1 . If you want to stand out, 10,000 hours of training will take you much further than your natural abilities. Mozart is considered by many as the greatest composer who ever lived. Traditionally, many people ________ outstanding achievements like Mozart’s are due to talent, or even inborn inspiration or ________.

This assumption holds especially true for child prodigies (神童) like Mozart whose music talent ________ the world at the age of six. But looking more ________ at this phenomenon, we find that these individuals actually had to practice countless hours before showing their ________ remarkable talent. In fact, scientists indicate that a prodigy’s training typically ________ at a very early age, with massive time invested in practice.

For example, when the six-year-old Mozart toured Europe to ________ his brilliant piano skills, he had already ________ 3,500 hours of musical training. If you compare this to other pianists who have practiced for as long, Mozart’s ________ wasn’t all that exceptional. It seems that outstanding abilities come from intensive strict practice ________ natural talents. A study shows the only factor directly ________ the students’ level of achievement was the amount of serious practice time: the most ________ performers had practiced for an average of 10,000 hours, while the least skilled had only 4,000 hours of practice. What’s even more revealing is that there were no ________: All of the top performers had ________ great efforts to their practice. It seems that no extraordinary talent can ________ without tough practice.

1.

A．admit

B．assume

C．realize

D．hope

2.

A．motivation

B．progress

C．fate

D．determination

3.

A．amazed

B．excited

C．questioned

D．scared

4.

A．slowly

B．hurriedly

C．widely

D．closely

5.

A．old-fashioned

B．so-called

C．well-organized

D．newly-discovered

6.

A．begins

B．exists

C．ends

D．grows

7.

A．polish

B．spread

C．display

D．broadcast

8.

A．exchanged

B．accelerated

C．undergone

D．missed

9.

A．achievement

B．ambition

C．exploration

D．experience

10.

A．other than

B．rather than

C．as well as

D．in case of

11.

A．putting forward

B．adjusted to

C．bringing up

D．involved in

12.

A．aggressive

B．ordinary

C．energetic

D．gifted

13.

A．limitations

B．principles

C．exceptions

D．evidences

14.

A．devoted

B．adapted

C．saved

D．reduced

15.

A．perform

B．escape

C．suffer

D．shine

2 . At the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, Romanian gymnast Nadia Comǎneci made history. She performed a routine ______ on the uneven bars (高低杠), scoring a perfect 10. She pursued perfection in her practice, which led to remarkable ______ in the game.

Perfectionism is generally appreciated as a good quality. Therefore, it’s not ______ that perfectionism in society has been on the rise for years. And it is more common in certain ______ like top athletes and medical specialists. Perfectionism can be seen as a behavioral ______. Perfectionists usually set extremely high standards for themselves and others. According to researchers, such behavior is rooted in insecurity. Many perfectionists ______ that if they don’t pay enough attention to ______, it will hurt their performance. So they ______ their perfectionism even when it’s self-defeating.

Aiming for a high degree of success isn’t necessarily ______ as long as you behave reasonably. People with adaptive perfectionism work hard to meet ambitious goals, but are also able to ______ mistakes, changes, and problems that they didn’t anticipate. When encountering barriers, they stay flexible.

Maladaptive perfectionism, which involves an intense ______ for others’ approval, and a high level of concern over mistakes, is unhealthy. It tends to ______ individual confidence and affects relationships and overall well-being. To overcome it, it’s crucial to ______ your mindset. Start by being ______ and gaining a broader perspective. Give yourself permission to loosen up a bit on certain matters, enabling you to ______ what truly matters. Transformation can be challenging, but it is indeed attainable.

1.

A．randomly

B．temporarily

C．faultlessly

D．repeatedly

2.

A．talent

B．discoveries

C．transformation

D．achievements

3.

A．interesting

B．necessary

C．apparent

D．surprising

4.

A．professions

B．experiences

C．advertisements

D．agreements

5.

A．theory

B．tendency

C．measure

D．difficulty

6.

A．insist

B．confirm

C．worry

D．regret

7.

A．detail

B．interaction

C．instruction

D．recognition

8.

A．miss out

B．hold onto

C．set aside

D．rely on

9.

A．beneficial

B．reliable

C．harmful

D．significant

10.

