1 . When I was 12 years old, I already knew that my teen years were going to be the worst years of my life. I was a total outsider, bullied (欺凌) at school. I felt completely alone in my small town.
But by starting to do volunteer work when I was 14, I turned my problem into a passion for helping others. The opportunity to practice kindness made me feel like my life had a greater purpose. The more positive energy I shared, the more kindness and appreciation I received. I realized that my purpose in life would be to reach out to people, specifically teenagers, and help them feel less alone.
Books were my true friends back then. I was so thankful that the authors wrote those books. The kindness they offered me with their books saved my life. One of my biggest dreams was to become an author so I could write books that would help other teenagers the way those books helped me.
After surviving terrible experiences at school and at home, I made a choice to take the optimistic, positive road in the next steps of my journey. My dream career, one I thought was only possible for the authors I loved, is what I am doing now. I have been a full-time author of teen novels since 2007 and am grateful for this amazing opportunity to reach out to readers every single day.
Kindness saved me when I needed help the most. Even small acts of kindness can change someone’s life. You never know what someone else is going through. But by practicing daily kindness, you become an architect of positive change.
1. What was the author’s life like when he was 12?A.Boring. | B.Peaceful. | C.Painful. | D.Meaningful. |
A.It made him popular in his town. | B.It helped him find the meaning of life. |
C.It helped him understand others’ lives better. | D.It helped to shape his dream career. |
A.He was inspired by his teacher. | B.He could pass positive energy to readers. |
C.He wanted to share his school experiences. | D.He found he had a talent for writing. |
A.Say “no” to bullies bravely. | B.Make positive changes in their lives. |
C.Treat others with kindness in daily life. | D.Learn to care more about others’ feelings. |
The morning of my daughter’s first school play I had an important business meeting. I went to the play, getting a seat in the front row. I even brought my mum along in case it overran. But, not wanting to be late for my appointment, I moved quietly to the back. My daughter, who was just three at the time, noticed my empty seat and started to cry. Outside the doorway, I heard one mum say loudly and angrily, “She’s gone to work.” I watched as some of the others rolled their eyes. My stomach went cold.
It’s OK for a mum to have a job — as long as it’s part-time, fits around the school run or means she doesn’t have to leave the school play early or fly to the other side of the world now and again to earn a living. During the decade I’ve been a working mum I’ve received numerous critical comments from women about my work choices, but I think running my own business and travelling with my work when I can (while still taking my daughter to school most days and making pretty much every show or event) is setting a good example to my daughter. It shows her that it is possible to succeed at a time when women in many professions find it harder than men to reach the top and get less pay.
But I often feel I’ m in the minority. Do the women who roll their eyes at other women who leave the school play early or show up late to parents’ evening because their meetings overrun really believe females should only be in part-time, flexible work that fits around their children? I think it’s time for women to support each other’s career decisions.
1. What does the text mainly talk about?(no more than 10 words)2. What does the underlined sentence in the first paragraph probably mean?(no more than 25 words)
3. What may the author’s daughter learn from her working mother?(no more than 30 words)
4. What kink of job should a mother have according to other mothers who rolled their eyes? (no more than 5 words)
5. Do you agree with the author? Give your reasons.(no more than 25 words)
3 . From now on, never spend your precious time thinking of reasons for your failures and shortcomings. Instead, realize that the seeds of success were planted within you when you were born. Only you have the power to make those seeds grow.
The seeds, and the power to grow them, are contained in the most awesome machine ever created: the human mind. Success is a choice and not a chance. You were born a winner: You can be a success if only you make the right choice.
You cannot be successful without first developing your self-esteem. Your level of self-esteem is always based on the degree of control that you are able to exercise over yourself, and thus over your life. People with low self-esteem are people who do not believe that they have any power, or responsibility for their lives. They are leaves tossed (摇摆) by the winds of chance blown about with any sudden change in the weather.
You can exercise control over your life only to the degree that you believe that you are responsible for everything that happens in your life. Failures think that everything happens by accident and chance. Successful people realize that they are responsible.
