1 . The latest research suggests that the key factor separating geniuses from the merely accomplished is not I.Q., a generally bad predictor of success. Instead, it’s purposeful practice. Top performers spend more hours practising their craft. It you wanted to picture how a typical genius might develop, you’d take a girl who possessed a slightly above average language ability. It wouldn’t have to be a big talent, just enough so that she might gain some sense of distinction. Then you would want her to meet, say, a novelist, who coincidentally shared some similar qualities. Maybe the writer was from the same town, had the same family background, or shared the same birthday.
This contact would give the girl a vision of her future self. It would hive her some idea of a fascinating circle who might someday join. It would also help if one of her parents died when she was 12, giving her a strong sense of insecurity and fueling a desperate need for success. Armed with this ambition, she would read novels and life stories of writers without end. This would give her a primary knowledge of her field. She’s be able to see new writing in deeper ways and quickly understand its inner workings.
Then she would practise writing. Her practice would be slow, painstaking and error-focused. By practising in this way, she delays the automatizing process. Her mind wants to turn conscious, newly learned skills into unconscious. Automatically performed skills. By practising slowly, by breaking skills down into tiny parts and repeating, she forces the brain to internalize a better pattern of performance. Then she would find an adviser who would provide a constant stream of feedback, viewing her performance form the outside, correcting the smallest errors, pushing her to take on tougher challenges. By now she is redoing problems — how do I get characters into a room—dozens and dozens of times. She is establishing habits of thought she can call upon in order to understand or solve future problems.
The primary quality our young writer possesses is not some mysterious genius. It’s the ability to develop a purposeful, laborious and boring practice routine; the latest research takes some of the magic out of great achievement. But it underlines a fact that is often neglected. Public discussion is affected by genetics and what we’re “hard-wired” to do. And it’s true that genes play a role in our capabilities. But the brain is also very plastic. We construct ourselves through behaviour.
1. The passage mainly deals with         .

A．the function of I.Q. in cultivating a writer

B．the relationship between genius and success

C．the decisive factor in making a genius

D．the way of gaining some sense of distinction

2. By reading novels and writers’ stories, the girl could        .

A．come to understand the inner structure of writing

B．join a fascinating circle of writers someday

C．share with a novelist her likes and dislikes

D．learn from the living examples to establish a sense of security

3. In the girl’s long painstaking training process, ________.

A．her adviser forms a primary challenging force to her success

B．her writing turns into an automatic pattern of performance

C．she acquires the magic of some great achievement

D．she comes to realize she is “hard-wired” to write

4. What can be concluded from the passage?

A．A fueling ambition plays a leading role in one’s success

B．A responsible adviser is more important than the knowledge of writing.

C．As to the growth of a genius, I.Q. doesn’t matter, but just his/her effort.

D．What really matters is what you do rather than who you are.

2 .    I was waiting for a phone call from my agent. He had left a message the night before, telling me that my show was to be cancelled. I called him several times, but each time his secretary told me that he was in a meeting and that he would call me later. So I waited, but there was still no call. Three hours passing by, I became more and more impatient. I was certain that my agent didn’t care about my work, and he didn’t care about me. I was overcome with that thought. I started to shout at the phone, “Let me wait, will you? Who do you think you are?”

At that time, I didn’t realize my wife was looking on. Without showing her surprise, she rushed in, seized the phone, tore off the wires, and shouted at the phone, “Yeah! Who do you think you are? Bad telephone! Bad telephone!” And she swept it into the wastebasket.

I stood watching her, speechless. What on earth…?

She stepped to the doorway and shouted at the rest of the house, “Now hear this! All objects in this room – if you do anything to upset my husband, out you go!” Then she turned to me, kissed me and said calmly, “Honey, you just have to learn how to take control.” With that, she left the room.

