1 . Sitting in the garden for my friend’s birthday. I felt a buzz (振动) in my pocket. My heart raced when I saw the email sender’s name. The email started off: “Dear Mr Green, thank you for your interest” and “the review process took longer than expected.” It ended with “We are sorry to inform you…” and my vision blurred (模糊). The position—measuring soil quality in the Sahara Desert as part of an undergraduate research programme — had felt like the answer I had spent years looking for.
I had put so much time and emotional energy into applying, and I thought the rejection meant the end of the road for my science career.
So I was shocked when, not long after the email, Professor Mary Devon, who was running the programme, invited me to observe the work being done in her lab. I jumped at the chance, and a few weeks later I was equally shocked—and overjoyed—when she invited me to talk with her about potential projects I could pursue in her lab. What she proposed didn’t seem as exciting as the original project I had applied to, but I was going to give it my all.
I found myself working with a robotics professor on techniques for collecting data from the desert remotely. That project, which I could complete from my sofa instead of in the burning heat of the desert, not only survived the lockdown but worked where traditional methods didn’t. In the end, I had a new scientific interest to pursue.
When I applied to graduate school, I found three programmes promising to allow me to follow my desired research direction. And I applied with the same anxious excitement as before. When I was rejected from one that had seemed like a perfect fit, it was undoubtedly difficult. But this time I had the perspective (视角) to keep it from sending me into panic. It helped that in the end I was accepted into one of the other programmes I was also excited about.
Rather than setting plans in stone, I’ve learned that sometimes I need to take the opportunities that are offered, even if they don’t sound perfect at the time, and make the most of them.
1. How did the author feel upon seeing the email sender’s name?A.Anxious. | B.Angry. | C.Surprised. | D.Settled. |
A.criticise the review process | B.stay longer in the Sahara Desert |
C.apply to the original project again | D.put his heart and soul into the lab work |
A.demanding | B.inspiring | C.misleading | D.amusing |
A.An invitation is a reputation. | B.An innovation is a resolution. |
C.A rejection can be a redirection. | D.A reflection can be a restriction. |
2 . I’m an 18-year-old pre-medical student, tall and good-looking, with two short story books and quite a number of essays to my credit. Why am I singing such praises of myself? Just to explain that the attainment of self-pride comes from a great deal of self-love, and to attain it, one must first learn to accept oneself as one is. That was where my struggle began.
Born and raised in Africa,I had always taken my African origin as burden. My self-dislike was further fueled when my family had to relocate to Norway, where I attended a high school. Compared to all the white girls around me, with their golden hair and delicate lips, I ,a black girl, had curly hair and full, red lips. My nose often had a thin sheet of sweat on it, whatever the weather was. I just wanted to bury myself in my shell crying “I’m so different!”
What also contributed to my self-dislike was my occasional stuttering (口吃), which had weakened my self-confidence. It always stood between me and any fine opportunity. I’d taken it as an excuse to avoid any public speaking sessions, and unknowingly let it rule over me.
Fortunately, as I grew older, there came a turning point. One day a white girl caught my eye on the school bus when she suddenly turned back. To my astonishment, she had a thin sheet of sweat on her nose too, and it was in November! “Wow,” I whispered to myself, “this isn’t a genetic(遗传的) disorder after all. It’s perfectly normal.” Days later, my life took an-other twist(转折). Searching the internet for stuttering cures, I accidentally learned that such famous people as Isaac Newton and Winston Churchill also stuttered. I was greatly relieved and then an idea suddenly hit me—if I’m smart, I shouldn’t allow my stuttering to stand between me and my success.
Another boost to my self-confidence came days later as I was watching the news about Oprah Winfrey, the famous talk show host and writer—she’s black too! Whenever I think of her story and my former dislike of my color, I’m practically filled with shame.
Today, I’ve grown to accept what I am with pride; it simply gives me feeling of uniqueness. The idea of self-love has taken on a whole new meaning for me: there’s always something fantastic about us, and what we need to do is learn to appreciate it.
