1 . I recently spent a week on the Greek island of Ikaria with my partner, exploring the secrets of the locals’ healthy and happy lifestyle. It was a (n) ________ break from the fast-paced world, and we learned a lot about the ________ of slowing down and enjoying life.

One of the first things we ________ was how relaxed life was on Ikaria. Unlike the ________ rush of modern society, the locals took things ________, enjoying long meals with friends and family, taking a ________ in the afternoon, and spending lots of time outdoors. While they worked hard when they ________ to, they also knew how to take breaks and ________ the simple pleasures of life.

Food played a big role in their healthy lifestyle, too. The island’s Mediterranean diet ________ fresh vegetables, fruits, and seafood instead of red meat and carbohydrate (碳水化合物), and we enjoyed delicious meals at local restaurants. The amount was small, but the flavors were ________, and we noticed that the locals ________ to snack on healthy options like nuts and seeds.

Exercise was also a big part of life for the native people on Ikaria. The hilly landscape provided plenty of opportunities for ________, and we even joined a group of locals for a morning yoga session on the beach.

________, our time on Ikaria taught us the importance of prioritizing (优先) self-care and taking things at a lower ________. While we may not be able to ________ the exact lifestyle of the locals back home, we can certainly include some of their habits into our own lives.

1.

A．embarrassing

B．refreshing

C．surprising

D．creative

2.

A．disadvantages

B．philosophies

C．functions

D．intentions

3.

A．noticed

B．confirmed

C．recorded

D．assumed

4.

A．ordinary

B．sudden

C．constant

D．illegal

5.

A．seriously

B．slowly

C．quickly

D．personally

6.

A．rest

B．lesson

C．ride

D．leave

7.

A．expected

B．refused

C．managed

D．needed

8.

A．appreciate

B．accept

C．provide

D．promote

9.

A．makes out

B．stirs up

C．focuses on

D．adapts to

10.

A．light

B．rich

C．hot

D．salty

11.

A．tended

B．used

C．promised

D．decided

12.

A．boating

B．skating

C．hiking

D．driving

13.

A．Besides

B．Therefore

C．However

D．Overall

14.

A．process

B．conduct

C．amount

D．pace

15.

A．admire

B．copy

C．balance

D．measure

2 . The great philosopher Plato said, “Happiness springs from doing good and helping others.” It means that giving help to people in need can also bring _________ and enjoyment to ourselves. Here is my story.

The other day, I heard that Doreen, an old _________ in my community, developed a serious disease and she needed someone to drive her to the hospital. I _________ gave her a hand. On the way home, I happened to know that it was also _________ for her to go to the grocery store because of her _________ health conditions. I _________ to take her shopping on Saturday mornings. It was on the countless Saturday mornings that Doreen _________ me to the fantasy world of paintings. What _________ me most was her unique insight into the art and active attitude towards life. I _________ felt life was even happier. Every Saturday was another gift.

One Saturday morning just before Doreen __________, she weakly said to me: “Mary, I really enjoy your __________ in my last 2 years. I’m so lucky to have you in my life. You are my angel!” Her last words deeply __________ me! It was the first time that I was __________ of the value and significance of my life.

Great opportunities to help others seldom come, but small ones __________ us every day. My happy __________ with Doreen always remind me that a small kind act can also make a big difference.

1.

A．contribution

B．pleasure

C．satisfaction

D．relief

2.

A．architect

B．expert

C．painter

D．composer

3.

A．immediately

B．actually

C．gradually

D．obviously

4.

A．striking

B．confusing

C．alarming

D．challenging

5.

A．worsening

B．lessening

C．improving

D．threatening

6.

A．intended

B．announced

C．proved

D．offered

7.

A．promoted

B．recommended

C．introduced

D．welcomed

8.

A．reminded

B．puzzled

C．impressed

D．awakened

9.

A．ever

B．never

C．seldom

D．once

10.

A．broke away

B．dropped by

C．went off

D．passed away

11.

A．company

B．respect

C．treat

D．gift

12.

A．comforted

B．attracted

C．entertained

D．touched

13.

A．glad

B．aware

C．capable

D．confident

14.

A．strike

B．content

C．surround

D．impact

15.

A．contacts

B．memories

C．travels

D．chats

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。

“I’m sorry, Lisa, but Debbie and I are going to move back into the house. You’re going to have to find another place to live.”

