1 . When I retired, my wife Peg said “Great! You’ll have time to clean the garage!” After 30 years’ ________ as director of a radio station, I would finally have more time for housework, but I worried I’d lose the sense of________ I had felt in my profession.

I pushed at the garage’s wooden doors, but they were as ________as I felt in this new stage of my life. I finally got the doors open and started to empty the shelves. Then my hand hit something ________. It was a common old metal can. I ________ the cover and found a ________ envelope with a postmark of May 13, 1940 inside. ________, I opened it and found some flower seeds in it, “ Eighty years old! I wonder if they’ll still grow. ”

I ________the seeds in a plastic pot. I checked it every day, but nothing happened. “I guess they’re just too ________to be any good, ” I told Peg in ________ . I picked up the pot to get rid of it, but something made me ________. I changed my mind and set it aside. Meanwhile, I was keeping ________, buying some books to improve my photography skills and teaching my granddaughters everything I knew about gardening and dogs.

Six weeks later, I was out in the yard when I ________ to notice the pot. A new bit of green-a leaf had ________. I proudly showed it off to my granddaughters. “Look, girls, even something this old can still ________ for its purpose and be pretty cool. Just like your grand- papa!”

1.

A．dream

B．belief

C．study

D．service

2.

A．freedom

B．purpose

C．trust

D．security

3.

A．worn

B．stuck

C．broken

D．lost

4.

A．delicate

B．special

C．hard

D．sharp

5.

A．removed

B．washed

C．cleaned

D．fastened

6.

A．labeled

B．selected

C．yellowed

D．ruined

7.

A．Curiously

B．Sincerely

C．Skillfully

D．Bravely

8.

A．collected

B．planted

C．abandoned

D．stored

9.

A．old

B．wet

C．weak

D．small

10.

A．anger

B．surprise

C．regret

D．relief

11.

A．delay

B．reflect

C．hesitate

D．disappoint

12.

A．upset

B．awake

C．social

D．busy

13.

A．expected

B．attempted

C．failed

D．happened

14.

A．showed up

B．fallen off

C．taken off

D．dried up

15.

A．compete

B．grow

C．survive

D．relax

2 . Several years ago, a neighbor kid kicked a football and broke a basement window of my house. Due to financial problems, I ______ it up, thinking I’d get to it someday.

Over the years, I had planned to upgrade to energy-efficient windows. But with the frame (窗框) rusted (锈) and firmly ______ in the foundation, whoever did it would need to chisel (凿) it out by hand. It would be a ______ process and there were six of those windows in the house. The cost was estimated at $15,000. It was simply ______.

Honestly, the thought of that window ______ me for years. I knew I needed to fix it, but I had built up the ______ so much in my mind that I put it off again and again.

Then I had a job change and needed to sell the house before moving away. But it was almost ______ to find a buyer if there was a broken window. So I pulled off the boards to face this thing head-on. I grabbed some rust remover, ______ it around the frame of the window, and gave it a pull. To my astonishment, it easily ______. I took the window downtown. It only cost me $12. I could have ______ the problem for only $12 when it occurred, but I let it bother me for five years!

______, this isn’t just about my window. Many of us live with broken windows of one type or another. They are things that seriously affect our ______ of life. If you recognize your broken window, don’t ______ to mend it. It may turn out to be ______ than expected. Usually we suffer more in_______ than in reality.

1.

A．tore

B．made

C．boarded

D．packed

2.

A．lost

B．stuck

C．buried

D．mixed

3.

A．brain-burning

B．labor-consuming

C．energy-wasting

D．risk-taking

4.

A．in a mess

B．beyond control

C．at hand

D．out of reach

5.

A．went against

B．relied on

C．ate at

D．appealed to

6.

A．difficulty

B．confidence

C．confusion

D．harm

7.

A．shameful

B．impossible

C．pointless

D．unfair

8.

A．blew

B．turned

C．passed

D．spread

9.

A．broke

B．fell

C．moved

D．missed

10.

A．addressed

B．ignored

C．delayed

D．considered

11.

