1 . Directions: Write an English composition in about 120-150 words according to the instructions given below in Chinese.
“It’s more important to keep your old friends than it is to make new friends.”
对这个观点，你是同意还是不同意？请结合实际，写一篇短文阐述你的看法。
内容可包括：
•你在这个问题上的立场；
•你选择这个立场的原因；
•通过具体事例或实际生活经历分析或证明你的观点。

2 . My wife and I moved into our home nine years ago. We have a yard a “rock garden”. There the rocks appear to be just thrown up onto the dirt as if someone were in a hurry to finish. Very often when we have more flowers, Denise or I would plant them between the rocks, just to bring some color to the area.

Last summer I found, in the rock garden, a tiny little plant that I could not immediately recognize. I knew I didn’t plant it and Denise said she didn’t either. We decided to let it continue growing until we could find out what it was.

Weeks passed and as I made my way back to the strange plant, it appeared to be a sunflower. It looked thin and tall with only one head on it. I decided to baby it along and weed (除草) around it. As I pulled rocks from the area to get to the weeds, I noticed something unusual. The sunflower had not started where I saw it begin. It actually had begun under a big rock and grown under and around it to reach the sun.

If a tiny little sunflower didn’t let a big rock stand in its way of developing, we too have the ability to do the same thing. If we believe in ourselves like that little sunflower, we can reach where we aim to go and get what we need for growth.

We need to believe in ourselves knowing we have the ability to achieve our goals. Like the sunflower, it knew it had the ability to get over the rocks because it had faith in itself that it would succeed. Stand tall like the sunflower and be proud of who and what we are, then other things will begin to support us. We will find a way to go under or around any “rocks” in order to realize our goals.

1. The family planted flowers in the yard ________.

A．to attract visitors	B．to remove the rocks
C．to please their neighbors	D．to make the area colorful

2. The author let the tiny plant continue growing ________ .

A．to see how long it could live	B．to see how big it could grow
C．to find out what it actually was	D．to know if his wife had planted it

3. The author think the sunflower was unusual because ________.

A．it was very thin and tall	B．it had only one head on it
C．it grew on top of a big rock	D．it began to grow under a rock

4. We can conclude from the passage that ________.

A．rocks cannot prevent us from success

B．we can get over difficulties if we trust ourselves

C．we should take good care of the rock gardens

D．sunflowers are able to grow everywhere

5. Which is the best title of the passage?

A．Stand Tall Like the Sunflower	B．The Sunflower and My Family
C．Being Proud of the Sunflower	D．The Secret of the Sunflower

4 . I love the feeling of exchanging goods with my parents. When we visit them, we often end up _________ home more things than we brought with us. After packing up at the end of our most recent visit, and after the last _________ and sounding of the car horn(喇叭), I took a quick look at the back _________ of our car. At the top of the pile, folded _________ and smartly, were a 50-year-old baby blanket, several doilies(小型装饰桌巾) _________ from generations of women in my family, and two small quilts.

These creative quilts, looking _________ but quite worn, remind me of my great-grandmothers who were always _________ hard. I think of their _________ hands and the regular sound from their sewing machines. I think of their smiles and the wisdom found in the comers of their eyes.

I wish I could go back in time and watch them _________ these quilts. I cherish the quilts my great-grandmothers ______________. I love knowing that the women who ______________ the way for my own path through life have left behind touchable expressions of themselves. ______________ I touch the worn cloth of each creation, I will always remember the women who brought them into existence. I will be ever ______________ for the strong women in my family who have lived ______________ me and with me, who have left behind unbelievable examples to ______________ and lovely quilts to pass on.

1.

A．leaving

B．buying

C．taking

D．returning

2.

A．hugs

B．handshakes

C．nods

D．greetings

3.

A．door

B．window

C．wheel

D．seat

4.

A．closely

B．neatly

C．loosely

D．quickly

5.

A．taken down

B．given away

C．passed down

D．put away

6.

A．shabby

B．delicate

C．ugly

D．old

7.

A．working

B．learning

C．playing

D．feeling

8.

A．warm

B．wrinkled

C．smooth

D．soft

9.

A．make

B．invent

C．clean

D．check

10.

A．brought

B．sent away

C．delivered

D．left behind

11.

A．pushed

B．felt

C．paved

D．change

12.

A．If

B．When

C．Once

D．Though

13.

A．regretful

B．convinced

C．thankful

D．respected

14.

A．through

B．before

C．by

D．for

15.