I couldn’t believe what Neil, my landlord (房东), was telling me on that warm April night. I had tears in my eyes, and so did he. I had lived in his Staten Island house for more than twelve years.

Neil had never raised my rent, which was $750 a month, very cheap for New York City. This was a big comfort when I was laid off from my newspaper job and couldn’t find any work for two years. He promised me that I would always have a home, even if I had a hard time paying the rent. But now, I was going to have to find a new apartment and pay more.

Although he gave me six months to find a new place, I was still astonished and worried. So I called Jon, my best friend, to complain about my bad experience. But Jon surprised and annoyed me.

“Look on the bright side.” he said. “Maybe you will find a place you like better. Do you remember you complained all the time about the crowded bus to and from the house? Why don’t you find a place where you don’t have to take that bus?”

“How can you say that?” I shouted at him. “This is way out of my comfort zone!”

“Come on, Lisa. Did it ever occur to you that change could be good?” Jon said.

“No!” I screamed and hung up on him.

I felt upset for the next few days about our argument. But what if Jon was right? Why did I assume that every change would be bad? Maybe my life needed to be shaken up.

That summer, as I started looking for apartments, I began to think about new possibilities. Maybe I could find an apartment with better furniture.

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。

Finally, that October, I spotted the apartment of my dreams in a new home in a nice neighborhood.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

As time went on, I found myself doing more things out of my comfort zone and feeling more positive about life.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4 . Megan King is a waitress and she recently saw an elderly woman eating by herself at the restaurant. She _________ that the woman was quietly sitting and seemed to be _________ on something while eating her meal.

That’s when Megan decided to take a pause in her busy workday and _________ the woman at her table. The two talked for a bit _________ Megan got back to her work duties.

“It was on Sunday, which is always pretty _________,” Megan shared, “About halfway through her _________, it started to slow down so we _________ for a few minutes. Small talk, nothing too deep. She told me she was almost 70… and she just wanted to stop by an old _________ for a bite.”

Little did Megan know how much that _________ meant to that elderly woman. Before she __________, the elderly woman decided to leave Megan a(n) __________ sharing how her act of kindness made her feel.

“Thank you very much for your kind company. This was my first time eating out __________ here since my husband passed away. I was hoping I could get through it,” the note read.

As soon as Megan saw the handwritten note, she had to fight back tears and went to the restroom to gather herself from the wave of emotions. She took a __________ of the sweet note. She also took a picture of her smiling with one tear rolling down her face, and she __________ both of the pictures online.

This story reminds us that one simple act of kindness can mean so much to one person. You never know what people are __________ and sharing a smile or a nice chat could really make someone’s whole day!

1.

A．insisted

B．imagined

C．heard

D．noticed

2.

A．relying

B．reflecting

C．deciding

D．judging

3.

A．help

B．punish

C．join

D．praise

4.

A．before

B．after

C．while

D．as

5.

A．free

B．busy

C．clean

D．safe

6.

A．meal

B．party

C．adventure

D．memory

7.

A．walked

B．practised

C．stopped

D．chatted

8.

A．assistant

B．friend

C．favorite

D．pose

9.

A．interaction

B．expectation

C．guarantee

D．justice

10.

A．rested

B．sank

C．performed

D．left

11.

A．call

B．note

C．address

D．book

12.

A．ahead

B．abroad

C．alone

D．aside

13.

A．sight

B．picture

C．chance

D．trip

14.

A．bought

B．downloaded

C．copied

D．posted

15.

A．arguing about

B．giving up

C．going through

D．turning down

5 . When I started my company, a customer service number was put on the company’s website to better the communication with users. Somehow it rarely rang. So we abandoned it.

However, I thought phone support would have made sense. So, last year, I ________ putting another service number on our homepage.   

“Again? We tried this before, but it didn’t work!” they responded, casting ________ on me.

“But companies evolve; circumstances change.” I argued.

Late last year, I convinced my company to give it a shot. So we started a two-week ________. During the first few days, the volume of calls, around 20 per day, was not much but ________. Then, over the following days, the volume increased dramatically, which ________ them all. So successful was it that we finally decided to adopt the service phone number ________.

