2 . “Medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits, and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for. ” This is dedicated to my first-year self four years ago, who was addicted to getting good grades, and failed to seek the happiness found in everything else that college has to offer.

Like some people, I grew up with a family that valued academics over all else, who gave you a little extra love when you were doing great in your classes, and took it away when you didn’t. As a result, my self-worth became tied to my academic success. As an international student, I sometimes felt our parents didn’t quite understand the heavy academic weight.

There is a difference between trying to always better yourself for yourself, and simply putting too much on your plate until you burn out from attempting to live up to certain expectations. We should all strive to do the former, but unfortunately our mindsets have been always wired to follow the latter.

I used to believe school killed the creative spirit inside all of us, but as I get older and further into my academic career, I find that it is we who make the choice to kill that creative spirit. I am definitely not saying that you should throw your GPA out of the window and go painting all day. However, we should all try to develop a long-sighted perspective on how we want to shape our lives. Take some classes on topics that you’re genuinely interested in learning about, not just passing. Join clubs or work on projects that resonate with you and push you beyond your boundaries. And most of all, accept the fact that failure and loss are sometimes inevitable in life.

I promise you, when you look back at these four years, you will not remember the good grades or the bad grades, but you will hold in your memory the connections you made with people, the things that inspired you to create and the times you learned something special. And so I ask you now, what do you want to get out of college?

1. Who is the author of the passage?

A．A professor.

B．A freshman.

C．A parent.

D．A graduate.

2. What did the author’s parents stress most on his college life?

A．Seeking happiness.	B．Getting good grades.
C．Building self-worth.	D．Developing various interests.

3. What is bettering ourselves for according to the author?

A．To be a better self.	B．To realize our dreams.
C．To push our boundaries.	D．To live up to others’ expectations.

4. Which of the following may the author probably agree with?

A．Academic growth helps to promote creativity.

B．Students themselves have a say in their hobbies.

C．Failures can be avoided with more efforts put in.

D．School is to blame for killing students’ creativity.

6 . My family moved into our home nine years ago. We live on a corner, and the entire side of the yard is enclosed by a   ______ built rock wall. The front of the house though is another ______ because instead of a wall along the sidewalk, the rocks appear to be just ______ up onto the dirt.

We did the best we could and called this area our ‘rock garden'. Whenever we had leftover flowers or plants, I would ______ them out front, just to bring some ______ to the arca.

Last summer I reached the end of the rock garden and found a tiny little plant that 1 could not immediately ______ , we didn't plant it. We decided to let it ______ growing until we could ______   what it was.

Weeks passed and as I made my way back to the ______ plant, it appeared to be a sunflower. It was skinny. I decided to ______ it along and weed around it. As I pulled rocks to get to the weeds, I noticed something ______ . The sunflower had not started where I saw it ______ . It actually had begun under a big rock and grown under and around it to ______ the sun.

That's when I realized that we should stand tall like the sunflower and the environment will begin to ______ us. We will find a way to go under or around our big ______ in order to reach our desires.

1.

A．professionally

B．randomly

C．simply

D．terribly

2.

A．wall

B．story

C．side

D．yard

3.

A．built

B．used

C．thrown

D．made

4.

A．select

B．cut

C．stick

D．pick

5.

A．dirt

B．color

C．flowers

D．plants

6.

A．clarify

B．identify

C．account

D．observe

7.

A．continue

B．avoid

C．escape

D．start

8.

A．take down

B．come across

C．refer to

D．figure out

9.

A．charming

B．wonderful

C．ugly

D．mysterious

10.

A．dream

B．wait

C．baby

D．explore

11.

A．unusual

B．important

C．common

D．disturbing

12.

A．begin

B．stop

C．shoot

D．expand

13.

A．shade

B．stand

C．steal

D．reach

14.

A．shelter

B．choose

C．warn

D．support

15.

A．failures

B．advantages

C．problems

D．situations

7 . One summer night, my friends and I stole into the Jordans’ backyard and started harvesting their sweet, juicy raspberries (树莓). We were enjoying every bite of the tasty berries_______Mr Jordan came charging outside all of a sudden.

“What are you boys doing out here?” he yelled as my friends ran off_______all directions. He attempted to catch one or two as they rushed past him, but they were too_______for the older gentleman to catch. Within seconds, the boys_______into the dark of the summer night. All except me.

However, speed was never my_______. I took the tongue-lashing(痛骂) that Mr Jordan gave me as he marched me down the block to my house, where my mother took over and scolded me_______. My friends said they could hear every_______word she spoke from the darkness of our backyard, where they had gathered to_______their escape and to observe my capture.

They teased me about it for days afterwards, while all I could do was complain about how_______it was that I was the only one who had to pay the price. After about a week of this, I complained to my father about the inequality of the situation. Dad said, “You took raspberries without________, and you get exactly the punishment you deserved.”

“But what about the other guys?” I asked. “They didn’t get punished at all!”

“That’s not my concern nor should it be yours,” Dad said. “You can’t________what happens to others. You can only________what happens to you. You made a bad choice that night, and you were punished for it.”

________the duration of the following years, I come to realize there is no guarantee that life will treat us fairly. That’s why we can’t________comparing our lives with the lives of others. Like Dad said, that isn’t our________.

1.

A．before

B．while

C．when

D．after

2.

A．towards

B．in

C．at

D．from

3.

A．smart

B．foxy

C．swift

D．intelligent

4.

A．hid

B．marched

C．hurried

D．disappeared

5.

A．strength

B．power

C．intention

D．option

6.

A．cruelly

B．bitterly

C．mercilessly

D．pitifully

7.

A．colorful

B．offensive

C．violent

D．creative

8.

