1 . We were five minutes into a severe winter storm — approaching Boston’s Logan International Airport — when I turned to the woman next to me and said, “Hey, would you mind chatting with me for a few minutes?” My seatmate seemed friendly and I suddenly felt desperate for a human connection.
“Sure. My name is Sue,” the woman replied, smiling warmly. “What brings you to Boston?” I started to explain that I was on a business trip. Then the plane trembled violently, and I blurted out, “I might need to hold your hand too.” Sue took my hand in both of hers, patted it, and held on tight.
Sometimes a stranger can significantly improve our day. ① A pleasant meeting with someone we don’t know, even an unspoken exchange, can calm us when no one else is around. It may get us out of our own heads — a proven mood lifter — and help broaden our vision. Sandstrom, a psychologist and senior lecturer at the University of Essex, has found that people’s moods improve after they have a conversation with a stranger. And yet most of us resist talking to people we don’t know or barely know. We worry about how to start, maintain, or stop it. We think we will keep talking and disclose too much, or not talk enough. We are afraid we will bore the other person. We’re typically wrong.
② In a study in which Sandstrom asked participants to talk to at least one stranger a day for five days, 99 percent said they had found at least one of the exchanges pleasantly surprising, 82 percent said they’d learned something from one of the strangers, 43 percent had exchanged contact information, and 40 percent had communicated with one of the strangers again.
③ Multiple studies show that people who interact regularly with passing acquaintances or who engage with others through community groups, religious gatherings, or volunteer opportunities have better emotional and physical health and live longer than those who do not. One person took up the cello after chatting with a woman on the subway who was carrying one. Another recalled how the smile of a fruit salesman from whom he regularly bought bananas made him feel less lonely after he’d first arrived in a new city.
④ When Sue took my hand on that scary flight to Boston, I almost wept with relief. “Hey, this is a little bumpy, but we will be on the ground safely soon,” she told me. She looked so encouraging, and confident. I asked her what she did for a living. “I’m a retired physical education teacher, and I coached women’s volleyball,” she said. Immediately, I could see what an awesome coach she must have been.
When we said goodbye, I gave Sue a big hug and my card. A few days later, I received an e-mail with the subject line “Broken hand on Jet Blue.” “I have to admit that I was just as scared as you were but did not say it,” Sue wrote. “I just squeezed your hand as hard as I could. Thank you for helping me through this very scary situation.” She added that when she’d told her friends about our conversation, they teased her because they know she loves to talk. I told my friends about Sue too. I explained how kind she was to me, and what I learned: It’s OK to ask for help from a stranger if you need it. Now if I mention to my friends that I am stressed or worried, they respond, “Just think of Sue!”
1. The writer struck up a conversation with her seatmate because ________.| A．they were heading for the same city on business |
| B．she was in urgent need of emotional comfort |
| C．the plane’s abrupt movement was unbearable |
| D．the woman was friendlier than other passengers |
| A．It lights up our otherwise unsuccessful life. |
| B．It saves us the trouble of talking too much. |
| C．It improves our ability to think and understand |
| D．It guarantees us a lasting feeling of happiness. |
| A．To present the benefits of interacting with acquaintances. |
| B．To show it lifts mood to make and meet with new friends. |
| C．To stress it is necessary to associate with unknown people. |
| D．To relieve anxiety about communicating with strangers. |
| A．① | B．② | C．③ | D．④ |
| A．The writer was impressed with Sue’s ability to inspire others. |
| B．The writer herself could have been a volleyball player. |
| C．Sue possessed obvious characters of a qualified PE teacher. |
| D．Sue became the coach of the writer as a consequence. |
| A．Regretful. | B．Surprised. | C．Disappointed. | D．Satisfied. |
2 . Exams never made me break out in a nervous sweat with tears threatening to ruin my already-trembling façade — but this one did. Even booking my piano exam reduced me to a blubbering mess of anxiety.
