1 . When I was 12 years old, I already knew that my teen years were going to be the worst years of my life. I was a total outsider, bullied (欺凌) at school. I felt completely alone in my small town.

But by starting to do volunteer work when I was 14, I turned my problem into a passion for helping others. The opportunity to practice kindness made me feel like my life had a greater purpose. The more positive energy I shared, the more kindness and appreciation I received. I realized that my purpose in life would be to reach out to people, specifically teenagers, and help them feel less alone.

Books were my true friends back then. I was so thankful that the authors wrote those books. The kindness they offered me with their books saved my life. One of my biggest dreams was to become an author so I could write books that would help other teenagers the way those books helped me.

After surviving terrible experiences at school and at home, I made a choice to take the optimistic, positive road in the next steps of my journey. My dream career, one I thought was only possible for the authors I loved, is what I am doing now. I have been a full-time author of teen novels since 2007 and am grateful for this amazing opportunity to reach out to readers every single day.

Kindness saved me when I needed help the most. Even small acts of kindness can change someone’s life. You never know what someone else is going through. But by practicing daily kindness, you become an architect of positive change.

1. What was the author’s life like when he was 12?

A．Boring.

B．Peaceful.

C．Painful.

D．Meaningful.

2. How did the volunteer work benefit the author?

A．It made him popular in his town.	B．It helped him find the meaning of life.
C．It helped him understand others’ lives better.	D．It helped to shape his dream career.

3. Why did the author choose writing as his job?

A．He was inspired by his teacher.	B．He could pass positive energy to readers.
C．He wanted to share his school experiences.	D．He found he had a talent for writing.

4. What does the author suggest readers do in the last paragraph?

A．Say “no” to bullies bravely.	B．Make positive changes in their lives.
C．Treat others with kindness in daily life.	D．Learn to care more about others’ feelings.

2 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。

I can well remember that I was once asked to deliver a speech titled “A Real Test in My Life” before the whole class at the age of 9! You can imagine how     1     (terrible) shy I was with so many eyes       2       (fix) upon me. I had no     3     (choose) but to prepare for it, though. First of all, I was to draft the speech, which was just a piece of cake for me, a good writer. But the hardest part     4     (lie) in my oral presentation from my memory— for to read from the paper was not allowed. The real moment began     5         I stood on the platform with my legs trembling and my mind blank. But my listeners were waiting patiently without any signs of rushing me. Gradually I found myself back,     6     (deliver) my speech with difficulty. After what seemed to be a hundred years, I found my audience applauding— I made     7    ! From then on, my fear of talking before an audience disappeared. Actually with my     8     (confident) building up, I now turn out to be a great speaker. Looking back, I know the greatest difficulty on our way         9     success is our fear. Overcome it     10     we will be able to achieve our goals.

3 . 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。

Three years ago I failed an important exam in my life and became a student at a ordinary school. Although I felt disappointed at the shabby campus and my poorly-equipped classroom, but I found the teachers impatient and considerate. Beside, I enjoyed the friendly class atmosphere. I decided to make the best it. I worked hard and got along good with my teachers and classmates. Whenever I had difficulties, they are always available. Soon, I became one of the top student in my class, that greatly increased my confidence and got me motivated. My experience tells me that it is not what you are given but how you make use of it that determines who we are.

6 . I learned about life from an ant farm. When I was seven years old, my family _________ an ant farm at home. First, we put clean sand in a thin glass box, and then we brought some ants from the backyard and placed them into the _________ home.

Shortly after the new _________ were dropped into the glass structure, they got to work making tunnels. I was amazed that each one knew _________ what to do. After hours of staring, I realized that the ants had particular given jobs. With my mom’s help, I kept a journal of what happened each day and _________ the ants. My favorite was the biggest, Cinderella. I drew a picture of her in my journal, which I still have.

