1 . Everyone has a moment in history, which belongs particularly to him. It is the moment when his emotions achieve their most powerful sway over him, and afterward when you say to this person “the world today” or “life” or “reality” he will assume that you mean this moment, even if it is fifty years past. The world, through his unleashed emotions, imprinted itself upon him, and he carries the stamp of that passing moment forever.
For me, this moment — four years in a moment in history — was the war. The war was and is reality for me. I still instinctively live and think in its atmosphere. These are some of its characteristics: Franklin Delano Roosevelt is the president of the United States, and he always has been. The other two eternal world leaders are Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin. America is not, never has been, and never will be what the song and poems call it, a land of plenty. Nylon, meat, gasoline, and steel are rare. There are too many jobs and not enough workers. Money is very easy to earn but rather hard to spend, because there isn’t very much to buy. Trains are always late and always crowded with “service men”. The war will always be fought very far from America, and it will never end. Nothing in America stands still for very long, including the people who are always either leaving or on leave. People in America cry often. Sixteen is the key and crucial and natural age for a human being to be, and people of all other ages are ranged in an orderly manner ahead of and behind you as a harmonious setting for the sixteen-year-olds of the world.
When you are sixteen, adults are slightly impressed and almost intimidated by you. This is a puzzle finally solved by the realization that they foresee your military future: fighting for them. You do not foresee it. To waste anything in America is immoral. String and tinfoil are treasures. Newspapers are always crowed with strange maps and names of towns, and every few months the earth seems to lurch (突然倾斜) from its path when you see something in the newspapers, such as the time Mussolini, who almost seemed one of the eternal leaders, is photographed hanging upside down on a meat hook.
1. Which statement best depicts the main idea of the first paragraph?| A．Reality is what you make of it. | B．Time is like a river. |
| C．Emotions are powerful. | D．Every person has a special moment. |
| A．Franklin Delano Roosevelt was President. |
| B．It was his personal reality and part of his life. |
| C．There was not much to buy. |
| D．The war would never end. |
| A．It was ever real for him, yet he was not actively involved. |
| B．It was real for him because he was a soldier at that time. |
| C．It was very unreal to him. |
| D．The war was very disruptive to the people at home. |
| A．Adults would like to be young. |
| B．Sixteen-year-olds do not waste things. |
| C．Sixteen-year-olds read newspapers. |
| D．They will be fighting soon for adults. |
2 . The Voice Magazine recently had a chance to chat with Miss Patel, a 21-year-old university student currently living in Edmonton, Alberta. “Honestly, I am not happy with Edmonton because it’s too dead. No one socializes. Everybody likes to stay as it is. Personally, I haven’t found one person who likes to grow in their life. People in Edmonton seem to settle for whatever they get.”
When asked how she best studies, Miss Patel stated, “I was a kid who always took studies for granted. Till one day I realized it’s the most important thing. What keeps me motivated is my goal and the promises I have made to myself. I am completely focused on my career and studies, because believe it or not, hanging out with friends is a distraction.”
And her advice for new students? “Online universities and studies can be very overwhelming. You know, there is too much stuff out there. You may miss out on 90 percent of stuff you really need. But join online groups, call the student center and ask tons of questions. Go through every detail provided in the course. Make a schedule by what time you will finish the course.”
When not studying, Miss Patel is interested in “spirituality-gaining knowledge of nature, how to be the best version of yourself.” She continued, “I hit the gym quite often as well.”
When asked which famous person she would like to have lunch with and why, Miss Patel did not have any famous person in mind. She explained, “The respectful famous leads today were once a common man or woman. I would in fact love to just go on a special elite (精英) lunch with myself. I sit with myself and feel every emotion, making a list of my flaws and my positive characteristics. That way I am just getting a step forward of being a better human being. And who knows my betterment can lead me into being famous just like others!”
