1 . It is easy to get carried away in an argument.
While having a rational conversation with someone who has a different opinion might seem like a challenge, it is possible. One way is to approach the other person with empathy.
The Empathy Challenge is an exercise created by Zoe Chance, senior lecturer at the Yale School of Management. At Yale, Chance teaches a course called “Mastering Influence and Persuasion” where -students learn to communicate more effectively.
In her blog, Chance explains that it’s important to listen to people who disagree with you. “As they explain their position, you listen for their underlying values. Finally, you look for common ground as you reflect those values back. That’s it.”
Chance first took this challenge herself before asking her students to try. As she couldn’t understand why many people chose to vote for Donald Trump, she found three Trump’s voters and spoke with them.
Through asking questions, Chance was able to empathize with them and realize they had similar feelings. One man, an Orthodox Jew, explained that he supported Trump because Trump’s daughter and son-in-law are Jewish. The next man was a Russian immigrant passionate about freedom. The third was a lawyer who believed that authenticity(真诚) was important in political leaders.
Although Chance and Chose people had different political beliefs, they were able to relate to the life values of others. And that’s the point of the exercise-to understand others as fellow human beings.
1. Which of the following does the Empathy Challenge faces on?| A．Leadership skills. | B．Public speaking skills. |
| C．Communication skills. | D．Problem solving skills. |
| A．Defend their position. | B．Find common ground. |
| C．Reflect on their own values. | D．Meet the needs of others. |
| A．The challenge of performing empathy. |
| B．The importance of empathy. |
| C．How Chance practiced empathy. |
| D．How Chance helped people develop empathy. |
| A．Their life values. | B．Their career history. |
| C．Their family background. | D．Their childhood experience. |
| A．Respect different perspectives | B．Zoe Chance’s empathy |
| C．Vote for Trump | D．Chancels challenge |
2 . I was walking down the street in a small town the other day and passed a couple sitting on a bench. “She must be 180 centimeters tall,” I heard the woman say to the man. I turned to look at them straight in the eye at once. I felt angry and awkward that they were talking about me and staring. The woman suddenly said, “Oh, she must understand Chinese.” “Yes, I do,” I replied. Then, they both smiled and laughed, and so did I.
This was yet another time in the town when strangers stared or talked about my appearance. It’s either because of my unusually tall height as a woman or because I am a foreigner. As a shy person, this makes me feel quite uncomfortable. I just want to fit in! I usually just try to ignore such people, but this time, as soon as I talked to the couple, they went from judgmental strangers to people I just shared a warm and funny moment with.
It reminded me how important it is to have the right attitude and to be understanding. There aren’t that many foreigners in the town, so it’s only natural that Chinese people here will feel curious about foreigners and how they look different. Although, when people stare at you it feels a bit hostile, but most people arc simply curious and may even want to chat with you.
In short, I can’t change this situation. The only thing I can change is my attitude toward it. Life is too short to be influenced by the little things. We need to enjoy each moment with a positive and open attitude!
1. What can we learn from Paragraph 1?| A．The woman was speaking in Chinese. |
| B．The woman got angry with the author. |
| C．The author didn’t actually know Chinese. |
| D．The author didn’t feel happy in the end. |
| A．She just laughed back. | B．She talked to the people. |
| C．She gave no attention. | D．She shared a smile with them. |
| A．expressed her anger again |
| B．described her life in a foreign town |
| C．put herself in other people’s shoes |
| D．explained why she came to the town |
| A．considerate | B．unfriendly | C．unimportant | D．curious |
| A．Being a foreigner is not an easy thing. |
| B．Don’t judge people by their looks. |
| C．Don’t talk about others’ appearance in public. |
| D．We should have a positive and open attitude. |
3 . How did one man prove that small kindnesses add up?
My family first met Wally Urtz, the gentle, modest manage of our local supermarket, on a windy day nearly 20 years ago just after we’d moved to Hasting-on-Hudson, a New York City suburb. As my wife made her way to the store’s exit, attending her groceries and two small children, Wally rushed up beside her. “I’ll get those, young lady,” he said brightly, taking her bags and leading her to the parking lot. Now that may seem like no big deal-except that these days things like that so seldom happen.