After watching a crazy woman rushing in and out, shouting at everything in sight, I noticed that something in my mood(情绪) had changed. I was laughing. How would I have trouble with that phone? Her antics helped me realize I had been driven crazy by small things. Twenty minutes later my agent did call. I was able to listen to him and talk to him calmly.

1. Why did the author shout at the telephone?

A．He was mad at the telephone.

B．He was angry with his agent.

C．He was anxious about his wife

D．He was impatient with the secretary.

2. What did the author’s wife do after she heard his shouting?

A．She said nothing	B．She shouted at him.
C．She called the agent	D．She threw the phone away

3. What made the author laugh?

A．His own behavior.	B．His wife’s suggestion
C．His changeable feelings	D．His wife’s sweet kiss.

4. What does the underlined word “antics” refer to?

A．Smart words	B．Unusual actions
C．Surprising Looks	D．Anxious feelings

3 . Once when I was facing a decision that involved high risk, I went to a friend. He looked at me for a moment, and then wrote a sentence containing the best advice I’ve ever had: Be bold and brave — and mighty (强大的) forces will come to your aid.
Those words made me see clearly that when I had fallen short in the past, it was seldom because I had tried and failed. It was usually because I had let fear of failure stop me from trying at all. On the other hand, whenever I had plunged into deep water, forced by courage or circumstance, I had always been able to swim until I got my feet on the ground again.
Boldness means a decision to bite off more than you can eat. And there is nothing mysterious about the mighty forces. They are potential powers we possess: energy, skill, sound judgment, creative ideas — even physical strength greater than most of us realize.
Admittedly, those mighty forces are spiritual ones. But they are more important than physical ones. A college classmate of mine, Tim, was an excellent football player, even though he weighed much less than the average player. “In one game I suddenly found myself confronting a huge player, who had nothing but me between him and our goal line,” said Tim. “I was so frightened that I closed my eyes and desperately threw myself at that guy like a bullet（子弹） — and stopped him cold.”
Boldness — a willingness to extend yourself to the extreme—is not one that can be acquired overnight. But it can be taught to children and developed in adults. Confidence builds up. Surely, there will be setbacks (挫折) and disappointments in life; boldness in itself is no guarantee of success. But the person who tries to do something and fails is a lot better off than the person who tries to do nothing and succeeds.
So, always try to live a little bit beyond your abilities—and you’ll find your abilities are greater than you ever dreamed.
1. Why was the author sometimes unable to reach his goal in the past?

A．He faced huge risks.

B．He lacked mighty forces.

C．Fear prevented him from trying.

D．Failure blocked his way to success.

2. What is the implied meaning of the underlined part?

A．Swallow more than you can digest.

B．Act slightly above your abilities.

C．Develop more mysterious powers.

D．Learn to make creative decisions.

3. What was especially important for Tim’s successful defense in the football game?

A．His physical strength.

B．His basic skill.

C．His real fear.

D．His spiritual force.

4. What can be learned from Paragraph 5?

A．Confidence grows more rapidly in adults.

B．Trying without success is meaningless.

C．Repeated failure creates a better life.

D．Boldness can be gained little by little.

5. What is the author’s purpose in writing this passage?

A．To encourage people to be courageous.

B．To advise people to build up physical power.

C．To tell people the ways to guarantee success.

D．To recommend people to develop more abilities.

4 . 阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A, B, C, D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
As a general rule, all forms of activity lead to boredom when they are performed on a routine basis. As a matter of fact, we can see this ________at work in people of all _________. For example, on Christmas morning, children are excited about _______with their new toys. But their ________soon wear off and by January those_________toys can be found put away in the basement. The world is full of_________stamp albums and unfinished models, each standing as a monument to someone’s _________interest. When parents bring home a pet, their child________bathes it and brushes its fur. Within a short time, however, the_______of caring the animal is handed over to the parents. Adolescent enter high school with great_______but soon looking forward to________. The same is true of the young adults going to the college. And then, how many_________, who complain about the long drives to work, _________drove for hours at a time when they first_________   their drivers licenses? Before people retire, they usually   _______to do a lot of_____things, which never had _____while working. But ________after retirement, the golfing, the fishing , the reading and all of the other pastimes become as boring as the jobs they _______. And, like the child in January, they go searching for new_________.1.

