1 . Once there was a young farmer who had an appointment with his lover to meet under a big tree. He was short-tempered and came very early. It was a fine spring day with flowers in full bloom (盛开), but he wasn’t in the mood to enjoy it.

Suddenly an angel turned up before him. “You get impatient, don’t you?” said the angel. “If you don’t want to wait, just turn the button to the right. You can jump over any life period if you want to.”

The young fellow was so happy that he turned the button lightly. How amazing! His lover appeared before him immediately staring at him with love. How wonderful it would be if the wedding ceremony were held now! He, again, turned the button. a grand wedding appeared in front of him; the band was playing cheerful music, he lost himself in it deeply. Unknowingly, the desires in his heart appeared endlessly: I also want a big house. He turned the button. I also want a crowd of lovely children. Instantly a group of lovely kids were playing joyfully in the large living room. Again, he jumped at turning the button to the right more than half.

How time flies! Before he saw the blooming flowers in the garden, everything had been covered in a deep snow. Looking at himself again, he had already become so old, his hair and beard totally white.

He was filled with regrets. I’d rather spend my life step by step than go in such a hurry. Better let me wait patiently! The button moved to the left with a rush. Once again, he was waiting for his lover under that big tree. His restlessness disappeared completely.

1. The angel gave the farmer a magic button in order to________.

A．make an appointment with him

B．help him enjoy beautiful flowers

C．shorten his future time

D．change his temper

2. What does the underlined word “restlessness” in the last paragraph mean?

A．Impatience.	B．Hopelessness.
C．Eagerness.	D．Amazement.

3. What can we learn from the story?

A．Regrets may exist if life is not fun.

B．Lovers had better wait.

C．People should live a realistic life.

D．Life can’t skip forward.

2 . Failing Is Better than Not Trying at All

Do you remember the last time you tried something new and failed?    1    Failure is an important part of learning and growing. Don’t immediately give up — try as much as you can. Here are several realizations that can help push you to try more.

    2    You can be filled with thoughts of what could have happened if you had only decided to try. Something good could have happened, and you will never know unless you try.

Sure, there are a lot of uncertainties that come when trying something new.     3     However, not every result is unpleasant from doing something. You have to work hard and be patient if you want positive results.

Repeated failures can be very discouraging. But you don’t become a complete loser just because you failed.     4    Every failure can show what doesn’t work so that you can try something different next time.

Trying something new and different can be risky. Your time and efforts can be wasted when nothing happens.     5    Some of the most significant gains can only be made by taking risky strategies.

It takes time to achieve success and your goal, but when you have tried everything available and nothing had happened, this is the only time you should give up and stop trying.

A．If so, don’t worry.

B．So you never know if you can be successful or not.

C．There are several reasons why you may fear failures.

D．However, we won’t know if something fruitful can occur unless we try.

E．Having a solid support system can also help you build confidence in taking risks.

F．An excellent way to help somebody keep moving forward is to treat each failure as a life lesson.

G．Perhaps the most important thing you don’t want to experience from not trying is regret later in your life.

3 . Every Friday morning, I bake a loaf of challah, a kind of sweet, twisted egg bread. This _________ started when my grandmother gave me her recipe. At first, I made it only when I could _________ the time because it seemed to be very time-consuming.

_________, after some time, I realized that making it when I had the time was fine, but making it when my work deadlines were _________ meant even more.

You can’t hurry bread. You can, of course, use quick-rise yeast (酵母), but I don’t. I take time to _________ for the dough (生面团) to rise by itself. This is my weekly reminder to slow down, to stop and _________ the roses.

Baking challah does require great _________. Beneath my palms, the dough is slowly _________. I can feel the change. This _________ connects me to something original, something that has not yet been __________ by modernity.

Baking challah is a push against our culture of __________. It certainly takes more time than grabbing a packaged loaf off the __________ shelf. But I now enjoy it. I’ve improved my grandmother’s __________ by adding a little more sugar and vanilla for a __________ taste. Knowing the same ingredients passed through her hands connects me to her in a deep and silent way. My making challah has also helped my kids to __________ their pace and recognize the power in doing things the slow way — by hand.

