Born into a medical family, Amar, a 15-year-old boy, was expected to be a doctor, but deep down in his heart, he was eager to take up writing as his future career. He was in a great dilemma whether to pursue his dream or live up to his parents’ expectation. until one day when his father gifted him a parrot.
The parrot had two hazy lines in her neck: black and red. Amar knew the hazy lines mark the stage of learning. “When there is a good teacher, how can his student be stupid” ,he used to believe. It was absolutely true.
Metto’s cage was yellow with a big door and a shiny silver rod (杆) running through the centre. Metto’s world was fantastic, surrounded by eight-foot white walls with some plum trees. And a lawn, with a palm tree in the middle, was dotted with multiple-color roses.
Back home from school every afternoon, Amar always slid the door of the cage up for Metto to set her free nearby the palm tree. Metto could set herself free because she learned how to slide up the door but she had never tried to do so. It was either love with Amar or, might be, she had never tasted the taste of a bigger world.
Amar always talked with Metto in Pashto (普什图语). Whenever Amar fished out peanuts from his pocket, Metto talked frequently “Toti choori khore” —parrot! Wanna eat choori. She had learned one more sentence after meeting with a friend belonging to jungle outside the white walls. She always said that at the end of meal “Da wakht bam teer she”—this shall to be passed, which Amar had never taught her.
Amar saw her friend coming daily and sitting in the plum tree nearby Metto’s cage. He let them and did nothing. “The new one can never succeed in winning her. After all, I feed her well. She will never leave me”, Amar murmured. But he didn’t know the new teacher had taught her something the old one hadn’t. It was the outer world with untouchable horizon.
注意：1. 续写词数应为 150个左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
One day, on the way to feed her, Amar was shocked at what Metto was doing.
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His head hanging down; Amar came back home after long running.
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2 . These days, many young people wonder if they would be better served by striking out on their own than pursuing a college education. In this rapidly evolving digital era, narratives of overnight success and entrepreneurial glory have flooded our social media feeds, fascinating the digital natives of Gen Z into questioning the worth of an expensive traditional college degree.
Contrary to popular belief, successful entrepreneurship is rarely seen among the young. Recent research suggests that the average age in the U. S. of founders when they launched their companies is 42, rising to 45 for those within the top 0.1% of earnings based on growth in their first five years. That’s even the case for high-tech startups. Indeed, successful entrepreneurship is frequently the result of years of learning, experimenting and risk-taking—traits cultivated over time.
Campuses create environments rich in intellectual diversity and foster cooperation among their inhabitants, promoting an entrepreneurial mindset. They encourage students to challenge established norms and develop their unique thinking patterns to create value — practices that are also key to entrepreneurial success. Thus, higher education is not just about attaining a degree; it’s more importantly about acquiring the skills and experiences that inspire and enable the entrepreneurs of tomorrow.
But some may doubt since formal entrepreneurship itself isn’t typically a course of study, are all college majors capable of instilling entrepreneurial skills? Let’s examine the arts majors, which are often subjected to the most suspicion concerning their career paths. Consider a theater major. That curriculum often includes entrepreneurship-focused capabilities beyond stage direction, lighting, sound systems and performance. Students learn to mobilize resources, lead creative teams and navigate the uncertainties of a theatrical production — skills that are readily transferable to launching any entrepreneurial business.
Like a compass for the future, entrepreneurship guides us toward a society that prizes critical thinking, nurtures intellectual curiosity and champions innovation. Let’s not get swept away by short-lived trends or misleading narratives. Instead, we should appreciate the enduring value of college education.
