1 . Fifteen years ago, I took a summer vacation in Lecce in southern Italy. After climbing up a hill for a panoramic(全景的) of the blue sea, white buildings and green olive trees, I paused to catch my breath and then positioned myself to take the best photo of this panorama.

Unfortunately, just as I took out my camera, a woman approached from behind, and planted herself right in front of my view. Like me, this woman was here to stop, sigh and appreciate the view.

Patient as I was, after about 15 minutes, my camera scanning the sun and reviewing the shot I would eventually take, I grew frustrated. Was it too much to ask her to move so I could take just one picture of the landscape? Sure, I could have asked her, but something prevented me from doing so. She seemed so content in her observation. I didn’t want to mess with that.

Another 15 minutes passed and I grew bored. The woman was still there. I decided to take the photo anyway. And now when I look at it, I think her presence in the photo is what makes the image interesting. The landscape, beautiful on its own, somehow comes to life and breathes because this woman is engaging with it.

This photo, with the unique beauty that unfolded before me and that woman who “ruined” it, now hangs on a wall in my bedroom. What would she think if she knew that her figure is captured and frozen on some stranger’s bedroom wall? A bedroom, after all, is a very private space, in which some woman I don’t even know has been immortalized. In some ways, she lives in my house.

Perhaps we all live in each other’s spaces. Perhaps this is what photos are for: to remind us that we all appreciate beauty, that we all share a common desire for pleasure, for connection, for something that is greater than us.

That photo is a reminder, a captured moment, an unspoken conversation between two women, separated only by a thin square of glass.

1. What happened when the author was about to take a photo?

A．Her camera stopped working.	B．A woman blocked her view.
C．Someone asked her to leave.	D．A friend approached from behind.

2. In the author’s opinion, what makes the photo so alive?

A．The rich color of the landscape.	B．The perfect positioning of the camera.
C．The woman’s existence in the photo.	D．The soft sunlight that summer day.

3. The passage can be seen as the author’s reflections upon ________.

A．a particular life experience	B．the pleasure of traveling
C．the art of photography	D．a lost friendship

2 . A decade ago, colored lights danced around the living room on New Year’s Eve and happy music was played. Upstairs, the children were asleep. But I wasn’t feeling happy. In mid-December, my husband and I had been informed that he had cancer and that he was going to die. He had less than a year left, the doctors said.

In the years since that painful season, I have come to look back upon New Year’s Eve as an ending and a beginning. New Year’s Eve brings a halt to the endless commitments that fill our daily lives and a chance to reflect.

New Year’s Eve is full of possibility and anticipation. What will be the surprising experiences and delightful successes in the coming year? But also, what disappointments are waiting for us in the next twelve months?

In many ways, New Year’s Eve and the days that surround it are a line between past and future. That line is made up of a series of moments of transition(过渡) that take us out of the old and into the new. Transition can be challenging for many of us. It’s about letting go of the familiar and diving headlong (迅猛地) into the unfamiliar.

Just as, back then, I had to face letting go of the life I had led with my beloved husband and stepping into a new world as a widowed mom. I find that each year I have to step out of the version of me that suited the year that is ending and ease into the version of me who will rise to the goals I am holding for myself for the year ahead.

Last year at this time, I sat in a chair in southern France and drank in the stillness(沉静) and beauty of the countryside around me. The three children and I had brought into this world talked and laughed around the table beside me as we enjoyed a lunch of bread and cheese.

I was filled with a sense of joy and I had a glowing(热情洋溢的) heart that was full of hope. It was another ending and another beginning. May we all transition into the best of what lies ahead. May we all find happiness this holiday season.

1. What does the underlined word “halt” in Paragraph 2 mean most probably?

A．Stop.

B．Beginning.

C．Meaning.

D．Tradition.

2. What’s the main cause of the author’s unhappiness on New Year’s Eve a decade before?

A．The pressure she faced in her work.	B．The health problem her husband faced.
C．The information received from her family.	D．The relationship between her and her husband.

3. What’s the author’s attitude towards the thing people should do at New Year?

A．Set challenging goals for the next year.	B．Break with daily routines and form a new habit.
C．Spend more time with family members.	D．Think about the past and get ready for the future.

4. What’s the main purpose of writing the passage?

A．To memorialize her husband.	B．To show how she got through a hard time.
C．To share her view of New Year’s Eve.	D．To remind us that uncertainty is part of life.

3 . As a volunteer crisis counselor with Crisis Text Line, a free hotline, all via text messages, I am very proud. _________ most of the texters who reach out to us are under the age of 25, this activity _________ me with the chance to interact with the _________ generation.

Crisis counselors are trained in a six-week training program _________ good contact techniques and _________ such as self-harm, suicide, depression, and bullying. Because of the training I _________, I can give texters the tools they need to get some _________.

