1 . “I am so sorry,” I tearfully said to my principal investigator (PI), explaining I would not be able to return to work as originally planned. Before I became a parent, I had assumed a baby would fit right into my academic plans. But now, as the end of my leave approached, I realized I couldn’t simply carry on as I always had. I was worried this decision might signal the end of my academic career — but I felt I had no other choice.

Thankfully, my PI had more foresight. He told me I didn’t need to resign and that he could offer me a contract that would allow me to contribute to our project from afar. It proved to be an absolute career lifeline tailored to me.

Then five years after stepping back from academia, I felt ready to re-enter more fully. Because I had been able to keep my hand in during my time away, the prospect was much less daunting than it would have been otherwise. I ended up landing a lecturer position that allowed me to slowly ease back in, focusing on teaching and scholarship with research taking a back seat. And when, 4 years on, a senior lectureship position came up in the very group I had left a decade earlier, the timing was right. With both of my children in “big school”, I was ready to really put my foot down on the career accelerator. I got the job.

Now, 6 months into my new role, I am happy to be right where it all began, with involvement in so many interesting projects. But what truly made the difference for me was the offer of what I needed during that time away. I hope more institutions and PIs can come up with creative provisions (条款) for those in their workforce who don’t want to give up their careers but want-or-need to take extended periods of leave. And to those who are taking such breaks, or considering it, know that returning is possible. Above all, on both sides: Please do not discount extended leavers. We have a lot to offer — if we are given the chance.

1. What can we learn about the author from the first paragraph?

A．Her path to PI began when she became a parent.

B．She struck a balance between work and family.

C．She had intended to stick to her academic plans.

D．She chose to prioritize her career over her family.

2. Which is closest in meaning to the underlined word “daunting” in paragraph 3?

A．Fearsome.

B．Realistic.

C．Regretful.

D．Promising.

3. What contributed most to her success according to the author?

A．Academic researches.	B．Supportive work environment.
C．Interest in the projects.	D．Involvement in engaging projects.

4. What’s the author’s purpose of writing the passage?

A．To analyse.

B．To entertain.

C．To report.

D．To promote.

2 . There are many kinds of friends. Some are always ______ you, but don’t understand you. Some say only a few words to you, but understand you. Many people will step in your life, but only ______ friends leave footprints.

I shall always recall (回忆) the autumn and the girl with the ______. She will always bring back the friendship between us. I know she will always be my best friend.

It was the golden season. I could see the ______ leaves floating (漂浮) with the cool wind. In such a season, I liked walking alone in the leaves, ______ to the sound of them.

Autumn is a harvest season and life is uninteresting. The boring days always get me ______. But one day, the sound of a violin flowed into my ears like a stream (小溪) flowing in the mountains. I was so surprised that I jumped to see what it was. A young girl, standing in the wind, was ______ in playing her violin.

I had ______ seen her before. The music was so nice that I listened quietly. Absorbed in the music, I didn’t know that I had been ______ there for so long but my existence (存在) did not seem to disturb her.

Leaves were still falling. Every day ______ she played the violin in the comer of the building, I went downstairs to watch her performance. I was the only listener. The autumn seemed no longer lonely and life became ______. Though we didn’t know each other, I thought we were already good friends.

Autumn was nearly over. One day, when I was listening carefully, the sound suddenly ______. To my surprise, the girl came over to me.

“You definitely like violin.” she said.

“Yes. And you play very well. Why did you stop?” I asked.

Suddenly, a ______ expression appeared on her face and I could feel something unusual. “I came here to see my grandmother, but now I must leave. I once played very badly. It was your listening every day that encouraged me.” she said.

“______ it was your playing that gave me a meaningful autumn,” I answered, “Let’s be friends.”

The girl smiled, and so did I.

I never heard her play again in my life. Only thick leaves were left behind. But I will always remember the fine ______ of the girl. She is like a dream—so short, so bright, like a shooting star giving off so much light that it makes the autumn beautiful.

1.

A．against

B．for

C．with

D．to

2.

A．true

B．humorous

C．funny

D．old

3.

A．leaves

B．violin

C．play

D．song

4.

A．yellow

B．purple

C．green

D．blue

5.

A．turning

B．referring

C．seeing

D．listening

6.

A．down

B．off

C．up

D．over

7.

A．busy

B．interested

C．lost

D．active

8.

