1 . “I can’t connect with your characters.”

I kept hearing the same feedback and was unable to understand why and not sure what to do. I was a character-driven writer. How could I mess up the one thing I was supposed to be good at? I was determined to convince my agent that these characters were real. After all, I knew they were real. My main character Lotus had lived inside me for years. I just needed to clarify her on the page.

I wrote and edited for a year, trying to respond to this agent’s feedback. But Lotus’ personality began to disappear. I tried to have her make “better” decisions, wear smarter fashion, and have more friends, as my agent said she acted “immature” and was “isolated”. And when this agent ultimately parted ways with me, I felt like I had failed. Now with time and distance, I realize I tried to fit Lotus into a neurotypical style to please my agent. And as a result, Lotus lost her Lotus-ness.

When that agent discouraged me from writing Lotus as autistic(自闭的), he said that would make Lotus seem more “vulnerable(脆弱的)” or an “obvious victim”. I didn’t want Lotus to seem vulnerable. Lotus’ autism is what makes her powerful, I tried to explain. But from a neurotypical perspective, Lotus’ autism could only be seen as a weakness.

Unsure of how to convince my agent of the strength and power autistic women hold, I began to write Lotus as “neurotypical”. And I failed miserably. After all, what do I know about being neurotypical? My whole life, autism was my default. Not being diagnosed until 2020, I assumed the way I saw the world was “normal”.

My current agent encourages me to write from my neurodivergent(神经多样性的) experience. With this invitation, I revisited Lotus and saw her the way I first wrote her. And when I did, the characters and the entire narrative began to make more sense.

Identifying my characters as neurodivergent not only gives me joy as a writer, but it has produced my strongest writing. For so long, I’ve combatted the advice to “write what I know”, in part because I didn’t know what I actually knew. I didn’t know I was neurodivergent. But as I mine the specificity of my lived experience, my writing is stronger. There is a power to our lived experience. It’s not a limitation on our craft, but a swinging open of the gates.

1. How did the author feel when receiving the repeated response from the first agent?

A．Confused.

B．Convinced.

C．Determined.

D．Disappointed.

2. Lotus’ personality got lost because ______

A．Lotus no longer lived inside the author	B．the author attempted to please the agent
C．the agent failed to sympathize with Lotus	D．Lotus was considered childish and lonely

3. What do we know about the author?

A．She regretted parting with the agent.

B．She owed her success in life to autism.

C．She was aware of her autism in the early years.

D．She was empowered by her autistic experience.

4. What has the author learned from her own experience?

A．Stick to your dream despite discouragement.

B．Be true to yourself and write from your heart.

C．Giving in to authority is the barrier to success.

D．Everyone is born an original instead of a copy.

2 . Every January for the past 20 years, I have taken a few moments to carefully think about the answer to the big question, “What is the meaning of life?”

I ask this question year after year, because my answer changes _________, which I find interesting and insightful. There is no objectively(客观地) correct _________, I believe, only answers that are _________ for you at any given time.

Great _________ have given the question thought, so you can look to the words _________ to them for _________, Russian author Leo Tolstoy wrote, “The sole (唯一的) _________ of life is to serve humanity.” Albert Einstein _________ it this way: “Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.” And Martin Luther King Jr. expressed the view as a(n) _________: “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is ‘What are you doing for others?’”

Others came to the __________ conclusion, in their own words. For instance, Scottish rugby legend(传奇人物) Nelson Henderson stated the view __________ when he said, “The true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose __________ you do not expect to sit.” And actress Whoopi Goldberg’s meaning—of—life metaphor was to “throw little torches out to lead people through the dark”.

“There is not one big cosmic meaning for all,” author Ana’s Nin wrote. I __________, which is why I recommend __________ your own answer. And suggest answering it every year. And the last part of this experiment is to try to turn your answer into __________. If “love” is the answer, then love more. Whatever small step you take toward finding the meaning of life is a step toward a more meaningful, and longer, life.

1.

A．in time

B．over time

C．on time

D．at times

2.

A．process

B．policy

C．answer

D．strategy

3.

A．obvious

B．powerful

C．chief

D．right

4.

A．organizers

B．residents

C．survivors

D．thinkers

5.

A．belonging

B．occurring

C．appealing

D．attending

6.

A．donation

B．destination

C．inspiration

D．application

7.

A．process

B．meaning

C．impact

D．procedure

8.

A．wanted

B．used

C．tried

D．put

9.

A．question

B．signal

C．guideline

D．explanation

10.

A．only

B．same

C．final

D．other

11.

A．absolutely

B．entirely

C．poetically

D．orderly

12.

A．shade

B．roofs

C．control

D．wings

13.

A．agree

B．protest

C．retire

D．confirm

14.

