1 . Perhaps most of us aren’t as extreme at fault­finding, _______ when we’re honest, we can be sharply _______of the world. I’m not suggesting you _______ problems, or that you pretend things are _______ than they are, but simply that you learn to allow things to be as they are — _______ most of the time, and especially when it’s not a really big _______.

Train yourself to ＂bite your tongue＂, and with a little _______, you’ll get really good at letting things go. And when you do, you’ll get back your enthusiasm and love for life.

1.

A．so

B．or

C．but

D．for

2.

A．proud

B．sure

C．hopeful

D．critical

3.

A．face

B．create

C．solve

D．ignore

4.

A．rarer

B．better

C．stranger

D．worse

5.

A．at least

B．at last

C．by far

D．so far

6.

A．task

B．deal

C．result

D．duty

7.

A．practice

B．speech

C．rest

D．pity

2 . On the last day of college before graduation, our professor walked up on stage to give us a ____ lesson, which she called “a life lesson on the ____ of mindsets（思维模式）”. As she raised a glass of water over her head, everyone ____ her to mention the typical “glass half empty or glass half full” question. _________, with a smile on. her face, the professor asked, “How ______ is this glass of water Pm holding?” Students shouted out answers ______ from eight ounces（盎司）to a couple pounds.

After a few moments of reasonable answers, she replied, “In my opinion, the ________weight of this glass doesn’t matter. It all _______ how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute or two, it’s fairly ________. If I hold it for an hour ______, my arm might feel painful. If I hold it for the whole day, my arm will feel completely numb, _____ me to drop the glass to the floor. In each ____, the weight of the glass doesn’t change, _____ the longer I hold it, the heavier it _______ to me.”

As the class nodded their heads in ______, she continued, “Your worries,disappointments, and _____ thoughts are like this glass of water. Think about them for a while and ____ happens. Think about them a bit longer and you begin to feel _______Think about them all day long, and you will feel completely numb, _____ to do anything else until you ______ them.”

1.

A．final

B．traditional

C．private

D．basic

2.

A．trend

B．origin

C．power .

D．standard

3.

A．advised

B．urged

C．begged

D．expected

4.

A．Anyway

B．Instead

C．Therefore

D．Otherwise

5.

A．high

B．full

C．heavy

D．clear

6.

A．judging

B．ranging

C．coming

D．transforming

7.

A．absolute

B．rough

C．limited

D．obvious

8.

A．mixes with

B．refers to

C．results in

D．depends on

9.

A．normal

B．light

C．extra

D．average

10.

A．straight

B．only

C．again

D．later

11.

A．reminding

B．permitting

C．forcing

D．encouraging

12.

A．field

B．section

C．problem

D．case

13.

A．but

B．so

C．or

D．for

14.

A．looks

B．remains

C．feels

D．proves

15.

A．shock

B．agreement

C．relief

D．fear

16.

A．strange

B．casual

C．crazy

D．stressful

17.

A．nothing

B．something

C．everything

D．anything

18.

A．doubt

B．pain

C．terror

D．sorrow

19.

A．unlucky

B．unwilling

C．unable

D．unwise

20.

A．accept

B．destroy

C．hide

D．drop

3 . More often than not, life has its own way of tapping us on the shoulder, whispering “Pay attention to this”, which happens when we _______ expect it.

In the 1950s, I spent my days as a sixth grader in my school. One day, as I remembered, classes _______ with the usual noise made by voices and feet _______ students moved down the hall, up or down staircases, I was walking through the hallway at a rapid pace toward a large double stairway, which _______ the second and third floor of our building. Suddenly I noticed a new sound added to those already _______ me.

As I _______ the bottom of the stairway, I found Rochelle, a girl, who wore full leg rages(支架) and heavy orthopedic(矫形) shoes, made her way across a wooden-floored room. _______ she went, Rochelle _______ us of her serious polio(小儿麻痹症) a few years earlier.

Rochelle’s eyes were such deep _______ ones. She had a small upturned nose and a wide mouth that smiled more often than not.