A．principle

B．habit

C．way

D．power

2.

A．parties

B．races

C．countries

D．ages

3.

A．working

B．living

C．playing

D．going

4.

A．confidence

B．interest

C．anxiety

D．sorrow

5.

A．same

B．extra

C．funny

D．expensive

6.

A．well-organized

B．colorfully-printed

C．newly-collected

D．half-filled

7.

A．broad

B．passing

C．different

D．main

8.

A．silently

B．impatiently

C．gladly

D．worriedly

9.

A．promise

B．burden

C．right

D．game

10.

A．courage

B．calmness

C．confusion

D．excitement

11.

A．graduation

B．independence

C．responsibility

D．success

12.

A．children

B．students

C．adults

D．retirees

13.

A．carefully

B．eagerly

C．nervously

D．bravely

14.

A．required

B．obtained

C．noticed

D．discovered

15.

A．need

B．learn

C．start

D．plan

16.

A．great

B．strange

C．difficult

D．correct

17.

A．time

B．money

C．skills

D．knowledge

18.

A．only

B．well

C．even

D．soon

19.

A．lost

B．choose

C．left

D．quit

20.

A．pets

B．toys

C．friends

D．colleagues

5 . Travis is the manager of G&G where he is responsible for forty employees (雇员)and profits (利润) of over $2 million per year. He's never late to work. He does not get upset on the job. When one of his employees started crying after a customer screamed at her, Travis took her away. "Your working uniform is your shelter," he told her. "Nothing anyone says will ever hurt you. You will always be as strong as you want to be."
Travis picked up that lecture in one of his G&G training courses, an education program that began on his first day and continues throughout an employee's occupation. The training has, Travis says, changed his life. G&G has taught him how to live, how to focus, how to get to work on time, and how to master his emotions (情绪). Most importantly, it taught him willpower.
At the center of that education is an extreme focus on an all-important habit; willpower. Dozens of cases show that willpower is the single most important habit for a person's success.
And the best way to strengthen willpower is to make it into a habit. "Sometimes it looks like people with great self-control aren't working hard—but that's because they've made it automatic," Angela Duckworth, one of the University of Pennsylvania researchers said. "Their willpower occurs without them having to think about it."
The company spent millions of dollars developing programs of study to train employees on self-control. Managers wrote workbooks that serve as guides to how to make willpower a habit in workers' lives. Those courses arc, in part, why G&G has grown from a sleepy company into a large one with more than seventeen thousand stores and profits of more than $10 billion a year.
1. We loam from Paragraph 2 that employees in G&G must          .

A．learn to give lectures

B．attend education programs

C．design a working uniform

D．develop a common hobby

2. Willpower will become a habit when employees can          .

A．focus on the profits

B．benefit from the job

C．protect themselves well

D．control their feeling well

3. What can we infer from the passage?

A．G&G has grown into a large company.

B．G&G will spend half its profits training employees.

C．G&G may become more successful in the future.

D．G&G has to produce more workbooks for managers.

