1 . Signs That You Are Growing

Growing is a lifelong process. Here are the signs that show that you are actually growing and not getting stuck in the process.

    1    

Often, we see how badly people look when they get overly upset due to unimportant things. So the first sign of maturity (成熟) is letting the small things go and not getting angry over a tiny detail that didn’t go as you planned.

You start forgiving and understanding other people

When we are young, we are often unforgiving. As we mature, we are better able to understand the world beyond black and white.     2    . It enables us to look beyond the obvious and let go of simple judgments. We begin to understand better that others have complex (复杂的) lives and personalities, and so we become more willing to forgive their mistakes.

You always complete things that matter

Immature people don’t know when to commit (承诺) themselves and their energy or resources are always not well employed.     3    . In this way, they can often keep their promises and honor their commitments.

You accept the possibility of being wrong

    4    . They are always able to accept the possibility that they are wrong, that they don’t know something, because there is always more to learn.

Being mature is knowing that you are always growing up. You are never done learning and developing. This means that you don’t set yourself up as the highest authority.     5    .

A．You follow the crowd

B．You let the small things go

C．Instead, mature people focus on completing things that matter

D．Immature and mature people can both have plans for their lives

E．Rather, you open your mind to other ideas and new possibilities

F．Becoming more understanding is a sign of strength, not weakness

G．Mature people appear more confident, however, they are not overconfident

2 . I live with my husband Jack in Iowa, which is far away from Florida. One day, my husband suddenly decided to play _________ in Florida.

“Why Florida?” I wanted to know. “We are so busy every day with our work. Why not someplace _________?”

“Because,” he said, “Florida is famous for golf. It’s just something I _________ to do.”

_________, I did understand. Just a week or so before, I _________ a diary of mine from my teenage years. What really got me about it was the list I’d _________ on the very first page—Things I’m Going To Do. But until now I haven’t done a third of them!

So when Jack talked about playing in _________, it got me thinking. There were a lot of things I wanted to _________. They were all the same things as I’d decided to do _________ I was sixteen. But always because of some reasons, my plans __________ to be carried out.

In order to make our life without __________, I told Jack, “Now let’s draw up all our life lists and have them __________ one by one together.” That was how our journey to Florida __________.

After many years, our plans were all finished. __________ I’ve learned that the secret is to take life __________. If you’re in too much of a hurry, you need to stop, or you will fly past all the things that are the most fun.

1.

A．football

B．golf

C．basketball

D．volleyball

2.

A．farther

B．closer

C．larger

D．warmer

3.

A．dream

B．hurry

C．refuse

D．afford

4.

A．In fact

B．For example

C．At once

D．In case

5.

A．lent

B．bought

C．missed

D．found

6.

A．called

B．practised

C．made

D．explained

7.

A．Georgia

B．Hawaii

C．Iowa

D．Florida

8.

A．support

B．learn

C．finish

D．prepare

9.

A．where

B．when

C．although

D．because

10.

A．came

B．rose

C．failed

D．happened

11.

A．regret

B．hope

C．difficulty

D．difference

12.

A．turned down

B．taken away

C．put out

D．carried out

13.

A．started

B．changed

C．appeared

D．stopped

14.

A．Simply

B．Finally

C．Quietly

D．Sadly

15.

A．early

B．busy

C．slow

D．fast

3 . 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。

No one is born a winner. People make themselves into winners by their own efforts. I learned this lesson from an experience many years ago. I took the head coaching job at a school in Baxley, Georgia. It was a small school with a weak football program. The school took part in the league matches every year. However, it never ended well. We were more of the audience, watching and cheering instead of sweating out in the fields.

Fortunately, the school held the tradition that the school’s old team was to play against the new team at the end of spring practice. For lack of resources, the old team bad no coach, and they didn’t even practice to prepare for the game.

