1 . This happened when I was ten. On a normal Sunday, I went to the barber shop where I always went. That day, along with the barber there was an assistant, who had recently ___________ the shop.

So I sat for the haircut. The uncle asked me how ___________ I wanted it. I answered, “Just do as my dad had ___________ you the last time.”

He smiled. Before starting the ___________, he added, “What if I keep it long?”

I ___________ he was joking. So I joked too. I said, “I can’t ___________ what would happen to your shop then!”

The moment I said itthe assistant ___________ from behind. “How dare do you say that! Who are you to threaten us, eh?”

I admit I was too ___________ at that moment and the uncle standing beside me was giving me an ___________ look.

From that day on, I ____________ stopped joking about anyone’s profession and works. It is one of the most ____________ incidents in my life, which taught me to ____________ the profession and works of a person, no matter how ____________ they are.

I’m ____________ that the assistant responded in a way that made me rethink the power of my words. Words do make a ____________.

1.

A．joined

B．opened

C．left

D．visited

2.

A．much

B．long

C．often

D．soon

3.

A．convinced

B．reminded

C．promised

D．instructed

4.

A．chat

B．journey

C．experiment

D．haircut

5.

A．agreed

B．knew

C．protested

D．stressed

6.

A．forget

B．bear

C．guarantee

D．explore

7.

A．attacked

B．laughed

C．shouted

D．disappeared

8.

A．concerned

B．proud

C．frightened

D．curious

9.

A．anxious

B．annoyed

C．determined

D．awkward

10.

A．suddenly

B．completely

C．obviously

D．regularly

11.

A．important

B．creative

C．sacred

D．confusing

12.

A．respect

B．copy

C．change

D．learn

13.

A．tough

B．small

C．good

D．traditional

14.

A．upset

B．confident

C．embarrassed

D．grateful

15.

A．comment

B．mistake

C．difference

D．comparison

2 . Once upon a time, a very strong woodcutter ______ for a job in a wood merchant and he got it. The pay was really good and so was the ______ condition. For those reasons the woodcutter was ______ to do his best. His boss gave him an axe and showed him the area where he was supposed to work.

The first day the woodcutter brought 18 trees, which he all had ______ himself. “Congratulations!” the boss said, “Go on that way!” Deeply ______ by the boss's words the woodcutter tried harder the next day. but he could only bring 15 trees. The third day he tried even ______, but he could only bring 10 trees. Day after day he was bringing less and less trees. “I must be losing my ______,” the woodcutter thought. He went to the boss and said ______, adding that he could not understand what was going on.

“When was the last time you ______ your axe?” the boss asked. “I had no time to do that, because I have been very busy trying to cut trees…” answered the woodcutter.

Our ______ are like that. We sometimes get so busy that we don' t ______ time to sharpen the “axe” in life. It seems that everyone is busier than ever, but less ______ than ever. Why is that? Could it be that we have forgotten how to ______ “sharp”?

There's nothing wrong with activity and hard work. But we all need to spare some time to relax, to think and meditate. to learn and ______. If we don't take the time to sharpen the “axe”, we will become dull and lose our   ______.

1.

A．called

B．paid

C．hunted

D．waited

2.

A．health

B．work

C．nature

D．environment

3.

A．determined

B．attracted

C．adapted

D．supposed

4.

A．put away

B．cut down

C．brought back

D．cut up

5.

A．surprised

B．frightened

C．inspired

D．puzzled

6.

A．stronger

B．faster

C．cleverer

D．harder

7.

A．heart

B．strength

C．way

D．function

8.

A．thanks

B．goodbye

C．sorry

D．nothing

9.

A．repaired

B．sharpened

C．cleaned

D．used

10.

A．lives

B．dreams

C．hobbies

D．jobs

11.

A．waste

B．take

C．make

D．kill

12.

A．positive

B．anxious

C．Active

D．happy

13.

A．look

B．feel

C．stay

D．turn

14.

A．grow

B．perform

C．compete

D．apply

15.

A．interest

B．activeness

C．attractiveness

D．effectiveness

3 . Six weeks before his birthday, Giuseppe Paternò achieved the dream of a lifetime: He got a university degree.

Mr. Paternò's graduation has inspired news coverage around the world, partly because of his age. But he has mainly drawn attention because his life story speaks of commitment, a theme that has encouraged as millions of schoolchildren in Italy and elsewhere faces extraordinary uncertainty during the coronavirus pandemic.