On day five a disaster _________ the ant farm. While I was observing the ants, I had put my face so close to the structure that I accidentally _______ it over. Unfortunately, my carelessness caused all the tunnels to        _______ . Although the ants _________ their earthquake, one by one they began to die. I was ____________ as I watched them give up their tunnel-building to carry the bodies to a corner of the farm. My mother reported that the ants were actually dying of “frustration”—feeling annoyed and disappointed as they couldn’t control the situation. They simply could not ____________ the reality that their tunnels had been destroyed. Cinderella was the last to die; she did so while carrying a dead ant on her back.

Although much time has passed, I still think of that ant farm. Mom had hoped it would teach me about the natural world, ____________ it taught me much more. ____________ the years, I came to realize the ants were a study in the benefits of ______________. Working together, they were able to create a（n）______________ world for themselves. I also learned that they should be ____________ for their hard work. Day in and day out, each labored at their task. The ant farm demonstrated that teamwork and perseverance are indeed two key   __________ for success. But there was an even larger lesson that I did not   ____________ until recently: Disaster is a natural part of life, and must be ______________. Unlike the ants, humans cannot give up when they face ______________. Unlike the ants, we have to realize that if a tunnel comes down, we just have to build another.

1.

A．created

B．bought

C．ran

D．laid

2.

A．empty

B．new

C．strange

D．distant

3.

A．guests

B．settlers

C．friends

D．members

4.

A．precisely

B．roughly

C．probably

D．normally

5.

A．compared

B．trained

C．named

D．measured

6.

A．affected

B．struck

C．kicked

D．beat

7.

A．split

B．took

C．tipped

D．handed

8.

A．rush out

B．break in

C．cave in

D．drop out

9.

A．experienced

B．predicted

C．faced

D．survived

10.

A．astonished

B．annoyed

C．moved

D．thrilled

11.

A．reflect

B．ignore

C．confirm

D．stand

12.

A．but

B．and

C．so

D．or

13.

A．In

B．For

C．From

D．Over

14.

A．devotion

B．teamwork

C．responsibility

D．organization

15.

A．relaxing

B．amusing

C．moving

D．amazing

16.

A．supported

B．admired

C．inspired

D．admitted

17.

A．solutions

B．approaches

C．recipes

D．circumstances

18.

A．give

B．take

C．realize

D．adopt

19.

A．accepted

B．suffered

C．escaped

D．managed

20.

A．challenges

B．barriers

C．pressure

D．disappointment

7 . In my starting days of real-life practice, I took up a job in a direct sales firm as a door-to-door marketer. I ______ this job and the good pay pushed me to become the best at the door-to-door sales. The motto given to us by our CEO, Mr Jones sounds ______ —meet 200 people and then you’ll achieve 10 sales. But it’s not that simple to do. I _______ this every day. Most of the days, I just couldn’t meet 200 people and the ______ left short of my target. But whenever I did meet 200 people, I could achieve the target. So I realized the motto was truly ______ words.

There were so many people who slammed (砰地关上) their ______ in my face. The kids answered the door, shouting “Mom, another ______ is here”. Some scared me with their dogs. Some even ______ to call the police. Some called me a thief. _______, there were a minority of people who gave me the strength to ______ hour after hour, day after day.

I remember such a _______: One Sunday at the railway station I ______ to sell something to two positive customers. One of them even went to ATM to get _______ for me during the big rain. When I asked him not to _______, his reply made me even stronger. He said that when I could sell in the big rain then he could ______ in the rain to get the money to help me.

These experiences in my life made me a stronger person and made me ______ that no matter what happens in life, I can never give up _______. And that’s how I have been able to achieve a little success from being ______ to being somewhere. I’m the CEO of my own marketing company now.

The lesson I learnt from door-to-door sales is that good doors are ______ there, and we have to ______ several bad ones before reaching the good one. Keep going and you’ll reach your target.

1.

A．lost

B．offered

C．liked

D．refused

2.

A．easy

B．ridiculous

C．complex

D．confusing

3.

A．wrote

B．played

C．thought

D．practiced

4.

A．salary

B．result

C．goods

D．partners

5.

A．warning

B．comforting

C．magical

D．meaningless

6.

A．books

B．doors

C．phones

D．windows

7.

