1 . A decade ago, colored lights danced around the living room on New Year’s Eve and happy music was played. Upstairs, the children were asleep. But I wasn’t feeling happy. In mid-December, my husband and I had been informed that he had cancer and that he was going to die. He had less than a year left, the doctors said.

In the years since that painful season, I have come to look back upon New Year’s Eve. New Year’s Eve brings a halt to the endless commitments that fill our daily lives and a chance to reflect. New Year’s Eve is full of possibility and anticipation. What will be the surprising experiences and delightful successes in the coming year? But also, what disappointments are waiting for us in the next twelve months?

In many ways, New Year’s Eve and the days that surround it are a line between past and future. That line is made up of a series of moments of transition (过渡) that take us out of the old and into the new. Transition can be challenging for many of us. It’s about letting go of the familiar and diving headlong (迅猛地) into the unfamiliar.

Just as, back then, I had to face letting go of the life I had led with my beloved husband and stepping into a new world as a widowed mom, I find that each year I have to step out of the version of me that suited the year that is ending and ease into the version of me who will rise to the goals I am holding for myself for the year ahead.

Last year at this time, I sat in a chair in southern France and drank in the stillness (沉静) and beauty of the countryside around me. The three children I had brought into this world talked and laughed around the table beside me as we enjoyed a lunch of bread and cheese.

I was filled with a sense of joy and I had a glowing (热情洋溢的) heart that was full of hope. It was another ending and another beginning. May we all transition into the best of what lies ahead. May we all find happiness in this holiday season.

1. What causes author’s unhappiness on New Year’s Eve a decade ago?

A．The pressure she faced in her work.

B．The health problem her husband faced.

C．The information received from her family.

D．The relationship between her and her husband.

2. What does the underlined word “halt” most probably mean?

A．End.

B．Start.

C．Change.

D．Meaning.

3. What’s the author’s attitude towards the thing people should do at New Year?

A．Set challenging goals for the next year.

B．Break with daily routines and form a new habit.

C．Spend more time with family members.

D．Think about the past and get ready for the future.

4. What’s the main purpose of writing the passage?

A．To memorialize her husband.

B．To show how she got through a hard time.

C．To share her view of New Year’s Eve.

D．To remind us that uncertainty is part of life.

2 . I have sometimes given money to beggars.     1     Please let me explain why.

First, for every dollar that we give to a beggar, the more profitable we make begging and, comparatively, the less profitable we make working. This is bad, for we want people to work, not beg. Working is productive while begging is at best neutral and often a burden. Second, the beggar who receives the money might spend it on alcohol or drugs.     2    

When I went to elementary school, I remember that I was very moved by a song named "Streets of London". The song tells a heartbreaking story about some of London's poorest, an old man in particular. Not long ago, however, when I heard the song on the radio, it struck me that the man in the song does not live that horrible a life after all. Judging from the lyrics of the song, the man has shoes, and occasional access to a newspaper.     3     So why should you give money to the beggar in the developed world instead of the starving child in Africa?

It might be harsh to claim that it is immoral to give money to Western beggars. After all, it seems reasonable that you can spend the money as you like.     4     If our aim is to benefit ourselves, then giving money to beggars is not suitable. If our aim is to benefit others, then giving money to beggars is also wasteful.

In seeking to help others, we should not merely give to those who are geographically close to us and whose appearance arouses our sympathy.     5     To achieve this, we should first decide how much we are willing to spend helping others, and then donate money to the most efficient charity.

A．Many people die of hunger in Africa.

B．True as it might be, we should spend our money wisely.

C．Why not donate money to those in need of financial aid?

D．Upon reflection, however, I have come to change my mind.

E．You almost certainly spend money helping the wrong people.

F．In a world where thousands die of hunger every day, that's a pretty comfortable life.

G．Rather, we should aid those who are the least responsible for the situation they're in.

3 . I’m proud of myself for this kindness I did last night. I did it ________ and did the right thing. However, I was unwilling to _______, because by sharing 1 am also sharing the ________ and more self-centered side of myself.

It was last night and I ________ my shift at work. It was late and I wanted to go straight home. On my way out of the door I ________ a fellow staff member and colleague. She doesn’t have a ________ and usually either catches a taxi home or _______ for an hour waiting for _______ staff member and friend of here to finish work.