I feel permanently scarred inside churches — no longer admiring their beauty because, over the years, I have received such terrible marks from examiners hiding behind the stained-glass partitions. Despite being 15 — too old, too cool to be frightened — I remember trembling inside the bathroom stalls before my tests. I wished I never had to play in front of others.
But this time, after booking my Level 8 Royal Conservatory of Music piano exam, I went back to my normal routine. A little practice here, a little practice there. And then it happened.
My trusty, 10-year-old electric piano gave out. Middle C started to sound like an F-sharp and all other keys sounded like they were a fourth above their natural tone. Thankfully, my precious, boredom-saving buttons still worked. I could still change my piano’s settings from “piano” to “harpsichord .” I admit, it was a lot of fun banging on my wacky keys. Each note bonged like the sound on children’s TV shows when a character repeatedly runs into a wall.
Goofiness aside, I had to get my act together. I hated practicing but I really wanted a good mark. When I told my father what had happened to my piano, he only glared at me with disappointment, “When I was your age, I learned to be resourceful.”
Hmm. I had a broken piano, an exam coming up in a few months and a father who refused to buy me a new piano because he wanted to teach me a “life lesson”. I finally came upon a decision: I’d practice at school.
Going to a private school had to have its benefits, so I looked for a place to play. The school had many pianos but only a few in tune. Within a few days of searching, my piano books, my artistic best friend and I headed off to a music room at every available opportunity.
I loved finding new pianos in hidden corners of the school and I laughed at the dusty old historic pianos. They really had character. I spent hours in those music rooms while my friend honed her art skills in sketching and drawing. She suffered through my annoying, repetitive scales while I looked over my shoulder once in a while and admired her work. Not only did I become a better musician, but I also managed to gain a few subpar skills as an art critic.
As my exam drew close, all the music teachers knew to look for me in the piano rooms during recess, after school and late on Fridays. In anticipation of my assessment, one of my music teachers let me perform for her as a mini practice exam. To my surprise, she was greatly impressed.
Within a few months I went from not caring about my playing to feeling actually, maybe, kind of proud of my work. And over countless hours spent in my favorite, soundproof music room, I discovered that behind the piano, I could become anyone. Talking to other people never came easy to me, but I was able to express myself through music. I became overjoyed. It was like I had developed a sixth sense, one that only musicians could understand.
When I played, my worries about what others thought of me and how I viewed myself merged to reveal who I really am. All my adolescent musings made me feel like I was in a cage, but music gave me the key. Sitting behind a piano and creating music combined the movement of my body and the inner workings of my heart.
Music had never been the love of my life but that was changing. I loved the idea of being on a stage and creating something for others to enjoy and remember. Actually, it wasn’t a something, but rather a feeling that the audience would carry outside into a world where music wasn’t the only thing that people cared for.
When the time came to play in front of an examiner, instead of fearing my judge, I feared nothing but being unable to represent all my hard work. All the anxiety I had about going up on stage dimmed, and when the lights went on, all I could think about was the marvellous journey I’d had to get here. Trilling the keys reminded me of when I’d spent nearly two hours alone in a music room, more content than I had been anywhere else. Playing the melody reminded me of the bittersweet music experiences of past years.
Many days later, I received my mark. Not only did I earn a rarely mentioned “well done” and an 82 per cent, I had rewritten what music meant to me.
Now whenever I get caught up in the daily struggle, I remember the hard work that it took to reach my goal. Whenever I feel discouraged, I never forget to look at the gleaming keys of my new upright piano. As my father always says, some lessons are just learned the hard way.
