1 . “What are you doing?” my fifth-grade teacher asked as I bent over the side of my desk. “I’m
“Unpack your assignments (作业). You still have five minutes. We
Having no choice, I
I cannot remember how many times per day she would say, “Use your time wisely.” It worked. It became second
At age ten, I didn’t
| A．picking | B．showing | C．packing | D．searching |
| A．explore | B．repeat | C．check | D．work |
| A．amazed | B．serious | C．anxious | D．confused |
| A．secretly | B．suddenly | C．unexpectedly | D．unwillingly |
| A．solved | B．discovered | C．mastered | D．faced |
| A．disappeared | B．dropped | C．rang | D．broke |
| A．quickly | B．naturally | C．directly | D．extremely |
| A．language | B．nature | C．choice | D．assignment |
| A．adventure | B．mystery | C．curiosity | D．practice |
| A．right | B．ready | C．attractive | D．unique |
| A．teenager | B．school | C．adult | D．campus |
| A．forgive | B．pass | C．care | D．understand |
| A．familiar | B．important | C．common | D．special |
| A．credit | B．requirement | C．lesson | D．duty |
| A．measuring | B．treasuring | C．saving | D．imagining |
2 . I’ve been having trouble concentrating on one thing. It made school difficult for me. When everyone else in the class was focusing on tasks, I could not.
In my first literature class, Mrs. Smith asked us to read a story and then write on it, all within 45 minutes. I raised my hand right away and said, “Mrs. Smith, you see, the doctor said I have attention problems. I might not be able to do it. ” She glanced down at me through her glasses, “You are not different from your classmates, young man.”
I tried, but I didn’t finish the reading when the bell rang. I had to take it home.
In the quietness of my bedroom, the story suddenly all became clear to me. It was about a blind person, Louis Braille. He lived in a time when the blind couldn’t get much education. But Louis didn’t give up. Instead, he invented a reading system of raised dots (点), which opened up a whole new world of knowledge to the blind.
Wasn’t I the “blind” in my class, being made to learn like the “sighted” students? My thoughts spilled out and my pen started to dance. I completed the task within 40 minutes. Indeed, I was not different from others; I just needed a quieter place. If Louis could find his way out of his problems, why should I ever give up?
I didn’t expect anything when I handed in my paper to Mrs. Smith, so it was quite a surprise when it came back to me the next day — with an “A” on it. At the bottom of the paper were these words: “See what you can do when you keep trying?”
Inspired and touched, I began to keep trying hard in my study and struggled against attention problems. I believe one can find his way out of difficulty with determination (决心) and efforts.
1. Why didn’t the author finish his reading in class?| A．He missed several classes before. |
| B．He was not a bit interested in literature. |
| C．He was unable to concentrate on his task. |
| D．He was used to doing his homework at home. |
| A．Impatient. | B．Encouraging. |
| C．Disappointing. | D．Careless. |
| A．You can never be too old to learn. |
| B．Do not judge a book by its cover. |
| C．One good turn deserves another. |
| D．Where there is a will, there is a way. |
3 . Failing Is Better than Not Trying at All
Do you remember the last time you tried something new and failed?
Sure, there are a lot of uncertainties that come when trying something new.
Repeated failures can be very discouraging. But you don’t become a complete loser just because you failed.
Trying something new and different can be risky. Your time and efforts can be wasted when nothing happens.
It takes time to achieve success and your goal, but when you have tried everything available and nothing had happened, this is the only time you should give up and stop trying.
| A．If so, don’t worry. |
| B．So you never know if you can be successful or not. |
| C．There are several reasons why you may fear failures. |
| D．However, we won’t know if something fruitful can occur unless we try. |
| E．Having a solid support system can also help you build confidence in taking risks. |
| F．An excellent way to help somebody keep moving forward is to treat each failure as a life lesson. |
| G．Perhaps the most important thing you don’t want to experience from not trying is regret later in your life. |
No one is born a winner. People make themselves into winners by their own efforts. I learned this lesson from an experience many years ago. I took the head coaching job at a school in Baxley, Georgia. It was a small school with a weak football program. The school took part in the league matches every year. However, it never ended well. We were more of the audience, watching and cheering instead of sweating out in the fields.
Fortunately, the school held the tradition that the school’s old team was to play against the new team at the end of spring practice. For lack of resources, the old team bad no coach, and they didn’t even practice to prepare for the game.
I was assigned (指派) as the coach of the new team, which was why I was excited. I believed that we were going to win, but to my disappointment, we were defeated. I couldn’t believe I had got into such a situation. Thinking hard about it, I tried to figure out the reason and what I should do next.
It didn’t take long before I came to realize that my team was depending on me. Without proper guidance or previous experience, my team was at a loss what to do. I had to change my attitude so that I could bring out the best in them about their ability and potential.
I would let my action do the talking. First, I started doing anything I could to help them build a little pride. I could see their spirits lifted, with their head held high in great confidence. Most importantly, I began to treat them like winners. Only when they regarded themselves as winners could they willingly invest time and energy.