A．negotiate

B．celebrate

C．plot

D．congratulate

9.

A．unhappy

B．frustrating

C．disappointing

D．unfair

10.

A．thinking

B．warning

C．asking

D．informing

11.

A．control

B．predict

C．accept

D．explain

12.

A．put up with

B．get away with

C．agree with

D．deal with

13.

A．In

B．For

C．Through

D．Since

14.

A．get stuck in

B．get engaged in

C．be involved in

D．be buried in

15.

A．problem

B．complaint

C．concern

D．choice

8 . Victor Frankl， the author of Mans Search for Meaning， once wrote， "'Everything can be taken from a person but one thing： the last of human freedoms-to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances．" Frankl was right． Attitude is a choice． You could be faced with a thousand problems， many or most over which you have absolutely no control． However， there is always one thing you are in complete and absolute control of and that is your own attitude．

To be honest， it wasn't until I was in my late 20s that I finally understood its full impact． All through my teens and into my early adult life， I can't tell you the number of times that I heard， "Bob， if you'd just change your attitude， you would do a lot better．" At that time， I didn't know what attitude was， let alone know how to change it!

Attitude and results are inseparable， They follow one another as night follows day． One is the cause， while the other， the result． There is a term we use to distinguish this "cause and effect " relationship， which is called The Law of Cause and Effect． Simply stated， if you think in negative terms， you will get negative results； if you think in positive terms， you will achieve positive results． Some people always see wrong things in the world． These individuals are quick to blame circumstances or other people for their problems， rather than accepting responsibility for their life and their attitude． Thus， it would appear as if they were born with bad luck and it has followed them around their whole life． However， there are others who are forever winning and living the good life． They are the real movers and shakers who make things happen． They seem to go from one major accomplishment to another． They're in control of their life． Their wins are a matter of choice．

You can experience that kind of life as well， you only need to decide． Dorothea Brand once said， "Act as if it were impossible to fail， " and I challenge you to do so． By simply becoming aware that you can choose your thoughts each and every day， you will change your entire outlook． You have the power to choose an abundant life no matter what your circumstances are． Don't wait to experience all the wonderful things the universe has in store for you． Start today by working on your attitude and welcome the abundant life that you are meant to lead．

1. What can we know from Paragraph 1？ ______

A．Freedom is the last thing we can control．

B．Most problems in life are in our control．

C．We can choose our attitude at any time．

D．A man can lose anything but freedom．

2. Why does the author use the example of himself in Para． 2？ ______

A．To show attitude is important to the old．

B．To show understanding attitude takes time．

C．To prove attitude impacts greatly on people．

D．To prove the author was very stubborn．

3. Knowing "The Law of Cause and Effect" helps readers ______ ．

A．understand what causes a good attitude

B．analyze the effect of a negative attitude

C．understand "cause and effect" relationship better

D．know the benefit of choosing active attitude

4. What is the writer's message conveyed in this passage？ ______

A．Winning is a matter of control．

B．Success begins with positive attitude．

C．Bad attitude results in bad results．

D．Attitude and results are inseparable．

9 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入 1 个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

In the 1950s, a family that owned a farm near Beulah, Michigan kept a bull chained to an elm (榆树). The bull paced     1     the tree, dragging the heavy iron chain,     2     led to a groove (槽) in the bark (树皮). The groove     3     (deep)over the years. However, for whatever reason, it just did not kill the tree.

After some years, the family took their bull away. They cut the chain, leaving the loop around the tree and one link     4     (hang) down.

Then one year, one of the most historically serious agricultural     5     (catastrophe) struck Michigan in the form of Dutch elm disease. All of the elms lining the road leading to the farm became withered and died due to the     6     (infect) disease, which made people panic as well. Everyone thought that the old elm would be the next. The farm owner considered going the safe thing: pulling it out and chopping it up into firewood before it died.

    7     (amaze), the tree did not die. Nobody could understand why     8     was the only elm still standing in the county. It is said that     9     doesn’t kill you will make you     10     (strong). Or, as a plant pathologists (病理学家) put it, “Life breaks us all, but afterwards, many of us are strongest at the broken places.”

10 . Last year, I fell into a deep depression. It was caused by a car accident. I was in physical recovery from the accident and suddenly all of my old hurts started coming up. I found myself crying on the floor of my apartment.     1     I didn’t want to feel this way anymore.

Let’s pause for a moment. I don’t want you to bleed with me or to pity me. But I also don’t want to cover my reality. And the truth is, beneath the shiny photos you see on the Internet, I’m still a work in progress.     2     Like all of us, I’m doing the best I can and making the best choices I can. Back to the evening when I found myself lying on the floor.

What happened next? I started writing.

There was a TV show I absolutely loved. I started writing fan fiction. It provided a beautiful place of escape from the thoughts swimming in my head.     3     I started to feel like myself again.

After completing four-part fan fiction totaling around 12,000 words, I had an idea. I should write a novel to give a hand to those like me.

I continued writing, having no idea where it would lead. I didn’t know I would publish it but, after much resistance on my part I finally made the decision to publish the book under my own name. No pen name. No hiding on the deep bowels of the Internet.

And so here we are.     4     Sure, readers will enjoy the twists and turns. And I can see myself in the character.     5     I wrote it to help people. To give them a place to belong to. A place to talk about this fictional world. The very same thing that saved me last year.

If the story provides this to just one person, I’ve done my job.

A．I’m not perfect.

B．I didn’t see a way out.

C．The depression started to lift.

D．But that’s not my real motivation.

E．The day before the release of the book.

F．Sometimes I even feel I am the character.

G．I’ve become a successful writer of many books.