2 . When I began to study flower arranging, I was slowly developing a deeper understanding of the_________ between all life.

In our first class, my teacher said that flowers can_________ talk and that they each have their own_________ of being beautiful. They have “prana” life force, so you have to pay full attention to them, rather than_________ your own ideas of beauty on them. So I began to ask the flowers how they wanted to be_________ and what positioning would make them _________ most beautiful. I waited and listened.

Even after the flowers had been_________ in the vase, I would discover sometimes that in the morning they had rearranged themselves during the night. Even if they were secured in the_________，they always seemed to be silently straining(尽力)to find their_________ place. At the same time, they were not__________ independent; they needed loving care. They were dependent on me, or whomever their__________ wasfor the day, to water them. Watching other people spraying water on the arrangements sometimes, I would feel so__________ by the scene. Small drops of water on the flowers touched the source of life and nourished the heart of beauty.

This experience made me feel how__________ it could be, if our minds are set in the right way to water not only plants, but__________,to treat all living creatures in a way that__________ them their right to be beautiful, in their own__________ and time.

What we came to notice was that flowers could also__________. Our teacher urged us to always__________ the flowers when we passed how beautiful they were and to thank them for sharing that__________ with us.

When we made our arrangements with this kind of__________,we found that the flowers remained beautiful and fresh for many more days than expected.

1.

A．difference

B．conflict

C．barrier

D．connection

2.

A．actually

B．hardly

C．briefly

D．mildly

3.

A．ways

B．goals

C．levels

D．measures

4.

A．pouring

B．focusing

C．relying

D．forcing

5.

A．covered

B．arranged

C．delivered

D．wrapped

6.

A．prove

B．grow

C．feel

D．smell

7.

A．put

B．cut

C．brought

D．handed

8.

A．garden

B．vase

C．cave

D．wall

9.

A．first

B．right

C．former

D．equal

10.

A．fully

B．apparently

C．mentally

D．firmly

11.

A．performer

B．babysitter

C．neighbor

D．caretaker

12.

A．amazed

B．moved

C．anxious

D．curious

13.

A．simple

B．funny

C．complex

D．foolish

14.

A．flowers

B．animals

C．grasses

D．humans

15.

A．allows

B．conveys

C．promtises

D．passes

16.

A．direction

B．space

C．energy

D．shape

17.

A．shake

B．listen

C．breathe

D．inform

18.

A．prove

B．select

C．imagine

D．rémind

19.

A．beauty

B．secret

C．message

D．treasure

20.

A．talent

B．policy

C．devotion

D．technique

3 . American author Gary Hopkins tells us, “A suitable apology can be a wonderful thing, so long as it is from the heart.” However, an apology is ______ to make.

A few years ago, I was a guest ______ at a conference for professional trainers. I was well ______, knowledgeable about the topic, and I felt confident as I ______ my speech. But afterwards, an experienced female delegate ______ me. We exchanged a few greetings, and then she dropped something unexpected on me. She said, “Do you know how many times you ______, from the moment you ______ to the microphone until the moment you left the stage?” “Sorry, I don’t know,” I replied. “Nine times,” she said. “And all of them were unnecessary.” I was ______. It was the first time someone had ever made me ______ my “sorry habit.” So what was the first word out of my mouth ______? “Sorry!” We both burst out laughing.

Of course, apologies shouldn’t be ______ that way. This incident raised my awareness of how we routinely use apologies. I know ______ to apologize is a big mistake as we’ve made a mistake or wronged someone else. How to do it? First and foremost, we need to understand real apologies or wholeheartedly saying “sorry” is ______. It’s like a big ______ into a relationship account and there’s no alternative for it. Actually, there are ______ apologies, which are tools of dodges (搪塞). They are awful and we should stop them. ______, habitual apologies are an unnecessary automatic response, as I ever made at the conference.

Generally, over apologizing ______ to happen when there’s a lack of ______ in your position, which will make others ______ you or even get unhappy. So we need to use apologies ______ and our attitude must be sincere. Refusing to apologize is a big mistake, and so is over apologizing.

1.

A．essential

B．impossible

C．reasonable

D．difficult

2.

A．editor

B．speaker

C．worker

D．member

3.

A．dressed

B．prepared

C．known

D．equipped

4.

A．formed

B．recalled

C．delivered

D．appreciated

5.

A．blamed

B．praised

C．discovered

D．approached

6.

A．interrupted

B．apologized

C．stopped

D．coughed

7.

A．caught on

B．brought out

C．stepped on

D．broke down

8.

A．speechless

B．hopeless

C．confused

D．frightened

9.

A．ready for

B．nervous about

C．careful about

D．aware of

10.

A．in reply

B．in vain

C．in return

D．in place

11.

A．ignored

B．mentioned

C．used

D．accepted

12.

A．regretting

B．failing

C．pretending

D．promising

13.

A．ridiculous

B．impressive

C．accessible

D．crucial

14.

A．sale

B．income

C．deposit

D．loss

15.

A．private

B．false

C．inadequate

D．illegal

16.

