1 . It was midnight, and I was on my knees, burying head in my hands. I struggled to
To others, the decision was
Exhausted, I rose to my feet, and made my way upstairs to check on my children, finding each curled up in a
The decision, indeed, was simple. I would
To be sure, I lost a number of business opportunities. But I was available to
Now I have no regrets. I am
| A．put out | B．jump at | C．turn down | D．hold back |
| A．card | B．offer | C．letter | D．essay |
| A．simple | B．smart | C．casual | D．cautious |
| A．carefully | B．nervously | C．critically | D．eventually |
| A．light | B．sound | C．fresh | D．hard |
| A．relax | B．follow | C．rescue | D．inspire |
| A．decline | B．change | C．respect | D．accept |
| A．honour | B．backpack | C．weight | D．project |
| A．publishing | B．preserving | C．exploring | D．accumulating |
| A．devoted | B．connected | C．limited | D．donated |
| A．imagine | B．report | C．embrace | D．adjust |
| A．adapt | B．refer | C．turn | D．head |
| A．heart | B．room | C．mood | D．book |
| A．anxious | B．grateful | C．ready | D．famous |
| A．design | B．hope | C．worry | D．voice |
Often, when he came to visit, my grandfather would bring me a present. These were never the sorts of things that other people brought, such as dolls, books or toys. My dolls and toys have been gone for more than half a century, but many of my grandfather’s gifts are still with me.
Once he brought me a little plastic cup. I looked inside, expecting to see something special. But there was only some loose soil in it, which made me disappointed. He smiled at me affectionately. Turning around, he picked up a little teapot from my dolls’ tea set and took me to the kitchen where he filled the little cup with water. Back in the living room, he put it on the windowsill(窗台) and handed me the teapot. “If you promise to put some water in the cup every day, something may happen.” he told me.
At that time, I was only five years old. This whole thing made no sense to me at all. I looked at him doubtfully and asked, “Do I have to water it every day? What will happen?” He nodded to me with encouragement, “Yes, every day, dear.”
And so I promised. At first, curious to see what would happen, I did not mind doing this. But as the days went by and nothing changed, it got harder and harder to remember to put water in the cup. After a week, I asked my grandfather if it was time to stop yet. Shaking his head no, he said, “Every day.” The second week was even harder, and I became regretful of my promise to put water in the cup. When my grandfather came again, I tried to give it back to him, but he refused to take it, saying simply the same words, “Every day.” By the third week, I began to forget to put water in the cup during the day. Often, I would remember only after I had been put to bed and would have to get out of bed and water it in the dark. But I did not miss a single day.
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。
One morning, something amazing happened.
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This was perhaps my first lesson in the power of perseverance.
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Be pleased to do anything even though it is very tiny. In fact, there’s no single thing that is not
Make each day meaningful by helping someone or just making someone smile. The feeling
Never worry about the things you can’t change. Worrying can
Come on, everybody! Let’s live a happy life with a light
4 . Choice, we are given to believe, is a right. But for a good many people, choice gives birth to anxiety. Interested in the idea “too many choices are dizzy”. I have been conducting an experiment.
When presented with a menu in a restaurant, I’ll only consider the first few options on each page. I know, it sounds crazy.
This devotion to a simpler set of possibilities came in handy when our summer holiday to America was COVID-canceled. I didn’t go through a million TripAdvisor reviews for the best replacements. I simply went on Airbnb, saw what in England was still available and immediately booked the one I could afford.
| A．It was delicious. |
| B．It never proved worth a try. |
| C．But it’s actually quite liberating. |
| D．It interprets a lifestyle: less is more. |
| E．The same applies to home entertainment. |
| F．In doing so, I saved myself days of travel anxiety. |
| G．I’ve been expanding the choices I allow myself to have. |
5 . Amazing and perfectly beautiful, The Midnight Library is everything you’d expect from the genius storyteller, Matt Haig. I picked it up from our readers’ recommendations (we asked our readers to send in some of their favorite recent books) and I can see why it won Best Fiction of 2020 in the Good Reads Choice Awards.
The story follows Nora Seed, a woman who is struggling and feels like nothing in her life has gone according to plan. While the initial chapters of the book are quite sad, Nora finds herself given a chance to start over in the Midnight Library, a magical place full of books of all the different paths her life could have taken. Nora is forced to stay in the library and try out different versions of her life until she finds the life she most wants to live.
I loved the idea that no dream or fork in your road is insignificant, and that they all lead us to become different versions of ourselves. In one life, Nora is an Olympic swimmer. In another, she is a glaciologist living on a boat off the coast of Antarctica. The novel reveals in a beautiful way that the potential we all have within us is impossible to measure, and that we have the possibility to be happy in many different versions of life.