This experience reminded me of the elephant-and-rope story. Baby elephants were ________ with a small rope. Because they’re too ________ to break free from the rope, they grow up being conditioned that the rope is stronger than they are. So, as adults, they think they can still be ________ by the rope. In my company, those who thought we couldn’t because we once ________ were like a baby elephant who was living with a ________ mindset. They drew a conclusion based on specific ________, but they forgot to revise it when things changed.

In business, not to mention life, all sorts of invisible mental ropes may hold us back. It results in missed opportunities and wasted ________. So don’t hold onto the ________ that you can’t grow or learn from past failures. All it takes is ________ eyes to reexamine the situation.

1.

A．admitted

B．imagined

C．enjoyed

D．proposed

2.

A．annoyance

B．fear

C．doubt

D．regret

3.

A．activity

B．trial

C．procedure

D．mission

4.

A．significant

B．precise

C．perfect

D．common

5.

A．amused

B．frustrated

C．astonished

D．pleased

6.

A．partly

B．regularly

C．naturally

D．officially

7.

A．injured

B．secured

C．moved

D．pulled

8.

A．small

B．big

C．fat

D．short

9.

A．held on

B．held back

C．set free

D．set apart

10.

A．tried

B．reflected

C．persevered

D．failed

11.

A．flexible

B．complex

C．fixed

D．simple

12.

A．places

B．conditions

C．standards

D．systems

13.

A．space

B．strength

C．money

D．potential

14.

A．belief

B．excuse

C．ambition

D．information

15.

A．mature

B．eager

C．fresh

D．optimistic

6 . If there is one trait (特点) I have taken from my mother, it is her _________. Like most mothers, my mom wants the best for me. She encourages me to seize every opportunity and use it to its fullest _________. She has encouraged me to _________ those opportunities that may even seem impossible. After all, she does this every day.

When friends met my mom for the first time, they were often taken aback, and _________ they didn’t want this emotion to show on their faces when they shook her hand and said hello. When they got me alone for a second, they _________ me for not telling them my mom was in a wheelchair. It shocked them.

In my _________, I never think to mention that my mom is in a wheelchair. She has been paralyzed from the waist down for most of her life. To me, though, she is just a/an _________ mom. Like many of my friends’ moms, she has always been there for me. When there were those _________ as a child when I just needed to be held, I knew I could crawl onto my mother’s lap and find _________ in her safe arms. When I needed a __________ on the sideline of my soccer games, she was always there. Mother, friend, teacher, nutritionist, chef, caregiver, banker, and advisor---my mom has always been __________ for me.

On family vacations, my mother never sits out on a/an __________. She couldn’t hike the volcano in Hawaii with the rest of the family or go cliff-jumping in Mexico. But she always __________. She goes as far as she can.

I have learned from watching my mom that if I don’t have the courage to try, even if the chances of failure are slim, I will never __________. The opportunities I have are without bounds because my mother showed me how to live __________ limits.

1.

A．kindness

B．honesty

C．courage

D．generosity

2.

A．preparation

B．potential

C．plan

D．preference

3.

A．drop by

B．make up

C．work out

D．reach for

4.

A．initially

B．finally

C．constantly

D．fortunately

5.

A．punished

B．respected

C．scolded

D．thanked

6.

A．defense

B．way

C．power

D．dream

7.

A．intelligent

B．demanding

C．regular

D．unlucky

8.

A．questions

B．moments

C．challenges

D．plans

9.

A．awareness

B．money

C．comfort

D．rewards

10.

A．doctor

B．cheerleader

C．coach

D．tutor

11.

A．there

B．here

C．home

D．somewhere

12.

A．activity

B．party

C．record

D．program

13.

A．waits

B．helps

C．laughs

D．tries

14.

A．recover

B．profit

C．succeed

D．insist

15.

A．beyond

B．within

C．on

D．off

7 .     1     We need them to be our guides on the twisting, sometimes difficult road we call life to shows just how far we can go, to help us know just how high we can climb.

And we need heroes today more than ever. Our modern society is terribly confused about the difference between a hero and a celebrity (名人). And the difference is significant. A celebrity is all about fame-temporary, superficial fame, usually for qualities that are easy to see: a pretty face, a great dance move.     2     —qualities beneath the surface that aren’t visible until they prompt action. Qualities like courage, hope, compassion (同情), and perseverance (毅力).