A．Besides

B．Therefore

C．Nevertheless

D．Instead

17.

A．expects

B．continues

C．deserves

D．tends

18.

A．motivation

B．confidence

C．energy

D．experience

19.

A．embarrass

B．challenge

C．misunderstand

D．tolerate

20.

A．suitably

B．normally

C．directly

D．frequently

6 . Many of us seem to have lives that follow a certain way. From kindergarten all the way to when we get married, every stage of our lives seems to be preset. And although this works well for a lot of people, according to British scholar Jay Shetty, there is no “right” schedule to live our lives by.

A few months ago, a video of Shetty’s speech “Before You Feel Pressure” became popular on the Internet across the world. In the video, he sends an important message that we should think “outside of the way” and have the courage to follow our hearts. As Shetty says in the video, we don’t have to get stressed and put ourselves in a race with our peers or judge our lives based on others’. “Everything in life happens according to our time, our clocks,” he says.

In his inspiring speech, Shetty points out that UK author J. K. Rowling got her famous “Harry Potter” series published at age 32, after being turned down by 12 publishers. Shetty also mentions that US actor Morgan Freeman didn’t get his big break until he was 52 years old. So we shouldn’t let anyone rush us.

As physicist Albert Einstein once said, “Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that’s counted truly counts. The key to staying on our own tracks is to be patient and keep our own interest. ” In Australian nurse Bronnie Ware’s best-selling book “The Top Five Regrets of the Dying”, she recorded the dying regrets of her patients, and the top one on the list was: “I wish I had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the one others expected of me. ”

Indeed, we are all unique in our personalities and gifts, and there’s no perfect fit for all. We should listen to our inner voices and ignore what the world has taught us, and what we’ve picked up from people around us. “It is important to allow people to go back to being self-aware of their own interests, needs and concerns,” Shetty told the magazine. “It’s disconnecting from what ‘makes sense’ to what actually moves you and what makes sense internally (内在地). ”

1. What does Jay Shetty agree to?

A．The stages of our lives should be preset.

B．Few people have lives that follow a certain way.

C．All people live their lives according to schedules.

D．We can live our lives not according to the given way.

2. According to Jay Shetty’s video, people should _________.

A．put more pressure on themselves

B．adjust their lives based on others’

C．decide their lives in terms of actual cases

D．compete with those who are better than themselves

3. Shetty lists the famous people in his speech to show ________.

A．everyone can be a winner	B．hard work is the key to success
C．great new life can begin anytime	D．success does not happen in one’s youth

4. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to Paragraph 4?

A．Everything that’s counted truly counts.

B．One should live a life as expected by others.

C．We should count and analyze everything in life.

D．The top dying regret was not living in the way one wanted.

5. We can conclude from the last paragraph that _______.

A．people should never listen to others’ advice

B．we should follow the heart and do what we want to do

C．what makes sense should not be about what people care internally

D．being self-aware of interests, needs and concerns is not acceptable

7 . It had been a long, hard, wonderful day. The two of us had walked from the sea’s edge through the length of a beautiful valley, climbed a superb mountain, travelled its narrow, rocky ridge, and now stood on its final peak, tired, happy and looking for the perfect campsite.

The experienced backpacker has a natural feeling for such things, and our eyes were drawn to a small blue circle on the map. We could not see it from where we were, but we followed our judgement and went down steeply until it came into view.

We were right. It was a calm pool, with flat grass beside it. Gently taking our packs off, we made the first of many cups of tea before putting up our tent. Later that evening, over another cup of tea and after a good meal, we sat outside the tent watching the sun set over a sea dotted with islands, towards one of which a ferry was slowly moving. It is not always so perfect, of course. On another trip, with a different companion, a thoroughly wet day had ended at a lonely farm. Depressed at the thought of camping, we had knocked and asked if we could use a barn as a shelter.

Backpacking could be defined us the art of comfortable, self-sufficient travel on foot. Everything you need is in the pack on your back, and you become emotionally as well as physically attached to it. I once left my pack hidden in some rocks while I made a long trip to a peak I particularly wanted to climb. I was away for nearly three hours and ended up running the last stretch in fear that my precious pack would not be there. It was, of course.

The speed at which the backpacker travels makes this the perfect way to see any country. You experience the landscape as a slow unfolding scene, almost in the way it was made；and you find time to stop and talk to people you meet. I’ve learned much local history from simply chatting to people I met while walking through an area. At the end of a trip, whether three days or three weeks, there’s a feeling of achievement, of having got somewhere under your own power.

1. The author and his companion knew there was a pool because ________

A．they had been told about it	B．they could see it on the map
C．they had seen it earlier in the day	D．they could see it from the top of the mountain

2. What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 2 refer to?

A．The map.

B．The mountain.

C．The pool.

D．Rocky ridge.

3. How did the author and his companion feel at the end of the day?

A．They were too tired to put up their tent.

B．They wished they could have found a farm.

C．They were anxious about the coming weather.

D．They were delighted with the spot they had found.

