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.

2. After talking with Professor Devon, the author decided to ________.

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

3. According to the author, the project with the robotics professor was ________.

A．demanding

B．inspiring

C．misleading

D．amusing

4. What can we learn from this passage?

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 . Many years ago, I bought a house in the Garfagnana, where we still go every summer. The first time we ______ there, we heard the chug chug-chug of a motorbike ______ its way down the hill toward us. It was ______ called Mario, coming to ______ us a box containing some tomatoes and a bottle of wine. It was a very nice ______ for him to make. But when we looked at the tomatoes, we were ______ because they were so misshapen: not at all like the nice, round, ______ things you get in a supermarket. And the wine was cloudy, in a funny old bottle with no label (标签) on it. These can’t be any ______, we thought. But we were ______ his kindness, so we ______ them.

What we discovered is that it’s ______ to judge what you eat only by its ______. Those tomatoes had ______ that reminded me of the ones my uncle used to grow when I was a child. Nowadays supermarket tomatoes ______ perfect but taste of water. Nobody’s going to have a ______ memory of those. It’s a surprise they haven’t managed to grow square ones so that they can ______ them easily. Mario’s wine may have been cloudy and come out of an old bottle, but it was ______.

It’s good to eat things at the correct time, when they’re ______, and as close as possible to where they were ______. What Mario had ______ us was the taste of the Garfagnana.

1.

A．waited

B．met

C．camped

D．stayed

2.

A．making

B．searching

C．squeezing

D．feeling

3.

A．customer

B．neighbor

C．relative

D．passenger

4.

A．lend

B．send

C．bring

D．show

5.

A．choice

B．comment

C．promise

D．gesture

6.

A．worried

B．moved

C．thrilled

D．bored

7.

A．simple

B．real

C．shiny

D．fun

8.

A．more

B．good

C．new

D．easy

9.

A．sympathetic to

B．thankful for

C．cautious about

D．interested in

10.

A．tried

B．sold

C．returned

D．mixed

11.

A．unnecessary

B．uncertain

C．unwise

D．unusual

12.

A．appearance

B．quality

C．origin

D．price

13.

A．size

B．shape

C．color

D．taste

14.

A．smell

B．look

C．become

D．work

15.

A．happy

B．vivid

C．short

D．vague

16.

A．clean

B．check

C．count

D．pack

17.

A．perfect

B．useful

C．convenient

D．familiar

18.

A．on view

B．on sale

C．in season

D．in need

19.

A．finished

B．stored

C．found

D．grown

20.

A．cooked

B．given

C．bought

D．told

3 . Traveling itself is an experience hard to be described in words.     1     Especially the solo (独自) traveling experience is so transforming that it lives with you forever. Here I am sharing some lessons.

    2     Thinking how I would manage my entire day among strangers on campus, I pretended to be sick. Then I had the same feeling when I was planning to travel alone. Exploring a city on my own was a big fear for me but I successfully managed it all and now, I seek out new opportunities and experiences. I love to push myself.    3    

Having grown up and lived all my life in a single place, I had a small set of friends since my school days which continued till my college days.    4     I met a few very interesting people with whom I could feel an instant connect and got some new friends for life.

I totally agree that traveling with family and friends is fun and enjoying. But traveling alone is satisfying too. It’s among those few things that you do for yourself and nobody else.    5     During my solo travels I have explored my inner self and have expanded my boundaries which people around me have acknowledged at times.

A．I want to experience more.

B．But all this changed with my first solo trip.

C．I never thought I would travel alone in my life.

D．I was so scared when I went to school first time.

E．Every journey prepares you for the journey of life.

F．The farther you travel, the more independent you become.

G．After all you need to take care of yourself a bit too at times.

4 . Ralph Emerson once said that the purpose of life is not to be happy, but to be useful, to be loving, to make some difference in he world. While we appreciate such words of wisdom, we rarely try to follow them in our lives.

