1 . It was the final soccer game of the year. I was excited because I love playing soccer，but I was also sad to see the season end. My friend Amanda played on my team. She had worked hard in practice, but she had not scored in a game all season. We had one last chance to change that.
The game started out fast. Players from both teams crowded around the ball as it moved up and down the field. After a few minutes, one of our players burst out of the crowd of players like a piece of overheated popcorn bursting from a pan. She sped down the field toward the other team’s goal, keeping the ball in front of her. With a speedy kick, she sent the ball through the air and toward the goal. The goalkeeper reached to block the shot，but the ball soared（高飞）past her hand.
Our team had scored first, and we let out a cheer.
Our cheering did not last long, though. The opposing team, like a sleeping creature that has been awakened, came quickly to life. Their players rushed down the field, keeping the ball out of the reach of our players. In no time they scored a goal, tying the game.
The players on our team looked worried. Winning this game was important to us, but it seemed just as important to the other team. An opposing player almost scored another goal, but we blocked the net so the ball could not go in. After that, the game stayed tied for a long time.
With less than a minute left in the game, I was able to get the ball and pass it to Amanda. She looked nervous at first, but then she began to move toward the goal. Stopping quickly, she kicked the ball as hard as she could. It flew through the air, past two players from the opposing team, and right into the net! Our team let out another cheer. A few seconds later, the game ended.
Amanda had scored her first goal, and we had won the game. Her effort all season had finally paid off. The whole team gathered around her joyfully.
“Thanks, Julie,” Amanda said to me with a smile.
“No problem,” I replied as we walked off the field. “You earned it!”
1. What does the author show by using the underlined words “burst out of the crowd” in paragraph 2 ?| A．The player worked harder than the other players. |
| B．The player jumped higher than the other players. |
| C．The player became nervous around the other players. |
| D．The player moved quickly away from the other players. |
| A．She wanted Amanda to be rewarded for her effort. |
| B．She hoped that Amanda would be thankful for her help. |
| C．She believed Amanda was the closest player to the goal. |
| D．She knew that Amanda was the best player on the team. |
| A．Curious, puzzled, relieved. | B．Relaxed, surprised, joyful. |
| C．Hopeful, nervous, delighted. | D．Interested, patient, cheerful. |
| A．Sports help a person stay healthy. | B．Hard work can lead to success. |
| C．Games should be played for fun. | D．It is necessary to plan ahead. |
2 . Some people think that success is only for those with talent or those who grow up in the right family, and others believe that success mostly comes down to luck. I’m not going to say luck, talent, and circumstances don’t come into play because they do. Some people are born into the right family while others are born with great intelligence, and that’s just the reality of how life is.
However, to succeed in life, one first needs to set a goal and then gradually make it more practical. And, in addition to that, in order to get really good at something, one needs to spend at least 10,000 hours studying and practicing. To become great at certain things, it’ll require even more time, time that most people won’t put in.
This is a big reason why many successful people advise you to do something you love. If you don’t enjoy what you do, it is going to feel like unbearable pain and will likely make you quit well before you ever become good at it.
When you see people exhibiting some great skills or having achieved great success, you know that they have put in a huge part of their life to get there at a huge cost. It’s sometimes easy to think they got lucky or they were born with some rare talent, but thinking that way does you no good, and there’s a huge chance that you’re wrong anyway.
Whatever you do, if you want to become great at it, you need to work day in and day out, almost to the point of addiction, and over a long period of time. If you’re not willing to put in the time and work, don’t expect to receive any rewards. Consistent, hard work won’t guarantee you the level of success you may want, but it will guarantee that you will become really good at whatever it is you put all that work into.
1. Paragraph 1 mainly talks about ________.| A．the meaning of success |
| B．the reasons for success |
| C．the standards of success |
| D．the importance of success |
| A．work makes one feel pain |
| B．one tends to enjoy his work |
| C．it takes a lot of time to succeed |
| D．one gives up his work easily |
| A．People sometimes succeed without luck or talent. |
| B．Successful people like to show their great skills. |
| C．People need to achieve success at the cost of life. |
| D．It helps to think that luck or talent leads to success. |
| A．Having a goal is vital to success. |
| B．Being good is different from being great. |
| C．Luck, talent and family help to achieve success. |
| D．One cannot succeed without time and practice. |
3 . I began to grow up that winter night when my parents and I were returning from my aunt’s house, and my mother said that we might soon be leaving for America. We were on the bus then. I was crying, and some people on the bus were turning around to look at me. I remember that I could not bear the thought of never hearing again the radio program for school children to which I listened every morning.
I do not remember myself crying for this reason again. In fact, I think I cried very little when I was saying goodbye to my friends and relatives. When we were leaving I thought about all the places I was going to see—the strange and magical places I had known only from books and pictures. The country I was leaving and never to come back was hardly in my head then.