Born in Palermo in 1923, the first of seven children in a “very poor family,” Mr. Paternò began working soon after finishing elementary school. “The family was large, there was only one paycheck, we were under fascism, and times were tough,” he said.

Eventually, he ended up at a publishing house where an enlightened boss persuaded his father to send him back to school for a three-year vocational degree. Mr. Paternò then worked for an insurance agency while he took private classes to become a telegraph operator. He used skills from the operator job when he was drafted into the navy in World War II. The job also opened doors to the State Railways Company, where he worked for more than four decades.

It was only after he retired, in the mid-1980s, that he returned to his books, taking theology courses through the Archdiocese of Palermo after a chance meeting with a philosophy professor who urged him to follow his love.

Mr. Paterno's son, Ninni Paternò, said that the family had not expected all the attention. “It's unbelievable!” the vounger Paternò said of his father. “He achieved his goal, but he didn't mean to be famous in newspapers around the world.”

University officials are hoping that Mr. Paternò will continue his studies on waster's course. But he isn't so sure. “I have to admit that in this moment, I don't know whether I would do it with the same spirit,” he said on Wednesday. Still, Mr. Paternò said he would probably continue anyway.

1. What's the main reason for the world to report Mr. Paternò's graduation?

A．His experience shows the spirit of commitment.

B．Mr. Paternò achieved his dream at an old age.

C．His graduation ceremony was during the coronavirus pandemic.

D．His achievement is extraordinary.

2. What does the underline word “this job” in paragraph 4 refer to?

A．Working for an insurance company.

B．Severing in the navy in World War II.

C．A telegraph operator.

D．The job in the State Railway Company.

3. What can we learn about Mr. Paternò's son's words?

A．The family had not agreed Mr. Paternò's decision.

B．Mr. Paternò didn't want to gain the world's attention.

C．Mr. Paternò suffered a lot to achieve his goal.

D．Mr. Paternò's achievement is not worth mentioning.

4. What can we learn from the passage?

A．It's never too late to achieve a dream.	B．No pains, no gains.
C．Young at heart.	D．Practice makes perfect.

4 . Once I started working after graduating from Wilfrid Laurier University, I decided to stay in the workforce and go to school part-time. I began my journey as an adult _______ in the Business Administration program at Wilfrid Laurier University. When I _______ from Laurier, a colleague introduced me to the Certified Employee Benefit Specialist （CEBS） program, which offered a professional credential（凭证）related to my field of _______

These days, I keep my industry knowledge _______ through reading industry publications, _______   relative conferences and taking an annual Continuing Education course. From a_______interest perspective, I've taken music lessons and _______ in first aid, gardening and website development.

Some might call me a learning _______. I honestly can't imagine a time when I want to stop learning. Sometimes people ask me why I _______ to take courses when I am getting close to “retirement’’. When I look to the ________, 30 years of sitting on the couch watching Netflix isn't the kind of life I want to live. I need a reason to get out of bed in the morning, and something to keep me ________ active.

I am looking at the Plain Language program as an opportunity to learn a new skill that will not only make me ________ at my current job, but also will ________ some extra income once I leave my full-time career behind.

The days of being able to ________ education after university are long gone. So, continuous learning will be necessary to keep up with the pace of ________

1.

A．designer

B．teacher

C．reporter

D．learner

2.

A．heard

B．inferred

C．graduated

D．suffered

3.

A．work

B．training

C．research

D．education

4.

A．current

B．known

C．useful

D．remarkable

5.

A．organizing

B．attending

C．recording

D．confirming

6.

A．secret

B．personal

C．unique

D．common

7.

A．choices

B．measures

C．courses

D．responsibilities

8.

A．celebrity

B．master

C．consultant

D．addict

9.

A．need

B．agree

C．continue

D．refuse

10.

A．truth

B．demand

C．effect

D．future

11.

A．financially

B．physically

C．mentally

D．socially.

12.

A．better

B．stronger

C．braver

D．firmer

13.

A．reduce

B．generate

C．reserve

D．negotiate

14.

A．care about

B．leave behind

C．insist on

D．show off

15.

