1 . “Let’s go outside and water the plants,” urged Fiona, my energetic 4-year-old granddaughter, during a recent visit from Maryland to my New Jersey home.

Fiona and I filled our watering cans. Out we went and I walked directly to the newly-planted begonias (秋海棠). “No, Granny, what about the grass and that tree?” Fiona insisted, pointing to the sycamore tree (悬铃木) that decorated a patch of earth between the sidewalk and the street, typically cared for by the town.

Through Fiona’s eyes, the begonias, the grass and the tree were all equal in nature’s esteem, all worthy of attention and care. At first, I didn’t want to deny my red begonias preferential treatment. I thought that the rain or the town would tend to the grass and the tree.

Even so, I turned and joined in Fiona’s universal watering party. Thanks to Fiona, I saw how the grass and the sycamore tree could assume their rightful place, equal to the begonias. I wondered if I sincerely accept all of nature and all people with an open mind and heart. My time with Fiona inspired me to doubt myself since I couldn’t even apply my equalitarian beliefs to a tree, grass and flowers.

I paused and reflected on unspoken prejudice, the tendency for stereotyped (模式化的) thoughts to pass automatically through our minds. Studies on unspoken prejudice show that sorting people, nature and objects into categories is a natural phenomenon. Rarely do we question it. Instead, we may assume, quite wrongly, that some people are less worthy, less valuable or, worse, hateful and dangerous.

1. What did Fiona want the author to do when they were out?

A．Clean a patch of earth for the town.

B．Tell her more about the sycamore tree.

C．Water the begonias, the grass and the sycamore tree.

D．Help make the sidewalk and the street more attractive.

2. How did the author feel about Fiona’s suggestion at first?

A．Supportive.	B．Curious.
C．Uncertain.	D．Uninterested.

3. What made the author take a fresh look at the grass, the tree and the begonias?

A．They received the same attention and care.

B．They were found in Maryland by Fiona.

C．They were all close to the neighborhood.

D．They were all typically cared for by the town.

4. What can we infer about unspoken prejudice from the last paragraph?

A．It is what fools use for reason.	B．It pushes people to think about what goes wrong.
C．It is the original form of prejudice.	D．It often leads to unfairness.

2 . Many years ago, I met a man whose unique psychology helped me to get away from a life of struggle and uneasiness for great happiness, for peace of mind, and for a measure of success I otherwise would not have attained.

He was George Robert White, who lost his parents at eight, badly off for a long time. However, his God-given beliefs made him both a material and a spiritual millionaire at thirty. As a young man, Mr. White took over the leadership of a small plant, and throughout his career he donated a large part of his net profits to charity. Despite his unusual business practice, he built that tiny concern into a world-famous corporation, and became the multi-million-dollar manufacturer.

Before I met him, my path to success was the ordinary road over which most American businessmen travel—endless hours of hard work, social contacts, wise investments. But where was the resulting happiness that my material gain was supposed to have afforded me? I discovered that I had no more peace of mind.

I took the advice of Mr. White to open the pathway to happiness and freedom of mind. “Personal and business success, built upon materialism alone, are empty shells over disappointment and saddened lives,” he emphasized, “Cast your bread upon the waters and it will come back in abundance. ” If we are to be happy, to be successful in every aspect of the world, and to live truly full lives, we must share ourselves, as well as our material gain, with our fellow men.

Since Mr. White’s death, I have made great efforts, as his successor, to stick to his code of morality. Two dollars out of every three earned by our corporation is shared with others. My reward and my blessings have come to me in the form of personal satisfaction and peace of mind that had been foreign to me.

1. What was Mr. White’s unusual business practice?

A．His concern about the poor.

B．His leadership of a small plant

C．His way to deal with the net profits.

D．His becoming a millionaire at thirty.

2. How was the author’s life before he met Mr. White?

A．Busy and uneasy.

B．Wealthy and full.

C．Successful and happy.

D．Struggling and hopeful.

3. What was Mr. White’s advice?

A．Be a breadwinner.

B．Be ready to share.

C．Build personal reputation.

D．Seek material abundance.

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

A．To call back his own life.

B．To introduce Mr. White’s lifestyle.

C．To show his concern about charity.

D．To express his gratitude to Mr. White.

3 . We all need confidence sometimes, especially when something goes wrong in our world. Here are some helpful tips on how to believe in yourself more.

