1 . For years, I thought of a present and a gift as the same thing. I grew up in a household where presents marked special ______. There was always a box for each of us under the tree at Christmas ______, Dad always gave Mom something each Valentine’s Day. He would carefully plan his shopping trips to find just the ______ thing. His joy in the hunt was proof of the ______ of giving and of his love for her. I came to see these presents as the ______ of a husband’s devotion.

So when I married a man who did not give presents on a regular basis, it was an ______. I wrestled with my deep-rooted expectations. Gary did not ______ avoid gift-giving. Gary would return from sea armed with a brown paper bag inside of which was something that ______ him of me. But mostly, he ignored holidays, ______ to shop for a thing to present to me as a sign of his affection.

I tried to change him ______. I prepared gifts for Christmas and for his birthdays ______. He appreciated the caring, but refused to do the same thing for me. I dropped hints, but they fell on ______ ears. I began to tell him what I wanted, giving ______ instructions. When Gary left for the market one Saturday, I asked him to find me diamond earrings as a birthday gift. Yet he came home with a road scraper (刮路机). ______ when the snowstorm hit later that year and he was at sea, I used the road scraper to plow ( 犁 ) out both our driveway and our neighbor’s, thinking how ______ earrings would have been and it was then that I finally realized he had been giving me gifts all along. The gestures, large and small, born of his caring and concern for the family were the ______ that he gave daily.

We ______ to teach others how to love us. In that struggle, we often forget how to ______ the love they already give us as only they can give it.

I finally began to understand the ______ between a present and a gift. A present is a thing. But a gift is broader and often abstract. It is a small act of kindness, the ______ to bend to another’s needs, the sacrifice of time and effort. Love is a gift. Any expression of it, freely given, is an offering from the heart that is immeasurably better than a present.

1.

A．locations

B．situations

C．occasions

D．conditions

2.

A．Additionally

B．Originally

C．Fortunately

D．Consequently

3.

A．cheap

B．astonishing

C．splendid

D．right

4.

A．pleasure

B．ambition

C．intention

D．addiction

5.

A．example

B．emphasis

C．experiment

D．expression

6.

A．improvement

B．adjustment

C．excitement

D．enjoyment

7.

A．actively

B．willingly

C．patiently

D．wholly

8.

A．warned

B．reminded

C．convinced

D．informed

9.

A．refusing

B．announcing

C．demanding

D．rushing

10.

A．by tradition

B．by force

C．by example

D．by accident

11.

A．on purpose

B．in order

C．at random

D．on time

12.

A．sharp

B．huge

C．deaf

D．sensitive

13.

A．abstract

B．specific

C．brief

D．unusual

14.

A．And

B．So

C．Though

D．But

15.

A．precious

B．practical

C．useless

D．ugly

16.

A．promises

B．gifts

C．blessings

D．instructions

17.

A．struggle

B．fail

C．attempt

D．decide

18.

A．express

B．appreciate

C．return

D．share

19.

A．distance

B．similarity

C．difference

D．conflict

20.

A．wisdom

B．freedom

C．happiness

D．willingness

2 . Stained glass artists create different designs by making cuts on the glass to “score” it and then breaking off the pattern that they want to use in the finished product. The most difficult cut in stained glass is called an inside cut. Basically, it’s a curved line where you throw away the part inside of the curve. The problem with inside cuts is that the edges of the curve tend to break off when the pieces of scored glass are broken apart.

As the artist talked about inside cuts, he said, “The glass will break into pieces if you try to cut too much off at once. The best way to do an inside cut is to slice off smaller curves piece-by-piece. In fact, it’s not just the best way lo do it, but it’s the only way to do it.”

How many times do you try to make a big change and cut the entire piece at once? We convince ourselves that we can do this all the time. We’ll commit to transforming our diet overnight or we get inspired to launch a business in a weekend or we finally get motivated to work out and push ourselves to the edge of burning out.

Why not approach your goals and dreams like a stained glass artist? Starting by slicing a shallow curve and breaking a small piece off, you cut a slightly deeper curve and break that off until you have your full inside cut. By slowly cutting deeper and deeper curves, you prevent the glass from breaking as it change shape.

Of course, change isn’t easy — no mailer how you do it. Slow gains are boring, but if we keep making small improvements, then pretty soon we will end up with a beautiful masterpiece on our hands instead of a bunch of broken pieces.

1. Why is an inside cut believed to be most difficult?

A．It needs a one-and-only design.	B．It calls for nothing but inspiration.
C．The edges of the curve break easily.	D．The glass inside the curve is easily broken.

2. What mistakes are easily made according to paragraph 3?

A．Being too eager to make improvements.

B．Being too worried about the final outcome.

C．Trying to make a complete change all at once.

D．Developing to focus on progress instead of achievements.

3. What does the author suggest by saying “slicing a shallow cure”?

A．Moving forward with a clear aim.