My favorite thing about being a crisis counselor is the active _________. When people express intentions to _________ suicide, we immediately send emergency services to __________ the tragedy from happening. The moment a texter tells me, “they are here”, I feel __________ because I realize I have helped a (an) __________ person get the help he or she needs badly. For me, it’s not only about saving lives ; it’s also about letting these people know that people __________.

There is a phrase I tell my texters all the time: “You matter.” It is __________ that so many respond with, ‘‘Wow, I have never heard that before! “Those two words __________ my texters that they are going to be OK. All the pain, anxiety, and the __________ thoughts don’t matter. It is texters __________ matter.

When they __________ to me and let me know they are really listening to my words, it brings me a comforting feeling. I think, __________ a way, it is also healing to the little girl in me who struggled with unknown fear and anxiety for so many years. I think I am a much better and __________ person since I became a crisis counselor.

1.

A．If

B．Though

C．But

D．Since

2.

A．provides

B．equips

C．charges

D．presents

3.

A．older

B．younger

C．former

D．later

4.

A．ignoring

B．displaying

C．covering

D．promoting

5.

A．diseases

B．events

C．items

D．issues

6.

A．received

B．offered

C．gathered

D．witnessed

7.

A．resistance

B．insurance

C．assistance

D．evidence

8.

A．goals

B．rescues

C．instructions

D．members

9.

A．operate

B．handle

C．attract

D．commit

10.

A．separate

B．free

C．prevent

D．tell

11.

A．relieved

B．shocked

C．puzzled

D．convinced

12.

A．optimistic

B．simple

C．desperate

D．merciful

13.

A．care

B．work

C．lie

D．hesitate

14.

A．confusing

B．touching

C．annoying

D．surprising

15.

A．warn

B．assure

C．urge

D．question

16.

A．reasonable

B．curious

C．positive

D．negative

17.

A．which

B．that

C．whom

D．whose

18.

A．open up

B．give in

C．get down

D．look up

19.

A．by

B．on

C．in

D．with

20.

A．healthier

B．wealthier

C．fatter

D．slimmer

4 . Life affects friendships. As we grow, marry, fight in wars, move across the country or change jobs, old friendships fall away and new ones form. As long as we live, the things around us change, and as long as things change, friendships are affected.

When we were children, we had best friends. No matter what happened we were still friends. We live our lives, however, and do what life calls for us to do, and as we get older, memories fade, faces blur（变得模糊），and even friends’ names from childhood are forgotten.

Do you have a question about friendship？Do you wonder what to do with a friend who is no longer friendly？ Perhaps you will see that you can’t control others. If some   people want to be your friends, it is their choice. All you can do is treat them well and do the best for them when you are with them. Then you wish them well when they leave.

You can talk to old-timers and they will tell you that life is full of incredible（难以置信的）joy and incredible sorrow, and that what bothers you today will one day become a memory and the pain will be gone. Seniors might tell you that you will learn more as you get older. They will tell you that friendships come and friendships go. Sometimes when they go it will hurt you, but you will be okay with it. It’s theway life works, after all.

1. According to the text, what can we learn about friendship？

A．Friendship cannot be easily affected by one’s family.

B．Friends are always around us and will never go away.

C．Friends in childhood are sometimes forgotten by us.

D．Friends in childhood are the best no matter what happens.

2. In the author’s opinion, what should we do with friends who are no longer friendly？

A．Care about them and do the best for them when we are together.

B．Forget them and make new friends who have a lot in common with us.

C．Find the reason why our friendship has changed.

D．Do our best to control them and make them listen to us.

3. What the old-timers and seniors in the last paragraph tell you about friendship will ______.

A．make you have no good friends

B．help you have healthy understanding of friendship

C．remind you to always help your friends

D．lead you to be a powerful man WNIW HH

4. Which of the following could be the best title of the passage？

A．How to share happiness with friends

B．How to deal with unfriendly people

C．How to make good friends

D．How to face the changes in friendship

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。每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:把多余的词用斜线(\)划掉。
修改:在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意:1.每处错误及修改均仅限一词。
2.只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。

One Saturday morning， I suddenly noticed my room was in a completely mess， what really annoyed me. I realized too many useful things took up a lot of space. So I decided to throw it away and do some cleaning. It took me a whole day get all the works done. Finally the room was tidy again and everything was in the order.

This was also true for life: we add more and more to our life， hoped to get a better life. But sometimes the more we add， the bad our life becomes. After all， sometimes less is more.

6 . I was cycling and noticed a person, about a quarter of a kilometer in front of me. I could tell he was cycling a little slower than me and decided to try to _______ him. I had about a kilometer to go on the road _______ turning off.

