1 . I live in California, about four miles from the beach. Every few years, the humpback whales (座头鲸) come into the bay for a few days while they’re migrating. Each one is immense, about 15 meters long, and sometimes they turn their side fins, making it look like they are waving at us.
One day, my friend, Liz and I took out our yellow double kayak (皮艇) to watch the wildlife. After a half-hour, we spotted two pairs of whales swimming toward us. We were in awe: it’s an amazing feeling to be so close to a creature that size.
Believing if we paddled toward that spot, we'd be safe from the whales, since they’d just left, we followed them at what I believed was a safe distance. Suddenly, the kayak lifted out of the water and then tipped back into the ocean. My initial fear was that the whale intended to drag us down. In a heart-stopping moment, I realized that Liz and I weren’t just lifted by the whale — we were inside its mouth. My entire body was enveloped except for my right arm and paddle. Liz, meanwhile, was staring up into the whale’s jaw. Fearing to be swallowed, I kept thinking: I’ve got to get up; I’ve got to fight this; I’ve got to breathe.
Whales have enormous mouths but tiny throats. They spit out anything they can’t swallow. We were wearing life jackets, which likely helped us quickly reappear out of the water. The entire course lasted only ten seconds.
A few nearby people paddled over, including a retired firefighter who asked us if we were OK. “You were in the whale’s mouth!” he told us. “We thought you were dead.” I came so close to being injured or killed. I am much more appreciative of life now.
1. Why did the author and her friend go kayaking?| A．To go fishing. | B．To watch humpback whales. |
| C．To race other kayakers. | D．To swim with humpback whales. |
| A．They dropped into the sea. | B．They were attacked by a shark. |
| C．The kayak broke down suddenly. | D．Their lives were in great danger. |
| A．They took off their life jackets. |
| B．They were spit out by the whale. |
| C．They fought back against the attacker. |
| D．They paddled towards a nearby firefighter. |
| A．Life is precious. | B．We should protect wildlife. |
| C．Kayaking is a risky activity. | D．Whales are dangerous animals. |
2 . Learning to forgive those who have “wronged us” may not always be easy, but it’s definitely worth it. Here’s why.
First, forgiveness has absolutely nothing to do with the other person at all. Forgiveness is about one thing and one thing only: it’s about how you feel. This is why it doesn’t matter if the offense was large or small. When you hold on to the anger, when you get stuck in blaming the other person and refuse to move on, you are hurting no one but yourself.
You may have been taught to “turn the other cheek”, which can be interpreted as letting those who have harmed you in some way walk all over you. Don’t fight back, and just let it happen. But is that really what we’re supposed to do? No. Forgiving is neither about playing the martyr (自我牺牲的人) or victim, nor about being a doormat (忍气吞声的人). You can forgive what others have done to you, but you should not sacrifice your own interests.
For example, should you let your colleague get away with taking credit for your work, while you sit in silence? No. First, you can choose to forgive his action so that you can calm down. Then you can calmly explain to your boss who actually did the work on that project, without seeming overly emotional or like you have any kind of agenda other than to set the record straight.
Of course, if it’s something trivial, you can just choose to forgive and let it go.
It’s important to note that this also (and especially) applies when it comes to forgiving yourself. Since thoughts of self-blame or self-hatred are the worst thoughts we can have, staying stuck in that vibration will cause more harm than any other emotion. Move into anger, stabilize there, and then move up the emotional scale until you gradually but consistently feel better. You owe it to yourself.
1. What is forgiveness mainly about according to the author?| A．Controlling our own feelings. | B．Making ourselves feel better. |
| C．Lessening the harm of an offence. | D．Repairing relationships with others. |
| A．Turn the other cheek. | B．Calm down and let it go. |
| C．Ask for help from others. | D．Fight back in a proper way. |
| A．unimportant | B．unique | C．unusual | D．uninteresting |
| A．The way to get along well with others. |
| B．The importance of learning to forgive. |
| C．The reason to forgive ourselves. |
| D．The way to fight back against dishonest colleagues. |
3 . Independent will is what really makes effective self-management possible. It is the ability to make decisions and choices and to act in accordance with them. It is the ability to act rather than to be acted upon.