As Rochelle moved faster and faster, she lost balance, and ________ face down at the top of the stairway. ________ stretched to help her but one word from Rochelle ________ them. “No!” she said. I watched her, ________. Rochelle lifted her head, her eyes with unshed tears.

She amazingly pushed herself up to a kneeling position, and with a great effort, ________ to her feet. This was not her first time her legs had failed to support her. She held her head ________ and accepted her book that a boy picked up and ________ held out to her, making her way up the stairway to the second floor, pride in her blue eyes.

The whole incident ________ no more than a couple of minutes, but that day I learned a lot about dignity and strength of character. I found out the meaning of ________. If Rochelle were alive today, she would probably still wear her braces or may ________ spend her days in a wheelchair, but I feel certain that her spirit is unchanged. She would be ________ likely to continue to teach life’s little lesson to a great many others, in her own quiet way.

1.

A．most

B．least

C．much

D．few

2.

A．began

B．ended

C．changed

D．started

3.

A．as

B．because

C．now that

D．unless

4.

A．contributed to

B．surrounded

C．came to

D．to surround

5.

A．surrounding

B．surrounded

C．surround

D．to surround

6.

A．neared to

B．closed to

C．closed

D．neared

7.

A．Whenever

B．However

C．Wherever

D．However much

8.

A．regarded

B．remembered

C．recommended

D．reminded

9.

A．sad

B．blue

C．grey

D．pale

10.

A．ran

B．landed

C．lost

D．jumped

11.

A．Students

B．Shoulders

C．Hands

D．Teens

12.

A．stopped

B．encouraged

C．persuaded

D．urged

13.

A．out of breath

B．taking a breath

C．holding my breath

D．catching my breath

14.

A．put it

B．made it

C．took it

D．got it

15.

A．high

B．highly

C．low

D．lowly

16.

A．friendly

B．kindly

C．honestly

D．cautiously

17.

A．took

B．spent

C．cost

D．paid

18.

A．love

B．appreciation

C．independence

D．kindness

19.

A．still

B．even

C．yet

D．ever

20.

A．less than

B．other than

C．rather than

D．more than

4 . Can you be too beautiful? It is hardly problem that most of us have to bother — as much as we might like to dream that it were the case.

Yet the blessings and curses of beauty have been a long-standing interest in psychology. Do those blessed with shiny faces and an attractive body live in a cloud of appreciation — or does it sometimes pay to be ordinary?

At the most basic level, beauty might be thought to carry a kind of halo(光环) around it; we see that someone has one good quality, and by association, our deep mind may assume that they have other good ones too.

Even in the courts, a pleasing appearance can work its magic. Attractive criminals are likely to get less strict sentences, or to escape punishment entirely attractive plaintiffs(原告), meanwhile, are more likely to win their case and get bigger financial settlements. “It’s an effect seen everywhere,” says Walker.

But if beauty pays in most circumstances, there are still situations where it can have opposite results. While attractive men may be considered better leaders, for instance, hidden sexist prejudices(偏见) can work against attractive women, making them less likely to be hired for high-level jobs that require power. And as you might expect, good-looking people of both sexes run into envy — one study found that if you are interviewed by someone of the same sex, they may be less likely to employ you if they judge that you are more attractive than they are.

More worryingly, being beautiful or handsome could harm your medical care. We tend to link good looks to health, meaning that illnesses are often taken less seriously when they affect the good-looking. When treating people for pain, for instance, doctors tend to take less care over the more attractive people.

Ultimately, scientists point out that focusing too much on your appearance can itself be harmful if it creates stress and anxiety — even for those already blessed with good looks. “If you are crazy about attractiveness, it may affect your experience and interactions,” she says. It’s an outdated saying, but no amount of beauty can make up for a bad personality. As the writer Dorothy Parker put it so elegantly: “Beauty is only skin deep. but ugly goes clean to the bone.”