Our story, as it turned out, was typical Among Hasting’s 8,000 people living here, almost everybody had at least one about Wally’s politeness and generosity. There ware the times he’d reach into his own pocket when someone was short of money; the times he’d show small kindnesses to someone who’d just lost a loved one or who was in the middle of divorce; the many, many times he’d put himself out for older people.
“He just appreciated that when people get older, their lives get smaller-they don’t drive, their friends have passed on and how much it means to be treated warmly,” one woman, Kathy Dragan said, “When my mother was in her 80s, it was a treat for her to go to the store.” Wally would call out to the shop clerk and say, “You give her whatever attention she needs.” She’d tell me, “He’s kinder to me than some people I’ve known all my life.”
Yet few of us fully understood what Wally meant to the people’s life of our community-until he was sent to another store 20 miles away. For some unknown reason, the Food Emporium chain had decided to replace 67-year-old Wally after 26 years due to “operational issues related to operating a store the size of the one in Hastings.”
No one could believe it. Word spread quickly. Neighbors called each other seeking the feeling of emotional comfort. Some planned to bring Wally back and staged protest marches outside the store. Other flooded the local newspaper with angry letters. The mayor look up the cause. Even the police tried to set things right.
A grocer seems an unlikely figure to set of such an emotional outpouring. What he did shows the remarkable effect Wally-a man of endless warmth and good humor-had on people.
1. According to the passage which of the following statements is TRUE?| A．Wally Urtz is always ready to help others every day. |
| B．Wally Urtz is a man who wants to draw attention to him. |
| C．Wally Urtz helped the author’s wife on purpose. |
| D．The author had known Wally Urtz before we moved to Hastings-on-Hudson. |
| A．in the whole life of Kathy Dragan’s mother, Wally is the kindest person to her |
| B．when people get older, they would like to live by themselves |
| C．Wally had always cared about helping the older people |
| D．you should give your old mother whatever attention she needs |
| A．No one paid much attention to it. |
| B．Many people objected to it in different ways. |
| C．The police supported it will all their heart. |
| D．The mayor thought it was a good idea. |
| A．A person in the grocery can easily express his feeling out to others. |
| B．A person full of warm-heartedness and humor has a great influence on people. |
| C．The mayor didn’t look into the reason of people’s emotional outpouring. |
| D．The author had joined in the plan of bringing Wally back. |
| A．Wally Urtz and Old people |
| B．A Food Shopping Grocer |
| C．Wally Urtz’s Being Moved Away |
| D．The Heart of Town-a Man of Endless Warmth |
4 . Perhaps the most quarrelsome issue between fathers and sons is the question of work and how to be successful in the real world. Right from the beginning, I thought I should start at the top. I was a talented young man and I thought everyone around me should realize this. With growing pride, I did not believe that I should have to pay my dues like other people. As a result, I constantly tried to find a short cut to the big time.
My father is a good example of the American dream coming to life, a self-made man who achieved success through hard work. Focusing on the promise of college, Dad won a scholarship to Brown University. Digging into his studies while forming a group of close friends, he achieved a lot at Brown. As the years passed and children were born, Dad worked with an unchanging dream, becoming a respected partner of the firm and the head of the sales team. He worked hard, but was also creative, and eventually became a famous expert in raising capital when others failed.
In contrast to my father’s hard-earned success, I grew up as a privileged Upper East Side New Yorker who expected everything to be handed to him. I went to Brown where I majored in literary theory, and partied until the morning. After college, I headed out to Los Angeles where I fed into the dream of selling a big screenplay (剧本). Although my partying became habitual and out of control, I always thought the next big script sale would change everything.
Seeing my attitude, my father told me that there were no short cuts. I never listened. Eventually, I lost my house and my marriage. Never listening to the sound advice of my father and insisting on following my own path toward self-destruction, I ended up in a terrible place.
My father, however, never gave up on me and has been remarkably supportive to me. With the faith of my family and the support of my father, I have been able to pay my dues and launch my career as a technical writer. Like my father tried to teach me, there are no short cuts.
No matter how talented or fortunate you may be, success is the product of sweat in the form of hard work—showing up each day and doing your job to the best of your abilities.
