1. What example does the man give to prove his point?
| A．His aunt’s example. | B．His father’s example. | C．His own example. |
| A．He took part in a competition. |
| B．He learned to play the violin. |
| C．He taught his father to play the guitar. |
| A．Hard work is more important. |
| B．Talent is more important. |
| C．Talent is as important as hard work. |
2 . As a reporter, I talk to strangers for a living and love the challenge of getting them to open up. Yet here’s a confession: I’ve been married for eight happy years, but until six months ago, I could be the stereotypical inattentive husband.
It’s not that my wife and I never had pleasant conversations. But more often than I care to admit, I was just going through the motions, nodding when I was supposed to. I was the guy who’d defensively snap (厉声说), “Of course I did!” when my wife would ask, “JB, did you even hear what I just said?”
In January, I began to lose my voice repeatedly. Doctors told me I needed surgery, or else my throat would be permanently damaged. Total silence would be required for the first few weeks of my recovery.
Two hours after the surgery, my eyes filled with tears as my two-year-old son stood by me looking puzzled because I wouldn’t answer his questions. I wanted to talk but couldn’t.
But before I got home, I had settled into a Zen-like peace about my silence. Soon I noticed another “side effect”: As my wife talked to me to keep up my spirits, I wasn’t just hearing her; I was listening to her.
Over the next few weeks, I found myself unwilling to miss a word she said. I began to hear a sweetness in her voice that I hadn’t recalled for long. I found myself understanding her better on topics I’d previously dismissed as “things I just don’t get as a guy”.
I also realized my toddler (学步的儿童) wasn’t just chattering nonstop but that he often had surprisingly thoughtful things to say for his age.
Even while walking my dog in the woods near our home, I began hearing pleasant patterns in bird songs. The rustling leaves sounded crisper to me. Before my surgery, I’d have spent those walks on my phone.
After several months, I was fully recovered. Now conversation in our house is better, but not because I’m talking more. I’m just listening better and becoming less and less surprised that I like what I hear.
1. What does the author want to tell us most in the first two paragraphs?| A．He was fond of talking to strangers. |
| B．He enjoyed taking challenges. |
| C．Sometimes he ignored his wife’s words. |
| D．He often quarreled with his wife. |
| A．To avoid argument. | B．To hear more. |
| C．To ensure recovery. | D．To show unhappiness. |
| A．Peaceful. | B．Upset. | C．Puzzled. | D．Uncertain. |
| A．Easier said than done. |
| B．Full set, partial to listen to the dark. |
| C．Knowledge is power. |
| D．Listen well and you can hear the world. |
3 . The Most Important Day of Your Life
What’s the most important day of your life? The answer to that question is simple — Today.
Doing our best today may make things easier for us later on, or at least help us to deal with whatever situation we are in.
Each morning I ask myself what I can do to make today memorable.
Even if today is not that meaningful for you, something you do for someone else may be very meaningful for them. You never know how much a good deed for someone else will impact that person. The greatest meaning that today brings may not be for you, it may be for someone else.
| A．The answer involves doing something kind for someone else. |
| B．Did we hold the door for someone whose hands were full? |
| C．Is today still the most important day? |
| D．The past cannot be changed, and the future has not happened yet. |
| E．Ignoring today and hoping it will go away certainly won’t work. |
| F．If you wash it away, someone else may not get the benefits. |
| G．So make the most of today. |
What my father wore really embarrassed me. I wanted him to dress like a doctor or a lawyer, but on those muggy mornings when he rose before dawn to fry eggs for my mother and me, he always dressed like my father.
We lived in South Texas, and my father worked as a repairman. He liked shirts that snapped more than those that buttoned, and kept his pencils, cigars, glasses, wrenches and screwdrivers in his breast pocket. His boots were those with steel toes that made them difficult to pull off his feet, which I sometimes helped him with when he returned from repairing cars — his job that also shamed me.
I blamed the way he dressed for my social failures. When boys bullied me, I thought they’d seen my father wearing his cowboy hat but no shirt while walking our dog. I felt that girls laughed at me because they’d glimpsed him mowing the grass in cut-off jeans and black boots. The girls’ families paid men to beautify their lawns, while their fathers travelled in the bay wearing lemon-yellow sweaters and expensive sandals.
My father only bought two suits in his life. He preferred clothes that allowed him the freedom to move under cars. But the day before my parents’ twentieth anniversary, he and I went to Sears, and he tried on suits all afternoon. With each one, he stepped to the mirror, smiled and nodded, then asked about the price and reached for another. He probably tried ten suits before we drove to a discount store and bought one that saved him the bother of approaching a fitting room.
Later, he wore the same suit for my eighth-grade award banquet, but I wished he’d stayed home. After the ceremony, he praised my award and my character while changing into a faded red sweatsuit. He was stepping into the garage to wash a load of laundry when I asked what later struck me as cruel and wrong. “Why,” I asked, “don’t you dress ‘nice’, like my friends fathers?”
