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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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 . Two of the saddest words in the English language are “if only”. I live my life with the goal of never having to say those words, because they express regret, lost opportunities, mistakes, and disappointment.
My father is famous in our family for saying, “Take the extra minute to do it right.” I always try to live by the “extra minute” rule. When my children were young and likely to cause accidents, I always thought about what I could do to avoid an “if only” moment, whether it was something minor like moving a cup full of hot coffee away from the edge of a counter, or something that required a little more work such as taping padding (衬垫) onto the sharp comers of a glass coffee table.
I don’t only avoid (避免) those “if only” moments when it comes to safety. it’s equally important to avoid “if only” in our personal relationships. We all know people who lost a loved one and regretted that they had foregone an opportunity to say, “I love you” or “I forgive you.” When my father announced he was going to the eye doctor across from my office on Good Friday, I told him that it was a holiday for my company and I wouldn’t be here. But then I thought about the fact that he’s 84 years old and I realized that I shouldn’t give up an opportunity to see him. I called him and told him I had decided to go to work on my day off after all.
I know there will still be occasions when I have to say “if only” about something, but my life is definitely better because of my policy of doing everything possible to avoid that eventuality (可能发生的事). And even though it takes an extra minute to do something right, or it occasionally takes an hour or two in my busy schedule to make a personal connection, I know that I’m doing the right thing. I’m buying myself peace of mind and that’s the best kind of insurance (保障) for my emotional well-being.
1. Which of the following is an example of the “extra minute” rule?| A．Start the car the moment everyone is seated. |
| B．Leave the room for a minute with the iron working. |
| C．Wait for an extra minute so that the steak tastes better. |
| D．Move an object out of the way before it trips (绊倒) someone. |
| A．To keep her appointment with the eye doctor. |
| B．To meet her father who was already an old man. |
| C．To join in the holiday celebration of the company. |
| D．To finish her work before the deadline approached. |
| A．given up. | B．Lacked. | C．Avoided. | D．Wasted. |
| A．The Emotional Well-being | B．The Two Saddest Words |
| C．The Most Useful Rule | D．The Peace of Mind |
1．你的经历；
2．你的感悟。
注意：1．词数100左右；
2．可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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4 . It was a busy morning, about 8:30, when an elderly gentleman in his 80s came to the hospital. I heard him saying to the nurse that he was in a hurry for all appointment(约会)at 9:30. The nurse had him take a
Now I
| A．breath | B．test | C．seat | D．break |
| A．persuading | B．promising | C．understanding | D．telling |
| A．if | B．before | C．since | D．after |
| A．taking off | B．fixing | C．looking at | D．winding |
| A．very | B．also | C．seldom | D．not |
| A．turn up | B．show off | C．come on | D．go away |
| A．needed | B．forgot | C．agreed | D．happened |
| A．daughter | B．wife | C．mother | D．sister |
| A．late | B．well | C．around | D．there |
| A．lonely | B．worried | C．doubtful | D．hungry |
| A．so far | B．neither | C．no longer | D．already |
| A．recognize | B．answer | C．believe | D．expect |
| A．moved | B．disappointed | C．surprised | D．satisfied |
| A．only | B．then | C．thus | D．still |
| A．curiosity | B．tears | C．words | D．judgment |
| A．realize | B．suggest | C．hope | D．prove |
| A．agreement | B．expression | C．acceptance | D．exhibition |
| A．necessarily | B．completely | C．naturally | D．frequently |
| A．learn | B．make | C．favor | D．try |
| A．Adventure | B．Beauty | C．Trust | D．Life |
Long ago, there was a big apple tree. A little boy loved to come and play around it every day. He climbed to the top of the tree, ate the apples, and took a nap under the shadow. He loved the tree and the tree also enjoyed playing with him.
As time went by, the little boy grew up and he no longer played around the tree.
One day, the boy came back to the tree, appearing sad. “Come and play with me,” the tree asked the boy gently.
“I am no longer a kid; I won’t play around trees any more,” the boy replied. “I want toys. I need money to buy them.”
“Sorry, but I don’t have money. However, you can pick all my apples and sell them. Then, you will have money.” The boy was so excited that he picked all the apples on the tree and left happily. The boy didn’t come back after that.
The tree was upset.
One day, the boy returned and the tree was so joyful. “Come and play with me,” the tree said.
“I don’t have time to play. I have to work for my family. We need a house for shelter. Can you help me?” “Sorry, I don’t have a house. But you can cut off my branches to build your house.” So the boy cut all the branches of the tree and left with delight.
