1 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

The Art of Blooming Late

Mozart struggled during his teens and early twenties. Though already a productive composer, he had to work as an organist (风琴手)to make ends meet.

Underpaid by his frustratingly average work, he felt a     1     (burn) desire to devote more time and energy to his art. So after a period of doubt and deliberation, that’s exactly what he did. He quit his job, set up shop in Vienna and settled down to     2     turned out to be the most creative period of his life.

If you aspire to do more personally fulfilling work — say,     3     (found) a start-up or turn a hobby into a full-fledged (完全成熟的) career — drafting a plan of action can be slightly discouraging. Even so, a few newly-released books suggest that it’s entirely possible to develop the clarity of purpose to create your own version of Mozart’s Don Giovanni.

In Aristotle’s Way, the classicist Edith Hall describes the ancient philosopher’s belief     4     becoming conscious of our skills, talents and aptitudes and then using our resources to make the most of them is the foundation of living a good life. If you’re not working toward reaching your unique potential — as Mozart did — it’s normal to feel dissatisfied. If that’s the case, says Aristotle, it’s your duty to make things right.

What, then, is holding you back? Rich Karlgaard, author of Late Bloomers, argues that our culture’s obsession with early achievement discourages us from pursuing our passions.     5     having varied interests, studying widely and enjoying our time — essentials for self-discovery — we’re encouraged to pass the tests, become specialists right away and pursue safe, stable and profitable careers.

As a result, most of us end up choosing professional excellence over personal fulfillment and often we lose ourselves in the process.     6     your job requires high-demanding tasks, being a specialist isn’t a treasure. Having a wide range of skills and experiences is     7     (beneficial) because it allows you to be quick-minded and creative.

The authors of Dark Horse, Todd Rose and Ogi Ogas of Harvard’s School of Education, noticed the negative effects of early specialization in a study of people who came out of nowhere to achieve great success. “Despite feeling     8     (overwhelm),” the two write, “most dark horses reluctantly struggled along for years before finally coming to the realization that they were not living a fulfilling life.”

To prompt this kind of revolution in your own life, Rose and Ogas suggest creating a goal tailored to extremely specific activities     9     truly inspires you. As you move forward, there are a few things to keep in mind. First and foremost, it’s never too late to become yourself. There are also benefits of taking a long winding path to self-fulfillment.     10     (remember) that age typically brings wisdom, resilience, humility, self-knowledge and creativity. As research has shown, small daily changes can have a profound effect and slowly but surely lead you closer to the person you think you ought to be.

5 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

The Impact of Visual Cues on Behavior

During the energy crisis in the 1970s, Dutch researchers began to pay close attention to the country’s energy usage. In one suburb near Amsterdam, they found that some homeowners used 30 percent less energy than their neighbors     1     the homes being of similar size and getting electricity for the same price.

It turned out that the houses in this neighborhood were nearly identical except for one feature: the location of the electrical meter. Some had one in the basement.     2     had the electrical meter upstairs in the main hallway.     3     you may guess, the homes with the meters located in the main hallway used less electricity. When their energy use was obvious and easy to track, people changed their behavior.

Every habit     4     (initiate) by a cue, and we are more likely to notice cues that stand out. Unfortunately, the environments where we live and work often make it easy not to do certain actions     5    there is no obvious cue to trigger the behavior. When the cues that spark a habit are subtle or hidden, they are easy     6     (ignore).

By comparison, creating obvious visual cues can draw your attention toward a    7     (desire) habit. I’ve experienced the power of obvious cues in my own life. I used to buy apples from the store, put them in the crisper (储藏格) in the bottom of the refrigerator, and forget all about them. By the time I remembered, the apples     8     (go) bad. I never saw them, so I never ate them.

Eventually, I took my own advice and redesigned my environment. I bought a large display bowl and placed it in the middle of the kitchen counter. The next time I bought apples, that was     9     they went. Almost like magic, I began eating a few apples each day simply because they were obvious,     10     (facilitate) the formation of a healthy eating habit rather than keeping them out of sight.