    1     Don’t listen to what others tell you unless it’s positive. When you know someone respects or likes you, be happy. You can also ask them what it is about you that they like. This will prove the best parts of you and help you believe in yourself. Some of us may find it more difficult to take in positive feedback（反馈) than negative one, and that needs to change.

Remember your last (or greatest) success, and think about it for a few minutes. Reviewing your past successes will help you reach for others. Quite simply, it reminds you that you have the talent and tools needed to get your life to the next level.    2     Picture your greatest success so far, and then imagine the goal you are going for.

Know that you are the person your loved ones think you are. It goes for your dog, too.     3     You are expected to pull yourself up when you feel down. All that’s required is to feel the love that’s all around you. Start with one person (or your dog), and feel the difference.

If you have succeeded before, you can do it again. Maybe not in the same way, but you can reach the same level of influence and fulfillment. Nothing feels quite the same as being on stage and having several thousand people call your name, but other things can feel good too.     4    

These guidelines in how to believe in yourself do work, but don’t try doing them all at once.     5     You will be pleased with the results and with yourself.

A．Take in positive feedback.

B．Be happy towards what others tell you.

C．Go for what you want, no matter what it is.

D．Forming a picture in your mind also helps here.

E．When feeling down, it can be so easy to beat yourself up.

F．Concentrating on the love you get from others helps you feel good about yourself.

G．Start with the one that’s easiest for you and stick with it for a week or so before trying other exercises.

4 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Everyone wants to live their dream life, but sadly, most people fail     1    （achieve）it.

If you have a choice to turn back time, what would you do     2    （different）that will make your life better today? Or are you already living the     3    （wonder）life you wanted?

Most people take things for granted（把一切视为理所当然）. They think that they have all the time in the world and they neglect（忽视）    4    （they） dreams. They say things like "later", or “there will always be tomorrow”. The fact is that we don't have all the time in the world. Later soon becomes never.

The same goes for     5    （live）your ideal（理想）life. You have to understand that what you want in life     6    （be）a choice. You are where you are right now because     7    the choice you make. You have a choice and you can choose. And because you have a choice, you get to choose how you want to live. Living your dream life starts with making a     8    （decide）.

And if you want to live your ideal life, you must say “no" to the things     9    will pull you away from it. And     10    is time to make a change. Dare to be different and dare to follow your heart.

5 . According to the latest study in the United States, 14% of children don't have any physical activity at least once a week, while 27% of children are physically active for at least 60 minutes every day. The results of this study clearly suggest that taking up sports makes a great difference. It is highly recommended that children should exercise regularly.     1    .

Being on a sports team provides children with a new social circle outside of school and a chance to build up new friendships, some of which may last a lifetime.     2    . Being involved in a sport teaches valuable lessons, such as putting yourself in the second place for the benefit of the whole team.

Learning to accept and deal with defeat is also an important lesson in life. The nature of sports is that there is always a winner and a loser, and there are ups and downs in life.    3    .

By working hard at every practice and staying focused on their goal, children build persistence (坚持) and learn the importance of patience.     4    . This translates to life in general.

    5    . Words of praise from coaches for successfully finishing a workout or winning a game, or high-fives from teammates after a great team action, are ways of building trust in their own abilities and developing confidence.

Finally, playing sports can have a positive impact on bone health, especially among girls. And physically active children usually grow up to be physically active adults.

A．Taking part in sports can be good for children's confidence.

B．Here are usual ways children take up sports.

C．Here are important reasons why children should take up sports.

D．They win together, lose and deal with defeat together.

E．Learning to stand up when you are down is a lesson that sports can teach us.

F．When they reach their goal, they realize all their hard work pays off.

G．Being in sports makes children feel energetic even when they are in low spirit.

6 . With age, and the experience of achieving great success, it has become clear that physical wealth, power, fame and possessions（财产）do not add anything significant to the actually happy life. I find having ________ is nice and allows me to do many ________ things like travelling a lot.

I always buy many things, but I find things that make a life worth living cannot be ________. They can only be found in the ________ I have. They can be what I give to others, what I accept, and the way I ________ to view the world. It's many small steps that ________ the journey that determines the true importance of the destination, not the ________ itself.

