1 . One day Christopher Columbus was at a party that a Spanish gentleman gave in his honor. People were saying, “What a great _________you have made!” However, several people present were envious of him. They began to try to make Columbus_________.

“You have discovered new _________beyond the seas,” they said, “but what of that? Anybody can _________across the ocean and anybody can coast along the islands on the other side. It is the_________thing in the world. All you need to do is sail west. That’s not a(n)_________ feat (功绩).”

Columbus made no _________, but after a while he took an egg from a dish and said to the company, “Who among you, gentlemen, can make this egg_________on end?”

“That’s impossible,” the host replied, “You would need to be a _________to do that.” One by one, those at the table __________ the experiment. __________, none of them succeeded.

After a short silence, Columbus took the egg and struck its small end __________upon the table so as to __________the shell (壳) a little. After that, there was no __________in making it stand upright. “Gentlemen,” said he, “what is easier than to do this which you said was impossible? It is the simplest thing in the world. Anybody can do it—AFTER HE HAS BEEN__________HOW!”

1.

A．decision

B．schedule

C．discovery

D．statement

2.

A．unhurt

B．uncomfortable

C．unfortunate

D．unafraid

3.

A．substances

B．oceans

C．lands

D．treasures

4.

A．sail

B．run

C．walk

D．hike

5.

A．greatest

B．worst

C．hardest

D．simplest

6.

A．small

B．useless

C．remarkable

D．ordinary

7.

A．apology

B．answer

C．mistake

D．secret

8.

A．roll

B．sit

C．fall

D．stand

9.

A．magician

B．sailor

C．planner

D．doctor

10.

A．evaluated

B．finished

C．tried

D．designed

11.

A．Above all

B．At last

C．For instance

D．In addition

12.

A．gently

B．helplessly

C．heavily

D．critically

13.

A．find

B．change

C．hide

D．break

14.

A．trouble

B．instruction

C．reaction

D．point

15.

A．HIT

B．SHOWN

C．EXPLODED

D．SET

2 . 阅读下面材料, 根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段, 使其构成一篇完整的短文。

It was the worst day ever. In fact, that’s what we named it, all caps:WORST DAY EVER. The exact date was March 19, 2007, and I’ll never forget it.

The day began as usual. My husband, Alan, a manager working for a national restaurant chain, entered his office in our home to participate in conference calls. From my spot in the kitchen, I could overhear his conversation with his boss. It turned out that my fears were confirmed. Alan’s position had been dismissed. I hugged my husband as my heart sank. What were we going to do? Would we lose our house if we couldn’t afford to pay our mortgage(按揭贷款)?“We’ll be fine, ”he said . “I know, ”I responded . But, frankly, neither of us was very convincing.

I wanted to crawl back in bed and pull the covers over my head, but I had to go to work. So, I quickly showered, dressed, and made my way to work. It was a few hours into my shift when I received a call from the doctor’s office. “You have cancer, ”he stated. “What?”It sounded like something completely ridiculous, since I was a positive and healthy runner. That day I forgot how I arrived home.

I thought about how wonderful things had been up until this day. Alan and I had enjoyed a happy life in our lovely suburban home. We loved our jobs, traveling and fancy dinners. It was all too good to last, I thought. Now it’s time to pay back for all those amazing years. I imagined hospital beds, my bald head and worse. I prepared myself for a future of coping(应对), or no future at all .

I cried and Alan held me in his arms. “Someday in the future, we’re going to write about today, ”he whispered in my ear, “and we’ll call it Worst Day Ever. ”

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。

In the following days, we both got right to work.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

After several months, our hard work eventually paid off.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3 . The most important life lesson I’ve learned from running is to run at my own pace. This lesson has guided me in many ways. _________, it made me challenge the fixed expectations of retirement and aging.

Running is a metaphor for life. I realized this while _________ for a marathon to celebrate my 60th birthday. All the other runners being faster than me made me _________. But my coach shared some valuable advice: run at your own best pace. Setting a goal or target time could be a _________. He was right. _________, I ran more easily and faster. I also enjoyed the experience much more.

I have _________ this principle to other areas of my life. Finding a rhythm is not about _________ or how many things I can get done in a day. It has more to do with what I decide to do at this stage in my life.

Running carries its own set of expectations, including what it meant to be a strong runner. But expectations also _________ to other areas of life, including what people at certain life stages should be doing or not doing. Expectations at my age can _________ how leisure time is spent, decisions about employment and even the role of a ____________.