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
He held me with his sad, shocked eyes and searched for an answer.
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In the following days, my father proved to me that there are things more important than what one wears.
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The park bench was deserted as I sat down to read beneath a willow tree. It must be as sick, for the branches were kind of yellow and dry. I was a deserted girl. Endless quarrels with my parents had left me nowhere to go but this desolate (荒无人烟的) corner of the park. As I sat on the bench, things that happened recently began to flash through. Days seemed months to me recently. No cozy home to stay. No happy memories about my life. No considerate family members to talk to. Even the book I was reading was no fun. Not content with life, I had a good reason to frown, for the world was intended to drag me down.
And if that were not enough to ruin my day, a young boy out of breath approached me, all tired from play. He stood right in front of me with his head tilted (倾斜) down and said with great excitement, “Look what I found!” In his hand was a flower. What a pitiful sight, its petals (花瓣) were all worn—not enough rain, or too little light. He must have picked the flower from somewhere shady and sunless, just like where I was staying these days. I couldn’t help being self-pitying. Wanting him to take his dead flower away and go off to play, I faked a smile and then looked away. “Why couldn’t everyone just leave me be!” I thought to myself, upset and gloomy.
But instead of leaving, he sat next to me and placed the flower to his nose and declared loudly with certainty, “It sure smells pretty and it must be beautiful, too. That’s why I picked it; here, it is for you.” The “weed” before me was dying or dead, not vibrant with colors, orange, yellow or red—anyone having eyes can see that clearly! But I knew I must take it, or he might never leave. So I reached for the flower, and replied, “Just what I need.” Strangely, instead of placing the flower in my hand, he held it in mid-air without any reason or plan.
注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Casting a curious glance at the boy’s eyes, I was hugely shocked.
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“I had to make a change,” I thought to myself.
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At eleven years old, my main concern was money. On my bedroom floor, I arranged the change from my money box to see what I had. I wished it’d multiply before my eyes, but of course it didn’t. To have more money, I decided to work for my grandmother.
After school, my grandmother drove to pick me up. About an hour later, we arrived at the pick-up kitchen and got dozens of little shiny silver trays (托盘). After our load was arranged in the backseat, my grandmother drove us to our first stop: a small white house. I took a meal and a small box of milk from the back and walked beside my grandmother to the door. She opened it and said, “Mrs. Hershel, we’ve brought you some lunch.” The reply came, “Come on in.”
I nearly jumped when I glanced over to see a tiny old woman in the corner looking at me. She sat in a rocking chair and had many wrinkles. When I approached her, she smiled at me, with no teeth. My grandmother guided me inside to place the lunch on her kitchen table. The house smelled bad.
The next stop was much the same and the next. The houses varied in size and shape, but the same wrinkly people waited for their meals. Each person smiled at me and thanked me as I hurried to get out of there. I was sweaty and tired, and my clothes had captured the bad smell of the food and old houses.
At the end of the day, I guessed it was obvious to my grandmother that I wasn’t very comfortable about the job anymore. “You don’t have to help me,” she said. “I understand if the job isn’t what you want to do.” I swallowed hard, wandering what to say. “For many of the people we deliver lunch to, this is their only meal of the day. Many of them are alone,” my grandmother continued. Seeing my eyes widen, my grandmother smiled, “But a kind word and a smile go a long way.”
注意：1．续写词数应为150左右;
2．请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
When we arrived home, my grandmother handed me the money I’d earned.
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The next morning, I saw each person with all their wrinkles and the houses a little differently.
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7 . Once a year, around the time when Christians celebrate Easter, Muslims celebrate Ramadan and Jews celebrate Passover, I often invite my 24-person team to a joyful and special dinner at my place. To
I think this
Yet when people
I’m also really
As the person in charge of the lab, I see preserving a variety of cultural backgrounds as an important part of my job. Such an accessible, varied and supportive
| A．accommodate | B．avoid | C．change | D．control |
| A．enjoy | B．throw | C．prepare | D．taste |
| A．dream | B．tradition | C．promise | D．debate |
| A．strange | B．conservative | C．poor | D．diverse |
| A．gives up | B．turns down | C．consists of | D．leaves out |
| A．breakthroughs | B．backgrounds | C．ambitions | D．hobbies |
| A．differences | B．recipes | C．requirements | D．standards |
| A．visit | B．praise | C．join | D．aid |
| A．regret | B．charge | C．sympathy | D．love |
| A．surprised at | B．proud of | C．interested in | D．worried about |
| A．curious | B．casual | C．careful | D．relaxed |
| A．thank | B．defeat | C．compare | D．choose |
| A．scientifically | B．physically | C．mentally | D．financially |
| A．respect | B．protect | C．stand | D．doubt |
| A．chance | B．position | C．lecture | D．environment |
8 . There was once a farmer who had a large field of corn. He worked the land with the greatest care, for he wanted to sell the corn and buy good things for his family. But he saw his corn dry up, for no rain fell, and he feared that he was to have no crop. Every morning he went out to the field and looked at the thirsty stalks and wished for the rain to fall.