I was assigned (指派) as the coach of the new team, which was why I was excited. I believed that we were going to win, but to my disappointment, we were defeated. I couldn’t believe I had got into such a situation. Thinking hard about it, I tried to figure out the reason and what I should do next.

It didn’t take long before I came to realize that my team was depending on me. Without proper guidance or previous experience, my team was at a loss what to do. I had to change my attitude so that I could bring out the best in them about their ability and potential.

I would let my action do the talking. First, I started doing anything I could to help them build a little pride. I could see their spirits lifted, with their head held high in great confidence. Most importantly, I began to treat them like winners. Only when they regarded themselves as winners could they willingly invest time and energy.

This summer, the other teams enjoyed their vacations.

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Six months later, football season started.

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4 . Two hours west of a perfectly sunny summer’s day in Clackamas, Oregon a foggy breeze awaited me on the Lincoln City coast. After a year of volunteering remotely with Ocean Blue Project, today is a long-awaited beach cleanup.

I didn’t expect to take away more than just trash from the beach cleanup. At first glance, the beach appears clean. However, beach cleanups require much more attention than a quick look over. Within just a couple of hours, 71 of us volunteers managed to pick up 171 pounds of debris. Actually, we’ve got much more than that.

Beach cleanups connect us to nature and provide an escape from the world for a little bit. They also provide a learning opportunity outside of the participation part. When you sit over a pile of—let’s face it—garbage, you pick out one by one the pieces left behind by others. You see first hand the impact we’re having on our environment and account for what is left behind the most. Each cigarette butt and plastic bottle sets the tone for how we should be approaching our everyday lives, which is to stop pollution.

Personally, the time spent by the ocean and away from my phone fills me with peace and calmness as I focus my attention only on the moment, looking for the little devils trying to pollute the ocean. With a pound or two less out of the ocean, I always feel a bit more optimistic about the world to come.

This boots-on-the-sand way of making a difference grants me a feeling of accomplishment and purpose. Rather than pondering the dire task of saving the planet or researching and writing ways to do so, I get to physically make a difference. And there’s nothing that can replace that instant gratification of making positive change for your community and your planet.

After the cleanup, my eyes are now expertly trained to spot loose trash and inorganic materials anywhere I step. Imagine what a huge difference we could all make collectively if we simply stopped and picked up that water bottle or wrapper off the ground instead of passing it by.

1. Which of the following can best describe the author’s first beach cleanup with Ocean Blue Project?

A．Effortless and far-reaching.	B．Annoying but rewarding.
C．Painstaking but fruitful.	D．Demanding and inefficient.

2. According to the text, which of the following is the benefit from our doing beach cleanups?

A．Maintaining good physical health.

B．Gaining great insight into oceans.

C．Developing researching ways to save the earth.

D．Improving our mental health.

3. What does the underlined word “gratification” in Paragraph 5 mean?

A．Satisfaction.	B．Gratitude.
C．Impression.	D．Curiosity.

4. What is the most suitable title for the text?

A．What I’ve Learned from a Beach Cleanup

B．How Well I Performed in a Beach Cleanup

C．How Much Attention a Beach Cleanup Requires

D．Why Volunteering with Ocean Blue Project Matters

5 . It was mid-afternoon. I looked outside my dorm window, and saw the lifeless gray sky, the snow and the trackless sidewalks. There was no one in the snow but a squirrel. The brown-gray North American squirrel,a look of terror in his shining eyes, braved the cold to throw himself over snow. In his mouth was a large acorn(橡实)—I was surprised it fit in his mouth.

I moved closer to my window, outside of which is a medium-sized tree, lacking its warm-weather leaves. The squirrel ran up rapidly, higher and higher in the tree, and his small body held onto his dear acorn.

Up he went, to the tip of one of the highest branches. I held my breath—I wondered if that slender branch could support him. I wondered if his winter food store was in this tree—squirrels are known to hide their nuts, mushrooms, and vegetation high up in trees. Outside, the squirrel firmly grasped that branch, jaw clamping(夹紧)on his acorn.