A．Luckily

B．Consequently

C．Unexpectedly

D．Actually

12.

A．quality

B．pace

C．way

D．meaning

13.

A．attempt

B．guarantee

C．hesitate

D．pretend

14.

A．easier

B．tougher

C．rarer

D．worse

15.

A．practice

B．memory

C．principle

D．imagination

3 . 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。

When we were finally dismissed from the last class of the day, the students streamed out of the classrooms. It was another boring day after school. I dragged my feet home as I sighed. Yet another uneventful day, I thought. Little did I know that the day would take a turn for the worse.

The lift lobby (电梯间) of my flat was old and dirty. The walls, which were painted white, had been dirtied over many years. I reached my flat’s lobby, and pressed the lift button and went in. Just then, Mrs Lim, my elderly neighbour, hobbled (蹒跚) in. She looked ancient with tissue paper white hair, wearing a faded old-fashioned dress. I held the lift door open, flashing a friendly smile, and politely greeted her. I asked her how she felt that day and pressed the buttons. She thanked me for being so polite, then we were silent for the rest of the ride.

The lift fell down increasingly fast. There were loud clanking sounds here and there while the lift grew slower and slower. My heart beat hard and fast as my hands turned cold and wet with sweat. Unfortunately, the lift came to an abrupt stop at the fifth floor. I pressed the buttons hard several times, but it was of no help. The lights on the buttons had gone out. It soon dawned on me that we were trapped. An icy fear crept up my spine. Mrs Lim was hysterical (歇斯底里).

“We will never get out!” she cried with her face pale. It had become a colourless mask. I had no time to lose. I pressed the bell in the lift immediately. The sound was surely deafening, but what other choice did I have? Mrs Lim burst into tears. I tried my very best to comfort her, telling her that everything would be all right and that we needed to find out how to get out safely. Mrs Lim began having trouble breathing, and I immediately helped her sit down and loosened her collar.

Paragraph 1: Several minutes passed, but no help came.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Paragraph 2: Bang! My hopes were lifted when I heard the firefighters on the other side of the lift door.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4 . When evaluating people on various psychological tests, psychologists often distinguish between markers of absolute performance and relative performance. Absolute performance reflects the raw measurement of something, like the time it takes to run a mile. Relative performance is how a person rates in relation to their peers, as in what place a runner gets in a race.

The standards we use to evaluate ourselves are almost always relative, as we compare ourselves to our peers and the standards that are most familiar to us. For instance, in my private practice, I have one patient I will call “Omar” who is dependent on social services and makes less than $30,000 per year at his job. While this level of poverty would lead most people to wake up depressed each day, Omar is one of the most optimistic and appreciative individuals I know. Why? Because most of his closest peers — his siblings and friends from childhood — have lives far worse than his.

In contrast to Omar, I have another patient, an adolescent I’ll call “Lena”, whose family has property over $5 million. Lena, however, lives in an upper-class neighborhood where her family is at the lower end of the income level. Though Lena's family allows her to enjoy possessions and experiences that less than I percent of her peers across the world can share, she consistently feels “less than”. Why? Because Lena doesn't compare herself to the rest of the world; This is too abstract an exercise for her, as it would be for most of us.

Accordingly, whether a psychologist is psychodynamic or cognitive-behavioral, therapy (疗法) with individuals struggling with situational or psychological depression aims to solve the problems associated with basing one's self-worth on comparisons with others. Psychologists try to help people focus on personal growth around the achievement of concrete goals in line with their values. independent of the achievement of others. For all of us, defining these goals, especially during Periods of emotional calm, can go a long way in helping us to avoid the trap of relativity that often leads to situational and psychological depression.

1. What is the function of Paragraph 1?

A．To show the significance of evaluating people.

B．To motivate readers to study psychological tests.

C．To help people perform well in psychological tests.

D．To provide some background information on evaluating people.

2. Why does the author mention his two patients?

A．To measure different achievement.

B．To introduce the standards to evaluate people.

C．To explain relative performance with examples.

D．To contrast relative performance and absolute performance.