A．replace

B．build

C．set

D．follow

5 . Have you seen people who take pictures of food for more than 10 minutes before eating? My friend Stella is such an example. Every time we went to a restaurant she would not take a bite until all the dishes we ________ were on the table. Then she would spend five minutes in ________ the dishes in a seemingly random but in fact ________ order. Then the most important part: taking pictures. After that, she would choose one of the ________ and click in the filter app. The food eventually looked 10 times more delicious than it really was, but we had no ________ to really enjoy it—it all went cold, actually Stella’s real life is much less elegant. For example, she hates to wash the dishes, so she leaves them in the sink for days.

Many people care too much about others’ opinions and try too hard to ________ others. They find it hard to be ________ and to accept themselves, and thus they are afraid to show their ________ life on social media. What they are trying to prove is ________ what they lack in reality. But this will not bring any ________ to reality, as they still ________ the same old pattern of life.

If they really want an elegant life, they should put more ________ into achieving it ________ fabricating it. Being more confident, ________ themselves and trying their best to be better are much more meaningful than ________ their life on social media.

1.

A．ordered

B．served

C．offered

D．prepared

2.

A．cooking

B．washing

C．setting

D．collecting

3.

A．messy

B．arranged

C．casual

D．missed

4.

A．dishes

B．restaurants

C．tables

D．pictures

5.

A．chance

B．choice

C．excuse

D．reason

6.

A．comfort

B．please

C．inspire

D．discourage

7.

A．independent

B．generous

C．responsible

D．confident

8.

A．real

B．secret

C．peaceful

D．healthy

9.

A．rarely

B．hardly

C．exactly

D．nearly

10.

A．difficulty

B．change

C．guidance

D．harm

11.

A．question

B．dislike

C．doubt

D．follow

12.

A．effort

B．ambitions

C．feeling

D．money

13.

A．other than

B．more than

C．rather than

D．less than

14.

A．identifying

B．accepting

C．persuading

D．amusing

15.

A．simplifying

B．ruining

C．beautifying

D．worsening

6 . About a decade ago, my grandpa who was suffering from Alzheimer’s(阿尔茨海默病)got into my car and drove off. Angel and I _________ the police, but before they could find him, two _________ kids pulled into our driveway with my grandpa.

They said they overheard him crying about being _________ at an empty gas station 10 miles away. My grandpa couldn’t remember our address, but gave the kids his first and last name. They looked him up online, found our address, and _________ him home.

I was _________ on that incident today while sitting near the edge of a beautiful ocean-side cliff. I was suddenly   _________ of footsteps behind me. I _________ around to see a young lady who was almost in _________ slowly walking to where I was sitting. I walked up to her and _________ , “What’s wrong?” She told me she was __________ afraid of heights, but was worried about my safety and wanted to get over her fear. Her braveness and kindness truly warmed my heart.

I’ve spent the rest of the day thinking about what an extraordinary person she is, and about those amazing college kids who helped my __________ , and about what it means to be a kind and __________ person. Sometimes you have to go the extra mile, or face your biggest __________ , or stand up against your own negative tendencies to make a(n) __________   difference in someone else’s life. It’s __________ to start doing the hard things-the right things-for others.

1.

A．condemned

B．contacted

C．consulted

D．found

2.

A．college

B．naughty

C．homeless

D．kindergarten

3.

A．careless

B．scared

C．lost

D．forgetful

4.

A．left

B．drove

C．kicked

D．carried

5.

A．depending

B．coming

C．reflecting

D．going

6.

A．afraid

B．skeptical

C．sure

D．aware

7.

A．turned

B．walked

C．got

D．looked

8.

A．sadness

B．surprise

C．feelings

D．tears

9.

A．reacted

B．thought

C．asked

D．replied

10.

A．extremely

B．worriedly

C．anxiously

D．surprisingly

11.

A．father

B．grandma

C．uncle

D．grandpa

12.

A．merciful

B．helpful

C．careful

D．peaceful

13.

A．courage

B．failure

C．fear

D．choice

14.

A．positive

B．little

C．optimistic

D．opposite

15.

A．minute

B．time

C．honor

D．luck

7 . Three years ago, I participated in Model United Nations(MUN) held by the Education Department, which was a mock UN activity. During the two days, students were separated into different groups which ________ different countries to debate and try to solve problems. MUN has ________ awards: best delegate, honorary mentions, and verbal mentions.

Each time I participated in MUN, I made good ________ and undoubtedly got a few awards. But I often felt as if I'd ________ because I had never won the best delegate award. I ________ those who didn't deserve to win the award but won it various times, and I was just filled with ________ at their success. But later I realized that it was also ________ not to get the award because I could actually ________ something，and that I shouldn't ________ the best delegate award until I was the best delegate I could be.

