1 . It’s often the simple things in life that make the most significant impact on us. It was late one afternoon in mid-September. My three-month-old son was napping in his ______. As I wandered through our living room, I happened to _______my balcony window. Puddles (水坑) had _______the ground and the rain had slowed.

Down below _______a boy of about four. Filled with a mixture of fascination and happiness, he stomped (踩) through the puddle, mud and _______flying. He walked, stomped, splashed through that puddle ______, happily enjoying what mother nature had left for him.

Not more than ten feet away stood his mother. She didn’t scold him. _______, she watched with a pleasant smile on her face and stood _______. As for me, it was a (n)_______moment that changed the way I will forever view my role as a mother.

The little boy probably will _______each afternoon that his mother takes him outside, as he _______. He may not remember each little thing that happens each time his mother lets him _______his world. But he will remember that his mother _______him and he will know that she helps him to learn and grow in a pleasant and fun environment.

Maybe we can all learn from the innocence of _______that views a rainstorm not as something to run through or to avoid, but something meant to explore, to _______ and to love.

1.

A．desk

B．bed

C．toy

D．chair

2.

A．jump at

B．turn around

C．look out of

D．stare at

3.

A．formed

B．left

C．saved

D．collected

4.

A．waved

B．trembled

C．stood

D．slid

5.

A．birds

B．cars

C．ash

D．water

6.

A．by and by

B．up and down

C．now and then

D．over and over

7.

A．Instead

B．However

C．Therefore

D．Also

8.

A．still

B．hesitantly

C．anxiously

D．close

9.

A．embarrassing

B．confusing

C．touching

D．exhausting

10.

A．experience

B．remember

C．forget

D．recall

11.

A．grows up

B．loses heart

C．turns in

D．cries out

12.

A．visit

B．explore

C．find

D．understand

13.

A．loves

B．helps

C．scolds

D．kisses

14.

A．youth

B．childhood

C．adolescence

D．adulthood

15.

A．enjoy

B．share

C．stop

D．await

2 . Kala has deep ties to her Hawaiian roots. Her ancestors navigated (航行) the oceans for centuries using their knowledge of the stars, the sun, the currents and the wind. It’s not that she does it in a canoe without technology, but rather uses the natural technology around her. It’s called Way finding, and was taught to her by her father.

“My father was my foundation, my rock.” she says of her first voyage with him from Oahu to Lahaina in a traditional canoe. He taught her how to read the stars, the ocean swells and how to use them to hold the course. “Over 200 stars have specific names and purposes when you are Way finding. You have to look at each and determine if they are rising or setting. You know this star and the direction it represents. If you can do that, you can use it as a tool to orient (确定方向).” Kala added.

Kala Tanaka sailed the canoe in the ocean for up to three weeks. During the day, Kala used the sun until it hit a certain height. When she got closer to land, she looked for certain species of land birds and clouds that indicated there was land below. When Kala sailed she felt “I feel very connected to the crew and the canoe. We’re a family.” The longer voyage required Kala to spend hours studying the day and the night skies. It was demanding physical work. But it also had its moments of awe. For Kala, the beauty was in tying together the past and the present to enjoy the moment. So when she was not sailing, she was teaching Way finding skills to school-aged children in hopes of preserving the skills her ancestors relied on.

It’s easy to be lost in the immediacy of the technology of our day, to be consumed by screens and miss the nature that unfolds around us. But if we will take the time to look up, to see the stars and the sun, the way the clouds move, the miracle of life beneath and above us, we will discover something deep inside us, something that will always lead to happiness.

1. How does Kala navigate the ocean in a canoe?

A．By observing the natural elements around.

B．By following the course of ocean currents.

C．By using hi-technology navigation devices.

D．By recalling the first voyage with her father.

2. What did Kala think of the three-week canoe voyage?

A．It was a heroic adventure.	B．It brought great joy to her life.
C．It was school children’s favorite.	D．It represented a kind of innovation.

3. What does the author suggest we do?

A．Enjoy the screens.	B．Explore the universe.
C．Get close to nature.	D．Keep the earth clean.