The human will is an amazing thing. Time after time, it has won against unbelievable difficulties. The Helen Kellers of this world give dramatic evidence to the value, the power of the independent will. But as we examine it in the context of effective self-management, we realize it’s usually not the dramatic, the visible, the once-in-a-lifetime effort that brings enduring success. Empowerment comes from learning how to use independent will in the decisions we make every day.
The degree to which we have developed our independent will in our everyday lives is measured by our personal integrity. Integrity is, fundamentally, the value we place on ourselves. It’s our ability to make and keep commitments to ourselves—to “walk our talk.” It’s honor with self, a fundamental part of the character ethic, the essence of active growth.
Effective management is putting first things first. While leadership decides what “first things” are, it is management that puts them first, day-by-day, moment-by-moment. Management is discipline, carrying it out.
Discipline stems from disciple (追随者) —disciple to a philosophy, disciple to a set of principles, disciple to a set of values, and disciple to an ultimate. purpose. In other words, if you are an effective manager of your self, your discipline comes from within; it is a function of your independent will. You are a disciple, a follower, of your own deep values and their source. And you have the will, the integrity, to place your feelings, your urges, your moods after those values.
That placement requires a purpose, a mission. It also requires independent will, the power to do something when you don’t want to do it, to be a function of your values rather than a function of the urge or desire of any given moment. It’s the power to act with integrity to your first creation.
1. What is the author’s purpose in mentioning “the Helen Kellers” in paragraph 2?| A．To explain a reason. | B．To highlight a point. |
| C．To make a prediction. | D．To give a definition. |
| A．Put words into deeds. | B．Display confidence. |
| C．Stop talking big. | D．Strike a balance. |
| A．Seeking external support. | B．Undertaking more missions. |
| C．Sticking to one’s own values. | D．Following one’s desires. |
| A．The Secret Behind Self-discipline | B．The Magic of Personal Integrity |
| C．The Power of Independent Will | D．The Road to Effective Management |
4 . At the beginning of graduate school, I knew that if I wanted to get tenure (长期聘用), I had to be productive. However, when my first three papers were rejected by major journals, a leading expert told me my projects were hopeless, and I wondered if I should drop out.
We all get rejected at work, whether it’s having our suggestions shot down or getting fired from a job. It causes pain. Neuroscientists (神经系统科学家) have scanned the brains of people who have cruelly been excluded from an online game. The physiological (生理学的) response looks fairly similar to processing physical pain.
Apparently, this was adaptive in our evolutionary past. If rejection didn’t hurt, you might have been perfectly comfortable leaving your tribe, which would not be good for your survival. But it’s left us nervous and likely to overreact to everyday rejections. If you’ve ever given a presentation and felt upset by the one unfriendly face in a room full of smiles, you know what I mean.
That’s the bad news. The good news is that we can learn to accept rejection calmly. “When you’re insecure in one, you rely on the other one that’s doing better at that time. Pliability (柔韧性) is the definition of strength,” said filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan.
When my work got rejected early in my academic career, pliability became my source of strength. My identity as a researcher was under threat, but that wasn’t what had drawn me to graduate school in the first place. I had another, stronger identity: I wanted to be a teacher. However, I hadn’t had the chance: The first two years of my program were supposed to focus entirely on research.
I realized that if I wanted to bounce back from the research rejections, I had to find a way to teach. I convinced an adviser to sign off on independent study projects for a group of students, and I started meeting with them weekly to teach my own little class. The conversations with the students gave rise to my first two major papers, which gave me a head start toward tenure.
