How can people live in a country for years and not learn the language? I’d heard of such people and, if I’m
After two years, I’m embarrassed to report that I’ve not made significant progress.
One would think that living in a foreign country would practically press you
In short, it has taught me how to abandon my opinions about how people “should” interact with the world. It has increased my
A couple of months before I started high school, my parents gave me the greatest gift any teenage boy would ask for: a cellphone. I lived on that phone all summer. I always texted my friends, even at night. And I paid no attention to the people and things around myself. Being connected to the Internet was more important than being present.
So, you can imagine my displeasure when I learned what my dad had planned for our family vacation that year. It was not the Disneyland trip or beach vacation that I had been hoping for.“This year,” my dad said, “we’ll be doing something special, something I used to do with my dad when I was a kid. We’re going camping in the forest!”
His excitement was met with a disappointed sigh (失望的叹息),which was my communication style at that age. But he had made the decision and would not change his mind. I comforted myself by telling myself that it was still a vacation. I remained uninfluenced when they were busy preparing for the vacation.
My mind was on my phone, the texts flying back and forth. I focused on the screen in my hands so much that the first time I looked up was when we drove across a bridge on the trip to our campsite.
I looked out of the window and saw a fast-moving river. The air blowing into the car from the open windows was hot and smelt of trees. But that didn't matter to me. The reason why I had looked up was for something far more serious and annoying. My phone no longer had service. The signal was weak. During the last hour of the drive, there was no signal at all.
注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式作答。
My dad explained he had chosen a campsite that had no phone service.
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The next morning, without checking my phone as usual, I fixed my mind on nature around myself.
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3 . I could never imagine myself being in any other profession than teaching.
As a child, I often
The first day of tennis camp arrived. I started the
The rest of the week reassured(使安心)me of my
I'm in my fourth year of teaching kindergarten, and I'm often asked about my
| A．wondered | B．dreamt | C．pretended | D．agreed |
| A．game | B．chance | C．promise | D．plan |
| A．class | B．show | C．interview | D．project |
| A．expected | B．found | C．forgot | D．got |
| A．player | B．teacher | C．student | D．monitor |
| A．sick | B．sleepy | C．upset | D．afraid |
| A．respect | B．remind | C．protect | D．accept |
| A．struggle | B．turn | C．abilities | D．rights |
| A．service | B．education | C．experience | D．example |
| A．tried | B．regretted | C．missed | D．enjoyed |
| A．pursue | B．practise | C．postpone | D．promote |
| A．guidance | B．inspiration | C．assistance | D．position |
| A．preparation | B．suggestion | C．knowledge | D．decision |
| A．impression | B．influence | C．difference | D．profit |
| A．help | B．outweigh | C．enhance | D．favour |
4 . It may be the holiday season, but the spirit of peace and good will has not infected the streets of Los Angeles. More drivers seem to be rolling through stop signs and running red lights than ever before. Everyone seems to be in a terrible hurry.
Why is everyone in such a hurry? Where are they rushing to?
I think perhaps the answer lies in answering this question: What does that round of parties and meeting and mad rushing from place to place allow all of us to avoid confronting? T think the answer is clear- ourselves.
There is an experiment where subjects had to choose between being alone with themselves and their thoughts for approximately 15 minutes and receiving electric shocks. The majority chose the shocks-a reflection of how painful, frightening,threatening,confusing,boring(!),you name it... we find being alone with just ourselves and our thoughts.
Our desire not to be with our innermost thoughts is so great that we create and find distractions. In the car, we can make phone calls or listen to music. We live in a world of endless opportunities for distraction.
I understand the desire. Life is hard. Growing is a painfully slow process. To keep moving requires determination and strength - and giving up seems so much easier (as do those electric shocks!) We may win some battles, but the war is never over. Sometimes we are just too tired to fight and just need that music or that book to relax. I just instinctively(本能地）tun on the radio when I get in the car; I don't even give the quiet a moment to sink in.
But it's time for a reality check; otherwise we slip into an avoidance mode. It's challenging. But let's make a change. Instead of rushing from house to car to meeting to groceries to... let's take a moment to stop and think before each activity. What do I want to achieve now? And what is the best way to do that? Maybe I could think of ways to grow.
