1 . Last summer, I was suffering from too much stress. I’d just graduated from a(n) __________doctoral program and was exhausted from the years of research, study and writing. I took a __________to celebrate, but the academic intensity had become a __________. Sitting on the beautiful lawn of the hotel on Mackinac Island, I just felt like I should be studying or working __________.

Generally seeing natural beauty would have __________ me, but I couldn’t slow down. I couldn’t help looking at my cellphone __________in case I missed something important. “Enough,” I murmured. I needed to unwind, but why couldn’t I?

A dragonfly (蜻蜓) buzzed around me.With each __________, this creature’s wings __________ color — blue one moment, green the next. Dragonflies usually fascinated me with their quick movements that __________ me of acrobats (杂技演员) in the wind, but I wasn’t in the __________ that day. What I needed then was stillness, not movement. Suddenly, the dragonfly came to rest on a blade (叶片) of grass in front of me.

I watched that dragonfly carefully for many minutes. So did the dragonfly. “It’s not a matter of relaxing,” it seemed to say. “Life is so short.Be here in the __________ and let the mood take care of itself.” Suddenly, it __________ me that this beautiful creature, which only had months to live, was “instructing” me about the __________ of life and I felt much relaxed. The dragonfly seemed __________ that its message had been delivered. It sprang from the grass and flew away. I didn’t see it again. But I would never forget what it taught me: Be here and _____________ yourself.

1.

A．interesting

B．challenging

C．meaningful

D．grateful

2.

A．party

B．gathering

C．vacation

D．lecture

3.

A．tradition

B．strength

C．criterion

D．habit

4.

A．in time

B．at ease

C．as usual

D．in case

5.

A．relaxed

B．annoyed

C．teased

D．urged

6.

A．finally

B．casually

C．repeatedly

D．significantly

7.

A．disappearance

B．movement

C．advance

D．performance

8.

A．convinced

B．informed

C．formed

D．changed

9.

A．reminded

B．made

C．spoke

D．took

10.

A．progress

B．admiration

C．position

D．mood

11.

A．life

B．moment

C．time

D．future

12.

A．decided on

B．agreed on

C．dawned on

D．relied on

13.

A．value

B．content

C．reality

D．principle

14.

A．concerned

B．doubtful

C．regretful

D．satisfied

15.

A．abuse

B．enjoy

C．suit

D．conduct

2 . A professor entered the classroom and told the students about a surprise test. All students were_________ and waited for the test to begin. The professor gave the test papers to all students with text facing down at the desk. Once he was done with _________ the test to all students, he asked them to_________ the test paper and begin.

Students were ___________ to see that there was just a black dot in the center of the page. The professor told them, “I want you to ___________ about what you see there.” The students were___________ confused but got started with the test. At the end of the class, the professor collected all answer sheets and started reading each answer from each sheet in front of all students. All of them___________ about the black dot and tried to explain its position.

Now, professor began to explain, “Here everyone_________ the black dot and wrote about it_________ no one wrote about the white paper. The same is with our lives. The white paper stands for our whole life and the black dot __________problems in our life.

Our life is a __________ given to us by God, with love and care, and we always have reasons to celebrate—our friends around us, the job that provides us with everything we need. However, we just focus on day to day ____________ like health issues, lack of money, poor relationships, but we seldom see that these problems are very small __________to everything we have in our lives.”

We should try to take eyes __________ our problems and enjoy each moment that life gives us. Be happy and live your life ____________.

1.

A．disappointed

B．curious

C．concerned

D．surprised

2.

A．handing out

B．working out

C．dealing with

D．mixing up

3.

A．open

B．read

C．defend

D．turn

4.

A．annoyed

B．addicted

C．confused

D．amazed

5.

A．bring

B．speak

C．write

D．talk

6.

A．still

B．hardly

C．never

D．mostly

7.

A．communicated

B．described

C．accepted

D．used

8.

A．concentrated on

B．depended on

C．insisted on

D．counted on

9.

A．for

B．so

C．and

D．but

10.

A．likes

B．means

C．prefers

D．deserves

11.

A．picture

B．lesson

C．gift

D．text

12.

