1 . When Spring cleaning season rived this year I decided that it was time to get rid of more than just a Winter’s worth of dust and dirt. It was the time to get rid of years worth of accumulated (累积的) stuff as well. This stuff was lining my walls, filling my shelves, and crowding my closets. This stuff was filling my home and my mind and not bringing me one bit of happiness. I couldn’t even remember how I got some of it, but I knew I wanted it gone.
It turned out to be an even bigger job than I thought. Twenty-year-old bills and receipts were thrown in the trash. Piles of papers were no longer necessary or needed. Broken bowls, dented pans, and cracked knickknacks were finally thrown away. Unworn clothes were taken out of the closet and packed to be given away to the local charity. Old books were boxed up to be passed on for others to read and enjoy.
It took several days to get it all done, but in the end I was able to walk through a home that seemed a little less messed. My heart was a lot lighter too. It felt so good to be able to get rid of all the junk and to just focus on the essential stuff in life again.
What is the essential stuff? What is the stuff that brings meaning to our days? A loving heart is essential. A joyful spirit is essential. A soul full of goodness and God is essential. And a life full of sharing all of these things is absolutely essential. The essential stuff can’t be bought, sold, or stored. It can only be chosen, created, and given away. The essential stuff is the stuff we all really want. It is the stuff we all really need.
1. Which word can describe the author’s feeling towards accumulated stuff?| A．Satisfied. | B．Curious. | C．Bored. | D．Disappointed. |
| A．It is a pity that 1 should store so much stuff. |
| B．I really don’t want to throw away such stuff. |
| C．The essential stuff is actually everywhere. |
| D．There is more unnecessary stuff than I think. |
| A．Lifestyle. | B．Technology. | C．Health. | D．Education. |
| A．It’s Time To Move On | B．What Matters Most |
| C．How To Get Rid Of Junk | D．What Is Junk |
2 . A long time ago, there was an emperor who told his horseman that if he could ride on his horse and cover as much land area as he liked, then the emperor would give him the area of land he would have covered.
Sure enough, the horseman quickly jumped onto his horse and rode as fast as possible to cover as much land area as he could. He kept on riding and riding, whipping the horse to go as fast as possible. When he was hungry or tired, he did not stop because he wanted to cover as much as possible.
Finally, the horseman was exhausted and dying. He asked himself, “Why did I push myself so hard to cover so much land area? Now I am dying and I need only a very small area to bury myself.”
The story above is similar with the journey of our life. We push very hard everyday to make more money, to get power. We don’t pay attention to our health, time with our family and to appreciate the surrounding beauties and the hobbies we love. One day when we look back, we will realize that we don’t really need that much.
Life is not only about making money, getting power. Life is definitely not only about work! Work is only necessary to keep us living so as to enjoy the beauties and pleasures of life. Life is a balance of work and play. Happiness is also the meaning and the purpose of life.
So, take it easy! Do what you want to do and appreciate nature. Life is fragile and short.
1. What did the emperor promise to the horseman?| A．He could ride his horse. |
| B．He could get much land. |
| C．He could ride as fast as he wanted. |
| D．He could get as much land as he had covered on the horse. |
| A．He got what he wanted. | B．He got a lot of land area. |
| C．He got nothing. | D．He got a very small area. |
| A．We should enjoy life. |
| B．We only should pay attention to the work. |
| C．We should not only work hard but also enjoy the life. |
| D．We should work hard to make much money and get much power. |
| A．Because work is necessary. |
| B．Because life is fragile and short. |
| C．Because we couldn’t get enough power. |
| D．Because we couldn’t get enough money. |
3 . When I was a young man, I had a big ego (自负) and very little empathy (同理心). I thought I knew everything. I looked forward to fame and success. I can even remember proudly telling one of my friends in college: “If only everyone listened to me, they would all be happy.” I finally left school, ready to take on the world. Little did I know the world was about to take on me.
In the years following college, instead of success, I found struggles. I had trouble finding work. The jobs I did work at were either temporary or back-breaking and none of them paid well. When my wife and I had children, we were shocked to learn that not one but both of our sons had autis (自闭症) and would need to be taken care of for the rest of their lives. I had no idea why this had happened to us and I was very angry with the world.
In time, however, I began to change. My formerly massive ego was shrinking fast and my empathy was beginning to grow. Instead of finding joy in success, I found it in moments of love. Playing and laughing with my sons brought me so much happiness. My boys taught me more about peace, patience, kindness, joy, and unconditional love than I could have ever learned on my own. I began to share the lessons I learned through my writing and my life.
I finally realized that my purpose in this world had nothing to do with fame or success but everything to do with allowing love and light into my life and sharing it with everyone I could.
