1 . 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。

When I was in Grade One, most of my classmates didn’t like to play with me because I was always shy and silent. However, I always got high grades in both exams and activities. Gradually, I got the respect of my classmates. And my teachers repeatedly praised me and asked me to assist my classmates in their study. Besides, there were various competitions in my school and I was always chosen as the representative of our class.

However, life is not always happy. There are times when we experience ups and downs. When I was in Grade Three, a student named Vannilyn came to our school, and she was placed in the class next to mine. Months passed and the result of the mid-term examination was released. I was still the No. 1 in my class and I heard that Vannilyn was the No. 1 in her class. However, I just ignored her and in my thought, I was still superior because I was a seasoned pupil.

There were times when I didn’t want to open my books to read and study for our next day’s lesson. When I did my homework, I became careless and I didn’t even mind whether my handwriting looked beautiful or not. What’s worse, I gradually became addicted to computer games. And because of that, my teachers began to criticise me and what made me angry was that they always mentioned Vannilyn in front of me!

I got annoyed every time my teachers compared me with Vannilyn. I was discouraged and no longer followed their instructions. At the end of the first term, the principal’s assistant announced the final examination result, and I still ranked No. 1. Therefore, I became prouder and told myself that I would still be the best student even if I didn’t study hard.

注意：
1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

I was overconfident and didn’t pay much attention to my study.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Three days later, the result of the English Spelling competition was announced.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2 . When I first began to learn photography, a photographer offered me a simple ______ for taking a good picture.

Don’t just “point and ______ ”, as one camera used to advertise. After ______ your intended subject through the lens(镜头), pause and think about how you ______ in the moment. Then after deciding the specific part of your subject that ______ that emotion, simply cut away everything else and press the button. ______ : focus on what matters most.

This advice could also be applied to ______ . Focus on what matters most; ______ everything else. When we go about our lives with little ______ or difficulty, we may be tempted to “take it all in” and thus ______ to focus on what matters most and find it ______ to get rid of unnecessary things.

All is too often it is not until our lives are in ______ that we suddenly realize that we’ve ______ our focus. We have ______ paid attention to the important aspects of existence—justice, kindness, and humanity. ______, we actually have a chance to focus again. As we make difficult ______ about what offers meaning and purpose, we may discover that even ______ things have the potential to turn good and ______ . We just need to reframe the ______ before us. Then we can ______ and pay attention to the meaningful things of life.

1.

A．example

B．reward

C．tip

D．course

2.

A．shoot

B．reframe

C．catch

D．focus

3.

A．recognizing

B．considering

C．designing

D．spotting

4.

A．behave

B．feel

C．stand

D．play

5.

A．maintained

B．aroused

C．recalled

D．recovered

6.

A．In other words

B．As a whole

C．In a way

D．On the contrary

7.

A．work

B．photography

C．life

D．study

8.

A．lose track of

B．make use of

C．get hold of

D．let go of

9.

A．surprise

B．challenge

C．happiness

D．regret

10.

A．struggle

B．fail

C．intend

D．expect

11.

A．tough

B．strange

C．helpless

D．aimless

12.

A．surprise

B．doubt

C．crisis

D．pride

13.

A．abandoned

B．cancelled

C．misplaced

D．forget

14.

A．merely

B．rarely

C．always

D．sometimes

15.

A．Thus

B．Moreover

C．Instead

D．However

16.

A．comments

B．requests

C．promises

D．decisions

17.

A．impossible

B．active

C．negative

D．complex

18.

A．beautiful

B．long

C．fresh

D．memorable

19.

A．picture

B．figure

C．memory

D．story

20.

A．react

B．relax

C．reappear

D．refocus

3 . It seems that all kids need to be motivated to learn while some kids have to be tricked into learning.

I have taught students in high school for the last ten years. The first couple of years, I _______ as if I was knocking my head _______ a wall. No one cared about learning and much anger was _________. When I left school, I found my car with flat tires. I was still _______ not to give up. The next week, my car was covered with _______ that would not come off. This kind of behavior was _______ and common.

