2 . As one of the most common students. I pulled myself through every day hoping to stay invisible(隐形的)，yet somehow I wondered why it was impossible for anyone else to_______me.

Then one day, a simple_______from a teacher changed my life.

That day, Mr. Curtis, our band director, played a B-flat pitch and asked us to tune(调音) our instrument one by one. As he listened，his serious face and impatient steps showed his ______with each note.   No one____

My turn was coming soon, and I was fearful. I had to play all by myself while others sat and listened! I felt_______in my chair.

“Maya! It’s your turn. Play!”

“It was only a note.” I closed my eyes, and took my turn. I played my single note quietly, and with all the feelings I had felt that year. I poured my heart into that one moment of music, and the sound echoed softly through the room. I was right on pitch, but I didn’t _______Mr. Curtis’s reaction.

He looked at me as if for the first time; his serious face relaxed into a relieved smile. “That is what I have been_______! That was a perfect note!” And then he said something I have never forgotten. “Maya, that one note has earned you an ‘A’ this year. Keep it up.”

Nobody could imagine my_______at that moment. I had remained unnoticed for so long, yet Mr. Curtis helped me see my________

One ray of light came into the shadow of my school life, and a seed started to sprout(发芽). Thanks to Mr. Curtis， I found a place to________

1.

A．see

B．know

C．save

D．ask

2.

A．request

B．explanation

C．comment

D．guidance

3.

A．dissatisfaction

B．sympathy

C．embarrassment

D．confusion

4.

A．tried

B．replied

C．escaped

D．left

5.

A．frozen

B．puzzled

C．disappointed

D．ashamed

6.

A．receive

B．change

C．disturb

D．expect

7.

A．paying for

B．waiting for

C．preparing for

D．applying for

8.

A．curiosity

B．anxiety

C．excitement

D．calmness

9.

A．purpose

B．potential

C．responsibility

D．challenge

10.

A．share

B．hide

C．rest

D．grow

3 . When I was in middle school, I had a classmate named Alice. She liked to tell me my shortcomings (缺点).

One day, Alice said to me,“You are too short and too proud!” Hearing this, I felt very sad and _______. I ran home to tell my father _______ it, with tears in my eyes. My father said nothing. He just _______ me carefully. Then he said to me, “Are all the shortcomings Alice has told you true? You can write them down and check whether they are true or not.” After _______ them down, I was surprised to find that about half of the things were true. For some of the things, I couldn’t change them. But for many of the things, I could _______ them. For the first time, I knew about _______ better than before.

Later, I showed my father what I had written down, _______ he didn’t read it. “That’s just for you,” my _______ said. “You know about yourself _______ than any other person. If something that is said about you is true, you’ll find it useful. Listen to others patiently, but hear the truth only.”

My father’s advice came to my mind at many important moments. It is the best ________ that I have ever had in my life.

1.

A．angry

B．pleased

C．relaxed

D．interested

2.

A．under

B．about

C．at

D．in

3.

A．passed by

B．laughed at

C．listened to

D．looked for

4.

A．writing

B．slowing

C．cutting

D．pushing

5.

A．forget

B．change

C．speak

D．read

6.

A．herself

B．himself

C．itself

D．myself

7.

A．or

B．so

C．and

D．but

8.

A．uncle

B．aunt

C．father

D．mother

9.

A．better

B．bigger

C．cheaper

D．faster

10.

A．paper

B．advice

C．work

D．news

4 .

In the forest, trees often give each other space to reach for the sky,a habit that humans can learn from when it comes to setting personal boundaries.

Next time you go for a walk in a forest or woodland take a moment to look above you. You might find that the crown(树冠）resembles a breathtaking umbrella with channel-like gaps between the tops of the trees. This phenomenon has been documented worldwide since the 1920s, and is called “crown shyness”. It happens when trees appear to give each other space.

Even when trees grow close together, they show a mutual (相互的）respect and offer benefits. This is true in the case of “married” trees -where a tree intertwines（缠绕）with one resistant to disease, it shares the advantages of its friend. Maintaining healthy boundaries help trees to maintain good health, manage resources and protect the forest as a whole.

When humans fail to respect boundaries, the emotional and physical resources of individuals,and the community can be affected. In this sense, a boundary is a conceptual border. It helps to establish where you end and other people begin. It means taking responsibility for only your own emotions and actions, not other people’s. You could think of your boundaries as a moat (护城河）around your castle, complete with a drawbridge that can be lowered or raised. As the gatekeeper of your castle, you decide who and what comes in and when.

Of course, marking out boundaries takes time, and some people might be unhappy about any changes you make. Establishing a clear line between you and the rest of the world, however, is essential for building the self-worth and self-care needed to function at your best in relationships.

1. What is “crown shyness”?

A．A crown with channel-like gaps.

B．A forest with umbrella-shaped crowns.

C．A behavior that trees give each other space.

D．A phenomenon that trees compete for space.

2. How does the author develop Paragraph 3?

A．By telling a story.

B．By giving an example.

C．By defining a concept.

D．By making a comparison.

3. What is Paragraph 4 mainly about?

A．The effects of ignoring boundaries.

B．The meaning of taking responsibilities.

C．The importance of setting personal boundaries.

D．The methods of managing individual resources.

4. What is the author’s attitude to marking out a boundary?

A．Favorable.	B．Intolerant.
C．Doubtful.	D．Conservative.

