1 . I first saw a real durian (榴莲) in an Asian supermarket in Queens. That strange-looking fruit was big, heavy, and covered with sharp pricks (刺). I decided to buy one. The Chinese checkout girl carefully wrapped it thickly in a newspaper before putting it into a shopping bag.
On the train home, I cautiously opened the Chinese newspaper and lifted it out. Its strangeness made me think of kung fu, yoga and Taijiquan.
Upon arriving home, I dug out the biggest knife and cut through the tough prickly husk (壳). I tasted the pale-yellow flesh, delicious!
After that, durian was my favourite fruit. My skill at cutting durian open was improving. I showed the skill to my girlfriend.
A few years later, we moved to Taiwan. One day I noticed some durians had begun to open by themselves. The owner tried to get me to buy one but I shook my head, thinking it was far-gone. Instead I selected one whose outer husk wasn’t open.
The next morning I woke up to a strong durian smell. I found a small crack (裂缝) had appeared all on its own. I used the smallest pressure and tasted a more delicious durian. Suddenly, I realized something. I ha felt so satisfied with my own skill in opening the durian that I never thought about letting the durian open itself. The higher art was not in doing but in not doing — letting the thing happen on its own in the way it happens best.
1. Why did the Chinese checkout girl wrap the durian thickly in a newspaper?| A．To decorate the durian. | B．To stop the durian from falling apart. |
| C．To prevent the author from being hurt. | D．To encourage the author to read Chinese. |
| A．A strange fruit. | B．A delicious dinner. |
| C．Other passengers’ attention. | D．Some symbols of Asian culture. |
| A．He thought it was too ripe. | B．He enjoyed the selection of durian. |
| C．He wanted a chance to show his skill. | D．He preferred the durian with open husk. |
| A．Practice makes perfect. | B．Let nature take its course. |
| C．Interest is the best teacher. | D．Kill two birds with one stone. |
As the famous American song of the 1950s says. “Little things mean a lot.” To me, this phrase is becoming more and more significant as I get older and
One of these “little things” is nature. Most of us, even in urban cities, can find at least a little slice of nature
Another “little thing” that means a lot to me is my little balcony garden. It’s such
Nature is not “over there”, it’s right in front of us. Maybe it’s time to start focusing more
3 . Every act of kindness starts with something small, something we all can — and should — do every single day.
I’ m Will Rubio, one of the
On Random Acts, it may be a neighbor or a colleague who
So, where can you start? The key is to be like Lily: look for an opportunity to make a
After two seasons of hosting Random Acts, the joy of
Be that person doing acts of
| A．photographers | B．directors | C．viewers | D．hosts |
| A．expose | B．conduct | C．arrange | D．advocate |
| A．changing | B．counting | C．ranging | D．transforming |
| A．in need of | B．in search of | C．in defence of | D．in favor of |
| A．ignores | B．recognizes | C．rejects | D．abandons |
| A．Bring | B．Make | C．Create | D．Take |
| A．anxious | B．proud | C．afraid | D．unwilling |
| A．exception | B．challenge | C．competition | D．dilemma |
| A．provided | B．seized | C．spotted | D．missed |
| A．successful | B．acceptable | C．reasonable | D．available |
| A．choice | B．difference | C．promise | D．decision |
| A．generous | B．sociable | C．ambitious | D．caring |
| A．never | B．just | C．still | D．even |
| A．put up with | B．make up for | C．work at | D．bring down |
| A．reducing | B．carrying | C．bearing | D．overcoming |
| A．admit | B．realize | C．remember | D．assume |
| A．destination | B．deadline | C．truth | D．boundary |
| A．accompany | B．surprise | C．locate | D．puzzle |
| A．refreshes | B．inspires | C．touches | D．satisfies |
| A．forgiveness | B．politeness | C．generosity | D．kindness |
4 . We all dream of reaching a certain success someday. Because of this we all are afraid of the very same thing- failure. But we should understand that we all have to experience some sort of failure in our lives. It is part of growing up and it is part of life itself. Failure doesn't have to always be seen as something negative. When you get to see failure in a different perspective, you will see that it has the power to help you get to your goal.
Don't be so hard on yourself whenever you make a mistake or fail a task. Everyone makes mistakes. Whenever you face one failure, remember to accept your fault and do something to make things right. Whenever you fail something, you just have to get up and keep trying. You will get to your goal eventually.
Every mistake is a lesson you have to learn from. As the saying goes, “If you do something wrong for the first time, it is a mistake. But if it happens again, then it becomes a choice.” Your mistakes and failure make you wiser.
You should be smart enough to know and avoid the causes that lead you to them once more. No dream or goal is ever easy. With every great success, there are some failures along the way that lead to something great. Don't give up and don't be afraid to make mistakes. It is all part of the game of life.
Life is not a bed of roses. The journey to success will have its ups and downs and have its share of joy and suffering. You will encounter failure once in a while. But pain is part of the learning process. Failures and mistakes are experiences that will make you wiser and stronger as you climb the ladder of success.
