1 . The Greek philosopher Heraclitus once said that you can’t step into the same river twice, for you aren’t the same person at each visit and the water is ever flowing. It is a powerful way to show the reality that everything is always changing. Yet so many people have unpleasant relationships with change. We resist it or attempt to control it, the result of which is almost always some combination of stress, anxiety, and burnout. It doesn’t have to be that way.
No doubt, change can, and often does, hurt; but with the right mindset, it can also be a force for growth. A concept called allostasis can help. Developed in the late 1980s by neuroscientist Peter Sterling and biologist Joseph Eyer, allostasis is based on the idea that rather than being rigid, our healthy baseline is a moving target. Allostasis is defined as “stability through change”—the way to stay stable through the process of change is by changing.
From neuroscience to pain science and psychology, allostasis has become the dominant model for understanding change in the scientific community. The brain is at its best when it is constantly rewiring itself and making new connections. Overcoming pain is not about resistance or trying to get back to where you were but about balancing acceptance with problem-solving and moving forward to normal.
The time to start practicing is now. Over the past few years, the river of change has been flowing, and it shows no signs of letting up. Our ability to work with these changes is directly related to our life satisfaction. Given all this, simply creating a stable expectancy around change goes a long way. So does realizing that the allostasis mindset doesn’t ask us to do nothing. Rather, it asks us to partake in change by focusing on what we can control and trying to let go of what we can’t. When I catch myself resisting change, in my head I say the following: “This is what is happening right now. I’m doing the best that I can. What, if any, skillful actions can I take?” Do this repeatedly and finally you start to get better at it.
To thrive in our lifetime — and not just survive —we need to transform our relationship with change, leaving behind rigidity and resistance. We are always shaping and being shaped by change, often at the very same time.
1. What’s the common practice toward change?| A．To welcome it. | B．To reject it. |
| C．To overlook it. | D．To adapt to it. |
| A．One size fits all. | B．Time works great changes. |
| C．Respond to change by changing. | D．It’s never too late to change. |
| A．Stopping. | B．Dashing down. |
| C．Going up. | D．Widening. |
| A．Repetition makes up for rigidity. | B．It matters to focus on what we can’t. |
| C．Changes promote life satisfaction. | D．It makes sense to embrace changes. |
2 . Father’s Day to me is just as special as Mother’s Day. Each parent has something to
I completely
Children don’t forget things when they are growing up,
Happy Father’s Day to those who are there to support and love their children.Happy Father’s Day to all the mothers out there who have to play a father’s role and to all the fathers who have to play a(n)mother’s role.Raising children has never been
| A．beg | B．borrow | C．give | D．gain |
| A．purposes | B．promises | C．roles | D．tasks |
| A．raised | B．encouraged | C．helped | D．loved |
| A．teacher | B．father | C．mother | D．teenager |
| A．foolish | B．interesting | C．excellent | D．difficult |
| A．asked | B．forgot | C．explained | D．understood |
| A．independent | B．confident | C．grateful | D．reliable |
| A．opinion | B．turn | C．duty | D．honor |
| A．bothered | B．touched | C．affected | D．confused |
| A．ignored | B．doubted | C．disliked | D．appreciated |
| A．especially | B．regularly | C．equally | D．generally |
| A．history | B．youth | C．childhood | D．suffering |
| A．forced | B．believed | C．reminded | D．ordered |
| A．because | B．though | C．after | D．until |
| A．easy | B．boring | C．happy | D．tiring |
3 . Discoveries in science and technology are thought by “untaught minds” to come in blinding flashes or as the result of dramatic accidents. Sir Alexander Fleming did not, as legend would have it, look at the mold (霉) on a piece of cheese and get the idea for penicillin there and then. He experimented with antibacterial substances for nine years before he made his discovery. Inventions and innovations almost always come out of tough trial and error. Innovation is like soccer; even the best players miss the goal and have their shots blocked much more frequently than they score.