1. From paragraph 1, we can learn that ________.

A．some may be bothered by their unattractive appearance

B．most people are not afraid of being too beautiful

C．we might always dream about being bothered by others

D．being too beautiful can be a problem bothering everyone

2. Which is the benefit for beautiful people?

A．All attractive plaintiffs have more chances to get away with punishment.

B．Women with pleasing appearance will always be considered as better leaders.

C．Good-looking people are often regarded as having many good qualities.

D．Beautiful criminals are more likely to persuade the judge and win the case.

3. The writer mentioned the underlined sentence in the last paragraph to ________.

A．encourage us to focus more on improving our personality

B．suggest that beauty can help make a better personality

C．persuade us to pay more attention to our looks from now on

D．ask ugly people to have more confidence in their personality

4. What might be the best title for the passage?

A．Benefit Beauty holds	B．Sexist Prejudice
C．Real beauty	D．Beauty, a blessing?

5 . I started a company when I met with a major chance that was going to take our company to the next level. Then something _________ happened. I received an email from the investor that read, “We’re going to _______.”

I was crushed(崩溃). The next few days I thought about this _______ and realized just how _______ I truly was. I thought maybe it was time to count my _______ and get another “real job”. Luckily, I realized that having that thought meant I had a problem—my fear of _______ I was going to keep moving forward with my company I’d have to _______ this fear of being rejected again. So, I _______ Google to help solve my problem and I found a game. The _______ of the game is to help you get over your fear of rejection by ________ seeking out rejection. I loved it. I ________ I would try it to help me remove this fear.

What came next was something I could have ________ imagined. As my rejection journey continued, I began to feel more and more ________ when asking for things, realizing I could focus on the ________ factors.

In the process of my rejection journey, here is what I learned about rejection. Avoiding it doesn’t ________ mean you avoid failure. Most people believe avoiding rejection is a good thing, ________ that’s not true. When we ________ away from rejection, we reject ourselves and our ideas before the world ever has a ________ to reject them. This is the ________ form of rejection and we are overlooked by the world. Therefore, the greatest lesson I’ve learned from rejection is no matter what, don’t be ________ by the world.

1.

A．interesting

B．unexpected

C．strange

D．different

2.

A．invest

B．quit

C．fail

D．lose

3.

A．condition

B．cause

C．accident

D．defeat

4.

A．discouraged

B．thankful

C．fortunate

D．considerate

5.

A．losses

B．investment

C．money

D．days

6.

A．damage

B．destruction

C．rejection

D．failure

7.

A．oppose

B．hate

C．overcome

D．reduce

8.

A．turned to

B．appealed to

C．responded to

D．led to

9.

A．origin

B．outcome

C．rule

D．purpose

10.

A．consequently

B．intentionally

C．primitively

D．accidentally

11.

A．admitted

B．suggested

C．decided

D．explained

12.

A．never

B．ever

C．almost

D．nearly

13.

A．fearless

B．powerful

C．ashamed

D．embarrassed

14.

A．predictable

B．controllable

C．undesirable

D．considerable

15.

A．firmly

B．frequently

C．hopefully

D．necessarily

16.

A．and

B．or

C．however

D．but

17.

A．take

B．give

C．look

D．shy

18.

A．reason

B．chance

C．motivation

D．inspiration

19.

A．worst

B．best

C．common

D．rare

20.

A．conquered

B．ignored

C．judged

D．cheated

6 . One of my neighbors used to have a beautiful tree in her front yard. Her dad had planted it for her _______ it was nothing more than a little branch and several years later it started to _______ towards the sky at an amazing speed. Soon it blessed her with cooling shade in the _______ and glorious, golden leaves in the fall.

When the two-day snowstorm struck our town, heavy snow _______ the tree’s branches that were still full of leaves. The weight split that lovely tree down the _______. It was so sad seeing half of it _______ on the ground after the storm. When I talked to my neighbor later, she said that the damage had been too much and that the _______ tree would have to be cut down. _______ she had saved a few seedlings from it that she hoped to _______ in the future.

