For many teenagers, a job is a way to earn a little extra money. For me, it is more than that.
At the age of 16, I was offered my very first job as a shopgirl in a clothing store. On the first day, my manager was training me how to fold and organize platform after platform of clothes. The work seemed overwhelming, and everything had to be done in an accurate way. I got so impatient because I couldn’t get it right the first couple of times. After about ten tries, I had the clothes folded perfectly. Then it took me thirty minutes to get them all looking uniform. Now, I fold and organize clothes every day, and I’m able to do them well. Through this experience, I’ve learned to be patient.
Helping customers and establishing connections with them is one of the things I love most about my job. About two months ago, I helped a woman who was looking for a dress. She told me exactly what she was picturing—a blue dress with long sleeves and a lace neck. We didn’t have any such dress, and when I explained that to her, she wasn’t very happy. Instead of getting annoyed, I tried getting to know her a bit better and asked what the dress was for, so I could find other items in her size that could work. We shared our love of the Netflix fashion show, and she ended up buying $200 worth of new clothes, having found other items she liked. This experience has taught me to be more open with strangers.
Every job has its share of frustrations and challenges; to do well you must learn to deal with them. I’ve learned this from my own experience, and it has helped me in other aspects of my life as well.
1. What was the author’s first job? (no more than 5 words)2. What is the meaning of the underlined word in Para. 2? (no more than 3 words)
3. How did the author manage to meet the customer’s needs in Para. 3? (no more than 15 words)
4. How has the author’s work experience changed her in personality? (no more than 10 words)
5. What job would you like to do? How can you help people in your work? (no more than 20 words)
To be honest, sometimes, I hate it when I start thinking about money because it brings me down and drives me sad. When I was younger, I always wondered why money was so important. There wasn’t anything I needed. It’s good to be a kid, since he or she doesn’t have to worry about responsibility. But as everyone gets older, of course that changes. I work almost every day but it’s still not enough. That’s what is discouraging — it’s never enough.
Right now I have to sacrifice the money I make. I put my school on hold so that I can pay for my girlfriend’s school fee and everything else. I’m very supportive in everything I do, and she is also very supportive. We warm each other up, hoping she really gets everything right because we only have each other. I find that hope is my inspiration and that everything will work out however hard it gets. Even though I find that life is hard, it never stops me from helping others, especially those who are less fortunate. While I might be going through hard times myself, there are those out there who could be going through even harder times.
Last night, on my way home I stopped by to buy some burgers in a fast food restaurant. A homeless man approached me and asked, “Do you have any bottles lying around?” I knew he would recycle them for a few cents, but I didn’t have any. I said, “Sorry, I don’t.” And again, he asked, “Can you spare some changes?” I smiled and said, “Sorry, I can’t.” He was very polite. He smiled back and said, “Ok, thank you.” Even though he didn’t have anything, he was still in good spirits. Just from the way he spoke, I could tell he was fine.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 续写段落开头已给出。
Paragraph 1:
I went in and ate my meal, but in my head I wonder if the homeless man was hungry.
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Paragraph 2:
No matter how hard life is, there are always ways to handle it.
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3 . My son was playing with a bottle of bubbles. Dip the loop in the bottle, pull it out, and blow it to make bubbles. He understood the principle but was vainly
I hadn’t blown bubbles in years. I am a
After several
There are some things that you can get with
| A．trying | B．managing | C．expecting | D．acting |
| A．changes | B．bubbles | C．results | D．drops |
| A．lent | B．handed | C．threw | D．cast |
| A．researcher | B．professional | C．chemist | D．parent |
| A．out of date | B．of no use | C．in doubt | D．in trouble |
| A．trial | B．confidence | C．patience | D．success |
| A．even | B．thus | C．somehow | D．still |
| A．fruitless | B．tough | C．unwilling | D．difficult |
| A．Despite | B．Without | C．On | D．Except |
| A．screamed | B．nodded | C．rushed | D．flew |
| A．escaped | B．floated | C．burst | D．bounced |
| A．silently | B．slightly | C．eagerly | D．gently |
| A．freed | B．fueled | C．contained | D．reduced |
| A．brain | B．action | C．force | D．science |
| A．survive | B．separate | C．jumped | D．arise |
Once upon a time, there was a forest which was ruled perfectly by a king “The Lion”. His reputation (声望) spread to kingdoms of other forests. In order to fill the position of kingdom minister, the Lion announced a competition and the news was quickly sent to other kingdoms.
Having learned about the minister’s post, a rabbit rushed to her friend, “The Fox”. “Dear friend! In the neighboring kingdom, a competition is going to be held next Friday for the position of minister. No one can compete with you in terms of the level of your knowledge. If you set out two days earlier to the competition, you will certainly be the minister of the kingdom,” said the rabbit.