In my opinion, if the destination is great wealth, I think we will feel happier after ________ that wealth if we struggle hard, and ________ our small successes along the way. As for those lottery（彩票）winners, there is no journey, no sense of success, and no memories that make up the path to their wealth. The money just becomes a condition of their life, not something that ________ them the sense of personal achievement.

I enjoy the wonderful ________ of giving to others. ________ and kind acts will fill my life with the kind of treasures（珍宝）that I could never buy—they can only be attained through giving help to others. In fact, when you give, you'll often ________ that even more is given back to you. So please do remember to be ________ on the way to wealth, and always keep up the kindness, and you will ________ a happy life you want.

1.

A．memory

B．fame

C．wealth

D．success

2.

A．awful

B．grateful

C．peaceful

D．wonderful

3.

A．folded

B．contained

C．bought

D．recycled

4.

A．exercises

B．experiences

C．performances

D．expressions

5.

A．pretend

B．prove

C．fear

D．choose

6.

A．pick up

B．make up

C．make out

D．hold up

7.

A．destination

B．defeat

C．honesty

D．conclusion

8.

A．keeping

B．begging

C．quoting

D．getting

9.

A．celebrate

B．control

C．entrust

D．replace

10.

A．tells

B．posts

C．gives

D．throws

11.

A．act

B．security

C．prediction

D．liquid

12.

A．Curious

B．Previous

C．Romantic

D．Generous

13.

A．request

B．find

C．worry

D．complain

14.

A．frank

B．energetic

C．kind

D．pleased

15.

A．lead

B．gather

C．claim

D．organize

7 . In the seventh grade when my mother suggested that I should join the golf team, I thought she had lost her mind. But as usual, my mother _________ in the end. I played on the middle-school golf team in the seventh and eighth grade. The summer before high school came, I was _________ to join the high school team.

That summer I _________ almost every Sunday morning on the golf course with my _________, and too many afternoons with my mother. This_________ relationship with my parents _________ during my high school years._________ you’re walking down the freshly mowed fairway (修剪的平坦球道), looking out across miles of nothing but golf course, and looking up at the beautiful blue sky, you will realize what is _________ in life.My mom and I_________ many things in the middle of a round of golf that we would never do at ____________,where she is Mom and I am an annoying teenager. On the golf course, we’re just two people who ____________ golf.

During the past years golfing has become a part of my____________. My friends know in the summer the place to find me is on the golf course. There is ____________ I love more than a perfect autumn morning, riding around in a golf cart (球车) with my dad. Golf has ____________ me and made me into the person I am today. And I have to____________ that all of it is thanks to my mom who made me join that middle-school golf team. In fact, she was right.

1.

A．stopped

B．replied

C．recovered

D．won

2.

A．serious

B．careful

C．anxious

D．afraid

3.

A．wasted

B．spent

C．counted

D．missed

4.

A．father

B．friend

C．sister

D．classmate

5.

A．funny

B．unhappy

C．close

D．poor

6.

A．changed

B．started

C．failed

D．continued

7.

A．Though

B．When

C．Because

D．Unless

8.

A．difficult

B．common

C．convenient

D．important

9.

A．talk about

B．give up

C．look for

D．take down

10.

A．school

B．home

C．work

D．play

11.

A．discover

B．trust

C．love

D．watch

12.

A．way

B．story

C．job

D．life

13.

A．nothing

B．something

C．anything

D．everything

14.

A．saved

B．shaped

C．protected

D．persuaded

15.

A．admit

B．explain

C．consider

D．prove

8 . On the 15th June I set foot off the airplane and into Calgary, Canada. I've never been to this side of the world before and I had some strange expectations when I could only see fields and no cityscape in view from my plane window during landing. However, as we got closer and closer to the airport the city came into view... phew (I sighed of relief as I'm a real city-goer).

We were greeted by my girlfriend's parents and whisked away to the main city. The large amount of greenery in Calgary's city makes it a completely different city to visit and I advise if anybody is around this side of the world, it's surely an interesting visit.

Despite all the things we've done here, the thing that blew me away the most was the Canadian woodlands and mountains just a few hours outside of Calgary. The highlight for me was risking travelling to the small town of Fernie and hiking into the woods up to a small waterfall where the water was so clear we could just drink straight from the stream. The time away from the main city had a great holiday feel and gave me time to recover after a busy university year.

It's been a great experience being in the Canadian mountains and woodlands and it's taught me the importance of just having some time for yourself! So whatever you guys are doing this summer, make sure you take some time out to relax, rest and recharge.

