1 . My birth was a little more dramatic than the standard way a baby enters the world. I was born missing my left hand. Indeed, my limb (手臂) difference could have been a disaster if it hadn’t been for what happened next. A nurse placed me in my mother’s arms and instructed, “You will take her home. You will love her and treat her as normal.”
That is exactly what happened. I played sports, acted in theater, excelled in school and had playdates with friends. While I did get some stares and “polite” questions about my disability, I was lucky because I wasn’t made fun of for it.
However, that fact that I was different hit me hard my first day of high school. I was 13, an age when kids are already very self-conscious and the need to fit in is intensified. I remember one of the other kids on the school bus stared just a little too long at my left arm. I felt a sudden urge to hide my hand, so I slipped it into my pocket. I told myself that I’d just hide it that one day, while I was trying to make friends. But one day of hiding turned into a week, a month, and years — 25 of them to be exact.
When I was 38 years old, tired of hiding and lonely, I met someone special and invited him in. The combination of me finally feeling ready to unhide and his willingness to go through the unhiding process with me was exactly what I needed. For the first time in my life, I allowed someone to really hold my limb, look at it, touch it, love it — love me. I saw my limb difference as something unique about me, something that should be shown, not hidden.
It was a transformational experience, and I learned to love me too. It changed how I lived my entire life and made me happier. I also discovered and joined the Lucky Fin Project, an organisation devoted to people with all types of disabilities.
Hiding things, especially from loved ones, is tiring and lonely, and it prevents us from getting help and support. It’s time to change that.
1. What was the author’s childhood like?| A．She had no social interactions with friends. |
| B．She was raised with care and treated normally. |
| C．She faced some challenges in school activities. |
| D．She was upset about the attention to her difference. |
| A．She began to ignore her disability. |
| B．She suffered prejudice from some kids. |
| C．She started hiding herself away from friends. |
| D．She became sensitive due to her self-awareness. |
| A．She started to open up and be herself. |
| B．She met someone who cured her disability. |
| C．She was fed up with the company of others. |
| D．She reduced involvement in the disability group. |
| A．Misfortune is a good teacher. |
| B．Disability is not a barrier to success. |
| C．Self-acceptance can lead to self-love. |
| D．Nothing beats the feeling of being loved. |
2 . Success is often considered to be the opposite of failure. To teenagers, it is the achievement of a goal or completion of something they really need, such as good grades and the ability to get along well with their classmates. Some schools used to agree with most parents who measured (判定) the success of their children according to grades, but now they pay special attention to moral (道德的) education and character-building to make sure teenagers achieve success in building human relationships.
Schools give chances to students to discover their hidden ability so that they can enjoy some form of success. For example, those good at speaking skills are advised to take part in speech competitions while those interested in arts are expected to perform in front of their classmates. Teenagers also get the pleasure of success when they join their favorite clubs.
Teenagers are often told that success is not easy to achieve and that success lies in hard work. Great efforts have to be put into project work. Doing things much later than planned should be avoided as this will lead to a mountain of work which finally makes them nervous. Another good quality (品质) is a sense of responsibility which makes them remember that a task has to be completed.
Sticking to moral values is the key to success too. Honest teenagers will win the trust of friends leading to good relationships. Self-motivation (自我激励) is another quality to be developed, for self-motivated teenagers will have the strong will and drive to perform a task and finally get to enjoy a sense of achievement.
1. What does the underlined word “they” in Paragraph 1 refer to (指代)?| A．Their classmates. | B．Some schools. |
| C．Most parents. | D．Their children. |
| A．Project work makes teenagers nervous. |
| B．Good qualities will lead to a happy life. |
| C．Teenagers are advised to complete tasks in time. |
| D．Taking responsibility will make work much easier. |
| A．Honesty. | B．Self-motivation. |
| C．Communication. | D．Friends’ trust. |
| A．The Value of Moral Education |
| B．The Key to Discovering Hidden Ability |
| C．The Meaning of Success to Teenagers |
| D．The Way to Communicate with Others |
3 . I have dreamed of taking a trip to Hawaii since I graduated, but the best thing always needs waiting.
