2 . Looking back, I spent many unhappy days. In middle school I didn’t think I was as smart as everyone else; I didn’t have cool enough clothes. Junior high was the same. I wasn’t as tall and thin as all the other girls; my baby teeth hadn’t fallen out yet. Fast forward to high school. Still everyone was smarter; still everyone dressed better. Eventually, in my first job out of college I wasn’t making as much money as my friends did.
I come from a long line of people who’ve suffered from depression. When I was single, I thought that was just who I was — it was the genes (基因) I was born with. When I was twenty-six, I got married, and three years later I had my first child.
Once we had kids, my excuse of “it’s-in-the-genes” didn’t work so well for me anymore because that meant my kids would be depressed. Although I realized that still might be the case, I began looking at my unhappiness in new ways.
Over the years many things helped me fight depression: healthy eating, exercise, fresh air, friends and medicine. They all helped. But I had a little secret, too. It’s an exercise I did every night before bed. By the side of my bed, I had a small datebook — every day I only had enough space to write one line.
Every night I asked myself: “What made me the happiest today?” Because I didn’t have space to write a lot, it only took me a few seconds. But in those seconds I replayed my day and decided on its happiest moment.
Some days it was “reading before bed with the kids” or “laughing with a friend on the phone”. And other days it was “finally getting to get into bed” or “not having to cook dinner again”. Anyway, I actively sought the positive every day. Today, when I have a difficult day, I look back through the datebook, read and remember those happy moments in the past.
1. What can be inferred from paragraph 1?| A．The author led a poor life. |
| B．The author got a high-pay job. |
| C．The author challenged herself bravely. |
| D．The author usually compared herself with others. |
| A．Her first career. | B．Her happy marriage. |
| C．Her care for her children. | D．Her knowledge of genes. |
| A．To ease her loneliness. | B．To have a sound sleep. |
| C．To recall happy moments. | D．To serve as bedtime stories. |
| A．Nothing is impossible to a willing heart. |
| B．Mother should set a good example for kids. |
| C．There could be a solution to any problem. |
| D．We should appreciate life’s bright aspects. |
3 . 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. |
| 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. |
| A．Enjoy the screens. | B．Explore the universe. |
| C．Get close to nature. | D．Keep the earth clean. |
| A．Finding Our Way | B．Navigating the Ocean |
| C．The Wisdom from Ancestors | D．An Unforgettable Journey |
“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity; the optimist sees opportunity in every difficult.”
—Winston Churchill
内容包括：1.你对该名言的理解;
2.结合生活实例;
3.你对该名言的感悟。
注意：1.写作词数应为80词左右(名言不计入总词数);
2.请在答题卡的相应位置作答。
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As you know, for years I’ve planned to write up the memories. Now that you are grown, I’ve signed up for a memoir writing class. You know what? It’s such a struggle!
Sometimes, I wake up in the middle of the night with just the right thought in my mind. Grabbing notepaper and pen, I go in the bathroom and write it down. Great! I don’t want to lose that, and in the morning it may be gone. But I’m having trouble getting back to sleep these days and find myself nodding off in my chair after dinner.
Instead of writing “I remember,” we are encouraged to be creative. The right expression came -during the night. Naturally I jumped up and got it written just the way I wanted. It’s all sort of a torture (拆磨). I’m walking around with dark circles underneath my eyes.
I spend a great deal of time staring out the window, deep in thoughts. I’ve noticed I’m having a little bit of trouble sometimes getting my eyes to focus again. I also carry around a notebook in my purse to seize the thoughts when I’m driving around or at the grocery store. The notebook takes up so much space in my purse!
It’s great to have pictures to illustrate the writings. But in finding just the right ones, I have to search around through all the boxes, and the house is in a mess. in fact, I’m becoming absent-minded, I have to admit. I forgot to turn on the coffee pot the other morning, and yesterday the potatoes burned when I was writing down this great description.
So, my dears, I’ve decided it’s fun to write all the memorable times in my life and to share the happy days of your growing up years. But I think at my age, I need my rest. Enjoy the ones I’ve written because I’ve decided not to write any more memoirs.