1. At first, the author and his father disagreed about ________.| A．the appreciation for being helped | B．the approach to success |
| C．the spirit of game winning | D．the quality of being an expert |
| A．He studied hard but had few friends at college. | B．He achieved success with the help of his parents. |
| C．He was a top student when he was at college. | D．He went to America as a foreigner and realized his dream. |
| A．kind-hearted | B．considerate | C．imaginative | D．determined |
| A．He bought a new house with the help of his father. |
| B．He became a renowned expert in his field. |
| C．He put his heart into his work after losing everything. |
| D．He learned a lot from his father but still disagreed with him. |
| A．You harvest what you sow. | B．All roads lead to Rome. |
| C．He who has health has hope. | D．Two heads are better than one. |
5 . Yesterday after work, the boss told me I was fired. When I walked along a riverbed sadly, I suddenly realized it was New Year’s Day, a day to start afresh.
I passed by a man holding his son, one or two years old. The baby’s face was in pure joy, and his innocent eyes were full of wonder. The simple sweetness of the baby made me moved.
Walking on, I saw a young couple repairing their bicycle. They smiled at me and said, “Happy New Year!” I smiled and wished them the same. It was a simple thing, but for a moment it brought me a sudden joy.
I kept walking, enjoying the cheerful singing of birds. With people around laughing out loud, an old woman immersed herself in her sewing. She didn’t seem either happy or sad. A feeling of timeless peace flowed through me and all fear of what the future might bring disappeared. I thanked her in my heart, and moved on.
As I reached home, I was filled with great thanks and hope for life, which took me a long time to find. Actually, happiness could be simple and easy. Now I knew whatever the New Year would bring, there would be joy and enough love to help me through the hard times we all had to face.
“Happy New Year!” I said to myself.
1. What did the writer’s boss tell him after work?| A．It was New Year’s Day. | B．He was fired. |
| C．He needed a day to relax. | D．He had a day off. |
| A．age | B．laughing | C．innocence | D．crying |
| A．repairing their bicycle | B．waiting for the writer |
| C．watching the passers-by | D．celebrating the New Year |
| A．Lucky. | B．Hopeless. | C．Fearful. | D．Thankful. |
| A．Greetings make people polite. | B．Happiness could be simple and easy. |
| C．Walking makes people energetic. | D．Friendship lies in getting together. |
I was sitting in a chemistry class when I and six other kids were called down to the counselor’s (顾问) office. It was pretty strange because none of us were “ problem ” students. We were all curious about what she wanted to say.
This was when she told us she would be choosing one of us to be nominated (提名) for the largest scholarship in Canada. It was a very strange moment; I never realized I was that excellent. She said, since we all had a similar high average, she would talk to our teachers to see who was the most deserving.
A week later, I got an email from the counselor; it was addressed to me and another student at the meeting. I was shocked; this must have meant we were the two people she would be choosing from. We were required to write about where we see ourselves in ten years; I knew I had to make this count. I spoke from the heart, depicting my perfect life: living in the big city, having finished my degree, doing what I loved every day.
About a week later, I got called back to her office, only me. I didn’t want to be overexcited because maybe she was being personal, telling me I wasn’t chosen. She told me I was the one picked. Nobody could have controlled my smile, what a moment.
She told me about all the nice things my teachers said about me; I never realized I was held in such high-regard to them. Over 350,000 students graduate from high school every year and I was one of the only 1,500 kids nominated for this scholarship across all of Canada.
Unfortunately, I didn’t win but I’d still like to thank everyone who helped me get to where I am today.
1. Why did the author feel surprised when he was called to the office? ( no more than 10 words )2. Why did the school went to choose from the six students? ( no more than 5 words )
3. What does he underlined word “ depicting ” in the third paragraph probably men? ( 1 word )
4. What was the purpose of the counselor calling the author to her office again? ( no more than 10 words )
5. What do you want to say to those who ever have given you recognition and help? ( no more than 20 words )
7 . In the 1950s, Japan began to focus on developing is economy. Every day, many people traveled by train between Tokyo and Osaka. Many industrial materials were also transported on those railway lines. But the Japanese railway system was so outdated that the 320-mile trip could take 20 hours. So in 1955 the Japanese railway chief asked the nation’s engineers to create a faster train.