1. What is the main purpose of the passage?| A．To encourage people to think about failure positively. |
| B．To emphasize the importance of self-confidence. |
| C．To explain some meanings of achieving success. |
| D．To discuss the relation between failure and success. |
| A．Everyone should pay for their mistakes. | B．Failure makes success more meaningful. |
| C．Mistakes can bring people great benefits. | D．It's common to make mistakes in daily life. |
| A．They are complete losers. | B．They are not good learners. |
| C．They should not be forgiven. | D．They need sympathy and support. |
| A．Expect. | B．Avoid. | C．Experience. | D．Appreciate. |
The Old Man and the Sea, a great novel
The story concerns an old Cuban fisherman named Santiago who
Hemingway is famously interested in ideas of men proving their worth by
An influential American philosopher used to say “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go to do it because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
What makes you come alive? How are you
Brie Seavey
Just like Brie, I believe life can be light and cheerful as long as we find
7 . I shall always recall the autumn and the girl playing the violin. She made me realize true friendship. I know she will always be my best friend .
It was a golden season. I could see the yellow leaves falling on the cool wind. In such a season, I liked walking alone on the leaves in the woods, listening to the sound of them.
Autumn is a lonely season and everything is still. Such surroundings always get me down. But one day, the sound of a violin flowed into my ears like a stream flowing in the mountains. I was so surprised that I jumped to see what it was. A young girl, standing in the wind, was lost in playing her violin.
I had never seen her before. The music was so nice that I listened quietly. Lost in the music, I didn't know that I had been standing there for so long but my existence did not seem to disturb her.
Leaves were still falling. Every day she played the violin at the same time and the same place and I went to watch her performance . I was the only listener. The autumn seemed no longer lonely and life became interesting. Though we didn't know each other, I thought we were already good friends. I believe she also had the same feeling.
Autumn was nearly over. One day, when I was listening carefully, the sound suddenly stopped. To my astonishment, the girl came over to me.
“You must like the violin.” she said.
“Yes, and you play very well. Why did you stop?” I asked.
Suddenly, a sad 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 badly. It was your appreciation and listening every day that encouraged me.” she said.
“In fact, it was your playing that gave me a meaningful autumn,” I answered, “let's be friends. The girl smiled and so did I.
During the rest days left, I had never heard her play again. Only thick leaves were left on the ground. But I will not forget the girl. She is just like a dream, so short, so bright, like a shooting star giving off all its light that it makes the autumn sky shining.
1. What did the writer like doing in autumn?| A．Enjoying the fresh air in the woods. |
| B．Seeking for surprises. |
| C．Walking alone on the leaves and listening to the sound of the woods. |
| D．Walking by himself on the leaves and listening to the sound of the falling leaves. |
| A．He is in high spirits. | B．He is surprised. |
| C．He feels blue. | D．He is calm. |
| A．Appreciation and listening benefit others as well as ourselves. |
| B．The violin is powerful. |
| C．The girl would miss her grandmother. |
| D．Their meeting was expected. |
| A．Beauty and love are the unchangeable themes. |
| B．A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
| C．Persistence is important for us to succeed. |
| D．Many people may step in your life, but only true friends leave beautiful footprints on your heart. |
8 . When I was young, each morning I woke up and would find my father nowhere around the house. He usually got up early before
Now I have tried different jobs and finally
| A．noon | B．night | C．dark | D．dawn |
| A．equally | B．less | C．even | D．extremely |
| A．throw | B．harvest | C．remove | D．drop |
| A．before | B．whenever | C．since | D．until |
| A．faraway | B．endless | C．challenging | D．boring |
| A．open | B．out | C．away | D．flat |
| A．angry | B．disappointed | C．hopeless | D．ashamed |
| A．read | B．disturbed | C．spoken | D．seen |
| A．pains | B．wisdom | C．patience | D．courage |
| A．spring | B．fall | C．summer | D．winter |
| A．strength | B．cost | C．effort | D．risk |
| A．regretted | B．smiled | C．sighed | D．followed |
| A．day | B．month | C．second | D．year |
| A．discouraged | B．faced | C．dealt | D．worked |
| A．good | B．various | C．small | D．large |
| A．confidence | B．achievement | C．failure | D．change |
| A．puzzled | B．shocked | C．delighted | D．inspired |
| A．managed | B．failed | C．succeeded | D．avoided |
| A．settled | B．broke | C．bent | D．pulled |
| A．around | B．to | C．with | D．through |
A young person, especially a female, shining with beauty and full of life, has all the favor granted by God. Any attempt to make up would be self - defeating. Youth, however, comes and goes in a flash. Packaging for the middle - aged is primarily to hide the marks made by years. If you still enjoy life enough to keep self - confidence and work at pioneering work, you are unique in your natural qualities, and your attractiveness and grace will remain. Elderly people are beautiful if their river of life has been through plains, mountains and jungles, running its course as it should. You have really lived your life, which now arrives at a self - satisfied stage of quietness and calmness with no interest in fame or wealth. There is no need to make use of hair dyeing. The snow - capped mountain is itself a beautiful scene of fairyland. Let your looks change from young to old in step with the natural ageing process so as to keep in harmony （和谐）with nature, for harmony itself is beauty, while the other way round will only end in unpleasantness
As long as one find where one stands, one knows how to package oneself, just as a commodity sets up its brand by the right packaging.
1. It can be concluded from the text that ________.
| A．people should be packed at all ages |
| B．people should be packed in a special way |
| C．elderly people also care about packing |
| D．proper packing makes people attractive |
| A．hardly exists | B．is the strongest |
| C．comes from the inside | D．comes from the appearance |
| A．are usually packed like a finely - made book |
| B．experience a lot and have rich knowledge of life |
| C．do a lot of traveling and can give you much information |
| D．enjoy reading thick books of beautiful nature and fairylands |