4. What is the best title of the text?

A．Finding Our Way	B．Navigating the Ocean
C．The Wisdom from Ancestors	D．An Unforgettable Journey

3 . Amazing and perfectly beautiful, The Midnight Library is everything you’d expect from the genius storyteller, Matt Haig. I picked it up from our readers’ recommendations (we asked our readers to send in some of their favorite recent books) and I can see why it won Best Fiction of 2020 in the Good Reads Choice Awards.

The story follows Nora Seed, a woman who is struggling and feels like nothing in her life has gone according to plan. While the initial chapters of the book are quite sad, Nora finds herself given a chance to start over in the Midnight Library, a magical place full of books of all the different paths her life could have taken. Nora is forced to stay in the library and try out different versions of her life until she finds the life she most wants to live.

I loved the idea that no dream or fork in your road is insignificant, and that they all lead us to become different versions of ourselves. In one life, Nora is an Olympic swimmer. In another, she is a glaciologist living on a boat off the coast of Antarctica. The novel reveals in a beautiful way that the potential we all have within us is impossible to measure, and that we have the possibility to be happy in many different versions of life.

It also discusses how dangerous it can be to live your life with regrets. The Midnight Library revealed to Nora that even if you make very different choices, you may uncover a deeper appreciation for your current home and the people in your life. It is your perspective that matters.

I really loved the fantasy and magical realism in this novel, and I would love for this to be turned into a series where we get to explore The Midnight Library of other characters’ lives as well.

1. What can we know about the author of the text?

A．He should be an editor.	B．He is the friend of Matt Haig.
C．Magical realism books are his favorite.	D．He shares a similar experience with Nora.

2. What does The Midnight Library mainly discuss?

A．A magic library.	B．The harm of regret.
C．The exploration of life.	D．Ways to make correct choices.

3. Where can the text be found?

A．In a novel.

B．In a magazine.

C．In a history book.

D．In a biography.

4. What is the purpose of the text?

A．To thank readers who introduced the book.	B．To honour Matt Haig, the author of the book.
C．To share the author’s opinions on the book.	D．To publicize the book to people who are struggling.

4 . When Failure Is a Good Thing

Failure is an important process you can learn from.    1    

Most people view failure as something that should be avoided at all costs.    2    It may have been an “F” we received on a paper or the high expectations our parents placed upon our shoulders that stopped us from trying.

Award-winning psychologist and author, Ron Friedman, tells the story of how Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx, revolutionized the women's clothing industry and became a billionaire in his book, The Best Place To Work: The Art and Science of Creating an Extraordinary Workplace.

    3     She had zero experience in the clothing industry, lacked an education in business and raised only $5,000 to invest. When asked where she found the courage, she gave all credit to her dad. While most parents ask their kids, “How was your day?" when sitting down for dinner, Sara's parents asked her and her brother, “What did you fail at today?” each and every night.

When interviewed by CNN's Anderson Cooper, Sara said, “Instead of failure being the outcome, failure became not trying. It forced me at a young age to want to push myself so much further out of my comfort zone.”     4     It became more about learning and less about a personal weakness.

If we view failure as weakness, we avoid stepping out of our comfort zone.     5     It does not define us, but instead matures us. I 'm sure that there are many risks we would all take in our personal, professional and spiritual lives if we could get past a fear of failure.

What has been the greatest lesson you have learned when taking a chance? Please share with us.

A．And, most importantly, it means you tried.

B．Let's take a look at how Sara faced failures.

C．In reality, Sara's father had re-defined failure.

D．Early on, Sara overcame a series of difficulties.

E．Instead, we must remind ourselves that failure is an action.

F．It is important to reflect on what can be learnt from failure.

G．We tend to connect failure with a bad experience we had as a child.

5 . Smith Justice and his son were coming back from the dentist, when they saw a homeless man in the road. Smith _________ to give the man some money, but didn’t have any cash. His son suggested giving the man the 30 cents he had. But Smith was _________. He didn’t want to give this man just 30 cents since the man _________ needed all the help he could get. Moreover, his own pride and thoughts of the homeless man’s unknown _________ to receiving just thirty cents was standing _________.

