1 . Curiosity is rooted in our DNA. We are fascinated by the future; we are impressed with the unknown that surrounds us; we are amazed at all that we have to explore. The mysteries of the world have always been a push for us to watch.
Children are known for sticking their fingers in places where young fingers should never be. They are famous for putting all kinds of objects and substances in their mouths, everything from plastic blocks to any object in the room.
Curiosity is the catalyst(催化剂) for questioning, and questioning is what urges us to seek out the unfamiliar and the unknown.
A.Curiosity has its own reason for existing. |
B.Without questioning, knowledge becomes inactive. |
C.Nowhere is this truer than when we watch our children. |
D.But curiosity is much more than a simple search for answers. |
E.Curiosity becomes a boost for new opportunities and new options. |
F.So ask questions to which there may be a wide variety of responses. |
G.In adults, curiosity guides us toward a lifetime occupation and to new destinations. |
2 . You’ve heard an old Chinese saying before: Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. You may even be nodding your head in agreement right now. However, we can have a different understanding about it.
When a person is starving, that’s not the time to fill their head with knowledge but to first give the person a fish-eradicating their hunger-and only then teach them to fish. Far too often, people ignore this common sense first step. They see someone who is struggling, and they rush to offer wisdom. “Let me tell you what I’d do in your position,” a well-meaning individual might offer.
But few of us understand the anxiety, confusion and uncertainty that come with overwhelming need. People meeting with personal disasters don’t have the ability to think straight. Their nerves may be shot. Their confidence may be non-existent. Can you imagine what it would be like to be in that person’s situation?
Rushing to offer a struggling person long-term advice is a waste of time. Instead, it makes far more sense to help them regain their emotional balance. Once their ears, heart and mind open, you’ll have an opportunity to teach a new skill.
But how do we know whether a person needs a fish before a fishing lesson? Two things: One is the ability to pay attention. We need to know whether the other person is open and receptive, or looking at the world through narrowed eyes? You can’t just take their words but have to look at how the person acts and what they don’t say. The other is empathy (共情).The more successful you are, the harder it is to imagine what it must be like to be the opposite. Try to create a safe environment for emotional acceptance before the fishing lesson.
1. What is the function of the first paragraph?A.To illustrate a concept. | B.To bring in a new viewpoint. |
C.To introduce the background. | D.To put up an example. |
A.Getting rid of. | B.Paying attention to. |
C.Making up for. | D.Putting up with. |
A.Get them to think straight. | B.Enhance their confidence. |
C.Satisfy their primary needs. | D.Teach them a new skill. |
A.Live and learn. | B.Never teach a fish to swim. |
C.Put yourself in others’ shoes. | D.Don’t teach old dogs new tricks. |
3 . Since the first day of preschool, I was always the type to invest more time in my physical war than social activities, the type that
My entire existence has been defined by the summers I’ve spent in Avalon, New Jersey. Then, in my 14th summer, I got a job, which made a
At first it frightened me:The idea of having to
The place was Brian’s Waffle House. At the beginning I was very nervous,
My summer job has helped guide me in my own personal growth. Now I
A.ignored | B.convinced | C.envied | D.consulted |
A.confidently | B.definitely | C.fortunately | D.secretly |
A.expectation | B.strength | C.excuse | D.ambition |
A.emerged from | B.departed from | C.suffered from | D.recovered from |
A.introduction | B.contribution | C.discovery | D.difference |
A.excite | B.possess | C.abandon | D.threaten |
A.shyness | B.delight | C.curiosity | D.pressure |
A.secure | B.strange | C.formal | D.natural |
A.as | B.or | C.but | D.so |
A.restore | B.lose | C.establish | D.maintain |
A.memory | B.experience | C.incident | D.journey |
A.dare | B.fail | C.promise | D.demand |
A.goal | B.plan | C.choice | D.chance |
