1 . Emest Owusu was 13 in 1980 when he was given the opportunity to appear in the audience of a BBC show, and ask Thatcher how she felt about being called the Iron Lady. This encounter re-emerged in a BBC’s programme recently.

At the time of their meeting, Owusu was on free school meals, living on a public estate in Brixton, south London, where he and his sister were being raised by their mother Rose, a struggling hairdresser.

Now 57, Owusu looks remarkably similar even with a greying beard. But his life has been transformed. The father of three is a human resources director, and the first black captain of the Addington golf club in its 110-year history. As a black guy, it is about breaking the glass ceiling.

Speaking in its clubhouse, Owusu describes his rise in social status (地位) as a “Thatcherite Journey”. And he says it began by asking the woman herself. “To this day it still has an impact. My confidence changed from that sliding-door moment. Something about her connected with me.”

Thatcher told Owusu she enjoyed being called the Iron Lady. “I think it’s rather a praise, don’t you?” she said, “Because so often people have said to me if you’re in your job you’ve got to be soft and warm and human, but you’ve got to have a touch of steel.” Owusu recalls the moment, “I just remember her eye contact. She was answering me, not the camera. She welcomed the question saying you’ve got to be firm in this world. And that stuck with me.”

After the show was broadcast, Owusu said he became “a little hero in Brixton for a good three months”. Owusu added, “It all gave me extra confidence. Doors might not have opened so quickly. It was one of those key moments to make you do things maybe you wouldn’t otherwise have done.”

1. What do we know about Owusu when he was 13?

A．He met with Thatcher twice.

B．He joined a famous golf club.

C．He hosted a BBC’s programme.

D．He lived at the bottom of society.

2. What do the underlined words “sliding-door moment” in paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Turning point.	B．Important decision.
C．Social status.	D．Remarkable achievement.

3. Based on the text, what made a big difference to Owusu?

A．Others’ treating him equally at work.

B．Others’ voting him a hero in Brixton.

C．Thatcher’s efforts to preserve his dignity.

D．Thatcher’s faith in the necessity of toughness.

4. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?

A．The Art of Dialogue	B．The Power of Confidence
C．A Life-changing Meeting	D．A Status-improving Tale

2 . Progress means the act of going forward. Making any kind of progress can make us healthy and happy in life. By setting and actively working towards our goals, we can make progress in our life.

To make more progress in life, start looking at problems in a different way. Whatever happens, if we think positively, it can be useful and helpful. We need to know that problems are part of our life. After we solve problems one after another, we can make more progress and become stronger.

Having confidence is helpful for us to make progress. Confidence comes from different places, such as proper education, training or having good relationships. We should also stay with people who believe in our success and actively support us. These people can help push us towards progress.

Slow progress is still worth celebrating. Just as the old saying goes, “It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” Progress usually comes a lot more slowly than we expect. Even if progress is slow, try not to be worried. One important thing is that we keep making progress towards our goals, and another is that we clearly remember what our goals are all the time. The actual speed isn’t so important.

The road to progress is not always smooth. Most progress often comes with setbacks along the way. Sometimes, maybe it feels like we’re taking one step forward and three steps back, but it won’t always be like that. Keep going towards our goals and we can much more easily make the progress we want.

Progress doesn’t always happen in a straight line. As long as we keep working, we will achieve higher levels.

1. Paragraph 2 is mainly about ______.

A．the reasons for making more progress	B．the advantages of thinking positively
C．how to look at problems	D．how to solve problems

2. Who can help push us towards progress?

A．The people who get a proper education.	B．The people who give us plenty of advice.
C．The people who give us trust and support.	D．The people who are confident in themselves.

3. How does the writer like slow progress?

A．It often goes smoothly.	B．It still means progress.
C．It sometimes stops progress.	D．It always gives us a clear mind.

4. What does the underlined word “setbacks” in Paragraph 5 probably mean?

A．Prizes.

B．Advantages.

C．Excuses.

D．Difficulties.

3 . Standing on a hill at Cliveden Gardens on a sunny winter day, its dark-green lake surrounded by centuries-old trees took my breath away.     1     It’s just a local park near London that I’d never heard of during my eight years living in the UK. As I admired the serene garden, it taught me a lesson about the British culture of understatement.

“The English landscape is more beautiful because its beauty is understated,” my friend Will said to me later as we walked through an exhibition at Tate Britain. He pointed to a painting of a peaceful countryside. “This is the landscape I grew up with”, he said. Unlike grand waterfalls or wild forests, this scenery doesn’t shout about its beauty.     2    

I wonder if Chinese tourists will explore beyond London.     3     Indeed, Oxford and Cambridge and the beloved Lake District National Park are some iconic symbols of Britain. But it would be a pity if they miss out on the lesser-known parts of the English landscape.