The four years that followed taught me the importance of optimism(乐观), but the idea did not come to me at once. For the first two years in New York I was really lost—having to study in three schools as a result of family moves. I did not quite know what I was or what I should be. Mother remarried, and things became even more complex for me. Some time passed before my stepfather(继父)and I got used to each other. I was often sad, and saw no end to “the hard times.”
My responsibilities in the family increased a lot since I knew English better than everyone else at home. I wrote letters, filled out forms, translated at interviews with immigration officers(移民局官员), took my grandparents to the doctor and translated there, and even discussed telephone bills with company representatives.
From my experiences I have learned one important rule: Almost all common troubles go away at last! Something good is certain to happen in the end when you do not give up, and just wait a little! I believe that my life will turn out all right, even though it will not be that easy.
1. How did the author get to know America?| A．From radio programs | B．From books and pictures |
| C．From her mother | D．From her relatives |
| A．often lost her way | B．did not think about her future |
| C．studied in three different schools | D．got on well with her stepfather |
| A．She worked as a translator. | B．She attended a lot of job interviews. |
| C．She paid telephone bills for her family. | D．She helped her family with her English. |
| A．her future will be free from troubles | B．it is difficult to learn to become patient |
| C．there are more good things than bad things | D．good things will happen if one keeps trying |
4 . The American book Who Moved My Cheese (奶酪) has been a bestseller all over the world. It teaches people how to face changes in their lives. Now its author Spence Johnson has written a book just for teens. The book tells us that when facing change in our lives, like a new school or new friends, don’t be afraid. Instead, use this change to make a better life. The book gives an example of a change at school. A school is changing from having two terms to three terms because there are too many students.
Several teens are talking about this. Most of them are unhappy and worried. But Chris is not. He laughs and tells a story about two mice, two “little people” and some cheese.
The four are in a maze looking for the cheese. Here, cheese means something important in life, like moving to a new class or getting into college. But they find the cheese is gone. The mice realize that they can’t change what has happened and have to find more cheese. This means finding different dreams. The little people, however, can’t do this. They are afraid of change so they find no cheese.
After Chris finishes the story, the friends understand one thing: to get more cheese, move in a new direction quickly. His friends understand how this can be used in the changes all teens face, such as doing well at school or having good relationships or just feeling good about yourself.
1. The book Who Moved My Cheese is ________.| A．written all over the world | B．read across the world |
| C．sold only in America | D．loved only by teens |
| A．Never change in our life | B．Change when you like to do |
| C．Change with the changes | D．Pay attention to the changes |
| A．Mice and little people | B．students |
| C．Cheese | D．Readers |
| A．mice | B．little people |
| C．Chris | D．Spence Johnson |
| A．The author is Britain. |
| B．There are three terms in every school. |
| C．Most teens don’t understand Chris’ story. |
| D．The book tells teens how to face changes in their lives. |
[1] Mistakes and errors are the disciplined true which we advance in life. Mistakes are great teachers. Success comes to those who are willing to risk making mistakes in the pursuit of their goals and aspirations, and who are able to learn from those mistakes. And in order to learn from mistakes you must be willing to pay for them.
[2] Mistakes can be enormously valuable, but when you try to get others to pay for your mistakes, then you deprive yourself of the opportunity to learn from them. When something goes wrong, it’s usually very easy to find someone else to blame, but what does that really accomplish?
[3] Much of the value of mistakes comes from the fact that they demand a cost that must be paid. The person who learns the most from a mistake is the person who pays the price for that mistake.
[4] When you make a mistake, the only thing you want to do is ________ it. You need to face it because you can learn a lot from it. The mistake has been made, so make the most of it. Pay the price, learn the lesson, and grow that much stronger.
[5] When you make a mistake, don’t look back at it long. Remember the reason for it, and then look forward. Mistakes are lessons of wisdom. The past cannot be changed. The present is still in your power. Take full advantage of your mistakes to achieve your goals and aspirations.
1. What is the main idea of passage? (Please answer within 8 words)2. Please fill in the blank in the 4th paragraph with proper words to complete the sentence. (no more than 4 words.)
3. Which sentence in the passage can be replaced by the following one?
Those who pursue their goals and aspirations are more likely to succeed, because they are willing to risk making mistakes.
4. What should you do when you make mistakes? (Please answer within 20 words.)
5. Translate the underline sentence in the second paragraph into Chinese.
6 . Thinking is something you choose to do as a fish chooses to live in water. To be human is to think. But thinking may come naturally without your knowing how you do it. Thinking about thinking is the key to critical thinking. When you think critically, you take control of your thinking processes. Otherwise, you might be controlled by the ideas of others. Indeed, critical thinking is at the heart of education.
The word “critical” here has a special meaning. It does not mean taking one against another view, as when someone criticizes another person for doing something wrong. The nature of critical thinking is thinking beyond the easily seen-beyond the pictures on TV, the untrue reports in the newspapers, and the faulty reasoning.