I took a trip with my friends to Haleakala National Park, which lies in Hawaii.
When we arrived at Haleakala National Park, we were advised to watch the early morning sunrise. I was lost in the sightseeing (观光) that afternoon, so I could hardly wait to see the sunrise. The next morning, we all got out of bed very early and got to the seaside at 3 o’clock. In the first half an hour, we imagined how wonderful it would be when the first light came out through the thick clouds and how soft it would be when the light touched our skin, so we waited and waited. However, another half an hour later, I gradually lost my patience since there was nothing but the chilly darkness, and I felt that I was frozen to death. (冻死) But my friends were still extremely cheerful.
Nearly another one hour later, “Amazing!” Judy burst out and we all shouted to welcome the light, which was really unbelievable. Until today, I dare say that it is the most impressive sunrise in my life. However, waiting in the morning darkness is also one memory I can’t forget forever.
Waiting sometimes is really a hard thing for most of us as it needs patience and strong-willed determination (决心) , but what about the result after that? It might turn out to be pleasing and unbelievable. So, it is really worth (值得的) waiting for the best.
1. What can we learn from the passage?| A．he author’s friends and the author took a trip to China. |
| B．Hawaii is a good place to enjoy the sunrise. |
| C．Sometimes, it is worth waiting for the best. |
| D．The author enjoyed the worst sunrise in his life. |
| A．About 3 o’clock. | B．About 4 o’clock. |
| C．About 5 o’clock. | D．About 6 o’clock. |
| A．Total. | B．Cold. | C．Terrible. | D．Interesting. |
| A．Excited all the time. | B．Afraid all the time. |
| C．Firstly excited then afraid. | D．Firstly excited then impatient. |
4 . An obstacle usually refers to a difficulty or problem that prevents you from achieving something. Whether it was in your past, or you’re presently facing an obstacle, you have to resolve it. Some people avoid obstacles or deny their existence. Others let obstacles control them, and they feel defeated. Your attitude towards obstacles will define the outcome of whether you rise from the challenge, or remain stuck in it. Here are some more great things to love about obstacles.
First, obstacles give you purposes. Sometimes obstacles can reset your goals. You might have always had a particular way of doing things, or wanted to pursue certain goals; but when you’re faced with setbacks or difficulties, you’re forced to re-think, and re-examine your path. You may end up focusing on something new and exciting. Or, you may concentrate on something that you otherwise wouldn’t have if not for the particular setback. By having to overcome an obstacle, you’ll be fulfilling a purpose, rather than just going through the motions. Second, obstacles prepare you for the unexpected. Obstacles serve as guides for where to go next. Even though obstacles can bring out many negative emotions in us, such as frustration, anger, or sadness, it’s important to realize that they don’t stop you from reaching your intended goals. Instead, they, in a way, give you time to stop and think if perhaps there is a new and better path to take and what you can prepare for what will happen along the way. Obstacles shift your perspective.
Obstacles whether you like them or not are unavoidable. Life will never stop throwing you new obstacles. So, the best thing to do is know how to better see and address these obstacles, and transform them into opportunities for self-improvement. The more you’re able to see obstacles as being an advantage to your life, the better you’ll be at managing them.
Accepting obstacles will be rewarding. It will make you constantly change and adapt to new situations, allowing you to grow into a better version of yourself.
1. What does the word “obstacle” in the passage probably mean?| A．passion. | B．adversity. |
| C．reputation. | D．expedition. |
| A．Your own attitude. | B．Your quick adaptation. |
| C．Your adequate preparation. | D．Your optimistic perseverance. |
| A．They prevent your negative emotions. |
| B．They give you advantages over others. |
| C．They make you think quickly and critically. |
| D．They allow you to view things from new angles. |
| A．Avoiding obstacles does harm to life. | B．Loving obstacles benefits a lot. |
| C．Obstacles are actually unavoidable. | D．Obstacles are double-edged swords. |
5 . My teacher held up a piece of broken glass and asked, “Who broke this window?”