A.assessed | B.acquired | C.exercised | D.applied |
A.ready | B.eager | C.grateful | D.suitable |
4 . I remember the first time I saw a skateboarder roll past me when I was 14 in the early 90s. The skater moved in such a
What I didn’t know then was that this first
And as my skateboarding years rolled by, my friends and I
I’m now 36, and, as I continue to age, my adventures as a skateboarder will
A.smooth | B.sensitive | C.safe | D.strange |
A.inched | B.weaved | C.fled | D.pulled |
A.color | B.route | C.procedure | D.origin |
A.enjoy | B.analyze | C.recall | D.celebrate |
A.cleverest | B.healthiest | C.strongest | D.coolest |
A.love | B.goal | C.request | D.concern |
A.dressed | B.calmed | C.expressed | D.found |
A.competition | B.attempt | C.plan | D.order |
A.end | B.pass | C.work | D.fail |
A.negotiated | B.declared | C.shared | D.valued |
A.focus | B.change | C.start | D.grow |
A.journeyed | B.divided | C.fell | D.broke |
A.Trades | B.Relations | C.Arguments | D.Problems |
A.endless | B.worthless | C.aimless | D.restless |
A.fade away | B.come back | C.go on | D.run out |
5 . When Eugenie George first heard that her friend passed a financial exam, her heart sank. She’d
“Envy was eating me up,” recalls George. But anyway she
Finding
Too often, we think our friends
A.taken | B.passed | C.failed | D.prepared |
A.congratulated | B.forgave | C.blamed | D.ignored |
A.badly-behaved | B.over-burdened | C.short-sighted | D.green-eyed |
A.tough | B.honest | C.tolerant | D.optimistic |
A.imagine | B.understand | C.share | D.increase |
A.hope | B.passion | C.confidence | D.pleasure |
A.even if | B.as if | C.now that | D.so that |
A.platform | B.glue | C.booster | D.routine |
A.support | B.annoy | C.upset | D.need |
A.loss | B.change | C.interview | D.application |
A.look forward to | B.contribute to | C.get used to | D.react to |
A.envy | B.complaints | C.suffering | D.mistakes |
A.predict | B.produce | C.choose | D.measure |
A.fill | B.start | C.brighten | D.balance |
A.survival | B.success | C.recovery | D.generosity |
6 . During the lockdown, my husband, Bob, and I were offered a pingpong table. I am a non-athlete but Bob does well in pingpong.
“What are we going to do with that pingpong table?” Bob asked me.
“The two of us will
I lost every game and I told myself that it didn’t
My husband and I
A.sell | B.play | C.share | D.donate |
A.happen | B.change | C.remain | D.matter |
A.courage | B.honour | C.exercise | D.hobby |
A.hated | B.avoided | C.missed | D.imagined |
A.suggested | B.demanded | C.required | D.insisted |
A.meant | B.helped | C.finished | D.lasted |
A.fantasy | B.anxiety | C.memory | D.highlight |
A.turned | B.added | C.dropped | D.linked |
A.marched into | B.got through | C.passed by | D.came across |
A.promised | B.persuaded | C.warned | D.taught |
A.reason | B.key | C.goal | D.purpose |
A.partnership | B.stage | C.amount | D.chance |
A.enjoy | B.regret | C.deserve | D.receive |
A.kindness | B.friendliness | C.happiness | D.business |
A.experience | B.education | C.relationship | D.schedule |
7 . I experienced a day when I was extraordinarily
Having been raised by devoted Christian parents who also worked in the mental-health field, I tended to look for spiritual and emotional reasons before I headed to the local
I wasn’t having a stroke at all. I had completely worn out my favorite pair of sandals. The soles (鞋底) of both shoes were split in two! I had
So often when we start to feel
The local cobbler (鞋匠) said my soles were irreparable. We had a good
A.busy | B.clumsy | C.stressed | D.bored |
A.going through | B.stepping on | C.falling off | D.tripping over |
A.uneven | B.sharp | C.stained | D.shallow |
A.inspired | B.grieved | C.concerned | D.interested |
A.luckily | B.literally | C.obviously | D.doubtfully |
A.doctor | B.coach | C.tailor | D.psychologist |
A.exchanges | B.equips | C.associates | D.combines |
A.wrap up | B.take off | C.change into | D.look after |
A.rescued | B.cured | C.injured | D.slipped |
A.exhausted | B.predicted | C.ignored | D.discussed |
A.delighted | B.divided | C.overwhelmed | D.thrilled |
A.best | B.last | C.easiest | D.hardest |
A.mistake | B.solution | C.test | D.clue |
A.run | B.exercise | C.yoga | D.gesture |
A.repair | B.review | C.response | D.replacement |
8 . A few days before my high school ended, I was sitting in my English class. My classmates were talking about who would be the first person to shed tears at
