1 . It was 6 a.m. as I got on the train, ending my work one cold morning and I was lucky to get a seat. At that time of the morning, my eyes were not fully focused and at times I was half asleep. During that time the train was usually filled with construction workers heading out to start their work. On that particular morning I found myself drawn on the shoes of men sitting about 10 seats across from me.

I sat examining the shoes of men. Men from different walks of life, holding different jobs, thinking different thoughts, living different lives and despite what they did and how they looked, they all had something in common. They were all of the working class trying to achieve their dreams.

One day each of those men has to visit a shoe store to buy a new pair of shoes, a type that fits their working needs. For a short time those shoes look so good. Then one day they lose their shine; they no longer look as good, but guess what? The shoes feel right. Feet have found their own home within the comfort of those shoes.

If those shoes could talk, what kind of a tale do you think they would tell? If your shoes could talk, what do you think they would say about you? Would the story be about a journey filled with joy and fun? Or would the story be one filled with disappointment and regret?

We choose the shoes. Where we take them and when and how we wear them are up to us.

1. What can be inferred from the first paragraph?

A．It was cold that morning.

B．The author went to work by train.

C．The author worked during the night.

D．Construction workers usually began to work at 7 a.m.

2. How did the author draw the conclusion that all of the men were working class?

A．By closely observing their shoes.	B．According to the way they walked.
C．On the basis of the lives they lived.	D．By distinguishing their facial features.

3. What does the author think of the shoes then one day?

A．Fashionable.

B．Good.

C．Shiny.

D．Comfortable.

4. Where can the text probably be found?

A．In a news report.

B．In a magazine.

C．In a biography.

D．In a history book.

2 . I have been adopted by an American family since I was fifteen months old. Growing up in the second-whitest county in California, I had little interest in my ________ as an adopted Chinese American. After I moved to Tucson, my curiosity about my identities ________ as I was exposed to a larger Chinese population there.

During my four years at Northern Arizona University (NAU), I took two years of ________ language courses, which was a major marker in my adventure to ________ myself.

Through my class, I was introduced to the NAU Chinese culture club, where I ________ my knowledge of Chinese culture and connected with international students from China and students who were deeply ________ Chinese culture.

Then I had an opportunity to study abroad in Hong Kong for a year. Surrounded by mainly people who looked like me, I did not feel like I ________ as I usually do in the US. I became ________ connected to Hong Kong and its history, ________ and people. The experience ________ me to find beauty and ________ in the complexities (难题) of holding many identities.

After returning from my ________ abroad, I started to volunteer at the Education Abroad Office at NAU. I ________ my experience and encouraged other NAU students to go abroad, as it was such a ________ experience and enabled me to better understand myself. I’m ________ to call myself an adopted Chinese American.

1.

A．identity

B．experience

C．safety

D．community

2.

A．changed

B．disappeared

C．grew

D．continued

3.

A．English

B．Chinese

C．Japanese

D．German

4.

A．improve

B．understand

C．teach

D．support

5.

A．furthered

B．lacked

C．ignored

D．finished

6.

A．tired of

B．aware of

C．interested in

D．dependent on

7.

A．stood out

B．worked out

C．gave up

D．turned up

8.

A．eventually

B．incredibly

C．strangely

D．hardly

9.

A．geography

B．scenery

C．architecture

D．culture

10.

A．required

B．forced

C．instructed

D．allowed

11.

A．annoyance

B．pain

C．comfort

D．patience

12.

A．business

B．holiday

C．adventures

D．performances

13.

A．shared

B．announced

C．explained

D．admitted

14.

A．eye-catching

B．life-changing

C．time-consuming

D．heart-breaking

15.

A．curious

B．reluctant

C．awkward

D．proud

3 . The Greek philosopher Heraclitus once said that you can’t step into the same river twice, for you aren’t the same person at each visit and the water is ever flowing. It is a powerful way to show the reality that everything is always changing. Yet so many people have unpleasant relationships with change. We resist it or attempt to control it, the result of which is almost always some combination of stress, anxiety, and burnout. It doesn’t have to be that way.

No doubt, change can, and often does, hurt; but with the right mindset, it can also be a force for growth. A concept called allostasis can help. Developed in the late 1980s by neuroscientist Peter Sterling and biologist Joseph Eyer, allostasis is based on the idea that rather than being rigid, our healthy baseline is a moving target. Allostasis is defined as “stability through change”—the way to stay stable through the process of change is by changing.

