1 . The Fisherman's Fantasy was a club which attracted lots of people claiming that fishing was their favorite hobby. There were streams and lakes filled with hungry fish in the neighborhood. The club members met regularly to discuss the excitement of catching fish. They seemed to get crazy about fishing!
The group carefully defined fishing, the purpose of fishing and so on when somebody thought that they needed philosophies of fishing. They not only outlined fishing strategies and skills, but also thought about different questions. Do fish view the world as we humans do? What do fishermen look like to the fish? What do fish feed on? With so many questions to answer, they started their serious research and attended various discussions on fishing. Some even traveled faraway to study different kinds of fish, with different habits. What's more, some made effort to gain a PhD in biology with the objective of further exploring fish. But surprisingly, no one had yet gone fishing even once!
Because there were too many fishing places for fishermen to choose from, they even set up a special committee to make choices before a list of selected fishing places was posted on walls. Nevertheless, believe it or not, still, no one was fishing!
Finally the club carried out a survey and found out that some were attracted to study fish, some to clean fishing equipment, and several to go around encouraging others to go fishing. They were so occupied that they just simply didn't have time to fish themselves.
Now, Fred, a new member to the fishing club, instantly went fishing after the first meeting. He tried some skills discussed in the meeting, got the hang of them, and caught a fish. At the next meeting, he told his story, and was honored for his catch, and then scheduled to tell others how he did it. Nowadays, Fred no longer had time to go fishing due to all the speaking invitations and his election to the board of directors of the Fisherman' Fantasy. Before long, he began to feel bored, restless and empty. He desired to feel the fish bite on the line once again. So he refused those restless and empty. He desired to feel the fish bite on the line once again. So he refused those speaking invitations and retired from the board.He said to a friend, “Let's go fishing,”. They did, just the two of them, and they caught fish.
The members of the Fisherman's Fantasy were many, the fish were plentiful, but the real fishers were few.
1. What did the Fishman's Fantasy regularly meet to do?| A．Set up clubs on fishing. | B．Search for streams and lakes. |
| C．Study features of hungry fish. | D．Discuss about catching fish. |
| A．particular | B．curious | C．worried | D．angry |
| A．were busy | B．were bored | C．lacked skills | D．lacked equipment |
| A．Guidance from the committee. | B．Combination of theory and practice. |
| C．Inspiration from the fishing club. | D．His being elected to the board. |
| A．Actions speak louder than words. | B．God helps those who help themselves. |
| C．Great minds think alike. | D．Well begun is half done. |
2 . Several weeks ago, I pulled an old road map out of the glove box and passed it to my children. They had never seen the province of Ontario laid out like that before. They stared at the map, asking about all the towns, parks, and other landmarks we'd visited, and I pointed them out on the map.
Google Maps and GPS are modern wonders that have gotten me out of many confusing places, but paper maps still have a role to play in our lives. Most of us adults learned to read them out of necessity, but it's up to us to pass on that skill to children whose need may not be so obvious, but who still stand to benefit from it.
As Trevor Muir wrote in an article on this topic, "When kids learn how to create and use paper maps, they are doing more than just learning how to get around. They are actually developing fundamental skills that they will use for the rest of their lives. Map skills still belong in today's classroom. "
As a child I had National Geographic maps taped to my bedroom walls. This aroused my curiosity and imagination about those places and thus made me eager to remember my geography and history lessons because they were tied to places I'd "seen". Even now as a mother of four, I've also spared time to travel to many of the countries whose maps I studied as a child.
Additionally, in this fast-changing world, unexpected events can rapidly influence one's usual way of life. When GPS satellites or Internet connections are affected, this old-fashioned skill can get you out of a mess without requiring a smartphone. Last but not least, paper maps arouse "big picture" thinking, showing kids that there's a much bigger world out there and helping to direct them within it.
So, now is a good time to pull out those dusty old maps and lay them on the kitchen table.
1. How did the children react when they were given the paper map?| A．They showed great curiosity. |
| B．They seemed totally confused. |
| C．They considered it old-fashioned. |
| D．They found it less convenient than GPS. |
| A．The teaching focus in today's classroom. |
| B．The situations where paper maps are used. |
| C．The necessity of digital maps in the modem world. |
| D．The benefit of developing paper map skills for kids. |
| A．Internet connections are very reliable today. |
| B．GPS will sooner or later replace paper maps. |
| C．Paper maps provide kids with a grand vision. |
| D．Paper maps make people connected with each other. |
| A．Time to Teach Kids to Read Paper Maps. |
| B．How to Teach Kids about Different Kinds of Maps. |
| C．Time to Encourage Kids to Step into a Bigger World. |
| D．How to Teach Kids Fundamental Skills with Paper Maps. |
3 . I can remember when my daughter Maggie, who is now six, used to crawl into my lap and say, “Daddy, read me a story.” Last year she announced, “Daddy, I’m going to read you a story.”
