1 . Automation certainly has its advantages. I am grateful for my cellphone that
I recently decided to spend a day
That evening I told my
A.surprisingly | B.firmly | C.reliably | D.carefully |
A.simplified | B.enhanced | C.connected | D.replaced |
A.erupted | B.helped | C.counted | D.increased |
A.considering | B.chasing | C.setting | D.accomplishing |
A.settled down | B.set out | C.hung out | D.took off |
A.world | B.money | C.seat | D.corner |
A.reach | B.command | C.side | D.service |
A.gathering | B.learning | C.exchange | D.atmosphere |
A.exciting | B.humorous | C.doubtful | D.critical |
A.supermarket | B.theater | C.field | D.restaurant |
A.advocated | B.suggested | C.insisted | D.begged |
A.secret | B.problem | C.experiment | D.opinion |
A.interrupted | B.remarked | C.admitted | D.understood |
A.instruction | B.cellphone | C.assistance | D.effort |
A.valued | B.enjoyed | C.missed | D.admired |
As an independent, self-reliant person who always handled everything by myself, I didn’t expect parenting to be hard. Oh, sure, it’s difficult for other people. I heard parents complaining all the time — kids are challenging; nothing is ever clean; there’s not enough time in the day to do everything. But that was “other people” and I knew I could handle it. How complicated could it be?
I’d always dreamed of adopting a child, and finally my dream came true one summer afternoon. Even though we had requested only one child, the worker asked, “Could you take another baby and his eleven-year-old brother?” Of course, we could. We had room to have all three boys together.
The first week after they moved in, I spent my days rushing from task to task, cleaning and making sure they had all they needed. I constantly organized our living room, which was suddenly full of toys, and picked up the path of destruction left in the boys’ wake. Cooking and cleaning after meals and snacks seemed to take half of my day. I hardly ever sat; something always needed to be done.
“I think we need a break,” my husband told me one evening as I was falling asleep on the couch as usual.
“No,” I refused. The idea of sending them to a stranger sickened me. However, with each passing day, I was growing more and more exhausted. Besides meeting the physical needs of the boys, there were medical and emotional needs. Both the little ones constantly clung (黏住) to me. It was never quiet in our house; I felt overwhelmed.
One night, my husband said firmly that he needed a break. Whether I “needed” one or not, we were going to take one. With tears rolling down my cheeks, I nodded, knowing it was true, although I didn’t want to admit my weakness.
I called my parents.
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Asking for help is something I must keep re-learning as time goes on, but it’s getting easier.
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3 . The law of supply and demand determines that an overabundance of anything will lead to a decrease in price. This rule applies not only to goods and services, but also to lifestyle and fashion trends.
In the 19th century, the primitive paintings of Picasso and Matisse shook up the positive image of the French bourgeoisie (中产阶级). In the 1970s, talented musicians with tailored costumes and egos were overshadowed by a band of punk rockers who sang about the harsh realities of ordinary life in poor urban areas.
I predict that this will also happen with beauty standards. The idealized version of life portrayed in fashion magazines will reach a turning point, as people become tired of unattainable perfection.
During my time in Washington D.C. in the 1990s, I had the opportunity to interact with numerous political celebrities. While chatting with former presidents or bumping into TV pundits (名嘴) in elevators, I also assisted former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, who was my boss’s boss. What struck me was how ordinary these people appeared in real life despite their public characters. Like everyone else, they grappled with insecurities and mood swings, even though they were constantly under the spotlight.
Yes, it was great to drop names on the phone to my friends. My father, of course, couldn’t understand why I would ever want to leave. “Because you’re not me and I’m not impressed,” I told him. We do not need to lead a luxurious life or make groundbreaking achievements to be content. Happiness can be found in living out the ordinary moments of an authentic life.
Most of us end up being ordinary people without doing anything that changes the world, but that does not mean our lives are meaningless. In fact, it is precisely this realization that leads to sustainable happiness because, when all is said and done, no one’s lifestyle is essentially better than any other’s.
1. Which of the following phrase can best replace the underline phrase in paragraph 4?A.struggled with | B.put up with | C.came up with | D.fought with |
A.supportive | B. indifferent | C.opposed | D.unimpressed |
A.They are just like ordinary people. |
B.They lack the ability to lead a normal life. |
C.They are not as successful as they claim to be. |
D.They are not as intelligent as they appear on TV. |
A.People should strive for a better lifestyle. |
B.No one’s lifestyle is inherently superior to others’. |
C.People should be content with their own lifestyles. |
D.People should critically evaluate other people’s lifestyles. |
When Li Bai, Master Cen, Dan Qiusheng and others fly freely like elves into the colorful clouds,
5 . Two of the saddest words in the English language are “if only”. I live my life with the goal of never having to say those words, because they express regret, lost opportunities, mistakes, and disappointment.