A．applying

B．defending

C．delivering

D．forming

15.

A．arrangement

B．action

C．power

D．reaction

3 . Many of us have stories about that one person who, along the way, chose to believe in or help us.

When I was a first-semester college junior, my GPA(Grade-Point Average)was in the 2.9 range—too ______ for the honors program that I was trying to get into because the GPA ______ was 3.0 at least. My advisor, Gwen Gustafson, chose to believe in me and she made a(n)______ for me, allowing me to get into the honors program at the University of Connecticut.

After I got into the honors program, I needed to have a faculty member who ______ to oversee my honors thesis (论文). Faculty members (全系教师) really get no extra ______ for overseeing students’ honors theses, and saying “no” is both ______ and easy; however, professor Amerigo Farina told me “yes” when I asked him to serve as my thesis advisor, which made my entire academic career take a big ______.

Life junctures (特定时刻) where someone in a position of ______ chooses to be ______ as opposed to (而非) negative can make all the difference in someone’s life. If you’re like me, you can point to a small set of special people who used their powerful roles to help ______ your life in a positive way.

If you find yourself in a position of power, ______ the requests of others is easy. It requires little ______ and costs you less time. ______ , saying “yes” to requests from subordinates (下级) can be costly, but it can help people develop in all kinds of positive ways. Such an ______ is most likely to come from a leader or an authority figure who can bring you a bright _______ rather than a dark one.

1.

A．difficult

B．ridiculous

C．low

D．sensitive

2.

A．assessment

B．information

C．standard

D．requirement

3.

A．exception

B．excuse

C．decision

D．reservation

4.

A．expected

B．agreed

C．prepared

D．promised

5.

A．award

B．qualification

C．compliment

D．compensation

6.

A．random

B．common

C．challenging

D．free

7.

A．surprise

B．chance

C．jump

D．hit

8.

A．power

B．trust

C．doubt

D．advantage

9.

A．determined

B．optimistic

C．responsible

D．supportive

10.

A．plan

B．analyse

C．control

D．advance

11.

A．adopting

B．changing

C．rejecting

D．raising

12.

A．effort

B．attention

C．equipment

D．knowledge

13.

A．Therefore

B．However

C．Besides

D．Otherwise

14.

A．attempt

B．opportunity

C．approach

D．accident

15.

A．future

B．impression

C．idea

D．experience

4 . 语法填空

When I was in college, an acquaintance who had graduated a few years prior came back to visit for the weekend. As we walked around campus on Saturday night, he threw his hands into the cold Connecticut air and exclaimed, “You guys are so lucky; you live     1     minute away from all your friends. You’ll never have this again.”

At the time, I thought it was kind of sad—a     2     (grow) man pining for my life of university housing and late library nights. But his words     3     (stick) with me in the years since. “In adulthood, as people grow up and go away, friendships are the relationships most likely     4     (take) a hit,” my colleague Julie Beck wrote in 2015. The     5     (old) you get, the more effort it takes to maintain connection, because you don’t have     6     many opportunities to see your friends every day.

The writer Jennifer Senior noted last year that the fact of our choosing friendships makes them both fragile and special: “You have to continually stay involved. That you choose it is     7     gives it its value,” she wrote. But that’s also what makes friendships harder to hold on to as our lives evolve.

It’s hard but not impossible. Senior notes that when     8     comes to friendship, “we have to create occasions that force us together: weekly phone calls, friendship anniversaries or road trips,”     9     it takes.”

“Friendship is the mare kind of relationship that remains forever available to us as we age,” Senior writes. “It’s a potential source of creativity and renewal in lives that otherwise narrow with time.” It’s something worth     10     (choose), over and over again.

5 . If there is one thing I have missed the most during the last year of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been seeing other people smiling. When every face has a mask on it, you may feel ______ in the health of your body but you start to feel sicker in the health of your ______. Recently,I have started to notice the ______ in the eyes, and the gentle lifting of the mask when people smile at me. For me, that smile is a ______.

I have always seen every smile as a ______. As I grew up，my mom’s smile added ______ to my days. And I am so happy that it ______ today as I pass on the happiness to my children. My grandmother’s smile always had a ______ “Hello!” to go along with it. My dad’s smile was ______ as he was strict and serious, but I loved seeing it when he sometimes ______.

Over the years I have learned a lot about ______. I read once that “We don’t smile because we are happy. We are happy because we smile”. I also read that “I have ______ seen a smiling face that isn’t beautiful”. And I realized that both of these things were true.

In fact，when you smile, it doesn’t matter whether you are ______ a mask,or whether your ______ are white or yellow，many or few, or missing altogether. ______ your smile because it can lift your spirits, share your love and spread your happiness.

