1 . Dear Children,

As you know, for years I’ve planned to write up the memories. Now that you are grown, I’ve signed up for a memoir writing class. You know what? It’s such a struggle!

Sometimes, I wake up in the middle of the night with just the right thought in my mind. Grabbing notepaper and pen, I go in the bathroom and write it down. Great! I don’t want to lose that, and in the morning it may be gone. But I’m having trouble getting back to sleep these days and find myself nodding off in my chair after dinner.

Instead of writing “I remember,” we are encouraged to be creative. The right expression came -during the night. Naturally I jumped up and got it written just the way I wanted. It’s all sort of a torture (拆磨). I’m walking around with dark circles underneath my eyes.

I spend a great deal of time staring out the window, deep in thoughts. I’ve noticed I’m having a little bit of trouble sometimes getting my eyes to focus again. I also carry around a notebook in my purse to seize the thoughts when I’m driving around or at the grocery store. The notebook takes up so much space in my purse!

It’s great to have pictures to illustrate the writings. But in finding just the right ones, I have to search around through all the boxes, and the house is in a mess. in fact, I’m becoming absent-minded, I have to admit. I forgot to turn on the coffee pot the other morning, and yesterday the potatoes burned when I was writing down this great description.

So, my dears, I’ve decided it’s fun to write all the memorable times in my life and to share the happy days of your growing up years. But I think at my age, I need my rest. Enjoy the ones I’ve written because I’ve decided not to write any more memoirs.

Love, Mom

1. What happened to the author after taking part in the memoir writing class?

A．Her memoir was soon accomplished.

B．Her sleeping quality was greatly affected.

C．She formed a habit of sleeping after dinner.

D．She became a creative writer after struggle.

2. Why did the author carry around a notebook?

A．To help her driving.

B．To communicate with people.

C．To write down her thoughts.

D．To take up the space of her purse.

3. What can we learn about the author from Paragraph 5?

A．Her memory became poor.

B．She was not good at cooking.

C．She liked drawing pictures.

D．Her house was always in a mess.

4. What is the author’s attitude to her decision of not writing memories?

A．Optimistic but confused.

B．Pessimistic but tolerant.

C．Sorrowful and frustrated.

D．Objective and sensible.

2 . One of my clients (客户) recently revealed that his wife was of the opinion that he shouldn’t hire a coach to help him create a more _________ life; he should be able to do it by himself.

Has anyone ever said something _________ to you? Or perhaps you have said it to yourself? When I talk to people about making changes in their life, they would _________ say something like “but shouldn’t I do this _________ ?

However, the opposite is _________ . The most successful people get as much help as they need to _________ their goal. Take Ellen MacArthur for example, the fastest female and youngest sailor to race around the world solo, non-stop. While she _________ around the world by herself, she also had advisors, trainers, sponsors, and a support team to help her. She once said, “It’s always been about a _________ , so I have to thank my partners, friends, and supporters. _________ them, I would be nowhere.”

Many people __________ that “if you have help to achieve something then it __________that achievement”. It is a common __________, however, and one that I would __________you to stay away from. So next time you hear a phrase like “you should do it on your own”, either from someone else or in your head, __________ yourself immediately that it is not helpful and focus on __________ the help you need to get to where you want to go.

1.

A．convenient

B．normal

C．successful

D．balanced

2.

A．special

B．confusing

C．similar

D．boring

3.

A．seldom

B．always

C．even

D．never

4.

A．on my way

B．right away

C．on my own

D．as usual

5.

A．basic

B．true

C．strange

D．necessary

6.

A．support

B．consider

C．achieve

D．establish

7.

A．flew

B．sailed

C．swam

D．cycled

8.

A．dream

B．belief

C．team

D．community

9.

A．Without

B．Through

C．Beyond

D．Despite

10.

A．ignore

B．believe

C．forget

D．admit

11.

A．earns

B．celebrates

C．measures

D．reduces

12.

A．knowledge

B．practice

C．difference

D．misunderstanding

13.

A．allow

B．advise

C．help

D．force

14.

A．promise

B．satisfy

C．remind

D．prove

15.

A．returning

B．avoiding

C．offering

D．seeking

3 . I started playing the piano when I was around four years old—that was 15 years ago!—and since then, the longest I haven’t touched piano keys was probably two months. This was an enormous amount of devotion to something that I wasn’t even planning to make money off of—so there must have been something worth holding on to, right?

The easy guess is that I was always so purely in love with music and piano that I couldn’t bear to let them go. However, it’s a bit more complicated than that. I struggled a lot with piano. I felt pressure to improve, innovate, and be the best in order to prove something to others. The seed of my musical interest was grown with competition and doubt.

