1 . I am a professor of psychology. Some time ago, I got halfway through a day of teaching before a co-worker pointed out to me I was quite ______ wearing a different pair of shoes, one red and one black. I felt so ______ and upset but I would have to go to teach my ______ like this. When I noticed how much I wanted to disappear and avoid this ______, I was determined to face it ______. I walked into class and ______ to the students that I was wearing two shoes from ______ pairs, and directed their attention to my feet. Everyone laughed and we went on with class. Years later, a ________ in that class told me that this was the moment she first thought that maybe, just maybe, she could be a professor, too.

I ______ my mistake because I realized that trying to hide it was weakening my ability to concentrate my mind on my teaching — but I had no idea that it would also help shorten the ________ distance between my students and myself.

Many contexts may ______ or shame people for making mistakes. Our efforts to avoid them _______ our desires for success, and how others will respond to our mistakes. We might feel ______ and shame if we do make some.

However, mistake-making is part of learning new things, and it can ______ us closer to others. It ______ up the possibility of accepting mistakes gladly, letting us be more open and engaged in what we are doing.

1.

A．impatiently

B．carelessly

C．quietly

D．slowly

2.

A．confused

B．touched

C．terrified

D．embarrassed

3.

A．aim

B．book

C．course

D．feeling

4.

A．situation

B．direction

C．operation

D．option

5.

A．besides

B．moreover

C．instead

D．otherwise

6.

A．shouted

B．appealed

C．called

D．announced

7.

A．beautiful

B．fancy

C．different

D．colorful

8.

A．worker

B．teacher

C．student

D．peer

9.

A．shared

B．made

C．avoided

D．corrected

10.

A．physical

B．psychological

C．critical

D．economical

11.

A．recognize

B．stop

C．help

D．punish

12.

A．result from

B．come out

C．give off

D．take on

13.

A．self-control

B．self-respect

C．self-confidence

D．self-criticism

14.

A．draw

B．force

C．push

D．affect

15.

A．clears

B．opens

C．turns

D．uses

2 . When I was younger, I thought that boys and grown men shouldn’t cry, much less show that they can be reduced to tears. The tears were signs of being weak, which a man isn’t supposed to be, supposedly. This was even strengthened in my young mind by a song, Boys Don’t Cry, in the early 1980s.

But just this last June, I discovered that courage isn’t all about trying to keep all the pain inside in check. Courage isn’t all about trying to hide the tears. It’s the opposite — the tears strengthen the heart’s courage. And I saw this in my father.

Our beloved grandfather passed away suddenly and with it, I saw how vulnerable my father’s heart was. My siblings and I were used to seeing him as an imposing figure and an iron-willed, authoritarian father. For three days after my grandfather’s death, he wouldn’t talk. He would just sit quietly outside our house in the dark. On the fourth night, I sat beside him and asked him to tell me what he feels about everything.

It has been years since I have laid my hand on my father’s shoulder as we have drifted farther and farther apart while I was growing up. That night though, I sensed my father trying to control his pain and I wanted him to be able to let it out. We have all cried over what happened except him. All of us except him. The simple touch and my words, “Dad, it’s not your fault” broke my father’s dam. In the darkness, he began to cry.

I understood then why he preferred to be in the dark. By being there, he hoped to spare his family of a father’s pain. His tears, though we didn’t see them before that night, were there all the same. I saw his courage, that night when my father cried with my hand on his shoulder, and understood his pain.

1. When the author was young, what did he think of an adult male crying?

A．Shameful.

B．Adorable.

C．Innocent.

D．Respectable.

2. Why did the author’s father burst into tears emotionally in the end?

A．Because the whole family were expecting him to overcome sadness soon.

B．Because he didn’t want to hide his sadness in front of his family anymore.

C．Because the author’s company and comfort helped him let out his sadness.

D．Because he wanted the author to know it was brave for a man to shed tears.

