2 . Do I think the sky is falling? Sort of.

My husband and I were recently in Egypt, where the temperature was a bit warm for my tiny princess self. So, we left Egypt. Back home, my dearest friends struggled with health stuff, with family craziness…

The game of life is hard, and a lot of us are playing hurt.

I ache for the world but naturally I’m mostly watching the Me Movie, where balance and strength are beginning to fail. What can we do as the creaking elevator of age slowly arrives? The main solution is to get outside every day, ideally with friends. Old friends even thoughts of them-are my comfort.

Recently I was walking along a beach with Neshama. We go back 50 years. She is 84, short and strong. Every so often, she bent down somewhat tentatively (踌躇地) and picked up small items into a small cloth bag. “What are you doing?”

“I’m picking up micro litter. I try to help where I can.”

I reminded her of an old story. A great warhorse comes upon a tiny sparrow (麻雀) lying on its back with its feet in the air, eyes tightly shut with effort. The horse asks it what it’s doing.

“I’m trying to help hold back the darkness.”

The horse laughs loudly, “That is so funny. What do you weigh?”

And the sparrow replies, “One does what one can.”

This is what older age means. We do what we can.

We continued our walk. Neshama bent tentatively to pick up bits of litter and started to slip, but I caught her and we laughed. We are so physically weak in older age, but friendship makes it all a rowing machine for the soul. We can take it, as long as we feel and give love, and laugh gently at ourselves as we fall apart. We know by a certain age the great lies in our life—if you do or achieve this or that, you will be happy and rich. Love and service make us rich.

1. What contributes most to making the author happy at present?

A．Watching movies.	B．Meeting old friends.
C．Traveling in Egypt.	D．Walking on the beach.

2. What does the sparrow serve as in the text?

A．Neshama’s fear.	B．Neshama’s dream.
C．The author’s approval.	D．The author’s doubt.

3. Which of the following words can best describe the personality of Neshama?

A．Determined and helpful.	B．Responsible and caring.
C．Narrow-minded but friendly.	D．Bad-tempered but supportive.

4. What is the true meaning of happiness for the author?

A．Staying with families.	B．Being rich and healthy.
C．Doing what one can.	D．Living a comfortable life.

4 . Setting goals is common in our life. We look ahead, predict what may make us happy in the future, and then narrow down the things to something specific. For the most part, having goals is better than not having any, but there are also problems that come with spending an entire life living from goal to goal.

For one thing, we attempt to predict an unpredictable future. Who is to say that what you want next year is the same thing you want right now? What if what you want right now isn’t in the right direction over the long term?

Secondly, and just as importantly, you only confine your expectations of happiness and satisfaction to the goal you have set so that you often forget that other things in your life can also add just as much joy to your experience. This creates a strange conflict.

To solve this conflict, we have to move towards something more vague (模糊的). Going after interestingness, I think is what we should do. It’s vague enough to be honest about the unpredictability of the future.

Interestingness isn’t hedonism (快乐主义). It’s deeper than that. It’s taking on that random project you had no plan to take on because you have a feeling that you might just learn something you didn’t know about yourself. It’s seeing a person you just met not as a potential partner or someone who can do something for you but simply as someone who may open a new, unknown and unique world for you. Goals incorrectly assume that we already know what we want. Interestingness is more modest. It makes up its mind as it moves, slowly blowing from one thing to another, until it eventually grasps something that lies beyond prediction.

1. Setting goals is to predict an unpredictable future because __________.

A．it fails to reach our true potential

B．it proves meaningless in the long run

C．it may lead us to the opposite direction

D．it overlooks possible changes in our life

2. What does the underlined word “confine” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Devote.

B．Limit.

C．Deliver.

D．Compare.

3. What’s the benefit of pursuing interestingness?

A．Bringing us self satisfaction at once.

B．Improving our relationship with others.

C．Making us gain something unexpected.

D．Helping us successfully predict the future.

5 . A few years ago I went through a period of such severe depression that life didn’t seem worth living. It was like permanent _________, so dark and cold that the sun would never shine.

Then I saw snowdrops pushing through the _________, iron-hard ground. I looked at them every day until I felt that if they could _________, then so could I.

_________ spring came, I started to put in more and more plants, until the garden was _________ with colour. Life was growing through my hands, gentle, peaceful, but, above all, _________. If I gave love, it was _________, a hundred times.

I could spend hours _________ in gardening. The form of depressive illness I have is biological. It has _________ generations of my family and follows no rhyme, reason nor circumstance. I can be __________ when the sun is shining or I am surrounded by a group of loving friends.

Of course, fresh air and exercise help to __________ depression, but for me gardening is more than that. It represents endurance as well as __________.

At the end of the first garden I made __________ a tree, huge and magnificent. It withstood freezing temperatures and strong winds. It bent but never broke.

