1 . I truly believe we all have a very special purpose in life, regardless of who we are or where we come from. After ten years of working for a major Wall Street bank, I wanted to do something challenging. So when I read a Merrill Lynch advertisement looking to hire more stockbrokers (股票经纪人), with great excitement, I made some phone calls and arranged to meet with one of its branch vice presidents. After this interview and interviews with twelve of his top stockbrokers, I eventually landed the job.
The first few months was a struggle. I lived on very little commission (佣金). Night after night, I left the office weary and exhausted, ready to give up, yet somehow returning the next morning to start anew day. Eventually, all the hard work paid off. In less than four years, I became one of the top sales people at my branch and increased personal sales by 1,700 percent. The success earned me a six-figure income, promotion and numerous sales awards.
Toward the end of my fourth year at Merrill Lynch, it hit me that something was missing. I thought long and hard about my goals. Then I was reminded of the time when I spoke to hundreds of people, while in college as a student leader, and years later, when I won a “Humorous Speech” championship. It dawned on me that every time I had a speaking engagement, I always came out of the experience with a wonderful, energetic, peaceful and magical feeling that was unmatched by anything else I did. I knew the extraordinary public-speaking skills I was blessed with could enable me to make a lasting difference and transform other people’s lives.
Then I took another daring risk, gave up everything and left the investment business for a more satisfying career as a motivational speaker. The beginning of my speaking journey was surprisingly similar to what I had first experienced at Merrill Lynch. However, nothing in the world comes close to the satisfying feeling I get when thousands of people tell me how much I have made a difference in their lives by motivating them to take risks and be the best they could be.
1. Why did the author meet with a Merrill Lynch branch vice president?| A．To arrange an interview. | B．To make an advertisement. |
| C．To employ more clerks. | D．To get a position. |
| A．Tolerant and ambitious. | B．Demanding and successful. |
| C．Tough and competent. | D．Optimistic and agreeable. |
| A．He hoped to relive college life. | B．He wanted to influence others’ lives. |
| C．He had an engagement. | D．His investment was not satisfying. |
| A．Speaking Makes a Satisfying Job | B．Challenge Your Career Choice |
| C．Hard Work Pays Off | D．Dare to Take Risks |
2 . My childhood was a painted picture of sunny sky and rolling green fields stretching to the horizon. It tasted of sharp berries and smelt of sour grapes. My family lived in a cabin(小木屋) in the countryside but I lived in my mother’s arms. They were so delicate but strong, her red hair falling around me like a curtain separating me from the world.
Childhood was simple. The borders of my village were the furthest my troubles went and monsters only lived in the pages of books. Every day was a waking dream of running races and muddy knees. My village was archaic, dying cabins housing dying farmers with dying traditions. There weren’t many children but me and the other boys; boys of butchers and sellers formed our own group.
They called us wild. I suppose we were. Trees and mountains formed our playgrounds and fights broke out as easily as sudden laughter. Liberated from the restrictions of society, we would bound into the woods, deeper and deeper until we found a lake which, with a wild yell, we would jump into all at once.
My most vivid memories from boyhood center around that lake. Water shone brightly and the sounds of our screams broke into the outcry from birds. The shock of cold water against sweating skin would wake every nerve in my body and my bare feet would hit the sinking muddy bottom. As we submerged(淹没)， time would suspend， movements slowing as bubbles rose around us.
I was drowning. I was living. I was living. I was drowning.
For timelessness or a second (both felt the same), we would suspend, curl up, and then be forced back out into breathing air.
We should have known that it wouldn’t last forever. Yet, even under the best circumstances, there’s something so tragic about growing up: to have your perspective on the people and life around you change;to always struggle to reach a mirror only to find yourself tall enough to see your reflection one day. And find, a different person staring back out at you.
1. What does the underlined word “archaic” mean in paragraph 2?| A．Borderless. |
| B．Valueless. |
| C．Old-fashioned. |
| D．Poverty-stricken. |
| A．They played in the woods crazily. |
| B．They tricked others purposefully. |
| C．They frequently broke social rules. |
| D．They firmly refused school education. |
| A．By sharing feelings. |
| B．By expressing ideas. |
| C．By making comparisons. |
| D．By describing characters. |
| A．Loneliness and challenges make a man grow up. |
| B．The regret of growth is that you have never tried. |
| C．Growth is often accompanied by sad goodbyes to the past. |
| D．Growth begins when we begin to accept our own weakness. |
3 . There are days when I find it necessary to step outside my classroom and check to be sure that my name is still in the TEACHER space over my door. Sometimes I feel that I am a student in my classroom rather than the teacher.
