1 . With new term approaching, as a new teacher, I needed to find a reference book in our school library. Therefore, I went in search of the _______. Before leaving, I struck up a(n) _______ with her and then I was completely _______ by her experience.

During the winter break, she had gone by herself to Death Valley, a rarely visited desert. She just rented a car and packed up some simple equipment. All the way, she _______ saw another human being as she drove or _______. The photos she showed me _______ me from freezing New England to the brilliant sunshine of Death Valley, where she could appreciate the appealing landscape. But what really _______ me was how fearless this woman is. So weak is she that I used to think that she was _______ to step out of the comfort zone.

I asked her if she was _______ of being out in the vast wilderness alone and she said no ________. She even loved being alone surrounded by such incredible ________, seeking the meaning of life. Further talk revealed that her life has been ________. She was a young single mother with 2 kids and worked at odd jobs day and night to ________. To her credit, she obtained her degree in education and found a decent job.

Actually, our brief talk inspired me to lead a more ________ life and she taught me to see a person beyond the ________.

1.

A．tutor

B．clerk

C．assistant

D．librarian

2.

A．conversation

B．discussion

C．complaint

D．activity

3.

A．bothered

B．attracted

C．moved

D．confused

4.

A．voluntarily

B．definitely

C．occasionally

D．barely

5.

A．hiked

B．slept

C．behaved

D．dived

6.

A．banned

B．protected

C．transported

D．dragged

7.

A．scared

B．delighted

C．upset

D．amazed

8.

A．unable

B．unaffordable

C．appointed

D．desperate

9.

A．free

B．frightened

C．incapable

D．typical

10.

A．without excuse

B．without hesitation

C．with doubt

D．with caution

11.

A．books

B．fantasy

C．sands

D．beauty

12.

A．tough

B．smooth

C．unpredictable

D．changeable

13.

A．succeed

B．escape

C．survive

D．suffer

14.

A．colorful

B．meaningful

C．comfortable

D．recreational

15.

A．restriction

B．range

C．surface

D．reach

2 . A confident smile is a happy smile. Have you ever had a stranger smile at you while you were out in public? Maybe you were feeling down, but their genuine and friendly smiles literally made you turn your frown upside down. All thanks to that smiley person, your negative attitude suddenly subsided. It is hard to believe that such a small gesture can impact your mood so sim ply, but I would be lying if I said that I’ve never experienced this feeling. I’m sure you can relate.

With that being said, science can back this up. Where are these happy feelings coming from? Well, when you smile at someone, you may feel like you’re experiencing temporary happiness.That is because endorphins (内啡肽) are released in the brain when you smile. Endorphins can be described as natural painkillers for the body, which also boost your self-esteem (自尊). Smiling is really a simple act of kindness, which can also make you feel better about yourself.

As an illustration, someone going in for a job interview with their heads held high, and smiles on their faces will have a better chance of scoring the job. Employers remark that a person who looks down when they speak to avoid showing their smiles during an interview, most likely won’t be hired, because it looks as though they are hiding something. However, that person with an inviting smile shows confidence. No matter what you look like, a smile is worth a thousand words and people can recognize that.

It gives me such a rewarding feeling helping children, teens, and adults to build their selfesteem through treatment. It’s all worth it seeing that spark of joy in my patient after the job is all said and done. I truly believe that a bright eyed smile has the capacity to allow you to connect with others, without uttering a sound.

1. What does the underlined word “subsided”mean in Paragraph 1?

A．Appeared.

B．Weakened.

C．Increased.

D．Smiled.

2. What’s the use of endorphins?

A．Making people feel happy.

B．Making people act kindly.

C．Making brains work fast.

D．Curing some diseases.

3. Why is it hard for a person not showing a smile to get a job?

A．He holds his head too high.

B．He looks down upon others.

C．He looks a little dishonest.

D．He is too confident.

4. What kind of work is the author likely to do?

A．A teacher.

B．A volunteer.

C．A scientist.

D．A doctor.

3 . A calligrapher (书法家) said to a man who was practicing calligraphy (书法) with waste newspapers, “If you write with the best paper, you may do it better.”