6 . However wealthy we may be, we can never find enough hours in the day to do everything we want. Economics deals with this problem through the concept of opportunity cost, which simply refers to whether someone’s time or money could be better spent on something else.
Every hour of our time has a value. For every hour we work at one job we could quite easily be doing another, or be sleeping or watching a film. Each of these options has a different opportunity cost—namely, what they cost us in missed opportunities.
Say you intend to watch a football match but the tickets are expensive and it will take you a couple of hours to get to and from the stadium. Why not, you might reason, watch the game from home and use the____ money and ____to have dinner with friends? This—the alternative use of your cash and time—is the opportunity cost.
For economists, every decision is made by knowledge of what one must forgo—in terms of money and enjoyment—in order to take it up. By knowing precisely what you are receiving and what you are missing out on, you ought to be able to make better-informed, more reasonable decisions. Consider that most famous economic rule of all: there’s no such thing as a free lunch. Even if someone offers to take you out to lunch for free, the time you will spend in the restaurant still costs you something in terms of forgone opportunities.
Some people find the idea of opportunity cost extremely discouraging: imagine spending your entire life calculating whether your time would be better spent elsewhere doing something more profitable or enjoyable. Yet, in a sense it’s human nature to do precisely that—we assess the advantages and disadvantages of decisions all the time.
In the business world, a popular phrase is “value for money.” People want their cash to go as far as possible. However, another is fast obtaining an advantage: “value for time.” The biggest restriction on our resources is the number of hours we can devote to something, so we look to maximize the return we get on our investment of time. By reading this passage you are giving over a bit of your time which could be spent doing other activities, such as sleeping and eating. In return, however, this passage will help you to think like an economist, closely considering the opportunity cost of each of your decisions.
1. According to the passage, the concept of “opportunity cost” is applied to ________.

A．making more money

B．taking more opportunities

C．reducing missed opportunities

D．weighing the choice of opportunities

2. The “leftover ... time” in Paragraph 3 probably refers to the time ________.

A．spared for watching the match at home

B．taken to have dinner with friends

C．spent on the way to and from the match

D．saved from not going to watch the match

3. What are forgone opportunities?

A．Opportunities you forget in decision-making.

B．Opportunities you give up for better ones.

C．Opportunities you miss accidentally.

D．Opportunities you make up for.

7 . In the animal kingdom, weakness can bring about aggression in other animal. This sometimes happens with humans also. But I have found that my weakness brings out the kindness in people. I see it every day when people hold doors for me, pour cream into my coffee, or help me to put on my coat. And I have discovered that it makes them happy.
From my wheelchair experience, I see the best in people, but sometimes I feel sad because those who appear independent miss the kindness I see daily. They don’t get to see this soft side of others often. We try every way possible to avoid showing our weakness, which includes a lot of pretending. But only when we stop pretending we’re brave or strong do we allow people to show the kindness that’s in them.
Last month, when I was driving home on a busy highway, I began to feel unwell and drove more slowly than usual. People behind me began to get impatient and angry, with some speeding up alongside me, horning (按喇叭) or even shouting at me. At the moment I decided to do something I had never done in twenty four years of driving. I put on the car flashlights and drove on at a really low speed.
No more angry shouts and no more horns!
When I put on my flashlights, I was saying to other drivers, “I have a problem here. I am weak and doing the best I can.” And everyone understood. Several times, I saw drivers who wanted to pass. They couldn’t get around me because of the stream of passing traffic. But instead of getting impatient and angry, they waited, knowing the driver in front of them was in some way weak.
Sometimes situations call for us to act strong and brave even when we don’t feel that way. But those are few and far between. More often, it would be better if we don’t pretend we feel strong when we feel weak or pretend that we are brave when we are scared.
1. The author has discovered that people will feel happy when ________.

A．they offer their help

B．they receive others’ help

C．they feel others’ kindness

D．they show their weakness

2. The author feels sad sometimes because ________.

A．he has a soft heart

B．he relies much on others

C．some people pretend to be kind

D．some people fail to see the kindness in others

3. What did the other drivers do when they saw the flashlights?

A．They speed up to pass.

B．They waited with patience.

C．They tried their best to help.

D．They put on their flashlights too.

4. In this passage, the author advises us to ________.

A．handle problems by ourselves

B．accept help from others

C．admit our weakness

D．show our bravery

5. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

A．A Wheelchair Experience.

B．Weakness and Kindness.

C．Weakness and Strength.

D．A Driving Experience.