1. What made the author so stressful inside churches these years?| A．The religious atmosphere. | B．The artistic performance. |
| C．The horrible surroundings. | D．Her colorful fantasy. |
| A．The author’s family was too poor to afford a new piano. |
| B．The father was quite angry about the author’s bad behavior. |
| C．The author showed great dissatisfaction about her father. |
| D．The father wanted the author to address the problem independently. |
| A．mixed | B．separated | C．interacted | D．exploited |
| A．Her good friend accompanied her to get through hard time. |
| B．Her teachers treated her much better than before. |
| C．Her family supported her quite well. |
| D．Her own understanding of musical value. |
| A．Nervous — disappointed — angry — calm |
| B．Curious — frustrated — hopeful — grateful |
| C．Frightened — indifferent — passionate — proud |
| D．Depressed — satisfied — disappointed — peaceful |
| A．An important Music Test |
| B．A Hard but Enjoyable Life |
| C．The Key to Happiness |
| D．My Favourite Piano |
3 . A loving person lives in a loving world while a hostile person lives in a hostile world, Everyone you meet is your mirror.
Mirrors reflecting the
When we see something
Just as the "mirror" or other person can be a(an)
It means that just as I can get
Sometimes we meet someone strange and feel distant, disconnected, or disgusted.
| A．image | B．picture | C．version | D．figure |
| A．Calculation | B．reaction | C．reflection | D．comprehension |
| A．ridiculous | B．unbelievable | C．concrete | D．beautiful |
| A．beside | B．inside | C．alongside | D．behind |
| A．familiar | B．former | C．stranger | D．ordinary |
| A．opinions | B．similarities | C．virtues. | D．characteristics |
| A．positive | B．objective | C．abstract | D．psychological |
| A．remember | B．assess | C．regret | D．accept |
| A．recognition | B．affection | C．suspicion | D．criticism |
| A．spend | B．value | C．reserve | D．spare |
| A．Treasure | B．admire | C．envy | D．dislike |
| A．distinguishing | B．questioning | C．trusting | D．suspecting |
| A．still | B．yet | C．so | D．then |
| A．quality | B．progress | C．information | D．improvement |
| A．excited | B．satisfied | C．annoyed | D．puzzled |
| A．choices | B．decisions | C．plans | D．changes |
| A．adapt | B．transform | C．modify | D．swap |
| A．Because | B．When | C．Although | D．However |
| A．Pick | B．find | C．hold | D．bring |
| A．self-awareness | B．self-esteem | C．self-confidence | D．self-satisfaction |
4 . I’d done it before, and so I had no reason to believe that this time would be any different. I was sure that when I returned home from my mission trip. As always, I’d bring back nothing more some mud on my boots. A hole or two in my jeans and, of course, a lot of great memories.
The summer before my high school graduation, I went to West Virginia with others as volunteers to repair the homes of those in need. Arriving at our destination, my group was assigned the task of rebuilding sections of a home that had been damaged by fire. No sooner had we parked on the home’s dirt driveway than we saw an excited little girl, no more than six years old, standing in the doorway of the family’s temporary home. Shoeless and wearing dirty clothes and the biggest smile I’d ever seen, she yelled, “Ma, Ma, they really came!” I didn’t know it then, but her name was Dakota, and four more days would pass before she’d say another word near me.
Behind Dakota was a woman in a wheelchair — her grandmother, we’d soon learn. I also discovered that my job that week would be to help change a fire-damaged dining room into a bedroom for this little girl. Grabbing our tools, we went to work. Over the following days, I noticed Dakota peeking at us every now and then as we worked. A few times, I tried talking with her, but she remained shy and distant, always flying around us like a tiny butterfly but keeping to herself.
By our fifth and final day, however, this was about to change.
Before I went to work on her home on that last morning, I spoke for a moment or two with the grandmother. I was especially pleased when she told me how much Dakota loved her new room — so much, in fact, that she’d begged to sleep in it the previous night, even though it wasn’t quite ready. As we talked, I noticed something I hadn’t seen before — Dakota was hiding behind her grandmother.
Cautiously, she stepped into view, and I could see that just like her clothes, her face was still dirty. But no amount of soil could hide those bright blue eyes and big smile. She was simply adorable. I wanted so much to hug her, but respecting her shyness, I kept my distance.