So I _______ cycling faster and faster and every _______ I was gaining on him just a little bit. After just a few minutes I was only about 100 yards _______ him, so I really picked up the pace and _______ myself You would have _______ I was cycling in the last section of London Olympic triathlon.

_______,I caught up with him and passed him by. On the inside I felt so _______.I beat him, of course, but he didn't even know we were __________ .

After I passed him, I __________ that I had been so focused on competing against him that I had __________ my turn. I had gone nearly six blocks past it and had to turn around and go all the way back.

Isn't that what happens in life when we __________ competing with co-workers, neighbors, and friends, trying to __________ that we are more successful or more important? We spend our time and ____________ chasing after them and we miss out on our own __________ to our future.

The __________ of unhealthy competition is that it's a never-ending ____________, because there will__________ be somebody ahead of you, someone   with a better job, more money and more education, etc.

Therefore, just take what life has given you, your height, weight and personality. Stay focused and live a healthy life. There's no __________in life. Run your own race and wish others well!

1.

A．follow

B．catch

C．remind

D．grasp

2.

A．before

B．after

C．unless

D．when

3.

A．stopped

B．enjoyed

C．started

D．regretted

4.

A．way

B．block

C．step

D．time

5.

A．apart from

B．above

C．ahead of

D．behind

6.

A．protected

B．pushed

C．supported

D．comforted

7.

A．thought

B．remembered

C．dreamt

D．hoped

8.

A．Fortunately

B．Finally

C．Surprisingly

D．Apparently

9.

A．calm

B．lucky

C．astonished

D．good

10.

A．racing

B．exercising

C．celebrating

D．cycling

11.

A．believed

B．expected

C．realized

D．understood

12.

A．escaped

B．missed

C．made

D．lost

13.

A．worry about

B．care for

C．depend on

D．focus on

14.

A．prove

B．declare

C．explain

D．inform

15.

A．tears

B．money

C．energy

D．pain

16.

A．paths

B．entrances

C．plans

D．barriers

17.

A．task

B．difficulty

C．problem

D．goal

18.

A．movement

B．cycle

C．event

D．routine

19.

A．never

B．often

C．sometimes

D．always

20.

A．mistake

B．competition

C．pressure

D．challenge

7 . Les Brown was adopted by Mamie Brown, a kitchen worker and maid, shortly after his birth in a poverty-stricken Miami neighborhood. Les had a dream of being a deejay.

Mamie Brown had taught Les to pursue his dreams. Finally, he got a job at a radio station as an errand boy (跑腿的人).

At the station, he taught himself their hand movements on the control panel. He stayed in the control rooms and soaked up whatever he could until they asked him to leave.

One Saturday afternoon while Les was at the station, a deejay named Rock was drinking while on the air. Les realized that Rock was drinking himself toward trouble. When the phone rang, Les rushed to pick it up. It was the station manager, as he knew it would be.

“Les, I don’t think Rock can finish his program.”

“Yes sir, I know.”

“Would you call one of the other deejays to come in and take over?” “Yes, sir. I sure will.”

Les did dial the telephone, but it wasn’t to call in another deejay. He called his mother first, and then his girlfriend. “You all turn on the radio because I’m about to come on the air!” he said.

He turned on the microphone switch and said, “Look out! This is me LB, Les Brown, your Platter Playing Poppa. There were none before me and there will be none after me. Therefore, that makes me the one and only. Young and single and love to mingle. Certified, undoubtedly qualified to bring you satisfaction, a whole lot of action. Look out, baby, I’m your love man.”

Because of his preparation, Les was ready. He earned the audience and his general manager’s   recognition. From that fateful beginning, Les went on to a successful career in broadcasting, politics, public speaking and television.

1. Which of the following can replace the underlined phrase “soaked up” in the third paragraph?

A．Cleared up.

B．Put up.

C．Was stuck in.

D．Was absorbed in.

2. We can learn from the story that Les was ________.

A．hardworking and confident	B．patient and organized
C．intelligent and honest	D．humorous and considerate

3. How did Les get the opportunity to host the programme?

A．The station manager appreciated his hard work and performance at the station.

B．Les applied to the station manager for a chance to be a DJ.

C．The deejay on the air could hardly finish the programme because of drinking.

D．Other deejays were busy and couldn’t come to the station immediately.

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

A．Don’t Sit on Your Talent	B．Prepare for the Chance
C．Challenge Yourself	D．Accept It or Try to Change

8 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Why is setting goals important? Goals can help you do, be, and experience everything you want in life and goals allow you     1     (make) your life happen.

Successful people imagine how their life should be and set lots of goals. By setting goals you are taking control of your life. It's like     2    ( have) a map to show you where you want to go.

Think of it this way. There are two drivers. One has a destination in mind which can     3     (find) on a map. She can drive straight there without any wasted time or wrong     4    (turn). The other   driver has no goal or destination     5     map. She starts off at the same time from the same place as     6     first driver, but she drives     7    ( aim) around, never getting anywhere, just using up gas. Which driver do you want to be?

