As we stepped off the plane in Pucón, the lively atmosphere of the town immediately lifted our spirits after the long flight from New York.
The contrast between the freezing Big Apple and the warmth of Pucón was striking. The climate was delightful, which was a welcome change from the busy New York City.
“Feel that?” my friend said proudly, bathed in the gentle sunshine. “This is what I call a vacation!”
Our guide, Herman, was waiting for us with a broad smile. His English was limited, but his enthusiasm was boundless. He greeted us with heartiness, “Welcome to Pucón! I have everything ready for you.”
We spent our first day settling into the luxurious house he had arranged for us. The unique design of the house deeply attracted us. The house was a combination of modern luxury and traditional charm, neat and tidy, with tall windows framing the greenery outside.
Herman insisted on taking care of our every need. He would not even let us lift a finger in the house, which was above and beyond his duties.
One evening, as we wandered along the beach, the sky transformed into a canvas (画布) of rich colors. We were placed in a world of wonder. My friend turned to me, eyes sparkling, and said,“This is why we travel, isn’t it? Moments like these make everything else fade away.”
As we planned to go to another town to admire the unique architecture, something unexpected happened. I got a fever.
Our explorations were cut short. Lying in bed, I could hear my friend pacing outside my room, worried. And our travel plans were put on hold as there was no choice but to rest in the hope that I would recover soon.
The next morning, my fever worsened. Being new to the area and struggling with the language barrier, we felt helpless.
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。
Just then, Herman appeared.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________With Herman’s help, I began to recover.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________2 . The most affectionate memory of my childhood is about a round table. When I was still little, my entire family would
The round table is a
The food on the table may
In less than two months before the Spring Festival, a(n)
| A．imagine | B．reunite | C．repeat | D．flee |
| A．strangers | B．teachers | C．adults | D．teenagers |
| A．symbol | B．schedule | C．decoration | D．ceremony |
| A．argument | B．occupation | C．operation | D．attachment |
| A．round | B．new | C．long | D．square |
| A．dreams | B．negotiations | C．secrets | D．experiments |
| A．Obviously | B．Moreover | C．Consequently | D．Instead |
| A．explore | B．expand | C．clarify | D．unfold |
| A．keep | B．change | C．sell | D．display |
| A．various | B．public | C．typical | D．temporary |
| A．switch | B．predict | C．forbid | D．accept |
| A．annual | B．innovative | C．unnecessary | D．modern |
| A．forces | B．assists | C．reminds | D．drives |
| A．caring about | B．looking for | C．figuring out | D．making up |
| A．adapt | B．apply | C．belong | D．turn |
3 . In the 1950s, British historian Northeaster Parkinson came up with a concept which was later known as Parkinson’s Law of Triviality. It states that the amount of time spent discussing an issue in an organization is oppositely associated with its actual importance.
Parkinson’s Law of Triviality is also known as “bike-shedding (车棚)”, after the story Parkinson uses to illustrate it. He asks readers to imagine a financial committee meeting to discuss a three-point agenda. The points are as follows: A proposal for a f10 million nuclear power plant; A proposal for a f350 bike shed; A proposal for a f21 annual coffee budget.
What happens? The committee ends up running through the nuclear power plant proposal in little time. It’s too advanced for anyone to really dig into the details. The discussion soon moves to the bike shed. Here, everyone’s an expert. In the end, the committee runs out of time and decides to meet again to complete their analysis.
Bike-shedding happens because the smaller a matter is, the more people will have an opinion on it, even when there is no real value to add. When something is outside of our circle of competence, like a nuclear power plant, we don’t even try to express an opinion. But when something is understandable everyone wants to show that they know about the topic at hand.
How can we avoid bike-shedding? The main thing you can do is to have a clear purpose. Priya Parker, the author of The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters, says that any successful gathering needs to have a focused purpose. “Specificity,” she says, “is a key element.”
When it comes to choosing your list of invitees, Parker writes, “if the purpose of your meeting is to make a decision, you may want to consider having fewer cooks in the kitchen.” Getting the result you want—a thoughtful, educated discussion about that power plant—depends on having the right people in the room.
1. What is Parkinson’s purpose of presenting the imaginary meeting?| A．To state a fact. | B．To clarify a concept. | C．To make a prediction. | D．To introduce a new point. |
| A．The more you know, the less you speak. |
| B．What is simple for you may be tough for others. |
| C．What requires more work may get less attention. |
| D．The more you put in, the better your result will be. |
| A．Planning before the meeting. | B．Getting the right people to the table. |
| C．Spending less time on the minor issues. | D．Taking different opinions into account. |
| A．Purpose: The Key to an Effective Meeting |
| B．Talent: A Crucial Element in Organizations |
| C．The Bike Shed Effect: Avoiding Small Matters |
| D．Nuclear Power Plant: The Less-known Proposal |
Once upon a time, there was a young athletic boy who is really hungry for success. For him, winning was everything and success was measured just by winning. He practised hard every day to win every race lying ahead of him.
One day, the boy was preparing himself for a running competition in his small village. A large crowd had gathered to witness the sporting event. A wise old man had travelled far to bear witness also. The race began. The boy with his determination, strength and power took the winning line and came to the first. The crowd were excited, cheering and waving at the boy. However, the wise man remained still and calm, expressing no excitement. The little boy, however, felt proud and important.
A second race was called and two new young fit challengers came forward to run with him. The race was started and sure enough the little boy came through and finished first. Once again the crowd was excited again, and cheered and waved at the boy. The wise man remained still and calm again, expressing no excitement. The little boy, however, felt proud and important.
Another race, the wise old man stepped forward and presented the little boy with two new challengers, an elderly weak lady and a blind man. “What is this?” the little boy was puzzled. “This is no race!” he claimed. “Race,” said the wise man.