8 . “Look,it’s Baldy!” A boy shouted in my direction across the playground. Even though I was used to regular insults (侮辱) because of the ______ on my head, it was ______ horrible to hear. I sighed as I headed back to the class.

When I was just 20 months old, I suffered serious _____ after a bowl full of hot oil fell on my head. I was ______ to hospital and had to stay there for weeks while the doctors ______ to save my life. “Holly’s very ______ to be alive,’”they told Mum and Dad. “But she’ll be ______ with scars on her head, and of course her hair won’t grow there. ”

As a child,I cared much about my scars,so I ______ wore a scarf to cover them up when I left home. ____ I didn’t,people would call me horrible names like Baldy. Although my friends were always comforting me, they never _____understood how it felt.

Then through the hospital I was ____ to a children’s burns camp, where children like me can get any help. There, I ____ 14-year-old Stephanie, whose burns are a lot more serious than mine. But she is so ____ that she never lets anyone put her down.“You shouldn’t _____ what people say about what you look like because we're not different from anyone else, Holly,” she ____ me. “And you don’t need to wear a scarf because you look great _____ it! ” For the first time in my life I could speak to someone who’d been through something _____ .So weeks later, at my 13th birthday party, ____ by her bravery, I gave up my scarf and showed off my scars. It felt amazing not having to ______ away behind my scarf.

Now,I am____ of what I look like and much happier, because I have realized it is your personality(个性) that decides who you truly are.

1.

A．hat

B．scarf

C．scars

D．cuts

2.

A．still

B．just

C．never

D．seldom

3.

A．hunger

B．cold

C．defeats

D．burns

4.

A．rushed

B．led

C．invited

D．forced

5.

A．learned

B．fought

C．returned

D．decided

6.

A．happy

B．lucky

C．lonely

D．poor

7.

A．pressed

B．occupied

C．left

D．painted

8.

A．possibly

B．usually

C．finally

D．nearly

9.

A．Although

B．Since

C．If

D．Before

10.

A．correctly

B．roughly

C．easily

D．really

11.

A．promoted

B．introduced

C．reported

D．carried

12.

A．met

B．recognized

C．remembered

D．caught

13.

A．honest

B．strong

C．active

D．young

14.

A．write down

B．agree with

C．pass on

D．listen to

15.

A．promised

B．encouraged

C．ordered

D．calmed

16.

A．in

B．for

C．without

D．beyond

17.

A．similar

B．strange

C．hard

D．important

18.

A．allowed

B．required

C．guided

D．inspired

19.

A．hide

B．give

C．keep

D．put

20.

A．sick

B．aware

C．tired

D．proud

9 . 完形填空
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从1--20各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
I often read of incidents of misunderstanding or conflict. I’m left _______. Why do these people create mistrust and problems, especially with those from other _______?
I was growing up in Kuala Lumpur in the early 1960s, _______ children from different races and religions played and studied _______ in harmony. At that time my family lived a stone’s ________from Ismail’s. And no one was bothered that Ismail was a Malay Muslim and I was an Indian Hindu—we just _______ our differences. Perhaps, our elders had not filled our heads with unnecessary advice, well _______ or otherwise.
We were nine when we became friends. During the school holidays, we’d _______ the countryside on our bicycles, hoping to _______ the unexpected. At times Ismail would accompany my family as we made a rare shopping trip to town. We would be glad of his ________.
When I was twelve, my family moved to Johor. Ismail’s family later returned to their village, and I ________ touch with him.
One spring afternoon in 1983, I stopped a taxi in Kuala Lumpur. I ________ my destination. The driver acknowledged my ________ but did not move off. Instead, he looked ________ at me. “Raddar?” he said, using my childhood nickname(绰号). I was astonished at being so _________addressed(称呼). Unexpectedly! It was Ismail! Even after two ________ we still recognized each other. Grasping his shoulder, I felt a true affection, something ________ to describe.
If we can allow our children to be ________ without prejudice, they’ll build friendships with people, regardless of race or religion, who will be ________ their side through thick and thin. On such friendships are societies build and ________ we can truly be, as William Shakespeare once wrote, “we happy few, we band of brothers”.1.