1. What do the figures in paragraph 2 indicate?| A．The chance of success multiplies with age. | B．Young people dominate high-tech startups. |
| C．Quite a number of enterprises are in the red. | D．Successful entrepreneurship isn’t built in a day. |
| A．Sticking to one’s own principles. | B．Acquiring knowledge from textbooks. |
| C．Developing a startup mentality. | D．Following established norms and traditions. |
| A．To illustrate it is complex and demanding. |
| B．To prove people’s suspicion is reasonable. |
| C．To show entrepreneurial skills can be integrated into all majors. |
| D．To stress it is the launchpad for successful entrepreneurship. |
| A．Arts. | B．Insights. | C．Entertainment. | D．News. |
3 . Even when you have confidence in yourself, your goals will sometimes seem out of reach. When that happens, get hold of the people who
When I was younger, I
Early in my
Even now, I
| A．refer to | B．depend on | C．learn from | D．believe in |
| A．quit | B．struggled | C．regretted | D．argued |
| A．responsibilities | B．dreams | C．opportunities | D．doubts |
| A．stopped | B．admitted | C．allowed | D．considered |
| A．tracked | B．recommended | C．accompanied | D．encouraged |
| A．serious | B．possible | C．hard | D．necessary |
| A．request | B．unwillingness | C．inability | D．attempt |
| A．difficulties | B．options | C．aims | D．standards |
| A．career | B．experiment | C．business | D．recovery |
| A．foolishly | B．simply | C．wisely | D．bravely |
| A．original | B．familiar | C．typical | D．positive |
| A．looking into | B．taking down | C．dealing with | D．pointing out |
| A．introduce | B．remind | C．guarantee | D．warn |
| A．experience | B．describe | C．compare | D．limit |
| A．probably | B．fortunately | C．obviously | D．importantly |
4 . Growing up on a farm, I learned from my parents about the large bees we called mangangava. But in college when I gave a presentation about those bees, I didn’t mention their familiar name; instead I used formal terms when describing their adaptations for pollinating (授粉). I was afraid of being judged for expressing my personal knowledge in a science class. But when the instructor pressed me to tell the class whether I’d seen the bees myself and what I called them, my views and my whole career path began to change. I realized my background was valuable, and that my calling was to help educate others like me.
My parents worked on a small farm and I often helped out when I was not in school. They had a close relationship with nature, something they learned from my grandparents and passed down to me. This was why I became interested in biology.
In college, I joined a series of labs to gain research experience, but my interest in pursuing a career as a scientist began to wane after I realized my research was not helping poor people like my parents. As a black student from a rural community, I also felt out of place in most classes. The feeling of not belonging circled in my head. I sometimes thought about giving up.
My instructor’s request that I share my knowledge of the mangangava bee changed my view. She saw that tapping into my personal experiences would help me grasp the scientific concepts. No other professor bad shown that kind of sensitivity, which helped me realize I did have a place in higher education and that I didn’t need to hide who I truly am.
I’m now a master’s student in education, working on a project that explores the connect ion between science and traditional knowledge. I don’t think I’d be here if I hadn’t crossed paths with my instructor. We ne ed more educators and scientists like her people who can serve as role models and know that the best way to nurture new scientists is to allow students to be themselves.
1. What did the author initially think of his background when in college?| A．It was of little use for his college studies. |
| B．It motivated him to carry on his research. |
| C．It gave him an advantage over others. |
| D．It was something he wanted to hide. |
| A．remain | B．advance | C．fade | D．rise |
| A．Value students’ personal knowledge and views. |
| B．Inspire students to work as hard as he or she does. |
| C．Treat students from different backgrounds equally. |
| D．Be equipped with rich knowledge of a certain field. |
| A．The family is one of the nature’s masterpieces. |
| B．Every man is the architect of his own fortune. |
| C．A good teacher is better than ten thousand books. |
| D．Good habits formed at youth make all the difference. |
Thank You, Mr. Baumgartner
If I hadn’t been a failed violinist, I might never have become a writer.
When I was in fourth grade, the public school I attended had an orchestra (管弦乐) program. I signed up to learn the violin, along with my friend Irene Cervantes. We were both interested in the violin and the bright future of being in the orchestra. Every week, Irene and I walked together through our working-class neighborhood to our before-school music lessons, proudly holding our black violin cases.
Mr. Baumgartner, the orchestra teacher, was very strict. He emphasized that if anything happened to the instrument we played we’d be cut from the program because the school could not afford to replace it. We all understood.
I wasn’t very good at the violin. Then the scary thing happened: I was practicing at home when the bridge dropped off my violin and flew across the room, the strings collapsing (塌陷) before my eyes.
Terrified of Mr. Baumgartner’s reaction, and having no idea that this was a common violinist’s mistake, I tried to fix it. I slipped into the garage and secured the bridge back in place with an unfamiliar glue, making sure it would never, never, drop off again. I prayed that Mr. Baumgartner wouldn’t notice.
Of course, he did. Sadly, he patted me on the back and told me that maybe I could join the orchestra next year. When I cried, he suggested that I join a chorus (合唱团).
I did switch to the chorus, where I stayed. As luck would have it, the elementary school orchestra automatically fed into the junior high chorus — which performed with the All City Honor Orchestra on New Year’s Eve, where Irene Cervantes was now the first-chair violinist.