High school isn’t for everyone, but there is something for everyone in high school. You just have to
But there were a lot of times when I felt
My biggest
A.school | B.graduation | C.break | D.random |
A.cry | B.lie | C.sing | D.sigh |
A.proposal | B.option | C.possibility | D.thought |
A.meant | B.replied | C.reacted | D.faded |
A.bring | B.figure | C.cross | D.carry |
A.anxiously | B.bravely | C.luckily | D.initially |
A.organization | B.impression | C.voice | D.discovery |
A.benefit | B.chance | C.challenge | D.purpose |
A.objectives | B.principles | C.concerns | D.updates |
A.disturbed | B.sheltered | C.alarmed | D.inspired |
A.applauding | B.searching | C.fighting | D.longing |
A.counted down | B.went through | C.set aside | D.put off |
A.promise | B.assume | C.pray | D.realize |
A.support | B.advice | C.rule | D.warning |
A.account | B.notice | C.control | D.advantage |
9 . At 28 years old, I lost my job as a full-time magazine editor. I’d always dreamed of becoming a self-employed writer, but I
Despite the fear I felt at
I’ve been working for myself full-time for two years. Not only am I happier thanks to a(n)
When it comes to big dreams, many of us plan out every last detail so that we feel
When Jennifer Qiao got
Never let over-planning get in the
A.enjoyed | B.imagined | C.started | D.suggested |
A.so | B.but | C.once | D.although |
A.diving into | B.carrying on | C.breaking up | D.letting out |
A.offer | B.option | C.application | D.judgement |
A.shared | B.treated | C.understood | D.faced |
A.strict | B.tight | C.flexible | D.ambitious |
A.chief | B.part-time | C.retired | D.salaried |
A.eager | B.grateful | C.prepared | D.regretful |
A.fired | B.employed | C.dressed | D.married |
A.born | B.forgotten | C.stolen | D.rejected |
A.plan | B.charge | C.market | D.deadline |
A.widely | B.quickly | C.secretly | D.officially |
A.business | B.challenge | C.organization | D.game |
A.adjusted | B.referred | C.contributed | D.grown |
A.form | B.way | C.beginning | D.middle |
10 . Amazing and perfectly beautiful, The Midnight Library is everything you’d expect from the genius storyteller, Matt Haig. I picked it up from our readers’ recommendations (we asked our readers to send in some of their favorite recent books) and I can see why it won Best Fiction of 2020 in the Good Reads Choice Awards.
The story follows Nora Seed, a woman who is struggling and feels like nothing in her life has gone according to plan. While the initial chapters of the book are quite sad, Nora finds herself given a chance to start over in the Midnight Library, a magical place full of books of all the different paths her life could have taken. Nora is forced to stay in the library and try out different versions of her life until she finds the life she most wants to live.
I loved the idea that no dream or fork in your road is insignificant, and that they all lead us to become different versions of ourselves. In one life, Nora is an Olympic swimmer. In another, she is a glaciologist living on a boat off the coast of Antarctica. The novel reveals in a beautiful way that the potential we all have within us is impossible to measure, and that we have the possibility to be happy in many different versions of life.
It also discusses how dangerous it can be to live your life with regrets. The Midnight Library revealed to Nora that even if you make very different choices, you may uncover a deeper appreciation for your current home and the people in your life. It is your perspective that matters.
I really loved the fantasy and magical realism in this novel, and I would love for this to be turned into a series where we get to explore The Midnight Library of other characters’ lives as well.
1. What can we know about the author of the text?A.He should be an editor. | B.He is the friend of Matt Haig. |
C.Magical realism books are his favorite. | D.He shares a similar experience with Nora. |
A.A magic library. | B.The harm of regret. |
C.The exploration of life. | D.Ways to make correct choices. |
A.In a novel. | B.In a magazine. | C.In a history book. | D.In a biography. |
A.To thank readers who introduced the book. | B.To honour Matt Haig, the author of the book. |
C.To share the author’s opinions on the book. | D.To publicize the book to people who are struggling. |