I had just finished my dance class, and it was a disaster: I started on the wrong foot and couldn’t get the steps that other students seemed to do easily. I began to doubt my talent for ballet.
Just then, my big sister Julissa arrived. She took one look at me and asked, “What’s wrong Lakeisha?”
“Nothing,” I said quietly. I was too shy to be perfectly frank with my sister.
“Uh huh,” Julissa replied. “Looks like a bad ‘nothing’ to me, so tell me what happened.”
“Well,” I mumbled (咕哝), “maybe I shouldn’t be taking dance classes? It felt like I was the only one who couldn’t land her pirouettes (单脚尖旋转) today.”
“Listen,” she said, “not every day is a great one, and not everything you try is going to work out the way you want. The point is to keep trying. Remember that and you’ll be fine.”
“I tried my best, but…” I replied.
Looking at me seriously, Julissa said, “Maybe ballet is not your thing, but dance is. I see how beautifully you shake and move all the time. There are all kinds of ways to dance, so maybe you just need to find your own style. Why not stick to jazz dance? You are so good at it.”
I thought about her words and my performances carefully. Yes, why had I never thought of that? I wanted to be a ballet dancer, but it may not be a good choice for me. It seemed as if I suddenly saw the light
“You’re right,” I replied. “Thank you. I’m so lucky to have you to guide me!”
1. What did Lakeisha think of her dance class? (no more than 5 words)2. Why didn’t Lakeisha show her true feelings at first? (no more than 5 words)
3. How do you understand the underlined part in paragraph 8? (no more than 10 words)
4. What advice from Julissa made Lakeisha happy in the end? (no more than 10 words)
5. What is your understanding of finding one’s style? Please explain. (no more than 25 words)
2 . My knees started shaking, yet my body froze. It felt as though my soul left my body and I had no
Tears filled my eyes. Just then, a group of students
Noticing my
I just shook my head and
After almost a year of
| A．sight | B．control | C．memory | D．record |
| A．angrily | B．indifferently | C．aimlessly | D．anxiously |
| A．unsure | B．unnecessary | C．unable | D．unwilling |
| A．crowded | B．pretended | C．hesitated | D．announced |
| A．regrets | B．confusion | C．sadness | D．excitement |
| A．talk | B．forget | C．worry | D．argue |
| A．heavily | B．bravely | C．quickly | D．smoothly |
| A．open | B．wild | C．blank | D．clear |
| A．irregular | B．unsuitable | C．irresponsible | D．unusual |
| A．treated | B．locked | C．relaxed | D．comforted |
| A．making sense | B．showing off | C．coming over | D．turning back |
| A．excuse | B．account | C．spot | D．comment |
| A．quit | B．earn | C．hide | D．share |
| A．museum | B．library | C．supermarket | D．gym |
| A．stuck to | B．focused on | C．cared about | D．admitted to |
| A．waiting | B．planning | C．practicing | D．learning |
| A．Regardless of | B．Thanks to | C．Apart from | D．According to |
| A．health | B．toughness | C．attitude | D．weakness |
| A．courage | B．patience | C．effort | D．confidence |
| A．shake | B．agree | C．fix | D．deal |
3 . One freezing morning last February, I walked through Ontario Place. Trees were frosted sculptures. Large chunks of ice floated in the lake. Then I saw a group of people in bathing suits bouncing up and down in the water. They held hands, shouting and yelling into the sky. They looked and sounded so free.
I’ve always found cold water thrilling. The shock of it is like pressing a switch. It seems to reset my body and soul.
And last winter, I definitely needed a reset. I woke up most mornings with a dull, grey feeling as I forced myself out of bed to start the day. I needed something to cheer myself up, but I didn’t know what, until that day.
The ice warriors (勇士) emerged from the lake, their skin steaming. Trembling, they were yet laughing and hugging each other. I called out: “You guys are awesome!” One woman waved back, “Come and join us! We’ re here every Monday morning.”
The night before my first dip (游泳), I was excited and nervous. Cold water was one thing, but this icy lake was a whole other level. Should I back out? Eventually, I got up in the dark and drove to the meeting spot.