The point is that the players who score most are the ones who take most shots at the goal—and so it goes with innovation in any field of activity. The prime difference between innovation and others is one of approach. Everybody gets ideas, but innovators work consciously on theirs, and they follow them through until they prove practicable or otherwise. What ordinary people see as fanciful abstractions, professional innovators see as solid possibilities.
“Creative thinking may mean simply the realization that there’s no particular goodness in doing things the way they have always been done.” Wrote Rudolph Flesch, a language authority. This accounts for our reaction to seemingly simple innovations like plastic garbage bags and suitcases on wheels that make life more convenient: “How come nobody thought of that before?”
The creative approach begins with the proposal that nothing be as it appears. Innovators will not accept that there is only one way to do anything. Faced with getting from A to B, the average person will automatically set out on the best-known and apparently simplest route. The innovator will search for alternate courses, which may prove easier in the long run and are sure to be more interesting and challenging even if they lead to dead ends. Highly creative individuals really do march to a different drummer.
1. “Untaught mind” in the first paragraph refers to __________.| A．an individual who often comes up with new ideas by accident |
| B．a person who has had no education |
| C．a citizen of a society that restricts personal creativity |
| D．a person ignorant of the hard work involved in experimentation |
| A．The way they present their findings. | B．The intelligence they possess. |
| C．The way they deal with problems. | D．The variety of ideas they have. |
| A．devoted to the progress of science |
| B．diligent in pursuing their goals |
| C．concerned about the advance of society |
| D．unwilling to follow common ways of doing things |
| A．What Are So Special about Creative Individuals |
| B．The Relation Between Creation and Diligence |
| C．Discoveries and Innovation |
| D．To Be a Creative Expert in the Study of Human Creativity |
As a kid, I spent my summers with my grandparents in Texas, which was a welcome change from my Huston life of school and I loved it.
One of the best parts of spending summers with my grandparents was caravanning(乘房车度假)with the caravan club. Every few summers, we would join the trips organized by the caravan club and it was during one of these trips that my grandfather said to me the right words at the right time—it’s much harder to be kind than clever.
I wasn’t very old, maybe ten or eleven, but I was forming my opinions about the world, and of course, I thought I knew much more about things than I actually did.
I was then, as I am now, a big reader and a crazy fan for numbers. Anyone who has been on a long road trip knows that no matter how many books you bring, how beautiful the scenery is, you still have too much time to think. So I spent a good deal of my extra time calculating. I calculated gas mileage. I figured out the average per-item price of groceries bought over the course of the trip. And at some point, I saw an anti-smoking ad on TV. The announcer declared that every time a smoker took a puff of a cigarette(抽一口烟). he was shortening his life time by two minutes. My grandmother was a smoker. I hated it, and not just because I knew that it was bad for her. My guess is that any kid who rides for thousands of miles sitting in the smoke-filled backseat of a 1973 Olds car grows to hate smoking. So on one particularly long driving day, I decided to do the math.
I don’t remember exactly what the number was. Two minutes per puff, twenty puffs per cigarette, twenty cigarettes per pack, one pack a day for thirty years. About sixteen years? When I was satisfied that I had come up with a reasonably accurate number, I poked my head between the two front seats and tapped my grandmother on the shoulder.
注意:
1. 续写词数应为150左右:
2. 请按如下格式在答题纸的相应位置作答。
I told grandma that she had taken sixteen years off her life from smoking.
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My grandpa got out of the car and asked me to follow.
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I was moving as fast as I could, stepping cautiously from rock to rock along the uneven jetty(栈桥). Far ahead, I could see the back of my brother’s sandy hair and the bright orange of his shorts.
“Too slow, sister!” I heard Sam yell as he hopped with ease.