1.

A．tradition

B．hobby

C．task

D．work

2.

A．remember

B．spare

C．tell

D．waste

3.

A．Otherwise

B．Therefore

C．However

D．Moreover

4.

A．escaping

B．shaking

C．changing

D．pressing

5.

A．wait

B．prepare

C．speak

D．provide

6.

A．plant

B．smell

C．pick

D．wrap

7.

A．preference

B．intelligence

C．diligence

D．patience

8.

A．growing

B．floating

C．separating

D．freezing

9.

A．result

B．process

C．memory

D．idea

10.

A．affected

B．examined

C．predicted

D．divided

11.

A．independence

B．loyalty

C．convenience

D．competition

12.

A．library

B．bakery

C．gallery

D．drugstore

13.

A．menu

B．appetite

C．recipe

D．profile

14.

A．worse

B．sweeter

C．fresher

D．richer

15.

A．turn down

B．press down

C．write down

D．slow down

4 . Travelling is undoubtedly one of the most valuable learning experiences one can have. Whether it’s the people you meet or the things you see, travelling provides more valuable life lessons than school.     1    . Here are four reasons why travelling is such a valuable learning experience:

Travelling forces you out of your comfort zone.

School provides a safe environment where you feel comfortable with people who share similar cultures and backgrounds. Meanwhile, travelling means new foods, cultures, languages, people, and places to explore.     2     And it is a good thing, because it will help you grow as a person.

Travelling allows you to see and experience new ways of life.

    3     Reading about it in a textbook is not the same as living it. Travelling gives you a new perspective(观点) on how you live and helps you understand and appreciate different cultures.

    4    

Moving to a new place far away from home requires you to adapt to a new culture, language, and customs. Overcoming these challenges and accomplishing things you never thought possible will build your confidence and self-esteem(自尊心).

Travelling helps you be comfortable with uncertainty and the unexpected.

If there’s only one thing you can be sure of while travelling, it’s that trips don’t always go according to plans. There are plenty of things that can go wrong and that can force you to change your plans. Travel teaches you to be flexible, go with the flow, and accept uncertainty.     5    

In conclusion, travelling is an enriching experience that provides valuable life lessons that cannot be learned in a classroom. It helps you grow as a person, build confidence, appreciate different cultures, and become more adaptable to change.

A．Travel with an open mind.

B．Travelling helps you build confidence.

C．It pushes you out of your comfort zone.

D．Instead of being told something, you experience it.

E．Travellers love to make plans, but they also like to break them.

F．This skill is necessary in life as plans often change unexpectedly.

G．Nothing compares to experiencing a different way of life firsthand

5 . 假定你是李华，你校的英语报正在征稿。请你结合以下名言，写一篇题为“My Understanding of Mistake”的征文。“Never be afraid of making mistakes. In fact, making progress is making mistakes. Mistakes are where success lies.”
内容包括：
1. 你对该名言的理解;
2. 结合生活实例;
3. 你的感悟。

My Understanding of Mistake

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6 . My son had just turned five. My husband and I were _________as to which school to send him to. We started _________ and visiting schools. Still, we felt _________ about which school to choose. So I called my friend Shannon. She’s the one I lean on most when I struggle with parenting _________. Having a son ten years older than mine, she’s gone through all the _________ I’m still going through.

“Jeanette, I know you have _________ it to two choices, both good schools. Your love and _________ in your kid’s life is more important than the _________ about which school to attend,” Shannon said.

“I remember when I was doing some late night grocery _________, worried about my __________ I was stuck between two can of beans. One can was twenty cents less than the other. It finally __________ me that either can of beans showed my care for the family.”

Shannon made me laugh so hard that I almost cried. “Now, because you are good parents, whatever school you pick is the right school. And, besides, you have a(n) __________ if one doesn’t fit.”

I felt a lot better after I __________. We were able to pick a good school for our son. __________, it’s just a can of beans, and you have to just __________ and make your decision. And if it turns out to be the wrong can of beans, you can always go back to get a different one.

1.

A．concerned

B．amazed

C．enthusiastic

D．grateful

2.