Slowly, she began walking toward me. It wasn’t until she was just inches away that I noticed the folded piece of paper in her tiny hand. Silently, she reached up and handed it to me. Once unfolded, I looked at the drawing she’d made with her broken crayons on the back of an old coloring book cover. It was of two girls — one much taller than the other — and they were holding hands. She told me it was supposed to be me and her, and on the bottom of the paper were three little words that instantly broke my heart. Now almost in tears, I couldn’t control myself anymore — I bent down and hugged her. She hugged me, too. And for the longest time, neither of us could let go.
By early afternoon, we finished Dakota’s bedroom, and so I gladly used the rare free time to get to know my newest friend. Sitting under a tree away from the others, we shared a few apples while she told me about her life. As I listened to her stories about the struggles she and her family went through daily, I began to realize how boring various aspects of my own life were.
I left for home early the next morning. I was returning with muddy boots and holes in my Jeans. But because of Dakota, I brought back something else, too—a greater appreciation for all or the blessings of my life. I’ll never forget that barefoot little butterfly with the big smile and dirty face. I pray that she’ll never forget me either.
1. What did the author expect before taking this mission trip?| A．A routine result. |
| B．An exciting experience. |
| C．A special memory. |
| D．A surprising change. |
| A．desired to approach me |
| B．feared to talk with me |
| C．resisted accepting me |
| D．enjoyed meeting me |
| A．she formed a bad living habit |
| B．she hoped for a better education |
| C．she was an innocent and lovely child |
| D．she was strong and calm in the inner world |
| A．Enjoy your help. |
| B．Please don’t leave. |
| C．Help me, please. |
| D．Hug me close. |
| A．She worried about the little girl’s future. |
| B．She decided to keep helping the little girl. |
| C．She felt a greater affection for the little girl. |
| D．She got surprised at the little girl’s worthless gift. |
| A．One must learn to share life experiences. |
| B．One often wants to lead a meaningful life. |
| C．One occasionally benefits from the poverty. |
| D．One should be more grateful for the gift of life. |
5 . The Oxford English Dictionary defines work as the “mental or physical activity as a means of earning income”. Since the industrial revolution, the working world has seen dramatic changes,
We are finding new ways to explore our inborn talents and use our knowledge and skills for the good of the world. Yet most of us are operating under an outdated definition of work. We think work should be hard and that it should be a sacrifice.
The next best step is to come up with your own definition of work. Think through the following two questions:
If you want to spend the majority of your time loving what you do and feeling a deep sense of fulfillment, you need to take charge of creating this for yourself. It doesn’t matter whether you are a businessman or a student with a part-time job.
| A．What is your definition of work? |
| B．New jobs are being created every day. |
| C．Do you understand the definition of work? |
| D．Enjoying work is simply something “nice to have”. |
| E．We are supposed to work hard to satisfy our own need. |
| F．But we must remember that the mind creates the experience. |
| G．You have more power to manage your experience of work than you believe. |
6 . On the last day of college before graduation, our professor walked up on stage to give us a final lesson, which she called "a life lesson on the
Students shouted out answers
After a few moments of
As the class nodded their heads in
stressful thoughts are like this glass of water. Think about them for a while and
| A．origin | B．trend | C．standard | D．power |
| A．picked | B．laid | C．raised | D．pulled |
| A．urged | B．begged | C．expected | D．advised |
| A．Instead | B．Therefore | C．Otherwise | D．Anyway |
| A．coming | B．ranging | C．transforming | D．judging |
| A．various | B．visible | C．quick | D．short |
| A．concern | B．matter | C．care | D．mean |
| A．refers to | B．results in | C．depends on | D．mixes with |
| A．fairly | B．exactly | C．theoretically | D．merely |
| A．only | B．again | C．later | D．straight |
| A．permitting | B．forcing | C．encouraging | D．reminding |
| A．section | B．problem | C．case | D．field |
| A．so | B．or | C．for | D．but |
| A．remains | B．feels | C．proves | D．looks |
| A．agreement | B．relief | C．fear | D．shock |
| A．happiness | B．disappointment | C．curiousness | D．engagement |