Failures are completely subjective-we can look at a result as a failure or a ________ . Any failure can be regarded as a(n) ________ because you can always learn something from it and do ________ next time. This is supported by John Locke's theory that we are born with blank views: Knowledge and ability are learned from our ________ . That's true. If I make a mistake in the life practice, then I probably won't ________ that next time. I believe this is ________ the best way to become better.

1.

A．strengthened

B．condemned

C．inspired

D．represented

2.

A．identical

B．temporary

C．various

D．false

3.

A．preparations

B．predictions

C．appointments

D．explanations

4.

A．accelerated

B．failed

C．exited

D．succeeded

5.

A．approached

B．trained

C．expected

D．witnessed

6.

A．relief

B．envy

C．satisfaction

D．delight

7.

A．annoyed

B．ashamed

C．good

D．terrible

8.

A．desert

B．learn

C．delete

D．display

9.

A．win

B．miss

C．deliver

D．value

10.

A．bond

B．bet

C．victory

D．loss

11.

A．aim

B．benefit

C．burden

D．limit

12.

A．funnier

B．worse

C．better

D．slower

13.

A．decisions

B．attitudes

C．positions

D．experiences

14.

A．repeat

B．admit

C．accept

D．notice

15.

A．wrongly

B．scarcely

C．truly

D．narrowly

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。

While the story of The Farmer and The Mule(骡子)makes us smile, it does have     1    (wise)in it. It reminded me about defeating adversity(逆境).

    2     we handle adversity determines our success in life. One of my thoughts on adversity is, “Adversity is a fact of life. It can’t     3     (control). What we can control is how we react to it.”

When     4     (face) with adversity, we can give up the negative attitude. Or we can look on adversity     5     an opportunity to find other ways to do things. We should be     6     (determine)and persistent. It all comes down to your choice and it is a choice of attitude!

You see, the farmer thought the mule was not worth     7     (save) when it fell into a well accidentally,     8     he just put it out of its misery by burying it. Despite the farmer’s best efforts to bury it, the mule     9     (resist) until it was able to climb out of the well on top of all the dirt that was thrown in after it.

The mule, despite the fact that it was     10     (constant)in a deep well, would not give up. The mule simply shook the dirt off little by little, never giving up the will to live by climbing out of the well.

10 . When people find out that my son Sam is a competitive mathlete, they usually ask if my husband and I are “math persons”. The answer is “Definitely not”.

Ninth grade was ________ for Sam to prepare for a competition, he took ________ practice tests, which were sometimes as ________ as three hours. In the end, he didn’t do as well as he’d hoped and was ________ by a math camp he’d applied to.

He wandered into my office one day last spring, murmuring.

“I just feel like the whole year has been a ________.”

I get it. How many days—weeks, months—have I “wasted” writing the ________ scene over and over again? Writing a novel sometimes feels like two steps forward, one step back. ________ whenever I feel like that, I try to ________ myself that no matter what happens with my book, I’ve ________ the time I’ve spent working on it. The delight I find in writing is ________ for me.

“Nothing’s ever wasted. You may not have gotten the ________ you wanted, but as you try to solve the ________ problems, you are making progress with each effort you make.” He shrugged (耸肩). “I feel like everyone else did better than me.”

Sam was talking about the ________ boards, where math kids come together to share resources and, more often than not ________ their wins.

“I know it feels that way, but it isn’t true. You know people ________ their successes far more than their ________,” I said, as much to myself as to Sam.

Just like Sam, I can’t control the ________, and I can only control my input. To devote time to something with no ________ of its success is risky and ________. But, then again, so is everything.

And you don’t need to be a(n) ________ person to know that.

1.

A．simple

B．tough

C．peaceful

D．exciting

2.

A．few

B．casual

C．multiple

D．easy

3.

A．far

B．long

C．deep

D．straight

4.

A．accepted

B．praised

C．replied

D．rejected

5.

A．waste

B．vacation

C．leisure

D．trouble

6.

A．same

B．vivid

C．brief

D．literary

7.

A．So

B．And

C．But

D．Because

8.

A．help

B．convince

C．improve

D．answer

9.

A．offered

B．killed

C．saved

D．enjoyed

10.

A．limited

B．popular

C．obvious

D．enough"

11.

A．exam

B．advice

C．course

D．result

12.

A．challenging

B．urgent

C．historical

D．imaginary

13.

A．message

B．chess

C．drawing

D．safety

14.

A．escape from

B．think about

C．show off

D．compete in

15.

A．ban

B．post

C．doubt

D．receive

16.

A．methods

B．intentions

C．struggles

D．reasons

17.

A．solution

B．outcome

C．custom

D．fortune

18.

A．courage

B．accident

C．chance

D．guarantee

19.

A．terrifying

B．instructive

C．personal

D．ridiculous

20.

A．art

B．adult

C．math

D．business