A．avoid

B．tolerate

C．identify

D．forget

11.

A．argument

B．competition

C．desire

D．strategy

12.

A．indicate

B．weaken

C．stress

D．inspire

13.

A．shift

B．adopt

C．accept

D．strengthen

14.

A．realistic

B．cautious

C．decisive

D．helpful

15.

A．challenge

B．mention

C．evaluate

D．prioritize

3 . In one of my teaching experiences, a colleague invited me to talk to his undergraduate class about being a clinical psychologist. Afterward, a line of students stopped me before I could go out. They didn’t have questions about the lecture.     1     The students’ enthusiasm showed the anxiety about navigating (找到正确方法) opportunity-seeking.

    2     We encourage people to earn a college degree. We cheer on people who seek raises. However, emotional difficulties in opportunity-seeking and -taking can lead to our feeling stuck in the process. Because you can’t control how an opportunity will pan out, making your self-worth contingent (依情况而定的) on it creates a ground for anxiety and fear.

There are two ways that people try to deal with these feelings: avoiding opportunities and seeking them excessively. Opportunity-avoiders are too hesitant to follow through with pursuing opportunities. Since they are afraid of failure, they avoid having a try at the opportunity.     3     They might also turn down opportunities that come their way because they don’t feel confident enough to pursue them.

Compulsive (难控制的) opportunity-seekers get excited by the idea of an opportunity itself rather than identifying what the opportunity will mean for their quality of life. They find it painful to pass up opportunities even when they don’t have time for them and might say “yes” to thankless tasks.     4    

These two ways are well-intentioned but they are also self-defeating. The healthiest way to go about opportunity-seeking and -taking is building self-awareness.     5     Additionally, have a sense of what you want, which will help you choose opportunities more purposely and carefully.

A．But I didn’t have any opportunities for them.

B．They hesitate to ask for help, sometimes out of shame.

C．Figure out whether your behavior is clouded by emotion.

D．Rather, they were eager to seek a chance to work with me.

E．Pursuing opportunity is a healthy behavior that society celebrates.

F．It could also mean being patient for a better time to start a new opportunity.

G．As can be imagined, overloading one’s schedule does not do much to improve self-worth.

4 . I found a brown bag outside after our move. “Grass Seed,” it said in big letters. My husband and I _________ the seeds all over the dirty yard in front of our new house. “I have no idea if they will _________,” I told him, “but it’s worth a shot.” Just like our _________ to move to the rural Arizona.

Near our new house sat a charming cottage, which was _________ to tourists. I got a job offer to _________ the cottage. I’d worked in hotels for years, so when offered the _________, I jumped at it. Still, it was a big change. I _________ that it would be a right move.

While we waited for our grass to grow — or not — we _________ settled into our new house through our efforts. We made it a cozy home, despite the _________ in the front yard, which was still bare now. Meanwhile, many of the cottage guests became __________, and I got to know them well. I felt __________ to make their stays memorable. Perhaps I was better at that than __________.

But after a monsoon (季风) swept through, I woke up to a beautiful morning and looked out the window. There was no grass growing in the sunlight. __________, our yard was covered in a rainbow of zinnias (百日菊)! The front yard turned out even better than I could have __________, just like our new life. And it remains a powerful __________ of the beauty that awaits us in our new chapter.

1.

A．sought

B．spread

C．collected

D．removed

2.

A．remain

B．last

C．dry

D．root

3.

A．need

B．intention

C．decision

D．agreement

4.

A．rented

B．given

C．sold

D．introduced

5.

A．green

B．advertise

C．fill up

D．look after

6.

A．help

B．chance

C．service

D．accommodation

7.

A．pretended

B．decided

C．understood

D．prayed

8.

A．naturally

B．hardly

C．gradually

D．temporarily

9.

A．uncertainty

B．potential

C．danger

D．untidiness

10.

A．locals

B．employers

C．regulars

D．gardeners

11.

A．proud

B．grateful

C．curious

D．stressed

12.

A．house renting

B．yard cleaning

C．keeping house

D．growing grass

13.

A．Otherwise

B．Instead

C．Besides

D．Therefore

14.

A．imagined

B．designed

C．remembered

D．appreciated

15.