The fox prepared to leave for the competition. His long-lasting desire to become a minister was going to come true soon. Although the fox had not yet gained the position, he was full of joy and lost in deep thought. The fox was expecting that he would become the minister of the forest and provide the most essential information to the king.
In fact, the foolish fox left only one day earlier to reach the kingdom. On his way to the neighboring forest, he found that there was a radish (萝卜) field with ripen radishes to eat in the middle of the forest. The moment the fox felt hungry, he dug (挖) the field and ate the radishes happily.
Later the fox continued his journey, and he found a lake full of pure water which was a good place for him to have a swim. The fox swam in the lake and came across a group of crabs (螃蟹). Though the fox was not hungry, he created space for the crabs in the stomach.
With a heavily loaded belly, the fox once again continued the journey. However, he could not walk at great speed as before. He could not even move forward freely.
注意:
1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Feeling very sleepy, the fox rested under a big tree and fell into a heavy sleep.
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He requested the Lion to give him one more chance.
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5 . When the host announced that my choir (合唱队) won the second place of the World Choir Game, I couldn’t believe what I heard. All the
In the semi-finals (半决赛), we were supposed to sing four songs. When we played the third song, I suddenly heard an unexpected
After the competition, I was disappointed. Just because of one person’s fault, the whole choir must afford the fact that we might lose the game. I cried, but then I found nothing would change no matter how hard we
Never blame a person when she makes a mistake, but help her to solve the problem when you are struggling
| A．promises | B．efforts | C．requirement | D．differences |
| A．considered | B．forgot | C．learned | D．explained |
| A．name | B．shout | C．voice | D．song |
| A．driven away | B．led away | C．given out | D．turned down |
| A．similarly | B．easily | C．happily | D．immediately |
| A．failed | B．succeeded | C．arrived | D．agreed |
| A．busy | B．wrong | C．warm | D．slow |
| A．quit | B．stop | C．complete | D．end |
| A．conductor | B．singer | C．dancer | D．worker |
| A．late | B．only | C．first | D．last |
| A．blamed | B．encouraged | C．called | D．asked |
| A．Otherwise | B．Therefore | C．However | D．Besides |
| A．bad | B．common | C．perfect | D．rude |
| A．up | B．on to | C．for | D．in |
| A．mistake | B．surprise | C．sadness | D．laughter |
Having held the interschool storytelling championship for the past two years, I was the shining star of my school. When it came to choosing the right candidate to participate in such competitions, I was always the first choice. Naturally, I was once again selected to represent my school in the approaching contest this year.
Upon hearing the fact that I was chosen again, my classmates and friends acknowledged that I would undoubtedly emerge as the champion again. Consequently, I became conceited. I was so proud that I neglected the importance of practicing for the contest.
A week before the contest, my teacher Ms. Sara asked,“Selena, would you like to stand in front of the class to rehearse for the contest ?” She had tutored me in the past two competitions and knew how important practice was .“Just imagine you are on the stage in the presence of the audience, ”she added .
“ I’m sorry, Ms. Sara, ” I replied .“I have a bit of a sore throat.”
This was usually the lie I would tell whenever my teacher requested me to practice in front of the class. I always found excuses to avoid doing it because I believed that I was the best and therefore the practice was unnecessary. On one occasion, I even told Mrs. Sara not to worry too much as I was well prepared for the contest. In fact, I did everything but practice my scrip. I only managed to glance briefly through the story the day before the contest. As the best storyteller among the students of the local secondary schools, I was too
vain to practice and expected everything to be fine.The contest was being held in the local community hall. On the day of the contest, the hall was packed.
My school teachers and principal were there along with many of my classmates and schoolmates. I was the eighth contestant out of twenty in total. Those who spoke before me did extremely well. On seeing theirfascinating and outstanding performance, I began to lose confidence in myself. My palms sweated heavily and I started to feel nervous.
注意：
1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2. 至少使用5个短文中标有下划线的关键词语；
3. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
4. 续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph1:
Soon, it was my turn to talk.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph2:
Finally, results were announced after the contest.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________7 . Exams never made me break out in a nervous sweat with tears threatening to ruin my already-trembling façade — but this one did. Even booking my piano exam reduced me to a blubbering mess of anxiety.
I feel permanently scarred inside churches — no longer admiring their beauty because, over the years, I have received such terrible marks from examiners hiding behind the stained-glass partitions. Despite being 15 — too old, too cool to be frightened — I remember trembling inside the bathroom stalls before my tests. I wished I never had to play in front of others.