Smith told his son what people saw as a good thing was not good enough to make a _________ in someone’s life. But his son insisted. Smith _________ the window and said to the man, “I’m sorry, man. I don’t have any _________ on me but my son wants to give you everything he has right now.” The homeless man smiled, “God bless you, little man!” At that moment, the only thing _________ the brightness of the man’s smile was the bigger smile on the little boy’s face.

A chain reaction of kindness __________ behind them that day in Nashville, Tennessee, as other people rolled down their windows to __________, too. Smith suddenly __________ that he was the only problem in this situation. He said, “My little boy __________ me by his actions that it’s always about the heart. It doesn’t __________ how much you have or how little. __________ love and sincerity will often bless others more than we think. ”

1.

A．managed

B．promised

C．intended

D．agreed

2.

A．confused

B．doubtful

C．tense

D．hesitant

3.

A．normally

B．clearly

C．secretly

D．formally

4.

A．reaction

B．devotion

C．objection

D．solution

5.

A．out of sight

B．out of control

C．in the way

D．in the charge

6.

A．fortune

B．difference

C．name

D．commitment

7.

A．rolled down

B．reached for

C．looked through

D．lifted up

8.

A．check

B．card

C．cash

D．food

9.

A．matching

B．replacing

C．reflecting

D．showing

10.

A．changed

B．stopped

C．remained

D．started

11.

A．greet

B．smile

C．chat

D．donate

12.

A．remembered

B．realized

C．accepted

D．regretted

13.

A．reminded

B．comforted

C．praised

D．warned

14.

A．help

B．work

C．mean

D．matter

15.

A．Returning

B．Accepting

C．Spreading

D．Seeking

6 . My career as a chef started at the age of 25, but my ______ for cooking started at an early age, when I was about 5 years old — by watching my grandmother and my mom in the kitchen ______ daily meals for the family. I was also ______by going with my grandfather to markets to ______ the freshest ingredients. My grandfather taught me the art of picking and recognizing “the ______.”

From my youth, I have had this passion for food. Growing up in Morocco, I witnessed the most amazing hospitality and ______ through my grandparents. They opened their ______ to everybody, and fed and sheltered the poor, travelers, family and friends.

I remember as a young kid coming home from school to the ______ of fragrant (芳香的) fresh bread coming out of the oven. Those smells stimulated (刺激) my senses at a young age. The ______were fresh and seasonal — they were very simple dishes but delightfully ______.

Food is almost as ______ as it is necessary. Food makes people feel things. I really think that food tastes its best when there is a ______ behind it. It shapes cultures, religion, politics and health. Food brings people together, and goes straight to the ______.

In my kitchen, I try to duplicate (复制) smells and flavors that make me think about more than what I’m actually smelling or ______ — it makes me think of life, my family, and my history. I love to cook food that ______ people’s emotions and memories; my philosophy is to “keep food real and simple.”

1.

A．talent

B．passion

C．explanation

D．expectation

2.

A．changing

B．ordering

C．preparing

D．searching

3.

A．inspired

B．bothered

C．honored

D．amused

4.

A．ask about

B．experiment with

C．learn of

D．shop for

5.

A．biggest

B．cleanest

C．best

D．cheapest

6.

A．wisdom

B．honesty

C．success

D．generosity

7.

A．offices

B．houses

C．restaurant

D．hotel

8.

A．art

B．signs

C．creation

D．smells

9.

A．fruits

B．vegetables

C．ingredients

D．goods

10.

A．delicious

B．useful

C．organic

D．convenient

11.

A．nutritious

B．sufficient

C．emotional

D．suitable

12.

A．reason

B．purpose

C．cook

D．story

13.

A．kitchen

B．heart

C．source

D．point

14.

A．tasting

B．chewing

C．touching

D．seeing

15.

A．holds up

B．drives away

C．stirs up

D．depends on

7 . Once there was a little girl who had many misfortunes in life and was struggling with problems. One day she felt so upset that she couldn’t help ________ to her father why her life was so ________.