A．events

B．adventures

C．solutions

D．problems

13.

A．connected

B．compared

C．addicted

D．attracted

14.

A．on

B．in

C．off

D．under

15.

A．formally

B．differently

C．obviously

D．positively

4 . 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.

2. How did the volunteer work benefit the author?

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.

3. Why did the author choose writing as his job?

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.

4. What does the author suggest readers do in the last paragraph?

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.

5 . To learn to think is to learn to question. Those who don’t question never truly think for themselves. These are simple rules that have governed the advancement of science and human thought. Advancements are made when thinkers question theories (理论) and introduce new ones. Unfortunately, it is often the great and respected thinkers who end up slowing the progress of human thought. Aristotle (亚里士多德) was a brilliant (伟大的) philosopher whose theories explained much of the natural world, often incorrectly. He was so respected by the scientific community that even 1, 200 years after his death, scientists were still trying to build upon his mistakes rather than correct them!

Brilliant minds can intimidate up-and-coming thinkers who are not confident of their abilities. They often believe they are not as good as the minds of giants (巨人) such as Aristotle, leading many to accept current (目前的) ideas instead of questioning them.

I, like many thinkers of the past, once believed in my mental weakness. I didn’t question what was written on those pages. I respected them, and accepted whatever they told me. But that attitude soon changed. My mind’s independence was first developed in the classroom.

A 65-year-old science teacher once told me that light is a type of wave. I confidently believed that light is a wave. One day, however, I heard the German exchange student mention that light could be made up of particles (粒子) . As the others laughed at his statement (陈述) , I started to question my beliefs.

Maybe the teachers and textbooks hadn’t given me the whole story. I went to the library, did some research and learned of the light-as-a-wave vs light-as-a-particle debate. I realized I had gone through life accepting only half of the story as the whole truth.

Each new year brought more new facts, and I had even more questions. I found myself in the library after school, trying to find my own answers to gain a more complete understanding of what I thought I already knew. Even textbooks can be challenged. I learned to question my sources, I learned to be a thinker.

Questions are said to be the path to truth, and I plan to continue questioning. How many things do we know for sure today that we will question in the future? I know nothing can escape the gravity of a black hole. This knowledge may change in the next 20 years. The one thing we can control now is our openness to discovery. Questions are the tools of open minds, and open minds are the key to intellectual (智力的) advancement.

1. In the first paragraph, Aristotle is taken as an example to show that _________.

A．he is the greatest and respected philosopher of all time

B．huge influence of great thinkers may stop human thought from developing

C．advancements are made when thinkers question theories

D．great thinkers often make mistakes and then correct them

2. What does the underlined word “intimidate” in Paragraph 2 mean?

A．Frighten.

B．Encourage.

C．Strengthen (加强)

D．Persuade. (游说)

3. The author began to question his previous (之前的) beliefs because _________.

A．what he learned from textbooks before turned out to be wrong

B．he was inspired by the different ideas from an exchange student

C．he was laughed at by other students for his unacceptable statement

D．he was not satisfied with his life and eager to achieve success

4. According to the passage, the author _________.

A．looks down upon great thinkers all the time

B．never doubts what he has learned in the textbook

C．always throws himself into the laboratory

D．is determined to be a thinker and questioner

5. We can conclude from the last paragraph that _________.

A．the author is not quite sure about his future

B．we human beings don’t dare (敢) to predict (预测) future

C．the theory of black holes will change in two years

D．questioning is necessary to promote advancement

6 . When I tried out for the football team during the summer before 9th grade, I never imagined how important this sport would become in my life. Football is a _____ sport, at times almost painful, and practices really _____ a team’s physical and mental limits. Without trust in my own ability and a strong sense of commitment, I would never have managed to continue after years of hard work as a player, and with countless _____.

In the first year, I played on the defensive line. This was an amazing _____ that gave me a great sense of achievement. But in the last game of the season, I was seriously injured. I was prohibited from any physical activities for six months. After going _____ a series of physical treatments, I returned to the field as a team captain. I practiced harder than ever to make up for my _____ time.