After some wild warm up, I charged into the lake along with others. We yelled into the sky. Teeth chattering heart rates slowing, fingers and toes going numb (麻木), we stayed there for somewhere between two and five minutes. Knowing it was my first time, people cheered me on. It felt amazing. I was stupid with cold, but I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt so happy.
Now I go dipping almost every day, and I’ve come to long for that moment when the cold becomes a second skin and my internal voice goes silent. Apart from the thrill of those first heart-stopping dives, which, ironically, saved me from going under, what has drawn me is this community of generous, open-hearted souls.
We laughed together, often, but from the stories we’ve shared about ourselves, I know I’m not the only one who faces life’s challenges. Holding hands in the freezing lake, we looked out for each other last winter and will do so through this one.
It won’t fix everything in our lives—but for some reason, it helps. At the end of each session I return home feeling stronger, lighter, more able to carry on. As another winter sets in, I’m more than ready to embrace the cold again.
1. When the author saw the people in the lake, her feeling can be best described as __________| A．nervous | B．amazed |
| C．frightened | D．calm |
| A．To expand her social circle. | B．To lift her spirits again. |
| C．To adapt to the cold weather. | D．To prepare for a new career |
| A．She hesitated a bit before going. |
| B．She suffered from a heart problem. |
| C．She stayed in cold water too long. |
| D．She regretted not doing enough warm up. |
| A．She is more intelligent. |
| B．She gets more competitive. |
| C．She becomes a better storyteller. |
| D．She regains her inner peace. |
| A．Severe cold builds up character |
| B．Group wisdom brightens our life. |
| C．Tackling the odds together cures. |
| D．Doing sports promotes friendship. |
4 . My son is doing an MA (Master of Arts) in music, so for his final project he decided to explore the role of fantasy in society. He emailed home for help. “Naturally we all love escapism,” he wrote, “but the important question is why? You’re a fantasy writer, Mum, got any ideas?”
This is what I came up with: Fantasy is important for the human mind. It begins as the psychological process by which a child learns to fill the space between knowledge, reality and experience.
When we were small children, trying to get to sleep, a creaking (嘎吱响的) floorboard was really frightening. Who or what could be making the noise? The only way to make sense of the experience was to fantasise : there’s probably a tiger under the bed.
Children frighten themselves silly like this, but while they have no knowledge of central heating pipes swelling (管道膨胀), they have to use make-believe to fill the space between experience and knowledge. As time passes and children learn about the effect of heat on pipes and floorboards, they will often prefer the tiger story. Fear, within a safe environment, is fun.
As they grow, children need stories that include war, falling in love, becoming a hero and saving the world. They provide a framework (框架) within which developing emotions can awaken, ready for “real life” when it hits.
Louis Sachar’s Holes is a great modern explanation of this, but the best ones are those we make up for ourselves. A friend who is a child psychologist was treating a boy who’d been mistreated by a relative. The child loved this person, and was puzzled and hurt by what had happened, so my friend wrote him a story about a baby rabbit that loved his uncle, a wolf. One day, the wolf hurt him. The rabbit remembered the love, but he also understood that wolves were dangerous, and had to be avoided. The child went away with the tools to reconcile (和解) the irreconcilable.
Taking one step away from reality to that “safe” place of pretend prepares us to look at the world’s hard realities in the face.
1. Which question puzzled the author’s son?| A．Do people love escapism? |
| B．Why is fantasy so important? |
| C．Is escapism good for people? |
| D．What is the purpose of fantasy music? |
| A．By helping them to get to sleep quickly. |
| B．By encouraging them to find out the truth. |
| C．By helping them to overcome fear on their own. |
| D．By allowing them to explore their feelings in a safe way. |
| A．It frees kids of concerns. |
| B．It makes people emotional. |
| C．It helps people spot danger. |
| D．It prepares kids for real life. |
| A．It worked well. |
| B．It confused the child. |
| C．It made the relative apologise. |
| D．It became more popular than Holes. |
| A．Approving. | B．Concerned. | C．Humorous. | D．Doubtful. |
The morning of my daughter’s first school play I had an important business meeting. I went to the play, getting a seat in the front row. I even brought my mum along in case it overran. But, not wanting to be late for my appointment, I moved quietly to the back. My daughter, who was just three at the time, noticed my empty seat and started to cry. Outside the doorway, I heard one mum say loudly and angrily, “She’s gone to work.” I watched as some of the others rolled their eyes. My stomach went cold.