6 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passages coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

You know what they say, marriage is like a box of chocolates and you never know what you are gonna get. My wife and I had a “ferocious” argument the other night     1     we were watching one episode of the latest season of a reality show called See You Again. Basically, the show was about three couples     2     (embark) on an 18-day vacation to try to work out their marital issues in the hope of saving their marriages. For them, it was really a make-it-or-break-it vacation.

    3     we both agreed on most men’s incompetence in expressing their true feelings in any intimate relationship, my still beloved wife and I failed miserably to see eye to eye on reasons for that. She blamed it on men’s upbringing while I thought it had more to do with the influence of outdated social norms and stereotypes on men.

Our society     4     (discourage) emotional expression in men for ages, telling them they can’t shed a tear or show any vulnerability. These outdated ideas about what it means to be a man have messed them up big time. To me, it is no wonder that in the marriage market, the most common type available       5     women is the silent but dominant type of men with the whole breadwinner and homemaker roles still       6     (stick) in their heads. So when things don’t go that way, of course, they will feel lost.

“Intimidated” by my rigorous logic, my wife purposefully shifted the focus of her argument to     7     we two should raise our son and what I could have done better if I had taken her advice seriously.

However, things started to get much     8     (personal) when both of us seemed to run out of witty arguments. Realizing this disagreement would lead us nowhere, I wasted no time apologizing to her for my ill-considered words with dignity and offered to clean the plates piling up in the sink     9     I cooked dinner that night! Faced with an offer she couldn’t refuse, my wife kindly reminded me     10     (not forget) to dry the towel when I was done. Apology accepted, hence case closed.

At the end of the day, I exhibited my vulnerability as requested and she showed her mercy as expected. We just agreed to disagree and lived happily ever after.

7 . Directions: Read the following passage. Fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word. For the other blanks, fill in each blank with one proper word. Make sure that your answers are grammatically correct.

Love from the Apple Tree

Once upon a time, there used to be a tall and big apple tree. A little boy, every day to the tree down, climbed up     1     (pick) apples to eat, and slept in the shade of the tree. He loved the apple tree, and it loved to play with him. The little boy gradually grew up and stopped     2     (come) to play every day. One day he came to the tree, picked all the apples and left happily. Another day, the boy came again, and cut off all the branches, happily away to build a house himself. One summer, the boy came back, cut down her tree trunk, built a boat,     3     (sail) away, and did not come back for a long time. After years, the boy returned at last. He was old and wanted     4     more than a place to rest. “Old root is     5     (suitable) to sit down and rest, come on, sit down and rest with me!” The boy sat down, and the apple tree was so happy that it shed tears.

This is a story of everyone. The tree is like our parent.     6     we are young, we love to play with Mom and Dad. Having grown up, we leave them, and only come to them when we need something or when we are in trouble. No matter what, parents will always be there and give everything they     7     to make you happy.

    8     your parents can give you is not necessarily the best in the world, but they will try their best to give you all, and they are afraid that it is not enough; maybe they never said “I love you”, but love you in their own way for a lifetime,     9     is how most parents around the world show their love. For example, a tired father was watching his two daughters eat fried chicken, but he didn’t order anything, telling his daughters that he was not hungry,     10     more money in his pocket. We grow up to know that the world’s most affectionate lie is what the father and mother said: I do not love to cat it and I am not hungry.

8 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

Reconsidering the Staycation

I’ve always been doubtful of the staycation. The newly-invented word is too cute for     1     feels like a comfort: While other people are off exploring the Blue Lagoon by camper van, you get to stay in your very own home and go to your usual supermarket     2     cookies!

So, I am fascinated to discover, thanks to my colleague Catherine Pearson, that I     3     (understand) staycation in a wrong way. Evidently, my tendency     4     (take) a break without a plan is unlikely to produce a restorative effect. Instead, one should make good preparations for that period of time. Jaime Kurtz, a psychology professor at James Madison University and the author of “The Happy Traveler: Unpacking the Secrets of Better Vacations,” advises     5     (ask) oneself, “If I were moving away soon, what would I most want to do, and who would I most want to spend time with?”