Then one day, I decided to motivate the kids. I made a _______ with the students that if everyone in the class _______ the semester with an 80 or better, I would _______ them to cover my car with as many eggs as they wanted to one day. If most of the class ________ a 90 or better, they could cut its tires ________ they turned into rubber bands. The students took up the ________ and left my car alone for the whole semester. They studied hard and helped each other to learn. The last day came, and to my excitement, my students ________ above 95 for the semester. Then the kids ________ twelve boxes of extra large eggs. Ten minutes later, the car was ________ trapped in eggs and the tires looked like rubber bands!

I thought it was ________. The kids learned, and I only had my car ________ twice a year. I’ve made this bet for the past ten years with no ________ and 100% success. The moral of the story is that you must find what motivates the students at all ________. I still drive my Camaro, and I’ve been never able to fully clean the eggs off. It’s a ________ of their success.

1.

A．looked

B．felt

C．believed

D．guessed

2.

A．out

B．beyond

C．against

D．on

3.

A．brought up

B．taken up

C．made up

D．built up

4.

A．determined

B．angry

C．excited

D．cautious

5.

A．rubber

B．pictures

C．eggs

D．band

6.

A．funny

B．expected

C．humorous

D．astonished

7.

A．decision

B．suggestion

C．deal

D．plan

8.

A．ended

B．started

C．got

D．achieved

9.

A．allow

B．attempt

C．encourage

D．approve

10.

A．took

B．performed

C．kept

D．scored

11.

A．when

B．until

C．as

D．once

12.

A．challenge

B．difficulty

C．record

D．belief

13.

A．realized

B．dreamed

C．equaled

D．averaged

14.

A．set off

B．got down

C．went away

D．pulled out

15.

A．extremely

B．completely

C．especially

D．largely

16.

A．shameful

B．terrible

C．valuable

D．worthwhile

17.

A．suffered

B．covered

C．cut

D．played

18.

A．troubles

B．regrets

C．wishes

D．ideas

19.

A．means

B．interests

C．costs

D．games

20.

A．signal

B．presentation

C．reminder

D．medal

4 . I am writing this the day before the mail containing the result of the university entrance exam reaches me. I am writing this with a determination that I will _________ and not let life pass me by. I am sure that I will become something, even if the envelope brings me _________ news.

The envelope will reach my _________ tomorrow and I am ready to bear with _________ and self-respect. I will not _________, unless they are tears of joy for saying good-bye to my childhood and welcoming in a _________ life-one that is mysterious（神秘的）and _________. It will teach me to grow and _________ why things are the way they are. It will filter out（过滤掉）all my regrets（遗憾）and let my self-worth _________.

I will be __________ in my battle and not let the bad news bring me down. I will tell myself that I am a talented person and that being __________ doesn’t necessarily mean that I have to be accepted into __________.

I will not listen to those who __________ that a university degree is the only way I will find as a means of __________ these days. I will tell myself that even if that envelope is small and includes a rejection, the person that they have __________ will carry on, because I must __________ to live my life the way I know how to.

I know who I am. I __________ who I am. And whether or not I am accepted into college, I will be true to myself and to __________ around me. I will not __________. I will only look forward and greet each day with a __________ anyway.

1.

A．lie down

B．shout out

C．break in

D．carry on

2.

A．great

B．bad

C．interesting

D．funny

3.

A．mailbox

B．bed

C．heart

D．father

4.

A．shame

B．amusement

C．courage

D．happiness

5.

A．cry

B．talk

C．move

D．work

6.

A．comfortable

B．new

C．hard

D．long

7.

A．worthless

B．expensive

C．unknown

D．brief

8.

A．question

B．wonder

C．doubt

D．understand

9.

A．decrease

B．increase

C．reduce

D．lower

10.

A．strong

B．lost

C．energetic

D．stubborn

11.

A．humorous

B．weak

C．rich

D．smart

12.

A．hospital

B．prison

C．college

D．heaven

13.

A．disagree

B．hope

C．claim

D．reply

14.

A．living

B．escaping

C．exploring

D．entertaining

15.

A．angered

B．rejected

C．greeted

D．inspired

16.

A．stop

B．decline

C．pretend

D．continue

17.

A．hate

B．accept

C．forget

D．forgive

18.

A．others

B．them

C．schools

D．mistakes

19.

A．get up

B．grow up

C．look back

D．come back

20.