3. Which of the following best describes the author?

A．Selfless and reliable.	B．Thoughtful and caring.
C．Talkative and friendly.	D．Modest and sympathetic.

4. In which column of a website can the text probably be found?

A．Book reviews.	B．Business insight.
C．Life philosophy.	D．Parenting stories.

4 . Many scholars agree that a meaningful existence comes down to three factors: the coherence of one’s life, the possession of clear long-term goals and the belief that one’s life matters. But we believe there is another element to consider.

Imagine the first butterfly you stop to admire after a long winter or the scenery atop a hill after a fresh hike. Sometimes existence delivers us small moments of beauty. When people are open to appreciating such experiences, these moments may enhance how they view their life. We call this element experiential appreciation, an ability to detect and admire life’s inner beauty as events happen.

To better understand this appreciation, we conducted a series of studies involving over 3,000 participants. Initially, we had participants rate their coping strategies to relieve their stress. Those managing stress by focusing on their appreciation for life’s beauty reported experiencing life as highly meaningful. In the follow-ups, we asked them to rate the extent to which they agreed with various statements, such as “I have a great appreciation for the beauty of life” and other statements related to coherence, purpose, existential mattering. Our results showed that the more people indicated that they were “appreciating life”, the more they felt their existence valuable. In the subsequent experiment, we further explored the phenomenon by asking participants to watch an awe-inspiring video, they also reported having a greater sense of experiential appreciation and meaning in life in these moments, compared with those watching more neutral videos.

The final results confirmed our original theory: appreciating small things can make life feel more meaningful. But applying that insight can be difficult. Our modern, fast-paced, project-oriented lifestyles fill the day with targets. We are on the go, attempting to maximize our output. This makes it easy to miss what is happening right now. Yet life happens in the present moment. We should slow down, let life surprise us and embrace the significance every day.

1. Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?

A．Existence delivers us large moments of beauty.

B．A meaningful existence involves three factors.

C．Coherence of one’s life is the most important in a meaningful existence.

D．Experiential appreciation means detecting and admiring life’s inner beauty.

2. How does the writer support his viewpoint in paragraph 3?

A．By listing scientific statistics.

B．By telling stories.

C．By presenting experimental results.

D．By analyzing causes.

3. What challenges us to feel more meaningful life according to the text?

A．Our fast-paced modern lifestyle.

B．The lack of belief in life.

C．Our focus on individual feelings.

D．The ignorance of future outcomes.

4. What is the author’s belief in meaningful life?

A．Believing that one’s life matters.

B．Setting a long-term career goal.

C．Valuing what matters to us.

D．Enjoying present beauty of life.

7 . While waiting to pick up a friend at the airport in Portland. I had one of those life-changing experiences. This one ______ a mere two feet away from me.

Looking for my friend among the ______, I noticed a man coming toward me carrying two light bags. He stopped right next to me to ______ his wife.

First he ______ his bags and ______ his wife to give her a long hug I ever remember seeing. He stared into her eyes for several ______, saying. “I love you so much!” They stared at each other’s eyes, smiling big smiles at one another, while holding both ______.

I asked him how long they had been ______ and when he left. He ______ that they had been married for twelve years and he just left two days ago. I was ______. By their greeting, I had thought he’d been gone for at least several weeks. I know my ______ gave me away.

“I ______ my marriage is still that new after twelve years!” I ______ to myself. Hearing my words, he looked me straight in the eye, and with forcefulness that was burned right into my soul, he told me something that left me a ______ person. He told me. “Don’ hope friend, ______!”

1.

A．landed

B．slopped

C．occurred

D．ended

2.

A．artists

B．passengers

C．assistants

D．pilots

3.

A．greet

B．blame

C．comfort

D．motivate

4.

A．put back

B．put up

C．put off

D．put down

5.

A．slapped

B．waved

C．tricked

D．approached

6.

A．seconds

B．minutes

C．hours

D．days

7.