A．interested

B．pleased

C．puzzled

D．excited

2.

A．parties

B．cities

C．villages

D．races

3.

A．why

B．which

C．how

D．when

4.

A．together

B．around

C．alone

D．apart

5.

A．drop

B．throw

C．move

D．roll

6.

A．refused

B．made

C．sought

D．accepted

7.

A．paid

B．meant

C．preserved

D．treated

8.

A．explore

B．search

C．discover

D．desert

9.

A．get through

B．deal with

C．come across

D．take away

10.

A．arrival

B．choice

C．effort

D．company

11.

A．lost

B．gained

C．developed

D．missed

12.

A．stated

B．ordered

C．decided

D．chose

13.

A．attempts

B．instructions

C．opinions

D．arrangements

14.

A．anxiously

B．carelessly

C．disappointedly

D．fixedly

15.

A．familiarly

B．strangely

C．fully

D．coldly

16.

A．departures

B．months

C．years

D．decades

17.

A．possible

B．funny

C．hard

D．clear

18.

A．them

B．themselves

C．us

D．ourselves

19.

A．from

B．by

C．with

D．against

20.

A．still

B．otherwise

C．then

D．instead

10 . It was a Sunday and the heavy storm had lasted all night. The morning after the storm, though, was beautiful: blue skies, warm air and a calm, inviting sea touching the shore gently.

My father realized it was a good day for fishing and invited my sister and me to go with him. I was only 14 and fishing had never been my thing, but I decided to go all the same. I’m so glad I did.

On the road to the harbor we could see the terrible destruction on the coast, but the harbor itself was in fairly good shape. After all, it was protected by the arms of a bay that had only one tiny channel to the sea. As we got on board, we noticed two big humps (脊背) in the distance.

On approaching them, we saw it was a mother whale with her baby. We couldn’t believe it — there aren’t any whales along the coast here. The storm must have driven them across the ocean into the bay, in which the still water was so badly polluted that nothing could survive.

The little baby whale — actually as big as our boat — was obviously stuck and could not move. The mother dived under the water and came up suddenly, making big whirlpools(漩涡) and waves. “She’s trying to help her baby, but on the wrong side,” my father said. At this point, my father moved our boat in a semicircle to the other side and, heading the boat towards the baby whale, pushed it gently. With our several gentle pushes the big hump turned over and disappeared under water. Then it swam up right beside its mum. They struggled in their desperate attempts to escape but missed the exit and started heading in the wrong direction. We hurried up to the whales and tried to lead them towards the bay channel. Slowly, they let us lead them, some-times rising from the water right beside us to breathe — and to give us a trusting look with those huge eyes. Once they hit their first part of clean water flowing straight from the sea, the mum gave us a wave with her tail and off they swam into the distance.

In the excitement it had felt like only a few minutes, but we had been with those wonderful animals for almost an hour and a half. That was the simple and lasting beauty of the day. Nearly four decades later, I still look back fondly to that golden day at sea.

1. The author says “I’m so glad I did.” (in Para.2) because __________.

A．he spent the weekend with his family

B．be witnessed the whole process of fishing

C．he enjoyed the beauty of the calm sea

D．he experienced the rescue of the whales

2. The harbor survived the storm owing to __________.

A．the long coast line	B．the shape of the harbor
C．the arms of the bay	D．the still water in the channel

3. The mother whale failed to help her baby because __________.

A．the waves pushed her baby in the wrong direction

B．she had stayed in the polluted water for too long

C．the whirlpools she had made were not big enough

D．she had no other whales around to turn to for help

4. What is the theme of the story?

A．It’s vital to protect the environment

B．Saving lives brings people a sense of happiness

C．Fishing provides excitement for children

D．It’s necessary to live in harmony with animals