In September, during my junior year, my name was mentioned in the local newspaper as the key defensive lineman on the team. After playing a fantastic season, I was given the _____ of the Most Valuable Player.

_____, my skills in football do not magically extend to other sports. During the winter break, I went on a snowboarding trip and seriously injured my right shoulder. I had to have four _____. Since I could not use my right arm for two months, I had to learn how to write and eat using my left hand.

______ life must go on. I knew that my own present efforts would decide my future, so I ______ the strict training program to build up strength and improve flexibility in my ______. After an eight-month recovery, I was back to the field playing football, the sport I ______.

In this sense, the world of football has taught me an important life lesson: ______ and commitment make what seems impossible ______. This lesson from football is the one that can be applied to every part of life.

1.

A．tough

B．popular

C．typical

D．dynamic

2.

A．set

B．control

C．test

D．require

3.

A．mistakes

B．adventures

C．accidents

D．injuries

4.

A．performance

B．position

C．moment

D．advantage

5.

A．with

B．over

C．through

D．into

6.

A．valuable

B．lost

C．extra

D．regular

7.

A．pride

B．choice

C．name

D．honor

8.

A．Unfortunately

B．Similarly

C．Happily

D．Gradually

9.

A．practices

B．tryouts

C．seasons

D．operations

10.

A．But

B．Or

C．So

D．And

11.

A．examined

B．changed

C．provided

D．completed

12.

A．shoulder

B．hand

C．leg

D．foot

13.

A．explore

B．avoid

C．love

D．support

14.

A．Knowledge

B．Belief

C．Experience

D．Opinion

15.

A．enjoyable

B．possible

C．sensible

D．responsible

7 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

Sports Day was getting close in the school. All the children were very excited and were practicing for the big race. John, one of the fast runners of the school, was confident that he would win for he was not doing anything at all. “You have to work hard to come first in the race John. You are not practicing at all,” said John’s mother.

“Mom, you know how fast I am! Why should I waste my time running? Only I will win; no one else will win!”said John. “John, you may be right but talent (天赋) without hard work is not good at all. This laziness of yours will cost you greatly,” his mother warned him. John just laughed. He was so confident that he would win the trophy (奖杯) as no one else in his class was as fast as he was!.

Tim, a classmate of John, was also participating (参加) in the running race. He was not a fast runner. However, he practiced till late at night and had developed great endurance (持久力) to run the race.

There were a few days left for the Sports Day but John did not practice at all. On the other hand, Tim practiced day and night.

The Sports Day was almost around the corner but John was confident that no one could beat him and had not practiced at all. But Tim with his hard work had become a very great runner.

At last, the Sports Day arrived. All the students showed up on the ground to cheer their favorites. The coach blew the whistle (口哨) and everyone began to run toward the finishing line. It was so exciting. John and Tim left all the racers far behind. Both of them were neck to neck.

注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在相应位置作答。

Suddenly, John went ahead of Tim.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

John’s mother came up to Tim and praised him for his hard work.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8 . Once upon a time, a daughter complained to her father that her senior high school life was unhappy and that she was tired of struggling with homework all the time.

Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Once the three pots began to boil, h placed potatoes, eggs and coffee beans in them. After 20 minutes, he took them out, putting the potatoes and eggs in a bowl and the coffee in a cup.

Turning to his daughter, he said, “Look closer, and touch the potatoes.” She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After puling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to taste the coffee. Its good smell brought a smile to her face.

“Father, what does this mean?” she asked. He then explained that the potatoes, the eggs and the coffee beans were in the same adversity (逆境)—the boiling water. However, each one reacted differently.

The strong and hard potato became soft and weak in boiling water. The egg was fragile, with the thin outer shell protecting its liquid until it was put in the boiling water. Then the inside of the egg became hard. However, the coffee beans were unique. After they were exposed to the boiling water, they changed the water and created something new. “Which one do you want to be like,” he asked. “When adversity knocks on your door, how will you respond?”

In life, challenges happen to us all, but the only thing that truly matters is what happens within us.

1. Why did the girl complain to her father?

A．Because of her tiring job.	B．Because of her hard school life.
C．Because of her father’ s busy work.	D．Because of the food her father cooked.