It also discusses how dangerous it can be to live your life with regrets. The Midnight Library revealed to Nora that even if you make very different choices, you may uncover a deeper appreciation for your current home and the people in your life. It is your perspective that matters.
I really loved the fantasy and magical realism in this novel, and I would love for this to be turned into a series where we get to explore The Midnight Library of other characters’ lives as well.
1. What can we know about the author of the text?| A．He should be an editor. | B．He is the friend of Matt Haig. |
| C．Magical realism books are his favorite. | D．He shares a similar experience with Nora. |
| A．A magic library. | B．The harm of regret. |
| C．The exploration of life. | D．Ways to make correct choices. |
| A．In a novel. | B．In a magazine. | C．In a history book. | D．In a biography. |
| A．To thank readers who introduced the book. | B．To honour Matt Haig, the author of the book. |
| C．To share the author’s opinions on the book. | D．To publicize the book to people who are struggling. |
6 . During the lockdown, my husband, Bob, and I were offered a pingpong table. I am a non-athlete but Bob does well in pingpong.
“What are we going to do with that pingpong table?” Bob asked me.
“The two of us will
I lost every game and I told myself that it didn’t
My husband and I
| A．sell | B．play | C．share | D．donate |
| A．happen | B．change | C．remain | D．matter |
| A．courage | B．honour | C．exercise | D．hobby |
| A．hated | B．avoided | C．missed | D．imagined |
| A．suggested | B．demanded | C．required | D．insisted |
| A．meant | B．helped | C．finished | D．lasted |
| A．fantasy | B．anxiety | C．memory | D．highlight |
| A．turned | B．added | C．dropped | D．linked |
| A．marched into | B．got through | C．passed by | D．came across |
| A．promised | B．persuaded | C．warned | D．taught |
| A．reason | B．key | C．goal | D．purpose |
| A．partnership | B．stage | C．amount | D．chance |
| A．enjoy | B．regret | C．deserve | D．receive |
| A．kindness | B．friendliness | C．happiness | D．business |
| A．experience | B．education | C．relationship | D．schedule |
7 . As to psychological well-being, the comfort zone is frequently perceived as a haven, a familiar location where individuals feel calm and peaceful. Pushing beyond this psychological state might have benefits.
The comfort zone can be understood as a behavioral metaphor. Within a comfort zone, an individual takes on a state of minimal anxiety without a perception of risk, responding predictably to deliver a consistent level of performance. These include behaviors that people do commonly, find relaxing, or that take them away from high-stress situations. Engaging in the same manner over time leads to a predictable and familiar zone of comfort. As creatures of habit, we become dependent on these routines that we know we can complete well to feel secure. However, by stepping outside of our comfort zone, we learn about our ability to handle new situations and control risks, leading to greater self-confidence, and lower levels of anxiety.
One study found that individuals who are more secure in stepping out of their comfort zone are more likely to be excited by and look forward to new experiences, feeling greater confidence in their ability to take them on.
One behavior that demonstrates the benefits of stepping out of a comfort zone is learning to play a musical instrument. When we consider actions outside of our comfort zone, we must assess our desire to engage in that activity. By weighing the pros and cons, we evaluate how uncomfortable a situation may seem, and whether the danger of entering such an unknown situation will be worth the risk.
Music offers a safe way to step out of your initial comfort zone because you can begin by practicing in an isolated setting, which offers a casual, safe way to build a new skill set. By picking up and practicing a new instrument, you have proven to yourself that you are capable of meeting an unfamiliar objective, thus decreasing anxiety.
1. What does the underlined word “haven” in Paragraph 1 most probably mean?| A．Habitat. | B．Shelter. | C．Community. | D．Destination. |
| A．We recall the old experience. |
| B．We think whether it is worth the risk. |
| C．We evaluate our thirsty for the activity. |
| D．We weigh the strengths and weaknesses. |
| A．The definition of the comfort zone. |
| B．The importance of psychological well-being. |
| C．The process of learning a new musical instrument. |
| D．The benefits of stepping out of one’s comfort zone. |
| A．How to Identify Comfort Zone |
| B．Staying Inside Comfort Zone is Important |
| C．Stepping Outside Comfort Zone Promotes Learning |
| D．How to Take Yourself Away from High-stress Situations |
8 . “I am so sorry,” I tearfully said to my principal investigator (PI), explaining I would not be able to return to work as originally planned. Before I became a parent, I had assumed a baby would fit right into my academic plans. But now, as the end of my leave approached, I realized I couldn’t simply carry on as I always had. I was worried this decision might signal the end of my academic career — but I felt I had no other choice.