After the performance, my English teacher, who was the advisor for the school newspaper, asked if anyone was a member of the chorus and would be interested in writing an article for the school newspaper about the experience. Something inside me made me raise my hand. I loved reading, but the idea of writing anything had never occurred to me until then.
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。
I wrote the article.
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I saw Irene Cervantes years later at a high school reunion.
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6 . Have you ever wondered why other people don’t see things the same way you do? Isn’t it confusing that you don’t necessarily share the same viewpoints even when you come from the same family? Why can’t they just see it my way? The scientific explanation comes from cognitive (认知的) psychology; it’s a mental process known as information processing.
From a psychological perspective, you have your own internal set of core values, memories, and quality of emotion. With every external event you experience, the information comes in and is filtered (过滤) through your emotions, memories, and values. How you “see” yourself, others, and the world you live in will be flavored by what you’ve experienced or believe to be true. In other words, you don’t see things as they are — you see things as you are.
You have a process for filtering information and it may strike you as being odd, to say the least, when others don’t subscribe to the same beliefs, thoughts, and opinions. What if you considered, even for just a moment, that what you are perceiving is only one possibility — and that there are several other ways to interpret a situation?
In every walk of life, you find yourself defending your beliefs, arguing for how you remember something that happened, and positioning yourself to influence others to see things your way. But what if you’re missing the important point that your differences are what make life colorful? Those differences are what stimulate your mind and emotions. Without differences, life would be dull. There would be no “aha” moment if you knew everything. There would be no inspiration in the form of art, music, poetry, style, or communication.
There will be times in your life when boundaries may need to be enforced with others and, at the end of the day, you want to feel understood and appreciated. Learning to honor your viewpoints, while others have their own is vital for coexisting in a world where every individual is perfectly unique.
1. Which of the following is not mentioned in the text to play role in information processing?| A．Experiences. | B．Personalities. | C．Memory. | D．Emotions. |
| A．Insist on your own beliefs and values. | B．Ignore what things actually are. |
| C．Listen to and follow others’ completely. | D．Respect both your and others’ opinions. |
| A．Positive. | B．Negative. | C．Confused. | D．Surprised. |
| A．Why Nobody Understands You? |
| B．How Come You Are So Uniate? |
| C．Who is Responsible for Disagreement? |
| D．What Makes You Think You’re Right? |
7 . In all one’s lifetime it is oneself that one spends the most time being with or dealing with. But it is
To get a thorough understanding of oneself is to gain a correct view of oneself and be a realist-aware of both one’s strengths and shortages. You may
To get a thorough understanding of oneself needs self-appreciation. Whether you think you are a towering tree or a blade of grass, a high mountain or a small stone, you
To get a thorough understanding of oneself also requires doing oneself a favor when it’s needed. In time of anger, do yourself a favor by giving an
In a word, to get a thorough understanding of oneself is to get a full
| A．permanently | B．previously | C．precisely | D．probably |
| A．reach | B．touch | C．range | D．control |
| A．look up | B．look back | C．look forward | D．look down |
| A．expect | B．anticipate | C．inspect | D．dream |
| A．honest | B．comprehensive | C．courageous | D．delicate |
| A．what | B．which | C．how | D．where |
| A．symbolize | B．demonstrate | C．assure | D．represent |
| A．eagerly | B．earnestly | C．desperately | D．gratefully |
| A．As much as | B．As soon as | C．As far as | D．As well as |
| A．advised | B．devoted | C．enabled | D．committed |
| A．outlet | B．excuse | C．criterion | D．solution |
| A．Unless | B．Once | C．Since | D．If |
| A．reject | B．restore | C．recover | D．resist |
| A．expected | B．exposed | C．experienced | D．exported |
| A．credit | B．control | C．power | D．grace |
8 . At the age of 12, I withdrew into my bedroom with my guitar. I had neither musical talent — many
The world favors achievement while
The seeking of accomplishment always
| A．added | B．tailored | C．expected | D．failed |
| A．Besides | B．Instead | C．Therefore | D．However |
| A．fruitless | B．matchless | C．effortless | D．senseless |
| A．wished | B．allowed | C．required | D．invited |
| A．masked | B．rooted | C．set | D．stuck |
| A．waited for | B．passed by | C．departed from | D．stayed with |
| A．exchange | B．reason | C．foundation | D．priority |
| A．relationship | B．difference | C．balance | D．similarity |
| A．ignoring | B．avoiding | C．assessing | D．defending |
| A．origin | B．process | C．decision | D．reward |
| A．lack | B．need | C．rush | D．dream |
| A．amazes | B．concerns | C．frightens | D．discourages |
| A．adventurous | B．dangerous | C．memorable | D．horrible |
| A．impression | B．performance | C．scene | D．harmony |
| A．pursued | B．accepted | C．interpreted | D．analysed |
I’ll admit it. I can be a complainer. After all, there’s so much in this life to complain about: the dirty clothes that don’t make it into the basket, that annoying neighbor’s loud music, my husband’s shoes spread out at the front door, rainy days, traffic...