Sensing her ________, her father, a chef, took her to their ________. He asked her to just ________ till he finished everything. He filled three small pots with water and placed each on a burner. Once the water began to ________, he placed a potato, an egg, and some ground coffee beans in each pot. Curious, though, she kept ________ as her father instructed her to do so.

About twenty minutes later, he turned off the ________. The chef turned towards his daughter and said, “See, the potato went in strong and hard but in boiling water, it became soft and weak. The egg was ________, but now the egg became hard. ________, the ground coffee beans were unique. After being ________ the boiling water, they changed the water and created something new.”

Seeing the little girl was still confused, he then ________, “The potato, the egg and coffee beans had each faced the same ________-the boiling water. However, each reacted ________. When hardships come your way, how do you respond? Are you a potato, an egg, or a coffee bean?” Hearing these words, the girl made her choice inside-she would be the ________, which could not only change the whole situation but also change in its own way. After all, life is 10% what happens to you and 90%how you react to it.

1.

A．explaining

B．complaining

C．requesting

D．obtaining

2.

A．fortunate

B．permanent

C．memorial

D．miserable

3.

A．depression

B．desire

C．enthusiasm

D．curiosity

4.

A．study

B．kitchen

C．bedroom

D．cupboard

5.

A．absorb

B．listen

C．observe

D．seize

6.

A．cool

B．freeze

C．melt

D．boil

7.

A．cruel

B．silent

C．noble

D．modest

8.

A．lights

B．microwaves

C．burners

D．taps

9.

A．rough

B．plain

C．precious

D．fragile

10.

A．Therefore

B．Moreover

C．However

D．Otherwise

11.

A．exposed to

B．connected with

C．committed to

D．motivated by

12.

A．revolved

B．proceeded

C．teased

D．responded

13.

A．emergency

B．dilemma

C．choice

D．adversity

14.

A．sufficiently

B．generously

C．differently

D．primitively

15.

A．coffee beans

B．potato

C．egg

D．chef

8 . When my children were younger, we used to walk a graveled trail (用碎石铺成的小路) around the lake near our home. One spring day my daughter and I ______ just how much rubbish was ______ along the trail. The next day then we brought a big rubbish bag with us and started to slowly, step by step, ______ the rubbish along our way. There were plastic water bottles, wrappers for candy bars, empty chip bags, and even an old discarded shoe. We stopped and picked up each one. By the time we had circled the ______, the bag was nearly ______.

Tired but ______, we put the bag in an empty rubbish can. We stopped before we ______ home and took one last look at the lake as the sun set. It looked more ______ than ever.

I know that at times this world’s problems can seem ______ to deal with and you wonder what you can do to make a difference. But the ______ is everything you do makes a difference! Every time you bent ______ to pick up a single piece of rubbish you make a difference. Every ______ you share makes a difference. Every kind word you say makes a difference. Every hug you share, every flower you plant, every animal you ______, everything you do, no matter how ______, makes a difference in this world.

Therefore, make your difference ______ from picking up a piece of rubbish.

1.

A．thought

B．threw

C．valued

D．noticed

2.

A．missing

B．lying

C．hanging

D．waiting

3.

A．raise up

B．turn up

C．pick up

D．make up

4.

A．forest

B．mountain

C．pool

D．lake

5.

A．full

B．empty

C．broken

D．new

6.

A．happy

B．sad

C．depressed

D．exhausted

7.

A．headed

B．left

C．called

D．flew

8.

A．normal

B．boring

C．disappointing

D．beautiful

9.

A．easy

B．hard

C．unnecessary

D．simple

10.

A．hope

B．aim

C．tradition

D．truth

11.

A．forward

B．upward

C．backward

D．onward

12.

A．scream

B．laugh

C．smile

D．weep

13.

A．lose

B．beat

C．save

D．trick

14.

A．many

B．much

C．big

D．small

15.