The tree was glad to see him happy but the boy didn’t appear since then. The tree was again lonely and sad.
One hot summer day, the boy returned and the tree was delighted. “Come and play with me!” the tree requested.
“I am sad and becoming old. I want to go sailing to relax myself. Can you give me a boat?”“Use my trunk to build the boat. You can sail and be happy.” So the boy cut the tree trunk to make a boat. He went sailing and did not show up for a long time.
注意：续写词数应为150左右。
Many years later, the boy finally returned.
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The apple tree is our mother.
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6 . How Laughing at Yourself Makes You Attractive
Have you ever embarrassed yourself in public and got laughed at for it?
●Laughing at yourself means accepting who you really are. You may feel bad about yourself because of past misfortune. However, it’s normal to be imperfect. What’s important is that you should be honest with yourself about who you are.
●Laughing at yourself helps increase your confidence. When you are able to stay optimistic and laugh at yourself, you are likely to be more successful in life.
●
Just remember that humans all make mistakes. So instead of blaming yourself, try to think of your mistakes in a positive way and accept yourself just as you are.
| A．Laughing at yourself makes you popular. |
| B．Accept yourself despite your imperfections. |
| C．You don’t need to take yourself seriously all the time. |
| D．Chances are that we all have these kinds of experiences. |
| E．Learn to laugh at yourself and you will be more attractive. |
| F．Laughing at yourself changes an ideal image of yourself. |
| G．This is because laughing at yourself contributes to your mental health. |
7 . Close to the king’s palace stood a little house. In it lived a
The king wondered, “I wish I could be as happy as him.”
One evening the king found the gardener packing up his tools after
“Why should I be unhappy when I get two meals a day and have a
“But what if tomorrow you fall sick! Shouldn’t you think of the future too?” the king asked.
“And start
“You said it. Thank you,” the king nodded and
| A．silly | B．lazy | C．cheerful | D．rich |
| A．rarely | B．immediately | C．uncomfortably | D．jokingly |
| A．starting | B．finishing | C．missing | D．studying |
| A．shot | B．arrested | C．ignored | D．approached |
| A．secret | B．use | C．price | D．goal |
| A．exchange | B．divide | C．appreciate | D．share |
| A．garden | B．palace | C．bed | D．kitchen |
| A．money | B．strength | C．time | D．company |
| A．sad | B．weak | C．tired | D．hungry |
| A．get up | B．roll over | C．lie down | D．break out |
| A．carefully | B．instantly | C．occasionally | D．painfully |
| A．energy | B．hate | C．meaning | D．ambition |
| A．chance | B．day | C．dream | D．meal |
| A．sings | B．listens | C．matters | D．prefers |
| A．respectfully | B．awkwardly | C．shyly | D．humorously |
| A．celebrating | B．arguing | C．learning | D．worrying |
| A．love | B．lose | C．change | D．forget |
| A．afford | B．fail | C．decide | D．plan |
| A．refused | B．pretended | C．threatened | D．determined |
| A．power | B．wealth | C．present | D．talent |
8 . Do you find yourself pulling away from others, especially if you’ve experienced a deep disappointment? Maybe the most
A man who lost his wife to cancer found himself wanting to be
His friends became
The man responded that he felt better
They sat in
The man sat in silence,
We cannot
| A．exciting | B．common | C．difficult | D．obvious |
| A．independent | B．cheerful | C．sociable | D．alone |
| A．enjoyed | B．refused | C．looked back to | D．took part in |
| A．quit | B．reduced | C．kept | D．became fond of |
| A．hurriedly | B．hopefully | C．straight | D．eagerly |
| A．greetings | B．visits | C．kindness | D．invitations |
| A．annoyed | B．alarmed | C．disappointed | D．curious |
| A．warm fireplace | B．beautiful garden | C．bright window | D．TV set |
| A．inspired | B．told | C．encouraged | D．required |
| A．inform | B．expect | C．leave | D．allow |
| A．while | B．without | C．regardless of | D．because of |
| A．besides | B．otherwise | C．generally | D．therefore |
| A．turn | B．silence | C．tears | D．talks |
| A．frightening | B．heartwarming | C．unusual | D．interesting |
| A．black | B．burnt | C．dark | D．flaming |
| A．watching | B．holding | C．admiring | D．ignoring |
| A．down | B．away | C．ahead | D．around |
| A．point | B．invitation | C．news | D．notice |
| A．think | B．understand | C．escape | D．survive |
| A．welcomed | B．concerned | C．connected | D．affected |
9 . A month after Hurricane Katrina, I returned home in New Orleans. There lay my house, reduced to waist-high ruins, smelly and dirty.