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。
The race was started and the boy was the only finisher.
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“Race again,” replied the wise man, “this time finish together with all three of you.”
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Forgiveness is the most important tool humans have been blessed with. Because, with it, we can let go of unnecessary burdens and truly own our lives. And by doing that, you maybe make a friend. That was a lesson an eleven-year-old boy taught me when I was in my eighth grade.
When I was in the fifth grade, there was a boy in my class named Kyle. He was big and strong. Maybe he was kind inside. Maybe he was just good at pretending in face of adults. I said so because I happened to see him helping an old man who was so grateful that he couldn’t stop saying thanks to him.
However, to the children of his age, he was the meanest person I had ever met. For the first couple days of school, Kyle and I sat across from each other. Once, he secretly reached his legs across the table and slammed (猛踩) his shoe clown on mine, causing a rapid rush of pain. I stared at him angrily, but he just made faces to me. I chose to ignore him. I didn’t want to get involved into trouble because I was anxious to leave to see my brother. He suffered from a strange disease. Despite the fact that he was slow and had special needs, I loved him and couldn’t stand others laughing at him.
Kyle’s bullying (欺凌) went on. Eventually, I told a teacher, and my seat was moved. But Kyle’s abuse didn’t stop. He continued to call me names, such as “stupid”. His words were quite embarrassing to an eleven-year-old girl. He as continued to physically hurt me. In “morning meeting” he once stepped on my foot so hard that I burst into tears. This continued for most of the school year.
Kyle also bullied my friend Megan. At one point she ran out of the classroom because he copied her nonstop. Both of us were absolutely painful. And despite meetings with teachers and guidance counselors, nothing changed. We had a large class of noisy boys, and the teacher had a hard time keeping order.
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。
The climax (高潮) of Kyle’s bad behavior occurred in mid-May.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
He apologized to me, promising he would never laugh at my brother.
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Allan, my husband, had recently moved up the tennis league's ladder（晋级赛）and would compete against someone at a similar skill level. "Do you know who your opponent is?” I asked him. My husband explained that although he knew his opponent's name, he had never met him. That's when I saw a young man—about twenty years old—at the other end of the reception area.
The young man had large muscular arms and a well-built body. He was using a skip rope at quite a fast pace； I thought he might be warming up for a tennis match. I smiled at my husband and said that might be his opponent. Allan gave me a frustrated（沮丧的）look on his face, remarking it was an unusual way to prepare for a tennis match, as he continued completing his usual warm-up routine.
The league coordinator（统筹者）called out my husband's name, and then she called the young man. I gave my husband a kind of smile that wives give their husbands when they are encouraging them. The coordinator gave them their court number. They introduced themselves to each other, shook hands, and headed off.
The young man was dressed in the latest trendy tennis clothes and looked great. With his muscular body, he could have easily be a star athlete. Allan was at least thirty years older, much less muscular, and dressed in an ordinary tennis shirt and untrendy tennis shorts. Allan's focus had always been on good tennis shoes, socks, and, of course, the tennis racket.
When they walked onto their court, the pre-game warm-up began The young man played with confidence. It was almost as if he was showing his ability. Allan closely observed his various strokes and powerful serves, while casually returning each shot. Then began the game.
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。
The young man quickly won the first round.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The young man was visibly frustrated by the end of the match.
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7 . From my earliest childhood memories, my mother was my entire world. Each Sunday morning, I would be
The family meals kept us
My mother’s life revolved around cooking for her
Looking back, my mom was the best version of herself. She exhibited excellent
And my mother’s focus on food excellence taught me a valuable lesson: Whatever your goals in life, perform them to the best of your abilities. Her
| A．driven | B．annoyed | C．wakened | D．disturbed |
| A．buy | B．eat | C．prepare | D．heat |
| A．angry | B．nervous | C．frightened | D．focused |
| A．relax | B．cook | C．engage | D．scare |
| A．table | B．sofa | C．bed | D．window |
| A．cool | B．close | C．warm | D．comfortable |
| A．allowed | B．discussed | C．studied | D．limited |
| A．Instead | B．Therefore | C．However | D．Otherwise |
| A．family | B．children | C．parents | D．friend |
| A．fast | B．conveniently | C．firmly | D．seriously |
| A．bedroom | B．kitchen | C．bathroom | D．garden |
| A．quiet | B．selfish | C．patient | D．generous |
| A．contents | B．levels | C．instructions | D．places |
| A．speaking | B．learning | C．teaching | D．cooking |
| A．book | B．example | C．expression | D．voice |
8 . The biggest misconception that I've ever heard of is that in order for us to find success in anything, we must be willing to give up something else.
Over the years, I've come to realize that isn't true. As I grow, I find several things are truly stopping us from living a more fulfilling life. Below are some.
Place limitations on yourself
On the surface, limitations are the things that stop you from achieving something.
Lack self-control
We all have some aspect about ourselves that we don't like.
Our ability to come up with creative solutions for our problems comes from our ability to learn and adapt. If you're not learning anything, you're not progressing. Leonardo da Vinci once said, "Learning never exhausts the mind." And I believe it.
Final thoughts
When you get stuck on something, you are never truly stuck
| A．Lack self confidence. |
| B．Lack learning and adaptability. |
| C．We shouldn't bottle up our own weaknesses. |
| D．Maybe you're someone who drinks a lot of alcohol or smokes. |
| E．It means that what you are currently doing isn't enough to get you over the barrier. |
| F．Whether it's career or health, one must be sacrificed in order for the other to succeed. |
| G．However, limitations are also the things that keep you restricted in the same life cycle. |