B．Starting slow and improving little by little.

C．Developing a new habit with great determination,

D．Handling something major first and ignore the minor part.

4. What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?

A．To show his love of stained glass.	B．To introduce the skill of an inside cut.
C．To appreciate designs of stained glass artists.	D．To share his opinions on how to make a change.

3 . “Dad,” I say one day, “let's take a trip. Why don't you fly out and meet me?”

My father had just retired after 27 years as a manager for IBM. His job filled his day, his thought, and his life. While he woke up and took a warm shower, I screamed under a freezing waterfall in Peru. While he tied a tie and put on the same Swiss watch, I rowed a boat across Lake of the Ozarks.

My father sees me drifting aimlessly, nothing to show for my 33 years but a passport full of funny stamps. He wants me to settle down, but now I want him to find an adventure.

He agrees to travel with me through the national parks. We meet four weeks later in Rapid City.

“What is our first stop?” asks my father.

“What time is it?”

“Still don't have a watch?”

Less than an hour away is Mount Rushmore. As he stares up at the four Presidents carved in granite (花岗岩),his mouth and eyes open slowly, like those of a little boy.

“Unbelievable.” he says, “How was this done?”

A film in the information center shows sculptor Gutzon Borglum devoted 14 years to the sculpture and then left the final touches to his son.

We stare up and I ask myself, “Would I ever devote my life to anything?”

“No directions, no goals.” I always used to hear those words in my father's voice. Now I hear them in my own.

The next day we're at Yellowstone National Park, where we have a picnic.

“Did you ever travel with your dad?” I ask.

“Only once,” he says, “I never spoke much with my father. We loved each other—but never said it. Whatever he could give me, he gave.”

The last sentence—it's probably the same thing I'd say about my father. And what I'd want my child to say about me.

In Glacier National Park, my father says, “I've never seen water so blue.” I have, in several places of the world. I can keep travelling. I realize—and maybe a regular job won't be as dull as I feared.

Weekes after our trip, I call my father. “The photos from the trip are wonderful.” he says. “We heve got to take another trip like that sometime.”

I tell him I've decide to settle down, and I'm wearing a watch.

1. We can learn from Paragraph 2 and Paragraph 3 that the father ________.

A．followed the fashion	B．got bored with his job
C．liked the author's collection of stamps	D．was unhappy with the author's lifestyle

2. From the underlined paragraph, we can see that the author ________.

A．hopes to give whatever he can to his father	B．learns how to communicate with his father
C．comes to understand what parental love means	D．wants his children to learn from their grandfather

3. What could be the best title for the passage?

A．A Journey with Dad	B．Reflections on Nature
C．Benefits from Travelling	D．Deep Love from a Father

4 . Itzhak Perlman, the world famous violinist, got polio (小儿麻痹症) as a child. _______, you know that getting on stage is not easy for him.

On November 18, 1995, he came on stage to give a _______ at Lincoln Centre in New York City. That night Perlman walked _______ to his chair. Then he sat down and began to play. But suddenly, one of the strings on his violin broke. You could hear it break with a loud _______.

People thought to themselves, “He would have to get up to either _______ another violin or another string for this one. But he didn’t. _______ he waited a moment, closed his eyes and then signaled the conductor to begin again. The orchestra (管弦乐队) began, and he played from where he had _______. He such passion and such power. Of course, everyone knew that it was _______ to play a symphonic work with just three strings. But that night Itzhak Perlman _______ to know that. You could see him changing and recomposing the piece in his head.

When he finished, there was a ________ in the room. Then people rose and cheered. We were ________, doing everything we could to show how much we ________ what he had done. He smiled and then he said in a quiet tone, “You know, sometimes it is the artist’s task to ________ how much music you can make with what you have left.”

His words have ________ in my mind ever since I heard them. That is also the way of life. Perhaps our ________ in this quickly changing world in which we live is to make music, at first with all that we have, and then, when that is no longer possible, to make music with what we have left.

1.

A．At first

B．As a result

C．In other words

D．In fact

2.

A．concert

B．speech

C．lecture

D．presentation

3.

A．quietly

B．slowly

C．quickly

D．smoothly

4.

A．scream

B．voice

C．noise

D．shout

5.

A．find

B．buy

C．replace

D．deliver

6.

A．Moreover

B．Fortunately

C．Therefore

D．Instead

7.

A．stopped

B．started

C．forgotten

D．continued

8.

A．impossible

B．unique

C．likely

D．unnecessary

9.

A．attempted

B．expected

C．managed

D．refused

10.

A．laughter

B．discussion

C．silence

D．clap

11.

A．out of mind

B．on our feet

C．at our side

D．on our knees

12.

A．remembered

B．ignored

C．shared

D．appreciated

13.

A．let out

B．put out

C．find out

D．give out

14.