1.

A．smaller

B．weaker

C．smarter

D．safer

2.

A．soul

B．body

C．head

D．eye

3.

A．light

B．tear

C．question

D．regret

4.

A．burden

B．blessing

C．loss

D．secret

5.

A．change

B．recipe

C．wish

D．treasure

6.

A．wisdom

B．curiosity

C．joy

D．understanding

7.

A．lives on

B．slows down

C．dies out

D．takes off

8.

A．dull

B．cheerful

C．shocking

D．hesitant

9.

A．normal

B．strange

C．rare

D．unique

10.

A．approved

B．responded

C．laughed

D．bargained

11.

A．failures

B．smiles

C．challenges

D．stories

12.

A．frequently

B．still

C．never

D．easily

13.

A．selling

B．purchasing

C．washing

D．wearing

14.

A．teeth

B．cars

C．fingers

D．feet

15.

A．Forget

B．Show

C．Seek

D．Award

6 . Camping is a rite of passage (成人仪式) if you grow up in Canada. It’s a child’s first_________of what living in the wild really means. But growing up as an immigrant from India, I thought it was ___________ .

Then I __________26 and started trying new things. I had been __________mental health issues for quite some time and I discovered being out in nature helped me calm down._________, I decided to try camping.

Then I overheard a(n)__________ between my father and mother. “Why does she have to do this? Doesn’t she know she can just stay at home?” my father asked. “This is what Canadian kids do, it’s okay, she’ll be fine!” my mom__________ . My parents had no___________in me surviving one night in the wild.

My friends and I___________our campsite in the woods. As the day went on, we ate, played by the water and met our camping neighbors. Time felt like it __________; life felt gentler and easier. As the day turned into night, the stars came out and I was amazed by all the__________lights above me. Morning came. I didn’t even realize I was __________ to leave until we started packing everything up.

I wasn’t just leaving, having accomplished something I ___________thought I would do. I was leaving with a real sense of community, a real sense of __________for what the great outdoors had to offer, and a completely different __________ to an activity that I had thought strange for so many years.

1.

A．attempt

B．taste

C．proposal

D．target

2.

A．odd

B．awkward

C．amazing

D．rough

3.

A．grew

B．observed

C．turned

D．recalled

4.

A．involving

B．surviving

C．abandoning

D．experiencing

5.

A．Overall

B．Moreover

C．Somehow

D．Therefore

6.

A．argument

B．debate

C．conversation

D．quarrel

7.

A．explained

B．insisted

C．prayed

D．interrupted

8.

A．mercy

B．empathy

C．faith

D．preference

9.

A．set up

B．beat down

C．drew on

D．rose to

10.

A．shot up

B．slowed down

C．broke out

D．put off

11.

A．swinging

B．bouncing

C．rolling

D．twinkling

12.

A．curious

B．enthusiastic

C．upset

D．desperate

13.

A．barely

B．constantly

C．ultimately

D．merely

14.

A．foundation

B．appreciation

C．resolution

D．recognition

15.

A．contrast

B．attitude

C．priority

D．exposure

7 . Make friends with your inner voice

Most people have an inner voice.     1     What you say to yourself, and how you say it, makes a difference to how you think, feel and behave, so it’s worth paying attention to it.

What is your inner voice?

Your inner voice is always with you, giving a commentary inside your head. You might notice it when you make a mistake, when you try something new, or when you solve a problem.     2    Sometimes it sounds kind but at other times it can sound mean or scared. Young people’s coach Maria Evans says it should be treated with kindness. “It gets scared when you think about doing something that feels stretchy.     3     ” Often all it needs is to be listened to and spoken to with love.

How does your inner voice affect you?

Your inner voice, also known as your self-talk, has an impact on you because you already pay attention to it.     4     If you keep telling yourself you can’t do maths or you’re no good at making friends or you’re not creative, over time you’ll believe what your inner voice is saying. When you talk to yourself using a phrase like “I’ve got to tidy my room,” it makes the task feel harder. If instead you say, “I choose to tidy my room, and then I’ll be able to find the things I want easily”, it’s more positive.

Befriend your inner voice.

    5     For example, when you do something you felt nervous about, congratulate yourself for being brave and having a go. If you’re not sure what to say, imagine you’re talking to your best friend and trying to support and help them inside your head.

A．Your inner voice has different tones.

B．It’s the internal chatter that goes on inside your head.

C．So what you say to yourself, and what you hear, sinks in.

D．You’re telling yourself how you’ll benefit from tidying your room.

E．It can be helpful to talk to that voice with kindness and understanding.

F．When you make a mistake, tell yourself it’s OK and you’ll learn for next time.