1. Why does the author mention drivers on the streets of Los Angeles?| A．To describe a strong holiday atmosphere. |
| B．To present a unique social situation in America. |
| C．To raise his question on why people are in a rush. |
| D．To show that it's time to improve road safety in America. |
| A．They found the innermost thoughts great. |
| B．They enjoyed being alone with themselves. |
| C．They refused painful and threatening distractions. |
| D．They wanted to find opportunities for distraction. |
| A．They should be more courageous. |
| B．Their attitude to life was unexpected. |
| C．Their behavior was understandable. |
| D．They should refuse to take part in the experiment |
| A．Fighting distractions. |
| B．Being with ourselves. |
| C．Reviewing our mistakes. |
| D．Rushing from place to place |
注意：1.写作词数应为80左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
My Space Hero
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6 . Happiness is the most sought-after emotion. It is the reason for the existence of all beings. Happiness is not confined to the human world alone.
A young child is happy when it is well fed and becomes sad when it is hungry. Even adults cannot resist the pleasures of food and associate this with happiness. A bar of chocolate, an ice cream treat, or a fancy spread at a buffet all bring happiness.
Then, there is the house and the car, holidays abroad, a simple picnic, or even a movie that evokes happiness. Happiness is found in obtaining material things or indulging in recreational activities.
Many have sought it in ashrams and from wise men, but all it takes is an act of kindness and sharing. True happiness is eventually not in the receiving, possessing, and getting but in the giving. Giving time, things, labor to those around us, loved ones or strangers is the true happiness that lives on in our lives.
| A．Clothing and accessories bring happiness. |
| B．Making others happy is the core of being happy. |
| C．Animals and even plants seem to display happiness. |
| D．People are happiest when they are having a meal and some drink. |
| E．Everything we do is aimed at letting other people live more happily. |
| F．Different individuals have different definitions of happiness, though. |
| G．However, many are still not happy with all these trappings of luxury. |
7 . Every day I get outside and take a walk near my house. A few weeks ago I happened to
Later that day I told my daughter about the
Deep into the night, I was wondering that it didn’t take long for me to change my
The next morning I walked along the
Since the day I walked past that nickel, I have paid much attention to small opportunities around me. I began to understand that a small opportunity can serve as the
| A．collect | B．notice | C．throw | D．spend |
| A．street | B．floor | C．path | D．coin |
| A．want | B．value | C．ignore | D．recognize |
| A．impossible | B．shaming | C．pitiful | D．useless |
| A．time | B．walking | C．nickel | D．event |
| A．usually | B．extremely | C．seemingly | D．sadly |
| A．thoughts | B．plans | C．actions | D．attitudes |
| A．for | B．but | C．or | D．and |
| A．unless | B．until | C．when | D．because |
| A．crowded | B．wide | C．familiar | D．same |
| A．broken | B．gone | C．dirty | D．seized |
| A．refuse | B．arrange | C．choose | D．happen |
| A．longer | B．sooner | C．larger | D．less |
| A．cause | B．beginning | C．effect | D．chance |
| A．experience | B．skill | C．lesson | D．quality |
8 . When I left for college, I
I loved city life in NYC. I adored the museums, nightlife, and endless
Living in the city did provide me with many opportunities. But as I got
I started to dream about moving back home. And I did it. I left my good job and the endless
Every day I wake up to birds singing. No traffic sounds, car alarms, or people
Since I've been home my life has been
| A．hugged | B．kissed | C．petted | D．shook |
| A．NEVER | B．ALWAYS | C．EVER | D．ALMOST |
| A．something | B．anything | C．everything | D．nothing |
| A．tastes | B．choices | C．dreams | D．events |
| A．now that | B．in that | C．as if | D．even if |
| A．tougher | B．rougher | C．higher | D．closer |
| A．asking | B．demanding | C．fighting | D．beating |
| A．excitement | B．achievement | C．boredom | D．freedom |
| A．occasions | B．opportunities | C．conditions | D．inventions |
| A．screaming | B．singing | C．coughing | D．laughing |
| A．suitable | B．comfortable | C．accessible | D．available |
| A．requires | B．tires | C．inspires | D．admires |
| A．get ahead | B．get on | C．get down | D．get off |
| A．set | B．clouded | C．bathed | D．located |
| A．completely | B．instantly | C．immediately | D．necessarily |
9 . As I started to be recognized as a promising student, around eighth grade, I was told by someone,“You're smart and you're from the hood. Colleges will love you.”Why did he say that? I always looked at being from the hood as a bad thing.
