1 . I had just picked up my new car, a very beautiful automobile if you’re into cars. A few months later, I was involved in an accident. That new and very beautiful car was destroyed.
The accident was clearly not my fault. The other guy was so busy on his cell phone that he went right through a red light and slammed into the passenger side of my car. It was even scarier because my niece was asleep on the back seat and her father, my brother, was in the front passenger seat. He was not happy, to say the least.
The police arrived and began taking statements. I explained that I had been going at about 55kmph. “So you were going about 50kmph…” he said.
“No, I said I was doing about 55kmph” I said.
“Right, so you were doing about 50kmph…” again he repeated.
In a slightly annoyed(恼火的)tone because I felt I wasn’t being heard, I said: “No! I was doing about 55kmph!”
“OK, if that’s the way you want it,” this time the officer simply replied.
I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was shooting myself in the foot. My insurance company paid me for the damages to my car. However, I totally missed the boat on the other driver’s insurance company.
The city speed limit is 50kmph. I ended up getting 50 percent less than I would have from the other guy’s insurance company because I had insisted I was doing 55kmph.
It suddenly struck me that the traffic policeman had been trying to help me out. He hadn’t minded about the 5kmph; he had known something about the insurance that I had not.
I thought about what had happened again. I might have carried on insisting that I told the truth, but I could at least have said “Thank you” to him instead of acting so rudely. After all, he had been trying to help me out.
Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to let other people talk while you simply shut up and listen. Never forget to hear, you have to be able to listen.
1. When the author insisted his speed was 55kmph, the policeman________.A.was confused at first and then got slightly annoyed |
B.ignored the author at first, then finally gave in to him |
C.didn’t listen and wrote down 50kmph |
D.tried to help him out all the time |
A.He regretted being rude to the policeman |
B.He regretted not listening to the policeman because he had had to pay more |
C.He was proud that he had insisted on telling the truth |
D.He appreciated what the policeman had done and felt lucky to have met him |
A.it is important to be willing to listen to people |
B.we should appreciate those who help us |
C.honesty is the best policy |
D.people should insist on doing what they think is right |
2 . Two of the saddest words in the English language are “if only”. I live my life with the goal of never having to say those words, because they express regret, lost opportunities, mistakes, and disappointment.
My father is famous in our family for saying, “Take the extra minute to do it right.” I always try to live by the “extra minute” rule. When my children were young and likely to cause accidents, I always thought about what I could do to avoid an “if only” moment, whether it was something minor like moving a cup full of hot coffee away from the edge of a counter, or something that required a little more work such as taping padding (衬垫) onto the sharp comers of a glass coffee table.
I don’t only avoid (避免) those “if only” moments when it comes to safety. it’s equally important to avoid “if only” in our personal relationships. We all know people who lost a loved one and regretted that they had foregone an opportunity to say, “I love you” or “I forgive you.” When my father announced he was going to the eye doctor across from my office on Good Friday, I told him that it was a holiday for my company and I wouldn’t be here. But then I thought about the fact that he’s 84 years old and I realized that I shouldn’t give up an opportunity to see him. I called him and told him I had decided to go to work on my day off after all.
I know there will still be occasions when I have to say “if only” about something, but my life is definitely better because of my policy of doing everything possible to avoid that eventuality (可能发生的事). And even though it takes an extra minute to do something right, or it occasionally takes an hour or two in my busy schedule to make a personal connection, I know that I’m doing the right thing. I’m buying myself peace of mind and that’s the best kind of insurance (保障) for my emotional well-being.
1. Which of the following is an example of the “extra minute” rule?A.Start the car the moment everyone is seated. |
B.Leave the room for a minute with the iron working. |
C.Wait for an extra minute so that the steak tastes better. |
D.Move an object out of the way before it trips (绊倒) someone. |
A.To keep her appointment with the eye doctor. |
B.To meet her father who was already an old man. |
C.To join in the holiday celebration of the company. |
D.To finish her work before the deadline approached. |
A.given up. | B.Lacked. | C.Avoided. | D.Wasted. |
A.The Emotional Well-being | B.The Two Saddest Words |
C.The Most Useful Rule | D.The Peace of Mind |
3 . Once there was a king who had given his daughter a beautiful diamond necklace. However, the necklace was stolen. Some said a bird might have taken it. The king then asked all his people to search for it. And he put up a reward of£50,000 for anyone who found it.
One day, a man was walking along a river. Suddenly, he saw something shiny in the river. He thought that it might be the diamond necklace. So he decided to get it so that he could get the reward. He put his hand into the dirty river and tried to grab the necklace, but somehow he missed it. Having taken his hand out, he saw that the necklace was still there. Then he walked into the river and put his arm in to grab the necklace. He still missed it!
He came out and decided to walk away. Just when he was about to leave, he saw the necklace again. This time, he jumped into the river and searched everywhere, yet he failed to find the necklace. He came out, puzzled.