A．dream

B．wish

C．struggle

D．smile

5 . 不吃饭则饥，不读书则愚。十余年书海泛舟，哪一本是你的最爱呢？请以My Favorite Book 为题，介绍这本书的大致内容并说明它给你的启示。
注意：1.书名可以用汉语拼音；
2. 词数：120-150。

6 . When you are waiting in front of a theater or at the train terminals, you will realize how important punctuality is. Punctuality is really a virtue, especially in a busy city.     1     .

Punctuality is the main constituent of good character.     2     On the other hand, a person who is always late shows his selfishness and thoughtlessness and he is not worthy to be friends with.

Some people often say that they cannot always be punctual since traffic is so heavy these days.     3     As everybody knows, we might meet an unexpected jam on the roads, so we should leave a bit earlier for the appointment to ensure that we would not be late.

    4    . When they finally arrive, they keep on saying sorry to their friends and then explain. The excuse is not always traffic jam. Sometimes they complain that they have met a friend on the road or have helped a blind man to cross the road. Some also like to blame their watches, the clocks at home or in the office. To such people, we cannot help but say sorry that we have come too early.

Yet after all, such smart fellows will soon find that gradually their friends become fewer and fewer. Perhaps at that time, they would realize how important punctuality is.

    5    . So when we are young, we should try to be punctual every time and never be late, for it is much more easily acquired in youth than when we are older.

A．To be or not to be punctual is a habit.

B．It is polite to be punctual when you are invited to a party.

C．Some people always have a lot of excuses for coming late.

D．I think traffic jam cannot be an excuse for being late.

E．Here, I will tell you how to be a punctual person step by step.

F．Perhaps if everybody were punctual, there would be less suffering and sorrow.

G．A person who is always on time for his appointment shows real consideration for others.

7 . Once there was a farmer with a wife and two sons. He became quite________through hardworking. He wanted his children to have a(n)________life, so he and his wife did all the work and________made them do anything.

After some time, his wife died and________he didn’t want his children to________, so he did the field labor and all the housework. But as time went on, he became old and________, and started to worry about his________when he died.

So he thought about this for a long time and he________his sons and said, “Look, my inheritance (遗产) to you is a lot of gold. I’ve________all my gold in the fields, so it’s up to you to plough (耕作) them and________the gold.”

And he called his neighbors and said, “I’m going to________and my children don’t know how to________themselves. So please cook for them until they can take care of themselves.”

So the neighbors provided them with________for some time.

Certainly the brothers didn’t want to be robbed of the________so they did the digging themselves. They________one field after another and after they had dug all the fields, they found no gold.

So the brothers sat down and one________the other, “Do you think our father________us?”

But the other brother said, “No, I think our father was saying that the________is a golden profession. And if we dig up all the________we can become rich.”

So like all the other________, they sowed wheat in the fields they had dug and became very rich in the end.

1.

A．rich

B．strong

C．clever

D．busy

2.

A．hard

B．easy

C．different

D．ordinary

3.

A．always

B．often

C．never

D．sometimes

4.

A．also

B．thus

C．ever

D．still

5.

A．work

B．move

C．study

D．play

6.

A．healthy

B．sick

C．foolish

D．wise

7.

A．brothers

B．friends

C．children

D．relatives

8.

A．showed

B．taught

C．visited

D．called

9.

A．lost

B．hidden

C．planted

D．put

10.

A．harvest

B．find

C．buy

D．use

11.

A．leave

B．travel

C．die

D．disappear

12.

A．look at

B．look out

C．look after

D．look for

13.

A．relief

B．money

C．water

D．food

14.

A．gold

B．silver

C．oil

D．coal

15.

A．dug

B．piled

C．operated

D．searched

16.

A．advised

B．asked

C．followed

D．doubted

17.

A．loved

B．cared

C．understood

D．cheated

18.

A．gardening

B．fishing

C．building

D．farming

19.

A．roots

B．stones

C．fields

D．pipes

20.

A．farmers

B．workers

C．fishers

D．builders

8 . A study of violinists found that merely good players practised as much as better players, leaving other factors such as quality of education, learning skills and perhaps natural talent to account for the difference.

This finding challenges the 10, 000-hour rule promoted in Malcolm Gladwell’s 1993 study of violinists and pianists. Gladwell states that enough practice will make an expert of anyone. “The idea has been popular and entrenched in our culture for years. It’s not an idiom but an overstatement,” said Brooke Macnamara, the lead author. “When it comes to human skill, a complex combination of environmental factors and genetic factors explains the performance differences across people.”