In the past I’ve ________ to drive her home as she ________ on my side of town. But last night I really did not want to. I wanted to ________ straight home, alone. And I did not have to make “small talk”.

So I tried to ________ her, walking past her, heading down, and stealing out (偷溜) to the _______ without letting her see me and _______ without offering her a lift.

Yet, something in myself was stopping me. Something in myself made me ________ her and put myself in her shoes. She had young ________ who she wanted to go home to attend to and, she could go home right now _______ I took her, not an hour later when the other staff member and friend of hers who was taking her. So I offered.She_______. And of course, she was extremely ________.

Well, I learned a great ________ last night about not being so self-centered and selfish!

1.

A．nervously

B．proudly

C．exactly

D．carefully

2.

A．share

B．remark

C．do

D．consider

3.

A．pleasure

B．respect

C．honour

D．selfish

4.

A．changed

B．kept

C．finished

D．missed

5.

A．noticed

B．greeted

C．followed

D．helped

6.

A．home

B．choice

C．friend

D．car

7.

A．hangs around

B．hides away

C．watches over

D．calms down

8.

A．each

B．another

C．either

D．that

9.

A．hated

B．happened

C．offered

D．refused

10.

A．works

B．lives

C．plays

D．remains

11.

A．fly

B．ride

C．drive

D．walk

12.

A．remind

B．avoid

C．attract

D．please

13.

A．workroom

B．office

C．playground

D．park

14.

A．therefore

B．even

C．however

D．instead

15.

A．rely on

B．spy on

C．look at

D．point at

16.

A．neighbors

B．pets

C．children

D．friends

17.

A．since

B．although

C．as

D．if

18.

A．accepted

B．hesitated

C．approached

D．urged

19.

A．reliable

B．upset

C．generous

D．grateful

20.

A．gift

B．lesson

C．treasure

D．method

4 . My Hero

What does it mean to be a hero? I think a hero is someone who goes out of his way to make others happy. My hero is Mr. Wright, my chorus(合唱队) teacher.

When I was 12 years old, my grandparents passed away. I was really close to them, and losing them was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to __ through. I couldn’t eat, sleep, or think; I felt like I couldn’t even breathe. It was as if my whole world had fallen down from under me, and I__ into this huge hole of depression(抑郁).

__I was battling depression, I was determined to make my high school years the best of my life. It was difficult to be __, but I had to try. I joined Women’s Choir. Mr. Wright was the choral director and he was so funny that the first day, I just knew I had made the best ____ of my life.

As the year progressed, I loved chorus more and more. I began to smile again and really enjoy ____.

Then one day that all changed. My friends—or those that I thought were my friends—started talking about me behind my back. I was ____ , and I sat by myself. Mr. Wright came over and asked what was wrong. The look in his eyes told me that I could ____him. Trying hard to ____ back tears, I told him the whole story.

When I finished, he nodded and told me, “If you never learn anything from me, learn this: No one is worth__your joy.” What Mr. Wright said really ____ a chord (心弦) in my heart. He ____ cared about me and what was going on. I’ll never be able to thank him enough, because he not only saved me but has ____ every day of it since. Any time I feel like giving ___, I remember Mr. Wright’s words and push forward.

I’m proud to say that I__ my depression, and I’m now a senior. I’m still a ____ of chorus, and now I’m also in the best choir at my school.

Mr. Wright is a hero ___ everyone he meets. He cares about every single person who walks through his door, and he loves what he does more than any other teacher I’ve known. That’s ____ he deserves to be Educator of the Year. He deserves the ____ not just this year but every year.

I’m glad I had the opportunity to meet you, Mr. Wright. You are an_____ teacher, and I hope you realize that. You’re my hero.

1.

A．put

B．walk

C．run

D．go

2.

A．looked

B．broke

C．fell

D．turned

3.

A．If

B．Although

C．Because

D．Once

4.

A．happy

B．calm

C．smart

D．confident

5.

A．suggestion

B．decision

C．effort

D．offer

6.

A．care

B．nature

C．health

D．life

7.

A．refused

B．forgotten

C．hurt

D．trapped

8.

A．trust

B．impress

C．respect

D．satisfy

9.

A．set

B．fight

C．take

D．call

10.

A．stealing

B．sharing

C．hiding

D．feeling

11.

A．braked

B．struck

C．played

D．shook

12.