Then came the wind blowing violently, shaking the tree, the branch and the squirrel. He hung on for dear life, and both arms wrapped around the branch in the wind. I held my breath: If he fell from a height like this, then.... Seeing this little squirrel, I had my heart in my mouth. As the wind became stronger, the squirrel’s precious acorn fell to the ground. The squirrel followed its downward progress only by sight—if he let go the branch, he would fall downwards as well. I was so nervous that I didn’t take my gaze off the squirrel for one minute. Surprisingly, he then climbed down the tree and was now half-buried in the snow, searching desperately for his acorn. Finally, he made it.

The brave animal is able to survive in nature all because of its desperate efforts.The same goes for us humans. We all work hard to survive, and this is the law of nature. So effort is not something special, but a matter for all living things to do to survive.

1. What did the author discover outside the window?

A．A squirrel was freezing nearly to death.

B．A squirrel was choked by a large acorn.

C．A squirrel was picking acorns from a tree.

D．A squirrel was climbing to the top of a tree.

2. What does the underlined word “slender” mean in paragraph 3?

A．Dead.

B．Straight.

C．Slim.

D．Thick.

3. What is the author’s attitude to the squirrel in paragraph 4?

A．Concerned.

B．Unfriendly.

C．Uncaring.

D．Curious.

4. What does the story intend to convey?

A．Stop struggling, life is stopped.

B．Facts speak louder than words.

C．Failure is the mother of success.

D．Teaching others teaches yourself.

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

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

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

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

We can say words of kindness and self-compassion to ourselves: Mistakes are natural and human; we can be kind to ourselves for this error and still try to do better next time; noticing our own imperfections can help us to be kind to others when we notice they are imperfect, too. When we practice our mistakes in this way, they can become opportunities to open up to others, learn about ourselves, and connect even more with what matters to us.

1. How does the author develop paragraph 1?

A．By giving some examples.	B．By following time order.
C．By doing scientific experiments.	D．By sharing personal experience.

2. What was the result of the author sharing his mistake?

A．Shameful.

B．Unexpected.

C．Punishable.

D．Unaccepted.

3. What does paragraph 3 mainly tell us?

A．Intentions to avoid mistakes.	B．Advantages of making mistakes.
C．Possibilities of making mistakes.	D．Efforts to avoid making mistakes.

4. What can we know about mistakes from the last paragraph?

A．They interfere with what we are doing.

B．They draw too much attention from us.

C．They are big opportunities to get us improved.

D．They make us feel irresponsible and defeated.

7 . 奋斗是人生前进的动力，也是世界万物生存的条件。请以Struggle Hard为题，结合实例或自身经历写一篇短文阐明奋斗的重要性。
注意：1. 词数100左右；题目和首句已给出，不计入总词数；
2. 不得出现真实的人名、校名、地名等相关信息。

Struggle Hard

As we all know, life is full of struggle which is also the driving force of all life conditions.

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8 . 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).     1     Here are some of the life lessons you can learn from playing poker.

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.     2     What you can do in life and in a game of poker is directly influence the things under your control.

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.     3     Always be sure to be in charge of your safety.

Learn from mistakes.

    4     You learn from mistakes, and rather than trying to avoid mistakes, you should instead try to avoid repeating the same mistake. If you are trying to avoid mistakes in a poker game, you can get left behind quickly.

    5    

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.

9 . Nathan was a boy in my band class as well as in my math class. I never really liked him. He didn’t have any friends at all and always sat _______ at the lunch table listening to music with his phone. People just walked past him without _______. In class, whenever he was asked a question, he would take a long time to answer it, which made the whole class get _______. Whenever he got an answer _______, the whole class would _______.