Critical thinking is an attitude as much as an activity. If you are curious about life and desire to dig deeper into it, you are a critical thinker. If you find pleasure in deep thinking about different ideas, characters, and facts, you are a critical thinker.
Activities of the mind and higher-order reasoning are processes of deep and careful consideration. They take time, and do not go hand in hand with the fast speed in today’s world: fast foods, instant coffee, and self-developing film. If you are among the people who believe that speed is a measure of intelligence, you may learn something new from a story about Albert Einstein. The first time Banesh Hoffman, a scientist, was to discuss his work with Albert Einstein, Hoffman was too nervous to speak. But Einstein immediately put Hoffman at ease by saying, “Please go slowly. I don’t understand things quickly.”
1. Critical thinking is important to us because if we do not think critically, ________.| A．it will be hard for us to think naturally and fast | B．we might be controlled by other people’s ideas |
| C．we will follow the ideas of others naturally | D．we might be fooled by other people’s ideas |
| A．think deeply about different ideas | B．trust the reports in the newspapers |
| C．take one view against another view | D．criticize other people for their mistakes |
| A．the smarter you are, the faster you do things | B．the faster you do things, the smarter you become |
| C．speed can improve intelligence | D．intelligence is not decided by speed |
| A．Thinking and Critical Thinking | B．Understanding Critical Thinking |
| C．Thinking Is Natural and Human | D．Thinking Fast Means Intelligence |
7 . George Prochnik would like the world to put a sock in it. He makes his case in a new book, listenning for Meaning in a World of Noise, Here he explains himself (using his indoor voice):
“We’ve become so accustomed to noise, there’s about almost a deep prejudice against the idea that silence might be beneficial. If you tell someone to be quiet, you sound like an old man. But it’s never been more important to find continuing quiet. Silence focuses us, improves our health, and is a key to lasting peace and satisfaction.”
“We need to excite people about the sounds you start to hear if you merely quiet things down a little. During a Japanese tea ceremony, the smallest sounds becomes a kind of art—the spoons making a light ringing sound on a bowl, the edges of a kimono（和服）brushing against the floor.”
“Dear people are very attetice（专注的）in almose every aspect of life. If two deaf people are walking together, using sign language, they constantly watch out for each other and protecet each other by paying steady attention to the other. They are connected yet also fully aware of their surroundings. Even deaf teenagers! We in the hearing world can learn from them. If we remove the powerful blasts（一阵阵）of noise, we become aware of an extraordinarily rich world around us—of little soft sounds and the sound of footsteps, of bird songs and ice cracking（开裂声）. It’s astonishing how beautiful things sound when you can really listen. ”
1. What does the phrase “to put a sock in it” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．to be quiet | B．to be colorful |
| C．to be full of love | D．to be attentive to someone |
| A．We are used to quietnesss |
| B．We have to put up with noise |
| C．We do not think silence to be beneficial |
| D．We do not believe lasting peace to be available |
| A．We need more sounds in our lives |
| B．There is nothing to be learned from the deaf |
| C．We are not aware how rich the world around us is |
| D．There is too much noise at a Japanese tea ceremony |
| A．we can benefit a lot from old people |
| B．it is a good idea to use sign language |
| C．there is no escape from the world of sound |
| D．it is possible to find how beautiful things sound |
8 . Do you know the proverb “no pain, no gain”? It gives the impression that we ought to be suffering while we study. It seems that the only way to know if we’ re putting in enough work is how much hardship we bear. We are totally taken up with study, shutting ourselves away for a big exam. Is that necessarily true?
When we haven’t taken the time to come up with another idea, we just shut ourselves in a room with a book. It’s no surprise that we find revision boring and difficult. Just as children learn from playing, we can learn from doing, or at least from study techniques that interest us, rather than make us switch off. Shutting ourselves away can make us learn to hate studying, leading to a situation where, instead of being able to concentrate on our work, we are troubled by how unfair it is that we must study. This can be part of a vicious cycle (恶性循环) that traps us into ineffective revision, or poor progress fueling further annoyance.
Thankfully, working in the company of other people really helps fight against that. We just need to learn how to deal with distractions(使人分心的事). It’s not necessary to avoid all company, just lazy company. They constantly try to keep others in conversation, while studying in the same room with someone who is ironing or working out is perfectly possible. Of course, it’s also a good idea to avoid the company of people involved in activities where you would rather be playing than studying. Working while sitting next to someone playing video games is most likely to end with a new high score of games rather than productive revision.
If being around others means working in a noisy environment, a pair of headphones and some background music can block out noises. They also act as a psychological barrier, so that people think twice before interrupting you. Besides, we should know friends and family can lessen feelings of isolation. And connecting with other people makes us happy, so it’s important not to give that up and to make sure that we take the time to socialize.