I used to think it was young people who bore the brunt (冲击) of ____________, but older adults can experience it too. This is ____________, because often later in life is a time when we are less inclined to care about the opinions of others.

That is the message my running coach was trying to convey. ____________ what others are doing.

Their pace is not ____________ the pace you should run at. Run in your own way. It’s not better or worse -only ____________.

1.

A．In turn

B．In particular

C．In advance

D．In depth

2.

A．training

B．struggling

C．competing

D．searching

3.

A．pitiful

B．grateful

C．impressed

D．embarrassed

4.

A．resolution

B．practice

C．limitation

D．motivation

5.

A．Against time

B．Ahead of time

C．Of all time

D．Over time

6.

A．exposed

B．compared

C．applied

D．suggested

7.

A．music

B．business

C．requirement

D．efficiency

8.

A．subscribe

B．extend

C．contribute

D．refer

9.

A．center on

B．hope for

C．decide on

D．call for

10.

A．boss

B．grandparent

C．athlete

D．citizen

11.

A．peer pressure

B．separation anxiety

C．sleeping disorder

D．age discrimination

12.

A．natural

B．unacceptable

C．ironic

D．significant

13.

A．Mind

B．Expect

C．Forget

D．Abandon

14.

A．basically

B．gradually

C．alternatively

D．necessarily

15.

A．different

B．amazing

C．common

D．fair

4 . I was a stay-at-home dad, which gave me plenty of time to cook. Ever since I was a kid, cooking had been one of my _________. My dad had given me some great advice. “If you’re gonna cook,” he began, “you might as well make sure it ‘s tasty.” So with that _________, I’d set about making each dish as _________   as I could. I figured that if something looked and _________ good then, chances were, it would taste great too.

One day, I was on the Internet when I noticed my best friend, Dave had _________, a video of him cooking. He was _________ with The Fathering Project, a non-profit organization that helped men be the best dads they could. “We’re always looking for content,” he said. “Can you _________ your videos with us?” I was more than happy to _________ other fathers to get into the kitchen. So I started to _________   videos of my cooking. I also gave viewers plenty of ____________. “The kitchen can be a place to ____________     with others,” I told them. My son and daughter helped me with washing and cutting, but most importantly, we all shared a ____________ with each other.

My videos grew so ____________ that dads around the country were setting out for my suggestions. It’s been an enormous ____________ to transform my enthusiasm into something that’s helping others. I hope my videos will keep giving dads a taste of the ____________ cooking brings to our lives.

1.

A．choices

B．jobs

C．passions

D．dreams

2.

A．evidence

B．philosophy

C．permit

D．warning

3.

A．large

B．simple

C．memorable

D．expensive

4.

A．smelt

B．sounded

C．remained

D．felt

5.

A．reserved

B．posted

C．downloaded

D．sold

6.

A．settled

B．satisfied

C．compared

D．involved

7.

A．share

B．exchange

C．trouble

D．confirm

8.

A．qualify

B．require

C．encourage

D．persuade

9.

A．review

B．film

C．watch

D．select

10.

A．likes

B．orders

C．requests

D．tips

11.

A．argue

B．compete

C．connect

D．agree

12.

A．laugh

B．faith

C．lesson

D．discussion

13.

A．familiar

B．popular

C．wild

D．visible

14.

A．chance

B．pleasure

C．responsibility

D．task

15.

A．magic

B．energy

C．fail

D．effect

5 . What do Harry Potter, Katniss Everdeen, and Frodo all have in common with the heroes of ancient myths? Joseph Campbell studied myths from all over the world and published a book called “The Hero with a Thousand Faces”, retelling dozens of stories and explaining how each represents the mono-myth, or Hero’s Journey. So, what is the “hero’s journey”?

He thinks of it as a cycle in his book. The journey begins with the hero receiving a mysterious message, an invitation, or a challenge. After crossing the threshold from his safe home to adventure, with some help probably from someone older, wiser, our hero solves a riddle, slays a monster, escapes from a trap. The hero’s darkest hour then comes, when he faces death and possibly even dies, only to be reborn. As a result, the hero claims some treasure, special recognition, or power, which can vary between stories. After all that adventure, the hero returns to his ordinary world, but upgrades to a new level. Nothing is quite the same once you are a hero.

The Hero’s Journey myth exists in all human cultures and keeps getting updated, because we humans reflect on our world through symbolic stories of our own lives. You leave your comfort zone, have an experience that transforms you? and then you recover and do it again. You don’t literally slay dragons or fight Voldemort, but you face problems just as scary. Joseph Campbell said, “In the cave you fear to enter lies the treasure you seek.”

