1 . My mum is about to have a spinal (脊柱的) operation. The operation is relatively minor, but does carry a risk of paralysis. Friends and family have reacted to this news by taking in such pessimistic terms that Mum has come to label this kind of talk as “psychological theft”. It occurs when other people increase your anxiety rather than provide comfort.

Last week Mum went to the post office and ran into Geoff who works for the local school. “How are you?” he asked. “Not great,” she replied. “I’ve been having some trouble with my back and I’m going to need an operation.” “Oh, the back is the most dangerous place to operate on!” he responded. “My mum had that and she was in terrible pain. Make sure you get all your affairs in order before you go under the knife—it takes months to get over it!” Geoff’s intention had been benign (美好的). He’d given his own mother’s story to show sympathy. However, Mum only heard pain, danger, knife, and months.

In the past few weeks, Mum’s mates and colleagues have told her stories about how their Auntie Trisha, who had just received an operation, was left speechless after hearing that she required a rapid follow-up operation; and how their neighbour, who had only a minor operation, never walked again.

It’s really not that difficult to think of alternative things they could have said that would be equally true, but more beneficial to bear. “The specialists in our hospitals are among the best in the world. It’s amazing what they can do these days!”—that’s a good one. “You’re going to feel much better afterwards.” —that’s another.

I’m not suggesting patients should be sheltered from the reality of the risks they’re taking. But if the decision to have an operation can’t really be avoided, what’s the purpose of underlining the drawbacks? It’s just common sense to say: “Get well soon, and how can I help?”

1. What does “psychological theft” in paragraph 1 refer to?

A．The negative comments.	B．Psychological disorder.
C．The comforting words.	D．Physical disability.

2. How might the author’s mum have felt after hearing what Geoff said?

A．Sympathetic.	B．Relieved.
C．Grateful	D．Worried.

3. How did the author explain his idea in the text?

A．By using examples.	B．By analysing causes.
C．By following time order.	D．By discussing research findings.

4. What lesson does the author want to teach us?

A．Treat patients with adoration.

B．Communicate more with other patients.

C．Be well-prepared for unavoidable operations.

D．Find an appropriate way to comfort patients.

2 . "Keep your eyes open. This is where the Ewoks live.'' The one-hour drive outside of San Francisco, covered in clouds along windy roads, has inspired my husband to say this sentence at least a dozen times.

We finally arrive at Muir Woods National Park. I explain the strange green stuff on trunks of trees as we pass by--mos (苔藓), something my 5-year-old son Cole has never seen in the desert where we live.

"Mom, are Ewoks real? I think they maybe aren't real. " There's a question in Cole's voice,like he's trying on this idea.

We've been down the road of pretending versus reality before, what with all the talk of superheroes and such around our house. "I think you are right. Ewoks are just in the movies. But it would be cool if they were real, right ?"

Cole's silent for a while, thinking. "I just saw an Ewok’s ear back there!" Coles spotted an additional Ewok arm and one full body of the tiny hairy creatures. It does indeed look like we are in the Ewok forest of Star Wars.

Cole's imagination is more than I can understand. What do plants eat? Which is the best planet? Which rocks float? He loves life. He loves his inner world and outer existence equally.

I hear a lot of worry from parents about media sucking the souls from our children, taking away their time for creative play. For us, this hasn’t been the case. Cole and his brother are quite knowledgeable in the realities of life when it comes to Angry Birds, Curious George, and the adventures of Indiana Jones. These characters, and others of their own invention, live in my home like visitors, joining us on walks and outings. I appreciate them, though not all the time, for the company they give my sons and their busy minds.

I think of media characters as an add-on to already busy minds, by carefully monitoring who gets invited into our lives, they become part of the parenting team. They teach loyalty adventure, curiosity--lessons I'm trying to convey, but in a much cooler way than I can.

Pretence is awesome. It provides practice for real life without the ordinary interfering.

1. Where are the family heading for?

A．The cinema.

B．A park.

C．San Francisco.

D．A desert.

2. What can we know about Cole from the passage?

A．He is proud of himself.	B．He is full of curiosity.
C．He is courageous.	D．He is considerate.

3. What do many parents think of their children playing via media?

A．It wastes children's time.

B．It can make their children relaxed.

C．It can engage their children in learning actively.

D．It can accompany their children in their absence.

4. What's the authors attitude to the media characters in parenting children?

A．Indifferent.

B．Critical.

C．Supportive.

D．Disapproving.

3 . A few years ago,I boarded a plane to Disney World with my 8-year -old kid Lucas.

Even before boarding,I was filled with_______. Lucas is an autistic (自闭症) boy.Traveling outside his comfort zone can sometimes be_______for Lucas. I was worried other passengers might not understand_______Lucas communicated with the world.