1. What affected the author’s adjustment to her school life in Norway?A.Her appearance |
B.Social discrimination. |
C.Her changing emotions. |
D.The climate in Norway. |
A.Her lack of self-confidence. |
B.Her loss of interest in school. |
C.Her unwillingness to greet her classmates. |
D.Her desire for chances to improve herself. |
A.Blessed and proud. |
B.Confused and afraid. |
C.Amazed and relieved. |
D.Shocked and ashamed. |
A.Great minds speak alike. |
B.Stuttering is no barrier to success. |
C.Wisdom counts more than hard work. |
D.Famous people can’t live with their weaknesses. |
A.Pride comes before a fall. |
B.Where there is a will, there is a way. |
C.Self-acceptance is based on the love for oneself. |
D.Self-love is key to the attainment of self-pride. |
3 . Dr. Smith of New York works at a center for children who can’t learn well. One day a father brought his son to him for
The father told Dr. Smith about his son. “My son has
After Dr. Smith tested the boy, he
At this
“Now you can
A.testing | B.acting | C.teaching | D.playing |
A.confidence | B.interest | C.experience | D.difficulty |
A.returns | B.helps | C.appears | D.remains |
A.waited for | B.searched for | C.believed in | D.called in |
A.mirror | B.television | C.painting | D.desk |
A.face | B.line | C.number | D.star |
A.remove | B.follow | C.cross | D.cut |
A.decisions | B.choices | C.mistakes | D.patterns |
A.touched | B.dropped | C.moved | D.sharpened |
A.speed | B.corner | C.end | D.point |
A.staying | B.taking | C.preparing | D.writing |
A.easy | B.important | C.obvious | D.exciting |
A.ideas | B.words | C.questions | D.instructions |
A.relax | B.leave | C.understand | D.promise |
A.Interestingly | B.Absolutely | C.Suddenly | D.Unfortunately |
4 . Growing up, I was fortunate to have dinner with my family almost every day. Sometimes, the family dinner circle
Apart from suffering from
I am aware that my sons are growing up quickly and will be out of the
A.widened | B.formed | C.lessened | D.closed |
A.missed | B.avoided | C.enjoyed | D.recorded |
A.wasted | B.treasured | C.limited | D.calculated |
A.shows | B.dishes | C.recipes | D.moments |
A.However | B.Otherwise | C.Therefore | D.Besides |
A.sleep | B.dine | C.study | D.play |
A.suitable | B.flexible | C.satisfying | D.demanding |
A.maintains | B.disturbs | C.improves | D.strikes |
A.fear | B.anger | C.guilt | D.hunger |
A.predict | B.create | C.evaluate | D.accept |
A.work out | B.calm down | C.hold on | D.catch up |
A.unwillingly | B.casually | C.consciously | D.carelessly |
A.louder | B.shorter | C.simpler | D.sweeter |
A.assists | B.guides | C.allows | D.orders |
A.office | B.kitchen | C.house | D.park |
5 . When I retired, my wife Peg said “Great! You’ll have time to clean the garage!” After 30 years’
I pushed at the garage’s wooden doors, but they were as
I
Six weeks later, I was out in the yard when I
A.dream | B.belief | C.study | D.service |
A.freedom | B.purpose | C.trust | D.security |
A.worn | B.stuck | C.broken | D.lost |
A.delicate | B.special | C.hard | D.sharp |
A.removed | B.washed | C.cleaned | D.fastened |
A.labeled | B.selected | C.yellowed | D.ruined |
A.Curiously | B.Sincerely | C.Skillfully | D.Bravely |
A.collected | B.planted | C.abandoned | D.stored |
A.old | B.wet | C.weak | D.small |
A.anger | B.surprise | C.regret | D.relief |
A.delay | B.reflect | C.hesitate | D.disappoint |
A.upset | B.awake | C.social | D.busy |
A.expected | B.attempted | C.failed | D.happened |
A.showed up | B.fallen off | C.taken off | D.dried up |
A.compete | B.grow | C.survive | D.relax |
6 . As a child, I was proud of my southern origin. My own voice reflected my family’s past and present-part northern Mississippi, part Tennessee, all southern. There was no sound I loved more than my grandmother’s accent: thick, sweet, warm.
