1 . My best friend traveled to stay with our family last weekend. When she arrived, she went straight to the kitchen and, without asking, ate a spoonful of raspberry jam and some dried fruit. She wasn’t being rude. I knew she would do this. We’ve known each other for almost 20 years. She can eat anything she wants from my kitchen. Indeed, I bought her favorite fruits and snacks at the shop that morning.

Our long weekend together was luxuriously (惬意地) simple. I was recovering from surgery (手术) and couldn’t go to shopping malls. We passed the time running errands (做杂事), going to the post office and collecting dry cleaning. We drank way too many cappuccinos. But we talked about every little detail of our lives.

There’s never been a quiet moment in our friendship. We’ve lived in different cities for almost a decade. Reunions demand constant conversation. our personalities are matched, to be sure, and a shared history is indescribably valuable. We were competitors in high school before bonding over a bad experience. Then we discovered the many interests that we had in common. Our friendship cemented (巩固) itself quickly. We stayed companions through law school, through our first jobs and our first boyfriends. We supported each other through break-ups and breakthroughs. Ours is a friendship for the ages.

There is something special about friends who know everyone and everything about you. They are rare. These are the people you’ve chosen to witness your life. They have seen the bright lights of achievement, the depths of despair (绝望) and the boring routine (平淡乏味) of the in-between.

It’s special to unpack feelings and frustrations without wasting time filling in the blanks. As my long weekend shows, with such friends we don’t have to “do”, we simply have to “be”. We drop the act, the performance, the public version of ourselves.

The special friendships are those which never fail to delight, the continuation of which is worth the extra effort, despite distance and difference sneaking (溜进) into your separate lives. I had the very great joy of this reminder last weekend. I’m lucky to have found this friend, to see a future where her companionship remains. Being together is perfection.

1. What happened during her best friend’s visit?

A．They enjoyed an eventful long weekend.	B．They bonded by having long conversations.
C．They made their favorite snacks and coffee.	D．They talked about recent news events.

2. One thing that the author appreciates about their friendship is that ______.

A．they help each other deal with the boredom of life

B．they prefer to witness each other’s lives from far away

C．they try to show each other their best selves

D．they are comfortable being themselves when together

3. Which of the following would the author agree with?

A．Charm comes from differences.	B．Politeness brings best friends closer.
C．Good friendships last naturally.	D．Good friendships need devotion.

4. The author’s main purpose in writing this article is to ______.

A．describe what her best friend is like	B．tell about the friendship she treasures
C．explore the key aspects of friendship	D．express thanks to her best friend

2 . When struggling to reach a goal, don’t let limitations define you. Use them as _________ to push beyond your comfort zone. That way you’ll find creative _________ and better understand your inner strengths. And it’s inner strengths that define how you’ll deal with _________ in life.

At the age of 20, Bryan joined the army. One day, he was behind the wheel when a roadside bomb _________. As result, Bryan lost his left hand and both legs. Several days later, Bryan _________ up at a medical center with his mother by his side. It was in that _________ that his mother said the words that defined the _________ for the rest of his life. She said, “You know you have _________ two choices here, right?” He _________, “Move on, or roll over and die.” She said, “And you’re going to...” To which he replied, “Move on.”

Bryan noticed that the patients who were making __________ were the ones who accepted their __________ and worked hard to move forward. From the start, Bryan __________ himself. He refused to let his injury __________ him from living his life. The process of learning to use his prostheses (假肢) was a __________ and difficult journey, but his mother and friends were there to __________ him.

Today, Bryan lives a __________ life and is a motivational speaker. In his free time, he loves to snowboard, skateboard and enjoy time on his motorcycle. Bryan’s story is powerful __________ that we too can overcome our limitations. We mustn’t let them stop us from moving forward but push ourselves to rise above and __________ varieties of possibilities. We all have our __________, but if you believe you can __________ them, you will.

1.

A．behaviors

B．occasions

C．risks

D．opportunities

2.

A．explanation

B．solutions

C．movements

D．budget

3.

A．differences

B．resources

C．difficulties

D．dreams

4.

A．flew away

B．jumped out

C．turned over

D．went off

5.

A．grew

B．woke

C．got

D．stayed

6.

A．hospital

B．army

C．battlefield

D．playground

7.

A．origin

B．source

C．way

D．spot

8.

A．basically

B．slightly

C．briefly

D．gradually

9.

A．repeated

B．chattered

C．responded

D．reflected

10.

A．progress

B．sense

C．decisions

D．discoveries

11.

A．donations

B．injuries

C．stresses

D．worries

12.

A．dragged

B．cheated

C．enjoyed

D．pushed

13.

A．prevent

B．save

C．excuse

D．separate

14.

A．outward

B．long

C．dangerous

D．direct

15.

A．spoil

B．persuade

C．force

D．encourage

16.

A．responsible

B．reasonable

C．rewarding

D．demanding

17.

A．comfort

B．memory

C．reminder

D．warning

18.

A．experience

B．absorb

C．doubt

D．expect

19.

A．directions

B．limitations

C．examples

D．goals

20.

A．understand

B．replace

C．realize

D．overcome

5 . I stood in my father’s garden one late summer evening, watching my three kids dig in the dirt with toy bulldozers (推土机). I had driven up to my parents’ house that afternoon in a fit of desperation. My husband was working a double shift, my twins hadn’t napped, and I was one misstep away from a complete breakdown.

“Come up,” my mom said, “Let’s rest for a while.”

As the day of temporary relaxation drew to a close, I wandered along Dad’s once-neat garden rows and noticed the tomato plants Dad had planted.