Before the trip, I’d had my car fixed. When the office employee of the garage was writing up the bill, she noticed my Louisiana license plate. “You from New Orleans?” she asked. I said I was, “No charge,” she said, and firmly shook her head when I reached for my wallet. The next day I went for a haircut, and the same thing happened.
As my wife was studying in Florida, we decided to move there and tried to find a rental house that we could afford while also paying off a mortgage (抵押贷款) on our ruined house. We looked at many places, but none was satisfactory. We’d begun to accept that we’d have to live in extremely reduced circumstances for a while, when I got a very curious e-mail from a James Kennedy in California. He’d read some pieces I’d written about our sufferings for Slate, the online magazine, and wanted to give us (“no conditions attached”) a new house across the lake from New Orleans.
It sounded too good to be true, but I replied, thanking him for his exceptional generosity, that we had no plans to go back. Then a poet at the University of Florida offered to let his house to me while he went to England on his one-year paid leave. The rent was rather reasonable. I mentioned the poet’s offer to James Kennedy, and the next day he sent a check covering our entire rent for eight months.
Throughout this painful experience, the kindness of strangers has done much to bring back my faith in humanity. It’s almost worth losing your worldly possessions to be reminded that people are really nice when given half a chance.
1. What do we know about James Kennedy?| A．He was a writer of an online magazine. |
| B．He was a poet at the University of Florida. |
| C．He offered the author a new house free of charge. |
| D．He learned about the author’s sufferings via e-mail |
| A．the author’s family was in financial difficulty |
| B．rents were comparatively reasonable despite the disaster |
| C．houses were difficult to find in the hurricane-stricken area |
| D．the mortgage on the ruined house was paid off by the bank |
| A．worldly possessions can be given up when necessary |
| B．generosity should be encouraged in some cases |
| C．people benefit from their sad stories |
| D．human beings are kind after all |
10 . Have you ever come out of a steamy hot shower and tried to look at your reflection in the mirror when it’s completely steamed and fogged up? I often think that is how we tend to view our beauty—through fogged up mirrors. We are seeing ourselves but the picture isn’t exactly clear! The mirrors have been fogged up through different life experiences and memories as we have grown up, and now blend together to form our own definition of our beauty.
The first mirror is formed as a young child and is often based on what was said about us from our parents and those around us. I remember being told that I was a cute child, so that when I got a little older and was around six or seven and another child tried to tell me I was ugly- everything within me rose up against the statement because my self-belief in what my parents had said stood strong.
The second mirror is the mirror of adolescence, those formative years when we are pushed into the big wild world and out of the protection of home. As a teenager I went to a boarding school, and I was one of the only two black people in the entire school. Children being naturally curious, I felt like I was asked a million and one different questions about both my hair and skin tone- -and I don’t think there has ever been a time when I have been more acutely aware of my appearance, which in turn opened up the door for me to question how I looked and to thankfully embrace my differences.
The final mirror comes from socially constructed ideas of beauty. We are often faced with numerous images in the media, popular culture, society, peers and social media, which can create a false ideal of beauty in our eyes. We tend to compare ourselves to those ideals and use it as some sort of margin (差值) of measurement.
However, real beauty comes from within. It is acceptance of yourself, perceived flaws and all. You are a masterpiece, a unique blend of genes and life experiences. It’s essential to appreciate yourself like any other work of art or natural wonder, without judgement. Maybe it’s time to create a fourth mirror, a new mirror that is wiped clean and is minus the fog of comparisons, accusations, judgments and expectations.
1. What do the fogged-up mirrors represent according to the first paragraph?| A．The difficulties of seeing oneself in the mirror. |
| B．The various sources of beauty standards. |
| C．The unclear perceptions of one’s beauty. |
| D．The life experiences and memories. |
| A．She felt embarrassed. |
| B．She completely denied it. |
| C．She sought comfort from her parents. |
| D．She questioned what her parents had said. |
| A．They push teens out of home protection. |
| B．They arouse acute awareness of one’s appearance. |
| C．They may mislead people’s idea of beauty. |
| D．They are the exact measurement of beauty. |
| A．A mirror not affected by external factors. |
| B．A mirror going against society’s expectations. |
| C．A mirror reflecting one’s childhood experiences. |
| D．A mirror showing the beauty ideals from social media. |
| A．bring happiness to those around us |
| B．keep our resolve despite obstacles |
| C．change ourselves to achieve an ideal |
| D．embrace our real inner beauty |