Months later, a team managed to create a train going at a speed of 65mph — a speed that made it one of the fastest passenger trains worldwide at the time. But the railway chief wasn’t satisfied. He wanted 120mph. The engineers immediately explained that at those speeds, if a train turned too sharply, the speed would force the cars off the track.
But the railway chief didn’t change his mind. After making many attempts, the engineers eventually created a train running up to 120mph and had a big influence on the industrial design worldwide. This is an example of what a “stretch goal” (延展性目标) can achieve. When exploring psychology, I was frequently told by researchers that the most successful people tend to set goals differently from everyone else. In particular they tend to identify big, seemingly unrealistic objectives.
“Stretch goals break complacency (自满),” some scientists wrote. “By forcing a big rise in collective hopes, stretch goals can shift attention to possible new futures and perhaps lead to increased energy in the organizations. They thus can achieve more.”
This lesson can be used in the most ordinary aspects of life. Take to-do lists for instance. When making to-do lists, some people often write down tasks they can cross off right away. That’s wrong. Before writing easy tasks, you should first put down at the top of your list a big stretch goal that will constantly remind you of the main objective you’re trying to get done.
1. What does the description of Japan’s problem in the 1950s show?| A．The public’s discontent at its train service. |
| B．The unfavorable economic situation of Japan. |
| C．The practical need to improve its railway system. |
| D．The unbalanced development of its transportation. |
| A．They found it tough but worthwhile. |
| B．They considered it totally unrealistic. |
| C．They put forward their own research plan. |
| D．They believed it would gradually come true. |
| A．How to break down big goals into smaller ones. |
| B．How to understand “stretch goals” matters. |
| C．How to create success step by step. |
| D．How to set goals sets people apart. |
| A．encourage people to keep making to-do lists daily |
| B．indicate we’d better first achieve easy goals |
| C．prove to-do lists are crucial to organizations |
| D．show stretch goals can apply to our daily life |
| A．A stretch goal can be a double-edged sword. |
| B．Ambition pushes personal and social progress. |
| C．Readers need to listen to members’ opinions. |
| D．Goals should fit in with the reality. |
For years, I played around with writing. I wrote when I felt like it. Then one day, a friend asked what my dream was. When I said it was to be a writer, he said these words that changed my life, “You don’t have to want to be a writer. You are a writer; you just need to write.” So I started calling myself a writer. Everywhere I went, I introduced myself as “Jeff Goins, Writer,” and even put it in email signatures and on my Facebook page. And you know what? I started acting like it. Eventually, I even began to believe it. It turns out that sometimes you do have to fake it before you make it.
The lesson here is simple: If you wait for someone to give you permission to start pursuing your dream, you’ll be waiting for a long time. You have to begin before you think you’re ready.
After I decided to pursue my dream, I still had to find the time to do it. Working a full-time job and having a wife and other things to do, I didn’t have unlimited free time. I had to find time to write. For me, that meant getting up early. Like, 5:00 a. m. early. Every morning, I would wake up, get my coffee, and write for two hours. At first, this was difficult;I had to force myself out of bed and downstairs before the sun rose. But eventually, it became habitual. I did it without even thinking about it. And soon, what started as a discipline became a daily joy.
By doing this, I learned the excuse I had given myself — “I don’t have enough time” — wasn’t true. I did have enough time; it was just hiding in “inconvenient” places.
These days, most people I meet are talking about their dreams. For example, they want to bravely pursue a successful career. However, they’re doing it all wrong. They think they need to take a huge leap out into the unknown when, in fact, the opposite is true. So if you have a dream, just take action. And don’t say you don’t have time for it.
1. How did the friend’s words change his attitude towards writing? (no more than 10 words)2. What does the underlined word “fake” mean in the first paragraph? (no more than 1 word)
3. How did the author find time for writing? (no more than 15 words)
4. What does the author advise us to do to pursue a successful career? (no more than 10 words)
5. Suppose you’re crazy about playing basketball, but you have no time for it. How will you deal with it?
9 . One morning I noticed a woman sitting alone at the bus stop. She seemed not to go to work hurriedly. She wasn't going anywhere as well. Was she waiting for the bus? Did mall(商场)buses come this early when the stores wouldn't be open for hours? As I drove by.l heard a voice saying, “Give her a bottle of water”.