Worse sill,we were seated next to a man who_______to be hard boiled.As the plane_______ ,so did my boy's excitement level and my own worry.I could even_________ the unpleasant remarks this man might have for my excited son.

As Lucas began to play with an app on his iPad,he screamed with joy and _______his hands as loudly as he could.I began to_______,trying to quiet my son so that he wouldn't_______the other passengers. I noticed the hard-boiled man paying attention from the________ of my eye. He leaned closer to me and I even got________to begin a verbal fight.

However,the man________ said,“You know ,you don't have to keep him quiet for me. You can let him have fun.”It was the________thing I expected,and I didn't know what to say________“thank you”.

The kindness of that man will always be a(n)________to me that there are always people who want to enter our world and understand my wonderful boy.

1.

A．confidence

B．pride

C．excitement

D．anxiety

2.

A．enjoyable

B．tricky

C．curious

D．considerate

3.

A．when

B．how

C．why

D．where

4.

A．appeared

B．pretended

C．preferred

D．promised

5.

A．broke down

B．touched down

C．took off

D．pulled out

6.

A．anticipate

B．bear

C．acknowledge

D．witness

7.

A．shook

B．waved

C．raised

D．clapped

8.

A．wonder

B．complain

C．sweat

D．argue

9.

A．disappoint

B．motivate

C．puzzle

D．disturb

10.

A．corner

B．bottom

C．top

D．center

11.

A．inspired

B．prepared

C．excited

D．determined

12.

A．simply

B．rarely

C．roughly

D．totally

13.

A．typical

B．exact

C．last

D．first

14.

A．or rather

B．other than

C．rather than

D．more than

15.

A．symbol

B．experience

C．warning

D．reminder

4 . It had long been troubling a little boy that his desk mate could rank 1st in the class every time while he failed to: he only ranked 21st.

At home, he asked his Mom, “Mom, am I more stupid than others? I feel I am as hardworking as him, but how come I always fall behind?”     1    

In another test, the son ranked 15th, and his desk mate remained 1st. Back home, he raised the same question.     2     However, was this answer in her son’s best interest? Thank goodness she did not open her mouth.

There were times she wanted to tell him, “Your father and I used to be outstanding. Why aren’t you just as clever?” But she stopped because she felt it was cruel to blame him and that she needed a better answer.

    3     To reduce the burden on her son who was suffering from the pains of unsatisfied grades and rankings, Mom decided to take him to the sea. During the trip, she managed to give out an answer.

Now, the son no longer worries about his rankings, because, with the 1st ranking, he is admitted to a top university.     4     In the lecture, he mentioned a valuable experience, “…When my mother and I was lying on the beach, she pointed to the front and said, ‘Do you see the seabirds over there? When the waves come near, little birds can rise quickly while it would take longer for clumsy sea-gulls to complete the process. However, have you noticed birds that finally fly across the endless ocean are none other than clumsy sea-gulls?’     5    ” The moving speech affected many mothers present into tears, including his mother.

A．Feeling sad for her son’s failure, mom scolded him.

B．Mom really wanted to tell her son that intelligence differs.

C．Hearing the words, she went wordless, not knowing how to explain.

D．You might be a bit slower, but you will be the one who will make it!

E．Mom was so proud of her son’s success as to often share her experience.

F．Back to his high school, he was invited to give a speech to the students and parents.

G．Time flying swiftly, despite great efforts, he was still unable to keep up with his desk mate.

5 . 假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用（＼）划掉。
修改：在错的词下画一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。

I was living a life in my screen but hardly noticed what was around me. I looked through news websites and checked my emails using his mobile phone. When I wake up at midnight, I did the same thing. The problem with me that I felt anxious every night. So when my friends invited me to the weekend camp with the cell service, I thought this was exact what I needed. Keep away from my phone for 48 hours changed my way of the life. I fell asleep listening to the song of frogs and insects. I listened to what my body wanted instead of that my phone was telling me to do.

6 . Last week, my grandfather was explaining his favorite words, “Nothing is ever easy.” Yesterday, I happened to_______ a bee in the living room. I thought_______the bee would take no more than five minutes. But an hour _______, the bee remained there. All that had_______was that the living room was in a mess and that I felt_______ and had to lie on the sofa to take a breath.I did not expect to_______an hour on such a tiny _______,but suddenly I understood what my grandfather meant.

It is not only _______that we tend to underestimate (低估) — we have to bear other unexpected _______.We often imagine everything can work in our __________, but we seldom think of all the__________things that could affect us. However, it is important to remember that your day or week or year might not__________as planned, and that is completely __________. It is absolutely acceptable to feel challenged —__________at a task you thought was __________— because that is part of life.