It’s difficult to learn to love something that you didn’t choose in the first place. But somehow, sometime, love grew. And by high school, it was strong enough that I found the strength to hold on tighter, dig further, and find something of my own to grow. In a way, I had to start over.

And so, I took a pause. I switched teachers, and got incredibly lucky with one who encouraged me and helped me tunnel into what I loved, not what I was told I should learn. Anything I had was good enough to be loved.

This summer, I started learning the guitar. I deliberately wanted to learn on my own—this was just for me, to form a new relationship to music. Even though my guitar skills are miles lower than my piano skills, I feel I can express myself even more wholly through strings than keys. There’s just something about doing it all for myself that has helped me heal the damages to my relationship to music.

The love and hate I’ve had for the piano were both planted and grown. If you too have learned to hate something you once loved—or something you never chose—remember that with dedication, it can be uprooted, and love can make a home in its place. There is always time. There is always room.

1. What can we learn about the author’s experience from Paragraph 1?

A．He probably spent two months in playing the piano.

B．He began to play the piano when he was 15 years old.

C．He thought it necessary to start playing the piano early.

D．He committed himself to the piano not for financial factors.

2. Which of the following words best describes the author’s relationship with the piano?

A．Bittersweet.

B．Harmonious.

C．Painful.

D．Passive.

3. What inspired the author to learn the guitar?

A．His teacher’s constant encouragement.	B．His desire for a new relationship with music.
C．His interest in strings rather than keys.	D．His talent for playing musical instruments.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Practice makes perfect	B．Love cannot be forced
C．Love is a thing that grows	D．There is no end to learning

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。

We have a problem that is deeply rooted in our world today. When it     1     (come) to the holidays, people tend to forget that it’s the season of giving rather than receiving. We tend to be more     2     (interest) in what we’ll receive on Christmas morning instead of looking at the holidays as an opportunity     3     (help) out those who don’t have it as good as we do. So how can we change the culture around the holidays and make sure that people are emphasizing the time to give as much     4     they are looking forward to opening up their stockings? This is a question worth     5     (think) about. Giving     6     (selfless) is the right thing to do, though many of us     7     (challenge) by the task. Whether or not we have much money to spare, it isn’t always easy to give away     8     we have worked so hard for, especially when we have set financial goals — saving for retirement, a vacation or a     9     (rain) day. Even with so many reasons to be unwilling, the advantages of giving outweigh them all. When we give to those in need, we make a positive difference     10     the lives of others and our own.

5 . One day my 10-year-old son, Kavi, left his typewritten math homework at school. He came to me in ________ . “What should I do?” he asked.

Together, we ________ that he could ask his friend to send a photo of the homework so that he could ________ the content by hand. The problem got solved, right? Wrong. He remained anxious. Soon, I discovered what really ________ him: He was afraid that his teacher would   ________ the homework left on his desk at school and be upset with him. He begged me to email the teacher to offer a(n) ________ .

I wanted to help—which parent doesn’t want to make the ________ go away, especially when the solution is as ________ as sending an email? Yet, that would have been a(n) ________ thing to do. Research shows parents’ helping to avoid worry-causing ________ may comfort anxious children at the moment, ________ it prevents them from learning to cope in the long run.

I never sent that email to Kavi’s teacher. I ________ to talk Kavi through his worry, but he still felt restless at supper. However, the next day, he got an A+ on his homework along with a note: “You did a good job ________ how to get your homework done.”

I think it’s necessary for parents to let their children stay with worry but ________ them in seeking solutions, and that children’s gaining mastery over their worry is just the key to their growing up ________ .

1.

A．silence

B．comfort

C．panic

D．amazement

2.

A．convinced

B．remembered

C．announced

D．considered

3.

A．copy out

B．clear away

C．point at

D．pass down

4.

A．touched

B．inspired

C．bothered

D．probed

5.

A．replace

B．ignore

C．correct

D．notice

6.

A．cooperation

B．explanation

C．guarantee

D．definition

7.

A．embarrassment

B．homesickness

C．hurt

D．dream

8.

A．simple

B．essential

C．ridiculous

D．intense

9.

A．complicated

B．permanent

C．illegal

D．wrong

10.

A．principles

B．comments

C．situations

D．contests

11.

A．otherwise

B．but

C．because

D．nevertheless

12.

A．tried

B．spotted

C．hesitated

D．pretended

13.

A．setting aside

B．benefiting from

C．figuring out

D．focusing on

14.

A．criticize

B．support

C．assign

D．contact

15.

A．willingly

B．flexibly

C．crazily

D．healthily

6 . It was midnight, and I was on my knees, burying head in my hands. I struggled to________the sobs that threatened to wake my two tiny children. The call came just hours ago—I got the job. After five interviews and three presentations, I received a generous ________, one that needed my answer by tomorrow.