From neuroscience to pain science and psychology, allostasis has become the dominant model for understanding change in the scientific community. The brain is at its best when it is constantly rewiring itself and making new connections. Overcoming pain is not about resistance or trying to get back to where you were but about balancing acceptance with problem-solving and moving forward to normal.

The time to start practicing is now. Over the past few years, the river of change has been flowing, and it shows no signs of letting up. Our ability to work with these changes is directly related to our life satisfaction. Given all this, simply creating a stable expectancy around change goes a long way. So does realizing that the allostasis mindset doesn’t ask us to do nothing. Rather, it asks us to partake in change by focusing on what we can control and trying to let go of what we can’t. When I catch myself resisting change, in my head I say the following: “This is what is happening right now. I’m doing the best that I can. What, if any, skillful actions can I take?” Do this repeatedly and finally you start to get better at it.

To thrive in our lifetime — and not just survive —we need to transform our relationship with change, leaving behind rigidity and resistance. We are always shaping and being shaped by change, often at the very same time.

1. What’s the common practice toward change?

A．To welcome it.	B．To reject it.
C．To overlook it.	D．To adapt to it.

2. Which of the following can best interpret “allostasis”?

A．One size fits all.	B．Time works great changes.
C．Respond to change by changing.	D．It’s never too late to change.

3. What does the underlined phrase “letting up” in paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Stopping.	B．Dashing down.
C．Going up.	D．Widening.

4. What might the author agree with?

A．Repetition makes up for rigidity.	B．It matters to focus on what we can’t.
C．Changes promote life satisfaction.	D．It makes sense to embrace changes.

4 . “The new normal” is one of those phrases that can accurately apply to a wide variety of life situations, including a medical diagnosis, death or change in life and work. The phrase implies both the newness of each of those circumstances, as well as the necessity that they will need to be normalized, integrated into the reality of our daily lives. Once we’ve settled into new routines and emotional patterns, our “normal” won’t be quite so new anymore, will it? The question is a subject of debate.

There is a large middle ground between the event that increases the need for “the new normal” and its final acceptance. Some people think it can’t handle tragedies. But the phrase keeps coming up in conversation, and it has made me realize that“normal”is the last word I would use to describe the fragile place I currently occupy. I find myself there as I mourn the loss of my grandfather, who died in September. For example, the new normal is to have Thanksgiving without Grandfather, then to remember him on what would have been his 75th birthday just a few days later. In other words, during this year of firsts, the new normal is a time of transition, not of arrival.

It strikes me that this is something to be celebrated, not worried over. Part of living positively is meeting ourselves wherever we are. And as I continue to navigate this in-between time, this period of slowly accepting my father’s absence from the Earth, I recognize that each step along the way is a worthwhile part of a healthy grieving process.

The same idea would apply to more positive changes, like a new home or job, as well as the challenges of the end of a relationship or a difficult medical reality. The new normal isn’t something any of us step into all at once. It’s something we become, move toward, and, eventually, accept. Let’s not be in a rush to reach that destination. The journey has much to teach us.

1. Which occasion should “the new normal” be applied to?

A．A person’s illness outbreak.	B．A person’s routine working.
C．A person’s constantly normal life.	D．A person’s annual birthday celebration.

2. What does the author discuss about the new normal in paragraph 2?

A．The fear of it.	B．The attitude to it.
C．The reason for accepting it.	D．The difficulty in describing it.

3. What has the author learned to do from Thanksgiving without Grandfather?

A．Forget the dead.	B．Live optimistically.
C．Treasure the process over the result.	D．Mourn over a family member’s absence.

4. What is the author’s main purpose in writing the text?

A．To tell us to value our past challenges.	B．To tell us some meaningful life stories.
C．To teach us how to handle our tragedies.	D．To teach us how to cope with life changes.

5 . Have you ever considered starting over? Ten years ago I did just that. I'd worked in advertising throughout my ______ life. But it wasn't until my newborn son became very ill that I had the courage to ______ my job and decided to pursue an ambition I'd always held since school: a career in medicine. I'm now a newly qualified doctor working in London.