3. What does the last paragraph mainly talk about?

A．Setting goals in life is essential for everyone.

B．It's important to avoid unhealthy comparisons.

C．A sense of achievement can affect one's happiness,

D．Improving self-worth can help get rid of depression.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Happiness: Is it all relative?

B．Self-worth: Is it measurable?

C．Self-worth: Is it based on efforts?

D．Happiness: Is it associated with achievement?

5 . As usual, Lily bought expensive gifts for her children Alice and Peter before Christmas. Her job kept her busy, and she _________ got to see her children during weekdays. Being a mother, she always wanted to be _________ her children, but she placed her _________ first, thinking earning money was more important.

Lily _________ the gifts in secret and decided to give them a day before Christmas since she had to attend a business meeting the next day. _________, a day later, the meeting got canceled. Lily was _________ she could spend Christmas with her family. Therefore, she decided to _________ a party. Lily sent _________ to all her friends and her father-in-law, Michael. Lily was worried her friends would not feel _________ in the presence of aged people. Later that day, her children noticed the gifts she had bought. Unexpectedly, neither of them seemed __________ to open the gifts.

On Christmas Eve, Lily __________ her friends into her house. However, she felt __________ when she saw Michael walking in. On arrival, Michael gave Alice and Peter presents—some cookie molds (模具)! The two kids ran happily to their grandfather and showed great __________ for his gifts, asking him to bake cookies with them.

All the guests present were moved by the scene. Lily __________ all they want is their parents’ time and __________ not what their parents buy them.

1.

A．usually

B．rarely

C．always

D．never

2.

A．around

B．beyond

C．without

D．for

3.

A．family

B．heart

C．body

D．job

4.

A．watched

B．laid

C．hid

D．made

5.

A．Fortunately

B．Eventually

C．Suddenly

D．Amusingly

6.

A．shocked

B．touched

C．happy

D．free

7.

A．attend

B．throw

C．delay

D．rule

8.

A．blesses

B．regards

C．letters

D．invitations

9.

A．confident

B．warm

C．relaxed

D．cool

10.

A．shy

B．worried

C．easy

D．eager

11.

A．welcomed

B．led

C．signaled

D．waved

12.

A．uncomfortable

B．refreshed

C．surprised

D．calm

13.

A．respect

B．pity

C．enthusiasm

D．love

14.

A．noticed

B．realized

C．learned

D．witnessed

15.

A．money

B．passion

C．knowledge

D．attention

6 . One Second Every Day

I’ve been in advertising for eight years and used to work a lot of late nights and weekends for numerous projects.     1     One day I watched a talk called “The power of time off”. It’s about how every seven years, the speaker takes a year off from work so he can do his own creative projects.     2     I decided I had to do that. I need to take time to start my own creative ideas.

The first project ends up being something I call “One Second Every Day”. Basically I record one second of every day for the rest of my life, combining these moments into one single continuous video until I can’t record them anymore.     3     There’re many things I have no recollection of unless someone brings them up, and I think, “Oh, that’s something I did.”

    4     On a good day, I’ll have maybe four seconds I want to choose. I’ll just have to narrow them down to one, but even narrow them down to that one allows me to remember the other three anyway.

I don’t use any filters (滤镜), just trying to catch the moment as much as possible as it is. I started a rule of the first person view. Early on, I thought I should have a couple of videos where people would see me, but I realized that wasn’t the way to go.     5    

The project has many possibilities. I encourage you all to record just a small piece of your life every day, so you can never forget that day and treasure every moment.

A．It instantly inspired me.

B．The purpose is to remember what I’ve done.

C．I’m always energetic when doing things I love.

D．People might have different interpretations of it.

E．It’s difficult, sometimes, to pick that one second.

F．But I never had time for one I wanted to work on on my own.

G．The essence of my project should be recording the thing as I actually see it.