| A．something | B．everything | C．anything | D．nothing |
| A．pain | B．terror | C．sorrow | D．doubt |
| A．unwilling | B．unable | C．unwise | D．unlucky |
| A．destroy | B．hide | C．drop | D．accept |
7 . I’d never been crazy about Christmas. My husband John and the kids had always done their best to infuse(使充满) me with the holiday
My salary had reduced and John’s government salary was
“I got a Make and Bake set for Christmas!” one girl shouted. “I got clothes!” another girl said. “What did you get, Lori?” someone asked. “So many presents.” I lied. My parents gave me plenty of love, but love was the
John was
I worked hard to make things right for John because I loved to see my Christmas-loving husband full of holiday joy. I
| A．practice | B．desire | C．spirit | D．pressure |
| A．aimless | B．priceless | C．endless | D．hopeless |
| A．decreased | B．received | C．measured | D．doubled |
| A．performances | B．presents | C．rewards | D．donations |
| A．putting up | B．putting down | C．putting off | D．putting on |
| A．embarrassing | B．horrible | C．precious | D．exciting |
| A．first | B．same | C．real | D．only |
| A．predicted | B．decided | C．imagined | D．promised |
| A．searching | B．preparing | C．approaching | D．planting |
| A．change | B．remove | C．hold | D．handle |
| A．dream | B．reminder | C．comfort | D．resource |
| A．got down | B．broke away | C．turned off | D．fell over |
| A．idea | B．story | C．business | D．account |
| A．flashed | B．repaired | C．adjusted | D．adapted |
| A．message | B．procedure | C．commitment | D．attitude |
8 . A stout old lady was walking with her basket down the middle of a street in Petrograd to the great confusion of the traffic and with no small danger to herself. It was pointed out to her that the pavement was the place for pedestrians, bat she replied: “I’m going to walk where I like. We’ve got liberty now.” It did not occur to the dear old lady that if liberty allowed the pedestrian to walk down the middle of the road, then the end of such liberty would be universal chaos. Everybody would be getting in everybody else’s way and nobody would get anywhere. Individual liberty would have become social anarchy(无政府主义).
There is a danger of the world getting liberty-drunk in these days like the old lady with the basket, and it is just as well to remind ourselves of what the rule of the road means. It means that in order that the liberties of all may be preserved, the liberties of everybody must be curtailed (削减). When the policeman, say, at Piccadilly Circus steps into the middle of the road and puts out his hand, he is the symbol not of tyranny(专制)，but of liberty. You may not think so. You may, being in a hurry, and seeing your car pulled up by this rude officer, feel that your liberty has been outraged. How dare this fellow interfere with your free use of the public highway? Then, if you are a reasonable person, you will reflect that if he did not interfere with you, he would interfere with no one, and the result would be that Piccadilly Circus would be in chaos that you would never cross at all. You have to curtail your private liberty in order that you may enjoy a social order which makes your liberty a reality.
Liberty is not a personal affair only, but a social contract. It is an accommodation of interests. In matters which do not touch anybody else’s liberty, of course, I may be as free as I like. If I choose to go down the road in a dressing-gown who shall say me no? You have liberty to laugh at me, but I have liberty to be indifferent to you. And if I have a fancy for dyeing my hair, or wearing an overcoat and sandals, or going to bed late or getting up early, I shall follow my fancy and ask no man’s permission. I shall not inquire of you whether I may eat mustard with my mutton. And you will not ask me whether you may follow this religion or that, whether you may prefer Ella Wheeler Wilcox to Wordsworth.
In all these and a thousand other details you and I please ourselves and ask no one’s leave. We have a whole kingdom in which we rule alone, can do what we choose, be wise or ridiculous, harsh or easy, conventional or odd. But directly we step out of that kingdom, our personal liberty of action becomes qualified by other people’s liberty. I might like to practice on the trumpet from midnight till three in the morning. If I went on to the top of Everest to do it, I could please myself, but if I do it in my bedroom my family will object, and if I do it out in the streets the neighbors will remind me that my liberty to blow the trumpet must not interfere with their liberty to sleep in quiet. There are a lot of people in the world, and I have to accommodate my liberty to their liberties.