While growing up, I began to realize outside of our region, southerners were often dismissed as uncultured and ignorant. I was ready to leave behind my tiny town in West Tennessee, starting a new life and jumping at big chances in some far-off cities. In that embarrassing space between “teen” and “adult”, my accent was a symbol of everything I thought I hated about my life in the rural South. I feared it would disqualify me from being a noted magazine writer. I would have to talk less “country”. So I killed a piece of myself. I’m ashamed of it, but I’m more ashamed that I tried to kill that part of someone else-change Emily’s accent.
I met Emily in college. She was determined to work for the student newspaper, which was where I spent most of my waking hours, and we became friends. She, unlike me, accepted her roots. Early in our friendship, her mother asked where I was from, assuming it was somewhere up north. Then I felt my efforts paid off and even wanted to ignore the mistake.
Emily is two years younger and she cared about my opinion. I advised her to be more like me and hide her signature Manchester accent. I stressed that throughout our college years, often by making fun of her vowel (元音) sounds. I told myself I was helping her achieve her dream of working as a reporter. Now, I see that it was actually about justifying my hiding part of myself.
Grandma Carolyn used to tell me, “Girl, don’t forget where you come from.” Now I truly understand that. Many things have faded from memory, but this sticks in my mind with uncomfortable clarity. Now that I am grown and have left the South, it’s important to me.
1. What made the author want to leave her hometown?A.Appeal of convenience in cities. |
B.Her dream of becoming a writer. |
C.Outside prejudice against southerners. |
D.Her desire for the northern accent. |
A.Upset. | B.Pleased. | C.Ashamed. | D.Surprised. |
A.To prove herself right. | B.To help Emily be a reporter. |
C.To make herself influential. | D.To protect Emily’s self-dignity. |
A.Stay true to your roots. | B.Never do things by halves. |
C.Hold on to your dreams. | D.Never judge a person by his accent. |
7 . I used to believe that only words could catch the essence of the human soul. The literary works contained such distinct stories that they shaped the way we saw the world. Words were what composed the questions we sought to uncover and the answers to those questions themselves. Words were everything.
That belief changed.
In an ordinary math class, my teacher posed a simple question: What’s 0.99 rounded to the nearest whole number? Easy. When rounded to the nearest whole number, 0.99=1. Somehow, I thought even though 0.99 is only 0.01 away from 1, there’s still a 0.01 difference. That means even if two things are only a little different, they are still different, so doesn’t that make them completely different?
My teacher answered my question by presenting another equation (等式): 1= 0.9, which could also be expressed as 1=0.99999.... repeating itself without ever ending.
There was something mysterious but fascinating about the equation. The left side was unchangeable, objective: it contained a number that ended. On the right was something endless, number repeating itself limitless times. Yet, somehow, these two opposed things were connected by an equal sign.
Lying in bed, I thought about how much the equation paralleled our existence. The left side of the equation represents that sometimes life itself is so unchangeable and so clear. The concrete, whole number of the day when you were born and the day when you would die. But then there is that gap in between life and death. The right side means a time and space full of limitless possibilities, and endless opportunities into the open future.
So that’s what life is. Objective but imaginative. Unchangeable but limitless. Life is an equation with two sides that balances itsef out. Still, we can’t ever truly seem to put the perfect words to it. So possibly numbers can express ideas as eually well as words can. For now, let’s leave it at that: 1= 0.99999... and live a life like it.