A．presenting

B．registering

C．describing

D．investigating

3.

A．unreasonable

B．unwise

C．uncompetitive

D．uncertain

4.

A．assignments

B．issues

C．objections

D．explorations

5.

A．arrangements

B．chances

C．stages

D．tips

6.

A．narrowed

B．devoted

C．exposed

D．promoted

7.

A．replacement

B．involvement

C．assessment

D．entertainment

8.

A．emphasis

B．argument

C．decision

D．intention

9.

A．volunteering

B．designing

C．working

D．shopping

10.

A．budget

B．schedule

C．preference

D．connection

11.

A．confirmed

B．struck

C．defeated

D．warned

12.

A．occasion

B．composition

C．alternative

D．detective

13.

A．stepped up

B．hung up

C．put off

D．pulled off

14.

A．Actually

B．Eventually

C．Frequently

D．Surprisingly

15.

A．fuel

B．hesitate

C．advance

D．adapt

7 . 阅读下面材料，在空格处填入一个适当的词或使用括号内词语的正确形式填空。

Once upon a time, a man of Chu got a very priceless pearl, and wanted to coin money by     1    (sell) it. In order to make it look more     2    (wonder), he decided to make a very beautiful box to match it. He searched up and down for some fragrant wood, and, having taken great pains, he finally     3    (achieve) his goal: this box was really remarkable, with pretty charming patterns carved on it and well-designed     4    (decoration) of coloured stones and lovely feathers.

Zheng Pearl in box and box in hand, he went to the market. Hardly had he got there when a man was     5    (attract) by the beautiful box. He took it over, observed it from side to side, and at once fondled (抚摸) it     6    (admiring). Without bargaining (议价), he offered a high price. When he opened the box, the pearl appeared, shining. But the Zheng man seemed     7    (take) no notice of it. He picked it out, returned it to the seller, and went away with the box     8     he got.

For quite some time     9     seller couldn’t understand what had happened. Looking at the pearl, he sighed and murmured “Well, if all are     10     the buyer, focusing only on a thing’s appearance rather than its nature, then, my poor pearl, your true value will never be discovered!”

8 . A few years ago, I stood underneath a red overhanging cliff (悬崖) near my husband’s hometown, Carbondale, Colo. I was tied in, ready to climb.

Just as I was about to climb, nerves in my body said hello. That’s not good for any athlete.

Desperate, I painted a coat of confidence on my inner walls of doubt.

“You can do this,” I told myself determinedly. “If you believe, success is certain.”

I visualized myself at the top, celebrating.

It didn’t work. I fell near the top. Defeated, I lowered to the ground and realized, powerfully, that the desire to climb the route had kept me from doing it. My self worth was linked at that moment to my success or failure, and that set off a chain reaction: unnatural desire, pressure, performance anxiety, expectation, a mind fixed on the top but a body struggling below, bad decision-making, irregular movement, distraction, disappointment. All in that order, too.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, I told myself that on my next attempt, success or failure was irrelevant. “Make one move at a time. That’s all.” I gave myself a pass from whatever would happen. Case closed.

It worked. I reached the top.

That moment got me thinking, and then researching. At some point, I described this experience for myself in terms of simple mathematics: When I added (determination, courage, self-confidence, desire), I failed. When I took away (the desire for success), my body moved with greater naturalness. I improved. I enjoyed it more as well, which, as an athlete of 30 years, I didn’t think was possible.

I discovered the power of subtraction (减法).

The French author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry wrote one of my favorite books Wind, Sand and Stars. In it, I found one of the smartest lines ever written on the human condition: “Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add but when there is nothing left to take away.”

1. What happened to the author at her first attempt to climb the cliff?

A．She got nervous.	B．She quit out of fear.
C．She made it to the top.	D．She was full of confidence.

2. What does the underlined word “irrelevant” in paragraph 7 mean?

A．Not important.

B．Not certain.

C．Not final.

D．Not optional.

3. What did the author learn from her experience?

A．Never stop trying.	B．Always stick to your goal.
C．Don’t care about the results.	D．Be confident no matter what happens.