A．cheerfully

B．normally

C．exactly

D．truly

13.

A．made

B．started

C．understood

D．influenced

14.

A．off

B．out

C．up

D．away

15.

A．beat

B．suffered

C．developed

D．saved

16.

A．leader

B．part

C．fan

D．dancer

17.

A．about

B．with

C．to

D．at

18.

A．when

B．what

C．where

D．why

19.

A．title

B．job

C．help

D．name

20.

A．amusing

B．ambitious

C．amazing

D．advanced

5 . After years of observing human nature, I have decided that two qualities make the difference between men of great achievement and men of average performance: curiosity and discontent. I have never known an outstanding man who lacked either. And I have never known an average man who had both. The two belong together.

Together, these deep human urges (驱策力) count for much more than ambition. Galileo was not merely ambitious when he dropped objects of varying weights from the Leaning Tower at Pisa and timed their fall to the ground. Like Galileo, all the great names in history were curious and asked in discontent, "Why? Why? Why? "

Fortunately, curiosity and discontent don't have to be learned. We are born with them and need only recapture them.

＂The great man, "said Mencius (孟子)，is he who does not lose his child's heart. "Yet most of us do lose it. We stop asking questions. We stop challenging custom. We just follow the crowd.   And the crowd desires only the calm and restful average. It encourages us to occupy our own little corner, to avoid foolish leaps into the dark, to be satisfied.

Most of us meet new people, and new ideas, with hesitation. But once having met and liked them, we think how terrible it would have been, had we missed the chance. We will probably have to force ourselves to waken our curiosity and discontent and keep them awake.

How should you start so as not to become discouraged? I think of one friend who couldn't arrange flowers to satisfy herself. She was curious about how the experts did it. Now she is one of the experts, writing books on flower arrangement.

One way to begin is to answer your own excuses. You haven't any special ability? Most people don't; there are only a few geniuses. You haven't any time? That's good, because it's always the people with no time who get things done. Harriet Stowe, mother of six, wrote parts of Uncle Tom's Cabin while cooking. You're too old? Remember that Thomas Costain was 57 when he published his first novel, and that Grandma Moses showed her first pictures when she was 78.

However you start, remember there is no better time to start than right now, for you'll never be more alive than you are at this moment.

1. In writing Paragraph 1, the author aims to

A．propose a definition

B．make a comparison

C．reach a conclusion

D．present an argument

2. What does the example of Galileo tell us?

A．Trial and error leads to the finding of truth.

B．Scientists tend to be curious and ambitious.

C．Creativity results from challenging authority.

D．Greatness comes from a lasting desire to explore.

3. What can we learn from Paragraphs 6 and 7?

A．Gaining success helps you become an expert.

B．The genius tends to get things done creatively.

C．Lack of talent and time is no reason for taking no action.

D．You should remain modest when approaching perfection.

4. What could be the best title of the passage?

A．Curious Minds Never Feel Contented.

B．Reflections on Human Nature.

C．The keys to Achievement.

D．Never too Late to Learn.

6 . I was on jury (陪审团) duty in downtown Pittsburgh and decided to take a walk during our one-hour lunch break. As I was walking, I noticed an elderly lady holding up a(n)_________, which said: “Will work for $, trying to get home.” I_________putting several dollars in her box, but all I had was a twenty-dollar bill I_________to use for groceries on my way home._________, I didn’t want to part with it. So I started to walk away, but eventually I_________.

I started a_______with her. Her name was Katie, and she was_________. She’d been a dishwasher, but lost her job and_________on the street. She wanted to go to Colorado Springs where she had relatives. She wasn’t having much_________with her sign and donations. I really wanted to__________her, but I had only about forty-five minutes to return to the courtroom.

Then I made up my mind. I told her I’d__________her to the Greyhound station, even though it was a fifteen-minute walk. I looked again in my__________, and the twenty-dollar bill stared at me. Then I noticed an old credit card I hadn’t________for over a year. I didn’t think it would work. But I decided to give it a(n)__________when we passed an ATM。To my great__________, the money came out.

On reaching the Greyhound station, I bought Katie a__________and gave her the rest of the money for food. She was so__________that she hugged me tightly before I waved goodbye.

I ran back to the courtroom and felt great__________that I made it just in time. What made me more__________was that the rest of the day went smoothly. Just as a saying goes, “Helping others is__________helping ourselves”.