“I’ll show him,” I thought, and attempted a double jump. What a mistake! My left foot came down hard between the edges of two gray rocks. scraping my ankle. “Ouch!” I yelled. I tried to wiggle(扭动) my foot out, but my shoe was stuck. I bent closer to the rock and that’ s when I saw it: a shiny, square shaped stone the color of water, attached to a glittery gold chain. It was just lying there on the wet sand, and a few seconds later it was in my pocket.
Sam squinted(眯着眼睛看) in the sun. Could he tell I was hiding the most perfect discovery of the summer? I kept turning the treasure around in my pocket, pushing each corner of the square stone into my finger. I was dizzy, but I didn’t want Sam to notice. He liked to tell everybody my business.
“Ryan saved the mini cola bottle from the carnival! It happened to be perfect for sand art!
“Ryan wasted her allowance on salt and pepper shakers from the yard sale!” They were antique little pig and cost only 50 cents.
My family calls me their “little collector. Some mean kids at school call me “trash girl”.
Sam and I walked along the main street, the small buildings giving us a break from the sun. Through the window of the candy shop, I could see tubes of colorful jelly beans. A sign on the window’s glass read LOST: Gold and blue necklace. Very special. If found, call Chrissy at 555-9924.
Chrissy had drawn a crayon version of the necklace at the bottom of the poster. The necklace looked different from the one I clutched in my pocket, I decided. Rounder, bluer. The poster appeared old and weathered. It must have been put up months ago. We continued to walk, and I noticed four more posters. Someone must have returned that necklace by now, I thought.
注意：
1.所续写短文的词数应为150左右;
2.续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好。
Paragraph 1: Once home, I placed the necklace in my special spot for special things, lost in thought.
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Paragraph 2: Fifteen minutes later, I was sitting across from Chrissy in the candy shop.
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6 . Jane Sun, CEO of Ctrip, Asia’s largest online travel company, connects people with the best places the world has to offer. She believes travel and cultural experiences can
Actually she herself is a
While
“Many discussions I had still
Feeling it her duty to help others, Sun
As for her future efforts, Sun is preparing for the day when advanced technology and even space travel will change the travel industry. One thing that won’t change: the
| A．bridge | B．widen | C．link | D．limit |
| A．useful | B．living | C．misleading | D．similar |
| A．build | B．change | C．start | D．control |
| A．enjoyable | B．hopeful | C．difficult | D．annoying |
| A．reaching | B．contacting | C．registering | D．attending |
| A．further | B．master | C．research | D．review |
| A．steady | B．gentle | C．fast | D．easy |
| A．accommodation | B．company | C．gym | D．campus |
| A．feared | B．enjoyed | C．forgot | D．celebrated |
| A．influence | B．direct | C．satisfy | D．inspire |
| A．created | B．admired | C．developed | D．broken |
| A．impressions | B．conclusions | C．explanations | D．arguments |
| A．gain | B．respect | C．produce | D．shape |
| A．set up | B．set off | C．turned down | D．turned away |
| A．abandon | B．achieve | C．find | D．improve |
| A．preference | B．possibilities | C．responsibility | D．control |
| A．role models | B．travel partners | C．play mates | D．family members |
| A．defend | B．delight | C．challenge | D．please |
| A．confusing | B．astonishing | C．struggling | D．rewarding |
| A．freedom | B．power | C．focus | D．purpose |
7 . A couple of weeks ago, my grandfather was explaining his favorite expression, “Nothing is ever easy.” The following day, as I tried to complete my work, I happened to
In our daily lives,we often think that we can solve problems just by taking the time. Besides, we often imagine what can work in our favour but we
If you can
Of course, there should be preparations made to account for expenses or time. Doing so can help you
| A．meet | B．catch | C．notice | D．attract |
| A．exploring | B．moving | C．killing | D．removing |
| A．cleared | B．failed | C．ended | D．changed |
| A．cleaning up | B．looking up | C．turning up | D．making up |