It’s OK for a mum to have a job — as long as it’s part-time, fits around the school run or means she doesn’t have to leave the school play early or fly to the other side of the world now and again to earn a living. During the decade I’ve been a working mum I’ve received numerous critical comments from women about my work choices, but I think running my own business and travelling with my work when I can (while still taking my daughter to school most days and making pretty much every show or event) is setting a good example to my daughter. It shows her that it is possible to succeed at a time when women in many professions find it harder than men to reach the top and get less pay.
But I often feel I’ m in the minority. Do the women who roll their eyes at other women who leave the school play early or show up late to parents’ evening because their meetings overrun really believe females should only be in part-time, flexible work that fits around their children? I think it’s time for women to support each other’s career decisions.
1. What does the text mainly talk about?(no more than 10 words)2. What does the underlined sentence in the first paragraph probably mean?(no more than 25 words)
3. What may the author’s daughter learn from her working mother?(no more than 30 words)
4. What kink of job should a mother have according to other mothers who rolled their eyes? (no more than 5 words)
5. Do you agree with the author? Give your reasons.(no more than 25 words)
6 . Some people think asking for help is a sign of weakness, but the complete opposite is true. It takes strength to ask for help. It’s a hard thing to do. The truth is, there are more good people than bad. People truly want to help others. No one should ever have to be in that dark place.
I have a friend called Diane. Diane is one of the most positive people I have ever known. She is smart and funny, and by looking at her you would certainly think she had a perfect life. No one knew the terrible things she was dealing with. She never asked anyone for help when she was in great trouble. She thought that she would just be bothering people if she told them the truth. She thought loneliness was her answer. She masked her loneliness, but one day she hit her breaking point.
Diane tried to take her life one morning. She was lucky, though. Someone found her before it was too late. People finally knew her problems and with their help she got rid of them. She once told me that her biggest regret was not reaching out to someone sooner. Diane has greatly changed. She’s become positive and is always ready to help others.
Diane and I have grown quite close. She has helped me battle my own problems. She is an example of what help looks like.
To anyone out there who feels they are alone, I hope you know you are not. Even if you feel the world is closing in on you, there are people who care—people who will surprise you in the best ways. The best thing about our technological world is how easily you can reach people. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. You are not alone.
1. What does the author mean by saying “the complete opposite is true” in Paragraph 1?| A．Getting help from others is a great shame. |
| B．Asking for help shows great courage. |
| C．It takes bravery to offer help. |
| D．It is difficult to get help. |
| A．She was very positive. |
| B．She had no one to turn to. |
| C．She considered help useless. |
| D．She feared to make trouble for others. |
| A．She turned her back on the author. |
| B．She masked her anger with a smile. |
| C．She thought highly of reaching out to others. |
| D．She has removed all her doubts about others. |
| A．It makes people afraid of face-to-face conversation. |
| B．It makes communication between people easier. |
| C．It offers a variety of ways to care for others. |
| D．It is likely to make people feel lonely. |
| A．To share a friend’s story. |
| B．To explain why people refuse to get help. |
| C．To encourage us to ask for help if necessary. |
| D．To show the harm of keeping problems ourselves. |
7 . Months earlier, my wife Lisa had woken up at 4:45 am, preparing to do exercise. She heard voices coming from the upstairs game room and decided to investigate. She discovered that our older son, Hunter, had been playing the video game Fortnite since he got home from school the previous day. What she found angered both of us.
We were sick and tired of the amount of time Hunter spent playing video games. He was so addicted to video games. Back in the 1980s, instead of playing video games, we kids were crazy about playing baseball and street football, driving hoops outside the house, etc. But times are different now. It became apparent that kids of the new generation are entirely different from kids of my generation. My kids and his peers are crazy about electronic products. I work in a summer camp and responsible for the field sports programme. I often notice many of the campers playing video games on little portable devices.
I began to refer to kids who spent more time playing video games than playing sports as the Nintendo Generation. In an attempt to ensure that our kid did not become a member of the Nintendo Generation, I came up with a programme to help Hunter cope with his bad habit. It was that video-game time would have to be earned in our house, just like money. I set the exchange rate: Each mile run equals 30 minutes of video-game play.