One day, as he stood looking up at the sky, two little raindrops saw him, and one said to the other: “Look at that farmer. I feel very sorry for him. He took such pains with his field of corn, and now it is drying up. I wish I might help him.”
“Yes,” said the other, “but you are only a little raindrop. What can you do? You can’t wet even one hill.”
“Well,” said the first, “I know, to be sure, I cannot do much; but perhaps I can cheer the farmer a little, and I am going to do my best. I’ll go to the field to show my good will, if I can’t do anything more. Here I go!”
The first raindrop had no sooner started for the field than the second one said: “Well, if you really insist upon going, I think I will go, too. Here I come!” And down went the raindrops. One came — pat —on the farmer’s nose, and one fell on a thirsty stalk of corn.
“Dear me,” said the farmer, “what’s that? A raindrop! Where did it come from? I do believe we shall have a shower.”
By this time a great many raindrops had come together to see what all the commotion was about. When they saw the two kind little drops going down to cheer the farmer, and water his corn, one said:“If you two are going on such a good errand, I’ll go, too!” And down he came. “And I!” said another. “And I!” And so said they all, until a whole shower came and the corn was watered. Then the corn grew and ripened — all because one little raindrop tried to do what it could.
1. Why does the first raindrop feel badly for the farmer?| A．His crops are dying. | B．His family is starving. |
| C．He is extremely thirsty. | D．He is bad at growing crops. |
| A．the first raindrop offers its support |
| B．the farmer gives the corn a shower |
| C．all the raindrops come and make a shower |
| D．the first two raindrops go on a good errand |
| A．Brave and humble. | B．Kind and inspiring. |
| C．Ambitious and cheerful. | D．Pessimistic and insistent. |
| A．Save it for a rainy day. |
| B．God helps those who help themselves. |
| C．It’s better to be a leader than a follower. |
| D．Doing your best can make a difference. |
Merchant Tovel loved attention. Knowing that people would listen if he had news to share, he went around his village making up stories about the local rabbi (犹太教神职人员).
“He mixes dairy and meat!” said Tovel.
The townspeople shook their heads, for they all knew that dairy and meat must not be mixed in the course of any meal.
“And he sneaks (偷拿) food on Yom Kippur,” added Tovel.
“Not Yom Kippur!” cried the townspeople.
For not only is Yom Kippur the most important fasting day of the year, but it is also the holiest Jewish holiday.
Later, alone in his home, the talebearer felt bad about what he had done. His stories about the rabbi had spread quickly. “I will go to the rabbi and beg him for forgiveness,” he decided. Then all would be well again.
The next morning, he went to the temple and knocked on the door. “Rabbi,” he called, “it is merchant Tovel, coming to see you about an important matter.”
“Come in, Tovel,” the rabbi said warmly, opening the door.
In a matter of moments, Tovel told the rabbi all the things he had said. Then he asked, “What can I do to make things right?”
The rabbi thought for a moment, then told him, “You must take a feather pillow (枕头), cut it open, and feed the feathers to the wind.”
Tovel thought that the rabbi’s suggestion was strange, but the task seemed simple enough. And if it would take away the guilt he felt, then why not do it? Tovel thanked the rabbi and quickly left the temple. At home, the talebearer grabbed a feather pillow, waited for the afternoon winds to pick up, then climbed to the top of a hill. There, he cut open the pillow and watched the feathers float far and wide across the land. Satisfied, Tovel returned to tell the rabbi of his deed. “Now go and gather those feathers,” the rabbi commanded.
注意：
1. 续写词数应为 150 左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
“But they are everywhere!” Tovel cried. “How will I get them all?”
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Feeling disappointed, Tovel returned to tell the rabbi about the feathers he couldn’t collect.
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10 . Life is a mix of good and bad days. Each new day presents us with a fresh opportunity to learn new lessons. Sometimes, you learn these new lessons in your daily lives. On other days, you may gain invaluable knowledge about life from a game of poker(扑克牌).
Life is not fair.
Life is not designed to be fair. Some people will get the best cards while others will have to deal with the waste pieces. Life has its rules, but sticking to them does not exactly mean you will achieve success.
Protect yourself.
You are the most important person in your life. When playing poker, you are the most important player, and the cards you have are valuable things.
Learn from mistakes.
Gains and losses are a part of life. You win some to lose some, just like in a game of poker. Some risky actions may prove unprofitable after you are neck-deep in them. In such cases, you must know when to quit, count your losses, and bounce back better.
| A．Mistakes are a part of life. |
| B．Know when to cut your losses. |
| C．Catch chances to improve yourselves. |
| D．The game of poker shows life in so many ways. |
| E．You have to trust yourself by not taking unbearable risks. |
| F．You are considered foolish when making the same mistakes. |
| G．Following the rules in poker does not mean you will win, either. |
