1 . Growing up, I was fortunate to have dinner with my family almost every day. Sometimes, the family dinner circle_________to include relatives stopping by. Yet, I knew some friends whose parents got home after dinner or even_________the entire evening. So I_________the quality time around our kitchen table, which witnessed countless valuable_________in my life.

_________,my kids cannot relate to my childhood memories. They have been left to_________with babysitters more times than I would like to admit. My husband and I have_________careers. And we often end up staying at the office way past dinnertime. When this happens too often, it_________the balance of our family.

Apart from suffering from_________,what else can a hardworking family do? I think we can all try to__________our own ways to spend time together. Surely there are days when I’m too busy to share a meal with my family. But I would make efforts to__________and chat later that day,__________       setting aside cellphones every time. And I even find a bedtime reading with my kids much__________.I am also proud to have our “big breakfast” routine every Saturday. My husband serves as the head chef, and my younger son__________       him to make the breakfast.

I am aware that my sons are growing up quickly and will be out of the__________someday. But now, I am happy to have so many wonderful things on my plate.

1.

A．widened

B．formed

C．lessened

D．closed

2.

A．missed

B．avoided

C．enjoyed

D．recorded

3.

A．wasted

B．treasured

C．limited

D．calculated

4.

A．shows

B．dishes

C．recipes

D．moments

5.

A．However

B．Otherwise

C．Therefore

D．Besides

6.

A．sleep

B．dine

C．study

D．play

7.

A．suitable

B．flexible

C．satisfying

D．demanding

8.

A．maintains

B．disturbs

C．improves

D．strikes

9.

A．fear

B．anger

C．guilt

D．hunger

10.

A．predict

B．create

C．evaluate

D．accept

11.

A．work out

B．calm down

C．hold on

D．catch up

12.

A．unwillingly

B．casually

C．consciously

D．carelessly

13.

A．louder

B．shorter

C．simpler

D．sweeter

14.

A．assists

B．guides

C．allows

D．orders

15.

A．office

B．kitchen

C．house

D．park

2 . When I was 16， I wanted to buy an album(专辑)from my favorite band,but I could ________pay for it. My parents were not the type of people to give money to me ________, or even for workdone at home.

This led me to search for work opportunities in my neighborhood, and I was ________to Mrs. Hudson, the oldest person in the community. At over eighty years old, Mrs. Hudson could no longer ________ her garden, and I offered to help her out.

My first job was to ________ weeds in her front yard and backyard. After this________task, I mowed(修剪)her lawn．With the ＄10 earned from my first day of work， I bought that________．Listening to music, I felt a cool ________running through my heart, which made me realize all the efforts I had made were worthwhile.

However, my desire for material possessions did not end there. I later set my ________ on a Gameboy, which was very fashionable at the time. I started to work for multiple clients, in order toearn enough money to purchase this ________ possession.

After many days of working, I ________ enough money. But just after one day of playing on it, I realized that it was not as fun as I had thought. I ________ in the hot sun for hours doing yard work to buy something I did not ________．So the next day，I returned it for a full refund(退款)．

Ever since that day, I have come to________ the value of money, realizing that the sweat and dedication that________earning it are truly invaluable assets that cannot be taken away from us.

1.

A．slightly

B．barely

C．roughly

D．nearly

2.

A．out of nowhere

B．out of condition

C．out of question

D．out of work

3.

A．assigned

B．directed

C．ordered

D．referred

4.

A．decorate

B．guard

C．tend

D．water

5.

A．pull out

B．rule out

C．sort out

D．take out

6.

A．awesome

B．creative

C．tiresome

D．urgent

7.

A．band

B．collection

C．edition

D．patent

8.

A．breeze

B．current

C．spring

D．wind

9.

A．ambition

B．curiosity

C．sights

D．tastes

10.

A．personal

B．prized

C．previous

D．practical

11.

A．charged

B．gathered

C．invested

D．withdrew

12.

A．dug

B．struggled

C．sweated

D．wandered

13.

A．lack

B．lose

C．want

D．deserve

14.

A．accept

B．appreciate

C．evaluate

D．enjoy

15.

A．come into

B．fall into

C．go into

D．put into

3 . Life is filled with regrets. Ask anyone around you what their regrets are and they usually have no difficulty coming up with many items on their “regret list.”     1    .Here are four things that Iregret most not doing in my 20s.

    2    

I regret not focusing more on where I wanted to go in life, what I wanted to do, who I wanted tobe and what it would take to get there.With some more designing in my twenties, I’d be further ahead in my 40s and perhaps a bit happier as well.

Seizing more experiences

I wish I had lived somewhere else before settling down.     3    .Others have said they regret not pursuing their hobbies or learning to sky dive or mountain climb. I prefer to stay on the ground, but I do regret not learning more, not trying new things that are hard to fit into the life of a fortysomething working wife and mother.