Most people prefer to live a good life themselves, ignoring their responsibilities for the world. This narrow perception of a good life may provide short-term benefits, but is sure to lead to long-term harm and suffering. A good life based on comfort and luxury may eventually lead to more pain be-cause we spoil our health and even our character, principles, ideals, and relationships.

What then, is the secret of a good life? A good life is a process, not a state of being : a direction, not a destination. We have to earn a good life by first serving others without any expectation in return because their happiness is the very source of our own happiness. More importantly, we must know ourselves inside out. Only when we examine ourselves deeply can we discover our abilities and recognize our limitations, and then work accordingly to create a better world.

The first requirement for a good life is having a loving heart. When we do certain right things merely as a duty, we find our job so tiresome that we’ll soon burn out. However, when we do that same job out of love, we not only enjoy what we do, but also do it with an effortless feeling.

However, love alone is insufficient to lead a good life. Love sometimes blinds us to the reality. Consequently, our good intentions may not lead to good results. To achieve desired outcome, those who want to do good to others also need to equip themselves with accurate world knowledge. False knowledge is more dangerous than ignorance. If love is the engine of a car knowledge is the steering wheel(方向盘). If the engine lacks power, the car can’t move; if the driver loses control of the steering, a road accident probably occurs. Only with love in heart and the right knowledge in mind can we lead a good life.

With love and knowledge, we go all out to create a better world by doing good to others. When we see the impact of our good work on the world we give meaning to our life and earn lasting joy and happiness.

1. What effect does the narrow perception of a good life have on us?

A．Making us simple-minded	B．Making us short-sighted.
C．Leading us onto a busy road.	D．Keeping us from comfort and luxury.

2. According to the author, how can one gain true happiness?

A．Through maintaining good health.

B．By going through pain and suffering.

C．By recognizing one’s abilities and limitations.

D．Through offering help much needed by others.

3. According to Paragraph 4, doing certain right things with a loving heart makes one________.

A．less selfish	B．less annoying
C．more motivated	D．more responsible

4. In what case may good intentions fail to lead to desired results?

A．When we have wrong knowledge of the world.

B．When our love for the world is insufficient.

C．When we are insensitive to dangers in life.

D．When we stay blind to the reality.

5. According to Paragraph 5, life can be made truly good when ________.

A．inspired by love and guided by knowledge

B．directed by love and pushed by knowledge

C．purified by love and enriched by knowledge

D．promoted by love and defined by knowledge

5 . When I was in sixth grade, I joined the band program to learn to play the clarinet (单簧管). The beginning of the year had gone _________. But as most students progressed, I seemed to fall behind. One day, when my teacher told us to play in front of the other students, I was filled with fear. I knew I would _________. When I began to play, my rhythms (节奏) were good, but my tone was another _________. “Did you practice your lesson?” the teacher barked at me. I felt so _________ and my world came _________ down in an instant.

From then on, I hated playing the clarinet and I kept getting _________. With the day of the new performance approaching, I grew increasingly upset. In a moment of _________, I asked for sick leave. It was so relieving and such a(n) _________ way out.

The avoidance of my lessons continued until my mum asked me about it. “I want to quit.” My tears started _________. “If you really want to quit, why are you crying?” asked mum. She __________ and I realized I wanted to stay in band and, by not facing my fears, I had created a black hole that would be difficult to __________ out of. I made a __________ not to hide from my fears and to stand up to even the worst of them, so a __________ could be achieved.

The next day I met with my band teacher and told her I was having a problem and couldn’t __________ why. She asked me gently to play for her. I tried, but only an unpleasant sound came out. She didn’t __________ at me and handed me a new reed (簧片). I put it in place and tried again. To my great __________ I could play well. My problem was solved and my fear was __________ a lot that year.

__________ I’m glad that I overcame my fear. Fear can __________ everything in a person’s life. Hiding from those very fears only creates a hole, which makes a person stay __________ inside. After facing up to a fear, one may find life easier and much more enjoyable.

1.

A．badly

B．endlessly

C．randomly

D．smoothly

2.