Macnamara and her colleagues set out to repeat part of the 1993 study to see whether they reached the same conclusion. They interviewed three groups of 13 violinists regarded as best, good, or less accomplished about their practice habits, before having them complete daily diaries of their activities over a week. While the less skillful violinists reached an average of about 6,000 hours of practice by the age of 20, there was little to separate the good from the best, with each reaching an average of about 11,000 hours. In all, the number of hours spent practising accounted for about a quarter of the skill difference across the three groups.

Macnamara believes practice is less of a driver. “Once you get to the highly skilled groups, practice stops accounting for the difference. Everyone has practised a lot and other factors are at play in determining who goes on to a higher level,” she said. “The factors depend on the skill being learned: in chess it could be intelligence or working memory; in sport it may be how efficiently a person uses oxygen. To complicate matters further, one factor can drive another. Children who enjoy playing the violin, for example, may be happy to practise because they do not see it as a trouble.”

The authors of the 1993 study are unimpressed. Macnamara said it was important for people to understand the limits of practice, though. “Practice makes you better than you were yesterday, most of the time,” she said. “But it might not make you better than your neighhour or the other kid in your violin class.”

1. What does the underlined word “entrenched” in paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Rooted.

B．Advanced.

C．Changed.

D．Unconfirmed.

2. What can we learn about Macnamara’s study?

A．It convinced Malcolm Gladwell.	B．It involved violinists and pianists.
C．Its process was similar to the 1993 study.	D．Its result is consistent with the 1993 study.

3. What does Macnamara find about highly skilled people?

A．Practicing for 11,000 hours is their main driver.

B．They enjoy keeping diaries about their progress.

C．Environmental factors have little relation to their success.

D．More practice makes little difference to their further progress.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．What makes an expert?	B．Does practice make perfect?
C．The early bird catches the worm	D．Enthusiasm is the key to success

9 . Some time ago, in my class I was about to fail a student for his answer to a physics question when the student claimed he deserved a better score. The examination question sounded “safe”.

“Show how it is possible to determine the height of a tall building with the aid of a barometer（压表）.” The student had answered: “Take the barometer to the top of the building, attach a long rope to it, lower the barometer to the street, and then bring it up, measuring the length of the rope. The length of the rope is the height of the building.”

I argued that a high grade should prove his competence in physics, but the answer did not confirm this. I suggested that the student have another try. Immediately, he worked out his answer: A second best way is to take the barometer to the top of the building. Drop the barometer, timing its fall with a stopwatch. Then, using the formula to calculate the height of the building.

I was shocked by his answer. His method gave me not only a broken barometer but a U-turn in my teaching philosophy. I gave him full marks.

On his leaving my office, I recalled that he suggested there could be a better answer. So I asked him what it was. “Oh, yes,” said the student, “There are many ways. Probably the best,” he said, “is to take the barometer to the basement and ask the superintendent （楼管）. You speak to him as follows: Mr.Superintendent, here I have a fine barometer. If you tell me the height of this building, I will give it to you.

At this point, I asked the student if he really did not know the conventional answer to this question. He admitted that he did, but said that he was fed up with high school instructors’ trying to teach him how to think, and to use the so-called “scientific method”. He just wanted to solve the problem in a practical manner, not just answer the question in an expected way. Hearing this, I really had nothing to do but give the boy a firm handshake, feeling thankful that I hadn’t failed him in the first place and even more thankful, neither had he.

1. Why did the author want to fail the student in the first place?

A．The student challenged his authority.

B．The student’s answer was not practical.

C．The student didn’t show his academic ability.

D．The student had a poor performance in physics class.

2. Which of the following can best describe the author’s new teaching philosophy?

A．Without love, there is no education.

B．A man becomes learned by asking questions.

C．Teaching is to make two ideas grow where only one grew before.

D．You can lead your horse to the river, but you can’t make it drink.

3. What made the student abandon the conventional answer?

A．Lack of physics-related knowledge.

B．Ignorance of the teacher’s expectation.

C．Intention to deeply impress his teacher.

D．Disapproval of existing teaching concepts.

4. What can we infer from the text?

A．The superintendent was a greedy person.

B．School education restricted this student’s thinking.

C．The teacher appreciated the student’s answers finally.

D．The examination question is a lough physics problem.