In my life, I've had a lot of unfortunate experiences. So when it came time for me to write my personal statement for college applications, I knew that I could sell a story about all the struggles I had overcome. Each draft (草稿) I wrote had a different topic. The first was about growing up without my dad being involved, the second was about the many times my life was threatened, and the third was about dealing with anxiety. Every time I wrote, and then gave up and then redrafted, I didn't feel good. It felt as if I were trying to gain pity.
Conflicted, I spoke to my teacher Nathaniel Sinckler. When he was applying to Morehouse College, he“felt pressured to write about something he could oversell.”“I knew enough to write about hardships I had faced,”he said, “but although I didn't have enough, I didn't go without.”This made him feel that he was at a disadvantage because he was competing with kids on the same academic level who had faced even more hardships. He explained that the focus becomes no longer who you are as a person but rather if you've been challenged enough. Mr. Sinckler asked me to question what actually makes up my identity, because while struggles are important, they're not the only contributions to it.
Pain is one of life's teachers. We are molded (塑造) by it, and some will choose to write about it urgently and passionately. Yet I would encourage those who feel like their stories were written in tragedy (悲剧) to rethink that, as I did. When you open your mind to all the other things you've offered in life, it becomes liberating (令人感到解脱的). Let's show college admissions officers what they're missing out on, not what they already know.
1. What did the author think of the comment about him in paragraph 1?| A．Amusing. | B．Convincing. |
| C．Encouraging. | D．Confusing. |
| A．He couldn't find his first draft. |
| B．He was constantly interrupted by his dad. |
| C．He couldn't explain his pain satisfactorily. |
| D．He had to balance different aspects of his life. |
| A．Take pity on other kids. |
| B．Present his all-round identity. |
| C．Go without mentioning challenges. |
| D．Improve his academic performance. |
| A．To ask for advice. |
| B．To make a suggestion. |
| C．To show appreciation. |
| D．To make an assumption |
A freezing downpour washed the street in front of the small-town bar. I sat gazing into the watery darkness, alone as usual. I had been in that old bar for half an hour, quietly drinking, when my thoughtful eyes finally focused on a medium-sized lump (一团) in a puddle (水洼) a hundred feet away. For another ten minutes, I looked out through the window trying to decide if the lump was an animal or just something.
The night before, a German dog named Shep had come into the bar begging for potato chips. He was starving and just the size of the lump in the puddle. Why should a dog lie in a cold puddle in the freezing rain? I asked myself. The answer was simple: Either it wasn’t a dog, or it was, he was too weak to get up.
The wound in my right shoulder ached all the way down my fingers. I didn’t want to go out in the storm. Hey, it wasn’t my dog. It was just a stray on a cold rainy night, a lonely drifter (流浪者). So was I, I thought, as I tossed (扔) down what was left of my drink and headed out the door.
He was lying in the three inches of water. When I touched him, he didn’t move. I thought he was dead. I put my hands around his chest and raised him to his feet. He stood unsteadily, and his head hung like a weight at the end of his neck. His floppy ears were just hairless pieces of flesh dotted with open sores (伤口).
“Come on, Shep,” I said, leading him to a corner next to the bar, where he lay on the cold cement and closed his eyes. A block away I could see the lights of a late-night convenience store. It was still open. I bought three cans of dog food and fed him. He couldn’t swallow but poorly look at me. He was dying!
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 local vet (兽医) was still at his office, so I loaded the poor creature into a taxi and headed there.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Three days later, when I opened the door of the vet’s, Shep welcomed me with wild enthusiasm.
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