The man asked why. The calligrapher smiled without_________, only writing one word “Compel (强迫)”. He suddenly realized that this was compelling him to cherish (珍惜) his own paper to write it better._________ a boy, when I practiced calligraphy, I would hear the teacher _________ it, but I felt it boring and couldn’t understand. Looking back suddenly, I came to know its _________ .

I remember there is_________a proverb, “If you want to climb over a wall, please throw your hat _________” Because your hat is on the other side of the wall, you have already had no choice but to find ways to climb over it. It is with such a pressure that you will make every effort to exert (发挥)_________. Many times, we always put our _________ in the future, feeling that our life has many drafts (草稿). In fact, the drafts of life that _________ us are extremely limited.

For life, the most important is ____________to write the best words on the limited paper rather than how much paper you used.

1.

A．reply

B．sound

C．tears

D．attention

2.

A．Like

B．As

C．With

D．Towards

3.

A．regard

B．realize

C．repeat

D．report

4.

A．meaning

B．style

C．price

D．manner

5.

A．so

B．very

C．such

D．too

6.

A．last

B．first

C．then

D．second

7.

A．itself

B．himself

C．herself

D．yourself

8.

A．hopes

B．money

C．pressure

D．time

9.

A．care about

B．put off

C．think up

D．belong to

10.

A．whether

B．where

C．how

D．when

4 . 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

5 . In casual conversations, there is a seemingly simple question I can never answer without hesitating — “Where are you from?”

I could say I am from Thailand, where I was born. Or I am from Mexico, where I spent the majority of my childhood. Or I am from the US, whose language is rooted into my life. In my mind, none of these answers are satisfying enough. After all, to be from somewhere carries expectations of understanding “your” culture and “your” home.

I feel envious whenever my friends say they’re “going home” for school breaks. As a student who frequently moves, I have never seen my living space as “home”, but “shelter”, another location to stay in before I unavoidably move again.

So, does this mean I do not have, and will never have, a home? I resign myself to living with this sense of sadness, until very recently.

In my dorm, inside my drawer is a specially designed white bath towel that I have not used since I brought it with me from my parents’ house. One day, I took it out, but stopped after smelling the soft, sweet laundry detergent (洗衣粉), the one my parents used back in Thailand. I felt my eyes water as that random smell brought my mixed emotions to the surface: sadness and nostalgia, a strong feeling of missing home. I still avoid using that towel until now because I don’t want to replace the smell of nostalgia with my newly-bought detergent.

Sadly, even with this new discovery, I will still struggle when answering where I am from, and I will always feel a sense of loss in not having a physical home to “go back to”. Yet, in random moments, when a smell catches me off guard (让我猝不及防) with the memories it brings, I like to believe that the things I feel then are things people feel when they are home. And if these moments can make me smile, even with a sense of loss, what better home can I ask for?

1. Why is the author unable to see his living space as “home”?

A．His living places often change.	B．He is unsatisfied with the place.
C．His expectations of “home” are high.	D．He can’t understand the culture there.

2. Why does the author treasure that towel?

A．It was made in his hometown.	B．It is a present from his parents.
C．Its smell awakened his memories.	D．Its design wins his preference.

3. What does the author want to convey in the last paragraph?

A．He no longer feels a sense of loss.

B．He feels a physical home is unnecessary.

C．He has got the answer to “Where are you from?”

D．He has found a sense of home in some moments.

4. What can be the best title of the text?

A．A Man’s Home Is His Castle	B．There Is No Place Like Home
C．The Smell Brings Me Home	D．The Emotion Connects Me With Home

6 . I’m a mother of three and a psychologist. Recently, I come to understand what makes childhood valuable in its own right.

One day, when I went to get my 7-year-old son from soccer ________, the kid ________ me with a downcast face. The coach had ________ him for not focusing on his soccer drills. He walked out of the school with his head and shoulders ________ down. He seemed wrapped in ________. But just before he reached the car door, he suddenly stopped, crouching (蹲伏) down to ________ something on the sidewalk. His ________ went down lower and lower, and then, with complete joy he called out, “Mum. Come here. This is the ________ bug (虫子) I’ve ever seen. It has, like a million ________. It’s amazing.” He looked up at me, his features overflowing with energy and ________. “Can’t we ________ here for just a minute? I want to find out what he does with all those legs.”