Our son became ______ ill soon after birth. When he was ______ to St George's Hospital, it became ______ that he would face complex and lifelong challenges. The only constant (不变) was the ______ shown by the team of clinicians looking after our son. Interacting with those professionals refueled a passion in me that had long been ______ . I ______ to become a doctor, not only for my son, but also for myself. Just keep pushing and never have any ______ .

Was I ______ for life in the National Health Service(NHS)? Absolutely not. Never have I worked so hard for so little financial reward and with so little ______ . Like many first-year doctors, I ______ myself flying alone just weeks after graduation, working three weekends every month.

Working in the NHS over the past four years has not only made me ______ how complex delivering world-class care can be, but also given me ______ to make it better. In the advertising department we were constantly trying to ______ our customers' experience. Why shouldn't the same principle ______ the NHS? Alongside my clinical work, I've chosen to ______ how digital technologies can create a more patient-centred system, improving ______ to NHS services and streamlining (使……效率更高) the patient journey.

Now, I'm in my 40s. I couldn't be happier to finally call myself a doctor. ______ the long hours, lack of sleep and endless workload, I feel ______ to be able to help others. It's the best thing I've ever done.

1.

A．study

B．research

C．working

D．volunteering

2.

A．consider

B．quit

C．take

D．offer

3.

A．severely

B．regularly

C．gradually

D．hardly

4.

A．appointed

B．devoted

C．invited

D．admitted

5.

A．strange

B．fortunate

C．clear

D．meaningful

6.

A．respect

B．optimism

C．kindness

D．sympathy

7.

A．lost

B．buried

C．followed

D．showed

8.

A．refused

B．continued

C．agreed

D．decided

9.

A．regrets

B．curiosity

C．challenges

D．adventure

10.

A．grateful

B．prepared

C．sorry

D．known

11.

A．belief

B．support

C．effort

D．inspiration

12.

A．found

B．suggested

C．observed

D．stopped

13.

A．imagine

B．remember

C．realize

D．doubt

14.

A．opportunities

B．standards

C．right

D．fame

15.

A．ignore

B．identify

C．prove

D．enhance

16.

A．apply to

B．see to

C．keep to

D．turn to

17.

A．predict

B．explore

C．declare

D．comment

18.

A．objection

B．introduction

C．access

D．clue

19.

A．Due to

B．As for

C．Rather than

D．In spite of

20.

A．surprised

B．amused

C．puzzled

D．honoured

6 . Growing up, I always heard people say work hard pays. I never really understood these words until I reached the age where my parents stopped giving me my monthly allowance and asked me to look for a job.

New Year is a season of good news for merrymakers and entrepreneurial (企业家的) characters. My childhood friend was one of the latter. Mike and I were two sides of the same coin. I was an introvert and a bookworm, while Mike was outgoing and a merrymaker. His added advantage over me was that he came from a family of entrepreneurs. Therefore, while I saw the festive season as another time to enjoy, he saw it as a perfect time to make money. Ironically, I needed this side of him, given my present predicament (困境).

Mike was not of the “work hard pays” school of thought but the “work smart” school. When I told him about my predicament, he saw a business partner. He confided ( 吐 露 ) in me about his business idea — making and selling festive decorations. Having noticed my disbelieving look, he told me he had researched and realized that only one shop sold festive decorations with exorbitant ( 过 高 的 ) price, which meant that there was room for competition. However, I reminded him starting a business, let alone competing with an established enterprise, required capital. He told me, “Not really. All we had to do was make some decorations ourselves.” Upon that, we made some special designs and hit the ground running.

News about our selling decorations spread like wildfire. Mike’s decision to publish brochures advertising our products was a genius marketing trick. Within three days, we had sold about 50 sets of decorations, and as they say, the rest is history.

My parents’ decision to stop my monthly allowance served to teach me the value of work. However, it was my entrepreneurial adventure with Mike that taught me that working smart is better than working hard.

1. What was the author’s present predicament?

A．Weak reading skills.	B．Lack of financial support.
C．Poor communication ability.	D．Awful relationship with parents.

2. What do the underlined words “hit the ground running” in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Set off immediately.	B．Collected money eagerly.
C．Imagined the future merrily.	D．Started the business successfully.

3. What is Mike’s marketing strategy?

A．Advertising their products widely.

B．Doing research in advance.

C．Designing delicate decorations.

D．Making decorations on their own.