I like this saying “Live every day as if it were your last.” Any reminder that time is flying is a good one     6     it gets you to live better. This weekend, you could, for instance, seek out some vegan ice cream     7     doesn’t taste terrible. You could try running in a pool, which is easier on the joints but as effective as running on land. You could go for a walk or a drive while listening to “Slow Radio,” a very comforting BBC podcast     8     (feature) sounds of the natural world.

Whether or not you have a proper vacation     9     (plan) for the coming weeks, you could envision any coming weekend as its own two-day mini-break, programming it as you would a trip to somewhere new, with a journey     10     (exciting) than just “sleep as much as possible” and “mow the lawn”.

9 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

I received an email from a reader who asked, “Why do some friendships end, no matter how much you want them to last?” She referred to     1     (see) the question in one of my articles, Mystery of Friendship. As I wrote in it, I don’t think easy answers exist as to how friendships start, why some turn into lifetime     2    , and why some end. Although I’ve tried answering the first two questions in other articles (To Have A Friend and Be A Friend), I still get surprised by friendships that endure and disillusioned by those that slip away. Even so, I’ll try to offer some insights here as to why friendships end.

My simple answer is that friendships end because the situations     3     friends are in or even the friends themselves change. First, the realities friends face may change. The decision to relocate     4     a new school or job cannot help but affect a friendship. Likewise, if a friend is in an accident, develops an illness, or loses someone close, these cannot help but affect a friendship. Does a friendship need to end because of these changes? No, but it’ll require adjustments that one or both friends     5     not be willing to make.

Second, the friends themselves may change. A significant reason why friendships often end     6    friends are apart for an     7     (extend) period of time (for summer camp, college, etc.) is that one or both of the friends change. I think it     8     (hurt) less when both friends change, because then the breakup is more often mutual and so both friends get closure by both deciding to let go and move forward in their lives without each other. What tends to hurt most is when just one friend changes. One friend might change social circles, become involved in new social organizations, start to date, get a pet, or take on some other venture that consumes more time and passion. Again, a friendship can endure these changes,     9     one or both of the friends for some reason decide not to invest the time and energy involved in the adjustment period. In this situation, breakups may not be mutual and so one or both friends feel betrayed and end up with bitter memories about     10     was a precious friendship to them.

10 . Directions: After reading the passages below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

“I am so busy.”

I am not exactly sure when I found myself in a position     1     this statement felt like a 2-in-1 boast and complaint.

Perhaps I first started feeling this in high school, when having a social life, good grades, and sleep all seemed to be working in a trade-off system, and people competed to have     2     (little) hours of sleep. Or maybe it was before then, watching movies and television shows as a child, and montage scenes of a hardworking, tired employee pore of their work well into midnight. Nevertheless, I’ve come to understand that I was shaped by a society that valued being busy. But is business    3     a value all that great?

In Japanese, the characters for “busy”     4     (make) up of the characters for ‘soul’ and ‘loss’. Being busy is quite literally described as a loss of our soul.

    5     (grow) into an adult, I was able to more closely witness the repercussions of a lack of time on people’s health and wellbeing. Physically, people were struggling to find the time to exercise and eat well, but mentally, I saw a loss of inspiration and content among many people.

Working hard can be good for us, and I believe in the value of immersing yourself in your goals, but     6     the balance of rest we can find ourselves lost and unhappy. Because what is productivity or success without a soul?

I’ve come to realize that being busy also means losing the space to connect with ourselves, and instead     7     (have) that space overwhelmed by the pressure of time. We grow less mindful of how we feel, our purpose, and the grander perspective of any given situation. Instead we grow more committed to deadlines, tasks, and deliverables that     8     (ask) of us. In short bursts this may be useful, but over time this business can wound us.

So     9     you feel guilty for not being busy, try reminding yourself that maybe it’s important. Being able to feel a quiet moment is not an act of laziness, but something valuable to your health     10     exercise and eating well is.