A．test

B．memory

C．reminder

D．choice

5 . I’m always cautious of the tired saying, “If it doesn’t kill you, it’ll make you stronger.” I mean, what about polio (小儿麻痹症)? Or loads of other horrible things that if you survive, you’re left scarred in one way or another.

For many years I worked in a specialist NHS clinic for people with eating disorders, which are greatly misunderstood and connected with vanity (虚荣) when instead it’s usually about control or even profound trauma (精神创伤). Eating disorders have the highest mortality of any mental illness, with one in five of those with an eating disorder dying from it. Treatment for it is long, tough and tiring. So, it’s fair to say it’s not something to be taken lightly.

Yet I was often surprised by how many patients-patients with all sorts of other conditions too, from depression to cancer -would tell me how the experience had changed them for the better after receiving treatment. It’s not so much that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger; more, it might make you more understanding of yourself and more sensitive to the battles and struggles of others. It can also give people a sense of determination and perseverance they never had before.

I had one patient who was an addict and alcoholic besides suffering eating disorder. She was frequently rushed into hospital and was sometimes at a real risk of dying. However, after years of hard work, she stopped drinking, stopped using drugs and her eating disorder improved. She got back into work and started doing several courses to get promoted. Actually, she had gone through numerous intense and exhausting interviews before landing a job, but she said whenever she felt she couldn’t handle it or doubted her capabilities, she reminded herself that nothing would ever be worse or harder than what she had already gone through. She managed to make the most of her life and turn her life around.

1. What does the author think of the old mantra?

A．Always applicable.	B．Totally absurd.
C．Partially right.	D．Quite misleading.

2. What does the underlined word in paragraph 2 possibly mean?

A．The number of deaths.

B．The possibility of being cured.

C．The rate of getting mentally hurt.

D．The chance of having mental illness.

3. How does the experience influence patients according to paragraph 3?

A．It leads to a changeable attitude.

B．It makes no noticeable difference.

C．It builds up their physical strength.

D．It fosters self-awareness and sympathy.

4. What can we learn about the patient mentioned in the last paragraph?

A．She continued harmful habits.	B．She relied only on medication.
C．She always believed in herself.	D．She became stronger and tougher.

6 . I came across an image of a distance runner with a caption (说明文字) that told readers to keep going at all costs. It _________ me of the sunk cost fallacy (谬论), a concept I researched in grad school after realizing I’d been so likely to suffer from it.

In high school, I had _________ five universities. Soon I heard from four, and Southern Utah University was going to give me the best _________. I paid them my $100 commitment fee. Two weeks later, the last school _________ an even better scholarship with full fees. And what did 17-year-old me do? I was still _________ to Southern Utah University due to the _________ $100 investment. It seems obvious to me now that _________ schools, even if it meant admitting I’d “wasted” $100, was a better _________ decision.

I’m not the only _________. People will wear clothes they don’t like because they have paid money for them and stay in unhealthy ____________ because they’ve been together for so long.

That you’ve sunk time, effort, or money into something doesn’t mean you should ____________ more. Our society loves to emphasize ____________ to keep trying. But only you know the right path for you. Sometimes ____________ is the hardest choice of all after all the hard work. You might ____________ a path you’re on is no longer the right one or never was. That’s a ____________ realization.

1.

A．accused

B．convinced

C．reminded

D．informed

2.

A．approved of

B．jumped at

C．taken in

D．applied to

3.

A．reward

B．scholarship

C．celebration

D．welcome

4.

A．offered

B．refused

C．expected

D．explored

5.

A．exposed

B．committed

C．admitted

D．used

6.

A．initial

B．extra

C．minor

D．generous

7.

A．attending

B．skipping

C．switching

D．visiting

8.

A．physical

B．cultural

C．moral

D．financial

9.

A．victim

B．student

C．customer

D．loser

10.

A．competition

B．lifestyles

C．state

D．relationships

11.

A．harvest

B．invest

C．ignore

D．pursue

12.

A．permission

B．curiosity

C．determination

D．freedom

13.

A．breaking out

B．walking away

C．giving in

D．passing down

14.

A．realize

B．doubt

C．prove

D．regret

15.

