1 . It was early winter several years ago. I had pulled out my old winter coat for another year’s use. It was still in pretty good shape although it was looking dirty from so many winters’ wear. I didn’t really need a new one but I wanted one and casually mentioned it to my daughter one day. She was such a sweet, loving girl that I should have guessed what would happen next. A few weeks later she gave me a new winter coat as a gift.
I put the old one in my closet and started to wear the new coat every day. Each day, though, when I opened my closet, something troubled me. It seemed a shame that my old but still good coat should just sit there keeping no one warm during the cold winter days. After a few weeks, I took it out and drove to a local charity shop. I knew that there was someone who couldn’t afford a coat but could get my old one.
My new coat is my old coat now. It is getting a little dirty and worn, too. It has black marks on the sleeves. It is in too bad shape to even donate to charity. I wonder if I should buy a new one soon, but I think I will wait for a while. I don’t really need a new one and maybe I can find something else to give to the charity shop instead.
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Want is a growing giant whom the coat of Have was never large enough to cover,” Perhaps the best way to deal with our wants then is to give instead. Love, after all, brings us the most joy. And the more of it you give away, the more of it you have.
1. Which word can best describe the author’s daughter?| A．Thoughtful. | B．Wealthy. | C．Easy-going. | D．Hard-working. |
| A．It cost too much. |
| B．It was looking dirty. |
| C．It was not sent to someone in need. |
| D．There was not enough room for his new coat. |
| A．Telling his daughter. | B．Buying a new one soon. |
| C．Sending something else to charity. | D．Donating it to charity. |
| A．Love is the key to joy. |
| B．Giving fills our wants. |
| C．The more you give, the more you lose. |
| D．A coat is large enough to cover our wants |
A proverb (谚语) says, “Time is money”. But in my opinion, time is even
In a word, we should form the good habit of
3 . He hurried around the room, touching everything he could reach. I followed, attempting to intercept (拦截) him before he reached the hallway. He approached the front desk and knocked over all the papers on the table. I assisted him firmly in collecting them. I sensed eyes watching me, judging my parenting skills.
I should have realised that arriving so early would not have been wise. It was my mistake to arrive early, as the long wait was difficult for my child. I kept searching my bag and found a ball, which finally attracted him. A couple waited for their child. They stared at me and my son, and I heard the words “out of control”. I could feel my face flush red. I wanted to tell them that my son has a disability and that he’s not being bad; he’s just having trouble waiting. I sat down and watched him play with the ball, and I tried my best not to cry.
The instructor called the group together, and my son went off to play sports with the other five-year-olds. I prayed that this time he would follow the rules. I closed my eyes and wished him to be okay.
“He’ll be fine.” I opened my eyes and looked beside me. “He’ll do great. You are doing great. You are a great mom. I can see it in all that you do for him,” a lady sat on my right said.
She told me about her brother and her parents and all that her mom did for her brother over the years. She told me about how he turned out great, got a job and lives on his own now. We sat and talked, and I felt the tension leave my body.
Before I knew it, the doors opened, and all the kids ran out, including my own, filled with excitement and pride. “I did it!” he exclaimed. I picked him up. I turned to thank the lady, but she was gone.
1. What might others in the waiting room expect the author to do?| A．Apologize to them. | B．Make her child behave. |
| C．Get out of the room. | D．Take her son to the doctor’s. |
| A．His own temper. | B．His mother’s love. |
| C．A physical disability. | D．Difficulty in waiting. |
| A．Her sincere attitude. | B．Her family’s experience. |
| C．Her brother’s suffering. | D．Her sympathy for the author. |
| A．True and kind words can change the world. |
| B．It is difficult for a child to behave himself. |
| C．Be more patient to a child with disability. |
| D．Wrong words will make the world worse. |
4 . In my opinion, my mother has the ability to do anything, especially chores such as ironing and cooking. However, teaching her how to use the Internet is as frustrating as untangling (解开) wires.
Once, my mother came to me to ask for help on how to find a recipe for all-beef Lasagna. I gave her very simple verbal instructions—go to the home page of a particular search engine and type in “recipe for all-beef Lasagna.” Fifteen minutes later, she came to me, telling me that she was unable to find the Internet icon. I went over to the computer and pointed out the icon to her.
Another fifteen minutes went by when I felt a tap on my shoulder. This time, my mother said that she was unable to search for the particular recipe. Gritting (咬) my teeth, I walked to her room again. I saw that she had typed “all beef La saga” instead. With frustrated strokes, I keyed in the correct spelling.
Yet another fifteen minutes went by again when my mother gingerly tapped my shoulder. I stormed next door without bothering to hide my frustration. The main page of the website had not shifted one bit. I then realized that she did not know how to scroll(滚动屏幕) down the page. What had initially seemed like an easy task was turning out to be an intense one.
To avoid being disturbed again, I decided to find the recipe for her. Without a word, I rapidly downloaded a few recipes, printed them out and passed them to my mother. However, seeing her embarrassment, I began to regret my impatience.
At that moment, memories flashed through my mind. When I was young, my mother endured my endless questions, enlightening me with much patience. Now that I am older, the roles slowly reverse. As my mother may increasingly need my help, shouldn’t I rethink how to respond to her needs?
1. Why does the author gave her mother very simple instructions at first?| A．Because she was an impatient person. |
| B．Because she didn’t want to be disturbed. |
| C．Because she wanted to make them easy to follow. |
| D．Because she thought it was an easy task to do. |
| A．Delighted. | B．Embarrassed. | C．Frustrated. | D．Impatient. |
| A．The author becomes more willing to help her mother. |
| B．The author’s mother becomes more patient to her. |
| C．The author’s mother doesn’t turn to her for help any more. |
| D．The author learns more recipes with her mother. |
| A．It’s never too old to learn. | B．Action speaks louder than words. |
| C．Patience is the mother of success. | D．Understanding means standing in other’s shoes. |
Here is a positive to-do list for the upcoming year:
Start facing your problems head-on. It isn’t your problems that define you, but how you react to them and recover from them.