But this time, after booking my Level 8 Royal Conservatory of Music piano exam, I went back to my normal routine. A little practice here, a little practice there. And then it happened.
My trusty, 10-year-old electric piano gave out. Middle C started to sound like an F-sharp and all other keys sounded like they were a fourth above their natural tone. Thankfully, my precious, boredom-saving buttons still worked. I could still change my piano’s settings from “piano” to “harpsichord .” I admit, it was a lot of fun banging on my wacky keys. Each note bonged like the sound on children’s TV shows when a character repeatedly runs into a wall.
Goofiness aside, I had to get my act together. I hated practicing but I really wanted a good mark. When I told my father what had happened to my piano, he only glared at me with disappointment, “When I was your age, I learned to be resourceful.”
Hmm. I had a broken piano, an exam coming up in a few months and a father who refused to buy me a new piano because he wanted to teach me a “life lesson”. I finally came upon a decision: I’d practice at school.
Going to a private school had to have its benefits, so I looked for a place to play. The school had many pianos but only a few in tune. Within a few days of searching, my piano books, my artistic best friend and I headed off to a music room at every available opportunity.
I loved finding new pianos in hidden corners of the school and I laughed at the dusty old historic pianos. They really had character. I spent hours in those music rooms while my friend honed her art skills in sketching and drawing. She suffered through my annoying, repetitive scales while I looked over my shoulder once in a while and admired her work. Not only did I become a better musician, but I also managed to gain a few subpar skills as an art critic.
As my exam drew close, all the music teachers knew to look for me in the piano rooms during recess, after school and late on Fridays. In anticipation of my assessment, one of my music teachers let me perform for her as a mini practice exam. To my surprise, she was greatly impressed.
Within a few months I went from not caring about my playing to feeling actually, maybe, kind of proud of my work. And over countless hours spent in my favorite, soundproof music room, I discovered that behind the piano, I could become anyone. Talking to other people never came easy to me, but I was able to express myself through music. I became overjoyed. It was like I had developed a sixth sense, one that only musicians could understand.
When I played, my worries about what others thought of me and how I viewed myself merged to reveal who I really am. All my adolescent musings made me feel like I was in a cage, but music gave me the key. Sitting behind a piano and creating music combined the movement of my body and the inner workings of my heart.
Music had never been the love of my life but that was changing. I loved the idea of being on a stage and creating something for others to enjoy and remember. Actually, it wasn’t a something, but rather a feeling that the audience would carry outside into a world where music wasn’t the only thing that people cared for.
When the time came to play in front of an examiner, instead of fearing my judge, I feared nothing but being unable to represent all my hard work. All the anxiety I had about going up on stage dimmed, and when the lights went on, all I could think about was the marvellous journey I’d had to get here. Trilling the keys reminded me of when I’d spent nearly two hours alone in a music room, more content than I had been anywhere else. Playing the melody reminded me of the bittersweet music experiences of past years.
Many days later, I received my mark. Not only did I earn a rarely mentioned “well done” and an 82 per cent, I had rewritten what music meant to me.
Now whenever I get caught up in the daily struggle, I remember the hard work that it took to reach my goal. Whenever I feel discouraged, I never forget to look at the gleaming keys of my new upright piano. As my father always says, some lessons are just learned the hard way.
1. What made the author so stressful inside churches these years?| A．The religious atmosphere. | B．The artistic performance. |
| C．The horrible surroundings. | D．Her colorful fantasy. |
| A．The author’s family was too poor to afford a new piano. |
| B．The father was quite angry about the author’s bad behavior. |
| C．The author showed great dissatisfaction about her father. |
| D．The father wanted the author to address the problem independently. |
| A．mixed | B．separated | C．interacted | D．exploited |
| A．Her good friend accompanied her to get through hard time. |
| B．Her teachers treated her much better than before. |
| C．Her family supported her quite well. |
| D．Her own understanding of musical value. |
| A．Nervous — disappointed — angry — calm |
| B．Curious — frustrated — hopeful — grateful |
| C．Frightened — indifferent — passionate — proud |
| D．Depressed — satisfied — disappointed — peaceful |
| A．An important Music Test |
| B．A Hard but Enjoyable Life |
| C．The Key to Happiness |
| D．My Favourite Piano |
8 . From now on, never spend your precious time thinking of reasons for your failures and shortcomings. Instead, realize that the seeds of success were planted within you when you were born. Only you have the power to make those seeds grow.
The seeds, and the power to grow them, are contained in the most awesome machine ever created：the human mind. Success is a choice and not a chance. You were born a winner. You were born rich. You can be a success if only you make the right choice.