7 . My mother-in-law asked me to climb a mountain in her rural village. We went through tall and weedy expanse of grass, pulling ourselves up with the help of smooth bamboo trees. Weathered gray rocks dotted tracks only visible to an experienced hiker. The view we were rewarded with halfway up the mountain, fixing our eyes upon the colorful pieces of fields and whitewashed homes set against the deep green hills and a sky so blue that it looked digitally polished, was a side benefit of being there.

Our eyes were mostly on the wild eatable plants that grew on the mountainside. We first came upon the wild mountain bamboo, a plant that was the main part in my mother-in-law’s salted bamboo shoots that, once preserved, could be used all year long in cooking. Along the way, we also encountered another precious wild food — fiddlehead ferns (蕨菜). Those delicate leaves, when stir-fired, were a tasty treat. Once I had purchased fiddleheads at a market in the US. Yet there we were, picking this prized vegetable on our own, with only our labor as the cost.

What we had collected that afternoon looked the same as any other wild mountain bamboo shoots and fiddlehead ferns I had seen before in my mother-in-law’s kitchen. And yet, they felt different to me because I had used my own hands to help pick them and carry them back down the mountain. Spending time and energy gathering these wild plants gave me a deeper appreciation for the food that ends up on the dinner table.

“Many generations have kept this natural lifestyle. We depend on the mountains for our life,” my mother-in-law says. Those mountains and rivers supporting her life aren’t some abstract concept. They are right there, outside her door and within her rural village. Once I saw them through her angle that afternoon, I realized they are closer to me than I ever imagined.

1. Why was the author asked to climb a mountain?

A．To pull some bamboo trees.	B．To enjoy its beautiful scenery.
C．To get some wild vegetables.	D．To lake some digital pictures.

2. What made the picked fiddlehead ferns different?

A．The fresh leaves.	B．The input of labor.
C．The rich nutrition.	D．The help from Mother-in-law.

3. What does the author want to show by quoting her mother-in-law?

A．Nature feeds villagers and sustains their life.

B．City people want to settle down in mountains.

C．Rural areas are inaccessible to some outsiders.

D．Farmers dream of changing the natural lifestyle.

4. How does the author sound when telling the story?

A．Humorous.

B．Anxious.

C．Satisfied.

D．Tolerant.

8 . “A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for,” said John A. Shedd, an early 20th century author. Throughout the Covid-19, we’ve all become used to assessing risk in new ways. We’ve come to understand, though we can never get rid of risk altogether, we have great power to make choices both large and small to protect ourselves.    1    It stops us from stepping outside of our comfort zones and trying new things.

Developmental psychologists talk about “positive risks” — socially acceptable risks that our lives can benefit from.    2    But what about these, who develop into adults? Researchers have found that happiness for older adults is being able to choose how they spend their time, including ways that are adventurous, new and even-like hiking or other outdoor activities — mildly risky.

One guide to positive risk management lists ways that people can make sure their risks are on the “safe" side of risk range. For example, to ensure a successful bike ride, you should in advance equip yourself with a fully-charged cell phone and a full water bottle.    3     Or if you are, concerned about your physical capacity, consult a certified trainer or medical professional before departure.

    4    This means adapting to changing situations. In response to the deadly virus, people choose to step back into normal life only after they are vaccinated. In this way, people could be confident that the risk is tolerable.

Nobody wants to be needlessly risky. But using our newly-acquired risk assessment tools, we can once again learn and grow in our lives.    5    

A．Take risks in a positive way.

B．But the self-protective mind state carries its own risk.

C．Overall happiness is one benefit of positive risk-taking.

D．Remember to tell one of your friends or family your destination.

E．Besides taking preventive steps, flexible thinking is also encouraged.

F．Like a ship sailing away from its harbor, that is what we were built to do.

G．For teenagers, this means risks like running for monitor or trying out for a team.

9 . Kala has deep ties to her Hawaiian roots. Her ancestors navigated (航行) the oceans for centuries using their knowledge of the stars, the sun, the currents and the wind. It’s not that she does it in a canoe without technology, but rather uses the natural technology around her. It’s called Way finding, and was taught to her by her father.