Then a wise man saw him and asked him what had happened. The man told him nothing, thinking he might take the necklace for himself. Nevertheless, the wise man could see that he was in search of something. He asked him again, and promised that he wouldn’t tell anyone. After hearing this, the man told the wise man about the necklace and how he had tried to grab it, but kept failing. The wise man then told him that perhaps he should look up, towards the branches of a tree. The man raised his head, only to see the necklace on a branch of the tree. What he had been trying to get was just a reflection of the necklace all the time.
1. Why did the man try many times to get the necklace?A.He liked diamonds very much. |
B.He really wanted the reward. |
C.He was very curious about it. |
D.He was forced to do so by the king. |
A.he didn’t think the wise man would be able to help him |
B.he knew that it didn’t belong to the wise men |
C.he was afraid that the wise man would take it |
D.he didn’t think the wise man was interested in it |
A.The man found the necklace with the help of the wise man. |
B.The wise man had put the necklace on the branch. |
C.There was no hope of the man finding the necklace. |
D.The man regretted jumping into the river. |
A.A wise man | B.A greedy man |
C.A different way of thinking. | D.A diamond necklace |
4 . My wife and I moved into our home two years ago. We had a yard with a lot of
Last summer, I found a tiny little plant in the yard that I could not immediately identify. I knew I didn’t plant it and Denise said she didn’t either.
We decided to let it
Weeks passed and as I made my way back to the
That’s when I
We need to believe in ourselves knowing we have the
A.flower | B.insects | C.vegetables | D.rocks |
A.water | B.fertilizer | C.color | D.shape |
A.stop | B.continue | C.improve | D.escape |
A.weak | B.strange | C.lonely | D.pretty |
A.collect | B.tend | C.remove | D.watch |
A.unusual | B.wonderful | C.terrible | D.valuable |
A.passed | B.started | C.left | D.died |
A.air | B.top | C.sun | D.house |
A.hoped | B.realized | C.doubted | D.regretted |
A.fill in | B.put in | C.worry about | D.believe in |
A.forget | B.hate | C.aim | D.wait |
A.wish | B.plan | C.ability | D.idea |
A.faith | B.energy | C.virtue | D.courage |
A.aware | B.afraid | C.proud | D.tired |
A.forgive | B.support | C.upset | D.affect |
5 . It was a dark day, one of depression, sorrow and anger. As I climbed out of the
I was lying on my cool bed when an idea
Finally came the day when I had to
With the starting gun
I had done it! I had achieved my best time! Joy filled my
I have
A.pond | B.sea | C.pool | D.bed |
A.made | B.achieved | C.reached | D.realized |
A.Otherwise | B.However | C.Besides | D.In addition |
A.occurred | B.broke | C.stuck | D.hit |
A.opportunity | B.action | C.cause | D.ability |
A.keeping | B.losing | C.reducing | D.decreasing |
A.somehow | B.somewhat | C.anyhow | D.anywhere |
A.magical | B.reasonable | C.confident | D.achievable |
A.promise | B.provide | C.present | D.prove |
A.consideration | B.impression | C.belief | D.desire |
A.setting out | B.going off | C.breaking out | D.getting off |
A.through | B.above | C.across | D.to |
A.turn | B.jump | C.struggle | D.shoot |
A.next | B.previous | C.very | D.last |
A.pushed | B.reached | C.got | D.touched |
A.whole | B.perfect | C.first | D.best |
A.heart | B.head | C.mind | D.face |
A.expressions | B.emotions | C.feelings | D.responses |
A.ran | B.climbed | C.stood | D.jumped |
A.gained | B.dreamed | C.learned | D.remembered |
6 . My family moved into our home nine years ago. We spent a lot of time and energy in the yard to get it looking like the way it does today. In front of the house, the rocks appear to be just thrown up onto the dirt as if someone were in a hurry to finish. We called this area our “rock garden”. Denise and I would also plant some flowers between the rocks, just to bring some color to the area.
Last summer I found, in the rock garden, a tiny little plant that I could not immediately identify. I knew I didn’t plant it and Denise said she didn’t either. We decided to let it continue growing until we could figure out what it was.
Weeks passed and as I made my way back to the strange plant, it appeared to be a sunflower. It looked thin and tall with only one head on it. I decided to baby it along and weed(除杂草)around it. As I pulled rocks from the area to get to the weeds, I noticed something unusual. The sunflower had not started where I saw it begin. It actually had begun under a big rock and grown under and around it to reach the sun.
That’s when I realized that if a tiny little sunflower didn’t allow a big rock to stand in its way of developing, we too have the ability to do the same thing. Once we believe in ourselves like that little sunflower, we can attain the same nourishment(养分)for growth as well.
Stand tall like the sunflower and be proud of who and what we are, then the environment will begin to support us. We will find a way to go under or around any “rocks” in order to achieve our goals.