Maggie was a television child. When she first became conscious of anything beyond eating and sleeping, the TV set was right there, and it soon commanded her attention.
A few years ago, we were worried not only that we’d never get the children away from the set long enough to learn to read, but that we’d forget how to read ourselves. But in 1955 there was not only more reading than before TV, but more reading than ever before in history.
Clearly, reading has survived television as it has survived a lot of other things. When I was six, a wail went up about menaces (威胁) to reading at home: motor cars and cinema. When Maggie came along, there was television. The motorcar, the radio, the cinema and television do take up a lot of time.
Well, we’ve got more time. When my mother was a girl, people worked about 60 hours a week. Now it’s 44. When Maggie grows up, it’ll be 30. And there’ll be numerous gadgets to do her housework. She’ll have to read. You can’t watch TV all day.
At present Maggie is reading about Johnny Woodchuck. Ahead of her — and I’m a little envious — are her first brush with Black Beauty, Alice stepping through the looking glass, Huck and Jim drifting down the Mississippi, the emotional storms of Shakespeare, the spiritual agonies of Tolstoy. For reading isn’t all joy. Like life itself, it’s mixed with many moods, from ecstasy (狂喜) to despair. Maggie will learn to take the rough with the smooth, gathering from the ancient wisdom of long-dead genius a little fire to enrich her spirit.
And some day, if she’s lucky, she’ll get the biggest thrill of all, when a little girl climbs into her lap and announces, “Mummy, I’m going to read you a story.”
1. Why do the young generation like Maggie have more access to reading?| A．They face less working pressure. |
| B．There is more time available for reading. |
| C．Their parents encourage them more often. |
| D．They have a stronger desire for knowledge. |
| A．Her exposure to classic reading. | B．Her productive works in writing. |
| C．Her wild imagination in daily life. | D．Her spiritual reflection on the books. |
| A．Maggie has rich experiences. |
| B．Maggie has a good plan for reading. |
| C．Maggie will benefit a lot from reading. |
| D．Maggie is on the road to becoming a genius. |
| A．Reading makes Maggie a fortunate girl. |
| B．More girls like Maggie enjoy telling stories. |
| C．Maggie’s daughter brings her the biggest thrill. |
| D．It is a blessing that reading can be passed down. |
4 . Emerson, my 11-year-old daughter, is constantly contacting with the United States Postal Service (USPS)and our mail carrier, Doug. She las a serious letter-writing habit and maintains correspondence with her favorite people. If you've been the receiver of her hand-decorated letters and envelopes, then I know they really make your day.
A letter from Emerson is likely to include some art, a joke and enough questions to guarantee a response. But when she wrote a letter to Doug, she put something new in it: "You may know me as the person living here that writes lots of letters...You're very important to me, helping me stay in touch with friends. I cheer people up with my letters, but you do too!"
The next day, a package arrived with two letters. One was from Doug and the other from his superior, Sara, saying she had shared Emerson's note in the internal newsletter of the USPS and believed many postal folks wanted to thank Emerson. Emerson was so pleased with the letter that it upset me much, for the possible result of no reply would come as a blow to her.
Surprisingly, today, we saw Doug come with two boxes of letters from around the country. These letters were so human, filled with family, pets and a sense of kindness. But there was something more in them. People felt seen—some for the first time in a long time. "I work alone in a small rural post office..." "Not many people think about how hard we work…" Emerson wrote back seriously.
I'm sharing this not because I'm a proud dad, but because it's relatively easy, if we take the time, to give others links they need to be well. We all want to be seen, known and loved. Send a letter. Give a call. Take a step of bravery, like Emerson.
1. What do we know about Emerson's letters?| A．They make receivers joyful. |
| B．They are all about family and pets. |
| C．They contain many practical jokes. |
| D．They are written to postal folks. |
| A．Emerson was too delighted with the package. |
| B．there might be no answer to Emerson's note. |
| C．postal folks would like to express their gratitude. |
| D．Sara had shared Emerson's note without permission. |
| A．Humorous. | B．Serious. | C．Ambitious. | D．Caring. |
| A．Courage lightens the blow. |
| B．Brief is life but love is long. |
| C．Connection makes a difference. |
| D．Life without a friend is death. |
5 . When I was young, I had a wrong understanding of being great. I believed I was special and different and should be rich and famous because of my talent. I was going to live my dream rather than being a “normal” person. But as time passed, reality set in and my perspective changed.
I am a teacher, married to a salesman with a baby and a mortgage（按揭贷款）. Could my life be more normal? Yet, I am okay with this.
Were I to have a conversation with my twenty-year-old self, she wouldn't understand why I'm not going to NYC to get an audition （试演）. In four years my coworkers have never heard me sing. If I'd bought a house, it should have been in an interesting neighborhood with coffee houses at every corner. She would laugh at the corner house in the neighborhood I now call home.