    4     I remember a straight-A classmate once telling me he “survived exams” and another friend from Oxford introducing himself as “studying in the countryside”. This modesty also has its mirror in Chinese culture. I remember my parents’ telling me to work hard but not to brag about my achievements. Chinese culture is full of proverbs such as “real gold will shine sooner or later”, to encourage long-term dedication to one’s chosen area of expertise.

Experiencing both cultures, I’ve realized that the English and Chinese both express achievements with understatement.     5     It reflects the unspoken charm in both British and Chinese traditions. And it’s an off-the-beaten-path attraction well worth exploration.

A．Cliveden isn’t a famous holiday place.

B．Rather, its beauty is reserved for the locals only.

C．I’ve been impressed by British humor all the time.

D．They tend to prefer places with a strong reputation.

E．But the more I looked, the more I saw its quiet elegance.

F．Over the years, I’ve become familiar with British modesty.

G．This mix makes me appreciate the unusual beauty of Cliveden.

4 . Sometime in 2014, two famous men, the hip-hop artist Wale and the popular comedian Jerry Seinfeld walked into a recording studio. They were working on a rap album, but at this particular moment they were talking about marriage.

While recording a song called The Matrimony(婚姻), Wale questioned Seinfeld about his thoughts on marriage. At first, Seinfeld talked about what it felt like to get engaged(订婚). He explained the combination of excitement, nervousness and helplessness made engagement feel like sitting in a roller coaster heading to the top of the hill where the marriage awaits.

Wale paused for a moment, looked at Seinfeld, and said, “So, even if you make plans you never think you’re really ready for marriage?”

“No,” Seinfeld said. “Marriage is like any growth. You can’t be ready for it because it’s growth. It’s going to be new. You’re going to have a new life. You’re going to be a new person.”

I like Seinfeld’s definition of growth. You’re not ready for marriage. You’re not ready to start a business. You’re not ready to move to a new city. You’re not ready for growth... and that’s exactly why it will make you grow. Start before you feel ready.

By definition, growth must be something that makes you feel unprepared and uncertain. If it was comfortable and easy, it wouldn’t be growth. It would be normal. It would be standard. It would be who you already are.

There will never be a perfect time to do something that stretches you. At some point you have to embrace the uncertainty because it is the only path forward.

You can’t be ready for true growth. That’s why it’s growth. Just step into it with everything you’ve got.

1. Why did Wale and Seinfeld talk about marriage?

A．Because Seinfeld didn’t want to get married.

B．Because Wale needed advice for his marriage.

C．Because they were working on music about marriage.

D．Because they both were confused about marriage.

2. Which statement would Seinfeld agree with?

A．Getting married is like hiking a hill.

B．You can’t be ready for marriage.

C．You can’t get engaged unless fully prepared.

D．Engagement makes people relaxed.

3. What does the author probably think of growth?

A．It is uncertain.	B．It is comfortable.
C．It is reliable.	D．It is standard.

4. Which is the most suitable title for the text?

A．Start Before You Feel Ready in Growth	B．No One Can Get Ready Before Marriage
C．Everybody Can Be Ready for Growth	D．Face Uncertainty in Your Marriage

5 . Challenges and difficulties are a part of life and words of encouragement can often help you get out of your present situation. It’s easy to tell someone to hang in there and to keep a positive outlook when they are going through tough times but when it happens to you, keeping your chin up(使振作)isn’t always the easiest thing to do.     1    There are a lot of things you can do to help you stand back up and move forward.

Words can have a powerful effect on your mindset. We’ve all heard the saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me”.    2    Often times, when things seem pointless, when you’ve just come face to face with yet another failure, it can seem as though it’s the end. It can seem as though no matter how hard you try, the life that you want will always be just out of reach.    3    When it comes down to it, how you feel is really just about what you focus on. What words of inspiration and encouragement will do for you is help you put things into perspective.

Who doesn’t go through failures, setbacks, and challenges?     4    In fact, after you get through this challenging time, you will have more to come in the future. Although that sounds pessimistic, it’s also reality.

Those who succeed in life and get what they want as well as those who are the most happiest aren’t people who never face difficulties. If anything, they probably deal with more challenges than most people.     5    

A．We all do.

B．Even so, it’s not impossible.

C．Words of encouragement are good for your health.

D．But the fact is that words really do have an effect on how we feel.

E．The thing that makes them different is how they respond and react to those obstacles.

F．We often get words of encouragement from our family, friends, teachers and classmates.

G．During these times, some positive words of encouragement can help you shift your focus.

6 . 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

2. You can learn about the writer's history with money________.

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

3. In the writer's opinion,________.

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

4. Why does the writer feel happy with the money spent with his family?

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.