“She looks like she is sleeping. Why would I wake her? What is wrong with me? What is so hard about doing the right thing? It's just a bottle of water! ”
So I drove by her again and again. Finally, I pulled my car into a parking zone, stepping out with a bottle of water in one hand and a twenty-dollar bill in the other. Each step seemed to fill me with purpose and focus. No words can describe what happened between us at that moment. I thought I was bringing her a cold drink, but instead I was bringing her a hope she needed. We sat together for a while as she talked. She had a sad story to tell, but she was no longer sad. Before we parted, I grabbed all the cash I had in my purse and found more water in my car along with some snacks. We stood at the bus stop hugging and said our goodbyes.
I still have a thousand questions as to why I struggled to act. Why did it take me many circles around the mall and an argument with myself? I once wavered between helping her and ignoring her. All I know for sure is that while walking toward that woman at the bus stop, a miracle happened.
There are opportunities for us to love every day. Maybe our doubts keep us from acting. Maybe we don't want to take the risk or be uncomfortable. That day, I learned how love answers when asked and how love both gives and receives.
1. What did the author think of the woman sitting alone at the beginning?| A．She was short of sleep. | B．She was full of curiosity |
| C．She was a little strange. | D．She was out of work. |
| A．To improve the terribly poor driving skills. | B．To evaluate whether to help her. |
| C．To search for a parking space. | D．To observe the poor woman |
| A．Hesitated. | B．Disagreed. | C．Balanced. | D．Objected. |
| A．Love breaks down racial barriers. | B．The wealth of life is action. |
| C．Actions speak louder than words. | D．The best act to love is taking action. |
10 . It had been a long, hard, wonderful day. The two of us had walked from the sea’s edge through the length of a beautiful valley, climbed a superb mountain, travelled its narrow, rocky ridge, and now stood on its final peak, tired, happy and looking for the perfect campsite.
The experienced backpacker has a natural feeling for such things, and our eyes were drawn to a small blue circle on the map. We could not see it from where we were, but we followed our judgement and went down steeply until it came into view.
We were right. It was a calm pool, with flat grass beside it. Gently taking our packs off, we made the first of many cups of tea before putting up our tent. Later that evening, over another cup of tea and after a good meal, we sat outside the tent watching the sun set over a sea dotted with islands, towards one of which a ferry was slowly moving. It is not always so perfect, of course. On another trip, with a different companion, a thoroughly wet day had ended at a lonely farm. Depressed at the thought of camping, we had knocked and asked if we could use a barn as a shelter.
Backpacking could be defined us the art of comfortable, self-sufficient travel on foot. Everything you need is in the pack on your back, and you become emotionally as well as physically attached to it. I once left my pack hidden in some rocks while I made a long trip to a peak I particularly wanted to climb. I was away for nearly three hours and ended up running the last stretch in fear that my precious pack would not be there. It was, of course.
The speed at which the backpacker travels makes this the perfect way to see any country. You experience the landscape as a slow unfolding scene, almost in the way it was made；and you find time to stop and talk to people you meet. I’ve learned much local history from simply chatting to people I met while walking through an area. At the end of a trip, whether three days or three weeks, there’s a feeling of achievement, of having got somewhere under your own power.
1. The author and his companion knew there was a pool because ________| A．they had been told about it | B．they could see it on the map |
| C．they had seen it earlier in the day | D．they could see it from the top of the mountain |
| A．The map. | B．The mountain. | C．The pool. | D．Rocky ridge. |
| A．They were too tired to put up their tent. |
| B．They wished they could have found a farm. |
| C．They were anxious about the coming weather. |
| D．They were delighted with the spot they had found. |
| A．It is more than just a practical aid. | B．He walks better when he is wearing it. |
| C．It is not a good idea to leave it anywhere. | D．He might die on the mountains without it. |
| A．get fitter as you walk | B．make new friends while walking |
| C．find out how the landscape was made | D．gain an understanding of the area you walk through |