Thankfully, my PI had more foresight. He told me I didn’t need to resign and that he could offer me a contract that would allow me to contribute to our project from afar. It proved to be an absolute career lifeline tailored to me.
Then five years after stepping back from academia, I felt ready to re-enter more fully. Because I had been able to keep my hand in during my time away, the prospect was much less daunting than it would have been otherwise. I ended up landing a lecturer position that allowed me to slowly ease back in, focusing on teaching and scholarship with research taking a back seat. And when, 4 years on, a senior lectureship position came up in the very group I had left a decade earlier, the timing was right. With both of my children in “big school”, I was ready to really put my foot down on the career accelerator. I got the job.
Now, 6 months into my new role, I am happy to be right where it all began, with involvement in so many interesting projects. But what truly made the difference for me was the offer of what I needed during that time away. I hope more institutions and PIs can come up with creative provisions (条款) for those in their workforce who don’t want to give up their careers but want-or-need to take extended periods of leave. And to those who are taking such breaks, or considering it, know that returning is possible. Above all, on both sides: Please do not discount extended leavers. We have a lot to offer — if we are given the chance.
1. What can we learn about the author from the first paragraph?| A．Her path to PI began when she became a parent. |
| B．She struck a balance between work and family. |
| C．She had intended to stick to her academic plans. |
| D．She chose to prioritize her career over her family. |
| A．Fearsome. | B．Realistic. | C．Regretful. | D．Promising. |
| A．Academic researches. | B．Supportive work environment. |
| C．Interest in the projects. | D．Involvement in engaging projects. |
| A．To analyse. | B．To entertain. | C．To report. | D．To promote. |
My father, Michael, led me through the little wooden house he’d filled with his paintings. “When I have an exhibition ...” he began, pointing to the artworks he’d created, before stopping. “Poor Pa,” I thought. In 1994 he got Parkinson’s Disease (帕金森氏病), which had shocked the whole family as he was only in his forties.
A husband and father to three, Pa had had a successful career running an advertising agency and had always been extremely creative. Outside of work, he’d spent 15 years fronting the cover band, Musical Chairs, which performed at the pub in Sydney’s Double Bay each week and, when I became a mother, he developed a very close bond with my daughter.
Even when his Parkinson’s advanced, my father decided he wanted to paint. “Why don’t you try classes?”my mum Louisa suggested to him. He agreed. In art lessons, the class practised painting still life objects, like pears, but my father had other ideas for his inspiration. He began producing abstract pieces, inspired by his favourite artist, Jackson Pollock, a leading abstract expressionist. “Why abstract?” I asked him. “Because,” he replied,“it helps us to see the world around us in a different way. You can look at these paintings and ask ‘what if?’”
Soon, I realized he was right. When I observed my father’s work, I could interpret each of them in many ways. Once he got started, he showed no signs of slowing down. The little house was quickly filled with more and more works.
But in 2019, Pa developed cancer and was given just three months to live. The thought of losing him was too much for any of my family to accept, but we soon received great news that a new form of treatment can help him greatly. Since he continued speaking about wanting to share his paintings with the world, I knew what had to be done.
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。
I told him I would help organize an exhibition.
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A month later, the big day finally came.
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10 . In Lincoln Elementary School, the students went wild with excitement on hearing the announcement of the upcoming science fair. Among the
Alex envisioned creating a volcano model for the fair, complete with a(n)
Their working together became a lively
On the science fair day, the school gym was full of scientific wonders. When Alex and Mia confidently introduced their project and skillfully
Alex’s decision to
| A．daring | B．curious | C．hesitant | D．eager |
| A．theory | B．biology | C．experiments | D．adventures |
| A．burning | B．erupting | C．talent | D．gravity |
| A．struggling | B．offering | C．demanding | D．managing |
| A．well-intended | B．self-absorbed | C．hard-working | D．easy-going |
| A．replace | B．accompany | C．join | D．instruct |
| A．exchange | B．race | C．change | D．challenge |
| A．sharing | B．checking | C．doubting | D．acquiring |
| A．aimlessly | B．randomly | C．leisurely | D．tirelessly |
| A．initiated | B．born | C．planned | D．located |
| A．analyzed | B．designed | C．filmed | D．demonstrated |
| A．contract | B．recognition | C．permit | D．degree |
| A．reach out | B．get through | C．give in | D．look up |
| A．competition | B．dignity | C．discipline | D．cooperation |
| A．destination | B．subject | C．must | D．signal |