Still, it was a shock to drive by her house the other day and see ________ but a stump (树桩) in her front yard. I missed that tree. I missed its branches, its leaves ________ in the afternoon sun. I missed seeing its limbs reach towards the heavens. I thought that the stump would be a sad ________ of its loss for a long time to come. My wonderful neighbor, ________, had another plan. When I drove by her home today I saw a tiny bird feeder sitting on that stump and a colorful songbird having its ________. It was such an affirmation(肯定) of ________. It was such a joy to see. I could feel my heart ________.

Life by its very nature is a ________ bag. It hands us both beauty and tragedy, love and loss, ________ and pain. What we do with it, however, is up to us. We can let it ________ us in two, or we can use even its hardest times to make our ________ stronger and our hearts more loving. We can spend it complaining or we can use it to help others.

1.

A．unless

B．when

C．until

D．because

2.

A．circulate

B．wind

C．shoot

D．stand

3.

A．spring

B．summer

C．fall

D．winter

4.

A．fell on

B．take apart

C．get through

D．broke down

5.

A．top

B．middle

C．bottom

D．root

6.

A．dancing

B．spreading

C．trembling

D．lying

7.

A．abnormal

B．bare

C．hopeless

D．entire

8.

A．Consequently

B．Eventually

C．Thankfully

D．Accidentally

9.

A．replace

B．renew

C．replant

D．remove

10.

A．everything

B．something

C．anything

D．nothing

11.

A．falling

B．shaking

C．floating

D．shining

12.

A．story

B．expectation

C．reminder

D．view

13.

A．though

B．therefore

C．still

D．otherwise

14.

A．rest

B．baby

C．date

D．dinner

15.

A．life

B．time

C．effort

D．nature

16.

A．beat

B．smile

C．hurt

D．sink

17.

A．mixed

B．changeable

C．separated

D．stable

18.

A．sorrow

B．wealth

C．pleasure

D．wonder

19.

A．split

B．pull

C．benefit

D．attach

20.

A．connections

B．families

C．bodies

D．souls

7 . When it rains, my mother and I like to sit in the car, neither of us wanting to brave the rain to get to the house. We always have our best ________ in her little blue Honda, ________ raindrops race down the windscreen and listening to the rain ________ the car roof. I don’t know why, but sitting in the car, we always talk more than ________.

There was one rainy day when my mom told me something that is going to ________ me forever. Earlier that day she and my dad had been ________ about something; I can’t remember what. So she said, “Don’t spend your life looking for Prince Charming. ________, find yourself a really good frog.” At the time, I found this thought really ________. Who wants to think that you’ll never find Prince Charming? Another thought that ________ my mind: if my mom says there’s no Prince Charming, then what’s my dad? A frog? I asked her, and she replied with, “________! If he were Prince Charming, he wouldn’t snore, would be able to cook, and we would never argue. But you know what? He’s a damn good frog.” Being young, I didn’t think of the meaning ________ what she was saying.

But a few years later, I understand the ________ of my mom’s words. You can’t expect everything to be ________. Let’s be completely honest; if you ________ your whole life for your prince with flowing hair, attractive ________, and a white horse, you’re going to be lonely. I think that the ________ of finding a good frog is that you ________ something that’s great, imperfect and all. In life, we can’t afford to wait years for perfection ________. So I think that the best frog you can find is what we’re really looking for in this world. Don’t laze through life waiting to live ________ ever after, because I don’t think you’ll be very happy with the ________.

This I believe.

1.

A．debates

B．conversations

C．memories

D．comments

2.

A．noticing

B．admiring

C．watching

D．scanning

3.

A．strike

B．surround

C．knock

D．attack

4.

A．necessary

B．accessible

C．reasonable

D．normal

5.

A．count on

B．reflect on

C．stick with

D．correspond with

6.

A．arguing

B．thinking

C．worrying

D．dreaming

7.

A．However

B．Anyway

C．Therefore

D．Instead

8.

A．discouraging

B．exhausting

C．amazing

D．inspiring

9.

A．slipped

B．crossed

C．changed

D．searched

10.

A．Forget it

B．Never mind

C．Of course

D．No trouble

11.