“My father was my foundation, my rock.” she says of her first voyage with him from Oahu to Lahaina in a traditional canoe. He taught her how to read the stars, the ocean swells and how to use them to hold the course. “Over 200 stars have specific names and purposes when you are Way finding. You have to look at each and determine if they are rising or setting. You know this star and the direction it represents. If you can do that, you can use it as a tool to orient (确定方向).” Kala added.

Kala Tanaka sailed the canoe in the ocean for up to three weeks. During the day, Kala used the sun until it hit a certain height. When she got closer to land, she looked for certain species of land birds and clouds that indicated there was land below. When Kala sailed she felt “I feel very connected to the crew and the canoe. We’re a family.” The longer voyage required Kala to spend hours studying the day and the night skies. It was demanding physical work. But it also had its moments of awe. For Kala, the beauty was in tying together the past and the present to enjoy the moment. So when she was not sailing, she was teaching Way finding skills to school-aged children in hopes of preserving the skills her ancestors relied on.

It’s easy to be lost in the immediacy of the technology of our day, to be consumed by screens and miss the nature that unfolds around us. But if we will take the time to look up, to see the stars and the sun, the way the clouds move, the miracle of life beneath and above us, we will discover something deep inside us, something that will always lead to happiness.

1. How does Kala navigate the ocean in a canoe?

A．By observing the natural elements around.

B．By following the course of ocean currents.

C．By using hi-technology navigation devices.

D．By recalling the first voyage with her father.

2. What did Kala think of the three-week canoe voyage?

A．It was a heroic adventure.	B．It brought great joy to her life.
C．It was school children’s favorite.	D．It represented a kind of innovation.

3. What does the author suggest we do?

A．Enjoy the screens.	B．Explore the universe.
C．Get close to nature.	D．Keep the earth clean.

4. What is the best title of the text?

A．Finding Our Way	B．Navigating the Ocean
C．The Wisdom from Ancestors	D．An Unforgettable Journey

10 . It was midnight, and I was on my knees, burying head in my hands. I struggled to________the sobs that threatened to wake my two tiny children. The call came just hours ago—I got the job. After five interviews and three presentations, I received a generous ________, one that needed my answer by tomorrow.

To others, the decision was ________—live the dream, with its security. But to me, taking the job would_______ compromise my heart.

Exhausted, I rose to my feet, and made my way upstairs to check on my children, finding each curled up in a________sleep. I heard their breathing, soft and even I became one with the moment. And in that breathtaking silence, I heard a voice:________your heart. The words echoed through my soul.

The decision, indeed, was simple. I would ________ somebody else's dream job and keep my own. I felt a great ________ lift off my shoulders. I pursued my options for working for myself. I started to write and edit, ________pages of scripts. I stretched myself and discovered that I could learn anything if I ________ some time to it.

To be sure, I lost a number of business opportunities. But I was available to ________the simple moments with my children. On sunny days, we'd ________ to the zoo with my backpack of work projects. Each night, when I tucked my kids into bed, my ________ was full. Over time, as my kids grew, my business did, too.

Now I have no regrets. I am ________ for the life that I have, a cherished closeness with my now adult children and a variety of fulfilling, passion-filled work. I'm glad I trusted my inner ________.

1.

A．put out

B．jump at

C．turn down

D．hold back

2.

A．card

B．offer

C．letter

D．essay

3.

A．simple

B．smart

C．casual

D．cautious

4.

A．carefully

B．nervously

C．critically

D．eventually

5.

A．light

B．sound

C．fresh

D．hard

6.

A．relax

B．follow

C．rescue

D．inspire

7.

A．decline

B．change

C．respect

D．accept

8.

A．honour

B．backpack

C．weight

D．project

9.

A．publishing

B．preserving

C．exploring

D．accumulating

10.

A．devoted

B．connected

C．limited

D．donated

11.

A．imagine

B．report

C．embrace

D．adjust

12.

A．adapt

B．refer

C．turn

D．head

13.

A．heart

B．room

C．mood

D．book

14.

A．anxious

B．grateful

C．ready

D．famous

15.

A．design

B．hope

C．worry

D．voice