To others, the decision was ________—live the dream, with its security. But to me, taking the job would_______ compromise my heart.

Exhausted, I rose to my feet, and made my way upstairs to check on my children, finding each curled up in a________sleep. I heard their breathing, soft and even I became one with the moment. And in that breathtaking silence, I heard a voice:________your heart. The words echoed through my soul.

The decision, indeed, was simple. I would ________ somebody else's dream job and keep my own. I felt a great ________ lift off my shoulders. I pursued my options for working for myself. I started to write and edit, ________pages of scripts. I stretched myself and discovered that I could learn anything if I ________ some time to it.

To be sure, I lost a number of business opportunities. But I was available to ________the simple moments with my children. On sunny days, we'd ________ to the zoo with my backpack of work projects. Each night, when I tucked my kids into bed, my ________ was full. Over time, as my kids grew, my business did, too.

Now I have no regrets. I am ________ for the life that I have, a cherished closeness with my now adult children and a variety of fulfilling, passion-filled work. I'm glad I trusted my inner ________.

1.

A．put out

B．jump at

C．turn down

D．hold back

2.

A．card

B．offer

C．letter

D．essay

3.

A．simple

B．smart

C．casual

D．cautious

4.

A．carefully

B．nervously

C．critically

D．eventually

5.

A．light

B．sound

C．fresh

D．hard

6.

A．relax

B．follow

C．rescue

D．inspire

7.

A．decline

B．change

C．respect

D．accept

8.

A．honour

B．backpack

C．weight

D．project

9.

A．publishing

B．preserving

C．exploring

D．accumulating

10.

A．devoted

B．connected

C．limited

D．donated

11.

A．imagine

B．report

C．embrace

D．adjust

12.

A．adapt

B．refer

C．turn

D．head

13.

A．heart

B．room

C．mood

D．book

14.

A．anxious

B．grateful

C．ready

D．famous

15.

A．design

B．hope

C．worry

D．voice

7 . A teacher gave his students a test. Most of the students finished all the questions without much effort _______they all read the last one which was “What is the first name of the woman who _______ the school? ”

All of the students thought that this question was some kind of _______. They had all seen the cleaning woman many times during each day at school. It was _______ that she was tall and old, but how would they know her _______?

So they all _______ their test paper, leaving the last question _______. Just before the class ended, one of the students asked if the last question would count toward the results of the _______.

“_______”said the teacher.

He went on to say, “In your lives and careers, you will ________ many people and they are ________individual, so they each are worth your ________ and care, even if all you do is ________and say “Hello”.

Over the following days each of the students ________ the importance of finding out the name of the cleaner and introduced themselves. They all learned that cleaner’s name was Dorothy and they never forgot the ________ that everyone is important.

1.

A．while

B．until

C．since

D．after

2.

A．cleans

B．manages

C．supports

D．guards

3.

A．pity

B．risk

C．story

D．joke

4.

A．natural

B．clear

C．possible

D．unusual

5.

A．address

B．family

C．name

D．age

6.

A．left behind

B．lifted up

C．put away

D．handed in

7.

A．unanswered

B．open

C．out

D．unprepared

8.

A．exercise

B．experiment

C．test

D．match

9.

A．Possibly

B．No

C．Sure

D．Never

10.

A．love

B．help

C．respect

D．meet

11.

A．important

B．unique

C．intelligent

D．honest

12.

A．consideration

B．attention

C．discussion

D．protection

13.

A．look

B．smile

C．listen

D．play

14.

A．remembered

B．proved

C．explained

D．realized

15.

A．lesson

B．opinion

C．premise

D．argument

8 . 阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。

I was walking along the road to school one day and I met my friend Raine. He suggested that we skip school and go to the movies. I refused as my dad was very fierce and strict. After much persuasion, I gave in. There was a Will Smith movie on and I was a fan.

So we set off to the movies together, bought our tickets, popcorn and drinks and settled down comfortably. As we were early, the lights were still on. We watched people come in groups, families and there were couples too. Some of them looked like school students playing truant（逃学）like us. As I turned around, I caught a glimpse of my uncle Andy and Aunt Jane walking in. They were kind and cared about me very much. I sank into my seat quickly to avoid being spotted. I signaled to Raine that there was someone I didn’t want to see and Raine made it more obvious by turning around and asking “Who? And where?” loudly. It made me sit even lower in my seat.

To make things worse, they came and sat in the row behind us and were saying to each other how I would have loved to come to this movie as I adored Will Smith. They were even commenting about the students playing truant. Soon the movie began and I was glad when the lights were turned off but I didn’t enjoy the movie at all for fear of being spotted. So, I sat there like an astronaut, peering over the front seat.