1. Which of the following best describes the author's feeling while landing?

A．Embarrassed.

B．Disappointed.

C．Hopeful.

D．Amazed.

2. What makes Calgary a quite different city?

A．Greetings from girlfriend's parents.	B．Natural beauty of the city.
C．Woodlands outside the city.	D．Clear water from the stream.

3. What does the underlined part “blew me away” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．moved me away

B．beat me off

C．encouraged me

D．impressed me

4. What can be inferred about the author's travel experience?

A．He needs relaxation from his busy life.	B．He hates the city's busy life.
C．He is in great love with his girlfriend.	D．He is enthusiastic about work.

9 . In life, do you choose to take the road everyone has taken, or do you choose the path that is best for you? It might be ________ to choose what everyone has done, especially if it seemed to work for them. But is that what truly ________ for you?

On a recent hiking ________, my partner and I decided to take a popular trail in the ________ direction. This was an old, well-traveled trail that people had been hiking and biking from A to Z for years. For our own reasons, we chose to travel from Z to A. Going backwards made more sense with my ________. The trip would take several days and going backwards ________ that I would end the trip closer to the airport for my flight home.

As my partner and I walked, everyone crossing our path had something to say, “You're going the wrong way. Are you lost? Are you returning ________ you forgot something? Are you crazy? The path occasionally crossed a ________. When it did, even passing cars beeped to ________ us in the “right” direction.

Why did people only see one way? Because that's what everyone does? Because that's how it's always been done? We even ________ to talk to a Danish woman who said, “We have a(n)       ________ in my country: when you go backwards to everyone else, it's because you're avoiding something.” I couldn't believe it. We were just enjoying connecting with nature, hiking the way that best ________ us. Had we gone the “wrong” way? No. At least, not for us.

I decided to ________ the path I chose. ________, we had an amazing experience. Choosing the “wrong” path was right for me. When your inner ________ tells you something is right (or wrong), listen to it. It's your instinct. It's speaking to you for a reason and it knows, better than anyone, what's best for you.

1.

A．anxious

B．normal

C．awkward

D．impressive

2.

A．designs

B．plans

C．works

D．prepares

3.

A．race

B．test

C．project

D．trip

4.

A．opposite

B．wrong

C．common

D．accessible

5.

A．emotion

B．target

C．schedule

D．request

6.

A．supposed

B．ensured

C．provided

D．permitted

7.

A．if

B．because

C．while

D．yet

8.

A．plain

B．valley

C．trail

D．highway

9.

A．point

B．inspire

C．protect

D．support

10.

A．expected

B．stopped

C．agreed

D．hesitated

11.

A．saying

B．point

C．myth

D．spell

12.

A．instructed

B．confused

C．offered

D．suited

13.

A．show off

B．think over

C．pick out

D．stick to

14.

A．Probably

B．Hopefully

C．Eventually

D．Knowingly

15.

A．desire

B．feeling

C．voice

D．reaction

10 . Why I Always Travel With a Paper Map in Hand

The first thing I do when I arrive in a foreign city is find a paper map. To me, it's the single most important task I have to accomplish upon arrival.

    1     I learn where I am in relation to the rest of the city, the names of neighborhoods and the major street. I figure out where the subway stations are, how I can get to the best walking routes.

Then I use that paper map to figure out which sights are closest to each other and how I can use my time most efficiently.     2     I note the neighborhoods I want to visit along the way.

No doubt you may wonder why I don5t just pull out my phone. I do own a smartphone with GPS.     3     It shows a specific destination and a precise route to get there. But it doesn’t put the journey into context, which I dislike. I always want to know where I am in relation to everything else.

My trusty map, on the other hand, is all about context. Ask me the nearest bridge, major market or landmark, and I'll be able to tell you in an instant. Besides, a paper map does not run out of battery.     4     It is easily replaceable.

For a traveler like myself, that paper map is like an entrance into another world. Staring at it transports me into a dreamlike state. I imagine all the places I'll go and the things I will do.     5    

A．It never has a poor connection.

B．But I don't have the habit of using GPS.

C．And all these makes me become a responsible tourist.

D．That map, you see, is my key to getting around the city.

E．However, I think my phone's GPS robs me of something.

F．And it enables me to begin planning how I'll make it happen.

G．I put dots where the bookstores, restaurants and museums are.