You cannot be successful without first developing your self-esteem. Your level of self-esteem is always based on the degree of control that you are able to exercise over yourself, and thus over your life. People with low self-esteem are people who do not believe that they have any power, or responsibility for their lives. They are the perennial（长期的）victims and martyrs. They are leaves tossed（摇摆）by the winds of chance blown about with any sudden change in the weather.
You can exercise control over your life only to the degree that you believe that you are responsible for everything that happens in your life. Failures think that everything happens by accident and chance. Successful people realize that they are responsible.
Everything happens as a result of something. If we can identify the cause, we can control the effect. We are responsible for what we choose to think and believe. One generally rises to the level that one expects. We are responsible for setting our expectations. Our success is dependent upon our level of confidence.
If you associate with positive-thinking people, you are definitely going to achieve success. On the contrary, the opposite happens. We are responsible for finding, planting, and nurturing the seeds that contain future victory, born from setbacks.
In short, in all areas of your life, whether they be financial, physical, emotional, or spiritual, you are responsible. Once you recognize this, accept it, and firmly believe it, you are on the road to success.
1. People with low self-esteem are compared to leaves because they ______.| A．are ready to change their minds | B．are easily affected by windy weather |
| C．don't have the power to face their fate | D．can't exercise control over themselves |
| A．success is the result of hard work | B．working hard will lead to success |
| C．their failure is only because of bad luck | D．they don't make efforts to succeed |
| A．whether we will succeed depends on our attitudes |
| B．one’s expectation is the key to future success |
| C．thoughts and beliefs are the result of creative mind |
| D．setting our expectations is essential before taking action |
| A．the proof of the author's points | B．the conclusion of the argument |
| C．an introduction to another topic | D．a comparison between two views |
| A．The secrets of success． | B．Success is a choice． |
| C．Develop our confidence． | D．How to achieve success． |
9 . From a young age, I was taught to be kind to people around. My parents
Last week, as I left the house for work, I carried with me some
As the car
Once again she
I was thankful that I could
Next time you want to do something nice for someone, don’t
| A．cheerfully | B．confidently | C．particularly | D．smoothly |
| A．difficult | B．rich | C．comfortable | D．fortunate |
| A．find | B．exchange | C．spare | D．abandon |
| A．casual | B．worn | C．old | D．fashionable |
| A．needy | B．clumsy | C．lucky | D．lonely |
| A．pulled | B．stopped | C．approached | D．drew |
| A．wanted | B．ordered | C．touched | D．signaled |
| A．threw | B．collected | C．dragged | D．dropped |
| A．surprised | B．embarrassed | C．panicked | D．worried |
| A．bag | B．pocket | C．car | D．hand |
| A．waved at | B．looked up at | C．shook hands with | D．nodded at |
| A．realized | B．watched | C．recognized | D．noticed |
| A．bottle | B．drop | C．lot | D．cup |
| A．pointed out | B．gave out | C．picked out | D．took out |
| A．satisfaction | B．communication | C．appreciation | D．expectation |
| A．afford | B．offer | C．understand | D．remember |
| A．donations | B．differences | C．senses | D．kindness |
| A．strengthened | B．changed | C．shook | D．destroyed |
| A．hold out | B．hold on | C．hold back | D．hold down |
| A．idea | B．power | C．position | D．opportunity |
10 . It was a cold and rainy day. I had no
So here I was,
“I’ll stay for lunch,
I stopped at a corner,
As we drove home, we saw a
The wonder of it would not let me go. I said: “Imagine,” I said, “if I’d had a
Carolyn smiled. “Start tomorrow,” she said. “
| A．reason | B．desire | C．chance | D．courage |
| A．excitedly | B．hurriedly | C．unconsciously | D．unwillingly |
| A．under | B．towards | C．through | D．above |
| A．thick | B．high | C．far | D．fresh |
| A．turn back | B．hold out | C．give in | D．look forward |
| A．marched | B．inched | C．walked | D．dashed |
| A．but | B．or | C．so | D．while |
| A．falls | B．flows | C．lifts | D．moves |
| A．loneliness | B．peace | C．atmosphere | D．imagination |
| A．disappointed | B．puzzled | C．pleased | D．amazed |
| A．fruits | B．colors | C．hills | D．trees |
| A．most | B．more | C．least | D．less |
| A．poured | B．exposed | C．spread | D．threw |
| A．Questions | B．Doubts | C．Worries | D．Hopes |
| A．notice | B．sign | C．advertisement | D．motto |
| A．changed | B．controlled | C．beat | D．challenged |
| A．defended | B．prepared | C．kept at | D．searched for |
| A．method | B．rule | C．job | D．dream |
| A．promoted | B．accomplished | C．appreciated | D．promised |
| A．And | B．Sooner | C．Not | D．Better |