The traditional view of such a moment is that it is ________, or a waste of valuable time. Yet at that moment it suddenly dawned on me that what sets children apart from adults is not their ignorance (无知) but their ________ for joy. Children’s ability to become deeply ________ in something and get great pleasure is what adults spend the rest of their lives ________.

1.

A．appointment

B．display

C．practice

D．experience

2.

A．served

B．greeted

C．witnessed

D．treated

3.

A．envied

B．criticized

C．promoted

D．forgiven

4.

A．hanging

B．settling

C．putting

D．turning

5.

A．shyness

B．weakness

C．loneliness

D．sadness

6.

A．pick up

B．look for

C．stare at

D．bring out

7.

A．ears

B．hands

C．mouth

D．face

8.

A．biggest

B．simplest

C．strangest

D．dullest

9.

A．eyes

B．arms

C．legs

D．feet

10.

A．entertainment

B．delight

C．satisfaction

D．confusion

11.

A．gather

B．play

C．sit

D．stay

12.

A．practical

B．impossible

C．accessible

D．unnecessary

13.

A．capacity

B．respect

C．effort

D．responsibility

14.

A．experienced

B．absorbed

C．rich

D．skillful

15.

A．seeking

B．studying

C．missing

D．denying

7 . After leaving the publishing industry in my fifties, I chose a university to follow my love for animal biology. I regard the experience as a change for my self-confidence, both inside and outside the classroom.

My background is in the arts, so I wanted to see if I could keep up with a science degree. I was a carer for my parent when I was 18, so I didn’t have the opportunity to go to university then. I was a little nervous, and worried, but I was actually treated the same as all the other students.

I’m definitely a bit of a mum figure to some of my classmates, but that’s fine. Friendship grows in different ways. I’ve done lots of volunteering, so there have been plenty of opportunities to extend my knowledge and experience.

My family have been so supportive. My husband is retired(退休) now and has taken on lots of the housework so that I can study. My daughter has already g other degree and she’s been great helping me get new views. I’ve hunted for a few jobs at the university, and I’m also considering other qualifications. I have learned so much about critical thinking.

I would recommend adult study to anyone, even if it’s just college, so they can feel that connection and support. That’s what I missed-going in regularly and having a group of people to talk to, especially if you have gradually lost your confidence over the years You need the support from people who see you as a person and not just a mum or a wife. It’s really given me the confidence to speak up again, to join in and be part of the society.

1. Why did the author choose a university?

A．To teach arts.	B．To get a degree.
C．To follow her passion.	D．To find a better job.

2. What prevented the author going to university when she was young?

A．Keeping a science degree.	B．Taking care of her parents.
C．Being nervous about study.	D．Showing no interest in university.

3. What did the author benefit from her experience?

A．She got on better with her old friends.

B．She learned to be stricter with herself.

C．She was more responsible for her housework.

D．She became more confident to express herself.

4. Which maybe the best title for the text?

A．It Is Never Too Old to Learn.

B．Hard Work Is the Key to Success.

C．Family Support Is of Great Importance.

D．Volunteering Is Helpful in Developing Friendship.

8 . 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

9 . In your spoken English class, your teacher slows you the following picture. You are asked to describe the picture and explain how you understand it.

注意：词数100左右
基本分析：
1.三分之一描写要点：阳光，楼(很靠近)，弯曲的树。(the sun，two apartments flats closely-locate d.the winding/twisted tree)
2.三分之二议论着眼立意：
—人生角度：在成长的道路上(树的成长)，有曲折，有困难，(建筑的阻挡，弯曲)但是只要向着光明和希望(太阳)去努力拼搏，坚持不懈，还是能够冲破桎梏取得成功(树在楼的夹缝中长高了，超出建筑)。
3.立意与现实生活关系：引导青年学生要具有积极的生活态度，生活就是不断克服各种艰难险阻而取得“大直若曲”的成功与胜利。
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

10 . 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