A．neighbor

B．stranger

C．salesman

D．beggar

8.

A．threatened

B．forgot

C．expected

D．determined

9.

A．Besides

B．Otherwise

C．Therefore

D．However

10.

A．go away

B．stay up

C．carry on

D．pull out

11.

A．report

B．novel

C．movie

D．situation

12.

A．preferred

B．managed

C．failed

D．wished

13.

A．cash

B．food

C．drinks

D．tickets

14.

A．stop

B．return

C．trouble

D．complain

15.

A．sell

B．walk

C．talk

D．stand

16.

A．realize

B．imagine

C．doubt

D．dream

17.

A．exercising

B．shopping

C．learning

D．trying

18.

A．everywhere

B．anywhere

C．somewhere

D．nowhere

19.

A．never

B．always

C．seldom

D．sometimes

20.

A．open

B．repair

C．break

D．avoid

8 . Have you ever given a thought to inspiration？In fact, inspiration can be a strange thing. You never know when it might_________, and sometimes, it can come from the most_________places.

I recently read about an author named Nnedi Okorafor. When she was in college, she had a serious spine disorder. Okorafor was told that a simple operation could_________it. But when she woke up from her_________, she found that she couldn’t move her legs and was in great pain.

Okorafor got_________later. But before she did, she saw strange things in her hospital room. She imagined her _________as a beast that hunted her from the shadows. But she also_________a woman-a woman who could fly, in fact. This_________woman inspired her and helped her_________her pain. “I felt myself become__________,” she wrote in her book Broken Places & Outer Spaces: Finding Creativity in the Unexpected.

We__________know where we might find the inspiration to create. As a__________, most of my inspiration comes from other people’s music. But I also find__________in other places. Books, movies and__________just moments in everyday life can lead to new creations.

__________, I recently rewatched the film Blade Runner. I’ve seen it plenty of times before; it’s one of my favorite movies. But this time, for some reason, I saw it__________.I decided to make music that could create the same feeling as the__________. It’s not done yet, but the music I’m working on now is heavily__________by the movie’s setting and characters.

Anything can__________us. You just have to be__________to catch inspiration when it hits.

1.

A．work

B．hit

C．exist

D．pass

2.

A．interesting

B．ordinary

C．unexpected

D．dangerous

3.

A．fix

B．make

C．remove

D．control

4.

A．dream

B．shock

C．recovery

D．operation

5.

A．well

B．bad

C．worried

D．annoyed

6.

A．curiosity

B．pain

C．anger

D．fear

7.

A．asked

B．met

C．imagined

D．visited

8.

A．confident

B．smart

C．honest

D．magical

9.

A．forget

B．recognize

C．describe

D．practice

10.

A．richer

B．better

C．busier

D．quieter

11.

A．always

B．never

C．sometimes

D．still

12.

A．director

B．dancer

C．musician

D．writer

13.

A．tips

B．messages

C．examples

D．ideas

14.

A．even

B．again

C．not

D．only

15.

A．In short

B．In addition

C．For example

D．After all

16.

A．differently

B．perfectly

C．vividly

D．smoothly

17.

A．story

B．song

C．play

D．film

18.

A．changed

B．supported

C．disturbed

D．influenced

19.

A．impress

B．inspire

C．amuse

D．challenge

20.

A．free

B．thankful

C．ready

D．careful

9 . It was our last class before summer break. I was finishing up the first year of an MFA program in poetry. I was tired and puzzled. "Was I good enough to be in the program?" When a professor asked about our summer plans, I panicked. I didn't want to appear idle(闲散的). "Gardening," I responded immediately. Actually I knew nothing about plants! My professor nodded, saying, "What a good idea, Mari! Emily Dickinson loved gardening." Emily Dickinson had lived in the countryside, studying plants as a child. I was in my late twenties, living in the city without gardening experience.

A few days later, I bought a jalapeño seedling(青辣椒秧苗). At least I could say I'd tried gardening. I watered and changed the dirt for my little plant. I even talked to it. And over the summer, it grew bigger and bigger. I was proud. Maybe I didn't have a black thumb after all.