One day, when I walked into band class and was _______ to play my flute (长笛) , Mr. Kohler began the class. After we had played _______ for a little while, Mr. Kohler asked the class, “Who can tell what _______ it is just by hearing the pitch (音高) ?” Nobody raised their hands except Nathan. When I saw him, I laughed and thought he couldn’t do anything _______. How could he possibly guess the note when the pitch was played?

Even Mr. Kobler laughed a little and then told Nathan “ Come here, buddy.” Nathan ________ and went to the front of the class. Mr. Kohler had a tuner (校音器). He played a pitch and asked Nathan to ________ it. Nathan said, “ E flat.” Mr. Kohler said, “ OK. Good.” He played another pitch. “F sharp,” Nathan said. The whole class went ________. Mr. Kohler ________ Nathan by playing two pitches together. “C and B flat,” Nathan said. “Good job, go back to your seat.” he said.

Then I got surprised. Nathan had guessed all the pitches ________. That day I realized I shouldn’t judge people ________ little things I saw and that I needed to see the great things people can do.

1.

A．alone

B．lazily

C．happily

D．hopelessly

2.

A．listening

B．caring

C．praising

D．sharing

3.

A．satisfied

B．excited

C．confused

D．annoyed

4.

A．wrong

B．long

C．brief

D．puzzling

5.

A．applaud

B．laugh

C．ignore

D．help

6.

A．nervous

B．afraid

C．ready

D．free

7.

A．movies

B．jokes

C．games

D．music

8.

A．note

B．beat

C．tune

D．song

9.

A．independently

B．carefully

C．properly

D．bravely

10.

A．came

B．rose

C．jumped

D．sat

11.

A．repeat

B．guess

C．play

D．sing

12.

A．crazy

B．noisy

C．silent

D．blank

13.

A．tricked

B．bothered

C．encouraged

D．challenged

14.

A．correctly

B．luckily

C．seriously

D．confidently

15.

A．related to

B．leading to

C．based on

D．deciding on

10 . When Bob Cialdini was a senior in high school, he was really good at baseball. Good enough that a scout (球探) ________ at his last game of the year, and offered him a ________ to play in the minor leagues.

The scout then had a  ________with him. “‘So tell me something. Are you any good at school?”’ Cialdini recalled him asking. “I said, ‘Yes, I am.’ He said, ‘Good enough to get into ________?’ ‘Yes, I am.’”

He pushed Cialdini about his interest in college, asking him if he ________ academic work. When Cialdini said he did, the scout put the contract away.

“He said, ‘Go to ________ because most likely, you won’t get to the major leagues (职业体育总会). But what you’ve told me is that you’re ________ at something you really like. That should be where you go.’”

Cialdini ________ the scout’s advice. Instead of pursuing professional baseball, he went to college. It  ________ : he became a well-known psychology researcher on the science of influence.

Decades later, Cialdini is still ________ by the way the scout looked out for his best ________. Cialdini shared the scout’s  ________ with his students, as they make major  ________ about what to do next in life.

“Don’t just go where your ________ is,” he tells them. “Go where you have the ________ to realize the dream.”

1.

A．called up

B．hanged out

C．set up

D．showed up

2.

A．ticket

B．permit

C．contract

D．prize

3.

A．argument

B．conversation

C．experiment

D．holiday

4.

A．work

B．business

C．position

D．college

5.

A．enjoyed

B．completed

C．continued

D．pursued

6.

A．school

B．baseball

C．training

D．work

7.

A．disappointed

B．quick

C．good

D．creative

8.

A．considered

B．followed

C．sought

D．ignored

9.

A．carried on

B．turned up

C．paid off

D．broke down

10.

A．confused

B．struck

C．amazed

D．annoyed

11.

A．qualities

B．efforts

C．intentions

D．interests

12.

A．advice

B．experience

C．choice

D．success

13.

A．changes

B．decisions

C．breakthroughs

D．mistakes

14.

A．belief

B．purpose

C．dream

D．courage

15.

A．potential

B．time

C．support

D．patience