Start being honest with yourself about everything. Be honest about what’s right, as well as what needs to be changed. Be honest about what you want to achieve and who you want to become. Be honest about every aspect of your life.
Start valuing the lessons your mistakes teach you.
Start forgiving yourself and others. We’ve all been hurt by our own decisions and by others.
Start cheering for other people’s victories. Notice what you like about others and tell them. Be happy for those who are making progress. Cheer for their victories. Be thankful for their blessings openly.
| A．Forgiveness is the medicine. |
| B．Mistakes are the stepping stones of progress. |
| C．Start being nice to the people around you. |
| D．Start spending time with right people. |
| E．Problems will not disappear unless you take action. |
| F．It doesn’t mean you’re wiping out or forgetting the past. |
| G．Because you are the person you can forever count on. |
6 . 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 |
7 . Do you like fishing? Have you ever put a fish back into the water after catching it? What made you decide to do this?
One day, two fishermen were fishing in a pool. Both of them were looking forward to getting a big catch. The first fisherman caught a big and beautiful fish after an hour. He was very happy. He put the fish in his icebox. He would cook it in the afternoon. Soon, the second fisherman also caught a large fish. Surprisingly, he threw it back into the pool. Later, he caught many more big fish. But he only threw them back into the water again and again.
The first fisherman felt strange and asked, "Why are you throwing the fish back into the water? They were beautiful and big!" The second fisherman answered,"I know they were big, but I don't have a pan（平底锅）big enough to cook big fish! So I'm looking for a smaller fish that fits my cooking pan. "The first fisherman was surprised by the answer. He told the second fisherman "I will cut the big fish into smaller pieces to fit them into the small pan."
Many of us are just like the second fisherman. We don't think carefully and this sometimes causes us to lose a chance.
1. What's the function of Paragraph 1?| A．To ask for readers' help. | B．To change readers' hobbies. |
| C．To attract readers' attention. | D．To test readers' fishing skills. |
| A．After buying a big pan. | B．Next to the first fisherman. |
| C．On the afternoon of that day. | D．At the very beginning of fishing. |
| A．Shocked. | B．Bored. | C．Pleased. | D．Moved. |
| A．A chance calls for waiting patiently. | B．To teach fishing is better than to give fish. |
| C．One can't eat fish and own it at the same time. | D．Chances are for those who are good at thinking. |
8 . Growing up in the 1960s, I was taught from an early age to send a handwritten thankyou note expressing
A study showed that it took less than 5 minutes to write the thank-you notes. Just 5 minutes to make
It's easy to use the
In his ten years as CEO, Conant wrote over 30,000 notes to employees. It’s
| A．concern | B．satisfaction | C．affection | D．appreciation |
| A．reject | B．tear | C．buy | D．impress |
| A．remained | B．appeared | C．proved | D．promised |
| A．one | B．any | C．each | D．another |
| A．However | B．Therefore | C．Anyway | D．Otherwise |
| A．special | B．necessary | C．convenient | D．significant |
| A．case | B．occasion | C．example | D．excuse |
| A．humorous | B．generous | C．successful | D．horrible |
| A．pen | B．receive | C．design | D．decorate |
| A．gained | B．lost | C．developed | D．damaged |
| A．gave up | B．set about | C．cut out | D．went off |
| A．allowed | B．taught | C．checked | D．tested |
| A．market | B．businessman | C．company | D．employee |
| A．naturally | B．frankly | C．personally | D．originally |
| A．away | B．around | C．up | D．down |
| A．hard | B．great | C．amazing | D．disappointing |
| A．As usual | B．After all | C．By the way | D．In brief |
| A．through | B．except for | C．without | D．besides |
| A．although | B．if | C．because | D．until |
| A．kindness | B．joy | C．value | D．confidence |
9 . Yesterday was my final day as an English language assistant in Paris. I have loved every single moment of my time teaching, and could not have asked for a better school, with the most wonderful students. When applying to be a language assistant. I was a little worried about what the students would be like.
Upon arrival, I found the easiest approach to creating lesson plans was to focus on what was happening right here and now. For example, when it was Halloween in the UK, I found plenty of brainchildren to help me teach my students all about the different cultures and traditions they do not have in France. They loved it! And now, seven months later, it's all over!
The whole experience has been amazing. I highly recommend being a language assistant. I don't want to become a teacher，and I didn't before I arrived, but the skills and experience I have gained from these entire seven months of working is indescribable. Now, I'm finding myself still walking down the street and having ideas pop into my mind and saying, “Oh! 1 can teach mv class about that next week!” It's very bizarre(异乎寻常的).
I think this first week of having no work and not needing to think of potential lesson plans will be the hardest，and it was surprisingly difficult to say goodbye to most of my classes. But deep down，I know that my time teaching in Paris has given me so much experience and a completely new outlook on how to communicate with younger people with different needs and learning styles.
1. Where did the author work as a teaching assistant?| A．In America. | B．In England. | C．In France. | D．In Canada. |
| A．Clever children. | B．Different assistants. |
| C．Successful experience. | D．Sudden good ideas. |
| A．The writer thought it useless. | B．The writer liked it very much. |
| C．The writer found it very strange. | D．The writer had no idea about it. |
| A．My Teaching Experience in Paris |
| B．An English Language Assistant in Paris |
| C．How to Communicate with Younger People |
| D．How to Become an Amazing Language Teacher |
10 . 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. |