1. What was the author’s reaction to the leading expert’s words?| A．He took his advice. | B．He felt discouraged. |
| C．He paid no attention. | D．He consulted another expert. |
| A．Rejection really hurts. |
| B．Rejection is important to survival. |
| C．People tend to overreact to rejection. |
| D．Physical pain grows because of rejection. |
| A．Find out the reasons behind it. |
| B．Forgive those who reject us. |
| C．Turn to our stronger identity. |
| D．Learn a lesson from past failures. |
| A．He left graduate school. |
| B．He turned into a middle school teacher. |
| C．He worked on practicing his physical pliability. |
| D．He accomplished some research work successfully. |
5 . Seeing happiness differently
Since its official beginning in 2013, the International Day of Happiness has been observed for 11 years. It falls on March 20 every year.
Experts in various fields hold different views on what happiness means and the factors that influence it.
Sonja Lyubomirsky is a researcher in the field of positive psychology.
People’s levels of subjective happiness are influenced by both internal factors, such as personality and outlook, and external factors, such as the environment in which they live, according to the author of the book Culture and Psychology.
More than that, experts in medical fields found that genes might influence happiness. In an article published in Iran J Public Health, three researchers show how twin studies have suggested that genetic factors count for35~50 percent of happiness. The study also mentioned two genes that may have an effect on happiness, which may help clarify the genetic base of happiness in the future.
From the aspect of economics, Tejvan Pettinger, an independent economics researcher, said that the factors affecting happiness can include income, quality of work, quality of consumption, leisure, the welfare of family members and the environment.
| A．This special day serves to remind people of the significance of happiness. |
| B．She provides a clear description of happiness. |
| C．Among them, income is a crucial factor. |
| D．Several important factors contribute to a person’s happiness. |
| E．What is their main source of income? |
| F．Career success may not be a guarantee of happiness. |
| G．The truth is that happiness itself is different for everyone. |
6 . It is William Shakespeare, the great coiner, who is given credit for the word. Coriolanus, one of his characters, compares going into exile (流放) to a “lonely dragon” retiring to his cave. He was talking about a physical state: someone who was lonely was simply alone. Then, thanks to the Romantic poets, the word took on emotional meanings. Loneliness became a condition of the soul. For William Wordsworth, who famously “wandered lonely as a cloud”, the natural world offered an escape from negative feelings of loneliness—a host of flowers could provide “cheerful company”. Today, loneliness is often seen as a serious public-health problem, creating the feeling of disconnection.
In his book Solitude, Netta Weinstein, a psychology professor wonders the rewards of time spent alone. He begins with an account of stories of solitude created by figures such as Michel Montaigne, a writer, and Edward Hopper, a painter. Netta then draw on laboratory work, interviews and surveys to clarify how being alone really affects the human mind.
It is common to treat loneliness and solitude as synonyms (同义词), but they are not. The author suggests that what is negatively described as one state can be positively expressed as the other. Loneliness, often perceived as negative, can potentially be transformed into a positive experience of solitude. To this end he emphasizes how being alone can help restore people and offers practical advice. In a noisy world, he argues, people should make time to be alone, away from attention-grabbing motives.
The book’s interviewees mostly regard a lack of company as a contributor to autonomy. But this depends on whether solitude is desirable or not. Enforced solitude, such as that experienced by prisoners, typically leads to nothing but suffering. Elective solitude, by contrast, affords space for self-reflection. It can open the door to “peak experiences” such as wonder, harmony, and happiness. In a highly-connected digital age, however, many readers do not fancy their chances of ever taking a long enough break to have such experiences.
1. How does paragraph 1 introduce the concept of loneliness?| A．By tracing its development. | B．By analyzing causes. |
| C．By making a point to be argued. | D．By sharing a romantic story. |
| A．The various terms of solitude. |
| B．The societal impact of solitude. |
| C．The long-standing history of solitude. |
| D．The psychological benefits of solitude. |
| A．stressful | B．essential | C．changeable | D．never beneficial |
| A．Enforced solitude is a matter of choice. |
| B．Enforced solitude contributes to autonomy. |
| C．Elective solitude is rare in the digital world. |
| D．Elective solitude interrupts peak experiences. |
7 . I tried not to look down. My palms (手掌) were sweating. All I could concentrate on was the man below who was keeping the ladder steady. The tiny people waved up at me, but I couldn’t see them clearly.
