1 . Most of the time, we human beings are so unwilling to change that we completely ignore its beauty. I don’t get it, why?    1    I believe change is the most beautiful thing an individual can seek after.

As people connect changes with something beneficial, we all claim to believe in change being good, yet so many of us aggressively oppose it. And why? Because of familiarity.    2    

Even for those of us who say we love change, it’s hard to accept and adapt. However, sometimes change can be a frightening thing. There’s no denying that life is unpredictable and more often than not, we’re forced to make a change we didn’t really prepare for or expect. We lose jobs, we lose people, we move to another country or we find ourselves in unfavorable circumstances that we weren’t taught how to handle.    3    

Life is full of unavoidable changes. How can you develop personally and expect to stay in the same place?    4    When you start growing, you’ll notice changes in your surroundings. You’ll notice changes in your friends’ group. You’ll notice changes even in your preferences. Nothing stays the same if you want to grow as an individual.

Even though change may be painful and so hard sometimes, it’s still better than the pain of feeling powerless as you watch your dreams pass you by. Don’t be afraid of change. Embrace (拥抱) it with open arms.    5    I genuinely believe that life is too short to stay in the same place or in the same rigid mindset!

A．Not everyone can accompany you.

B．Where there’s growth, there’s change

C．Change can be scary but it can also be beautiful.

D．That’s not the only reasons you embrace changes.

E．Look forward to new experiences and learn from those new stories.

F．These things force you to change what you weren’t ready to change.

G．Sometimes we’re convinced that knowing something well means it’s right.

2 . 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

3 . Amazing and perfectly beautiful, The Midnight Library is everything you’d expect from the genius storyteller, Matt Haig. I picked it up from our readers’ recommendations (we asked our readers to send in some of their favorite recent books) and I can see why it won Best Fiction of 2020 in the Good Reads Choice Awards.

The story follows Nora Seed, a woman who is struggling and feels like nothing in her life has gone according to plan. While the initial chapters of the book are quite sad, Nora finds herself given a chance to start over in the Midnight Library, a magical place full of books of all the different paths her life could have taken. Nora is forced to stay in the library and try out different versions of her life until she finds the life she most wants to live.

I loved the idea that no dream or fork in your road is insignificant, and that they all lead us to become different versions of ourselves. In one life, Nora is an Olympic swimmer. In another, she is a glaciologist living on a boat off the coast of Antarctica. The novel reveals in a beautiful way that the potential we all have within us is impossible to measure, and that we have the possibility to be happy in many different versions of life.

It also discusses how dangerous it can be to live your life with regrets. The Midnight Library revealed to Nora that even if you make very different choices, you may uncover a deeper appreciation for your current home and the people in your life. It is your perspective that matters.

I really loved the fantasy and magical realism in this novel, and I would love for this to be turned into a series where we get to explore The Midnight Library of other characters’ lives as well.

1. What can we know about the author of the text?

A．He should be an editor.	B．He is the friend of Matt Haig.
C．Magical realism books are his favorite.	D．He shares a similar experience with Nora.

2. What does The Midnight Library mainly discuss?

A．A magic library.	B．The harm of regret.
C．The exploration of life.	D．Ways to make correct choices.

3. Where can the text be found?

A．In a novel.

B．In a magazine.

C．In a history book.

D．In a biography.

4. What is the purpose of the text?

A．To thank readers who introduced the book.	B．To honour Matt Haig, the author of the book.
C．To share the author’s opinions on the book.	D．To publicize the book to people who are struggling.

4 . Although Cuban built a tech company that would finally make him extremely rich, he never showed off that. “I never, ever thought about _________,” he said. Instead, Cuban said his drive was something else _________. He said, “I always think about time. That’s always been my driving force. How can I control my own _________?”

At the beginning, when Cuban sold his first company for 6 million dollars, he never thought he’d have to _________ again. It made him so _________. He saved most of his _________ so he could live freely without worrying about future job. When he did _________, he spent on traveling with friends and family.

Five years later, the stock (股票) he had was highly _________ at the time. However, he hadn’t _________ most of his stock just months before the bubble (泡沫) ________________, and then the share (股份) price dropped quickly. “It taught me a ________________: When you just go after money, it never ________________ well,” Cuban said. “However, if you value time, it can work out quite well. The most valuable fortune we can ________________ is our time. The only thing we can do is ________________ time and make full use of it. In that case, we can get amazing results.”

I couldn’t agree more with Cuban’s views. A person’s life is short. We should make the best use of time to do meaningful things, so that we won’t ________________ a thing before death.

1.

A．money

B．relief

C．jobs

D．companies

2.

A．equally

B．completely

C．purposely

D．naturally

3.

A．narrowness

B．dirt

C．time

D．age

4.

A．live

B．share

C．travel

D．work

5.

A．wise

B．suitable

C．impressive

D．free

6.

A．symbols

B．strategies

C．earnings

D．rents

7.