Everything happens as a result of something. If we can identify the cause, we can control the effect. We are responsible for what we choose to think and believe. One generally rises to the level that one expects. We are responsible for letting out expectations. Our success is dependent upon our level of confidence.
In short, in all areas of your life, whether they be financial, physical, emotional, or spiritual, you are responsible. Once you recognize this, accept it, and firmly believe it, you are on the road to success.
1. People with low self-esteem are compared to leaves because they_______.A.can’t exercise control over themselves | B.are ready to change their minds |
C.don’t have the power to face their fate | D.are easily affected by windy weather |
A.success is the result of hard work | B.their failure is only because of bad luck |
C.they don’t make efforts to succeed | D.working hard will lead to success |
A.success is a chance | B.we are what we make us |
C.thoughts and beliefs are the result of creative mind | D.developing confidence is the only way to future success |
A.the proof of the author’s points | B.the conclusion of the argument |
C.an introduction to another topic | D.a comparison between two views |
4 . Two of the saddest words in the English language are “if only”. I live my life with the goal of never having to say those words, because they express regret, lost opportunities, mistakes, and disappointment.
My father is famous in our family for saying, “Take the extra minute to do it right.” I always try to live by the “extra minute” rule. When my children were young and likely to cause accidents, I always thought about what I could do to avoid an “if only” moment, whether it was something minor like moving a cup full of hot coffee away from the edge of a counter, or something that required a little more work such as taping padding (衬垫) onto the sharp comers of a glass coffee table.
I don’t only avoid (避免) those “if only” moments when it comes to safety. it’s equally important to avoid “if only” in our personal relationships. We all know people who lost a loved one and regretted that they had foregone an opportunity to say, “I love you” or “I forgive you.” When my father announced he was going to the eye doctor across from my office on Good Friday, I told him that it was a holiday for my company and I wouldn’t be here. But then I thought about the fact that he’s 84 years old and I realized that I shouldn’t give up an opportunity to see him. I called him and told him I had decided to go to work on my day off after all.
I know there will still be occasions when I have to say “if only” about something, but my life is definitely better because of my policy of doing everything possible to avoid that eventuality (可能发生的事). And even though it takes an extra minute to do something right, or it occasionally takes an hour or two in my busy schedule to make a personal connection, I know that I’m doing the right thing. I’m buying myself peace of mind and that’s the best kind of insurance (保障) for my emotional well-being.
1. Which of the following is an example of the “extra minute” rule?A.Start the car the moment everyone is seated. |
B.Leave the room for a minute with the iron working. |
C.Wait for an extra minute so that the steak tastes better. |
D.Move an object out of the way before it trips (绊倒) someone. |
A.To keep her appointment with the eye doctor. |
B.To meet her father who was already an old man. |
C.To join in the holiday celebration of the company. |
D.To finish her work before the deadline approached. |
A.given up. | B.Lacked. | C.Avoided. | D.Wasted. |
A.The Emotional Well-being | B.The Two Saddest Words |
C.The Most Useful Rule | D.The Peace of Mind |
5 . 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. |
6 . How Laughing at Yourself Makes You Attractive
Have you ever embarrassed yourself in public and got laughed at for it?
●Laughing at yourself means accepting who you really are. You may feel bad about yourself because of past misfortune. However, it’s normal to be imperfect. What’s important is that you should be honest with yourself about who you are.
●Laughing at yourself helps increase your confidence. When you are able to stay optimistic and laugh at yourself, you are likely to be more successful in life.
●
Just remember that humans all make mistakes. So instead of blaming yourself, try to think of your mistakes in a positive way and accept yourself just as you are.
A.Laughing at yourself makes you popular. |
B.Accept yourself despite your imperfections. |
C.You don’t need to take yourself seriously all the time. |
D.Chances are that we all have these kinds of experiences. |
E.Learn to laugh at yourself and you will be more attractive. |
F.Laughing at yourself changes an ideal image of yourself. |
G.This is because laughing at yourself contributes to your mental health. |
7 . Get a Thorough Understanding of Oneself
In all one’s life time, it is oneself that one spends the most time being with or dealing with.