1.

A．letter

B．sign

C．article

D．invitation

2.

A．gave up

B．set about

C．insisted on

D．thought of

3.

A．intended

B．offered

C．promised

D．remembered

4.

A．Strangely

B．Unwillingly

C．Selfishly

D．Ridiculously

5.

A．kept on

B．turned back

C．looked up

D．got through

6.

A．conversation

B．discussion

C．negotiation

D．compromise

7.

A．hopeless

B．fearless

C．speechless

D．homeless

8.

A．fell over

B．broke down

C．ended up

D．settled down

9.

A．luck

B．patience

C．courage

D．experience

10.

A．save

B．help

C．believe.

D．please

11.

A．attract

B．drive

C．recommend

D．accompany

12.

A．car

B．wallet

C．suitcase

D．parcel

13.

A．seen

B．charged

C．used

D．repaid

14.

A．try

B．name

C．honor

D．award

15.

A．pride

B．credit

C．puzzle

D．surprise

16.

A．ticket

B．lunch

C．souvenir

D．drink

17.

A．generous

B．friendly

C．grateful

D．outgoing

18.

A．duty

B．relief

C．challenge

D．reward

19.

A．energetic

B．optimistic

C．touched

D．delighted

20.

A．properly

B．personally

C．actually

D．especially

7 . Have you ever wondered why the world is full of so many people who are incredibly incompetent at the very thing they are paid to do? If so, an educationalist called Laurence J. Peter may have the answer.

In Peter’s view, most people were promoted based on their current performance, with no real consideration of their ability to take on greater responsibility. Eventually, “every employee tends to rise to his or her level of incompetence”, as he wrote. This is the law he termed the“Peter Principle”.

The strongest evidence for the theory comes from a recent study of 131 companies that all used the same performance management software. As you might expect, the team found that the best salesmen or saleswomen were the ones who tended to be promoted. And the study found that managers who used to be very high-performing sales workers tended not to bring significant assistance to their colleagues.

There are lots of potential reasons why this might occur. The personal drive-even aggression-that is needed to promote your own individual sales doesn’t necessarily transform into the interpersonal skills necessary to motivate others, for instance.

In the meantime, knowledge of the “Peter Principle” might be useful for each of us personally. If you frequently find yourself disappointed with your own boss or with your subordinates (下属), it’s worth considering the possibility that you’ve already reached your “level of incompetence”.

That’s not always easy to recognize. As Peter put it, “competence, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder”, but a modest awareness may just encourage you to correct your weaknesses, or to find a new position where your unique talents are of greater value.

1. Which of the following may Peter be in favour of?

A．An able employee may not be in the right place.

B．Employees with higher pay tend to perform better.

C．Whoever performs well in a firm deserves to be promoted.

D．There is no fixed criterion for assessing an employee’s ability.

2. What is the result of the study?

A．The “Peter Principle” makes sense both in companies and schools.

B．The best sales workers have got promoted due to their teamwork spirit.

C．The companies are in need of employees with good communicative skills.

D．Managers, once with good sales performance, may contribute little to others’progress.

3. How does the “Peter Principle” benefit each of us personally?

A．It makes us qualified for a higher position.

B．It reminds us of the importance of learning from others.

C．It inspires us to fulfill ourselves in a suitable position.

D．It provides guidance on how to improve our competence.

4. What would be the best title for the text?

A．General Rules in a Company	B．Reasons for Getting Promoted
C．Knowledge of the “Peter Principle”	D．The Development of a Famous Theory

8 . 假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加:在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除:把多余的词用斜线(＼)划掉。
修改:在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意:1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。
Yesterday was Monday. My friend Li Hua went to school without his homework finishing. He played online games all over the weekend. It was too late when he founded he had homework to do. To avoid punished, he told his teacher that a dog eats his homework. Obviously, it was just an excuse he made to cover the fact which he hadn’t done his homework. The teacher certainly knew about that and made them stay after school. Sometimes we think we can avoid trouble by making excuse when we do something wrongly. However, we are really making problems worse instead of.

9 . Two years ago，my friend and I were at college.With his birthday quickly _______ ，he came to me with an unusual _______ :instead of receiving presents，he wanted to do some acts of kindness.