A．comment

B．purchase

C．production

D．change

5 . When I was first married to my wife, I lived and worked in Ontario, moving from small town to big city as I pursued my career as a radio broadcaster. We have two sons, both of whom were born in Toronto, but they moved, with us, to Ottawa when they were quite young. They grew up there, and then, chasing their own careers, they also moved. One went to Canada’s east coast near a city called Halifax and the other headed to the west coast to Vancouver. We had a dilemma; we were left in the middle.

At the time I was still working and my job was in Ottawa. However, as we began to consider retirement we wondered where we should spend our final years. We couldn’t be close to both of our children and there was no telling when they might again relocate. For several reasons we settled on a small town on Vancouver Island. At least we were close to one of them. However, he had his sights set on Hollywood and, when an opportunity presented itself, he left Canada and headed south. I helped him move.

So, there we were, and still are, in our little west coast town. We love our little corner of paradise but we have paid a price. We have not been there for some important events such as the births of two of our grandchildren. We have missed watching each of them grow up; we have missed the normal, noisy households that have young people in them. Our home, while very comfortable, is also very quiet.

Every fall we travel to see the children. We usually fly, first to California to see our son Scott and spend a week or more with him trying to catch up on everything we’ve missed. Then, usually in November, we make the even longer trip east across Canada to see Travis and our grandchildren, who are now teenagers, actually into their twenties. They seldom come to visit us. The distances are just too great and it is costly.

Fortunately, both our boys are doing well and our grandchildren are growing up straight and tall. We love all of them and we are secure in the knowledge that they love us but the reality is that they don’t need us. We have done our jobs and, at least in theory, we can sit back, relax and enjoy the time remaining to us. They have also missed having a set of parents and grandparents around.

Life has been good for our family but we have all paid a price.

1. What does the author mean by saying “We had a dilemma.”?

A．They were not happy about their sons’ absence.

B．They were unwilling to separate from their sons.

C．They were not yet prepared for retirement at that time.

D．They couldn’t decide which son to live close to.

2. Why does the author say they have paid a price?

A．They have lost lots of money because of his retirement.

B．They have to give a large sum of money to their sons.

C．They have been absent from their children’s life.

D．They have to afford very expensive fare to visit their sons.

3. Why do not the author’s grandchildren visit them regularly?

A．They are quite occupied with their homework.

B．It’s not easy for the kids to visit their grandparents.

C．They don’t need their grandparents any more.

D．The weather of winter in Canada is very awful.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Grandparents’ Love	B．Suffering Separation
C．A Price to Pay	D．Hidden Emotions

6 . I grew up in an age of delayed satisfaction, when I had to wait for everything.

The mail came once a day, and I can still recall the _______ of expecting the Mad magazine or some cheap items I had _______. Classic movies were shown on television, and one could learn about them a week _______ from TV Guide. And of course, one had to be at home at the _______ time to watch them. And then the banks did business on weekdays only. They opened at 9 a.m. and closed at 4 p.m.

Such was the world as recently as in the 1970s. Everything seemed to operate on a _______ order. This was the way things worked, and it was all we knew. And then, _______ overnight, everything changed. It suddenly seemed as if we never had to be anywhere at an arranged time, because everything was _______ all the time. But rather than being _______ by what we have gained, I am gently disturbed by what was lost. Having to wait for almost, everything meant living a life in _______ moving. When one must follow ________, fixed schedules, one has no choice but to wait. In this way the virtue of ________ is preferred.

The changed times, on the other hand, have encouraged a constant sense of urgency, which is ironic (讽刺的): If we have anything we want anytime we want it, shouldn’t we be less ________? The answer is that an “on demand” lifestyle has created an ________ for speed. If I can have something this fast, why can’t we have it faster?

And so, on this hot day, as a gentle form of ________ against the demands of a hurried age, I went to the supermarket and bought three fresh lemons. Diligently, carefully and with no sense of needing to be anywhere else or do anything else, I ________ them into a tall glass. Then I filled the glass with cold water, ice, and a teaspoon of sugar. Fresh lemonade in hand, I went outside, sat in my lawn chair, and looked out over the river. I sipped (抿一口).

1.

A．shock

B．annoyance

C．thrill

D．despair

2.

A．required

B．deserved

C．sought

D．ordered

3.

A．in vain

B．in relief

C．in order

D．in advance

4.

A．appointed

B．saved

C．impressed

D．left

5.

A．dull

B．strict

C．loose

D．stubborn

6.