This summer, the other teams enjoyed their vacations.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Six months later, football season started.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________5 . 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 could experience new fun there. |
| C．He missed his grandfather a lot. | D．He was allowed to climb the walls. |
| A．He didn’t know the possible danger of the stone walls. |
| 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 was backed up by his grandfather to follow his heart. |
| A．Adventurous. | B．Open-minded. |
| C．Kind-hearted. | D．Dependable. |
| A．Unforgettable Childhood | B．Do Whatever You Like |
| C．Just Be Yourself | D．Like grandfather, like grandson |
6 . My father started his own business in the 1980. For a breadwinner with seven children, it was a
To improve himself, my father spent his evening
One day, I asked him, “Dad, you have a job. Why do you read the ‘help wanted’ section every day?” “Well,” he replied, “it’s
Recently, as a runner, I was
The explorer mindset sought by On can
| A．courageous | B．joyous | C．generous | D．famous |
| A．visiting | B．founding | C．attending | D．contacting |
| A．instructors | B．secretaries | C．experts | D．managers |
| A．noticed | B．imagined | C．hoped | D．proved |
| A．gradually | B．specifically | C．entirely | D．probably |
| A．equipment | B．work | C．honor | D．information |
| A．difficult | B．convenient | C．important | D．suitable |
| A．looking for | B．talking about | C．referring to | D．dealing with |
| A．popular | B．current | C．alive | D．busy |
| A．enjoyed | B．adjusted | C．explored | D．reflected |
| A．followed | B．attracted | C．troubled | D．cheated |
| A．positions | B．opinions | C．suggestions | D．applications |
| A．plans | B．conditions | C．qualities | D．lessons |
| A．challenge | B．change | C．benefit | D．teach |
| A．dependence | B．creativity | C．determination | D．productivity |
7 . I am a professor of clinical psychology. Some time ago, I got halfway through a day of teaching before a co-worker pointed out to me I was quite carelessly wearing a pair of different shoes, one red and one black. I felt so embarrassed and upset but I would have to go teach my course like this. When I noticed how much I wanted to disappear and avoid this situation, I was determined to face it instead. I walked into class and announced to the students that I was wearing two shoes from different pairs, and directed their attention to my feet. Everyone laughed and we went on with class. Years later, a student in that class told me that this was the moment she first thought that maybe, just maybe, she could be a professor, too.
I shared my mistake because I realized that trying hide it was interfering with my ability to concentrate my mind on my teaching — but I had no idea that it would also help shorten the psychological distance between my students and myself.
Many contexts may punish or shame people for making mistakes. Our efforts to avoid them result from our desires for success, and how others will respond to our mistakes. We might feel self-criticism and shame if we do make some.
However, mistake making is part of learning new things, and it can draw us closer to others. It opens up the possibility of accepting mistakes gladly, letting us be more open and engaged in what we are doing.
We can say words of kindness and self-compassion to ourselves: Mistakes are natural and human; we can be kind to ourselves for this error and still try to do better next time; noticing our own imperfections can help us to be kind to others when we notice they are imperfect, too. When we practice our mistakes in this way, they can become opportunities to open up to others, learn about ourselves, and connect even more with what matters to us.
1. How does the author develop paragraph 1?| A．By giving some examples. | B．By following time order. |
| C．By doing scientific experiments. | D．By sharing personal experience. |
| A．Shameful. | B．Unexpected. | C．Punishable. | D．Unaccepted. |
| A．Intentions to avoid mistakes. | B．Advantages of making mistakes. |
| C．Possibilities of making mistakes. | D．Efforts to avoid making mistakes. |
| A．They interfere with what we are doing. |
| B．They draw too much attention from us. |
| C．They are big opportunities to get us improved. |
| D．They make us feel irresponsible and defeated. |
8 . We live in a world increasingly dominated by science. Since elementary school, I have always
Before I entered the classroom, I was
A young man in jeans, Mr. Jones — “but you can call me Rob” — was far from the white- haired, buttoned-up old man I had
It
| A．chosen | B．evaluated | C．favored | D．avoided |
| A．formulas | B．puzzles | C．challenges | D．innovations |
| A．automatically | B．consciously | C．accurately | D．impatiently |
| A．reason | B．answer | C．method | D．direction |
| A．surprise | B．experience | C．incident | D．adventure |
| A．hopeful | B．confident | C．doubtful | D．nervous |
| A．jokingly | B．mistakenly | C．previously | D．naturally |
| A．unique | B．common | C．different | D．strange |
| A．mentioned | B．expected | C．encountered | D．missed |
| A．engaged | B．tested | C．persuaded | D．invited |
| A．choices | B．abilities | C．dilemmas | D．doubts |
| A．objective | B．effective | C．encouraging | D．appealing |
| A．confused | B．struck | C．warned | D．convinced |
| A．pride | B．concern | C．assessment | D．prejudice |
| A．open | B．strong | C．sharp | D．ready |
9 . 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. |
10 . Sending handwritten letters may have fallen out of fashion, but I’m a great believer in the power of letters. There’s something unique and special about handwritten things. You write a letter not because there’s something you need to know, but there’s something you want to say.
The letter is a powerful and memorable way to touch the ones you care about. When my granny died and I cleared her house, I found hundreds of letters she had kept.
I often think about how that one naughty childhood behavior led to such an enriching communication that stretched on for many years. It encouraged me to write to lots of other people in fact.
| A．That is the point of the letter. |
| B．They told the story of her relationships. |
| C．Receiving a letter is such a lovely surprise. |
| D．It’s also a way to make you more thoughtful. |
| E．And it’s something I keep up with to this day. |
| F．Then we started a communication that went on for years. |
| G．That’s why we would prefer handwritten letters to emails. |