Living a more active lifestyle

The bodies of youth are wasted on the young···I wish I had run a marathon before my knees ached,that I had biked more,hiked more, and took spinning classes when my legs were stronger.    4    ．We don't often realize that we have squandered(浪费)our physical abilities until things start aching.

Making more friends

I regret not reaching out more, putting more effort into creating a lot of support that would carry me through more difficult times. We socialize sure, but many of us don’t put enough importance on building deep and lasting friendships. Some do,but many don’t.    5    !

Life is good; don’t misunderstand. How I wish I had planned more, lived more, and stretched myself more when I had the freedom and energy to do so.

A．Better planning

B．Travelling more

C．How they wish for a second chance

D．If only they had got through difficulties

E．I regret not learning to paint or speak Italian

F．I regret not joining a softball team or volleyball league

G．And for some reason our twenties are ripe for a field of regrets

4 . If there is one thing I have missed the most during the last year of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been seeing other people smiling. When every face has a mask on it, you may feel ______ in the health of your body but you start to feel sicker in the health of your ______. Recently,I have started to notice the ______ in the eyes, and the gentle lifting of the mask when people smile at me. For me, that smile is a ______.

I have always seen every smile as a ______. As I grew up，my mom’s smile added ______ to my days. And I am so happy that it ______ today as I pass on the happiness to my children. My grandmother’s smile always had a ______ “Hello!” to go along with it. My dad’s smile was ______ as he was strict and serious, but I loved seeing it when he sometimes ______.

Over the years I have learned a lot about ______. I read once that “We don’t smile because we are happy. We are happy because we smile”. I also read that “I have ______ seen a smiling face that isn’t beautiful”. And I realized that both of these things were true.

In fact，when you smile, it doesn’t matter whether you are ______ a mask,or whether your ______ are white or yellow，many or few, or missing altogether. ______ your smile because it can lift your spirits, share your love and spread your happiness.

1.

A．smaller

B．weaker

C．smarter

D．safer

2.

A．soul

B．body

C．head

D．eye

3.

A．light

B．tear

C．question

D．regret

4.

A．burden

B．blessing

C．loss

D．secret

5.

A．change

B．recipe

C．wish

D．treasure

6.

A．wisdom

B．curiosity

C．joy

D．understanding

7.

A．lives on

B．slows down

C．dies out

D．takes off

8.

A．dull

B．cheerful

C．shocking

D．hesitant

9.

A．normal

B．strange

C．rare

D．unique

10.

A．approved

B．responded

C．laughed

D．bargained

11.

A．failures

B．smiles

C．challenges

D．stories

12.

A．frequently

B．still

C．never

D．easily

13.

A．selling

B．purchasing

C．washing

D．wearing

14.

A．teeth

B．cars

C．fingers

D．feet

15.

A．Forget

B．Show

C．Seek

D．Award

5 . Regret is a very real reaction to a disappointing event in your life, a choice you made that can’t be changed, something you said that you can’t take back.     1     Regret can increase our stress, negatively affect physical health and disturb the balance of our immune systems.

    2     One is what researchers refer to as the action path and the other is the inaction path. That is, we can regret the things we did or we can regret the things we did not do. Research suggests that action-related regret, although painful, encourages people to learn from their mistakes and move on.     3     This kind of regret is more likely to lead to depression and anxiety.

As with other negative emotions, it doesn’t work to avoid, deny or try to destroy regret.     4     Rather than stay put, people can manage these emotions in four steps: First, accept the fact that you are feeling them; determine why you are feeling them; allow yourself to learn from them: and, finally, release them and move forward.

You can help release these feelings of regret by practicing self-compassion (自我同情).This means reminding yourself that you are human, you are doing the best you can and you can learn from past decisions and grow.     5    

Noticing, acknowledging and then forgiving your thoughts are a powerful step towards overcoming regret.

A．Dealing with regret is even more difficult.

B．Regret is not only unpleasant, but also unhealthy.

C．There are basically two ways to experience regret.

D．But regret related to the inaction path is harder to fix.

E．Seeing the situation in a different way may help reduce regret.

F．In the long run, these strategies only increase negative feelings.

G．Showing this compassion to yourself can help you accept and move past the regret.

6 . 阅读下面短文, 在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

I tend to go slowly when I drive in the mountains of my home because the forest scenery is     1     (fantasy)no matter what the season. This morning I was driving       2     (slow) than usual because an early March snow had turned the roads slippery.

    3     (amaze)to see a buck deer(公鹿)standing in the middle of the road, I came     4     a full stop and for a few seconds stared at the deer. His eyes seemed wise and were smiling at me. Finally, I     5    (signal) to him to go on. He then leapt across the road, up the hill and back into the woods.