A．funny

B．stupid

C．relaxing

D．painful

7 . It was a sunny winter day. I had gone up and down the tower when, outside the little door at the foot, a blind man came toward me. He was a pale, thin man with dark glasses. He kept close to the inner wall of the courtyard. On reaching the door, he touched it and sharply turned inside. In a moment, he disappeared up the staircase. I stood still, looking at the little sign that said “To the Tower… ” I felt obliged to follow.

I didn’t follow closely. I caught up with him in the ticket office. There I was surprised to see the attendant selling him a ticket as though he were any other visitor. With the ticket in one hand and touching the wall with the other, he reached the staircase leading to the hallway.

“That man is blind,” I said to the attendant, but he showed no concern. “He’s blind,” I repeated. He didn’t answer, looking at me vacantly.

“Perhans he wants to jump,” I said. But his chair was too comfortable. He didn’t stir. He still looked down at a crossword puzzle he had begun. I turned toward the staircase.

“The ticket,” the attendant said, rising from his chair. It seemed the only thing that could move him. After purchasing my ticket, I hurried up the staircase.

The man hadn’t gone as far as I imagined. After ten minutes, I approached him. “Excuse me,” I said as politely as I could, “but I am very curious to know why you came up.”

“You’d never guess,” he said.

“Not the view, I take it, or the fresh air on this winter day,” I said.

He smiled. “Coming up the stairs, one can feel the change-the coo staircase suddenly becomes quite warm, —and how up here behind the wall there is shade, but as soon as one goes opposite a narrow window one finds the sun. In all of Siena there is no place so good as here.”

He moved into the sunlight. Then he stepped into the shade. “Light, shade, light, shade,” he said, and seemed as pleased as a child who, in a game of hopscotch, jumps from square to square.

We went down the tower together. I left him, gladdened as one can only be by the sunlight.

1. Why did the author follow the blind man?

A．To offer timely help.	B．To satisfy his curiosity.
C．To teach him a lesson.	D．To prevent him from climbing up.

2. What was the attendant’s attitude to visitors?

A．Enthusiastic.

B．Concerned.

C．Indifferent.

D．Skeptical.

3. What encouraged the blind man to climb the tower?

A．The fresh air on the top.	B．The pleasant childhood memories.
C．The fantastic view from the tower.	D．The striking contrast between light and shade.

4. What message does the writer want to convey in the text?

A．Nature is the best gift for humanity.

B．When one door shuts, another opens in life.

C．Every individual can appreciate beauty in life.

D．The disadvantaged deserve care from the society.

8 . I have discovered that I have a second shadow these days as I go outside. This one, however, has four legs instead of two. It is my daughter’s adopted, black cat: Miss Alice. Every time I go out the door she is waiting on my front porch, meowing to be petted. Then she follows me down the hill to my car sometimes running in front so she can get in my way for even more petting. And when I finally return home she is there asking for attention again.

It wasn’t always this way. The very first time I saw Miss Alice she was hiding under my house just having had a family of kittens. When I looked under there I got an angry hiss (嘘声) from her, warning me I was in for a clawing if I got near her kittens. It took a lot of time, patience, kindness, love, and cat food from my daughter to tame her. At first she didn’t want to be touched at all. Then she would only allow an occasional petting. Now my daughter can pick her up and carry her up the road to her house like a little baby. It still makes me smile to see how my daughter’s loving, caring and sympathetic spirit tamed this wild cat and made her as lovable as the most affectionate dog.

I guess that is the power of love. It can heal a hurting heart. It can save a broken spirit. It can uplift a sunken soul. It can free you from fear. It can transform your life. It can even take a violent, wild cat and turn her into a puppy dog in a cat suit.

Embrace (拥抱) the love in your own life then. Welcome the love of your family and friends into your life. And let your own love flow through everything you think, everything you say, and everything you do.

1. What do we know about the cat from the first paragraph?

A．It enjoys staying with the author.	B．It tends to be in the author’s road.
C．It is often ignored by the daughter.	D．It gets well along with the daughter.

2. What does the underlined word “tame” probably mean in Paragraph 2?

A．Feed her up.

B．Make her mild.

C．Arrange for her.

D．Dress her up.

3. What makes the author still smile?

A．The lovely dog.

B．The daughter’s love.

C．The cat’s babies.

D．The harmonious family.

4. What message does the text convey?

A．Where there is life, there is hope.