G．Noticing your inner voice and talking encouragingly to yourself make you more confident.

8 . 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。

Su Shi, a famous scholar of the Song Dynasty, was     1    (high)thought of in poetry, prose and painting.

At the age of 21, his fresh prose style earned him the     2    (recognize)of Ouyang Xiu. He     3    (say)that Su Shi’s writings were outstanding. This made Su Shi instantly famous. However,     4     his political dream was realized, he had to leave his position and return home.

His dreams cut short, Su Shi turned his focus toward nature. In the spring of 1082, he took an outing with his friends. When     5     sudden shower of rain made his companions rush for shelter(遮蔽物), Su Shi burst into laughter as if completely unaware of the rain.

Along both sides of the path were growing trees,     6     leaves made soft sounds as the rain-drops fell. With wet clothes, he walked along while     7     (sing)a happy song. Then it hit him: “I shall go through this life in a     8     (peace)mind, if only wearing a straw rain cape(蓑衣).”

Su Shi’s optimistic and open-minded attitude     9     life ensured his advancement despite political ups and downs. Expressed in his poetry and essay, which have been passed down through generations, such an attitude has truly inspired us     10     (keep)a broad mind and persist in our struggle against all difficulties

9 . Earlier this month, I bought a new smart phone. I didn’t ________ it much at first, only to get a call from my daughter. Soon, however, I found it ________ to surf the internet on the smart phone than my large computer. Even with my ________ time I quickly found myself spending more and more of it on this phone.

Yesterday when I was ________ short videos on TikTok, suddenly a long and white nose ________ its way between me and my phone. ________ I put the phone down, took my glasses off and petted my dog. Soon we were hugging, and romping (嬉闹) around in the house. And I ________ something too. There was a feeling in my heart:a wonderful mixture of love, laughter, and ________. It was a ________ that I hadn’t gotten once during all that time I had spent on my phone.

It’s strange how it took a dog to ________ me of what is important. I ________ to spend less time on my phone and more time doing the ________ things in life like hugging my children, talking to my friends and even playing with my dog. ________ is here to stay. But we shouldn’t let it control us or our ________. We should use it only when it ________ us to do the important things like loving each other or making this world better.

1.

A．desire

B．like

C．use

D．care

2.

A．cheaper

B．easier

C．safer

D．slower

3.

A．limited

B．special

C．free

D．waiting

4.

A．taking down

B．pointing at

C．speaking of

D．checking out

5.

A．pushed

B．felt

C．lost

D．followed

6.

A．Shaking

B．Laughing

C．Running

D．Clapping

7.

A．proved

B．revised

C．noticed

D．changed

8.

A．respect

B．patience

C．trust

D．joy

9.

A．feeling

B．fantasy

C．solution

D．response

10.

A．cure

B．remind

C．clear

D．warn

11.

A．hesitated

B．happened

C．promised

D．refused

12.

A．regular

B．normal

C．important

D．extreme

13.

A．Communication

B．Technology

C．Friendship

D．Inspiration

14.

A．energy

B．talent

C．future

D．time

15.

A．expects

B．invites

C．requires

D．helps

10 . 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。

It’s eight o’clock on Christmas morning, and my dad says he wants to listen to the news. My 11-year-old self is wondering why on Earth grown-ups would be interested in the news when there are important things to be done, such as handing out presents. And then, while I am only half-listening, something strange happens: the newsreader begins talking about a Christmas message. Hadn’t we heard that report earlier?

My older brother, Colin, figures out what’s happening. “Pete, Pete, it’s a tape recorder! We’ve got our tape recorder!”

It finally dawns on me: my dad recorded the news and is playing it back now.

Colin and I had both been blind from birth. At the special school that Colin and I attended, a recorder of your own was the height of desire. However, realistic about family finances, we had no real expectations of getting one.

The tape recorder my dad bought us would have cost more than four times his weekly wage. He could only afford it by borrowing the money. I know my mum and dad would have thought long and hard before being in the debt.

The new toy controlled the rest of the Christmas holidays. Once we had mastered the controls, we recorded anything and everything: each other, our parents, the milkman, the dog... and we very quickly learned how much fun we could have with it.

It wasn’t the first time I had been attracted by a tape recorder. I vividly remember walking into a room when I was four and hearing a child’s tuneless singing. I stopped dead. “It’s you,” Dad said.

It turned out that he had borrowed a tape recorder. So for the first time, in the same way that a sighted child might react to seeing themselves in a mirror, I got the sense of myself as a separate person who existed outside my head and was experienced by other people.

注意：
1.词数150左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
I took my first steps down the path to my career as a broadcaster when I returned to school.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Ten years later, I walked into a radio station, in the hopes of selling myself as a broadcast journalist.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________