A．party

B．spend

C．challenge

D．tour

8.

A．valuable

B．formal

C．major

D．obvious

9.

A．sold

B．packed

C．held

D．buried

10.

A．formed

B．improved

C．broke

D．changed

11.

A．personality

B．lesson

C．path

D．solution

12.

A．puts away

B．takes down

C．works out

D．gets over

13.

A．create

B．donate

C．buy

D．own

14.

A．save

B．apply

C．understand

D．limit

15.

A．feature

B．regret

C．start

D．deliver

5 . When Failure Is a Good Thing

Failure is an important process you can learn from.    1    

Most people view failure as something that should be avoided at all costs.    2    It may have been an “F” we received on a paper or the high expectations our parents placed upon our shoulders that stopped us from trying.

Award-winning psychologist and author, Ron Friedman, tells the story of how Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx, revolutionized the women's clothing industry and became a billionaire in his book, The Best Place To Work: The Art and Science of Creating an Extraordinary Workplace.

    3     She had zero experience in the clothing industry, lacked an education in business and raised only $5,000 to invest. When asked where she found the courage, she gave all credit to her dad. While most parents ask their kids, “How was your day?" when sitting down for dinner, Sara's parents asked her and her brother, “What did you fail at today?” each and every night.

When interviewed by CNN's Anderson Cooper, Sara said, “Instead of failure being the outcome, failure became not trying. It forced me at a young age to want to push myself so much further out of my comfort zone.”     4     It became more about learning and less about a personal weakness.

If we view failure as weakness, we avoid stepping out of our comfort zone.     5     It does not define us, but instead matures us. I 'm sure that there are many risks we would all take in our personal, professional and spiritual lives if we could get past a fear of failure.

What has been the greatest lesson you have learned when taking a chance? Please share with us.

A．And, most importantly, it means you tried.

B．Let's take a look at how Sara faced failures.

C．In reality, Sara's father had re-defined failure.

D．Early on, Sara overcame a series of difficulties.

E．Instead, we must remind ourselves that failure is an action.

F．It is important to reflect on what can be learnt from failure.

G．We tend to connect failure with a bad experience we had as a child.

6 . Smith Justice and his son were coming back from the dentist, when they saw a homeless man in the road. Smith _________ to give the man some money, but didn’t have any cash. His son suggested giving the man the 30 cents he had. But Smith was _________. He didn’t want to give this man just 30 cents since the man _________ needed all the help he could get. Moreover, his own pride and thoughts of the homeless man’s unknown _________ to receiving just thirty cents was standing _________.

Smith told his son what people saw as a good thing was not good enough to make a _________ in someone’s life. But his son insisted. Smith _________ the window and said to the man, “I’m sorry, man. I don’t have any _________ on me but my son wants to give you everything he has right now.” The homeless man smiled, “God bless you, little man!” At that moment, the only thing _________ the brightness of the man’s smile was the bigger smile on the little boy’s face.

A chain reaction of kindness __________ behind them that day in Nashville, Tennessee, as other people rolled down their windows to __________, too. Smith suddenly __________ that he was the only problem in this situation. He said, “My little boy __________ me by his actions that it’s always about the heart. It doesn’t __________ how much you have or how little. __________ love and sincerity will often bless others more than we think. ”

1.

A．managed

B．promised

C．intended

D．agreed

2.

A．confused

B．doubtful

C．tense

D．hesitant

3.

A．normally

B．clearly

C．secretly

D．formally

4.

A．reaction

B．devotion

C．objection

D．solution

5.

A．out of sight

B．out of control

C．in the way

D．in the charge

6.

A．fortune

B．difference

C．name

D．commitment

7.

A．rolled down

B．reached for

C．looked through

D．lifted up

8.

A．check

B．card

C．cash

D．food

9.

A．matching

B．replacing

C．reflecting

D．showing

10.

A．changed

B．stopped

C．remained

D．started

11.

A．greet

B．smile

C．chat

D．donate

12.

A．remembered

B．realized

C．accepted

D．regretted

13.

A．reminded

B．comforted

C．praised

D．warned

14.

A．help

B．work

C．mean

D．matter

15.

A．Returning

B．Accepting

C．Spreading

D．Seeking

7 . I was driving when my phone alerted me to a new email. Filled with eager anticipation, I pulled over, turned on my hazard lights, and opened it. My emotions quickly changed as I learned, for the sixth and final time, that I had been denied a promotion to full professor. My institution didn’t seem to value what I brought to the table. But when I told my family that night, my children offered a surprisingly positive response. They were excited to see what I was going to do next, they said. They apparently knew long before I did that losing my bid for a promotion would turn out to be the best thing that could have happened for me.

This had been the final step in a long process spanning 15 months and involving so much effort. I had started by studying successful promotion bids and asking senior scholars for frank discussions about my readiness. I had carefully prepared my application packet, summarizing everything I had achieved in my career. For more than a year, I had spent hours every day trying to prove my worth to my university.