A．often

B．once

C．never

D．usually

9.

A．standing

B．stopping

C．waiting

D．hearing

10.

A．because

B．so

C．but

D．when

11.

A．moving

B．interesting

C．encouraging

D．exciting

12.

A．stopped

B．began

C．rose

D．changed

13.

A．surprised

B．happy

C．strange

D．sad

14.

A．In conclusion

B．In fact

C．In short

D．In total

15.

A．figure

B．symbol

C．expression

D．sun

3 . A friend of mine met with an accident driving in darkness. His legs were so hurt that he couldn’t move. What was the _______ was that he found himself unable to ask for help—his mobile phone went out of _______ as a result of exhausted (用尽的) battery. Nothing could be done but _______ in cold wilderness. It was 8 hours later that day broke, and then the _______ of the rescue.

It was almost _______ that he could stand the horror in the darkness for so long. Even more surprising was his _______ ,“First of all I checked up my _______ conditions and found myself not in deadly danger. As there was no _______ to call for help, I leaned back in my seat trying my best to keep the wound from _______. In this way I dozed (打盹) off.”

His story put an end to my regret for the ________ of an exploration adventure that happened last year. A group of young men ________ to explore a mountain cave and got lost.________ to find a way out in the dark cave, they were frightened and ran anxiously without a sense of ________. Finally they fell dead in fear and exhaustion. According to the ________people that found them, the place where they got lost was only about 10 meters away from the ________of the cave. If they stayed on the spot when they lost their way and tried to__________themselves, they would probably sense a faint light flashing not far away.

Don’t you think that you can compare it with ________ itself? When you meet with difficulties in life, you are lost in darkness.________ you that it’s unclear yet and you needn’t put up struggle ________. It seems to be a negative (消极的) attitude,________ a person who can do so must have foresight as well as a great courage in the first place.

1.

A．hopeless       `

B．worst

C．more

D．best

2.

A．service            `

B．way

C．control

D．work

3.

A．cry             ``````

B．lie

C．wait

D．sleep

4.

A．delay

B．success

C．team

D．arrival

5.

A．untrue

B．unimaginable

C．possible

D．useless

6.

A．plan

B．decision

C．explanation

D．excuse

7.

A．physical

B．mental

C．working

D．medical

8.

A．method

B．way

C．tool

D．strength

9.

A．rotting

B．spreading

C．bleeding

D．running

10.

A．loss

B．failure

C．disappointment

D．sadness

11.

A．had

B．managed

C．tried

D．planned

12.

A．Willing

B．Unable

C．Determined

D．Deciding

13.

A．hearing

B．sight

C．feeling

D．direction

14.

A．rescue

B．village

C．local

D．brave

15.

A．end

B．top

C．opening

D．side

16.

A．save

B．help

C．stop

D．calm

17.

A．adventure

B．work

C．life

D．mankind

18.

A．Mind

B．Watch

C．Imagine

D．Warn

19.

A．really

B．immediately

C．carefully

D．hopefully

20.

A．and

B．so

C．but

D．while

4 . Every year, more books on happiness are published. And every year, more people feel depressed because they do not see themselves as happy. They don’t remember or know what it feels like, and instead, they feel guilty that they aren’t as happy as everyone says they should be. This is really a sad state of emotional affairs.

The books, blogs, YouTube videos and advice columns (专栏) will tell you that if you read, exercise, stay busy, help others, and increase your intimacy (亲密) every day, then you too can be happy.

The simple truth is that no one can be happy all the time. That doesn’t mean you have to be sad, angry, or depressed the rest of the time but that you can find a middle ground called contentment. This middle ground is a good place mentally and emotionally, and spending time there is a healthy choice.

Contentment is somewhere between satisfied and peaceful. When you are in that place, the stuff of life can be going on around you, but you don’t need to allow it to bother you. And that, my friends, is a very nice way to go through life.

I find contentment in walks and in writing, and in talking with my partner and reminding each other that our life is good, despite temporary setbacks or scary moments. Because I know about myself and I can respond differently. Doing this takes away stress and will keep you from losing your state of contentment.

If there is even one thing that puts you in a state of contentment — you do it regularly and early enough each day — it will help you go through any challenges you may have to face later.

Right at this moment, things around me are still a little out of my control — such is life — but I am feeling pretty good because I actively living my purpose. I am now content, and that feeling will last the whole day through. You can do the same.