4. What can we learn from the author’s story?

A．Smart work outweighs hard work.

B．Wisdom comes from hard work.

C．Working hard pays off.

D．Working smart starts with working hard.

7 . A song called Lonely Warrior (《孤勇者》) is always ringing in my ears. Six years ago, after hosting an annual ceremony for my school, I found that my left leg was a little swollen, and very soon I could barely walk. In fact, the swollen part became a fist-sized meatball that was so painful that I could barely sleep. Of course, I went to a local hospital, where I was given very bleak (不乐观的) news-osteosarcoma, which means bone cancer.

I underwent chemotherapy (化疗) for the next two years, and it was the worst time of my life. Physically, I felt that the side effects of chemotherapy were killing me. I lost all of the hair on my body and I became totally bald. I could barely eat anything, even if felt hungry. I no longer needed an alarm clock to wake up in the morning. Instead, what woke me was my body telling me that I needed to vomit (呕吐).

I had no idea where all this treatment would leave me, and the dreams I had once nursed about the future were entirely wiped out. I wanted to feel the world and experience more, so I stuck to the course of treatment. As time went by, however, I became weaker and weaker. The side effects now were far worse than they had been earlier.

I eventually suggested that the leg be chopped off, and the doctor said that might be the best thing to do, as long as I could cope with the psychological and social pressures afterward. I made my decision very calmly, because I knew things could not be worse than they were at that moment, and I was determined that this was just one more battle I would win.

Now, six years later, I have weathered all these difficulties. I have been so lucky to be able to find the strength to deal with all of this, and what I have to tell anyone still struggling with difficulties is this: have faith in yourself, and do not let bad moments drag you down. Just hang on and you will come through.

1. What can we learn about the side effects of chemotherapy?

A．They made the author suffer a lot.

B．They destroyed the author’s faith.

C．They were relieved after treatment.

D．They were more obvious in the daytime

2. What was the author’s decision to deal with his condition?

A．Chopping off his leg.

B．Turning down the doctor’s advice.

C．Giving in to the cancer.

D．Seeking psychological assistance.

3. What does the underlined word“weathered”in the last paragraph mean?

A．resisted

B．survived

C．escaped

D．produced

4. What does the author want to convey in the text?

A．A light heart lives long.

B．A good medicine tastes bitter.

C．Time works wonders.

D．One with faith braves any hardship.

8 . Professionals use the word “amateur” as a term of contempt (蔑视) for those who lack formal training and qualifications.    1    One day that amateur might just create a new industry.

After all,almost all entrepreneurs embody the amateur spirit,starting as a tinkerer in a garage or writing computer code in a bedroom somewhere. There is no union of entrepreneurs, and no protective body that sets exams and standards.Instead there is the free-for-all of the market, a battlefield where only the fittest survive. This flexible and inclusive structure is a healthy state of affairs.    2    .

Typical amateurs are free to invent as they please, try new ideas, fail, and get up and do it all again—but better. As Marshall McLuhan，the media theorist，said：“Amateurs can afford to lose.”    3    Amateurs can do it part-time,for charity or for fun. The old cartels are being bypassed thanks to technological advances and a more informal society. Now everyone can DIY and experiment—from blogging to film-making to online advice shops.

    4    The mysteries of the self-satisfied old crafts are revealed for all to see through the internet. The world is vastly more complex now,but that means even the most revered professional needs expert to help. The end of the age of compliance means we no longer hold elites such as judges and bankers in such awe. For centuries the club-like professional bodies have taken charge of the society,a form for the well-educated and connected.

    5    They represent the ultimate success. I don’t deny the importance of education,but I place greater emphasis on results and originality,as opposed to doctorates and memberships of professional bodies. They are all too often focused on defending privilege and status rather than the public good.

A．I think such contempt is a mistake.

B．Some big companies struggle with truly novel breakthroughs.

C．Nevertheless,I show my admiration for the armies of gifted amateurs.

D．It breaks down barriers to welcome all-comers and creates a more dynamic order.

E．Thanks to technology development,we can all be competent amateurs at almost everything.

F．That’s because they naturally want to reinforce past success — and cannot afford public failures.

G．They are self-imp rovers,chasing a dream rather than a laborious,life-long career within a group.