1. What does the author emphasize about words in paragraph 1?A.Their wide variety. | B.Their literary origins. |
C.Their distinct sounds. | D.Their expressive power. |
A.The repetition of a number. | B.The way two different numbers are equal. |
C.The question the teacher raised. | D.The difference between the two numbers. |
A.Measured. | B.Composed. | C.Mirrored. | D.Influenced. |
A.The Perfect Equation | B.Numbers Build Equations |
C.An Attractive Question | D.Words Outperform Numbers |
8 . I stopped at the top of the hill, my right foot pressed back against the coaster brake (脚刹) on my bicycle. All I needed to do was to
When I returned to my hometown more than three decades later with my friends Dave and Scott, we
Dave went first. Then I was next. My heart was pounding. I
We didn’t know it then, but we’d face many similar
A.stamp | B.break | C.lift | D.keep |
A.paused | B.started | C.charged | D.fell |
A.unnecessarily | B.incredibly | C.occasionally | D.hardly |
A.ran | B.rode | C.climbed | D.wandered |
A.out | B.off | C.away | D.up |
A.similar | B.whole | C.different | D.smart |
A.risk | B.stream | C.slope | D.assumption |
A.turning back | B.looking down | C.giving in | D.breaking out |
A.get | B.avoid | C.make | D.search |
A.called | B.improved | C.smiled | D.balanced |
A.pressure | B.fate | C.gravity | D.difficulty |
A.recalled | B.completed | C.forgotten | D.received |
A.activities | B.troubles | C.lessons | D.periods |
A.corner | B.route | C.edge | D.line |
A.when | B.because | C.after | D.before |
When we were finally dismissed from the last class of the day, the students streamed out of the classrooms. It was another boring day after school. I dragged my feet home as I sighed. Yet another uneventful day, I thought. Little did I know that the day would take a turn for the worse.
The lift lobby (电梯间) of my flat was old and dirty. The walls, which were painted white, had been dirtied over many years. I reached my flat’s lobby, and pressed the lift button and went in. Just then, Mrs Lim, my elderly neighbour, hobbled (蹒跚) in. She looked ancient with tissue paper white hair, wearing a faded old-fashioned dress. I held the lift door open, flashing a friendly smile, and politely greeted her. I asked her how she felt that day and pressed the buttons. She thanked me for being so polite, then we were silent for the rest of the ride.
The lift fell down increasingly fast. There were loud clanking sounds here and there while the lift grew slower and slower. My heart beat hard and fast as my hands turned cold and wet with sweat. Unfortunately, the lift came to an abrupt stop at the fifth floor. I pressed the buttons hard several times, but it was of no help. The lights on the buttons had gone out. It soon dawned on me that we were trapped. An icy fear crept up my spine. Mrs Lim was hysterical (歇斯底里).
“We will never get out!” she cried with her face pale. It had become a colourless mask. I had no time to lose. I pressed the bell in the lift immediately. The sound was surely deafening, but what other choice did I have? Mrs Lim burst into tears. I tried my very best to comfort her, telling her that everything would be all right and that we needed to find out how to get out safely. Mrs Lim began having trouble breathing, and I immediately helped her sit down and loosened her collar.
Paragraph 1: Several minutes passed, but no help came.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2: Bang! My hopes were lifted when I heard the firefighters on the other side of the lift door.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Sandy and Jane came to see the jobo tree on the hilltop again. Jobos were their favorite fruit, but the tree belonged to a lady who lived in the house by the hill. They heard she was difficult, but that sometimes she would give fruit in return for an errand(差使)
The girls finally gathered their courage to knock on her door. An elderly woman with a fierce look answered, staring down at the girls. “We heard …”said Sandy, her voice shaky, “that you give jobos in payment for running an errand.”
The lady raised one eyebrow, then went into the kitchen and took two baskets. She pushed them into the girls’ hands.“Go fill these with jobos, and come right back.”
The girls raced up the hill to the tree and filled the baskets with the ripest jobos. Back at the house, the lady filled a bag with rice and handed it to Sandy. “Take this bag and one basket of jobos to the Brown family. And ask them for the payment,” the lady added with a tight smile.“If you return without the payment, you won’t get the fruit.”
The girls struggled all the way with the bag and the basket. When they were there, Mrs. Brown answered the door. Inside on the floor were three little children, each painting something on papers.
Mr. Brown was lying sick in bed.Times were hard.
The girls handed her the food.“This is from the lady with the jobo tree, ” said Sandy.
“She asked for the payment, too.”Jane said awkwardly.
“The payment! The payment!” The children repeated, waving the paper in their hands happily.
Sandy and Jane looked at each other strangely. With a smile, Mrs. Brown handed Sandy a large sealed(密封的)envelope so full that it was almost starting to break open. The girls said goodbye and left quickly. “I wonder,” Sandy murmured, “whether Mrs. Brown can afford to pay for that food.”
注意:
1. 续写词数应为150左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Worried, the two girls discussed what was in the envelope as they walked back.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The lady opened the envelope, took out a pile of papers, and smiled.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________