My father is famous in our family for saying, “Take the extra minute to do it right.” I always try to live by the “extra minute” rule. When my children were young and likely to cause accidents, I always thought about what I could do to avoid an “if only” moment, whether it was something minor like moving a cup full of hot coffee away from the edge of a counter, or something that required a little more work such as taping padding (衬垫) onto the sharp comers of a glass coffee table.
I don’t only avoid (避免) those “if only” moments when it comes to safety. it’s equally important to avoid “if only” in our personal relationships. We all know people who lost a loved one and regretted that they had foregone an opportunity to say, “I love you” or “I forgive you.” When my father announced he was going to the eye doctor across from my office on Good Friday, I told him that it was a holiday for my company and I wouldn’t be here. But then I thought about the fact that he’s 84 years old and I realized that I shouldn’t give up an opportunity to see him. I called him and told him I had decided to go to work on my day off after all.
I know there will still be occasions when I have to say “if only” about something, but my life is definitely better because of my policy of doing everything possible to avoid that eventuality (可能发生的事). And even though it takes an extra minute to do something right, or it occasionally takes an hour or two in my busy schedule to make a personal connection, I know that I’m doing the right thing. I’m buying myself peace of mind and that’s the best kind of insurance (保障) for my emotional well-being.
1. Which of the following is an example of the “extra minute” rule?A.Start the car the moment everyone is seated. |
B.Leave the room for a minute with the iron working. |
C.Wait for an extra minute so that the steak tastes better. |
D.Move an object out of the way before it trips (绊倒) someone. |
A.To keep her appointment with the eye doctor. |
B.To meet her father who was already an old man. |
C.To join in the holiday celebration of the company. |
D.To finish her work before the deadline approached. |
A.given up. | B.Lacked. | C.Avoided. | D.Wasted. |
A.The Emotional Well-being | B.The Two Saddest Words |
C.The Most Useful Rule | D.The Peace of Mind |
6 . “Sorry, that’s incorrect.” Never had I thought that, with the simple word “substitute”, I would meet my Waterloo in a
The spelling competition is
Eventually, the day arrived. Seated onstage, holding my pen and paper
Watching the other contestants (选手) spelling out their words, I waited for my
I wrote down the first four letters on my
Making such a
A.spelling | B.shooting | C.sports | D.beauty |
A.impossibly | B.frequently | C.undoubtedly | D.initially |
A.poetry | B.pronunciation | C.vocabulary | D.grammar |
A.managed | B.performed | C.functioned | D.worked |
A.planned | B.promised | C.ordered | D.requested |
A.coin | B.memorize | C.use | D.write |
A.casually | B.loosely | C.patiently | D.tightly |
A.beating | B.aching | C.wondering | D.sinking |
A.call | B.signal | C.turn | D.count |
A.attractive | B.interesting | C.complex | D.easy |
A.paper | B.book | C.screen | D.desk |
A.Congratulations | B.Sorry | C.Yes | D.No |
A.fortune | B.decision | C.mess | D.mistake |
A.song | B.saying | C.lecture | D.speech |
A.point out | B.insist on | C.subscribe to | D.lead to |
7 . “The silence is killing me,” I thought as I locked my phone, hoping a new message would light up the screen. After 27 messages, two phone calls and a voicemail, I’d just sent my final text to the person who
We met in our freshman year and, since we
Over the past few years, the concept of “drawing boundaries” has
The
Sometimes it can feel
A.tried | B.used | C.happened | D.promised |
A.signed up for | B.looked forward to | C.took advantage of | D.kept up with |
A.gradually | B.barely | C.routinely | D.finally |
A.suggested | B.regretted | C.delayed | D.stopped |
A.unforgettable | B.special | C.boring | D.painful |
A.fragile | B.romantic | C.close | D.formal |
A.comment | B.explanation | C.apology | D.complaint |
A.Otherwise | B.Instead | C.Meanwhile | D.Therefore |
A.letter | B.excuse | C.experience | D.silence |
A.exploded | B.disappeared | C.survived | D.changed |
A.hardly | B.permanently | C.accidentally | D.consistently |
A.harmony | B.change | C.separation | D.competition |
A.caused | B.required | C.persuaded | D.expected |