But I know things she didn't know. Life is so much more complicated, wonderful and terrible. I know what it means to work for love, not just sitting back and letting it happen the way it can when you're young. I know about bringing life into the world, and the complexity of emotions.
My life is simple. It is small, and may seem interchangeable with so many other lives there. I may never make an impact outside my house. But I've learned it is important to be relative. To my little girl, I am irreplaceable. When she cries, she calls for “Mama”. When she reaches out, it's for me alone. So, is it a small life? It's perfectly fine to me. In fact, I think it's what I've wanted all along.
1. What was the author like when she was young?| A．She was honest. | B．She was brave. |
| C．She was proud. | D．She was cautious. |
| A．To show she has become mature. | B．To prove her dream has come true. |
| C．To reveal the key to her success. | D．To introduce her present unhappiness. |
| A．Learning the complexity of emotions. | B．Opening her heart to the world. |
| C．Living with her daughter specially. | D．Caring for her family. |
| A．We can achieve our dreams if we work hard. |
| B．We will come back to a normal life some day. |
| C．We should keep in contact with our families. |
| D．We can be the one we feel satisfied with. |
6 . I recently gave my adult class homework. The assignment was to "go to someone you love and tell them you love them. It has to be someone you have never said those words to before or haven't shared those words with for a longtime".
That doesn't sound like a tough assignment, but most of the men in that group were over 35 and were taught that expressing emotions is not “manly".
At the beginning of our next class, I asked if someone wanted to share what happened when they told someone they loved them. One of the men raised his hand. He appeared quite moved and a bit shaken.
He began by saying, "I didn't feel that I had anyone to say those words to. But as I began driving home, I knew exactly who I needed to say 'I love you' to. Five years ago, my father and I had a disagreement and never resolved it. We hardly spoke to each other."
"The next morning, I called my dad. When he answered the phone, I said, 'Dad, can I come over tonight? I have something to tell you.' I ensured him it wouldn't take long, so he finally agreed."
"At 5:30, I was at my parents' house ringing the doorbell. As luck would have it, Dad answered the door."
"I took one step in the door and said, 'Dad, I just came over to tell you that I love you.'"
"His face softened, his wrinkles（皱纹）disappeared and he began to cry. He reached out and hugged me and said, 'I love you too, son, but I've never been able to say it."
"Dad and I hugged for a moment longer. I hadn't felt that great in a long time."
"Two days after that visit, my dad had a heart attack and ended up unconscious in the hospital. I don't know if he'll make it."
"My message to all of you is this: Don't wait to do the things that need to be done. Take the time to do what you need to do and do it now!"
1. Why might the assignment challenge the students?| A．They are middle-aged and not manly enough. |
| B．They were taught to hide their emotions. |
| C．They might have nobody to turn to. |
| D．They didn't know how to show their feelings. |
| A．They were close to each other. | B．They didn't trust each other. |
| C．They were distant from each other. | D．They quarreled a lot. |
| A．He hadn't seen his son for five years. |
| B．He was aware of his poor physical condition. |
| C．He regretted arguing with his son. |
| D．He was touched by his son's words. |
| A．To teach others to apologize. |
| B．To encourage us to express our love without hesitation. |
| C．To show the close relationship between fathers and sons. |
| D．To teach us how to repair a broken relationship. |
7 . Today, we are talking about money. I can share a bit about my history with money and my new view when it comes to using green paper.
I made a web page with links to posts about our financial (财政的) journey where you can look for more details of where we've been and how we got where we are now. It was a big part of my story in the past and was a huge part of our downsizing（精简） journey. We got out of debt and stayed out of debt.
So I feel eager（渴望的）to share the benefits of being on this side. It takes more planning and more careful thought whenever a dollar is spent now than it did when I had a wallet full of credit cards. I now like to think all of my dollars doing the job. So many of us work for money and don't consider that money should work for us, too. Make your dollars do the job of helping you live the life you want.
Each time money is spent or saved, it should be going toward something that you purposefully want for your life. Last week I was out and I spent $ 20 on food in 3 days. It made me angry because afterward I thought about eating is not at all what I want for my life.
On the other hand, there are times I spend $ 20 while out with my family and it doesn't bother（使烦恼）me one bit. An afternoon out with my kids during which we stop for ice cream, and do something fun together has a completely different feel.
In the end, I want the dollars I spend to have purpose like I can enjoy life while still planning and saving for the future.
1. The underlined words “green paper” in Paragraph 1 refer to“________”.| A．money | B．work | C．newspaper | D．book |
| A．by reading posts about their financial journey |
| B．by going on a financial journey |
| C．by making a web page |
| D．by writing to him |
| A．more credit cards should be used in our daily life |
| B．we should work hard to make more money |
| C．money should help us live better |
| D．saving money is very easy |
| A．Because the money is spent on food. |
| B．Because the money is spent in doing something fun. |
| C．Because eating is what he wants for his life. |
| D．Because the money goes toward something that he wants for his life. |