A．seemingly

B．regularly

C．gradually

D．increasingly

7.

A．profitable

B．avoidable

C．available

D．controllable

8.

A．determined

B．connected

C．directed

D．pleased

9.

A．slower

B．faster

C．weaker

D．happier

10.

A．casual

B．abrupt

C．consistent

D．limited

11.

A．efficiency

B．patience

C．thought

D．effort

12.

A．disappointed

B．hurried

C．bored

D．relaxed

13.

A．hatred

B．imagination

C．possibility

D．appetite

14.

A．urge

B．reply

C．protest

D．support

15.

A．squeezed

B．dragged

C．pushed

D．forces

7 . The word “proactivity” is fairly common in management literature, but you won't find it in the dictionary. It means that as a human being you take responsibility for your own life.

Look at the word responsibility: ability to choose your response, response-ability. Effective people are proactive because they take responsibility. Their behavior is a product of their own decisions, based on values, rather than being a product of their own conditions, based on feelings.

For instance, you are planning a picnic with your family. You're excited. You have all the preparations. You've decided where to go, and then it becomes stormy, killing your plan. Proactive people carry weather within them. They realize what their purpose really was, and they creatively have a picnic elsewhere even if it's in their own basement with some special games, and make the best of that situation. The opposite of being proactive is to be reactive. Reactive people would say, “What's the use?” “We can't do anything,” “Oh this is so upsetting after all of our preparations and arrangements.” They try to persuade the people around them and usually the picnic will be cancelled.

Being proactive is really just being true to your human nature. Your basic nature is to act, and not to be acted upon. That's true, despite widely accepted theories of determinism used to explain human nature. Determinism says that you don't really choose anything and that what you call choices are nothing more than automatic responses to outside conditions.

The language of reactive people is like: “I can't.” “Don't have time.” “I have to.” “I must.” The whole spirit of that language is the transfer of responsibility. They think things are determined by their environment, or by their conditions, or by their conditioning or their genetic makeup. Psychologically, people who believe they are determined will produce the evidence to support the belief, and they increasingly feel victimized and out of control. They're not in charge of their life at all.

On the contrary, a proactive person exercises free will, the freedom to choose the response that best applies to his values. In that way, he gains control over the circumstances, rather than being controlled by them.

1. When a picnic plan is threatened by a sudden storm, reactive people will probably     .

A．have the picnic as planned	B．make the best of the picnic
C．complain and give up the picnic	D．find somewhere else for the picnic

2. According to the passage, a proactive person's behavior can result from      .

A．the environment

B．an inner belief

C．the genetic makeup

D．a temporary feeling

3. People carrying weather within them usually      .

A．manage to improve the weather	B．give in to the weather passively
C．stress the influence of the weather	D．find a solution to the weather problems

4. It can be concluded from the passage that determinists (宿命论者)_______.

A．are in charge of themselves	B．accept things passively
C．are similar to proactive people	D．respond to outside conditions actively

8 . Secrets of People Who Stay Happy in Setbacks (挫折)

Bad things happen both personally and professionally. In the face of these setbacks, some people seem to fall apart, while others find ways to move forward and continue to get things done. Are there things you can do to be resilient (有适应力的)?     1    

Understand what you can control and what you can’t. The first is to be clear about what factors are under your control.     2     As you are occupied in those actions, you will find that you feel better about your work and will also be more productive.

Surround yourself with people even if you don’t feel like it. Next, engage with other people. When you are sad or stressed, you often don’t want to be around others.     3     When you talk about what is making you sad or anxious, you often find that other people have had similar experiences that they can share. In addition, social connection is motivating and can help you to focus on tasks that need to be done.

    4     Finally, go out of your way to give a positive interpretation (理解) of the actions of others. Your negative thoughts will influence the interpretation you give to their actions that can cause you to interact with their anger or mistrust. They will notice your attitude and treat you accordingly. Similarly, when you interpret the actions of other people positively, you are more likely to create good interactions with others.

    5     They will also help you feel better, because each success you have will boost your attitude toward the future.

A．Look for an easy win.

B．Give everyone the benefit of the doubt.

C．The answer to this question is yes-to a point.

D．But there are several advantages to social engagement.

E．Focus on actions you can take that will make your situation better.

F．These strategies will help you to minimize the influence of bad events on your life.

G．Instead, find something in your work life that you can complete quickly and successfully.