1. What was the author like when he was young?| A．He was popular. |
| B．He was a top student. |
| C．He was overconfident about his abilities. |
| D．He was warm-hearted to others. |
| A．found a tiring but well-paid job |
| B．wanted to live a challenging life |
| C．didn’t want to have children early |
| D．suffered many difficulties in life |
| A．The time with his family. |
| B．The books he wrote. |
| C．The difficulties in his work. |
| D．The improvement in his life. |
| A．Life can be very hard for some people. |
| B．Parents need to be patient with their kids. |
| C．It’s important to learn how to be a father. |
| D．The purpose of life is to share love. |
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），在其下面写上该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写上修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词：
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从11处起）不记分。
We all wanted to grow up happily and healthily, and for this goal you must do several things. Firstly, we should develop a good attitude to life. Life consist of not only sunshine but also hard times. We should brave in front of difficulties. Secondly, we must study hard because knowledge is the power. Because we have the power, we help to build our country and enjoy life better. In order to study it well, we need to do sports so that we can keep good. We can go running, play ball games or simply take a walk before a day’s study.
5 . I talked to one of my friends this morning. To make things easier, let’s call him Peter. Peter is an acting(代理的)manager in our company. He’s going to retire next year. I actually asked him whether he would apply for extension and maybe then he would become the manager. He simply answered “No, I don’t put off my retirement. I don’t need the “Manager” title to become successful either. In fact, I am already successful by my own definition(定义).”
His simple reply left me speechless. I then continued to ask him what he meant by that. He spent the next 30 minutes telling me how he had managed to send his son and daughter to learn medicine. He told me how hard it was for him to find almost $100,000 to make sure his children got the best education. Now they are very successful and Peter is very proud of what his children have achieved. This is where he thinks he succeeds in his life.
The story is truly encouraging. It tells me that the definition of success is different from one person to another. Some may consider becoming a manager is success. Another will consider bringing up successful children as their success.
Personally, I think Peter’s success is when he found out his personal definition of success. He knows that money and ranks are not success to him. That is why he didn’t ask for extension and fight for that “Manager” title.
What’s your definition of success? Peter did give me one tip to help me answer that question. If you answer “becoming a millionaire” as your definition of success, and you have made it as a millionaire, can you still smile and say “my life is complete”, knowing that today is your last day of your life?
1. The underlined word “extension” in the first paragraph means _______.| A．staying longer at work | B．giving up one’s job |
| C．adding more money | D．changing one’s job |
| A．Angry. | B．Calm. | C．Sad | D．Surprised. |
| A．teachers | B．doctors | C．managers | D．engineers |
6 . About five weeks ago, I noticed the skin of our pet lizard (蜥蜴) was growing dusty. It worried me. I reported the strange surface on the skin of the lizard to my husband and children the next morning. Seconds later, our lizard emerged from its tank with its old skin flowing behind it.
I didn't think about it much until a morning last week when I knocked my favorite teapot off the table. It burst into hundreds of pieces. As I swept up the mess, I wondered why we had been breaking so many things over the months.
The destruction started three months ago. It was my husband's birthday. He had just lost his job. The uncertainty was starting to wear on us, so I wanted to do something special.
"Let's make a cake for Dad!" I cried.
My kids screamed with joy. We baked, iced and sprinkled for most of the day. Candles on the cake! Balloons on the walls! Flowers on the table!
Two hours before my husband came back home from another job interview, my daughter climbed up to grab a glass vase from a high shelf. It fell and crashed beside the cake. Tiny pieces of glass were everywhere. She sobbed loudly as I threw the cake away. My husband had banana pudding for his birthday.
Three days ago, the light in our living room suddenly went out. After several frustrating hours of unsuccessful attempts to fix it, my husband suggested watching the Michael Jordan documentary (纪录片) series The Last Dance.
The poignancy (酸楚) of Jordan retiring from his beloved basketball to play baseball and what had pushed him to make such a tough decision took me by surprise. As I watched him take off his basketball uniform and replace it with a baseball uniform, I saw him leaving behind the layer that no longer served him, just as our lizard had. Neither of them chose the moment that had transformed them. But they had to live with who they were after everything was different. Just like us. I realized that we have to learn to leave the past behind.
Humans do not shed skin (脱皮) as easily as other animals. The beginning of change is upsetting. The process is tiring. Damage changes us before we are ready. I see our lizard, raw and nearly new.
Jordan said that no matter how it ends, it starts with hope. With our tender, hopeful skin, that is where we begin.
