong. And the last painting is about how one of my schoolmate’s father suggested that I change my attitude. All of them make me so angry.” Rick’s mom, in a calm voice, took Rick by her side and told him: “Don’t you see it, Rick?” “See what?” Rick asked. “You’re so angry at all of these things but not once did you try to understand why you’re getting so angry. What have all these people done to you, really?”

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。

Rick was lost in thought.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Rick knew it was time to change.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6 . I’ve been keeping an honesty journal for the past several months. The day I started the journal, my 6-year-old daughter asked me if the cat really went to sleep last year, and if that actually meant that I had killed him. I sighed, wondering if I should wait to start this honesty project until she was grown-up. But I braved it and told her that I had made the choice for him to die, because he was suffering and I wanted him to be at peace. She lost interest about halfway through my explanation.

It struck me that the choice to lie or be honest was often a choice between two equally undesirable things. Telling my daughter the truth did not make me happier, but lying wouldn’t have either.

Over all, I found that I struggled more with the small instances of honesty, rather than the big. So, when a client accidentally paid me twice for a project, there was no internal debate. It was $1,000, so obviously, I notified the client. But when the McDonald’s drive-through cashier gave me an extra dollar in change and the line had been so long and my kids were acting crazy in the back seat... it was a different story. Even though I gave the dollar back, I almost didn’t, because an extra dollar was such a small thing and seemed somehow justified.

Even though honesty felt like a struggle, I started to like how it felt. When I was more honest, I tended to feel better about my relationships and myself. I like the saying, “Everybody wants the truth, but nobody wants to be honest.” I didn’t always want to be honest. But I wanted the truth, and this focus on honesty helped me feel that I was doing my part.

The bottom line is that focusing on honesty is a way to actively engage with the world, instead of passively complaining about it. It might even make you feel like you have gold in your brain.

1. How did the author’s daughter react to her explanation?

A．She paid little attention to it.

B．She thought it was incredible.

C．She would rather the author lied to her.

D．She was very sad and blamed the author.

2. What lesson did the author learn from the cat event?

A．Telling a white lie was not acceptable.

B．Making the choice for the cat was wrong.

C．Lying and being honest were a tricky pair.

D．Telling the truth could make people happy.

3. What does the author want to show by mentioning her McDonald’s experience?

A．It’s crazy to choose to be honest.

B．People are likely to have two characters.

C．It’s the small instances that test one’s honesty.

D．People tend to ignore honesty concerning small things.

4. What is the author’s attitude toward honesty?

A．It is impossible to expect it.	B．It is good to focus on it.
C．It is reasonable to popularize it.	D．It is hard to learn from it.

7 . Last year, I found myself in a situation: at a friend’s drinks, speaking to a total stranger. Not long into our conversation, my brain started searching for escape routes. I’m comfortable admitting that, before COVID-19, I didn’t think “meeting new people” was on my list of preferred pastimes. Maintaining relationships takes time, so why open myself up to someone new if there’s no obvious connection?

Then the pandemic hit. Like many people, I was restricted to a year of limited socializing with a very small circle of friends. I’ve met a handful of new colleagues over Zoom in the last 12 months—but I can’t remember one meaningful in-person connection with someone new.

To my surprise, I now have a strong desire for meeting new people. I’d love to connect with a friend-of-a-friend at the pub or a new colleague over a slightly-too-warm white wine after work. I miss having unexpected things in common with people, but also hearing new perspectives on issues outside my own experiences.

The sense of connection with a new person can be thrilling. A 2018 study explored what happened to the brains of young adults when they met new people, and found that even 10 minutes of social interaction with a new person boosts cognitive performance. Other studies have linked new social interaction to better social and emotional wellbeing and improved life satisfaction.

I may not have had a “lockdown glow up” in the aesthetic (美感) sense, but I have learned about myself. Before the pandemic, I hadn’t realized that new people were a vital part of my social ecosystem. As the end of lockdown approaches. I’m prepared to find the courage to show strangers a less guarded version of myself.

1. What can we learn about the author before the pandemic?

A．He loved being alone.

B．He was outgoing and sociable.

C．He enjoyed making new friends.

D．He had no desire to meet new people.

2. The 2018 study is mentioned to

A．link new social interaction to better life

B．show the benefits of meeting new people

C．imply the anxiety caused by meeting new people

D．explain how the pandemic affects human brains

3. Which of the following may the author agree with?

A．It pays to open yourself up to old friends.

B．It’s vital to guard yourself against strangers.

C．Meeting new people may bring excitement to life.

D．Zoom help people build close connections with strangers.

4. What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A．The author didn’t think well of the lockdown.

B．Lockdown enhanced the author’s aesthetic ability.

C．The author’s aesthetic ability needed to be improved.

D．The pandemic helped the author better understand himself.

8 . 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。

I yawned (打哈欠)as I got off the last step of the bus. I had woken early that morning, and had not been able to sleep on the long ride from Riverside High, thinking about that day’s race, the Eye Opener. I had never raced in a state-wide race before. Over thirty high school teams ran, along with quite a few colleges. The rest of my team and I unloaded the bus, and we relaxed and waited for our race patiently.

“Start warming up,” our coach told us, roughly forty-five minutes after we arrived. After finishing our stretches, we headed over to the starting line, eager for the race to begin.

The starter walked to the middle of the field. “There will be two commands,” his voice boomed, ‘‘Runners set, then the gun. If you hear another shot, return to the starting line to start again. ” My heart raced as I got my legs ready to race.