When I got to the top, some sort of supernatural force brought my feet to the edge of the platform. I was going to slip off the board. The line holding me was going to break, and I was once again going to be thrown to death. Down was the only direction my eyes would go.
I begged to go back down the ladder, but the stupid man tried to convince me. The tiny dots below shouted encouragingly, saying they would run with me as I flew. I was going to slide off that platform. I couldn’t think; the tears stopped my brain. Why wouldn’t he let me go back? The message replayed in my mind, “You’re going to die…”
Like a blown-up balloon, I was let go just before it could be knotted at the bottom. I went in every direction, tension escaping from my body as I fell. The breeze hit my face and cooled my sweaty body. I could see clearly now, and I was flying.
Today, I am still terrified of heights. It would be nice to say that I conquered my fear and found something I loved. I owe my zip line (飞索) experience to the Englishman who pushed me off the platform. I am grateful for the experience because I love adventure. Trying new things has always appealed to me. Some of the most rewarding experiences I have had, like flying, have come out of conquering what at first appears to be frightening and impossible. While my days of aerial escapades are over, I look forward to the future and the question of fear of flying and will continue to create questions wherever I go.
1. How did the author feel when he was on the ladders?| A．Exhausted. | B．Frightened. | C．Annoyed. | D．Excited. |
| A．To teach him to fly. | B．To push him to death. |
| C．To develop his courage. | D．To test his ability to climb. |
| A．everyone can enjoy flying well |
| B．trying difficult things is his favorite |
| C．looking back on the old days is awful for him |
| D．something that seems impossible can be conquered |
| A．The author’s zip line experience. | B．The author’s difficulty in life. |
| C．The author’s failure in adventure. | D．The author’s dreams about his future. |
8 . To put it simply, stress can be the father of growth, while a crisis can be the mother of innovation. The notion that great good can emerge from great adversity (逆境) is as old as the legend of the great phoenix (凤凰), who not only arises but soars to new heights from its own ashes.
In 1598, William Shakespeare penned the play As You Like It. One of the most famous lines from that play is spoken in Act 2 Scene 1 by Duke Senior, “Sweet are the uses of adversity which, like the toad (癞蛤蟆), ugly and venomous, wears yet a precious jewel in his head.” Even 500 years ago, the potential value of adversity was recognized, not by a great healer, but by a great playwright. Can this really be the case?
Fast-forward to the great silent film star Mary Pickford. She was called the most popular actress in the world in the 1910s and 1920s. Failing to continue acting with the advent of the “talkies”(movies with recorded sound), she co-founded the film company United Artists. Shifting her talents to producing and directing, she became the most powerful woman in the entertainment industry. She once noted, “You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing that we call ‘failure’ is not the falling down, but the staying down.”
Rather than fear and try to avoid adversity, perhaps we should accept the inevitability (必然) of adversity and prepare for it. Indeed, positive things can emerge from adversity.
Adversity reveals true opportunities for those preparing to take advantage. Dr. John Krumboltz’s happenstance theory states that career and life development is best fostered by preparing for opportunities that you may not know even exist in the current moment. Numerous unpredictable factors are potentially shaping the future. These include the crises adversity brings.
In Friedrich Nietzsche’s book, Behold the Man, the German philosopher writes that a person who has “turned out well” could be recognized by the ability to take advantage of and prosper from adversity, just as he wrote before, “What does not kill him makes him stronger.”
So, the next time adversity enters your life, will you run from it, or will you embrace it and use it as a step ping stone to greater happiness and success?