A.effects | B.benefits | C.origins | D.characteristics |
A.reduce | B.express | C.create | D.share |
A.open-minded | B.objective | C.optimistic | D.twisted |
A.disturb | B.impress | C.hurt | D.support |
A.easier | B.stronger | C.calmer | D.warmer |
A.cooperation | B.guidance | C.self-care | D.friendship |
A.reminds | B.robs | C.convinces | D.warns |
8 . “The silence is killing me,” I thought as I locked my phone, hoping a new message would light up the screen. After 27 messages, two phone calls and a voicemail, I’d just sent my final text to the person who
Over the past few years, the concept of “drawing boundaries” has
The
Sometimes it can feel
A.tried | B.happened | C.used | D.promised |
A.looked up to | B.signed up for | C.made use of | D.kept up with |
A.occasionally | B.barely | C.finally | D.routinely |
A.suggested | B.regretted | C.delayed | D.stopped |
A.painful | B.special | C.boring | D.unforgettable |
A.fragile | B.romantic | C.close | D.formal |
A.explanation | B.comment | C.apology | D.complaint |
A.Otherwise | B.Therefore | C.Meanwhile | D.Instead |
A.letter | B.silence | C.experience | D.excuse |
A.exploded | B.disappeared | C.survived | D.changed |
A.occur | B.perform | C.occupy | D.observe |
A.harmony | B.charge | C.competition | D.separation |
A.required | B.caused | C.persuaded | D.expected |
A.effects | B.origins | C.benefits | D.characteristics |
A.reduce | B.express | C.create | D.share |
A.open-minded | B.twisted | C.conservative | D.objective |
A.disturb | B.impress | C.support | D.hurt |
A.cooler | B.easier | C.calmer | D.warmer |
A.co-operation | B.guidance | C.self-care | D.friendship |
A.robs | B.reminds | C.convinces | D.warns |
9 . A few months ago, one of my fellow graduate students was offered an incredible career-building opportunity. His efforts on a student-led campaign to increase federal funding for basic research had
Growing up, I had been taught that the way to
So, with my
I think advocating for myself will always make me a little
A.turned down | B.lacked for | C.referred to | D.led to |
A.thankful | B.happy | C.sorry | D.ready |
A.legal | B.mental | C.equal | D.special |
A.invited | B.promoted | C.informed | D.dismissed |
A.practice | B.success | C.power | D.reality |
A.observed | B.protected | C.attracted | D.rewarded |
A.shyness | B.warmth | C.kindness | D.sweetness |
A.quietly | B.frequently | C.rarely | D.completely |
A.therefore | B.however | C.otherwise | D.instead |
A.advocate | B.promise | C.harvest | D.sacrifice |
A.brain | B.heart | C.bone | D.stomach |
A.get-together | B.background | C.self-doubt | D.breakthrough |
A.stubborn | B.proud | C.nervous | D.humble |
A.add | B.send | C.report | D.track |
A.let alone | B.rather than | C.in turn | D.for example |
A.idea | B.test | C.visit | D.plan |
A.professional | B.personal | C.suspicious | D.traditional |
A.unreasonable | B.dishonest | C.uncomfortable | D.discontent |
A.figure | B.predict | C.record | D.ensure |
A.health | B.colleague | C.education | D.career |
10 . I never really saw myself as a person with a bit of enthusiasm. After leaving school, I got married and went into the family business. I spent most of my time at work, or at home, still thinking about
When I was 38, however, my father died from a sudden heart attack. That
Having no real
Happily, my self-esteem (自尊) and confidence levels
We should be enthusiastic, find our purpose, and make our life more meaningful. It took me a long time to
A.work | B.art | C.education | D.friendship |
A.small | B.busy | C.gentle | D.smart |
A.painful | B.hopeful | C.delightful | D.shameful |
A.vote | B.depend | C.reflect | D.base |
A.food | B.money | C.time | D.comfort |
A.soft | B.strange | C.sleepy | D.fresh |
A.regulation | B.reputation | C.explanation | D.direction |
A.express | B.take | C.develop | D.raise |
A.show off | B.work out | C.give away | D.set aside |
A.protect | B.quit | C.achieve | D.forget |
A.encouraged | B.chose | C.forced | D.contradicted |
A.In all | B.At first | C.At last | D.In addition |
A.considered | B.noticed | C.completed | D.accepted |
A.frustrating | B.challenging | C.relaxing | D.embarrassing |
A.faded | B.declined | C.remained | D.rocketed |
A.violently | B.nervously | C.gratefully | D.actively |
A.possessions | B.concerns | C.pride | D.laziness |
A.enthusiasm | B.bravery | C.love | D.patience |
A.remember | B.collect | C.submit | D.realize |
A.leave | B.hide | C.start | D.help |