1. What can we learn about the pet lizard from Paragraph 1?| A．Its tank grew dirty. | B．Its old skin came off. |
| C．It got a skin disease. | D．It went missing. |
| A．The birthday cake was ruined. | B．The author made good puddings. |
| C．Pudding was his favorite dessert. | D．They couldn't afford a birthday cake. |
| A．letting go of the past | B．looking for a new job |
| C．getting rid of a bad habit | D．giving up an opportunity |
| A．Love of family helps us survive great hardships. |
| B．It's not the end of the world if we break things. |
| C．We should move on no matter what happens. |
| D．Past experiences should be treasured. |
7 . I had worried myself sick over Simon’s mother coming to see me. I was a new teacher, and I gave an honest
So when Simon’s mother entered the room, my palms(手掌心)were
I sat, stunned(惊呆), for about half an hour,
It taught me the most
| A．introduction | B．favour | C．discussion | D．account |
| A．Or | B．And | C．But | D．So |
| A．courage | B．abilities | C．feelings | D．dream |
| A．hurting | B．trembling | C．sweating | D．clapping |
| A．desperate | B．responsible | C．unprepared | D．unsuitable |
| A．Because of | B．In addition to | C．Apart from | D．As for |
| A．loved | B．envied | C．pleased | D．criticized |
| A．gradually | B．constantly | C．recently | D．obviously |
| A．self-respect | B．self-doubt | C．self-pity | D．self-defence |
| A．imaging | B．observing | C．wondering | D．regretting |
| A．also | B．even | C．still | D．ever |
| A．expect | B．remember | C．believe | D．accept |
| A．writing | B．reviewing | C．editing | D．giving |
| A．quietly | B．repeatedly | C．quickly | D．firmly |
| A．entrance | B．middle | C．front | D．back |
| A．slept | B．smiled | C．shouted | D．quarreled |
| A．intended | B．pretended | C．refused | D．happened |
| A．change | B．praise | C．thanks | D．visits |
| A．painful | B．stressful | C．valuable | D．enjoyable |
| A．take power | B．have a point | C．make a difference | D．catch attention |
8 . The biggest misconception that I've ever heard of is that in order for us to find success in anything, we must be willing to give up something else.
Over the years, I've come to realize that isn't true. As I grow, I find several things are truly stopping us from living a more fulfilling life. Below are some.
Place limitations on yourself
On the surface, limitations are the things that stop you from achieving something.
Lack self-control
We all have some aspect about ourselves that we don't like.
Our ability to come up with creative solutions for our problems comes from our ability to learn and adapt. If you're not learning anything, you're not progressing. Leonardo da Vinci once said, "Learning never exhausts the mind." And I believe it.
Final thoughts
When you get stuck on something, you are never truly stuck
| A．Lack self confidence. |
| B．Lack learning and adaptability. |
| C．We shouldn't bottle up our own weaknesses. |
| D．Maybe you're someone who drinks a lot of alcohol or smokes. |
| E．It means that what you are currently doing isn't enough to get you over the barrier. |
| F．Whether it's career or health, one must be sacrificed in order for the other to succeed. |
| G．However, limitations are also the things that keep you restricted in the same life cycle. |
9 . “Ding... ding...,” the bell rang. The English teacher came into the classroom with test papers in his hand. All the students shouted. The teacher
There was not a question but only a small black “X” in the middle of the paper. The students were very
All the students thought about it hard and then wrote down their answers quietly. At the end of the class, the teacher collected their papers and read the answers.
Then the teacher said, “Don’t worry about the
Then the students discussed and expressed
Our life is a
We should try to take our eye off problems and
| A．asked | B．complained | C．explained | D．guessed |
| A．difficult | B．hard | C．easy | D．special |
| A．waited | B．looked | C．searched | D．cared |
| A．sell out | B．bring out | C．give out | D．put out |
| A．Before | B．After | C．While | D．Until |
| A．happy | B．sad | C．surprised | D．relaxed |
| A．hated | B．forgot | C．remembered | D．noticed |
| A．hear | B．worry | C．write | D．learn |
| A．yourselves | B．ourselves | C．myself | D．themselves |
| A．None | B．All | C．Neither | D．Both |
| A．somebody | B．nobody | C．Everybody | D．anybody |
| A．quickly | B．hardly | C．angrily | D．carefully |
| A．results | B．suggestions | C．presents | D．jobs |
| A．like | B．in | C．at | D．with |
| A．her | B．his | C．their | D．your |
| A．problem | B．challenge | C．gift | D．window |
| A．Except | B．However | C．Also | D．Besides |
| A．more important | B．bigger | C．smaller | D．more serious |
| A．enjoy | B．Waste | C．invite | D．throw |
| A．door | B．spirit | C．skill | D．journey |
“Life is not easy for any of us. We must work, and above all we must believe in ourselves. We must believe that each one of us is able to do something well, and that, when we discover what this something is, we must work until we succeed.”
—Madame Curie
读了居里夫人的这段话，你有何感想？请结合生活中的具体事例对你的观点加以说明。______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