1. What does the author want to stress by mentioning “Books on happiness in paragraph 1?

A．People find it difficult to agree on what happiness is.

B．Such books are so popular that they are sold out very soon.

C．Happiness is something easy to gain in our daily life.

D．Experts find it useless to argue about the value of happiness.

2. When facing setbacks or sad moments, what does the author do?

A．He turns to such media as blogs.

B．He definitely communicates with partners.

C．He adjusts himself and reacts positively.

D．He sees himself unlucky and feels depressed.

3. What is the author most likely to agree with?

A．Still water runs deep.	B．Health is better than wealth.
C．Enough is as good as a feast.	D．One good turn deserves another.

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

A．To introduce a novel experience.

B．To advocate a proper life attitude.

C．To encourage studies on happiness.

D．To persuade us to work endlessly.

5 . “A” for Attitude

English was always my favorite subject. In my freshman year of high school, I could write a killer composition. In my second year, my_________allowed me to give spelling tests to the class. I had wonderful_________of my junior year. Mrs. Alexander _______me to sit at her desk and take over the class when she had to leave the room. Only my senior English class was_________, as we had a teacher right out of college who expected college-level work. Every student received a “C” or “D” grade the first quarter._______English was still my subject.

I graduated from high school,_______early and had children. Confident about my English, I often helped my kids with their English homework. And I_________long articles and beautiful poetry as a columnist for a newspaper. Fifteen years later, I went to college, and because I had been an "A" student, I remained an “A” student. I_________up to my own expectations.

Yesterday, I_________my high school report cards when I was reading old papers. That bundle of report cards__________back the old days. I remembered sitting in my advisor's office，explaining that I had always excelled at English, and __________that I did not deserve a “D” from that__________   teacher of my senior year. The advisor was sympathetic but unable to change a (an)__________.

Reading__________my old report cards revealed something else too. I wanted to shred them or hide them. I was not an “A” student in high school English！Somehow, I had__________myself of this，when the grades clearly reflected an__________student with an occasional “A” or “B” but mostly “C” s.

Had I lived up to those grades and__________ myself according to those letters, I would have never confidently sought my writing__________. Had I believed in my early grades instead of myself ，I would have allowed my fear of____________to defeat my enthusiasm and damage my creativity.__________，I viewed my younger self as an “A” English student, except for that undeserved “D”.

1.

A．monitor

B．headmaster

C．classmate

D．teacher

2.

A．impressions

B．thoughts

C．inspirations

D．memories

3.

A．approved

B．appointed

C．expected

D．urged

4.

A．flexible

B．creative

C．disappointing

D．controversial

5.

A．So

B．But

C．And

D．Or

6.

A．married

B．worked

C．succeeded

D．progressed

7.

A．wrote

B．edited

C．read

D．copied

8.

A．added

B．lived

C．grew

D．went

9.

A．counted

B．remembered

C．approached

D．discovered

10.

A．brought

B．turned

C．held

D．kept

11.

A．reporting

B．guaranteeing

C．complaining

D．recommending

12.

A．impolite

B．impatient

C．inexperienced

D．independent

13.

A．grade

B．figure

C．paper

D．entry

14.

A．out

B．through

C．from

D．into

15.

A．warned

B．reminded

C．informed

D．convinced

16.

A．average

B．enthusiastic

C．outstanding

D．awkward

17.

A．considered

B．defined

C．reflected

D．described

18.

A．goal

B．dream

C．career

D．enterprise

19.

A．change

B．risk

C．stress

D．failure

20.

A．Otherwise

B．Besides

C．Instead

D．Still

6 . A professor entered the classroom and told the students about a surprise test. All students were ________ and waited for the test to begin. The professor gave the test papers to all students with text facing down at the desk.________ he was done with ________ the test to all students, he asked them to ________ the test paper and begin.

Students were confused (迷惑) to see that there was just a black ________ in the center of the page. The professor told them, “I want you to ________ about what you see there.” The students were ________ confused but got started with the test. ________ the end of the class, the professor collected all answer sheets and started reading each answer from each sheet in front of all students. _________of them described about the black dot and tried to explain its position.

Now, professor began to explain, “Here everyone ________ the black dot and wrote about it ________ no one wrote about the white paper. The same is   ________ our lives. The white paper stands for our whole life and the black dot   ________ problems in our life.