A．disappeared

B．mixed

C．stayed

D．changed

15.

A．goal

B．task

C．belief

D．destination

5 . I have a memory of being about five years old, picking up a beautiful grilled(烧烤的)   cheese sandwich made for me by my hard—working mother and turning it over to see that the   other side was burned. Suddenly, what I thought was the perfect sandwich was not so perfect. Mom had tried to hide that fact from me. There was no question; I ate it anyway without complaining. However, that moment has stuck in my mind for many years. Now, at the age of 43 as a mother of two children and as a biology professor where I am routinely the “academic mother” of hundreds of students every year, I find that I believe in The Grilled Cheese Principle. Here is what I mean.

Making a grilled cheese sandwich is easy, right? But when I think of how many burned grilled cheese sandwiches I have eaten, or I have made myself, I realize that most of the grilled cheese sandwiches I have known have had at least one burned side. The thing is that although it is a relatively easy thing to make I can also easily lose focus, and before long the sandwich is burned. For my mother, the first side was usually perfect and the second side got burned due to her being distracted. For me, I have tended to burn the first side, but then I more carefully monitor the second side. Either way, the grilled cheese sandwich suffers because it has not been given the attention it deserves.

So, I have learned that even the simplest task deserves my full attention. When I am multi-tasking, I am doing none of the tasks well. And when I allow myself to be distracted, I am not in the present moment—not paying attention to the small details of living or enjoying the process.

So now, I believe the best way to make a perfect grilled cheese sandwich is to make only one at a time and give it my full attention.

1. How did the writer react to the sandwich with burned side?

A．He ate it with full complaints.

B．He showed no interest.

C．He thought it was still perfect.

D．He was deeply impressed with it.

2. What does The Grilled Cheese Principle mean?

A．Even simple things deserve full attention.

B．Losing focus makes the sandwich burned.

C．Self-made sandwiches are always burned.

D．we should make only one sandwich at a time.

3. Which one can replace the underlined word “monitor”?

A．serve

B．watch

C．burn

D．sell

4. What does the writer want to tell us?

A．Never do multi-tasks.

B．Learn to appreciate the burned sandwiches.

C．Nothing is perfect.

D．Devote yourself to one thing at a time.

6 . 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

2. Losers would think that ______.

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

3. It can be inferred from paragraph 5 that ______.

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

4. The last paragraph serves as ______.

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

5. Which is the best title for the text?

A．The secrets of success．	B．Success is a choice．
C．Develop our confidence．	D．How to achieve success．

7 . La Belle Personne is boring, but I love it. The 2008 French film features extremely softened and washed-out colors, a relatively uneventful plotline, and lifeless performances from the main characters, all of which give the film its unique charm.

The plain beauty of La Belle Personne comes not from its extremely unique plot, but rather its literary elements. Of course, the film is visually pretty lacking in liveliness. An editor must have purposely and smartly dealt with every single shot. The dominating colors in each of these shots are a vivid black, grey and white, making for a melancholic(忧郁的）atmosphere. While one could easily view this lack of vividness as exhausting,I would argue that it makes for a beautifully unconventional cinematic experience.

There are no artificial mental spark stimulated by the visuals, and the viewers must therefore sit with themselves for an hour and a half, reflecting on what the piece personally means to them and how it genuinely makes them feel. Aside from a few major plot points, nothing terribly remarkable happens in La Belle Personne. It's more like a lazy river under grey skies where the water is slightly too cold. But if you relax, your body temperature adjusts and you can sit back and just enjoy the ride.

Although our current world may be both literally and symbolically on fire, it's no secret that campus life in and of itself is considerably more boring than usual. With no parties to attend, most classes online, and the majority of clubs limited to Zoom Meetings, waking up every day might feel a bit more tedious. However, just like La Belle Personne has shown us, it's important to appreciate your environment for what it is. In terms of campus life, sometimes it's not so horrible for things to be slow-paced, as it allows space for reflection and being present.

1. What do we know about La Belle Personne from the first paragraph?

A．It enjoys high popularity.

B．It owns special artistic charm.

C．It applies modern techniques.

D．It features lively performances.

2. What can we infer from Paragraphs 2 and 3 about the film?

A．All its viewers feel positive on it.

B．It gives viewers a sense of ridiculousness.

C．It suits those preferring sensory stimulation.

D．It is worth tasting slowly and heart-wholly.

3. What does underlined word “tedious" in the last paragraph probably mean?

A．Boring.

B．Painstaking.

C．Impractical.

D．Unnecessary.

4. What is the purpose of this text?

A．To show the importance of going to the movies.

B．To recommend people to enjoy an unique movie.

C．To introduce a way to appreciate a certain movie.

D．To call for a slow-paced and positive school life.