4. What does the author mean by being “emotionally as well as physically attached to” his backpack in Paragraph 4?

A．It is more than just a practical aid.	B．He walks better when he is wearing it.
C．It is not a good idea to leave it anywhere.	D．He might die on the mountains without it.

5. According to the author, the main advantage of backpacking is that you can         .

A．get fitter as you walk	B．make new friends while walking
C．find out how the landscape was made	D．gain an understanding of the area you walk through

9 . 阅读下面短文，按照要求完成阅读任务。

Growing up poor and having parents who didn’t receive a good education, I often struggled at school. What was worse, my parents often moved to different places. They likely did not realize the damaging effects it had on my learning as they moved from apartment to apartment, year after year. I attended seven different schools from kindergarten through the 8th grade. With a fragmented (片段的) education, I entered high school, not doing well in literacy and math. But it was not until I attended a major public state university that I really understood the academic gaps that I had in comparison to my peers. I had to work particularly hard to not only understand the textbooks and lectures, but also catch myself up in basic skills of writing and comprehension. But I wasn’t the one to forgo. No matter how hard it was, I persisted.

Today, I have many degrees, three of them are Master’s Degrees and I am currently in my second year of studying for my doctorate in Educational Leadership.

I share my story for various reasons, but mainly due to the hope that another young child, possibly growing up poor, can realize that an education is the ticket to the quality of life. It can happen for that child. One can be successful! One can overcome all obstacles.

Some days will be extremely tougher than others and someday those accomplishments will glow (发光), but giving up is not a wise choice. It certainly won’t lead to the light at the end of the tunnel. Therefore, we should take advantage of the challenges and difficulties to make us stronger and reflect on how to beat all the differences. We should foster our thinking that current challenges have been designed to build upon our strength, not tear us down. In this way, we can fulfill our long-term goals.

1. What made the author’s study much worse when he was a child? (no more than 5 words)
______________________________________________________________________
2. What did the author realize after attending a major public state university? (no more than 10 words)
______________________________________________________________________
3. How do you understand the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2? (no more than 10 words)
______________________________________________________________________
4. Why did the author want to share his story? (no more than 15 words)
______________________________________________________________________
5. What do you learn from the author’s story? (no more than 20 words)
______________________________________________________________________

10 . What is your calling? What is your purpose in life? What did you come to this world to do? Every day we read about how we should find our purpose and pursue it throughout our lives in order to find meaning and contentment. There are even scientific studies that show people who view their work as a calling rather than just a career or a job have a higher life and work satisfaction. So, what exactly is this calling?

I’ve personally struggled with this concept for many years. I knew that happiness not only came from a present state of joy, but also from the pursuit of an objective that gave me something to pursue. That is, until I found myself feeling empty despite my achievement of those goals.

And as I reflected on these feelings of emptiness and boredom that had arisen despite my successes, I realized something. Meaning and satisfaction come from a personal devotion to what we do and the intrinsic (固有的) fulfillment we get from it. It has nothing to do with financial gain, social advancement or any other type of external reward or motivation. It is about doing something that we love. It is about focusing our efforts and spending our time on passions that light the spark inside of us and allow us to share with the world the unique gifts we possess.

I had never before stopped to think about what I found intrinsically rewarding or fulfilling. Financial gain and external recognition were pretty much the only drivers I knew. More so, I thought this calling meant having one passion we were born with to pursue relentlessly (不懈地).

So, I spent some years trying to find this long-lost purpose of mine. I discovered during that time passions I had no idea I even had. Yet, I wasn’t sure how to make them into my life purpose. I searched for an answer but couldn’t find it. It wasn’t until I came to understand the truths about our purpose in life that I was able to find my place in this world.

Our purpose can consist of various things that make us feel alive. As we grow and evolve throughout the different stages in our lives, we may discover new passions and desires that change our sense of purpose and calling.

We all have a longing for lives that give meaning to our existence. The difference lies in how we go about accomplishing this. We must each find our own “shine” and then shine on.

1. According to the passage, the calling refers to________.

A．one’s view about careers

B．a task one has to carry out

C．a life-long career one chooses

D．a strong desire or sense of duty to do a job

2. Which of the following belongs to the author’s previous drivers for finding fulfillment?

A．Financial gain and external recognition.

B．Pursuing passions relentlessly.

C．Discovering new passions.

D．Finding purpose in life.

3. What is the real purpose in life according to the author?

A．Trying to do everything that you can.

B．Trying to achieve your ambitious goals.

C．Doing meaningful things with your passion.

D．Doing something that can be successful easily.

4. According to the 5th paragraph, we know that________.

A．the author spent some years making changes

B．the author used to think he had no passion at all

C．the author didn’t know how to search for the life purpose

D．the author has known his passions since he started to work

5. What conclusion can be drawn from the passage?

A．It’s wise to give up discovering our one true passion.

B．It’s useless to pursue financial gain and external recognition.

C．It’s necessary to find our own calling and pursue it with vigor.

D．It’s important to share our passion with the world without stopping.