1. Why does the author quote the line from Shakespeare’s play?| A．To emphasize the great wisdom of Shakespeare. |
| B．To highlight the beauty of Shakespeare’s language. |
| C．To challenge the conventional belief regarding adversity. |
| D．To show the long-standing recognition of adversity’s value. |
| A．Fame can block one’s achievements. |
| B．Strong determination overcomes adversity. |
| C．Accepting adversity results in positive outcomes. |
| D．Courage in the face of challenges leads to success. |
| A．Embracing uncertainty. | B．Managing life’s challenges. |
| C．Seizing hidden opportunities. | D．Focusing on personal growth. |
| A．Cautious. | B．Favorable. | C．Neutral. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．Finding value and opportunity in facing adversity. |
| B．Stress as the primary cause of growth and innovation. |
| C．How to avoid adversity and negative experiences in life. |
| D．Historical figures who failed to overcome adversity effectively. |
9 . How I Freed Up Time to Daydream
I enjoyed Twitter. I genuinely did.
So I blocked Twitter. I went from being on it nearly every day to being off it for two months now.
Being offline didn’t make my life a land of meditative happiness. I still have three young loud kids, a job, a church, a spouse and a messy house.
My friend Timothy is a studied musician. I asked him about the function of small breaks in music —of rests.
Our days, which are so full of work and thinking, of arguing and learning, of disappointments and confusion, of striving and creating, must have moments when nothing much is happening.
| A．My new motto born of this experience is |
| B．The problem is that I loved it a little too much |
| C．He said that music, like a living creature, needs to breathe |
| D．But there is one way that leaving Twitter has benefited my life and my mind |
| E．He said that rests in music, even short ones, create rhythm, variety and narrative |
| F．Leaving these small moments empty is what makes the difference between noise and music |
| G．I enjoyed connecting with others and hearing what people were talking about all over the world |
10 . I’m in a coffee shop in Manhattan and I’m about to become the most disliked person in the room. First, I’m going to interrupt the man reading quietly near the window and ask for a drink of his latte. Next, I’m going to ask the line of people waiting to pay if I can cut to the front of the queue. This is how I chose to spend my last vacation. Here’s why.
Growing up, all I ever heard about was “EQ.” It was the mid-1990s, and psychologist Daniel Goleman had just popularized the concept of emotional intelligence. Unlike IQ, which tracked conventional measures of intelligence like reasoning and recall, EQ measured the ability to understand other people — to listen, to empathize (共情), and to appreciate.
My mother, an elementary school principal, prized brains and hard work, but she placed a special emphasis on Goleman’s new idea. To her, EQ was the elixir (万能药) that separated the good students from the great after they left school. She was determined to send me into the adult world with as much of this elixir as possible.
But when I finally began my first job, I noticed a second elixir in the pockets of some of my colleagues. It gave their opinions extra weight and their decisions added impact. Strangest of all, it seemed like the anti-EQ: Instead of knowing how to make others feel good, this elixir gave people the courage to do the opposite — to say things others didn’t want to hear.
This was assertiveness (魄力). It boiled down to the command of a single skill: the ability to have uncomfortable conversations. Assertive people — those with high “AQ”— ask for things they want, decline things they don’t, provide constructive feedback, and engage in direct confrontation (对峙) and debate.
A lifetime improving my EQ helped me empathize with others, but it also left me overly sensitive to situations where I had to say or do things that might make others unhappy. While I didn’t avoid conflict, I was always frustrated by my powerlessness when I had to say or do something that could upset someone. This is my problem and I’m working on it.
1. Why did the author act that way in the coffee shop?| A．To improve a skill. | B．To test a concept. |
| C．To advocate a new idea. | D．To have a unique vacation. |
| A．She thought little of IQ. |
| B．She popularized Goleman’s idea. |
| C．She was a strict mother and principal. |
| D．She valued EQ as the key to greatness. |
| A．EQ. | B．AQ. | C．Empathy. | D．Courage. |
| A．successful leaders | B．people pleasers |
| C．terrible complainers | D．pleasure seekers |