A．bags

B．hands

C．manuals

D．sculptures

8.

A．engaged

B．married

C．involved

D．dominated

9.

A．commented

B．admitted

C．denied

D．replied

10.

A．astonished

B．pleased

C．annoyed

D．frightened

11.

A．impression

B．anxiety

C．expression

D．personality

12.

A．hope

B．request

C．associate

D．prefer

13.

A．thought

B．whispered

C．turned

D．came

14.

A．different

B．generous

C．cool

D．stubborn

15.

A．predict

B．estimate

C．decide

D．assess

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。

In ancient China lived an artist     1     paintings were almost lifelike. The artist’s reputation had made him proud. One day the emperor wanted to get his portrait(画像) done so he called all great artists to come and present their     2    (fine) work, so that he could choose the best. The artist was sure he would     3    (choose), but when he presented his masterpiece to the emperor’s chief minister, the old man laughed. The wise old man told him to travel to the Li River—perhaps he could learn a little from the greatest artist in the world.

Filled with     4    (curious), the artist packed his bags and left.     5     he asked the villagers on the banks of the river where he could find the legendary(传奇的) artist, they smiled and     6    (point) down the river. The next morning he hired     7     boat and set out to find the well-known painter. As the small boat moved     8    (gentle) along the river he was left speechless by the mountains being silently reflected in the water. He passed milky white waterfalls and mountains in many shades of blue. And when he saw the mists(水雾) rising from the river and the soft clouds     9    (surround) the mountain tops, he was reduced to tears. The artist was finally humbled(谦卑) by the greatest artist     10     earth, Mother Nature.

9 . Not having done physical exercise for some time, I found myself a little low-spirited and couldn’t study efficiently, so I decided to do some running the next day. At 6:15 the next morning, my alarm clock rang. Unwilling to rise from my bed, I turned it off and went back to sleep. However, 5 minutes later, I struggled to get up. After washing and brushing, I had my sneakers on and went out.

Wow! The air was so fresh that I couldn’t help breathing it deeply. I stretched (伸展) my arms and legs, then started to run. I found all things around me were so attractive. Look, the branches were waving, as if they were welcoming me; the blossoming flowers were bowing, with shyness, just like girls. Listen, the wind was whispering, as if to say “come on, girl”. What’s more interesting was those two birds, perching in the tree. They were scared and flew away when I passed them. “Hey, chaps, relax.” I shouted without stopping running. “Let’s enjoy the beautiful morning together!” Then miracle (奇迹) happened. The two little creatures seemed to understand what I said. They turned back and twittered (吱吱叫) around me. “Are you singing for me?” I asked. They twittered again and again, sounded like “Yes”. I was delighted to hear that. Ah, what a wonderful morning and how beautiful life is!

Actually, there are a lot of charming things around us. Helen Keller wrote in her famous article Three Days to Sec, “The seeing see little”. Indeed, many of us ignore (忽视) the beauty around us, just because we are familiar with them. They always complain that life is boring. But, I just want to say, if you live each day with appreciation of things around, you’ll find life is very charming. So, let’s enjoy life from now on.

1. According to the passage, the writer went running with the purpose of ______.

A．making herself more active	B．seeing the beauty of nature
C．talking with birds	D．breathing fresh air

2. What can we learn from the passage?

A．The writer hated the singing of the two birds.

B．The writer rose immediately after the clock went off

C．The writer did some warm up exercises before running.

D．The writer felt tired after doing some running in the morning.

3. What does the underlined sentence “The seeing see little.” in the last paragraph mean?

A．People who can see rarely find the beauty of nature.

B．Those who can see enjoy nature very much.

C．People who go outside can see more.

D．Those who go out only see little things.

4. The purpose of the writer in writing this passage is to tell us that ______.

A．the nature is very beautiful

B．fresh air is beneficial

C．physical exercise is useless

D．we should appreciate the beautiful things in life