If you can accept that nothing will ever be easy, then life might seem slightly more__________. In middle school, I thought high school might be easier since I could choose the __________ I wanted to take. In high school, I thought college might be easier because I could have a schedule best suited for myself.__________each time, I was both wrong and __________. After accepting that school wouldn’t (and shouldn’t) be easy, I found myself with a more positive attitude and improved my __________.

1.

A．get

B．notice

C．carry

D．collect

2.

A．removing

B．observing

C．keeping

D．chasing

3.

A．ago

B．away

C．later

D．earlier

4.

A．changed

B．happened

C．existed

D．compensated

5.

A．unsafe

B．uneasy

C．dull

D．dizzy

6.

A．pass

B．waste

C．spare

D．last

7.

A．space

B．room

C．insect

D．pet

8.

A．importance

B．effort

C．power

D．time

9.

A．costs

B．causes

C．pressure

D．burden

10.

A．mind

B．turn

C．view

D．favor

11.

A．strange

B．unpleasant

C．natural

D．funny

12.

A．continue

B．fly

C．go

D．come

13.

A．dangerous

B．normal

C．different

D．unfair

14.

A．usually

B．even

C．therefore

D．instead

15.

A．simple

B．complex

C．important

D．impossible

16.

A．valuable

B．changeable

C．manageable

D．stable

17.

A．jobs

B．steps

C．classes

D．seats

18.

A．Yet

B．So

C．Again

D．Also

19.

A．selfish

B．uncertain

C．tired

D．disappointed

20.

A．appearance

B．responsibility

C．reputation

D．performance

7 . I dislike making school lunches.Each morning,I am in a hurry busy slicing cucumbers, washing berries,and filling water bottles,all the while feeling annoyed and even slightly angry. The lunches aren't particularly challenging to prepare.My daughters are content with the food in their lunch box.    1     There's no good reason for my annoyance.

And then one morning a thought suddenly came into my mind-I am so lucky.

Within seconds,those four words bloomed throughout my awareness.    2    I am so lucky to live in a home with electricity,running water,and a functional refrigerator.I am so lucky to live near a grocery store with a plentiful selection of fresh food and snacks and so lucky to have enough money to afford them.I am so lucky to have two daughters who are healthy enough to eat and digest the food I send with them.

I can't tell you where this sudden burst of gratitude came from,but I do know this:that small shift immediately made my morning lunch routine extremely easier.Rather than feeling impatient and annoyed,I felt calm and pleased.Rather than mentally complaining through the whole morning,I was able to appreciate my situation.    3    

I am so grateful for peanut butter.Thank goodness for this magical source of protein that my daughters will actually eat.And jelly,sweet,sweet,jelly.I can't forget sliced bread-oh,the magic of sliced bread!Imagine if I had to cut those slices myself each morning?     4    

Don't get me wrong-I still don't enjoy making lunches.     5     It gives me just enough space from my bad temper to choose a different response to whatever is going on.

A．Even so,I can't stand it.

B．What a mess that would be!

C．My husband also likes my breakfast.

D．All I could think about was how fortunate I am.

E．I found the cure for my bad feelings that morning.

F．I am so lucky to have a job and to have so many good workmates.

G．But the process doesn't feel like such a struggle when I remember to be grateful.

8 . Our emotions can vary considerably depending on many factors, including our health, wealth, relationships and where we live. But sometimes we need to take a step back and think about what happiness really means and how we can find it.

Maybe we should take a leaf out of Finland's book — last year the UN's World Happiness Report found the country to be the happiest place on earth. The report looked at "subjective well-being". That's how happy people feel they are and why — based on factors such as economic strength, social support, life expectancy, freedom of choice and generosity.

Research has also suggested that while personal feelings of pleasure are the accepted definition of happiness in Western cultures, East Asian cultures tend to see happiness as social harmony, and in some parts of Africa and India it's more about shared experiences and family.

Author Helen Russell has been looking at the positive characteristics of a country's population to see what makes them happy and found Japan to be one of the most content. She said this was due to their concept of wabi-sabi —"This traditional Japanese concept around celebrating imperfection... it's this idea that there is a beauty in ageing, it's to be celebrated rather than trying to disguise it." So, basically, we should be happy with who we are and rejoice in our faults and individuality.

But if you're feeling down in the dumps because your home country doesn't have a happiness concept to follow, consider some self-help ideas which include being virtuous, finding something to be passionate about, enjoying the here and now and being altruistic — helping others. However, our pursuit of happiness could make us miserable as we try to meet society's expectations and goals, making us anxious and stressed. Also, having too little experience of negative emotions can make us less adept (熟练的)at facing new challenges.