We are all likely to forget this, and unfortunately we are much more conscious of the imperfections of others in this respect than of our own. A reasonable consideration for the rights or feelings of others is the foundation of social conduct.
It is in the small matters of conduct, in the observance of the rule of the road, that we pass judgment upon ourselves, and declare that we are civilized or uncivilized. The great moments of heroism and sacrifice are rare. It is the little habits of commonplace intercourse that make up the great sum of life and sweeten or make bitter the journey.
1. The author might regard his “rule of the road” as_________.| A．not walking in the middle of the road | B．following the orders of policemen |
| C．behaving considerately in public | D．doing what you like in private |
| A．ridiculous | B．impolite |
| C．intolerable | D．irresponsible |
| A．accepted | B．prohibited |
| C．educated | D．limited |
| A．when he stays in his own home | B．if he doesn’t interrupt others’ liberty |
| C．if he doesn’t go against the law | D．when no one pays attention to him |
| A．obeying the authorities | B．correcting others’ improper acts |
| C．making personal sacrifices | D．being thoughtful in small things |
| A．“Individual liberty would have become social anarchy.” (paragraph 1) |
| B．“ There is a danger of the world getting liberty-drunk…” (paragraph 2) |
| C．“A reasonable consideration for the rights or feelings…” (paragraph 5) |
| D．“ The great moments of heroism and sacrifice are rare. ” (paragraph 6) |
9 . Being a teenager can be tough. “Troubled” and “rebellious(叛逆的)” are often labels that people give kids in their teens. There are even scientific theories explaining that the likelihood of teenagers taking is due to the fact that their brains aren’t fully developed yet.
But a new study by researches at the University of Pennsylvania and Cornell University may have finally cleared up this misunderstanding.
The adolescents(青少年) lack experience.
Instead of being something to worry about, sensation seeking is actually necessary, since the process of learning usually goes hand in hand with taking risks. "Teenagers need to build experience so that they can do a better job in making the difficult and risky decisions in later life. ‘Should I take this job? or ‘
“
| A．Should I marry this person? |
| B．It turns out that teenagers are fine. |
| C．Adolescents should do as follows. |
| D．What can parents do to help the kids? |
| E．There's something scarier than taking a risk. |
| F．In other words, they just can t help it. |
| G．Therefore, they keep trying things out for the first time in their life. |
10 . Last year,I met with a major accident.This accident totally changed the
So I was riding the vehicle at an average speed of 30-40 mph when I thought to go
Unfortunately, just a second or two before this I had
Thankfully, the man was all night
That split second
| A．idea | B．mind | C．way | D．point |
| A．on | B．in | C．by | D．at |
| A．case | B．condition | C．hope | D．mood |
| A．difficult | B．common | C．fortunate | D．dangerous |
| A．what | B．which | C．that | D．whether |
| A．habit | B．regret | C．pain | D．goal |
| A．forward | B．round | C．down | D．ahead |
| A．concern | B．problem | C．burden | D．matter |
| A．shook | B．indicated | C．responded | D．hesitated |
| A．sped up | B．caught up | C．taken | D．declared |
| A．long | B．large | C．close | D．straight |
| A．bodies | B．friends | C．helmets | D．vehicles |
| A．suddenly | B．generally | C．frequently | D．lately |
| A．another | B．the other | C．other | D．the others |
| A．though | B．if | C．when | D．as |
| A．decision | B．demand | C．target | D．solution |
| A．ridiculous | B．strange | C．major | D．vital |
| A．analysed | B．found | C．made | D．put |
| A．promised | B．informed | C．forgave | D．doubted |
| A．figure out | B．stand out | C．carry out | D．turn out |