A．about

B．over

C．within

D．behind

12.

A．value

B．effect

C．concern

D．weight

13.

A．realistic

B．perfect

C．mature

D．reliable

14.

A．wait

B．advocate

C．devote

D．challenge

15.

A．power

B．alternative

C．appearance

D．belief

16.

A．approach

B．difficulty

C．potential

D．point

17.

A．expect

B．accept

C．assume

D．confirm

18.

A．in time

B．in return

C．in vain

D．in general

19.

A．regretfully

B．happily

C．peacefully

D．casually

20.

A．reply

B．relationship

C．intention

D．outcome

8 . The light from the campfire brightened the darkness, but it could not prevent the damp cold of Dennis’s Swamp (沼泽地) creeping into their bones. It was a strange place. Martin and Tom wished that they had not accepted Jack’s dare. They liked camping, but not near this swamp.

“So,” Martin asked as they sat watching the hot coals. “How did this place get its name? ”

“Are you sure you want to hear it? It’s a scary story,” warned Jack.

“Of course!” cried out Tom. “If there were anything to be scared of, you wouldn’t have chosen this place!”

“Ok, but don’t say I didn’t warn you,” said Jack, and he began this tale.

“Way back in time, a man called Dennis tried to start a farm here. He built that cottage over there to live in. In those days, the area looked quite different — it was covered with tall trees and the swamp was a crystal-clear river. After three hard years, Dennis had cleared several fields and planted crops. He was so proud of his success that he refused to listen to advice.

“You are clearing too much land,” warned one old man. “The land is a living thing. It will hit back at you if you abuse it.”

“Silly fool,” said Dennis to himself. “If I clear more land, I can grow more crops. I’ll become wealthier. He’s just jealous!”

“Dennis continued to chop down trees. Small animals that relied on them for food and shelter were destroyed. He was so eager to expand his farm that he did not notice the river flowing slowly towards his door. He did not notice salt seeping (渗透) to the surface of the land. He did not notice swamp plants choking all the native plants.”

“What happened?” Martin asked. It was growing colder. He trembled, twisting his body closer to the fire.

“The land hit back — just as the old man warned,” Jack shrugged. “Dennis disappeared. Old folks around here believe that swamp plants moved up from the river and dragged him underwater. His body was never found.”

“What a stupid story,” laughed Tom. “Plants can’t…” Before he had finished speaking, he screamed and fainted. The other two boys jumped up with fright, staring at Tom. Suddenly, they burst out laughing. Some green swamp ivy (常春藤) had covered Tom’s face. It was a while before Tom could appreciate the joke.

1. The underlined word “dare” in Paragraph 1 is closed in meaning to ________.

A．courage	B．assistance
C．instruction	D．challenge

2. Why did Tom scream and faint?

A．He saw Dennis’s shadow.	B．He was scared by a plant.
C．His friends played a joke on him.	D．The weather became extremely cold.

3. What lesson can we learn from the story of Dennis?

A．Grasp all, lose all.

B．No sweat, no sweet.

C．He who makes no mistakes makes nothing.

D．It is no use crying over spilt milk.

9 . I had reached the age of twenty-eight. Still, I_______ whether the letter from my past would make it to me, all these years later. It was a creative writing task from when I was eighteen. The teacher collected our letters to our_______ selves in self-addressed envelope with stamps and promised to _______ them ten years later. But since so much time had passed, would he even _______ ?

Thinking back on the _______, I recalled giving my future self some advice. When you're eighteen years old, twenty-eight seems like a _______ age, but I wasn't feeling as mature as I believed my younger self had _______ me to be.

When the letter finally reached me, I opened it _______. It began, "How much do you bet this letter will never get to you? "It continued to greet me casually as if we were having an IM (instant messaging) chat. As a senior in high school, facing the _______ important exams and college application, my eighteen-year-old self was so __________! She was apparently not quite happy and hoped I wouldn't worry so much in the future, and that I wouldn't forget to be present and __________my life!