Love, Mom
1. What happened to the author after taking part in the memoir writing class?| A．Her memoir was soon accomplished. |
| B．Her sleeping quality was greatly affected. |
| C．She formed a habit of sleeping after dinner. |
| D．She became a creative writer after struggle. |
| A．To help her driving. |
| B．To communicate with people. |
| C．To write down her thoughts. |
| D．To take up the space of her purse. |
| A．Her memory became poor. |
| B．She was not good at cooking. |
| C．She liked drawing pictures. |
| D．Her house was always in a mess. |
| A．Optimistic but confused. |
| B．Pessimistic but tolerant. |
| C．Sorrowful and frustrated. |
| D．Objective and sensible. |
6 . A week ago, my daughter said, “Mom, I don’t think I’m very athletic.”
I’ve observed her in various sports, and she is just like me: two left feet. But even knowing it, my first instinct (本能) was to snow her with some
I held back, however, and after thinking twice, I told her the
And I could see it hurt a bit. So I
She was nodding. She totally
I want my kids to have a
| A．sense | B．advice | C．rubbish | D．love |
| A．idea | B．truth | C．news | D．lie |
| A．replied | B．added | C．commented | D．repeated |
| A．learning | B．speaking | C．reading | D．writing |
| A．fond of | B．amazed at | C．good at | D．interested in |
| A．put in | B．put away | C．put up | D．put off |
| A．improve | B．excel | C．pass | D．continue |
| A．got | B．forgot | C．made | D．did |
| A．take place | B．get around | C．come along | D．make sense |
| A．develop | B．damage | C．ignore | D．value |
| A．heart-felt | B．hot-headed | C．right-sized | D．good-natured |
| A．tired | B．shocked | C．excited | D．inspired |
| A．nature | B．time | C．history | D．experience |
| A．perform | B．increase | C．require | D．change |
| A．watch | B．let | C．help | D．make |
7 . Forgiving doesn’t mean saying the pain doesn’t matter or what the other person said or did was OK. It doesn’t mean forgetting what happened. It means letting go of your need for an apology. It means making peace with past hurt and pain. It means choosing to move on. All of this is easy to say, hard to do. But forgiveness can happen in a series of small steps over time.
Take your feelings seriously. Forgiving doesn’t mean shrugging your shoulders and saying “Oh, well.” Cry, feel sad, throw things hard, or write angry passages in your diary to get rid of some of the stress. Talk with trusted friends or family to ask for advice to help find solutions to your problems. You have the right to feel hurt and angry. But suffering these feelings over time does you great harm.
Make a difference in your life. I’ve seen that many miss the opportunity for getting back a good relationship with someone else because they just wait for the apology that may never come. Others stay stuck in anger long after the other person has stopped to be a part of their lives. Make a decision to make a difference for yourself. That may be forgiving or being the first to reach out to the other so that you can move on with your own life.
Forgive yourself and engage in positive self-talk. Although you may mainly blame the other person, it’s important to forgive yourself with positive self-talk. Feel certain that you can learn from this and move on. Tell yourself that you will survive this pain and that life will get better because you can make a choice to let go.
Try understanding the other. This doesn’t reduce your pain but may make what happened more understandable. Understanding doesn’t forgive hurtful behavior, but understanding can help to get rid of your anger and to forgive.
Realize that forgiveness benefits you most of all. The other person may never know about your forgiveness. But forgiving and letting go can lighten the load on your body and on your spirit.
1. What does forgiving mean according to the text?| A．The pain the other person brought you isn’t very serious. |
| B．What the other person has said or done doesn’t hurt you. |
| C．You don’t care and have forgotten what happened to you. |
| D．You needn’t the other person to say sorry to you any more. |
| A．Positive. | B．Negative. | C．Objective. | D．Uncertain. |
| A．Wait for your friend’s apology. |
| B．Take the initiative (主动性) to say hello to your friend. |
| C．Try your best to forget your problem. |
| D．Have positive self-talk. |
| A．How to forgive other people. |
| B．Forgiveness is helpful for us all. |
| C．Understanding can help forgive others. |
| D．Life gets better if you choose to forgive. |
8 . 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. |
| A．A magic library. | B．The harm of regret. |
| C．The exploration of life. | D．Ways to make correct choices. |
| A．In a novel. | B．In a magazine. | C．In a history book. | D．In a biography. |
| 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. |
9 . When Failure Is a Good Thing
Failure is an important process you can learn from.
Most people view failure as something that should be avoided at all costs.
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.
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.”
If we view failure as weakness, we avoid stepping out of our comfort zone.
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. |