8 . I'd been asked to go to an editor's office with the old program “We have a story we think you'd be perfect for”. Here was the topic: We want you to write about how middle-aged men have no friends. Seeing that,I couldn't help thinking, “Excuse me? I have plenty of friends.” Then the editor told me there were all sorts of evidence out there to show how men, as they age, let their close friendships go, and that the fact can cause all sorts of problems and have a terrible impact on their health.

As I walked back to my desk in the newsroom-a distance of maybe 100 yards-I quickly took stock of my friend list. First of all, there was my friend Mark. Wait, how often do we actually hang out? Maybe four or five times a year? And then there was another best friend from high school, Rory, and…I actually could not remember the last time I'd seen him.

There were all those other good friends who seemed as if they're still in my life because we follow one another via social media, but as I ran down the list of those I considered real, true, lifelong friends, I realized that it had been years since I saw many of them, even decades for a few.

By the time I got back to my desk, I realized that I was indeed perfect for this story, not because I was unusual in any way, but because my story was very, very typical. And as I looked into what that means, I realized that in the long term, I was heading down a path that was very, very dangerous. And I knew I needed a change.

1. What did the author think of the topic at first?

A．He showed an interest in it.

B．He felt surprised and doubtful.

C．He knew the editor was joking.

D．He thought it was perfect for him.

2. What did the author realize as walking back to the newsroom?

A．He had lost some best friends.

B．He wasn't popular with others.

C．He had close friends in his life.

D．He hadn't made any true friends.

3. How did the author keep his friendship?

A．By letters.	B．Through the Internet.
C．By phoning each other.	D．By getting together regularly.

4. What do we know from the last paragraph?

A．The author was a good writer.

B．The author liked making new friends.

C．Others had more friends than the author.

D．The author would attach importance to friendship.

9 . I know what courage looks like. I saw it on a flight I took six years ago. When our L9869 left the Orlando airport that Friday morning, we were a chipper, ______ group. The early-morning flights hosted mainly professional people ____ Atlanta for a day or two of business.

Immediately upon ____, it was clear that something went wrong. The aircraft was bumping _____and jerking left to right.   The pilot soon made a grave______that we were about to crash. No sight has ever been so sobering as that fuel, hundreds of gallons of it, streaming past my window out of the plane’s tank. The flight attendants helped people get into position and ____ those who were already hysterical.

As I looked at the faces of my fellow travelers, I was stunned by the changes in their faces. Many looked visibly _____ now---gray in color. There was not one ______. No one faces death without fear, I thought. I began searching the crowd for one person who felt peace and ______ that true courage or great faith gives people in these events.

All around, people cried. Many wailed and screamed. However, I heard a still calm voice, a woman’s voice, speaking in an absolutely normal conversational ______. Finally I saw her. In the midst of all the chaos, a mother was talking, just talking to her child. The woman, in her mid-30’s was______full into the face of her daughter who______to be four years old. The mother’s gaze held the child so fixed and ____ that she seemed untouched by the sounds of grief and ______ around her.

I strained to hear what this mother was telling her child. I leaned over and by some miracle could I hear this soft voice with the tone of reassurance. Over and over again, the mother said: “I love you so much. Do you know for sure that I love you _____ anything?” Then the mother put her body ____ her daughter’s, strapped the seat belt over both of them and ____ to crash. For no earthly reason, our landing gear held and our touchdown was not the______it seemed destined to be. It was over in seconds.

The voice I heard that day never wavered, never acknowledged doubt, and maintained an evenness that seemed emotionally and______impossible. Only the greatest ______and love could have borne that mother up and lifted her above the chaos around her.

1.

A．high-energy

B．high-class

C．first-rate

D．large-scale

2.

A．care for

B．look into

C．head for

D．go away

3.

A．take-over

B．take-up

C．take-off

D．take-out

4.

A．back and forth

B．ins and outs

C．left and right

D．up and down

5.

A．declare

B．announcement

C．notice

D．information

6.

A．relieve

B．comfort

C．scold

D．affect

7.

A．frightened

B．delighted

C．annoyed

D．amazed

8.

A．expectation

B．success

C．agreement

D．exception

9.

A．boring

B．calm

C．quiet

D．still

10.

A．pronunciation

B．sound

C．tone

D．accent

11.

A．staring

B．glaring

C．looking

D．glancing

12.

A．happened

B．remained

C．appeared

D．proved

13.

A．careful

B．aimless

C．intent

D．stressed

14.

A．embarrassment

B．fear

C．frustration

D．excitement

15.

A．rather than

B．other than

C．less than

D．more than

16.

A．against

B．beyond

C．above

D．over

17.

A．prepared

B．finished

C．achieved

D．pretended

18.

A．comedy

B．tragedy

C．tale

D．fiction

19.

A．economically

B．automatically

C．extremely

D．physically

20.

A．determination

B．courage

C．resolution

D．disappointment

10 . 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