A．mess up

B．move on

C．set out

D．take off

3.

A．impression

B．essay

C．story

D．factor

4.

A．ashamed

B．starved

C．excited

D．relaxed

5.

A．crashing

B．moving

C．selling

D．bending

6.

A．stricter

B．worse

C．happier

D．smarter

7.

A．joy

B．panic

C．doubt

D．sympathy

8.

A．funny

B．important

C．easy

D．traditional

9.

A．drying

B．disappearing

C．flowing

D．separating

10.

A．had a point

B．made a change

C．reached a level

D．took a break

11.

A．send

B．bring

C．pick

D．climb

12.

A．request

B．resolution

C．presentation

D．proposal

13.

A．balance

B．degree

C．position

D．solution

14.

A．figure out

B．give away

C．think over

D．make up

15.

A．aim

B．smile

C．wave

D．shout

16.

A．anger

B．sorrow

C．disappointment

D．surprise

17.

A．felt

B．shown

C．removed

D．voiced

18.

A．Carrying on

B．Looking back

C．Stepping aside

D．Turning around

19.

A．consume

B．examine

C．reflect

D．rescue

20.

A．unknown

B．unpunished

C．interested

D．trapped

6 . Small children are easy to throw up in the air and catch-and they _________ it. “Again, Daddy, again!” Jacky shouts as I throw him skywards and catch him on the way back down again. He throws his arms and legs out _________ he were flying, his eyes wide with _________. His trust in me is _________ which is quite a nice feeling, but at the same time gives me a huge sense of _________ .

I hope Jacky will always trust me fully, but I know that, as he gets _________ , it will need more effort and sound judgment_________ . Trust is such an important part of a _________ relationship that it’s something that can’t _________ to lose. Every time I __________ Jacky to something new, he’ll do it only because he trusts me and feels __________ in the knowledge that he won’t get hurt .__________ , teaching Jacky to swim means he has to __________ that, when he’s swimming in the big pool, I’ll come to his rescue if his doggy paddle lets him down.

__________ in the workplace, trust is important for strong __________ . It is something that every manager should work hard to __________ among their team. If people don’t trust you, they’re unlikely to __________ your directions and willingly become a loyal (忠诚) team member. A __________ of trust can make people work against you rather than for you. At the very least, it means that people are not going to be __________ you their best. Good __________, like good parenting, is a long-term commitment.

1.

A．deserve

B．miss

C．love

D．know

2.

A．as if

B．in case

C．even though

D．so that

3.

A．fear

B．excitement

C．doubt

D．astonishment

4.

A．reasonable

B．limited

C．absolute

D．important

5.

A．relief

B．satisfaction

C．achievement

D．responsibility

6.

A．older

B．busier

C．quieter

D．healthier

7.

A．on my behalf

B．on my part

C．in my honor

D．in my name

8.

A．long-distance

B．high-risk

C．parent-child

D．teacher-student

9.

A．afford

B．choose

C．wait

D．expect

10.

A．attach

B．compare

C．adjust

D．introduce

11.

A．safe

B．happy

C．proud

D．grateful

12.

A．Above all

B．In addition

C．At first

D．For example

13.

A．admit

B．believe

C．suggest

D．imagine

14.

A．However

B．Therefore

C．Similarly

D．Fortunately

15.

A．affection

B．determination

C．friendship

D．leadership

16.

A．assess

B．organize

C．develop

D．understand

17.

A．repeat

B．follow

C．change

D．forget

18.

A．gesture

B．measure

C．bond

D．lack

19.

A．telling

B．giving

C．selling

D．sending

20.

A．management

B．personality

C．communication

D．education

7 . Simply saying thank you doesn’t seem enough in certain situations. I was considering this while working as a _______ just a few weeks ago. And it came to me then how much easier it would be if we had a range of words that express different _______ of gratitude (感谢).