1. What can we know from the first paragraph?A.The author finished building his house hurriedly. |
B.The family has lived in this house for 9 years. |
C.The author’s house is made of rocks. |
D.The family don’t like gardening. |
A.see how long it could live |
B.see how big it could grow |
C.find out what it actually was |
D.know if his wife had planted it |
A.the strange plant turned out to be the sunflower |
B.the sunflower grew under and around a big rock |
C.the sunflower had only one head on it |
D.the sunflower was very thin and tall |
A.Confident. | B.Devoted. | C.Delicate. | D.Modest. |
A.rocks cannot prevent us from success |
B.the sunflowers are able to grow everywhere |
C.we should take good care of the rock gardens |
D.we can get over difficulties if we trust ourselves |
7 . 阅读下面材料,在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。
I can well remember that I was once asked to deliver a speech titled “A Real Test in My Life” before the whole class at the age of 9! You can imagine how
Thank you for your proposal about virtual reality cinema. I’m very interested in RealCine.
I think viewers will be
I like the idea that virtual reality can
Yours sincerely,
Cheng Yige
1.A.But | B.As | C.Though | D.However |
A.touched | B.moved | C.impressing | D.impressed |
A.with | B.for | C.in | D.on |
A.hot | B.cold | C.low | D.high |
A.idea | B.sense | C.thought | D.thinking |
A.That | B.It | C.This | D.There |
A.afford | B.offer | C.provide | D.give |
A.disappointing | B.disappointed | C.thrilling | D.thrilled |
A.worried | B.happy | C.frightened | D.surprised |
A.cost | B.take | C.carry | D.bring |
9 . Growing pains and gains
It’s not easy to grow up. Actually it’s far from easy. Growing up can be a real “pain” for some of us. We are always doing things that someone else makes us do and aren’t allowed to do all the things we like. Sometimes we feel stuck, sometimes we are fearful, and sometimes we just don’t understand why we can’t stay young forever. When we look back on all the challenges in life with a positive attitude, we realize that all of our growing pains actually turn into growing gains!
As a young girl my parents forced my sisters and me to do so many things that I never liked. They made me learn to play the violin and then the piano. At that time I hated music, just because it was what they wanted me to do. But looking back now, I am so glad that my parents encouraged me to take music lessons. Music has enriched my life in so many ways. I realize that my parents and teachers were always pushing me along. not because they wanted me to suffer(受苦)but because they wanted me to succeed in life. They’ve always wanted me to have a better life than they did themselves.
Every moment of our lives is either living or dying, so live life to its fullest! We are all going to experience growing pains, but they are just small pains in life. They might seem so huge at the time but we must be strong. Think about how we would feel if we had no fear and live life like that. The future is ours!
A little hard work and sweat never hurt anyone! If we realize that these pains are just small bumps(凸块)on our road to success we will realize that our growing pains are actually growing gains!
1. According to paragraph 1, we learn that when we are young, ______.A.life is full of joy |
B.life is easy for us |
C.we know we can stay young forever |
D.we sometimes can’t do things we like |
A.take music lessons |
B.turn gains into pains |
C.look back on challenges |
D.live a successful life |
A.Directly. | B.Completely. | C.Carefully. | D.Terribly. |
A.Growing pains are necessary for us to grow up. |
B.We all have to experience growing pains. |
C.A little hard work and sweat are harmful to us. |
D.Life without fear is a better choice for us. |
10 . Adults understand what it feels like to be flooded with objects. Why do we often assume that more is more when it comes to kids and their belongings? The good news is that I can help my own kids learn earlier than I did how to live more with less.
I found the pre-holidays a good time to encourage young children to donate less-used things, and it worked. Because of our efforts, our daughter Georgia did decide to donate a large bag of toys to a little girl whose mother was unable to pay for her holiday due to illness. She chose to sell a few larger objects that were less often used when we promised to put the money into her school fund (基金).
For weeks, I’ve been thinking of bigger, deeper questions. How do we make it a habit for them? And how do we train ourselves to help them live with need, and use less? Yesterday, I sat with my son, Shepherd, determined to test my own theory on this. I decided to play with him with only one toy for as long as it would keep his interest. I expected that one toy would keep his attention for about five minutes, ten minutes, max. I chose a red rubber ball-simple, universally available. We passed it, he tried to put it in his mouth, he tried bouncing it, rolling it, sitting on it, throwing it. It was totally, completely enough for him. Before I knew it an hour had passed and it was time to move on to lunch.
We both became absorbed in the simplicity of playing together. He had my full attention and I had his. My little experiment to find joy in a single object worked for both of us.
1. What made Georgia agree to sell some of her objects?A.Saving up for her holiday | B.Raising money for a poor girl money |
C.Adding the money to her fund | D.Giving the money to a sick mother |
A.To try out an idea. | B.To show a parent’s love |
C.To train his attention. | D.To help him start a hobby |
A.Take it or Leave it | B.A Lesson from Kids |
C.The Pleasure of Giving | D.Live More with Less |