9 . 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。

Thank You, Mr. Baumgartner

If I hadn’t been a failed violinist, I might never have become a writer.

When I was in fourth grade, the public school I attended had an orchestra (管弦乐) program. I signed up to learn the violin, along with my friend Irene Cervantes. We were both interested in the violin and the bright future of being in the orchestra. Every week, Irene and I walked together through our working-class neighborhood to our before-school music lessons, proudly holding our black violin cases.

Mr. Baumgartner, the orchestra teacher, was very strict. He emphasized that if anything happened to the instrument we played we’d be cut from the program because the school could not afford to replace it. We all understood.

I wasn’t very good at the violin. Then the scary thing happened: I was practicing at home when the bridge dropped off my violin and flew across the room, the strings collapsing (塌陷) before my eyes.

Terrified of Mr. Baumgartner’s reaction, and having no idea that this was a common violinist’s mistake, I tried to fix it. I slipped into the garage and secured the bridge back in place with an unfamiliar glue, making sure it would never, never, drop off again. I prayed that Mr. Baumgartner wouldn’t notice.

Of course, he did. Sadly, he patted me on the back and told me that maybe I could join the orchestra next year. When I cried, he suggested that I join a chorus (合唱团).

I did switch to the chorus, where I stayed. As luck would have it, the elementary school orchestra automatically fed into the junior high chorus — which performed with the All City Honor Orchestra on New Year’s Eve, where Irene Cervantes was now the first-chair violinist.

After the performance, my English teacher, who was the advisor for the school newspaper, asked if anyone was a member of the chorus and would be interested in writing an article for the school newspaper about the experience. Something inside me made me raise my hand. I loved reading, but the idea of writing anything had never occurred to me until then.

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。
I wrote the article.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I saw Irene Cervantes years later at a high school reunion.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

10 . Mark is leaving, and I’m feeling kind of sad.

You probably don’t know Mark, but you might be _______ enough to know someone just like him. He’s been the heart and soul of the office, combining professional skills with a sweet nature. He’s never been all that interested in getting praise for the _______ work he does.

And now he’s moving on to an exciting new opportunity which sounds like the chance of a lifetime, and we’re _______ pleased for him. But that doesn’t make it any easier to say goodbye to a dear friend and _______ colleague.

Life has a way of throwing these curve balls (曲线球) at us. Just when we start to get comfortable with a person, a place or a situation, something comes along to _______ it.

But how do we deal with change? There’s Chris, who once told me that the answer can be expressed in four words, “Go _______ the flow.”

“It is like surfing,” Chris explained. “You can’t organize the ocean. _______ just happen. You ride them _______ they take you, and then you go back out there and catch the next one. Sure, you’re always hoping for the perfect wave. But _______ you just take them the way they come.”

That doesn’t ________ that you don’t keep trying to make all your dreams come true. It just means that when things that aren’t exactly in your plan ________, you work around them and then you move on. Of course, some barriers (阻碍) along the ________ of life are easier to take than others. A rained-out picnic, for example, is ________ to deal with than the sudden death of a loved one. But the principle is the same.

We’re going to ________ Mark. But rather than on the sadness of our ________, we’ll focus on our hopes for a brighter future.

1.

A．difficult

B．confident

C．silly

D．lucky

2.

A．terrible

B．excellent

C．special

D．exact

3.

A．actually

B．sincerely

C．nearly

D．hardly

4.

A．humorous

B．silent

C．reliable

D．active

5.

A．welcome

B．attack

C．destroy

D．change

6.

A．with

B．below

C．against

D．before

7.

A．Shakes

B．Waves

C．Accidents

D．Disasters

8.

A．what

B．why

C．whether

D．where

9.

A．formally

B．extremely

C．mostly

D．lately

10.

A．promise

B．seem

C．explain

D．mean

11.

A．make up

B．break down

C．come up

D．slow down

12.

A．scene

B．road

C．strategy

D．lecture

13.

A．harder

B．better

C．worse

D．easier

14.

A．forget

B．love

C．miss

D．remind

15.

A．parting

B．meeting

C．organizing

D．suffering