Winners in life set goals and follow through on them.     8    (success) people just let life happen by accident. Goals aren't difficult to set, and they aren't difficult to reach.       It's up     9    you to find out what your goals really are. You are the one who must decide what to achieve and in     10     direction to aim your life.

9 . A lady wanted a birthday gift from her husband. For many months she had liked a   beautiful_______, and knowing her husband could_______it, she told him that was all she wanted. On the morning of the_______husband told her how_______he was to have such a good wife, and how much he loved her. He_______her beautiful gift package(盒). She opened it and_______a Bible._______, she raised her voice and said to her husband. "With all your money, you give me a Bible?" She was so_______that she left him.

Many years passed and the lady was very_______in business. She owned two large companies. She________her husband was very old, and thought perhaps she should go to________him. But before she could, she________a letter telling her that he had died, and gave all of his possessions(财产) to her. She needed to come back ________take care of things.

When she arrived at his house, sadness________her heart. She saw the still new________, just she had left it years before. With________she opened it and began to turn the pages. A ring________from Bible to the floor and a________could be seen. She picked it up and found it was the ring she wanted in those days. And on the card was the date of her birth, and the words "LOVE YOU ALWAYS”.

________your gift is not packaged the way you want it, it's because it is better packaged! Always appreciate little things; they usually lead you to bigger things in the world! The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched for they must be felt with the     ________.

1.

A．watch

B．ring

C．coat

D．box

2.

A．afford

B．like

C．design

D．guess

3.

A．holiday

B．performance

C．meeting

D．birthday

4.

A．kind

B．proud

C．sorry

D．brave

5.

A．lent

B．gave

C．asked

D．moved

6.

A．found

B．carried

C．missed

D．held

7.

A．Politely

B．Lightly

C．Patiently

D．Angrily

8.

A．calm

B．disappointed

C．grateful

D．careless

9.

A．sad

B．lonely

C．successful

D．poor

10.

A．realized

B．wondered

C．hoped

D．explained

11.

A．help

B．visit

C．understand

D．catch

12.

A．received

B．passed

C．wrote

D．sent

13.

A．but

B．and

C．or

D．so

14.

A．covered

B．broke

C．filled

D．left

15.

A．car

B．Bible

C．letter

D．table

16.

A．smiles

B．tears

C．laughter

D．interests

17.

A．hid

B．disappeared

C．made

D．dropped

18.

A．book

B．card

C．pen

D．flower

19.

A．If

B．But

C．And

D．So

20.

A．hand

B．eye

C．heart

D．face

10 . For the past two years I have been travelling and living abroad. Home has become more of a feeling than a place. I feel at home when I am with my family in London, but I also feel at home in Italy with friends I love. Home is no longer a picture of a house with a front door and some windows. It is more complicated than that.

This is one of the reasons that celebrating the new year has become very important for me. I do not care about "New Year’s resolutions(愿望)” - living abroad has made me constantly reconsider what kind of person I want to be and how I will live my life, so I don't feel the need to plan for change: I live for change.

New Year’s Eve has become my time to reconnect with the friends that makes me feel at home. Every year we try to reunite wherever we are and remember the time when we knew each other so well that we felt like a family. It is a moment to reconnect and get to know each other again. Last year, we travelled to a cottage in Ireland where we had no internet and no neighbours. In the middle of the countryside, away from our big and constantly changing lives, we were able to become like a little family again.

This year, we went to Barcelona. It was a very big change. We were surrounded by culture and life and joy. There were bars and parties. It was different, but one thing stayed very much the same-I felt at home again and we felt like a family again.

A lot of people feel that New Year’s Eve cannot live up to expectations. Ideas such as the "New Year's kiss" and "resolutions" create a lot of pressure for people to have a night to remember, a night that will change their lives and perhaps make the next year one worth living. I think those people are missing the point. If Christmas is about family, why can't New Year be about friends?

1. What does the underlined word "It" in Paragraph I probably mean?

A．Family.	B．Living abroad.
C．Home.	D．Staying with friends.

2. Why doesn't the author care about "New Year's resolutions"?

A．New Year’s resolutions cannot be reached.

B．His lifestyle makes him always ready for change.

C．It's meaningless to make any big changes in life.

D．Making New Year's resolutions creates much pressure.

3. What does the author try to convey through his experiences in Ireland and Barcelona?

A．Life is peaceful and enjoyable.

B．Living abroad is a happy experience.

C．Staying with friends makes one feel at home.

D．Travelling abroad enriches one's life experience.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．New Year's Celebration:How?	B．True Friendship: What?
C．Living Abroad: Comfortable or Complicated?	D．Change:Plan it or Make it?