__________to my belief, my eighteen-year-old self did not have any demands of me, or expectations I might have failed to meet. Instead, she wrote, "I'll __________whatever you do. Even if you are not the one I'm imagining now, I'll support you, because maybe __________ I'm imagining is someone else, but you're not someone else, you're me.

I was __________ , and tears came to my eyes at this self-acceptance through time. I had put a lot of pressure on myself to be the best version of myself that I could be. However, I came to realize what I would have accomplished in ten years would pale in comparison(相形见绌)to how I'd feel and who I'd be.

1.

A．believed

B．bet

C．doubted

D．considered

2.

A．inner

B．happy

C．future

D．young

3.

A．correct

B．mail

C．answer

D．write

4.

A．remember

B．understand

C．mind

D．remain

5.

A．application

B．comment

C．study

D．letter

6.

A．grown-up

B．happy

C．made-up

D．promising

7.

A．promised

B．convinced

C．encouraged

D．expected

8.

A．calmly

B．cautiously

C．eagerly

D．naturally

9.

A．appearing

B．arriving

C．approaching

D．approving

10.

A．depressed

B．ambitious

C．carefree

D．stressed

11.

A．enjoy

B．value

C．start

D．earn

12.

A．Contrary

B．Honest

C．Surprised

D．Strange

13.

A．stand for

B．stand with

C．stand by

D．stand out

14.

A．what

B．who

C．which

D．that

15.

A．guilty

B．touched

C．embarrassed

D．nervous

10 . An unpleasant smell floated into my nose as the bowl of fried stinky tofu(臭豆腐) settled onto my grandmother's dinner table. I immediately sat back. The smell ruined my appetite, and I pushed the dish away.

“It's supposed to stink(难闻). Just give it a try!” my grandmother said.

Holding my breath, I unwillingly took a bite. To my surprise, the tofu beneath the fried skin was warm, dish soft, and mouthwatering. Since then, whenever I visited my grandmother's house, I would rush to the kitchen for the stinky tofu with excitement. Thus, stinky tofu became more than a household tradition. It became my favorite dish. Along with the stinky tofu, I would meet my Uncle Chan on every visit. As an immature boy, I never understood my uncle's condition of Down syndrome(唐氏综合征). He was an unfriendly and terrible creature in my eyes. He constantly walked around the house, talking to himself. Whenever he was within view, I would run away in fear.

However, one day, my view of my uncle suddenly changed. I was just getting out of my bed when I heard soft steps approaching. It was my uncle. My muscles froze. He slowly sat next to me and touched my face gently, as a mother would stroke(抚摸) a baby. A wide smile emerged from his blank expression. How beautiful his smile was! I could not help but smile back. My fear disappeared gradually, and my muscles relaxed. For the first time, I could see softness and warmth in his eyes.

My uncle very much resembles stinky tofu. Stinky tofu smells unpleasant on the outside, yet feels warm and soft on the inside. Like stinky tofu, my uncle's Down syndrome made me keep my distance at first. Yet, I learned that deep inside, he is harmless and has a loving nature.

Some people tend to look down upon disabled people and regard them as unfit for a regular life. As I was unable to see through the outer surface of the tofu, these people are unable to see through the surface of prejudice(偏见). As a result, they judge the disabled with one glance.

The outside and inside of the stinky tofu exist as two extremely different worlds. Perhaps that is what makes it such a tasty dish. Not only is it delicious, stinky tofu offers a valuable lesson: never judge people at first glance, for true beauty comes from the inside.

1. Why did stinky tofu become the author's favorite dish?

A．It was related to family tradition.	B．It turned out to be quite delicious.
C．Grandma encouraged him to try it.	D．His appetite for food had increased.

2. The author's attitude towards Uncle Chan changed when ________.

A．Chan's footsteps woke up the author

B．Chan showed his friendliness to the author

C．Chan displayed his love towards his mother

D．Chan's blank expression made the author smile

3. What does the author mainly want to tell us in the passage?

A．We shouldn't judge by appearances.	B．A person's taste changes over time.
C．Blood is thicker than water.	D．You are what you eat.