My thoughts were soon _______. We had a woman patient who was _______ from a knee replacement operation. One afternoon, while _______ to get into bed she collapsed (倒下) from what was _______ discovered to be a heart attack. The collapse was disastrous, _______the emergency medical team and good teamwork. But she recovered, though _______, and was ready for discharge (出院) after four weeks.

She was _______ for everything that the medical and nursing team had done for her. On her day of discharge, we shared in her ____________ at her recovery. As she was ____________ she was eager to say ____________ to each of us in the nursing team. When she ____________ one nurse, she tried to press a five-pound note into her hand. My colleague ____________ to accept it, saying that we were all just ____________ our job. The patient looked puzzled, and then ____________:“Oh this isn’t for the____________ I had. I take that as a ____________. No, this is for setting my hair yesterday.”

       And there you have it. To many people,____________lives is part of the job but styling hair is an ____________ and should be rewarded.1.

A．cleaner

B．chemist

C．nurse

D．doctor

2.

A．grades

B．meanings

C．needs

D．expectations

3.

A．brushed aside

B．put to the test

C．brought under discussion

D．taken into account

4.

A．departing

B．escaping

C．retiring

D．recovering

5.

A．attempting

B．choosing

C．pausing

D．promising

6.

A．eventually

B．fortunately

C．casually

D．secretly

7.

A．assessing

B．requiring

C．forming

D．proving

8.

A．slightly

B．accidentally

C．slowly

D．happily

9.

A．grateful

B．thoughtful

C．sorrowful

D．fearful

10.

A．surprise

B．delight

C．curiosity

D．disappointment

11.

A．operating

B．thinking

C．hesitating

D．leaving

12.

A．sorry

B．hello

C．goodbye

D．yes

13.

A．reached

B．consulted

C．introduced

D．persuaded

14.

A．wished

B．pretended

C．failed

D．refused

15.

A．enjoying

B．doing

C．securing

D．starting

16.

A．repeated

B．recited

C．replied

D．reported

17.

A．courage

B．patience

C．duty

D．care

18.

A．goal

B．given

C．push

D．greeting

19.

A．risking

B．changing

C．saving

D．building

20.

A．honour

B．ability

C．opening

D．extra

8 . George Prochnik would like the world to put a sock in it. He makes his case in a new book, listenning for Meaning in a World of Noise, Here he explains himself (using his indoor voice):

“We’ve become so accustomed to noise, there’s about almost a deep prejudice against the idea that silence might be beneficial. If you tell someone to be quiet, you sound like an old man. But it’s never been more important to find continuing quiet. Silence focuses us, improves our health, and is a key to lasting peace and satisfaction.”

“We need to excite people about the sounds you start to hear if you merely quiet things down a little. During a Japanese tea ceremony, the smallest sounds becomes a kind of art—the spoons making a light ringing sound on a bowl, the edges of a kimono（和服）brushing against the floor.”

“Dear people are very attetice（专注的）in almose every aspect of life. If two deaf people are walking together, using sign language, they constantly watch out for each other and protecet each other by paying steady attention to the other. They are connected yet also fully aware of their surroundings. Even deaf teenagers! We in the hearing world can learn from them. If we remove the powerful blasts（一阵阵）of noise, we become aware of an extraordinarily rich world around us—of little soft sounds and the sound of footsteps, of bird songs and ice cracking（开裂声）. It’s astonishing how beautiful things sound when you can really listen. ”

1. What does the phrase “to put a sock in it” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?

A．to be quiet	B．to be colorful
C．to be full of love	D．to be attentive to someone

2. What does Proehnik say about us?

A．We are used to quietnesss

B．We have to put up with noise

C．We do not think silence to be beneficial

D．We do not believe lasting peace to be available

3. Which of the following is true according to Proehnik?

A．We need more sounds in our lives

B．There is nothing to be learned from the deaf

C．We are not aware how rich the world around us is

D．There is too much noise at a Japanese tea ceremony

4. It can be inferered from the text that ________.

A．we can benefit a lot from old people

B．it is a good idea to use sign language

C．there is no escape from the world of sound

D．it is possible to find how beautiful things sound