2. What can we infer from this story?

A．The girl liked the coffee best.

B．The father was good at cooking.

C．Different people have different reactions to adversity.

D．The girl didn’t like the potatoes and eggs.

3. What does the underlined word “fragile” mean in the 5th paragraph?

A．thick

B．hard

C．strong

D．easily-broken

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

A．Challenges and responses.	B．Adversities and a chef.
C．A chef and coffee beans.	D．Father and daughter.

9 . Let me tell you about a young boy who made a model car all on his own. The boy is me, six years ago when I was just 11.

The car was small and simple, but in my imagination it was a high-speed racing car, speeding along the race road. It was during the school summer holidays and workmen were building a new driveway and garage (车库) beside our house. It meant to add something new to our home. When I watched the workmen, I came up with an idea — I would build a car to drive into the garage in celebration of it. I told my mother and began with my plans. But I couldn’t find the right things for making the car, so I gave up and sadly spent several days doing nothing. My mother noticed that I had stopped working and asked me why. I explained and she suggested that maybe I should change my plan to fit the things I had, rather than give up.

And that’s just what I did. I found small pieces of wood in my father’s workshop and made my car from anything that was lying around the house. When I found a small engine (发动机) from one of my old model planes, I added that. The power came from a battery (电池) I found in a box.

By the time the garage was finished, so was my car. I called my family together outside the house, started the engine and put the car on the driveway. It was fast and I had to run to the garage to prevent it from hitting the new door. My family began to cheer and I smiled proudly. Thanks to my mother I learned the value of continuing to do things, especially, something difficult. Soon I was making plans for my next project: a robot!

1. What was the writer when he made the model car?

A．A student.

B．A driver.

C．A workman.

D．An engineer.

2. What did the mother do to help the writer?

A．Explained the plan to him.	B．Brought him to the workshop.
C．Gave him some suggestions.	D．Found him some pieces of wood.

3. What happened by the time the car was finished?

A．The writer thanked his father.	B．The family was called together.
C．The writer put it into the house.	D．The family began a new project.

4. What did the writer mainly tell us?

A．Keep on doing things to the end.	B．Think hard before doing something.
C．Always ask for help when in trouble.	D．Try the best to find the right things to do.

10 . I have dreamed of taking a trip to Hawaii since I graduated, but the best thing always needs waiting.

I took a trip with my friends to Haleakala National Park, which lies in Hawaii.

When we arrived at Haleakala National Park, we were advised to watch the early morning sunrise. I was lost in the sightseeing (观光) that afternoon, so I could hardly wait to see the sunrise. The next morning, we all got out of bed very early and got to the seaside at 3 o’clock. In the first half an hour, we imagined how wonderful it would be when the first light came out through the thick clouds and how soft it would be when the light touched our skin, so we waited and waited. However, another half an hour later, I gradually lost my patience since there was nothing but the chilly darkness, and I felt that I was frozen to death. (冻死) But my friends were still extremely cheerful.

Nearly another one hour later, “Amazing!” Judy burst out and we all shouted to welcome the light, which was really unbelievable. Until today, I dare say that it is the most impressive sunrise in my life. However, waiting in the morning darkness is also one memory I can’t forget forever.

Waiting sometimes is really a hard thing for most of us as it needs patience and strong-willed determination (决心) , but what about the result after that? It might turn out to be pleasing and unbelievable. So, it is really worth (值得的) waiting for the best.

1. What can we learn from the passage?

A．he author’s friends and the author took a trip to China.

B．Hawaii is a good place to enjoy the sunrise.

C．Sometimes, it is worth waiting for the best.

D．The author enjoyed the worst sunrise in his life.

2. When did they see the first light of the sunrise?

A．About 3 o’clock.	B．About 4 o’clock.
C．About 5 o’clock.	D．About 6 o’clock.

3. What’s the meaning of the underlined word in Paragraph 2?

A．Total.

B．Cold.

C．Terrible.

D．Interesting.

4. How did the author feel when waiting for the sunrise?

A．Excited all the time.	B．Afraid all the time.
C．Firstly excited then afraid.	D．Firstly excited then impatient.