The leaves dropped until it looked no more than a(n) __________ skeleton (骨架), but it always, always came back to life. And so I learned that we may be battled and __________, but hope is a living thing.

1.

A．spring

B．summer

C．fall

D．winter

2.

A．freezing

B．soft

C．smooth

D．dirty

3.

A．come back to earth

B．come back to life

C．come true

D．come up

4.

A．Before

B．Whether

C．Although

D．As

5.

A．dead

B．burdened

C．alive

D．compared

6.

A．optimistic

B．pessimistic

C．traditional

D．creative

7.

A．recovered

B．accompanied

C．blocked

D．returned

8.

A．addicted

B．eager

C．lost

D．devoted

9.

A．touched

B．impressed

C．affected

D．released

10.

A．excited

B．depressed

C．delighted

D．sensitive

11.

A．accumulate

B．relieve

C．disturb

D．deepen

12.

A．hope

B．desire

C．emotion

D．moral

13.

A．stood

B．suffered

C．waited

D．lined

14.

A．stable

B．complex

C．absolute

D．useful

15.

A．promoted

B．inspired

C．awarded

D．hurt

6 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

Every time my family makes special plans, they end up getting canceled due to some incidents. Every time that happens, my parents would tell us to look on the bright side and make the best of a bad situation. However, I never managed to do that until this spring.

On a sunny morning this April, my aunt Kate invited us to the annual outdoor spring celebration on her farm. Since my family hadn't done anything different for ages, the whole family was very excited and everyone tried their best to make sure everything went well as planned. In order to add more fun to this exciting trip, my little sister Alice and my little brother Bill even joined me in making an extra-special treat-cupcakes. Full of joy and expectation, we were ready to set off.

The picnic was supposed to last from twelve to three. There was not enough time left. After checking the car again and again, my parents loaded books, a picnic blanket, and a whole big pack of foods and drinks into the car. The moment of our departure finally came at 11 o'clock.

However, everything went wrong the instant we bravely drove off. First, we had to stop and wait for Bill to find his shoes. Next, as we were driving down the road, we had to go back to the house because my mom left her wallet behind. Then, about halfway to Aunt Kate's house, we had to drive far out of our way to find a place for Alice to use a bathroom.

After that, my parents decided it'd be quicker to take one little side country road as a shortcut (捷径). But the shortcut ended up turning into a long way! We drove forever on a winding road with wildflower fields spreading endlessly out on both sides and the deep green pine trees going on and on within our sight. I had no mood to appreciate all of those. Spotting hundreds of birds flying in the sky, I was seized by a growing sense of desperation, for I entirely had no idea when we could hit our destination.

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。

However, we had to stop on the way, for we were trapped there.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Could we have a great time here?" I wondered.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7 . When my son was eleven years old, he came home from school in tears one day. A couple of the older kids bullied (欺负) him at the bus stop. Rob wanted to stay home from school, so he wouldn’t have to meet the boys.

We called the school. “We’ll be happy to call the boys’ parents,” We were told, “And you should call the police.” “We don’t know what we will do yet.” I said. I felt that calling the police was a choice to be used when everything else failed, and I wanted first to consider other ways of dealing with the situation, I asked him to hold off calling the boys’ parents.

The next day was Saturday. Rob happened to look our of the window and said in fer, “There are the boys who beat me up!” Two older boys were standing in front of our house, as if they were waiting for Rob to step outside.

My wife Bev opened the door and said with a smile, “Hi guys. Would you like some ice cream?” They looked at each other in puzzlement. But they were teenagers, after all, so one of them said, “Sure. Why not?”

Bev quickly introduced herself, Rob’s younger brothers and me. She even introduced Rusty, the dog. “And I think you already know Rob,” She said. Her idea was to help them to see that Rob was a person, not a target. He had a family and even owned a family pet.

Bev drew the boys into chat while we ate ice cream. After a few minutes, she said, “I know there’s been some trouble at the bus stop. I think there may be a misunderstanding.” They nodded that there had indeed been trouble at the bus stop. She continued, “Maybe we can talk about the misunderstanding, so you can be friends.” We talked until the ice cream was finished. Finally the boys apologized.

Understanding is a difficult task. It may be easier to control conflict by force than to find a way to cooperate. Force can calm a situation. But understanding leads to peace.

1. Why didn’t the writer call the police?

A．He feared his son would be bullied again.

B．He meant to try some other ways to solve it first.

C．The police wouldn’t take the bullying seriously.

D．The school promised to call the boys’ parents.

2. What does “But they were teenagers, after all” in Paragraph 4 mean?

A．They couldn’t refuse the attraction of ice cream.

B．They could be cheated into telling the truth.

C．They dared to face any challenges bravely.

D．They were too young to understand the invitation.

3. Why did Bev introduce her family and their dog?

A．To give the dog to the boys as a gift.