Most of us rush through this life not knowing the very thing     6     we are missing. The next time you find     7     (you) going too fast, slow down. Take the time to watch the sunrise over the horizon and fill the world with light. Take the time to look your children in their eyes, hug them     8     tell them that you love them. If you do, your life       9     (be)so much better and more beautiful. And you might even end up not     10     (hit) a deer on your way home.

7 . I’ve spent a long time thinking about one of the lessons life has to offer uncertainty. I often hear,“ Nothing could have prepared us for this pandemic.” While it came as a surprise, some of us have had to deal with times of great uncertainty before.

This was the case for my family when my father began falling over. We would blame the ice. Then just the road.“ Who makes these things so high?” we wondered. Then, he slowed. He began to drag his feet.“ Well,” we said,“ he’s getting older.”

When his speech became worse, it became harder to explain. When did he last see a doctor anyway? We searched the Internet as he worsened—because we felt real medical attention was not required.

Uncertainty.

It’ s uncomfortable. It makes your stomach tighten. If you don’ t fight it, it will seep through (渗入)your body, lighting your brain up with anxiety. When a neurologist(神经病学家) explained the problem, it wasn’t what we wanted to hear. Instead, we opened a Pandora’ s box of even more unknowns.

When we found out he had AIS (肌肉萎缩性侧面硬化病)the uncertainty became a burden. He was losing control of his muscles, his speech, ability to swallow—and we were paralyzed on how to prepare.

ALS is cruel. It traps you in your body. When the future looks so dark, you have to take comfort in the tiniest pleasures. I wish I’d done more. But I was new to uncertainty. I’d never experienced such a lack of control. I was focused on solving problem that couldn’t be solved.

I worried about how my father would get worse. I read everything I could to try and help his situation, but there was nothing I could do. But my dad didn’t live long enough for me to prepare for his condition to get worse. Life doesn’t go according to plan and there is a difference between preparation and worry.

As we battle global uncertainty, it is teaching us the same lesson. A lesson about humility (谦卑) . About the fact that you cannot save something you love alone. If COVID -19 is disturbing everyone, we should consider what we can learn. These lessons are hard, teaching us to hold on to what matters and how to let go.

1. Why is the pandemic mentioned in the beginning ?

A．To explain its impact on the author’s life.

B．To lead up to the topic of uncertainty.

C．To show how the author got used to it.

D．To tell the lessons the author learned from it.

2. How did the author feel after his / her father was diagnosed with ALS ?

A．Anxious

B．Peaceful

C．Annoyed

D．Optimistic

3. What can we conclude about uncertainty from the article ?

A．It makes people stronger.	B．It leads to a lack of control.
C．It brings family closer to each other.	D．It can remove the darkness in life.

4. What is the lesson mentioned in the last paragraph ?

A．Be humble to the unknown.	B．Prepare for uncertainty in advance.
C．Express our love before it’s too late.	D．Cherish what matters and learn to let go.

8 . For most of my life, I didn’t like being seen. I went bright red when it was my turn to speak in a group. I hated the teacher asking me something. I even didn’t like my family all looking at me! I often tried to hide away and avoid being seen by others! So, it’s not strange that I feared speaking in front of others.

Luckily, I’ve learned to overcome my problem. Now I love helping others who have the same problem that I once had but want to speak up because they have valuable things to share. I particularly love helping entrepreneurs (企业家) to become more confident. When you help a leader, the impact is so much greater.

Over the years I’ve discovered that there are three main problems that people have when it comes to speaking in public. The first is a lack of self­belief. They doubt themselves and question whether what they have to say is valuable. The second is a fear of being seen as arrogant (傲慢的). The third is a fear of rejection or a fear of not being liked.

All of these problems are related to mindset, specifically, a fear­based mindset, which is common. These fears stop people from stepping up as the leader and influencer they were born to be.

If you want to become a more effective influencer, it is so important to work on any fears you have of judgment or rejection. They will be a ball and chain that will hold you back from success. We need to take action despite feeling fear. We can’t wait for the fear to go away as it won’t go away itself. We have to act while we still feel it. And to overcome fears, we should practice. Confidence is attached to progress, and we only progress if we practice. If you don’t feel you’re progressing, you’ll start to lose your confidence and stay stuck in fear.

1. What does the author like doing now?

A．Giving speeches in front of people.

B．Sharing experiences with her followers.

C．Making friends with famous entrepreneurs.

D．Helping others gain confidence in speaking in public.

2. What can we learn about the problems that prevent people from talking publicly according to the author?

A．They are very difficult to overcome.

B．They lead to a very uncommon mindset.

C．They exist mainly because of people’s fears.

D．They are no problem for leaders or influencers.

3. What does the author suggest people do?

A．Wait for the fear to disappear.

B．Avoid failure to become more confident.

C．Refuse judgment or rejection from others.