What is the symbolic cave then you fear to enter? Auditions for the school play? Baseball tryouts? The paper due?

Watch for this formula in books, movies, and TV shows you come across. You will certainly see it again. Also be sensitive to it in your own life. Listen for your call to adventure. Accept the challenge. Conquer your fear and claim the treasure you seek. And then, do it all over again.

1. What is the correct order of the following stages of the “Hero’s journey”?
①Return to the ordinary world but outgrow his old life.
②Receive the call to adventure and assistance from a wiser.
③Set out on the adventure and go through a series of tough trials.
④Face the life-or-death crisis and be reborn with some special power.

A．①②③④

B．②④①③

C．②③④①

D．③②④①

2. Why is Hero’s Journey myth so popular?

A．Because it’s a way to reflect on our world.

B．Because it’s a way to learn about the past.

C．Because these stories are always being updated.

D．Because these stories are part of human culture.

3. Which of the following may the author disagree with?

A．We all need a “cave” to hide in face of danger.

B．Our comfort zone will hinder our development.

C．Difficulties we face tend to be treasures in life.

D．We should overcome our fears faced with danger.

4. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?

A．The Hero with a Thousand Faces.	B．The Hero’s Journey.
C．How to Conquer Your Fear.	D．Be Your Own Hero.

6 . An accident several years ago, in some way, taught me the meaning of life.

After a marriage failure, I lived _________ with my family. Being lonely, I visited an old age home frequently in our city. There I met Kurien in his late eighties. He served the army in the past and retired. But his son didn’t bother to _________ his own father, nor respected him.

Mr. Kurien got extremely   _________ with the life in his house and moved into this home. We both began to share thoughts and slowly it was a routine that I spent some time with him, discussing what he did in the _________, their daily schedule, camps, food etc.

I used to carry with me some snacks and _________ them under a tree with him. I saw him really very happy in my _________. Frankly speaking, I was also happy with his company. One day he told me with tears, “I really found a very good _________ in you. I feel like living some more years to spend happy time with you.” What he said really _________ me a lot.

When leaving, I told him not to worry too much and that god would give him enough time to spend with me. However, I had no time to go to the home the next day. I felt a little _________.

The day after when I reached the home, his room was _________. I didn’t know what had happened. I asked the _________ there and was told he had passed away the very night we both met last. How sad I was! Just then, the nurse passed me a _________.   Surprisingly, it was from Mr. Kurien. In the letter, he thanked me for my company.

Letter in hand, I couldn’t help _________. I really miss him. I haven’t given him anything worthwhile, except listening to his words and sharing his thoughts. But the poor old man _________ his gratitude to me. I wish I had told him earlier I sincerely thanked him and that in my heart he was a great friend and will always be. Let’s   _________ what we can before it’s too late.

1.

A．cheerfully

B．awkwardly

C．separately

D．sadly

2.

A．give up

B．take care of

C．put aside

D．turn to

3.

A．frustrated

B．satisfied

C．familiar

D．delighted

4.

A．nursing home

B．city

C．house

D．army

5.

A．sort

B．bury

C．eat

D．pack

6.

A．food

B．presence

C．enthusiasm

D．generosity

7.

A．colleague

B．audience

C．roommate

D．friend

8.

A．touched

B．shocked

C．frightened

D．embarrassed

9.

A．upset

B．relaxed

C．excited

D．annoyed

10.

A．tidy

B．chaotic

C．clean

D．empty

11.

A．doctor

B．nurse

C．patient

D．worker

12.

A．book

B．note

C．letter

D．receipt

13.

A．crying

B．shouting

C．laughing

D．whispering

14.

A．forgot

B．regretted

C．abandoned

D．expressed

15.

A．upload

B．share

C．capture

D．memorize

7 . 请观察下图，描写图中人物，阐释图画的内涵，并抒发你的感悟。

注意：1. 词数100左右；
2. 题目自拟。
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8 . In 2016, Linda Durrence and her husband suffered the loss of their oldest daughter. Then they _________ to Glennville, Georgia, and attended church every Sunday.

One Sunday, they met three sisters adopted by a family nearby. The couple became good friends with them _________ , so when the girls were going to be put in _________ homes a few years later, they turned to Linda Durrence for help.