Heroes, real heroes, are all around us. They truly hold our world together, through their unselfish devotion to helping others, supporting families, teaching children, protecting the environment.     3     They just want to help. In so many ways, these unsung heroes steer the boat in which all of us sail.

Yet, young people hear a lot more about celebrities than about heroes.     4     The underlying message they get from all this is that their self-worth comes from what they buy-which drink, which shoes, which cell phone-not who they are down inside. Young people’s sense of their own potential for heroic qualities-their own power to make a positive difference in the world is lost.

Truth is, there is a potential hero, a future difference maker, in every young person. Each of them, from whatever background, is a large amount of untapped (未开发的) energy-a positive force who can do something to steer that communal boat that carries us all.     5    

A．A hero, by contrast, is about character

B．They don’t want fame, or glory, or even credit

C．All of us-especially young people-need heroes

D．All of us need to believe in our own abilities to help people in need

E．Worse yet, young people are treated too often as just another target market by advertisers

F．They have discovered that they can build on their own energy and ideals to do something truly great

G．If young people believe in their own power and use it, they will discover that any person can make a genuine, lasting impact

8 . Curiosity is rooted in our DNA. We are fascinated by the future; we are impressed with the unknown that surrounds us; we are amazed at all that we have to explore. The mysteries of the world have always been a push for us to watch.     1    .

Children are known for sticking their fingers in places where young fingers should never be. They are famous for putting all kinds of objects and substances in their mouths, everything from plastic blocks to any object in the room.

    2     It holds our hand as we move into old age and the unknown of the future. By and large, we are determined question-askers. We want to know more than we know; we want to expand our horizons, try out the new and undiscovered, and pursue experiences that deepen our comprehension of the world we live in.

    3     It is also the generation of possibilities. When we look at the world from multiple perspectives, we give ourselves permission to examine a wider range of resolutions. We open up our minds to explore the unexamined and unknown.     4     Ian Leslie explains it this way, “Curiosity is essential to an exploring mind; it opens our eyes to the new and undiscovered, encouraging us to seek out new experiences and meet new people.”

Curiosity is the catalyst(催化剂) for questioning, and questioning is what urges us to seek out the unfamiliar and the unknown.     5     It does not move forward, nor does it have sufficient power to dig what may lie just below the surface or just slightly out of reach. Curiosity is the fuel necessary for creativity to prosper and succeed.

A．Curiosity has its own reason for existing.

B．Without questioning, knowledge becomes inactive.

C．Nowhere is this truer than when we watch our children.

D．But curiosity is much more than a simple search for answers.

E．Curiosity becomes a boost for new opportunities and new options.

F．So ask questions to which there may be a wide variety of responses.

G．In adults, curiosity guides us toward a lifetime occupation and to new destinations.

9 . Now I live in Paris. Actually, I don’t mind the food or the people, but I do care about the land that is extraordinarily lack of characteristics of hiking. I enjoy being outdoors and hiking, but Paris’s natural resources don’t hold much potential for my bent. So when my dad asked if I wanted to go hiking with him, I was overjoyed.    1    . It turned out that I was too optimistic.

We started our main hike up Flattop Mountain. As we hiked it was much more challenging than I expected.    2    . The path is winding and we saw mountains towering over the green valleys and cliffs that seemed endless. What amazed me most was that thick clouds enveloped the mountainsides.    3    .

I stared up at the top to see how much farther we had to go and I began to worry that I wouldn’t finish it.     4    . It made me doubtful about my persistence (坚持). But when we looked back at the path that faded in the distance, I was filled with fulfillment with seeing how much we had done.

As I was hiking, I started to reflect on how hiking was similar to other aspects of my life.    5    . It reminded me of my struggles in my classes and the difficulties I had to overcome. I spotted that the process of learning isn’t always the most fun, but the fulfillment after seeing how much I had finished just increases the thirst for knowledge, causing me to long for more learning. Looking down at the mountain I was content but never fully satisfied. Having considered a lot, I was determined to pursue the summit (山顶).

A．Hiking could make me fly.

B．Hiking gave time for my mind to wander.

C．I thought I would finish the journey with ease.

D．But I was shocked at the beauty surrounding me.

E．I was satisfied with the landscape along the way.

F．It was unlike anything I had ever witnessed before.

G．A recent ankle injury had left me unsure of my physical capabilities.