I was _______ with such all idea._______ instead of taking for the birthday was really different.I asked him how he could come up with such a   _______ idea.He told me about a TED talk he had watched on generosity.which had _______ him.So we started to _______ creative things we could do.

Our university employed some security guards to   _______ its students.They have to work _______ ，keeping watch on every corner throughout the university. For the most part it's a thankless job as most people grow   ________ to seeing the guards all around and eventually barely notice their ________ ，let alone acknowledge their efforts.How could we show them our appreciation?

We decided to make a large pot of hot ________ .We hired a Uber and asked the driver to take us around the campus where we knew the   ________ would be and we poured them each a cup of hot chocolate.The Uber driver was   ________ a bit doubtful to the entire plan but after a while he was helping us ________ the guards and our lively spirit had ________ to him as well.We were met with many ________ and appreciative words.It was amazing to see how a ________   act or even intention of generosity can lift everyone’s spirit.

I now realize that special energy is created when you choose to think bigger than yourself and act in ________ of others. You’ll find it's actually the greatest ________ you’never get，especially when it’s your birthday.

1.

A．ending

B．passing

C．advancing

D．approaching

2.

A．order

B．request

C．problem

D．story

3.

A．struck

B．blessed

C．burdened

D．bored

4.

A．Refusing

B．Earning

C．Giving

D．Donating

5.

A．traditional

B．complex

C．familiar

D．novel

6.

A．controlled

B．supported

C．inspired

D．rewarded

7.

A．plan out

B．take over

C．watch for

D．hold back

8.

A．judge

B．help

C．monitor

D．protect

9.

A．step by step

B．around the clock

C．more or less

D．now and then

10.

A．addicted

B．devoted

C．attached

D．accustomed

11.

A．presence

B．hunger

C．poverty

D．thirsty

12.

A．tea

B．milk

C．porridge

D．chocolate

13.

A．workers

B．students

C．guards

D．drivers

14.

A．finally

B．initially

C．occasionally

D．frequently

15.

A．remind

B．track

C．spot

D．recognize

16.

A．spread

B．moved

C．happened

D．returned

17.

A．friends

B．difficulties

C．greetings

D．smiles

18.

A．similar

B．small

C．daily

D．modest

19.

A．service

B．place

C．charge

D．memory

20.

A．1esson

B．attention

C．gift

D．care

10 . For years, I have advocated the importance of hard work, determination, persistence, and practice as key ingredients of success. Malcolm Gladwell, who has written The Story of Success, seems to support my theory. He says it takes about 10,000 hours of practice to attain true expertise.

“The people at the very top don’t just work harder than everyone else,” Gladwell writes. “They work much, much harder.” Achievement, he says, is talent plus preparation. Preparation seems to play a bigger role.

For example, he describes the Beatles: They had been together seven years before their famous arrival in America. They spent a lot of time playing in clubs, sometimes for as long as eight hours a night. Overnight success? Not exactly. Estimates are that the band performed 1,200 times before their big success in 1964. By comparison, most bands don’t perform 1,200 times in their careers.

Neurologist Daniel Levitin has studied the formula for success extensively and shares this finding: “The emerging picture from such studies is that 10,000 hours of practice is required to achieve the level of mastery associated with being a world-class expert in anything. In study after study of composers, basketball players, fiction writers, ice skaters, concert pianists, chess players, the number comes up again and again. Of course, this doesn’t address why some people get more out of their practice sessions than others do. But no one has yet found a case in which true world-class expertise was accomplished in less time. It seems it takes the brain a long time to digest all that it needs to know to achieve true mastery.”

Two computer giants, Bill Joy, who co-founded Sun Microsystems, and Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, also were proof of the 10,000-hour theory.

The abilities these people possessed were far-ranging, yet the formula for success was the same: hard work and lots of it. Some people just make it look easy. Of course, you probably didn’t see the first 9,999 hours of hard work.

1. According to the passage, what made Beatles different from most other bands?

A．Their great talent.	B．Their persistent effort.
C．Their charming looks.	D．Their outstanding achievements.

2. How does the author support the theme of the text?

A．By stating arguments.	B．By giving examples.
C．By providing statistical data.	D．By making comparisons.

3. According to the passage, the opinions that Malcolm Gladwell may agree with include the following EXCEPT that____ .

A．life is full of ups and downs

B．work transforms talent into genius

C．success takes hard work and devotion

D．the way to learn to do things is to do things