| A．anxious | B．tiny | C．annoyed | D．curious |
| A．always | B．never | C．seldom | D．often |
| A．registered | B．impressed | C．planned | D．promised |
| A．actually | B．perfectly | C．obviously | D．partly |
| A．accept | B．concentrate | C．design | D．challenge |
| A．take | B．listen | C．keep | D．revise |
| A．office | B．hospital | C．college | D．prison |
| A．frightened | B．advanced | C．organized | D．improved |
| A．forward | B．complete | C．achieve | D．quit |
| A．age | B．path | C．plate | D．view |
| A．bee | B．bird | C．adult | D．volunteer |
8 . At 13, I climbed my first mountain. I was out of breath when I reached the top. But I
It’s safer to start winter climbs at night when there’s less
Later, we reached a plateau. Strong wind made me feel as though my skin were burning. The other climbers decided to
The path we followed grew narrower. Afterwards, we reached an ice step. I
Instantly, I fell backward,
I
The fall has made me more careful but also helped me
Since the accident, I’ve climbed another 60 mountains. I’m not going to let one
| A．loved | B．disliked | C．appreciated | D．protested |
| A．heavier | B．nicer | C．bigger | D．cleverer |
| A．clue | B．risk | C．loss | D．reminder |
| A．buy | B．return | C．remove | D．throw |
| A．relieved | B．warm | C．cool | D．tired |
| A．turn off | B．turn down | C．turn in | D．turn back |
| A．related to | B．prepared for | C．connected with | D．addicted to |
| A．volunteered | B．begged | C．intended | D．pretended |
| A．safe | B．lucky | C．capable | D．trapped |
| A．shout | B．crack | C．noise | D．whisper |
| A．climbing | B．rolling | C．running | D．jumping |
| A．catching | B．looking | C．laughing | D．pointing |
| A．sliding | B．sweating | C．waving | D．struggling |
| A．soft | B．warm | C．dry | D．flat |
| A．shaped | B．observed | C．pressed | D．checked |
| A．waited | B．searched | C．looked | D．cried |
| A．after | B．before | C．unless | D．once |
| A．grow | B．exercise | C．survive | D．succeed |
| A．decided | B．commented | C．concentrated | D．depended |
| A．adventure | B．experience | C．mistake | D．fall |
Be a true runner
For me, it was normal to feel lost at the inter-camp track. Four camps of kids were ready to lead their teams to a blue ribbon and win the day. Not me. I was too little to be the leader and too skinny to be an athlete. I knew this by the time I was twelve, because my camp counselors（辅导员）and the other kids reminded me of it every chance they got. So when our camp needed a fourth runner in the two-mile race around the lake, I knew I was no one’s first choice.
I hid in the shade of a maple tree as they called the names of the runners, my body tensed as I heard a counselor call, “Fred! Where is Fred! He is in this race!” It was Barry. He spotted me under the tree. “Fred! We need a 12-year-old who hasn’t been in other events to run the two-mile!”
He gave me a push towards the starting line. Having no confidence and trying to save myself from the shame of taking the last place as four camps watched, I pleaded with him.
“But I don’t know the way around the lake!”
“You’re in. Just follow Bill!” Barry smiled.
Bill was my friend and the fastest runner in our camp. And then Barry said, “When you make it to the last stretch（最后一程）on the field, just throw your head back and run.”
At the starting line, I stood next to Bill and trembled.
“On your mark… Get set...” The gun cracked and sixteen of us took off. I stayed close on Bill’s heels, a little too close for Bill, I guess. He shouted at me, “Back off!”
I did. Two guys passed me, but I kept my eyes on Bill.
It was tiring. The distance was widening between Bill and me. We made the turn from the dusty road onto the muddy, wooded trail that would go around the lake back to the field. Through the trees, I saw Bill trip over a tree root and fall. A runner from another camp passed him.
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。
In a moment, Bill was up again and running.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I didn’t know when I crossed the finish line.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept responsibility for changing them. Many people are constantly waiting for their life to start. They always say, “When I am older I will and in a few years， I will do that”.
All of us may suffer