“Runners set!” the starter shouted Bam! The gun fired, and he rushed out of our way. Adrenaline (肾上腺素)rushed through my body as I raced through the mass of runners. As I rounded the first turn, my schoolmates greeted me with heartening shouts. Then, in what felt like only one minute, I arrived at the one mile mark.

“6’10”, a man declared as I ran by. I tried to ignore him, but my legs began to burn as I realized I had run a mile and still had two to go. I slowed down my pace, for I knew the second mile was the worst of all three. Minutes later, I felt horrible. My legs ached, feeling like lead blocks. My vision was clouded as sweat dropped down into my eyes, and my arms felt as if they would fall off if I swung them one more time. Just as I almost reached my limit, a boy passed me. He also seemed to have lost strength but soon he was a little ahead of me.

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 gathered up my strength to speed up but suddenly fell to the ground.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

In the last mile, seeing the athletes passing us one by one, I asked the boy to run without me.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

9 . Two hours west of a perfectly sunny summer’s day in Clackamas, Oregon a foggy breeze awaited me on the Lincoln City coast. After a year of volunteering remotely with Ocean Blue Project, today is a long-awaited beach cleanup.

I didn’t expect to take away more than just trash from the beach cleanup. At first glance, the beach appears clean. However, beach cleanups require much more attention than a quick look over. Within just a couple of hours, 71 of us volunteers managed to pick up 171 pounds of debris. Actually, we’ve got much more than that.

Beach cleanups connect us to nature and provide an escape from the world for a little bit. They also provide a learning opportunity outside of the participation part. When you sit over a pile of—let’s face it—garbage, you pick out one by one the pieces left behind by others. You see first hand the impact we’re having on our environment and account for what is left behind the most. Each cigarette butt and plastic bottle sets the tone for how we should be approaching our everyday lives, which is to stop pollution.

Personally, the time spent by the ocean and away from my phone fills me with peace and calmness as I focus my attention only on the moment, looking for the little devils trying to pollute the ocean. With a pound or two less out of the ocean, I always feel a bit more optimistic about the world to come.

This boots-on-the-sand way of making a difference grants me a feeling of accomplishment and purpose. Rather than pondering the dire task of saving the planet or researching and writing ways to do so, I get to physically make a difference. And there’s nothing that can replace that instant gratification of making positive change for your community and your planet.

After the cleanup, my eyes are now expertly trained to spot loose trash and inorganic materials anywhere I step. Imagine what a huge difference we could all make collectively if we simply stopped and picked up that water bottle or wrapper off the ground instead of passing it by.

1. Which of the following can best describe the author’s first beach cleanup with Ocean Blue Project?

A．Effortless and far-reaching.	B．Annoying but rewarding.
C．Painstaking but fruitful.	D．Demanding and inefficient.

2. According to the text, which of the following is the benefit from our doing beach cleanups?

A．Maintaining good physical health.

B．Gaining great insight into oceans.

C．Developing researching ways to save the earth.

D．Improving our mental health.

3. What does the underlined word “gratification” in Paragraph 5 mean?

A．Satisfaction.	B．Gratitude.
C．Impression.	D．Curiosity.

4. What is the most suitable title for the text?

A．What I’ve Learned from a Beach Cleanup

B．How Well I Performed in a Beach Cleanup

C．How Much Attention a Beach Cleanup Requires

D．Why Volunteering with Ocean Blue Project Matters

10 . In 1838, Charles Darwin faced a problem. Nearing his 30th birthday, he was trying to decide whether to marry. To help make his decision, Darwin made a list of the expected pluses and minuses of marrying.

Darwin is struggling with what I call a wild problem — a fork in the road of life where knowing which path is the right one isn’t obvious. How should we go ahead then, especially if we want to make a rational decision?

As we will see, the cost-benefit list that Darwin constructed is less helpful. He managed to come up with more minuses than pluses. His list — especially of pluses is the list made by who has never been married and has no access to the upside of the inner life of a married man. With many wild problems, the downside is easily imagined, while the upside is hidden from us. That’s one reason wild problems are so hard to tackle with the standard tools of rationality.

Less than a year later, Darwin married and had seven surviving children. Somehow, he managed to become one of the greatest scientists of all time and forever changed our understanding of who we human beings are. What’s the lesson to be learned from his decision-making process?

Life is more than accumulating pleasure or avoid pain. Humans want purpose. We want meaning. We want to belong to something larger than ourselves. The decisions we make in the face of wild problems don’t lead to good days and bad days. They define us. They determine who we are, who we might aspire to become, who we might come to be.

Learn from Darwin. Spend less time trying to figure out the best path to get to where we want to go and spend more time thinking about where we want to go in the first place.

1. How did Darwin decide whether to marry at first?

A．He made a rational decision.

B．He was struggling with a wild problem.

C．He constructed a list of costs and benefits.

D．He came up with more pluses than minuses.

2. What is the author’s attitude towards the standard tools of rationality?

A．Critical.

B．Impartial.

C．Unconcerned.

D．Approval.

3. What does the underlined word “aspire” mean in Paragraph 5?

A．pretend

B．manage

C．need

D．dream

4. What can be learned from Darwin’s lesson?

A．Life has more pleasure than pain.

B．It is crucial to figure out our purpose.

C．Life is about good days and bad days.

D．How to best tackle problems defines us.