5 . 阅读下列短文，根据短文内容填空。在未给提示词的空白处仅填写1个恰当的单词，在给出 提示词的空白处用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。

Everyone has a sense of humor, but it’s pretty evident that not everybody has a good sense of it. Psychologists are divided on     1     humor is inborn or learnable. However, there is one thing that     2     (accept) universally so far — the sense of humor is uniquely human. It is associated with laughter and laughter is associated with happiness and courage. These are qualities     3     (share) with other forms of life. But if happiness is one of the goals     4     (chase) in life, then it is the sense of humor that provides the key.

7 . When evaluating people on various psychological tests, psychologists often distinguish between markers of absolute performance and relative performance. Absolute performance reflects the raw measurement of something, like the time it takes to run a mile. Relative performance is how a person rates in relation to their peers, as in what place a runner gets in a race.

The standards we use to evaluate ourselves are almost always relative, as we compare ourselves to our peers and the standards that are most familiar to us. For instance, in my private practice, I have one patient I will call “Omar” who is dependent on social services and makes less than $30,000 per year at his job. While this level of poverty would lead most people to wake up depressed each day, Omar is one of the most optimistic and appreciative individuals I know. Why? Because most of his closest peers — his siblings and friends from childhood — have lives far worse than his.

In contrast to Omar, I have another patient, an adolescent I’ll call “Lena”, whose family has property over $5 million. Lena, however, lives in an upper-class neighborhood where her family is at the lower end of the income level. Though Lena's family allows her to enjoy possessions and experiences that less than I percent of her peers across the world can share, she consistently feels “less than”. Why? Because Lena doesn't compare herself to the rest of the world; This is too abstract an exercise for her, as it would be for most of us.

Accordingly, whether a psychologist is psychodynamic or cognitive-behavioral, therapy (疗法) with individuals struggling with situational or psychological depression aims to solve the problems associated with basing one's self-worth on comparisons with others. Psychologists try to help people focus on personal growth around the achievement of concrete goals in line with their values. independent of the achievement of others. For all of us, defining these goals, especially during Periods of emotional calm, can go a long way in helping us to avoid the trap of relativity that often leads to situational and psychological depression.

1. What is the function of Paragraph 1?

A．To show the significance of evaluating people.

B．To motivate readers to study psychological tests.

C．To help people perform well in psychological tests.

D．To provide some background information on evaluating people.

2. Why does the author mention his two patients?

A．To measure different achievement.

B．To introduce the standards to evaluate people.

C．To explain relative performance with examples.

D．To contrast relative performance and absolute performance.

3. What does the last paragraph mainly talk about?

A．Setting goals in life is essential for everyone.

B．It's important to avoid unhealthy comparisons.

C．A sense of achievement can affect one's happiness,

D．Improving self-worth can help get rid of depression.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Happiness: Is it all relative?

B．Self-worth: Is it measurable?

C．Self-worth: Is it based on efforts?

D．Happiness: Is it associated with achievement?

8 . It has always been horrible for me to picture my life in old age. My recent visits to the senior care center, however, eased some of my fears and provided valuable food for thought.

Looking for meaningful ways to spend my weekends after my exams, I signed up to a program of arts and crafts for the elderly run by my schoolmates. I was informed that the Renci Nursing Home, where the program would be held, housed some of the less fortunate elderly in Singapore. Some background research gave me the impression that many of them suffered from physical issues and had little family support. As a result, I expected the atmosphere there to be discouraging. And, judging by the lack of interest in the painting activities, I truly sensed a feeling of purposelessness there. Given that we live in a society in which the bonds between the generations are weakening, perhaps the disappointing atmosphere in the home wasn’t surprising. The people were cut off from the ties that make life meaningful.

Is it safe to say then that our lives after retirement will likely feel aimless? But after I spoke to a Portuguese-Chinese man, I thought that this wasn’t necessarily so. At the age of 90, he displayed a surprisingly strong sense of control over his life. His liveliness was exceptional among the elderly population in the home. He had spent his life either traveling around the world as a backpacker, or working hard in Singapore to save up for his trips. He had made it a rule to learn foreign languages, exercise and eat healthily — something he continued to do during his stay in the nursing home.

While he spoke to me about how his time in London had shaped his view of cultural difference. I looked into his eyes. I knew that this was the kind of control over life that I wanted for myself. I don't want to spend half of my time wandering about in foreign countries like he did, but I do want to appreciate the richness that life has to offer.

1. Why did the author go to the Renci Nursery Home?

A．Because it was run by his schoolmates.	B．Because he meant to learn arts and crafts.
C．Because he wanted a significant weekend.	D．Because it housed some less fortunate elderly.

2. Before the author entered the nursing home, he thought it was_______.

A．a place filled with depressions	B．a place solving physical problems
C．a place full of impressive activities	D．a place connecting different generations

3. What mainly helped the author change his attitude toward old age?

A．The hard work of the elderly.	B．The liveliness of an old man.
C．The view of cultural difference.	D．The care of the nursing home.

4. What would be the best title for this passage?

A．Caring for the Elderly.	B．Living by His Own Law.
C．Traveling on Our Way	D．Preparing for the Old Age.

10 . 阅读下列短文，根据短文内容填空。在未给提示词的空白处仅填写1个适当的单词，在给出提示词的空白处用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。

My father always tells me not to gossip (八卦) about others behind their backs. When in middle school, I once     1     (compete) with another classmate, Amy, for the monitor. To gain an advantage, I invited some classmates to my home and gossiped a lot about Amy.    2     (hear) what I said, my father told me, “When your forefinger     3     (point) at others’ back, you have other three fingers pointing at     4     (you) and fighting back with triple power.”