I started the second year of my MFA, and then it was almost December and my jalapeño was suffering. It was brown in some places; many of its leaves had fallen off. Would my little guy make it? I prayed, "Please be okay." As if its survival were closely linked to mine.

I worked hard in school. Spring came. My jalapeño plant came back to life. It grew bigger, with new leaves. And then it flowered. I handed in my graduate paper--a book of poems--in May. "Your poems are strong," my professor said.

A huge weight lifted. I'd done it! At that time, I found the flowers on my jalapeño plant were gone. I watched closer. Where a flower had been, a tiny green fruit pushed through. I smiled. I had succeeded in my MFA program, and my jalapeño plant had grown right beside me, and I successfully did things I hadn't thought possible.

1. Why did the author begin gardening?

A．Just by accident.

B．For the love for gardening.

C．To express fancy for Emily Dickinson.

D．Because of the reminding of a professor.

2. When did the author begin her first gardening?

A．In her childhood.	B．In one of her summer breaks.
C．In her teens.	D．In her first year of MFA program.

3. What does the underlined phrase "a black thumb" in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．A talent to grow plants.	B．A dirty finger to touch plants.
C．A good fortune to do everything.	D．An inability to do gardening.

4. Which proverb can best describe the story above?

A．Nothing is impossible to a willing mind.

B．Easier said than done.

C．It's never too old to learn.

D．Do not teach fish to swim.

10 . A woman was walking along the beach on a damp day, lost in thought. Suddenly she was _______ back to reality by a sound of someone shouting. It was from a man. just visible through the _______. His arms wide, he shouted “Come, blessings!” He took a _______ in one direction and then another, shouting constantly, “Come, blessings, come!”

The woman stopped _______ the scene. Here was a man she thought calling blessings into his life _______ and eagerly. It was such a pure, direct spiritual call for something he _______. She started walking toward the man, hoping to speak to him and express her _______ to him for the inspiration she had got from his calling. As she walked, the wind continued to _______ his voice. “Come: blessings! Come: blessings, come!” She started to speak the simple yet _______ words along with him feeling __________ inspired each time.

Just then, a big floppy-eared(耳朵松软的) dog suddenly jumped toward the man from the mist with __________. The woman now was __________ enough to hear him crying to the dog: “Blessings! There you are! I thought I had __________ you!”

At first the woman felt __________ for making such a ridiculous mistake. She __________ a dog named Blessings for a wonderful moment of communication with God. But __________ she continued her walk: she smiled contentedly. She had received the inspiration to ask clearly and plainly for the __________ and other blessings she longed for. It was __________, even if the bearer of the message had four legs and a tail.

Perhaps, she thought it was not a __________ that the man had named his dog Blessings. And perhaps the dog had not been lost __________.

How do you call blessings like hope and peace into your life?

1.

A．forced

B．moved

C．brought

D．transformed

2.

A．rain

B．mist

C．darkness

D．sunshine

3.

A．glance

B．risk

C．sigh

D．step

4.

A．adapting to

B．calling up

C．dealing with

D．thinking about

5.

A．angrily

B．bitterly

C．loudly

D．gently

6.

A．desired

B．forgot

C．selected

D．ordered

7.

A．doubt

B．love

C．regret

D．thanks

8.

A．change

B．carry

C．clear

D．collect

9.

A．familiar

B．popular

C．powerful

D．stressful

10.

A．directly

B．secretly

C．occasionally

D．increasingly

11.

A．joy

B．anxiety

C．courage

D．sorrow

12.

A．cautious

B．close

C．cool

D．diver

13.

A．found

B．left

C．hurt

D．lost

14.

A．good

B．right

C．silly

D．wrong

15.

A．confused

B．exchanged

C．saved

D．trained

16.

A．if

B．as

C．before

D．though

17.

A．answer

B．challenge

C．goodness

D．truth

18.

A．complete

B．strange

C．false

D．real

19.

A．burden

B．coincidence

C．joke

D．disadvantage

20.

A．at all

B．after all

C．for ever

D．as ever