1. What is the author’s purpose of writing the text?| A．To introduce effective studying means. |
| B．To encourage us to work as hard as possible. |
| C．To remind us to balance activities and study. |
| D．To discuss the importance of family company. |
| A．Good ideas are needed in terms of progress. |
| B．Ways that interest us can lead to effective revision. |
| C．Shutting ourselves away can help concentrate on work. |
| D．With study techniques, revision is interesting and easy for certain. |
| A．One should learn from certain activities that interest him. |
| B．Playing video games is helpful for effective study. |
| C．One shouldn’t study with the company of a video game player. |
| D．The more time one spends in playing games, the higher test scores one will get. |
| A．Give up others company at once. |
| B．Think twice before taking any action. |
| C．Give indication of not wanting to be interrupted. |
| D．Force yourself to be accustomed to the environment. |
9 . In most situations, bystanders’ responses like disapproving glares, uninvited comments or pieces of advice to a child’s angry behavior can add to the stress of the situation. But sometimes bystanders’ truly understand, and sometimes their words or actions can make a positive difference. One mom experienced this firsthand.
This mom was noticeably pregnant and traveling alone with her young son at a Los Angeles airport. Then things had taken a turn for the worse.
The boy, about 18 months old, was in the midst of what Beth, a Facebook user, referred to as a “total meltdown”. He was running all over the place, kicking, screaming, and flopping down (趴) on the floor, dead set on not getting aboard the plane. His mom did her best to calm him down, but, according to Beth, “she couldn’t pick him up because he was so upset. He kept running away from her, then lying down on the ground, kicking and screaming again.” Finally, the mom came to her wit’s end. She sat down on the floor next to her son, buried her face in her hands, and began to cry.
Then the most amazing thing happened.
A group of six or seven women, Beth included, circled around the mother-son pair and did something to help. Beth sang him “The Itsy-Bitsy Spider.” Another offered an orange. Another gave him a toy she had on hand. Another helped get his cup out of Mom’s bag. Yet another tended to Mom by offering her a water bottle. With the help of these incredible women, the kid and his mother calmed down and were able to board the plane.
And then life moved on. All of the strangers went their separate ways without speaking of what had happened. But Beth said it was something she’d never forget. “We were strangers, gathering to solve something,” she wrote. “It occurred to me that a circle of women, with a mission, can save the world.”
1. What reaction of the bystanders is proper to a child’s angry behavior?| A．Understanding and trying to help. | B．Offering parents some advice. |
| C．Commenting on the situation. | D．Stopping the child by glaring. |
| A．Burst into tears. | B．Felt totally at a loss. |
| C．Gave in to her kid. | D．Ran away from her kid. |
| A．Professional. | B．Courageous. | C．Calm. | D．Considerate. |
| A．To describe a great volunteer Beth. | B．To introduce some incredible women. |
| C．To show how strangers can help out. | D．To appeal to people to care for children. |
A couple of weeks ago, my grandfather explained his favorite expression, “Nothing is ever easy.” Then the following day, as I tried to complete my day’s work, I happened to notice a bumblebee(大黄蜂) on the skylight(天窗). The skylight was particularly high up, but I thought removing the bee would take no more than five minutes. An hour later, the bee still remained. All that had changed was that the living room was a mess and that I was dizzy from looking up into the sunlight. I did not expect to waste an hour on an insect so tiny, but by doing so, I understood what my grandfather meant.
It is not only time that we tend to underestimate — we don’t account for unexpected costs. We often imagine what can work in our favor, but we seldom think of all the negative things that could affect us. However, it is important to remember that your day or week or year might not go as planned, and that is completely normal. It is perfectly acceptable to feel challenged — even at a task you thought was simple — because that is part of life.
If you can accept that nothing will ever be easy, then life might seem slightly more manageable. In middle school, I thought high school might be easier because I could choose the classes I wanted to take. In high school, I thought college might be easier because I could have a schedule best suited for myself. Yet each time, I was both wrong and disappointed. After accepting that school wouldn’t (and shouldn’t) be easy, I found myself with a more positive attitude and improved results.
Of course, there should be preparations made to account for expenses or time. Doing so can only help you accomplish your goals in a better way. However, there is no need to beat ourselves up(过分自责) when something stands in our path. Maybe we cannot see a bee coming our way, but we can always give ourselves the extra time to catch it.
1. What was out of the author’s expectation when he removed the bumblebee on the skylight?(no more than 15 words)2. What does the underlined phrase “account for” in Paragraph 2 mean? (no more than 3 words)
3. What does Paragraph 3 mainly tell us? (no more than 15 words)
4. According to the passage, how will you deal with what stands on your path? (no more than 15 words)
5. What do you understand the sentence—“Nothing is ever easy.”? (no more than 25 words)