“Roma tomatoes, the kind for sauce. Remember when your mom used to make sauce?” my father said.

I hadn’t thought of it in years actually. It was a recipe passed from my Italian immigrant great-grandmother down to my grandmother and then my mother. And that’s where it had stopped. Though I liked cooking, I didn’t want to waste much time on the dish. Why should I simmer tomato sauce all day when I could make different kinds of dishes?

Dad gave me an idea. “I’m going to make sauce,” I said. My father raised a skeptical eyebrow but grabbed some boxes and told the kids to start picking. The twins threw tomatoes like softballs to each other as the youngest begged to join me. Everyone was crying at one point, and I almost gave up on my grand scheme. Yet something inside me fought back, a deep-seated fancy for finding the link between the recipe’s owner and me.

As last, I successfully finished my sauce and it was approved by my parents. The efforts I made with those boxes of tomatoes gave me a sense of accomplishment. Each crank of the handle each slice of the knife, each stir of the stockpot was a prayer for comfort and confidence. Like most things that are worthwhile, the mess was part of the process.

1. The author went to her parents house that afternoon to_____________.

A．pick up her children	B．visit her father’s garden
C．learn to cook tomato sauce	D．relieve herself from daily chores

2. What did the author think of tomato sauce cooking before?

A．It was hard to grasp.	B．It was troublesome.
C．It stood for her culture.	D．It deserved to be promoted.

3. What made the author continue her grand scheme?

A．Her children’s requirement.	B．The encouragement from her father.
C．Her desire to follow a family tradition.	D．The expectation from the recipe’s owner.

4. What message does the story convey?

A．Ups and downs make one strong.

B．A strong-willed soul can reach his goal.

C．Experience helps to promote excellence.

D．Life is most beautiful when it is imperfect.

6 . If you are feeling that life just cannot be any worse for you, it can be challenging to think positive thoughts. When we are stressed, depressed, upset, or otherwise in a negative state of mind because we perceive (认为) that “bad things” keep happening to us, it is important to shift (转换) those negative thoughts to something positive.     1    

It is often very hard to think positive when so many things are negative.     2     We can choose to think differently by beginning with the smallest of steps.

If you start with one small, positive thing and repeat it during the course of your day, you will begin to move into a more positive situation: positive thoughts, feelings, opportunities and people will start showing up in your life.     3    

You can begin and end each day with a “Thank you for this wonderful day!” When you see the gas prices hiking, say “I am so glad that I have a vehicle in which to get around.” When you are late for work, say “    4    ” If you are having health problems, be grateful for what does work :“I really do appreciate my eyes that see, my ears that hear, my mouth that tastes, and…”

    5     In moments when you’re feeling really down, read what you wrote previously. This will help uplift your spirits. If you practice this regularly, you will find that your list will get longer and longer.

A．Therefore, we don’t need to turn to others.

B．If we don’t, more “bad things” will come up.

C．Write down what you’re grateful for each day.

D．But I am sure someone, somewhere is worse off than you.

E．The possibilities here are endless: feel good about what does work for you!

F．I am so happy and grateful for my job as I know that many don’t have one.

G．With practice, you will find you will change your outlook (看法) and choose to be happy.

10 . My fifteen-year-old son has just returned from abroad with rolls of exposed film and a hundred dollars in uncashed traveler's cheques（支票）, and is asleep at the moment. His blue duffel bag lies on the floor where he dropped it. Obviously，he postponed as much sleep as he could: when he walked in and we hugged his electrical system suddenly turned off, and he headed directly for the bed, where I imagine he beat his old record of sixteen hours.

It was his first trip overseas, so weeks before it, I pressed travel books on him, and a tape of useful French phrases; drew up a list of people to visit; advised him on clothing and other things. At the luggage store where we went to buy him a suitcase, he headed for the duffels, saying that suitcases were more for old people.

During the trip, he called home three times: from London, Paris, and a village named Ullapool. Near Ullapool, he climbed a mountain in a rainstorm that almost blew him off. In the village, a man spoke to him in Gaelic（盖尔语）, and, too polite to stop him, my son listened to him for ten or fifteen minutes, trying to nod in the right places. The French he learned from the tape didn't hold water in Paris. The French he talked to shrugged and walked on.

When my son called, I sat down at the kitchen table and hung on every word. His voice came through clearly, though two of the calls were like ship-to-shore communication. When I broke in with a “Great!” or a “Really?”, I knocked a little hole in his communication. So I just sat and listened. I have never listened to telephone so attentively and with so much pleasure. It was wonderful to hear news from him that was so new to me. In my book，he was the first man to land on the moon, and I knew that I had no advice to give him and that what I had already given was probably not much help.

The unused cheques are certainly proof of that. Youth travels light. No suitcase, not much luggage and a slim expense account, and yet he went to the scene, and came back safely. I sit here amazed. The night when your child returns with dust on his shoes from a country you've never seen is a night you would gladly turn into a week.

1. During the trip, the author's son ______.

A．ran out of money	B．didn't get enough sleep
C．forgot to call his mother	D．failed to take his suitcase

2. According to the passage, the author's son can BEST be described as ______.

A．adventurous	B．independent
C．creative	D．polite

3. What does the underlined word “that” in the last paragraph refer to?

A．It is important to listen to your child's story.

B．It's easy to break in on the chat with your child.

C．The author is proud of her son landing on the moon.

D．The son no longer needs much help from his mother.

4. We can infer from the passage that _______.

A．good parents should protect their children from potential dangers

B．the world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page

C．it's a win-win choice to give a child space to experience and explore

D．communication between parents and children is extremely important