9 . A sweet,coming-of-age film has attracted numbers of audiences,including the judges at the Academy Awards. The movie CODA is shining a light,having won Best Picture of 2021. CODA means Children of Deaf Adults,and is about Ruby, a hearing teenage girl growing up with deaf parents and a deaf brother. As opposed to following her own dreams of becoming a singer,she finds herself mostly at home,being an interpreter for her family.

This is an English language version of the 2014movie La Famille Belier,however,CODA takes this story to a new level. Unlike the French version, which used hearing actors, the writer and director Sian Heder insisted on using deaf actors, a first for Hollywood. The film reveals the hardships and challenges experienced by deaf people who are parenting and working in a hearing world. Using deaf actors who understand this reality and who sign fluently has been a game-changer.

“For too long, the industry has rewarded actors and directors who have exploited the trope(比喻)of faking sympathetic disabilities to win awards for themselves without bringing in deaf people or people with disabilities to ensure authenticity(真实性).”Howard A. Rosenblum, CEO of the National Association of the Deaf said. Such authenticity has earned CODA many distinctions, including multiple awards at the 2021 Sun-dance Festival, as well as three Oscars.

Thanks to CODA, cinema lovers may now be able to better understand and respect a world that has been mostly silenced.“It’s a culture that has been ignored and blocked off from access. I hope that people are going to be exposed to deaf culture through this film,and exposed to American Sign Language who might never have seen a scene before where a deaf family is sitting around a dinner table.”Heder said.

This is a feel-good movie full of emotion,love, and the challenges of life. It has touched the hearts of people across the world,both hearing and deaf, and is uniting all.

1. What story does the movie CODA tell us?

A．A deaf girl chasing her dream.

B．An interpreter succeeding in becoming a singer.

C．A family of deaf children helping each other.

D．A girl with hearing growing up in a deaf family.

2. In what way is CODA unique to the French version?

A．It is filmed in two languages.	B．It invited deaf actors to play roles.
C．It is adapted from a real story.	D．It involves sign language performances.

3. What can you learn from the third paragraph?

A．The popularity of the film.

B．The development of film industry.

C．The importance of authenticity in the film.

D．The influence of the film on deaf people.

4. What can you learn from the movie?

A．Education is the key to success.

B．It pays to put theory into practice.

C．Challenges make life more interesting.

D．Love for the disabled can break down barriers.

10 . Occasionally, misfortune will happen in our life and no one can avoid it. If you choose only to complain and escape from the misfortune, it will constantly follow you no matter where you go.     1    

A girl, called Selina, lost her arms in a traffic accident that caused her father’s death — who was the main source of support for the whole family.     2     For the sake of caring for her, her elder brother became her shadow , never leaving her alone for years. Except for writing with her toes, she was totally unable to do anything in her life. Then one day, her elder brother wanted to live his own normal life, and they had no choice but to separate. So she was almost desperate and didn’t know what to do next.

    3     When he tried to prepare dinner for his parents, he overturned the kerosene light on the stove, resulting in a fire that took his hands away. Though his younger brother that was studying in another city, showed his willingness to take care of him, he was determined to be totally independent. At school, he always studied hard. Most of what he learned was to be independent. Once he wrote the following in his composition: “I am lucky. Though I lost my arms, I still have legs; I am lucky. Though my wings are broken, my heart can still fly. ”

One day, the girl and the boy were both interviewed on a television program. The girl complained to the TV host about her uncertain future at being left on her own, but the boy was full of enthusiasm for his life.     4     The girl wrote: My elder brother’s arms are my arms. However, the boy wrote: Broken wings, flying heart.

    5     It is true that life is unpredictable. Disasters can strike at any time. How you deal with misfortune when faced with it is the true test of your character. If you choose only to complain and escape from the ordeal, it will always follow you wherever you go. But if you decide to face it bravely, the hardship will turn out to be a fortune on which new hopes will arise.

A．A similar misfortune happened to a boy named Jerry, too.

B．Since then, she had had to depend on her elder brother’s arms.

C．So his father went out looking for his mother, leaving him alone at home.

D．One night her mother, who suffered from chronic mental illness disappeared.

E．They both were invited to write something on a piece of paper with their toes.

F．They had both encountered the same misfortune, but had completely different attitudes towards lives.

G．But if you decide to be will-powered, the sufferings will turn out to be a fortune where new hopes will arise.