D．Practice hard to make progress in spite of fears.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．Finding the Courage Inside You

B．Becoming a more Influential Person

C．Overcoming the Fear of Public Speaking

D．Expressing Your Ideas more Effectively

9 . As a kid growing up in a suburb of London. I loved to go looking for the perfect park bench. Some Sunday mornings, my dad could be persuaded to drive to new parks. We’d have a kick-around with a soccer ball, share a bag of Doritos and check out all the benches in the area, reading the words on them.

The good park bench leaves me in a state, somewhere between nostalgia (怀旧) and eager anticipation. Where once I was excited by the words carved on wood, I now find, as a 10-year-old, that I’m more appreciative of each bench’s quiet stoicism (坦然淡定), the way they are willing to wait out their turn in every weather, remaining available to all-comers. Like a good book or piece of music, a park bench allows for a sense of solitude (独处) and community at the same time, which is crucial to life in a great city.

Part of my obsession with park benches is as spaces where history settles. By planting seeds of curiosity, and making space for reflection, park benches become doors to the past. Maybe that’s the greatest power of the park bench: its capacity encourages the art of observation. A good bench catches us in our quietest, most vulnerable (脆弱的) moments, when we may be open to imagining new narratives and revisiting old ones. Our masks are taken off, hung from the bench’s wrought iron. On other nearby benches, babies are being burped. Glances exchanged. Sandwiches eaten. Newspapers read it .

Lately, I’ve found me sitting on a lot of cramped metal benches of the kind that don’t invite you to linger long, or harsh concrete ones that leave you cold. That’s because public seating is becoming an endangered species. Our cities are becoming more like Disneyland, which has been quietly removing public seating and replacing it with more restaurant seating. If you want a moment’s rest in 21st-century America, you have to open your wallet.

One recent Sunday, I wandered through Central Park. To be in Central Park in what is hopefully the pandemic’s twilight is to be reminded of the beauty of living in a city that still makes space for park benches in the modern cityscape.

1. How did the writer lead in the topic?

A．By describing the scene of the park.

B．By revealing his passion for London.

C．By showing his father’s affection for him.

D．By introducing his childhood experience.

2. What can we learn about the writer after he grew up?

A．He was suffering great frustration in his 40s.

B．He enjoyed the peace in the park very much.

C．He liked the feel park benches brought to him.

D．He was still crazy about the words on the bench

3. Which aspect of park benches does paragraph 3 focus on?

A．Design.

B．History.

C．Location.

D．Power.

4. Why is public seating becoming an endangered species?

A．It is out of date.	B．It is uncomfortable to sit there.
C．It is commercialized.	D．It is usually made of metal.

10 . “Mountains are always smaller in your imagination than they are in real life,” someone wise said. And the quote sprang to mind as I stared up at the snowy _______of Pen Y Fan, the highest mountain in South Wales. I was to take part in the Fan Dance the world’s oldest Special Forces test.

My general feeling about the event was that it would be tough,but good strength _______for my running. I felt pretty _______ within the first kilometre and I was surprised how easy it felt so far. Kilometre two   _______ me trudging (跋涉) through snow and ice, but spirits still remained high as I chatted to fellow_______ around me.

Gradually, however, the climbing became extremely _______. The snow was _______ by a thick fog and winds so strong that I could hardly stand on my feet. The wind kept _______me backwards and sideways, and each step seemed to require all the energy I had. I was about to quit when someone appeared out of _______. “You’re doing really well! Keep going!” he shouted __________the wind. I felt a sudden burst of __________and I crazily pulled myself to the finish line.

We’d been moving for hours and were __________the finish line. The wellbeing of my body came second to my burning desire to get to that finish line.

I was expecting to feel relieved and joyful when I finally succeeded, __________instead I felt a mixture of tiredness and confusion. I __________ on the idea that while mountains are smaller in your imagination than they are in real life, your ability to suffer is also bigger in real life. In fact, I __________over more than just a mountain at the Fan Dance.

1.

A．peaks

B．caves

C．valleys

D．hillsides

2.

A．looked

B．worked

C．applied

D．called

3.

A．shocked

B．depressed

C．moved

D．relaxed

4.

A．saw

B．kept

C．found

D．caught

5.

A．colleagues

B．admirers

C．participants

D．assistants

6.

A．encouraging

B．exciting

C．energy-consuming

D．time-wasting

7.

A．blocked

B．warmed

C．wrapped

D．accompanied

8.

A．guiding

B．holding

C．blowing

D．chasing

9.

A．nowhere

B．place

C．sight

D．mind

10.

A．over

B．upon

C．into

D．across

11.

A．fear

B．hope

C．panic

D．anger

12.

A．approaching

B．escaping

C．crossing

D．extending

13.

A．while

B．since

C．so

D．but

14.

A．focused

B．reflected

C．depended

D．carried

15.

A．took

B．rode

C．turned

D．climbed