Our life is a ________ given to us by God, with love and care, and we always have reasons to celebrate ---- our friends around us, the job that provides us with everything we need.________, we just focus on day to day problems like health issues, lack of money, problems in relationships, but we ________ see that these problems are very ________ compared to everything we have in our lives.”

We should try to take eyes off our ________ and enjoy each moment ________ life gives us. Be happy and ________ your life positively.

1.

A．disappointed

B．seated

C．pleased

D．devoted

2.

A．Once

B．If

C．Before

D．Unless

3.

A．working out

B．handing out

C．dealing with

D．mixing up

4.

A．open

B．read

C．defend

D．turn

5.

A．space

B．word

C．dot

D．sentence

6.

A．bring

B．speak

C．write

D．talk

7.

A．still

B．hardly

C．never

D．mostly

8.

A．By

B．At

C．In

D．On

9.

A．Most

B．All

C．None

D．Few

10.

A．concentrated on

B．depended on

C．insisted on

D．counted on

11.

A．for

B．so

C．and

D．but

12.

A．with

B．of

C．as

D．to

13.

A．likes

B．means

C．prefers

D．deserves

14.

A．picture

B．lesson

C．gift

D．text

15.

A．So

B．Besides

C．Instead

D．However

16.

A．properly

B．anyhow

C．usually

D．seldom

17.

A．big

B．small

C．serious

D．difficult

18.

A．problems

B．happiness

C．achievements

D．embarrassment

19.

A．what

B．who

C．that

D．when

20.

A．dream

B．earn

C．gain

D．live

7 . It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, career, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of the dreams. There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him.

Over the phone, his mother told him, “Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday.” Memories fleshed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.

“Jack, did you hear me?”

“Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. it’s been so long since I thought of him. I’m sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago,” Jack said.

“Well, he didn’t forget you. Every time I saw him he’d ask how you were doing. He’d reminisce about the many days you spent over ‘his side of the fence’ as he put it,” Mom told him.

“I loved that old house he lived in,” Jack said.

“You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man’s influence in your life,” she said.

“He’s the one who taught me carpentry. I wouldn’t be in this business if it weren’t for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important. Mom, I’ll be there for the funeral.” Jack said.

Busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser’s funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.

The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time, which was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture … Jack stopped suddenly.

“What’s wrong, Jack?” his Mom asked.

“The box is gone,” he said.

“What box?” Mom asked.

“There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he’d ever tell me was ‘the thing I value most’,” Jack said.

It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it.

“Now I’ll never know what was so valuable to him,” Jack said sadly.

Returning to his office the next day, he found a package on his desk. The return address caught his attention.

“Mr. Harold Belser” it read.

Jack tore open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack’s hands shook as he read the note inside, “Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bernett. It’s the thing I valued most in my life.” A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing, and tears filling his eyes. Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch. Running his fingers slowly over the fine cover, he opened it.

Inside he found these words carved: “Jack. Thanks for your time! Harold Belser.”

“Oh. My God! This is the thing he valued most …”

Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his assistant and cleared his appointments for the next two days. “Why?” his assistant asked.

“I need some time to spend with my son,” he said.

1. Why did Jack think Mr. Belser died years ago?

A．College and career prevented him from remembering Mr. Belser.

B．Jack was too busy with his business and family to think about Mr. Belser.

C．Jack was too busy realizing his dreams to think about Mr. Belser.

D．His present busy life washed away his children memories.

2. Jack’s mother told him on the phone about Mr. Belser EXCEPT that _________.

A．Mr. Belser often asked how Jack was doing

B．Mr. Belser’s funeral would take place on Wednesday

C．Mr. Belser had asked for Jack’s mailing address

D．Mr. Belser had pleasant memories of their time together

3. Why did Belser send Jack his gold watch?

A．Because he was grateful for Jack’s time with him.

B．Because he had no children or relatives.

C．Because he thought he had to keep his word.

D．Because Jack had always wanted it during his childhood.

4. Why did Jack say he needed some time to spend with his son?

A．He was very tired of his work and wanted to have a good rest.

B．He had promised to spare more time to stay with his son.

C．He had missed his son and his family for days.

D．He came to realize the importance of the time with his family.

5. Which of the following is the most suitable title for this passage?

A．The Good Old Times	B．What He Valued Most
C．An Old Gold Watch	D．The Lost Childhood Days