When you are going upwards in life you tend to overestimate yourself. It seems that everything you seek for is within your reach.
Gain a correct view of oneself. You may look forward hopefully to the future but be sure not to expect too much, for dreams can never be fully realized. You may be courageous to meet challenges but it should be clear to you where to direct your efforts.
Self-appreciate. Whether you compare yourself to a high mountain or a small stone, you represent a state of nature.
Get a full control of one’s life. Then one will find one’s life full of color and flavor.
A.Do oneself a favor when it’s needed. |
B.It has its own value. |
C.Do yourself a favor when you resist the attack of illness. |
D.Especially if it is well within your reach, you are just too blind to see it. |
E.But it is precisely oneself that one has the least understanding of. |
F.When you are going downhill you tend to underestimate yourself. |
G.So long as you have a perfect knowledge of yourself, there won’t be difficulties you can’t overcome. |
8 . A month after Hurricane Katrina, I returned home in New Orleans. There lay my house, reduced to waist-high ruins, smelly and dirty.
Before the trip, I’d had my car fixed. When the office employee of the garage was writing up the bill, she noticed my Louisiana license plate. “You from New Orleans?” she asked. I said I was, “No charge,” she said, and firmly shook her head when I reached for my wallet. The next day I went for a haircut, and the same thing happened.
As my wife was studying in Florida, we decided to move there and tried to find a rental house that we could afford while also paying off a mortgage (抵押贷款) on our ruined house. We looked at many places, but none was satisfactory. We’d begun to accept that we’d have to live in extremely reduced circumstances for a while, when I got a very curious e-mail from a James Kennedy in California. He’d read some pieces I’d written about our sufferings for Slate, the online magazine, and wanted to give us (“no conditions attached”) a new house across the lake from New Orleans.
It sounded too good to be true, but I replied, thanking him for his exceptional generosity, that we had no plans to go back. Then a poet at the University of Florida offered to let his house to me while he went to England on his one-year paid leave. The rent was rather reasonable. I mentioned the poet’s offer to James Kennedy, and the next day he sent a check covering our entire rent for eight months.
Throughout this painful experience, the kindness of strangers has done much to bring back my faith in humanity. It’s almost worth losing your worldly possessions to be reminded that people are really nice when given half a chance.
1. What do we know about James Kennedy?A.He was a writer of an online magazine. |
B.He was a poet at the University of Florida. |
C.He offered the author a new house free of charge. |
D.He learned about the author’s sufferings via e-mail |
A.the author’s family was in financial difficulty |
B.rents were comparatively reasonable despite the disaster |
C.houses were difficult to find in the hurricane-stricken area |
D.the mortgage on the ruined house was paid off by the bank |
A.worldly possessions can be given up when necessary |
B.generosity should be encouraged in some cases |
C.people benefit from their sad stories |
D.human beings are kind after all |
9 . Have you ever come out of a steamy hot shower and tried to look at your reflection in the mirror when it’s completely steamed and fogged up? I often think that is how we tend to view our beauty—through fogged up mirrors. We are seeing ourselves but the picture isn’t exactly clear! The mirrors have been fogged up through different life experiences and memories as we have grown up, and now blend together to form our own definition of our beauty.
The first mirror is formed as a young child and is often based on what was said about us from our parents and those around us. I remember being told that I was a cute child, so that when I got a little older and was around six or seven and another child tried to tell me I was ugly- everything within me rose up against the statement because my self-belief in what my parents had said stood strong.
The second mirror is the mirror of adolescence, those formative years when we are pushed into the big wild world and out of the protection of home. As a teenager I went to a boarding school, and I was one of the only two black people in the entire school. Children being naturally curious, I felt like I was asked a million and one different questions about both my hair and skin tone- -and I don’t think there has ever been a time when I have been more acutely aware of my appearance, which in turn opened up the door for me to question how I looked and to thankfully embrace my differences.