B．To advise the boys to have a family pet.

C．To expect the boys to treat Rob kindly.

D．To show off the wealth of the family.

4. From the text we can infer Bev was ________.

A．fond of children

B．angry with the boys

C．skilled at making ice cream

D．good at making peace

8 . I remember as a young child bringing a bunch of brilliant yellow flowers to my mother. It didn’t matter that the stems felt sticky or that both my parents cursed the presence of these flowers in the lawn. I thought they were beautiful!

And there were so many of them! We spent hours picking the flowers and then popping the blossoms off with a snap of our fingers. But the supply of dandelions (蒲公英) never ran out. My father or brothers would chop off all the heads with the lawnmower at least once a week, but that didn’t stop these hardy wonders.

And for those flowers that escaped the honor of being hand-delivered to my mother or the sharp blades of the lawnmower, there was another level of existence. The soft roundness of a dandelion gone to seed caused endless laughter of delight as we unconsciously spread this flower across the yard.

As I worked in my garden last week, pulling unwanted weeds out of the space that would become a haven for tomatoes, corn, peas and sunflowers, I again marveled at the flower that some call a weed.

And I thought, if only I had the staying power of a dandelion. If only I could stretch my roots so deep and straight that something tugging on my stem couldn’t separate me completely from the source that feeds me life. If only I could come back to face the world with a bright, sunshiny face after someone has run me over with a lawnmower or worse, purposely attacked me in an attempt to destroy me. If only I could spread love and encouragement as freely and fully as this flower spreads seeds of itself.

The lawns at my parents’ home are now beautiful green blankets. The only patches of color come from well-placed, well-controlled flowerbeds. Chemicals have managed to kill what human interference couldn’t. Still, I hope you and I can be different. I hope that we can stretch our roots deep enough that the strongest poison can’t reach our souls. I hope that we can overcome the poisons of anger, fear, hate, criticism and competitiveness.

1. The author’s parents probably viewed the dandelions in the lawn as ________.

A．unwanted weeds

B．hard y wonders

C．supplies of seeds

D．patches of colors

2. What does the author mean by “another level of existence” in Paragraph 3?

A．The flowers were meant as a joyful gift to her mother.

B．The flowers that some called a weed were difficult to pull out.

C．The flowers were tough enough to spread new lives themselves.

D．The flowers evolved into a stronger species because of frequent mowing.

3. What can we learn from the article?

A．The author’s family enjoyed the dandelions as much as she did.

B．The author purposefully replaced some dandelions with crops.

C．The dandelions were never successfully removed from the lawn.

D．The author felt sorry but encouraged by the fate of the dandelions.

4. What message is conveyed in the article?

A．You reap what you sow.

B．Never judge a book by its cover.

C．United we stand, and divided we fall.

D．Rise above the storm and you will find the sunshine.

9 . As a child, there was nothing I liked better than Sunday afternoons at my grandfather’s farm in western Pennsylvania. Surrounded by miles of stone walls, the house and field provided endless hours of fun for a city kid like me.

Since my first visit to the farm, I had wanted more than anything to be allowed to climb the stone walls surrounding the houses. My parents would never agree because the walls were so old that some stones were loose and falling. However, my idea to climb across those walls grew so strong that finally I had all my courage to enter the living room, where the adults had gathered after Sunday dinner.

“I want to climb the stone walls.” I said. “Heavens, no! You’ll hurt yourself!” The response was just as I’d expected. But before I left the room, I was stopped by my grandfather’s loud voice. “Now hold on just a minute.” I heard him say. “Let the boy climb the stone walls. He has to learn to do things for himself.”

“Go,” he said to me, “and come and see me when you get back.” For the next two and a half hours I climbed those old walls — and had the time of my life. Later I met with my grandfather to tell him about my adventures. I’ll never forget what he said. “Fred,” he said, smiling, “you made this day a special day just by being yourself. Always remember, there’s only one person in this whole world like you, and I like you exactly as you are.”

Many years have passed since then, and today I host the television program Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, seen by millions of children throughout America. There have been changes over the years, but one thing remains the same: my message to children at the end of almost every visit. “There’s only one person in this whole world like you,” the kids will hear me say, “and people can like you exactly as you are.”

1. Why did the writer enjoy his visits to the farm?

A．There were old stone houses.	B．He was allowed to climb the walls.
C．He missed his grandfather a lot.	D．He could experience new fun there.

2. What can be inferred about the writer from the passage?

A．He was backed up by his grandfather to follow his heart.

B．He didn’t expect his parents’ disagreement on wall climbing.

C．He became a TV program host with his grandfather’s help.

D．He didn’t know the possible danger of the stone walls.

3. Which is probably the best title for the text?

A．Unforgettable Childhood	B．Just Be Yourself
C．Do Whatever You Like	D．Like grandfather, like grandson