9 . My daughter was being thrown out of the sixth grade. The teacher said, “She may not be up to what we’re trying to accomplish.” He was really saying she didn’t have the intelligence. I got mad because I knew she was smart, just as my father had known I was smart when I was failing in school. We had her tested. I decided to get myself tested as well, and found that the troubles she was having were exactly what I had had — dyslexia. By then I was a successful television writer, and had won an Emmy Award for “The Rockford Files.”

If I had known earlier that something beyond my control could explain why I was a low achiever, I may not have worked so hard in my late 20s and early 30s. I was writing and writing. I was working for no other reason than to hear people praise me, because I did badly in all my courses.

I once asked a friend who had always gotten an A, “How long did you study for this?” He said, “I didn’t. I just glanced at it.” So he must be smarter. I began to ask, “What will happen to me when I’m not good at anything?” Despite my doubts, I did become successful, and people now say to me, “So you’ve overcome dyslexia.”

No. You don’t overcome it, you learn to compensate for it. Some easy things are very hard for me. Most people who go through college read twice as fast as I do. I avoid dialing a phone if I can, because I sometimes have to try three times to get the number right.

Despite my weaknesses I view dyslexia as a gift, not a curse (诅咒). Many dyslexics are good at right-brain, abstract thought, and that’s what my kind of creative writing is. And I can write quickly, and can get up to 15 pages a day. Writing is my strength.

The real fear I have for dyslexic children is not they have to struggle in school, but that they will quit on themselves before they get out of school. Parents have to create victories for them, whether it’s music, sports or art. You can make your dyslexic child able to say, “Yeah, reading is hard. But I have other things I can do.”

1. The writer decided to get himself tested as well because he________.

A．wanted to know if they had the same problem

B．didn’t believe his daughter had the problem

C．had to take a regular medical examination

D．accepted that his daughter was not smart

2. We can learn from the second paragraph that the writer________.

A．struggled and got better grades

B．didn’t work hard when he was young

C．was praised for overcoming dyslexia

D．was thankful not knowing of dyslexia earlier

3. According to the passage, a dyslexic person________.

A．is less intelligent	B．always fails in school
C．reads more slowly than normal people	D．performs worse in left-brain activities

4. What can we learn from the story?

A．Clumsy birds have to start flying early.	B．God shuts one door but opens another.
C．Never judge a person by his appearance.	D．No one can make a good coat with bad cloth.

10 . Father was diagnosed with brain cancer during the second half of my senior year. It is a time when all the big events in a girl’s life are happening. However, though in poor condition, father managed to be present at every occasion. His doctor said that by focusing on all my future events, it helped my dad live longer. I guess so because nine days after my high school graduation, my father died.

For the next week after his funeral, I didn’t leave my room or even to shower. Finally, my mom stormed in and said, “Megan, get up. I have something for you to read.” My father’s doctor had sent my mother a letter. It contained the typical “I am sorry for your loss” sentences. But this letter was far from typical. I could physically see the pain this loss had caused him. In his letter, he wrote about how my father inspired him to change his life and the way he worked. He expressed his desire to become a person like my father, who cared more for the people around him and put everyone else first.

After I finished reading it, I decided to live my life. I went outside and got a job as a summer camp advisor. I worked from dawn to dark every day that summer. I gave everything I had to the kids and slowly they helped to heal(治愈) me without even realizing what they were doing.

My summer mirrored parts of the life my father led in his last few days. I had spent the summer months giving myself to children. It was not the senior summer I had always imagined. It wasn’t all about me. I had learned the final lesson my father was teaching me, that in order to lead a rich and happy life, you must learn how to give yourself to others. By helping them you really are helping yourself.

1. The doctor sent the author’s mother a letter mainly to ________.

A．encourage the author’s mother to live a happy life

B．appreciate the author’s father’s influence on him

C．mourn the author’s father’s death

D．show typical concern for the family

2. What do we know about the author’s senior summer?

A．She got a job as her father had expected.

B．She gained quite a lot while helping the kids.

C．She worked hard every day to forget her father.

D．She spent it the way she had always wanted.

3. Which word can best describe the author’s father?

A．Fearless.

B．Generous

C．Cautious.

D．Selfless.

4. Which of the following could be the best title for the passage?

A．Dad's Final Lesson	B．My Senior Summer
C．My Father's Death	D．An Important Letter