1. What is happiness in East Asian cultures?

A．Personal pleasure.	B．Harmony of society.
C．Subjective well-being.	D．Shared experiences and family.

2. What does the underlined word "rejoice" in Paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Be restless.	B．Be tolerant.
C．Be delighted.	D．Be ashamed.

3. What is the author's advice in the last paragraph?

A．Setting up a happiness concept of your home country.

B．Giving others in need a helping hand unselfishly.

C．Thinking twice about accepting new challenges.

D．Sticking to meeting society's expectations.

4. What is this text most likely from?

A．A diary.	B．A guidebook.
C．A novel.	D．A magazine.

9 . I waited until my Ph. D. committee had left the room to break down. I had just failed my dissertation proposal defense (学位论文答辩)－a poor start to my fourth year of grad school (研究生院). My committee members had told me that my experiments were too small-scale, my ideas not deep enough. I realize now that they were pushing me because they believed in me. But at that moment, all I could hear was the voice in my head telling me that I’d failed.

For the next 4 months, I lacked focus at work. I no longer double-checked my experiments, and I had trouble finding the energy to even think about re-writing my proposal.

Actually, the outcome of my proposal defense wasn’t the only cause of my slump. After some thought, it dawned on me that I had been putting undue pressure on myself throughout grad school. To believe I was making good progress, I needed external validation-an award, positive results, or praise from professors I respected. When I didn’t get those things at every opportunity, I felt I was not on the right track. When I didn’t pass the defense, the failure confirmed my self-doubts. Eventually, as my loss of confidence became a bigger problem, I knew that I had to do something about it.

I decided that I needed to set healthier standards for myself. I did not have control over how much praise I received. The only thing I had control over, I realized, was the effort I put forth.

I went into my second proposal defense with a much more positive mindset (思维模式) along with grander experiments in my proposal and passed. I’m pleased to report that my new approach has helped me regain confidence in myself — and my work — and I’m more productive as a result. I hope that I can help other students realize that external validation is not always guaranteed, and if they are doing their best, that is good enough.

1. What directly leads to the failure of the author’s first defense?

A．Imperfection of his proposal.

B．His negative mindset.

C．The committee’s lack of confidence.

D．The choice of his experiments.

2. What can we learn about the author from paragraph 3?

A．He was under a lot of pressure from his parents.

B．He made progress with the help of his professor.

C．He used to overemphasize the recognition he got.

D．Getting positive results helped him get over shyness.

3. Which word can best describe the author?

A．Adaptable.

B．Ambitious.

C．Generous.

D．Outgoing.

4. What does the text mainly tell us?

A．We should spend more time reflecting.

B．We should be thankful for our failures.

C．We should focus more on our own effort.

D．We should keep calm in the face of failure.

10 . Almost everyone labels me an optimist. But even optimists can temporarily lose hope. This was the case for me on a particularly cold and gloomy January day. I felt depressed by the painful challenges I was dealing with in my personal life. Marriage, health, and financial struggles had joined forces to create a tornado of emotion that threatened to crush my spirit. I felt angry. The weather seemed to reflect my mood — the gray sky blocked even a single ray of sunlight.

About midway through the day, I left work to get some lunch. Still feeling negative, I noticed that the sun had come out for a brief moment. I began to think about my negative attitude and remind myself that I was responsible for choosing my state of mind. Even as I consciously reminded myself of this truth, I felt incapable of making the shift.

As I stopped at a red light, I looked at the car directly in front of mine. The personalized license plate caught my eye — it read “Sunout”. This brought an immediate smile to my face. It felt like a reminder that the sun was shining after all. But then my eyes moved to the car that was perfectly parallel to the Sunout vehicle. The license plate on that car read “Complainer”. This brought more than a smile to my face as I laughed out loudly! Seeing the two very opposite license plates at that exact moment in time, I felt my spirits and mood lift as I made the conscious decision to choose a positive attitude.

I shared my story with several co-workers who responded with warm laughter. I learned that day that when we are feeling too discouraged to bring ourselves out of a state of negativity, relief is just near!

1. What can we infer from Paragraph 1?

A．The writer had problems at school.

B．The writer was going to be laid off.

C．The writer was in low spirits that day.

D．The writer couldn’t meet the work challenges.

2. What do the underlined words “the shift” in paragraph 2 mean?

A．Changing her job.	B．Moving her car.
C．Making a choice.	D．Changing her mood.

3. Why did the writer smile when she saw the two license plates?

A．Because they helped her make an informed choice.

B．Because they showed personality of car owners.

C．Because they were what she was looking for.

D．Because they reflected the truth of life.

4. What Chinese idiom can you think of after reading the story?

A．Time waits for no man.	B．Life is just like a mirror.
C．Great minds think alike.	D．Laughter is the best medicine.