Thirty boys tried to think about not only what they had done, but also what the teacher might have found out. She seldom became angry, but she was this time.
“Oh,” I thought. I was the one who broke the window. It was caused by a naughty throw of a baseball. If I admitted guilt, I would be in a lot of trouble. How would I be able to pay for a big window like that? I didn’t even get an allowance. “My father is going to have a fit as a result of it,” I thought. I didn’t want to raise my hand, but some force much stronger than I was pulled it skyward (朝向天空). I told the truth, “I did it.” It was hard enough to say what I had done.
My teacher took down a book from one of our library shelves and I had never known my teacher to strike a student, but I feared she was going to start with me.
“I know how much you like birds,” she said as she stood looking down at my guilt-ridden face. “Here is the field guide about birds that you are constantly checking out. It is yours now. It’s time we got a new one for the school anyway. You will not be punished, but remember that I am not rewarding you for your misdeed (恶行), but I am rewarding you for your truthfulness.”
I couldn’t believe it! I wasn’t being punished and I was getting my own bird field guide — the very one that I had been saving up money to buy.
The lesson my teacher taught me stays with me every day, and it will echo forever.
1. From the story, we can learn that the boy .| A．didn’t break the window on purpose |
| B．lacked the courage to admit his guilt |
| C．tried to think about what he had done |
| D．didn’t know what the teacher had found out |
| A．be punished by the teacher |
| B．make his father angry |
| C．pay for the broken window |
| D．get a bird field guide |
| A．Afraid—Surprised—Thankful. |
| B．Frightened—Amazed—Proud. |
| C．Regretful—Guilty—Excited. |
| D．Nervous—Afraid—Satisfied. |
| A．Every coin has two sides. |
| B．Honesty is always valued. |
| C．Bad luck never comes alone. |
| D．You can’t be too careful. |
6 . I’m attending a weekend workshop. What the leader asked us to follow was simple enough. She was a good teacher—she described what we had to do, then showed us how, then asked us to do it.—that’s a typical teaching method.
But I was finding the do part far more difficult and stressful than I had expected. I was outside my comfort zone, feeling awkward and uncertain. I tried to follow her directions, but I made mistakes in front of the others, and it felt embarrassing (令人尴尬的).
Here’s the thing: Although the act of learning is related to abilities, behaviors and methods, the experience of learning is emotional (激起情绪的). And it’s the emotional experience of learning—of being a beginner and making mistakes, often publicly—that keeps people from even trying to learn.
While learning may not be that hard, being a beginner can be very hard, especially when we see ourselves, and want to be seen by others in a group, as skilled and confident. Being awkward can even feel shameful. But it’s just a stage we have to go through in order to become graceful and competent. And our unwillingness to experience this stage can stop our future growth. This is especially true of areas where you, re already an expert.
Though I have taught leadership programs for 30 years, I still spend at least three weeks every year going to various personal development programs. More often than not, I, like a beginner, tried new skills, feeling awkward and even shame for not being better at a skill. And those are hard feelings to feel. But they are the unavoidable growth pains that come with learning, developing, and becoming better at something.
I wish, by the end of the weekend workshop, I could be completely comfortable and relaxed in all our activities. But that’s not the case. Maybe I’m a little more comfortable. But learning takes time and comfort takes experience.
There is one thing the workshop made me more comfortable doing: staying in the discomfort of learning long enough to learn.