Every now and then I would secretly take a quick look at my aunt and uncle. I was sure they were also looking at me. Feeling nervous and anxious, I kept wondering how I could leave the cinema without being noticed.

注意：
1.所续写短文词数应为150左右；
2.续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好。

When the movie ended and the lights came on, I remained seated.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

In front of us were my aunt and uncle, waiting at the gate.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

9 . It’s no secret that college is expensive. I received financial aid, and I was able to cover the cost of enrollment, books, supplies, course materials, and additional school-related fees. But I could not afford housing, transportation, food, healthcare, or other basic necessities. The longer each semester went on, the harder the choices became.

When spring semester ended that first year at college, I had good grades, but I did not have two quarters to my name. I decided that if I could afford to be a full-time student, I would need to work a full-time job. Soon, I started working at the airport as a cleaner of aircraft cabins. My first shift at the airport was a graveyard shift, where I detailed aircraft of varying sizes. During this total night shift, I have to do “deep cleaning”, which meant cleaning everything and even I had to check every safety compartment and replace any missing items. This could be disgusting work.

Another fact upset me a lot that working at the airport and going to school did not fit easily together. Some days 1 was too exhausted after a night shift to get to class. Other days I didn’t have time to complete school assignments owing to a busy workday. At the end of the fall semester, I received a final warning for my attendance at my job. Once again, I was between a rock and a hard place and had to make a decision. I wanted to go to school and excel, but I also had grown accustomed to financially supporting myself.

Ultimately, I chose to temporarily stop going to school and to continue working, a decision. I would later regret. The airline closed for various reasons. I felt stupid. I had put a lot into this job, even sacrificing my education, and now I would have neither job nor education. I’d finally learned what my grandmother meant when she once said that your job is temporary, and your education is forever.

1. What can we infer about the author from paragraph 1?

A．He met with a long boring semester.	B．Food accounted for his biggest expense.
C．He left himself financially embarrassed.	D．His financial aid could cover his necessities.

2. What does the underlined word “detailed” in paragraph 2 most probably mean?

A．Cleaned.

B．Listed.

C．Repaired.

D．Replaced.

3. Which of the following best describes the author in paragraph 3?

A．Confused.

B．Critical.

C．Decisive.

D．Diligent.

4. What is conveyed in the text?

A．He who makes no mistakes makes nothing.

B．Nothing is difficult to the man who will try.

C．One should be financially supported by himself.

D．The significance of schooling should be recognized.

10 . Now that my children are grown, I have resumed (中断后继续) a habit: solo travel. The seed was planted when I was 17 and went on a class trip to Spain. The experience was similar to reading my first book. I remember when I separated from the group and went through the busy streets of Madrid on my own, looking at the architecture gawkingly, trying unfamiliar foods, and gathering the courage to engage the natives with my high school Spanish. After that adventure I sought every opportunity to explore on my own, because I wanted to move according to my ideas.

I recall, many years ago, before I became a dad, arranging to work for a summer on an Icelandic farm in exchange for room and board. The driver stopped at the appointed place, but no one was there to meet me. And so I put my backpack down and read a book, knowing that when one travels one is never lost.

I tell this story to calm the fears of friends and others who have occasionally raised their hands to their faces upon hearing what I was up to. Some are specialists in outlining for me all the things that can go wrong when one launches oneself into the unknown. But for me, that’s the whole point of travel: to go where I haven’t gone before, to discover friendships waiting to be made, to interface with unfamiliar scents (气味) and tastes, to enter a new and, for me, undiscovered environment where being pleasantly surprised is the reward.

A few years back I went to Greenland. I spent a week hiking its mountains, interacting with the natives, and sailing the bays. It was inspiring. I hopped (登上) my flight back to Iceland feeling well satisfied. But when I got off the plane and saw the line of passengers waiting for their flight to Greenland, all I wanted to do was turn around and join them. Once again it was proved for me that I would never get travel out of my system.

1. How did the class trip to Spain affect the writer?

A．He discovered the magic of solo travel.

B．He realized the pleasure of reading books.

C．He became interested in learning Spanish.

D．He formed a habit of collecting plant seeds.

2. What does the underlined word “gawkingly” in the first paragraph most probably mean?

A．Curiously.

B．Randomly.

C．Casually.

D．Anxiously.

3. What does the travelling mean for the writer?

A．Going wherever you would like to.	B．Going in the unknown environment.
C．Exploring something new all the way.	D．Getting a reward from challenging fear.

4. What did the writer’s trip to Greenland reflect?

A．His impatient personality.	B．His crazy desire for travelling.
C．His quickness to follow others.	D．His tendency to be easily satisfied.