The final mirror comes from socially constructed ideas of beauty. We are often faced with numerous images in the media, popular culture, society, peers and social media, which can create a false ideal of beauty in our eyes. We tend to compare ourselves to those ideals and use it as some sort of margin (差值) of measurement.
However, real beauty comes from within. It is acceptance of yourself, perceived flaws and all. You are a masterpiece, a unique blend of genes and life experiences. It’s essential to appreciate yourself like any other work of art or natural wonder, without judgement. Maybe it’s time to create a fourth mirror, a new mirror that is wiped clean and is minus the fog of comparisons, accusations, judgments and expectations.
1. What do the fogged-up mirrors represent according to the first paragraph?A.The difficulties of seeing oneself in the mirror. |
B.The various sources of beauty standards. |
C.The unclear perceptions of one’s beauty. |
D.The life experiences and memories. |
A.She felt embarrassed. |
B.She completely denied it. |
C.She sought comfort from her parents. |
D.She questioned what her parents had said. |
A.They push teens out of home protection. |
B.They arouse acute awareness of one’s appearance. |
C.They may mislead people’s idea of beauty. |
D.They are the exact measurement of beauty. |
A.A mirror not affected by external factors. |
B.A mirror going against society’s expectations. |
C.A mirror reflecting one’s childhood experiences. |
D.A mirror showing the beauty ideals from social media. |
A.bring happiness to those around us |
B.keep our resolve despite obstacles |
C.change ourselves to achieve an ideal |
D.embrace our real inner beauty |
10 . What is your calling? What is your purpose in life? What did you come to this world to do? Every day we read about how we should find our purpose and pursue it throughout our lives in order to find meaning and contentment. There are even scientific studies that show people who view their work as a calling rather than just a career or a job have a higher life and work satisfaction. So, what exactly is this calling?
I’ve personally struggled with this concept for many years. I knew that happiness not only came from a present state of joy, but also from the pursuit of an objective that gave me something to pursue. That is, until I found myself feeling empty despite my achievement of those goals.
And as I reflected on these feelings of emptiness and boredom that had arisen despite my successes, I realized something. Meaning and satisfaction come from a personal devotion to what we do and the intrinsic (固有的) fulfillment we get from it. It has nothing to do with financial gain, social advancement or any other type of external reward or motivation. It is about doing something that we love. It is about focusing our efforts and spending our time on passions that light the spark inside of us and allow us to share with the world the unique gifts we possess.
I had never before stopped to think about what I found intrinsically rewarding or fulfilling. Financial gain and external recognition were pretty much the only drivers I knew. More so, I thought this calling meant having one passion we were born with to pursue relentlessly (不懈地).
So, I spent some years trying to find this long-lost purpose of mine. I discovered during that time passions I had no idea I even had. Yet, I wasn’t sure how to make them into my life purpose. I searched for an answer but couldn’t find it. It wasn’t until I came to understand the truths about our purpose in life that I was able to find my place in this world.
Our purpose can consist of various things that make us feel alive. As we grow and evolve throughout the different stages in our lives, we may discover new passions and desires that change our sense of purpose and calling.
We all have a longing for lives that give meaning to our existence. The difference lies in how we go about accomplishing this. We must each find our own “shine” and then shine on.
1. According to the passage, the calling refers to________.A.one’s view about careers |
B.a task one has to carry out |
C.a life-long career one chooses |
D.a strong desire or sense of duty to do a job |
A.Financial gain and external recognition. |
B.Pursuing passions relentlessly. |
C.Discovering new passions. |
D.Finding purpose in life. |
A.Trying to do everything that you can. |
B.Trying to achieve your ambitious goals. |
C.Doing meaningful things with your passion. |
D.Doing something that can be successful easily. |
A.the author spent some years making changes |
B.the author used to think he had no passion at all |
C.the author didn’t know how to search for the life purpose |
D.the author has known his passions since he started to work |
A.It’s wise to give up discovering our one true passion. |
B.It’s useless to pursue financial gain and external recognition. |
C.It’s necessary to find our own calling and pursue it with vigor. |
D.It’s important to share our passion with the world without stopping. |