1. How does the author introduce the topic of text?| A．By sharing a personal experience. |
| B．By describing an excellent teacher. |
| C．By explaining a typical teaching method. |
| D．By recommending a weekend workshop. |
| A．Fear of learning nothing. |
| B．Fear of making mistakes. |
| C．Lack of learning methods. |
| D．Lack of communication skills. |
| A．He knows well how learning feels. |
| B．He is regarded as a successful leader. |
| C．He designs various development programs. |
| D．He can’t bear awkward feelings of learning. |
| A．How to Become a Successful Learner |
| B．Learning Needs Efforts and Experiences |
| C．How to Avoid Embarrassment in Learning |
| D．Learning Is Supposed to Feel Uncomfortable |
7 . I stood in my father's garden one late summer evening, watching my three kids dig in the dirt with toy bulldozers (推土机). I had driven up to my parents' house that afternoon in a fit of desperation. My husband was working a double shift, my twins hadn't napped, and I was one misstep away from a complete breakdown.
"Come up," my mom said, "Let's rest for a white."
As the day of temporary relaxation drew to a close, I wandered along Dad's once-neat garden rows and noticed the tomato plants Dad had planted.
"Roma tomatoes, the kind for sauce. Remember when your mom used to make sauce?" my father said.
I hadn't thought of it in years actually. It was a recipe passed from my Italian immigrant great-grandmother down to my grandmother and then my mother. And that's where it had stopped. Though I liked cooking, I didn't want to waste much time on the dish. Why should I simmer (慢慢地煮) tomato sauce all day when I could make different kinds of dishes?
Dad gave me an idea. "I'm going to make sauce," I said. My father raised a skeptical eyebrow but grabbed some boxes and told the kids to start picking. The twins threw tomatoes like softballs to each other as the youngest begged to join me. Everyone was crying at one point, and I almost gave up on grand scheme. Yet something inside me fought back, a deep-seated fancy for finding the link between the recipe's owner and me.
At last, I successfully finished my sauce and it was approved by my parents. The efforts I made with those boxes of tomatoes gave me a sense of accomplishment. Each crank of the handle, each slice of the knife, each stir of the stockpot was a prayer for comfort and confidence. Like most things that are worthwhile, the mess was part of the process.
1. The author went to her parents' house that afternoon to ________.| A．pick up her children | B．relieve herself from daily chores |
| C．visit her father's garden | D．learn to cook tomato sauce |
| A．The encouragement from her father. |
| B．The expectation from the recipe's owner. |
| C．Her children's requirement. |
| D．Her desire to follow a family tradition. |
| A．Experience helps to promote excellence. |
| B．A strong-willed soul can reach his goal. |
| C．Life is most beautiful when it is imperfect. |
| D．Ups and downs make one strong. |
8 . For humans, ignorance (无知) is inevitable (不可避免的) : It's our natural state. There's too much complexity in the world for any individual to master. Ignorance can be frustrating, but the problem is not ignorance itself.
According to David Dunning, ignorant people don't know how ignorant they are. If you give a group of people a task to do and then ask them how well they think they've done on the task. Poor performers overestimate how well they've done; strong performers often underestimate their performance: This is because those who lack skills also lack the knowledge of what skills they're missing.
Our ignorance, in general, shapes our lives in ways we do not know about. Put simply, people tend to do what they know and fail to do what they don't know.
This is a fact of life.
| A．Ignorance means you have neither. |
| B．So they think they're pretty good. |
| C．It’s the trouble we get into by not recognizing it. |
| D．But ignorance has costs. |
| E．It's knowledge of possibilities that makes us miss them. |
| F．We can't choose what we don't know about. |
| G．In that way, ignorance channels the course we take in life. |
9 . During one of the earliest performances of “Peter Pan,” the much-loved fantasy play for children, a small boy was invited to watch the production from the balcony. Afterwards he was asked what he liked best about the play. The pirates? The crocodile? Peter Pan flying through the air? The child’s response was surprising: “What I think I liked best was tearing up the program and dropping the bits on people’s heads”.