To my surprise, having a final answer brought a welcome sense of closure. As a first step toward healing, I decided to prioritize my own values and follow my own internal compass. I disconnected from people in my life who violated my values, cultivated my relationships with those who share my priorities and bring out the best in me, and spent more time with my family. I founded a nonprofit that helps first-generation and low-income students and young professionals advance in the workforce while serving their community. The initiative had long been a dream of mine, but I never pursued it because typical academic hiring and promotion don’t reward such efforts. Now, such considerations were no longer my North Star.

Five months after that email from top leadership, I found myself in the car again, experiencing another career-defining moment. I may have lost my bid for a big promotion, but in the end, it brought me to the right place.

1. What did the author feel after he read the email?

A．Anxious and annoyed.	B．Embarrassed and ashamed.
C．Relieved and peaceful.	D．Disappointed and sorrowful.

2. What is the second paragraph mainly about?

A．What contributions the writer had made.	B．What preparations the writer had made.
C．How successful the career had been.	D．How tiring the process had been.

3. Which of the following would the writer probably agree with?

A．Success is more than a title or a rank.

B．One’s internal compass is to be developed.

C．Serving the community may heal a broken heart.

D．One’s real value first lies in his family interaction.

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

A．Emails: my North Star

B．Full professor: a double-edged sword

C．A career setback becomes a great opportunity

D．An academic career witnesses a failed promotion

8 . My career as a chef started at the age of 25, but my ______ for cooking started at an early age, when I was about 5 years old — by watching my grandmother and my mom in the kitchen ______ daily meals for the family. I was also ______by going with my grandfather to markets to ______ the freshest ingredients. My grandfather taught me the art of picking and recognizing “the ______.”

From my youth, I have had this passion for food. Growing up in Morocco, I witnessed the most amazing hospitality and ______ through my grandparents. They opened their ______ to everybody, and fed and sheltered the poor, travelers, family and friends.

I remember as a young kid coming home from school to the ______ of fragrant (芳香的) fresh bread coming out of the oven. Those smells stimulated (刺激) my senses at a young age. The ______were fresh and seasonal — they were very simple dishes but delightfully ______.

Food is almost as ______ as it is necessary. Food makes people feel things. I really think that food tastes its best when there is a ______ behind it. It shapes cultures, religion, politics and health. Food brings people together, and goes straight to the ______.

In my kitchen, I try to duplicate (复制) smells and flavors that make me think about more than what I’m actually smelling or ______ — it makes me think of life, my family, and my history. I love to cook food that ______ people’s emotions and memories; my philosophy is to “keep food real and simple.”

1.

A．talent

B．passion

C．explanation

D．expectation

2.

A．changing

B．ordering

C．preparing

D．searching

3.

A．inspired

B．bothered

C．honored

D．amused

4.

A．ask about

B．experiment with

C．learn of

D．shop for

5.

A．biggest

B．cleanest

C．best

D．cheapest

6.

A．wisdom

B．honesty

C．success

D．generosity

7.

A．offices

B．houses

C．restaurant

D．hotel

8.

A．art

B．signs

C．creation

D．smells

9.

A．fruits

B．vegetables

C．ingredients

D．goods

10.

A．delicious

B．useful

C．organic

D．convenient

11.

A．nutritious

B．sufficient

C．emotional

D．suitable

12.

A．reason

B．purpose

C．cook

D．story

13.

A．kitchen

B．heart

C．source

D．point

14.

A．tasting

B．chewing

C．touching

D．seeing

15.

A．holds up

B．drives away

C．stirs up

D．depends on

9 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

No one is born a winner. People make themselves into winners by their own efforts. I learned this lesson from an experience many years ago. I took the head coaching job at a school in Baxley, Georgia. It was a small school with a weak football program. The school took part in the league matches every year. However, it never ended well. We were more of the audience, watching and cheering instead of sweating out in the fields.

Fortunately, the school held the tradition that the school’s old team was to play against the new team at the end of spring practice. For lack of resources, the old team bad no coach, and they didn’t even practice to prepare for the game.

I was assigned (指派) as the coach of the new team, which was why I was excited. I believed that we were going to win, but to my disappointment, we were defeated. I couldn’t believe I had got into such a situation. Thinking hard about it, I tried to figure out the reason and what I should do next.

It didn’t take long before I came to realize that my team was depending on me. Without proper guidance or previous experience, my team was at a loss what to do. I had to change my attitude so that I could bring out the best in them about their ability and potential.

I would let my action do the talking. First, I started doing anything I could to help them build a little pride. I could see their spirits lifted, with their head held high in great confidence. Most importantly, I began to treat them like winners. Only when they regarded themselves as winners could they willingly invest time and energy.

This summer, the other teams enjoyed their vacations.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Six months later, football season started.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

10 . 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