A．yesterday

B．today

C．tomorrow

D．tonight

9 . That morning, I got the train as always. I was a publishing director and was looking forward to embracing a new day of work, as usual. I would always turn to the crossword (纵横填字游戏), but that day it didn’t make sense. I’d been doing it for 30-old years, but trying to read this one was like walking through syrup (糖浆)：________ slow and hard. I thought I must be tired.

I said to my assistant. The ________ colleague contacted my wife, Beth, and she drove me straight to hospital. There, confirmation came that I’d had a stroke in the part of my brain that ________ with communication. I was now in a condition that means it’s difficult or________ to receive and produce language. It was the only time I cried.

I was back at home a week later, and my goal was to get better and return to work in a couple of months. The way to ________ my language ability was rough. I’d look at simple pictures and try to describe them as my mind ________ round and round in the darkness, looking for words.

As the months passed, it became self-evident that I wasn’t going to be able to go back to my old job. For 25 years, I had ________ myself as a publisher. I was used to a busy day of meetings. I didn’t feel ready to say goodbye to my old self. There were times when I felt incredibly ________.

In the darkest months, I devoted myself to________. I couldn’t manage novels or newspapers, ________ I tried reading poetry, and found the shorter lines less overwhelming. My speech came back, and I learned how to read again, though much more slowly. I also learned the ________ to keep up. I allowed myself to slow down, and started to enjoy it.

________, I get rid of my old skin. I grieved the past, its passing and its absence, and started to come to terms ________ it. Now, 10 years later, I look after my grandson a day a week, and my relationship with my family is deeper than ever. If you’d asked me 15 years ago to ________ the importance of the things in my life I might have said work, but now I’m no longer a high-achieving publisher or someone who reads 10 books a week. I’m a ________ man, and if I read 10 books a year, that’s pretty good.

1.

A．temporarily

B．scarcely

C．unbelievably

D．mildly

2.

A．curious

B．reserved

C．casual

D．concerned

3.

A．messes

B．deals

C．identifies

D．cooperates

4.

A．practical

B．absurd

C．impossible

D．innocent

5.

A．gaining

B．rebuilding

C．revealing

D．improving

6.

A．slipped

B．doubted

C．wandered

D．fled

7.

A．informed

B．evaluated

C．reflected

D．defined

8.

A．angry

B．cautious

C．awesome

D．merciless

9.

A．speaking

B．trying

C．writing

D．managing

10.

A．since

B．until

C．so

D．as

11.

A．favor

B．patience

C．sympathy

D．comfort

12.

A．Gradually

B．Hopefully

C．Narrowly

D．Annually

13.

A．above

B．with

C．beyond

D．below

14.

A．arrange

B．compare

C．rank

D．declare

15.

A．genius

B．community

C．dignity

D．family

10 . Four Top Skills I’ve Learned From My Kids

In my journey as an entrepreneur (企业家), one of the best sources of leadership development is parenthood. There’s one thing that being a parent and being a business leader have in common.     1    . So what are some of the lessons that parenthood can teach us about business leadership?

Give up control

As a parent, I’ve learned that there’s only so much control you can really have over your kids. They need to make their own decisions — and mistakes — and learn from them. You can try to control your kids when they are young.     2     .

Become more flexible (灵活)

    3     . You never know when someone might get hurt or sick and make troubles in your plans. Parenthood is a non-stop exercise in flexibility and adjusting to difficulties. The business world can be much the same way.

    4    

We all make mistakes, and it can be tempting to hide those mistakes, especially from people you want to look up to you. But since we teach our kids to admit when they’ve made a mistake and apologize if they hurt someone, it’s important that we do the same when we make a mistake that hurts them.

Become more understanding and empathetic (共情的)

Emotional intelligence is one of the most important skills for effective leadership. And there’s nothing like being a parent to help you better understand people’s emotions and motivations.     5     . The empathy is a valuable skill for a business leader.

A．Admit your mistakes

B．Kids come with unknown risks

C．It’s that there’s a lot to be learned

D．As they grow up, you should let go

E．You’d better stick to your perfect plan

F．That can help you develop your empathy

G．Correct the mistakes as soon as possible