B．A friend in need is a friend indeed.

C．Love is life in its fullness like the cup with its wine.

D．Do what you fear, and fear that nature will fade away.

9 . Even now, I have vivid memories of my last day of high school. In my mind’s eye, I’m cleaning out my locker, and then staring at the emptiness for a few extra beats before slamming it shut for the last time. I’m roaming the halls with my best friend, blissfully ignoring the bells going off every 50 minutes on schedule because, just today, we’re allowed to break the rules. I’m sitting on my desk, swinging my feet, and shooting the breeze (闲聊) with my English teacher, Mr. Carr, in a way that makes me feel almost grown up.

It was maybe my favorite day of the whole year. Like the final layer of watercolor, the freedom and lightness I feel seeps (渗透) into the rest of my memories of that day and turns them just a shade rosier.

If the school year hasn’t yet ended for you, consider what you can do to make the finale count. Why? Because when it comes to human memory, not all moments are created equal. Instead, our remembered experiences are disproportionately (不成比例地) influenced by peaks(the best moments as well as the worst)and endings (the last moments). Nobel Prize winner Danny Kahneman, who discovered this phenomenon, called this the peak-end rule. It suggests that our judgment of a past experience is largely based on its most extreme point and its endpoint.

I took advantage of the peak-end rule years ago, when my girls were young enough to want a bedtime story each night. I remember thinking that whatever strife (冲突) and stress had occurred that day, I could make the last moments count. I could end on a note of calm and act like the patient mom I hadn’t quite managed to be just hours before.

Don’t mistake all moments as equal in significance. There’s a reason why yoga classes end with savasana (挺卧式). There’s a reason we eat dessert last. Do orchestrate (精心安排) endings. As Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll might say: Finish strong. Last impressions are especially lasting.

1. What does the underlined word in paragraph 1 mean?

A．Calmly.	B．Surprisingly.
C．Happily.	D．Curiously.

2. Which statement is true about the peak-end rule?

A．Peaks in life can be remembered better than endings.

B．The last moments matter the most in our memories.

C．Our judgment of the past is determined by first impressions.

D．The peaks and ends of experiences are easier to remember.

3. What is paragraph 4 mainly about?

A．How the author applied the rule to daily life.

B．How the author treated her daughters.

C．What struggles the author had in life.

D．Why the author read stories to her kids.

4. Why is Pete Carroll mentioned in the last paragraph?

A．To prove the peak-end rule can be used in sports.

B．To encourage readers to value the last moments of an experience.

C．To explain why last impressions are lasting.

D．To show the importance of doing sports.

10 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

Tomato Changed My Life

Doing things-without being planned was never my strength.

As a 14-year-old, I would refuse to go for walks around the block with my friends if I was the least bit behind in my schoolwork.

Unlike most teenagers, I lived not in my room, but in an unused kitchen upstairs where I spread my books and papers on a large round table. I spent considerable time there, working continuously for hours, and my mother worried. She would try to lure (引诱) me away. “Come and watch the parade!” she would call from downstairs. “All neighbors are out there!” She thought of all kinds of tricks-the swimming pool, ice cream, stray cats and turtles-to remove me from my -studies, but nothing ever worked.

Later, in college, the pattern continued. The library and my college dorm replaced the unused kitchen at home. When spring came along friends would stop by my dorm or peer into my library room to persuade me to play Frisbee on the lawn. “No, I would almost always say.” I have too much to do.

My college study days were gone, but not my need and love for schedules. My friends and sisters tried to keep me away from my plans, but they were hardly ever successful.

This summer, though, while house sitting for my parents, I was persuaded to change my plans in the most unexpected way. The sight of tomatoes growing in my mother’s garden lured me out of my tightly scheduled world. They drew me with the power of a lover’s gaze. Hundreds of them were turning ripe and red by the minute, decorating the garden like decorations on a Christmas tree.

“If I have time, I’ll make tomato sauce (番茄酱).” I told myself. But my long week in the house by myself was already filled with things to do: writing, and finishing a project that I brought home from the office.

Then, watching the fascinating tomatoes continuously falling to the ground in ever-greater numbers, again I mentally argued about all the things I had planned and needed to do.

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。
Finally, I gave in.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A month later, my parents came back.
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