1. What can we infer about Miss Patel from the first paragraph?| A．She is honest and brave. |
| B．She is intelligent and proud. |
| C．She is outgoing and active. |
| D．She is unconfident and content. |
| A．She takes studies for granted. |
| B．She has an aim and commitment. |
| C．She hangs around with her friends. |
| D．She settles for whatever she can get. |
| A．There are too many groups to join. |
| B．The learner has to ask tons of questions. |
| C．It is difficult to make a schedule of the course. |
| D．The information online is too much to deal with. |
| A．She regard herself as a famous person. |
| B．Famous leads are common men or women. |
| C．She can reflect on herself and make improvement. |
| D．She can list the flaws and positive part of famous people. |
3 . That morning, I got the train as always. I was a publishing director and was looking forward to embracing a new day of work, as usual. I would always turn to the crossword (纵横填字游戏), but that day it didn’t make sense. I’d been doing it for 30-old years, but trying to read this one was like walking through syrup (糖浆)：
I said to my assistant. The
I was back at home a week later, and my goal was to get better and return to work in a couple of months. The way to
As the months passed, it became self-evident that I wasn’t going to be able to go back to my old job. For 25 years, I had
In the darkest months, I devoted myself to
| A．temporarily | B．scarcely | C．unbelievably | D．mildly |
| A．curious | B．reserved | C．casual | D．concerned |
| A．messes | B．deals | C．identifies | D．cooperates |
| A．practical | B．absurd | C．impossible | D．innocent |
| A．gaining | B．rebuilding | C．revealing | D．improving |
| A．slipped | B．doubted | C．wandered | D．fled |
| A．informed | B．evaluated | C．reflected | D．defined |
| A．angry | B．cautious | C．awesome | D．merciless |
| A．speaking | B．trying | C．writing | D．managing |
| A．since | B．until | C．so | D．as |
| A．favor | B．patience | C．sympathy | D．comfort |
| A．Gradually | B．Hopefully | C．Narrowly | D．Annually |
| A．above | B．with | C．beyond | D．below |
| A．arrange | B．compare | C．rank | D．declare |
| A．genius | B．community | C．dignity | D．family |
Cate walked slowly through the empty house one more time, memories crowding in.“Good-bye, kitchen,“ she whispered. A shiny spot on the worm linoleum (油布) stood out where the refrigerator had been until yesterday afternoon. Cate rubbed her sneaker over a pink stain in the carpet. That was where she’d spilled a glass of grape juice when she was seven.
Cate’s throat tightened when she passed the door to the laundry room. Short lines were pencilled across the door frame, with tiny numbers written next to them. Cate ran a finger over the numbers as she read them out loud.
“Age two, thirty-four inches. Age three, thirty eight inches. Age four, forty inches. Age five, forty-four inches.” “Stand up straight, now.” her dad would say as she stood against the wall. Then he’d place the ruler on her head and mark the frame with his pencil. Whoever bought the house would just paint over the numbers. All the growing up she’d done here wouldn’t mean anything to them.
“Cate! We’re almost ready to leave. Do you have everything?”
Cate jumped, startled. “Um, yes, I guess so.”
“All right. let’s go.“
Well it was no use daydreaming now, she thought, blinking back tears. They were moving, and there was nothing she could do about it. The only thing she was sure about was that she didn’t like the new house.
”So, what do you think?“ Mom asked. ”I think it’s the nicest one we’ve looked at.“
“Not as nice as our old house.” Cate murmured under her breath. Mom pulled her into a hug“Cate, I know you miss our old house, but we can’t go back to it. Dad’s job is here now. Why don’t you take a look outside?" Mom suggested.
Cate sighed and walked out the front door, banging it noisily behind her. The yard was big, with lots of old oak trees that stretched their branches up to the second-floor windows. Cate noticed that one huge oak tree (橡树) had wooden steps nailed up the side of it. She climbed up the oak.
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。
Paragraph 1:
As Cate settled back in the tree, a large knothole (节孔) in the opposite tree trunk caught her eye.
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Paragraph 2:
With trembling fingers, Cate took out a piece of paper from the metal box.
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5 . I used to make the same New Year’s resolution every year——to simplify my life and make time for me——but I was always too busy to stick with it for very long. Change is not easy for me. I liked helping people and hated to say “no” when I was asked for help. I was so overcommitted that I didn’t have time to just sit and read a book.
As I ran from task to task, I could never outrun the feeling that something was missing, that was real happiness, which seemed just out of reach. I felt like I was missing a key piece of the instructions on how to put my life together.
My real awakening came about in a strange way a few years ago. We were having the inside of our house painted and so we had to all the decorations out of the painters’ way as they moved from room to room. Somehow, we got along quite well without all the items we had collected over the years. Then we decided to think hard about what we would put back. Finally, we removed many decorations because they made the rooms feel small and cluttered (杂乱的). We put back only the things we really wanted. The house felt so much more open, peaceful and beautiful.
When I started to hang our calendar back up, I noticed how full each day was. Every square was filled in. I decided to continue my decluttering (清理) with the calendar. It was near the end of July, so I started “clearing” August and September. I kept doctors’ appointments, family events and commitments to church. But I removed extra tasks I had taken on.
Now I’m more relaxed. I’ve learned to say “no” when I was asked for help. I feel like I have blessed others by donating our unused items to charity. But, most of all, I schedule time for me each day to do what I want. The uncluttered beauty of our home and schedule gives me great peace and joy.