The audience who left the theater with bits of paper in their hair probably wouldn’t agree with the boy on the best part of the play. Neither would the caretakers in charge of cleaning the theater afterward. But when J. M. Barrie, the creator of “Peter Pan,” heard the boy’s comment, he was delighted. He wasn’t offended that the boy hadn’t paid closer attention to the play. Instead, he considered it one of his favorite reactions to his work.
All of us have to deal with decisions made by others – their words, actions and attitudes – that could be considered offensive. This can be particularly difficult when we feel that the values and traditions we hold dear are being rejected or even laughed at.
But just as someone might choose whether or not to do something offensive, we can choose whether or not to be insulted（侮辱）. We can choose to give others the benefit of the doubt and not assume mean intent behind their actions. We can love people even if we do not love their choices. After all, isn’t it more important – though perhaps more challenging – to love a person than to love words or actions?
Accepting people does not mean approving of or forgiving their decisions. It does not mean giving up our own rights to think and act differently. Nor does it mean we will never feel sad or hurt or disappointed. But at a deeper level, we can be at peace if we focus on love – for love has the power to overcome our disappointment, frustration and pain. And who knows? Our love may even soften a heart. But even if it doesn’t, the best approach is still to let love, peace, patience and kindness rule the day.
1. Why does the author mention the play “Peter Pan”?| A．To support an argument. | B．To make a comparison. |
| C．To introduce the topic. | D．To provide an example. |
| A．He ignored it. | B．He loved it. |
| C．He felt offended. | D．He couldn’t agree more. |
| A．Nurse unkind thoughts. |
| B．Love people’s words and actions. |
| C．Love people with a tolerant attitude. |
| D．Do something to prevent being insulted. |
| A．Let love rule the day |
| B．How to overcome pain |
| C．Love is sometimes challenging |
| D．“Peter Pan” – a play for children |
10 . “I will think of it.”It is easy to say this, but do you know what great things have come from thinking? We cannot see our thoughts, or hear, or taste, or feel them; and yet what strong power they have!
Sir Isaac Newton was seated in his garden on a summer evening, when he saw an apple fall from a tree. He began to think, and, in trying to find out why the apple fell, discovered how the earth, sun, moon, and stars are kept in their places.
A boy named James Watt sat quietly by the fireside, watching the lid ( 盖子) of the tea kettle as it moved up and down. He began to think,and he wanted to find out why the steam in the kettle moved the heavy lid. From that time he went on thinking and thinking and when he became a man, he improved the steam engine so much that it could, with the greatest ease, do the work of many horses.
James Ferguson was a poor Scotch shepherd (羊倌) boy. Once, seeing the inside of a watch, he was filled with wonder.“Why should I not make a watch?”he thought. But how was he to get the materials out of which to make the wheels and the mainspring (钟表等的主发条)? He soon found how to get them: he made the mainspring out of a piece of whalebone. He then made a wooden clock which kept good time. He began, also, to copy pictures with a pen, and portraits (肖像) with oil colors. In a few years, while still a small boy, he earned money enough to support his father. When he became a man, he went to London to live. Some of the wisest men in England, and the king himself, used to attend his lectures. His motto was, “I will think of it.” and he made his thoughts useful to himself and the world.
When you have a difficult lesson to learn, don’t feel discouraged or ask someone to help you before helping yourselves. Think, and by thinking you will learn how to think to some purpose
1. Which word can best describe the three scientists mentioned in this text?| A．Crazy. | B．Impatient. | C．Curious. | D．Easy-going. |
| A．He was born in a rich family. |
| B．His wooden clock seldom worked well. |
| C．He was a painter from England. |
| D．His mind greatly influenced the world. |
| A．Thoughts are not important since we can not see or touch them. |
| B．It is important to try a challenge on our own. |
| C．Ask for help right away when things get hard. |
| D．Great people have great teachers. |
| A．I Will Think of It |
| B．Why Should Not I Have a Try? |
| C．Nothing Is Impossible to a Willing Heart |
| D．Great Scientists Make a Great World |