The oldest sister had turned 18 and left the care system, and Linda didn’t _________ to welcome the younger two girls into her home with open arms. “The first thing that broke my heart was that they came with a _________ bag that wasn’t even halfway full of clothes that didn’t _________ them,” Linda recalled. What Linda and her husband did first was to take the girls to go _________. “We watched them coming from a place of _________ brokenness and they blossomed,” said Linda.

The idea of blossoming _________ in her mind, as did the image of the children ____________ with just a garbage bag full of too-small clothes. “I couldn’t forget that,” she said.

Last December, Linda opened Blossom, a shop giving out free ____________ to anyone in need. At Blossom, families can choose seven full sets of clothes and shoes free of charge. They can come back every ____________ for size and season changes. She’s relying on ____________ from kind-hearted people to keep the shop going.

Linda hopes that getting new clothing will ____________ adopted children’s confidence. She wants them all to have the same____________ to blossom as her own children.

1.

A．skipped

B．sank

C．moved

D．revolved

2.

A．immediately

B．frequently

C．suddenly

D．logically

3.

A．innocent

B．ideal

C．influential

D．separate

4.

A．hesitate

B．expect

C．arrange

D．struggle

5.

A．luggage

B．garbage

C．fabric

D．document

6.

A．fit

B．wrap

C．stuff

D．appeal

7.

A．hiking

B．shopping

C．diving

D．walking

8.

A．premier

B．fair

C．mature

D．pure

9.

A．shifted

B．faded

C．stuck

D．flashed

10.

A．turning down

B．turning up

C．turning over

D．turning out

11.

A．leaflets

B．possessions

C．items

D．ingredients

12.

A．year

B．month

C．hour

D．quarter

13.

A．savings

B．donations

C．belongings

D．earnings

14.

A．represent

B．undermine

C．distribute

D．enhance

15.

A．highlight

B．priority

C．opportunity

D．category

9 . Some people ran into me in the dining hall today — they were on their phone and didn’t see me. The dining hall was packed, as usual, so I couldn’t move out of the way in time. They ran into me, but I said sorry. They said nothing and kept walking.

It reminded me of the theory that women are more likely to step out of the way if the sidewalk is too narrow. My friend likes to test this theory out for herself — she walks straight on her path and sees if men will move out of her way. Many of them have run into her unless she moves at the last second. She realizes that she is always the one who apologizes when that happens. I say sorry for things like that all the time. It made me think: why am I apologizing for something that isn’t my fault?

From a young age, I was taught to apologize when I did something wrong. Over the years, there have been more and more sorrys in my life. I started apologizing even when I was in the right. I apologize to escape conflict. This pattern is especially prevalent in women. Women are socialized to be more passive. We aren’t expected to stand up for ourselves; we’re expected to keep our heads down and apologize.

Of course, I value a good apology. A genuine apology helps, but I think it’s only the first step in actually making amends. People can say sorry and not mean it. Or, some people give a sincere apology but never change their behavior. What’s the point of apologizing if you’re going to do the same thing again? Sorry is just a word — actions are what matter.

Apologizing can be tiring. Once you say sorry, you’re accepting responsibility. There’s no need to blame yourself for something that isn’t your fault. Conversely, it’s tiring to hear “sorry” and have that person do the same thing again. Deeds speak louder than words. So start making changes instead of saying unnecessary sorry.

1. What happened to the author in the dining hall?

A．She was knocked down by the huge crowd.

B．She apologized to those who crashed into her.

C．She couldn’t find her way in the crowded place.

D．She was busy on her phone and didn’t notice others.

2. Which is the reason for the author’s saying more sorrys in her life?

A．She is always taught to behave herself in the public area.

B．She feels guilty for the trouble caused by her carelessness.

C．She believes that women should apologize to show politeness.

D．She apologizes just to avoid unnecessary argument with others.

3. What does the underlined word “prevalent” mean in the third paragraph?

A．Widespread.

B．Uncommon.

C．Significant.

D．Unnoticeable.

4. What does the author suggest people do?

A．Avoid saying sorry.	B．Deny taking responsibility.
C．Keep on blaming others.	D．Set about making changes.

10 . 假设你是育才中学的学生李华，你校将举办一次主题为“Never Give Up”的英语演讲比赛，请你用英文写一篇演讲稿，内容包括：
1.你对Never give up的理解；
2.以你亲身经历的事件阐述主题。
注意：1. 词数100词左右。
2.开头以为你写好，不计入总词数。

Never Give Up

When we are in trouble, we are always told “Never give up”.

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