Complaining is a habit I cultivated since childhood, a skill I developed through the years. My parents didn’t seem to mind—they were great complainers, too—though I do recall some eye-rolling and long-drawn sighs from friends and schoolmates when I would voice my negative opinions. In fact, I can distinctly recall the exact moment when I first realized my complaining habit reached its expert level.
One day, as I reminded ray husband once again to remove his bills from the dining-room table, put his shoes away, and lower that bothersome radio, he put up his hand.“Stop! You’re your complaining. It’s driving me crazy.”
I looked at him blank-eyed.
He took a deep breath. “You never hear me complaining, do you?”
“Well,” I answered, “you’re complaining about my complaining, so actually, yes, I am hearing you complain right now.”
His eyes widened. A drop of sweat formed his upper lip. Then he grabbed his car keys and ran out of the door.
Perhaps I’d gone too far, I thought. Maybe I really did complain too much. But, what to do about it? After all, it had been a lifetime habit. And habits are hard to break.
I took a break and sat down to think about solution. When I felt annoyed, I could lock myself in the bathroom and scream. No. The neighbors would probably hear me. Phone a friend? She probably wouldn’t be a friend for very long. Then it hit me.
I’d been in the habit of keeping a journal for most of my life. It provided a sort of timeline for me，and I liked to review past entries occasionally to review the path I had been on at that point. Journaling kept me honest with myself, and I liked it for that reason. Perhaps, I though, a complaint journal might be the answer I was seeking.
注意：
1. 续写词数应为l50左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答；
That day, I decided to give it a try.
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Besides the improved relationship with my husband, I saw other effects soon. .
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10 . It was decades ago now, but it’s still one of the most memorable conversations of my life. On a long, slow train heading north, with nothing to do but watch the rain, the man sitting opposite began trying to talk to me. Like most young women who have learned the hard way to be careful of strangers, I was unfriendly. But curiosity took over when he said that he was just bored, and liked talking.
So that’s what we did for hours and hours as the man turned out to be quite talkative. When the train finally pulled in, we didn’t change numbers. However, I still think about it sometimes on long, boring journeys, before getting a phone out and scrolling silently like everyone else. It’s a rare person who can cheerfully break the social rule about not talking to strangers without any ill intention, but life would be more interesting if more of us knew how to do it.
And that’s why I can’t be as cynical as I probably should be about “Tube Chat” campaign launched to encourage Britons to talk to each other. All anyone is being asked to do is to start a conversation they wouldn’t otherwise have had — maybe with a friend from whom they’ve been apart or a neighbor they don’t know.
Obviously, it takes more than a bit of small talk over garden fences to unite strangers together. More people live alone than did so a generation ago, and the rise in freelancing (自由职业) means more of us work alone too. We socialize increasingly through screens, sending texts instead of bothering to call.
It’s true that the “Tube Chat” campaign of a few years back failed in its attempts to make Londoners talk to each other on public transport. But even city people who would normally die rather than make eye contact with strangers still happily gather in large numbers by the Thames for the New Year’s Eve fireworks. They would get a far better view at home on television — it’s not really about the fireworks, but about being part of something communal (公共的).
There’s no guarantee (保证) that this latest campaign to reconnect will succeed wherever others have failed. But if there ever a moment to stop social disbelief it may start a fire to warm a world that sometimes feels cold. Wherever my train friend is now, I hope he’s still talking.
1. The author introduced her train friend to .| A．share her most memorable but boring journey |
| B．express her deep regret for losing touch with him |
| C．show that talking to strangers can add interest to life |
| D．explain why people are becoming indifferent |
| A．doubtful | B．supportive | C．confused | D．disappointed |
| A．“Tube Chat”, failed in its attempts to unite strangers together |
| B．it’s hard to break the social rule about not talking to strangers |
| C．people have a wish to be socially connected by nature |
| D．“Tube Chat” made some difference to reconnecting people |
| A．Keep our desire to connect. | B．Avoid talking to strangers. |
| C．Show respect for social disbelief | D．Socialize with our friends. |