1. The underlined word “outrun” in para 2 can be best replaced by ________.| A．live without | B．escape from | C．stick to | D．take control of |
| A．She was too stressed out to continue her busy calendar. |
| B．The busy calendar couldn’t bring her happiness any more. |
| C．She gradually changed her attitude towards helping others. |
| D．The joy from decluttering her home encouraged the change. |
| A．Go to church. | B．see a dentist. |
| C．Complete extra work. | D．Attend family gatherings. |
| A．The Cleanup |
| B．My Busy Schedule |
| C．Regain peace and Joy |
| D．Live a Simple Life |
6 . I finished my dinner and went into a shop in the hope of finding some last-minute Christmas gifts. There was a lot to see. Every shelf and wall was
Walking around, I
“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass,” the plaque
Looking at the plaque, I thought back to a hot summer day before, when I
I
The plaque now hangs in my living room, which
One step
| A．connected | B．loaded | C．blocked | D．wrapped |
| A．spotted | B．struck | C．recovered | D．followed |
| A．candies | B．brochures | C．items | D．contents |
| A．digging | B．looking | C．running | D．getting |
| A．and | B．still | C．though | D．yet |
| A．notice | B．order | C．note | D．message |
| A．wrote | B．announced | C．read | D．recorded |
| A．sing | B．walk | C．pause | D．dance |
| A．unknowingly | B．gradually | C．continuously | D．undoubtedly |
| A．floated | B．squeezed | C．rolled | D．kicked |
| A．turned over | B．came over | C．ran over | D．got over |
| A．desire | B．dream | C．mission | D．choice |
| A．put away | B．set aside | C．slipped off | D．took down |
| A．boiled | B．baked | C．hurt | D．stroked |
| A．nervous | B．upset | C．desperate | D．ridiculous |
| A．cautious | B．curious | C．doubtful | D．worried |
| A．pure | B．temporary | C．gentle | D．serious |
| A．expects | B．reminds | C．promises | D．commands |
| A．distinctions | B．conditions | C．blessings | D．experiences |
| A．back and forth | B．at a time | C．little by little | D．now and then |
7 . Around the time I turned 40, I went to see a therapist, a man who knew me well. I tended to call him once or twice a year on an as-needed basis. I had reached the point of being able to sort through most problems on my own. But life had—as it occasionally does—grown suddenly complicated.
I had been trying with no success to have a second child. We had made an abrupt move from New York City to rural Connecticut in the wake of September 11. My mother had recently died. I was still shrinking from a difficult and frightening year. I found myself questioning everything entirely: “Does any of this make sense?”
“Everything about you makes sense,” said my therapist.
I found these words enormously comforting as they always are from him. I so badly wanted the narrative of my life to make sense. Two brief failed marriages—one at 18 the other at 28? Makes sense. My uneasy relationship to faith and doubt, having been raised in a strict, religious home? Makes sense. The emptiness I continued to feel at the early loss of my father? Makes sense. My impossibly anxious relationship with my mother? Make sense.
My husband, a screenwriter, is often asked to adapt biographies for film, and the struggle, he often says, is that lives have first acts, but they don’t have third acts(until they’re over) and second acts are just one damned thing after another. So how to understand the narratives of our lives? How to trust that everything about us makes sense?
Lately I’ve been wondering if perhaps the answer to this is not to even attempt to smooth things out. Sure, life’s road is nothing if not filled with unexpected surprises, both happy and not-so-happy ones.
1. What made the author begin to question everything?| A．Her old age. | B．The therapist’s intervention. |
| C．Complicated life. | D．Breakdowns in her life. |
| A．By giving examples. | B．By making a comparison. |
| C．By using data. | D．By presenting findings. |
| A．Every dog has its day. | B．Enjoy your life while you can. |
| C．Life is made up of sobs and smiles. | D．One careless move may lose the whole game. |
8 . It differs greatly between wanting to become a great magician and actually doing it. In high school, I staged a show and my entire world came out to watch—friends and family members, everyone I want to impress. The audience all looked on in horror, fascination and pity, sitting there mute, enduring the spectacle and waiting for the show to end.
A few years later, I staged a Harry Houdini-style underwater escape in the river that flowed through the middle of the campus of the University of Iowa, where I went to school. I stood on a boat in the middle of the river wearing nothing but biking shorts and weights around my wrists and ankles. The sky was dead and gray, and the water was dead and gray, and a freezing breeze blew across its surface.
Technically, I succeeded. I jumped into the water, sank to the bottom, and escaped from the locks and the chains before swimming to the surface. But it didn't feel like a success. When Houdini did it, thousands of people turned up to watch, I had about a dozen who stopped on their way to class, and the police showed up because someone thought I was going to kill myself.
I am living proof, though, that if you throw enough time and effort at something—maybe even anything—you can become good at it. I found inspiration in Houdini's words: "The real secret to my success is simple: I work from seven in the morning to midnight and I like it." This quote lived on a piece of paper stuck to the wall by my bed for ten years. I had hit Malcolm Gladwell's 10,000 hours of practice by the time I turned 22, and he's right—I got pretty good.
The week after I finished school, I drove to Los Angeles to begin my career as a professional magician. I have never held another job.
1. What can you learn about the show the author staged in high school?| A．It was a total failure. |
| B．The audience loved it. |
| C．He was fully prepared for it. |
| D．He earned a good reputation. |
| A．The police caught him. |
| B．He escaped being drowned. |
| C．Almost no one watched it. |
| D．It took him too long a time. |
| A．doing is better than saying |
| B．a good beginning makes a good ending |
| C．all good things came to an end |
| D．nothing is impossible to a willing heart |