The first couple days didn’t go well. Instead of choosing to run to win the time of playing games, he decided to boycott my programme and spend time sleeping. But eventually, Hunter came around, and decided he would give running a shot. Now, Hunter is in good health and can run 18 miles. But nine months earlier, he was not in any condition to run five miles.
I hope that running teaches my son to invest his time in worthwhile efforts, to do something hard, but quite meaningful and beneficial, and then to enjoy a reward. I never want him to stop challenging him.
1. What made the author and his wife Lisa angry? (no more than 10 words)2. What did kids in the 1980s like doing according to the author? (no more than 5 words)
3. How did the author help Hunter deal with his bad habits? (no more than 10 words)
4. What does the underlined word in paragraph 4 mean? (1 word)
5. What lesson do you learn from Hunter’s change? Please explain. (no more than 20 words)
8 . Meagan, my youngest child, studies in a high school. She’ll
Her brother is a physician; her sisters major in computer. In a way, all of this
“Why don’t you?” Gary
“You’re
And before applying to college, I was
I
Now I fully realize the
| A．leave | B．quit | C．pick | D．visit |
| A．came around | B．came about | C．came down | D．came in |
| A．physics | B．computer | C．English | D．music |
| A．escape | B．remember | C．mind | D．enjoy |
| A．encouraged | B．commanded | C．warned | D．argued |
| A．school | B．house | C．hospital | D．company |
| A．Since | B．When | C．Although | D．If |
| A．talent | B．spirit | C．accent | D．memory |
| A．challenge | B．benefit | C．interrupt | D．impress |
| A．right | B．welcome | C．strange | D．strong |
| A．award | B．explanation | C．advantage | D．shot |
| A．Otherwise | B．Therefore | C．However | D．Meanwhile |
| A．raising | B．counting | C．expecting | D．calling |
| A．canceled | B．postponed | C．showed | D．discussed |
| A．curiously | B．sympathetically | C．anxiously | D．excitedly |
| A．lifted | B．nodded | C．patted | D．shook |
| A．compromised | B．regretted | C．disagreed | D．remembered |
| A．made up | B．filled out | C．looked through | D．gave away |
| A．embarrassed | B．worried | C．delighted | D．determined |
| A．influence | B．origin | C．process | D．difficulty |
9 . Close to the king’s palace stood a little house. In it lived a
The king wondered, “I wish I could be as happy as him.”
One evening the king found the gardener packing up his tools after
“Why should I be unhappy when I get two meals a day and have a
“But what if tomorrow you fall sick! Shouldn’t you think of the future too?” the king asked.
“And start
“You said it. Thank you,” the king nodded and
| A．silly | B．lazy | C．cheerful | D．rich |
| A．rarely | B．immediately | C．uncomfortably | D．jokingly |
| A．starting | B．finishing | C．missing | D．studying |
| A．shot | B．arrested | C．ignored | D．approached |
| A．secret | B．use | C．price | D．goal |
| A．exchange | B．divide | C．appreciate | D．share |
| A．garden | B．palace | C．bed | D．kitchen |
| A．money | B．strength | C．time | D．company |
| A．sad | B．weak | C．tired | D．hungry |
| A．get up | B．roll over | C．lie down | D．break out |
| A．carefully | B．instantly | C．occasionally | D．painfully |
| A．energy | B．hate | C．meaning | D．ambition |
| A．chance | B．day | C．dream | D．meal |
| A．sings | B．listens | C．matters | D．prefers |
| A．respectfully | B．awkwardly | C．shyly | D．humorously |
| A．celebrating | B．arguing | C．learning | D．worrying |
| A．love | B．lose | C．change | D．forget |
| A．afford | B．fail | C．decide | D．plan |
| A．refused | B．pretended | C．threatened | D．determined |
| A．power | B．wealth | C．present | D．talent |
1．你认为什么是“真正的美”；
2．你认为“真正的美”表现在哪些方面并举例说明；
3．呼吁同学们都做“真正美”的人。
注意：字数不少于100；可适当增加细节，以使内容充实，行文连贯。
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