Seated in the classroom, my sixth grade students each held a different tool in the hand. The students discussed how words are like tools-they have the ability to build or to destroy, and they discovered how the right tool used at the right time for the right job can produce great results. I watched and listened with a sense of satisfaction. They got it!
A. few days later, one of my students, Laura, had an unexpected outburst in class. She refused to work with her group. I asked her to excuse herself and to go to our next door team center. She marched from the back of the room to our classroom door-shooting me an angry look, and then proceeded to slam the door as she left for the team meeting room.
Minutes later, I stood over her. Being extremely angry about her disrespectful behavior, I was sharp in my tone and harsh with my words. When I paused for her response, she stated, “You’re using your tool against me.” I was speechless.
There are times when you are at a critical crossroads with a student and the road you choose will make all the difference. I knew at that moment the right thing to do was to kneel down next to her chair, and softly say, “You’re right, Laura. I have used my words unwisely and unkindly. Will you forgive me?” She looked me in the eye and simply said, “Yes, I forgive you, Mrs. Ekre. I’m sorry, too.”
At the end of the year, she wrote me a beautiful letter, attached to which was a small key-a tool, she said, for a language arts teacher who taught her how important words can be. It serves as my reminder of a lesson I taught as a teacher but one I really learned from my student.
1. Why does the writer feel she is a student?| A．Her students often challenge her. | B．Her name is not in the TEACHER space. |
| C．Her students transform her ideas. | D．She abuses her power as a teacher. |
| A．Laura’s angry look. | B．Laura’s abrupt explosion. |
| C．Laura’s slamming the door. | D．Laura’s accusation against her. |
| A．Caring but stubborn. | B．Tolerant and open-minded. |
| C．Strict and changeable. | D．Sincere and flexible. |
| A．The power of words. | B．The importance of teaching. |
| C．The value of forgiveness. | D．The beauty of understanding. |
4 . A relative invited me to come and live in his house. With complete
When I arrived, he said, “Things have
I was stunned. I was so
In order to live, I submitted articles to magazines in India and, occasionally, they
Those years of
| A．agreement | B．interest | C．faith | D．curiosity |
| A．ready for | B．bound for | C．relevant to | D．accessible to |
| A．secretly | B．constantly | C．frequently | D．smoothly |
| A．adventure | B．advantage | C．choice | D．application |
| A．improved | B．failed | C．ended | D．changed |
| A．touched | B．frightened | C．excited | D．shocked |
| A．impossible | B．opposite | C．unknown | D．unlimited |
| A．surfaced | B．disappeared | C．passed | D．melted |
| A．blamed | B．charged | C．paid | D．thanked |
| A．exploring | B．wandering | C．frustration | D．contribution |
| A．settle | B．decorate | C．restore | D．visit |
| A．logical | B．physical | C．spiritual | D．material |
| A．expectation | B．perseverance | C．imagination | D．experience |
| A．saved | B．affected | C．hidden | D．overcome |
| A．office | B．hotel | C．home | D．company |
It was my twelfth birthday, and what I really wanted most was a new bicycle. But I knew that my family couldn’t afford one, so I settled for a bedside table with lockable drawers, a safe place to keep my private stuff.
We went to the charity shop where we found an old dark one. It didn’t look too cool, but I thought that I would paint it to make it look better.
After we took it home, I was getting ready to paint it. When I pulled the drawers out. I felt something stuck to the back. I reached in all the way, and guess what? A sealed bag with some papers in it.
When I opened the bag, I realized that the papers were official documents. And, wrapped in them were a bunch of ten and twenty dollar bills! Talk about finding a treasure! And on my birthday!
“Is this some kind of joke?” I said aloud. I went ahead and read the papers, and it turned out to be a will. Some old lady was leaving her savings for her son and grandchildren.
My mind was going crazy. Was I the luckiest twelve-year-old ever? With this money I could buy the coolest bicycle. Who knows?
I began counting. When I reached a thousand dollars, my mother was knocking on my bedroom door. I quickly closed the drawer with the money in it.
“Do you want some help? Is everything all right?” she asked.
No, everything was not right. Actually, my stomach was growling (低吼).
“I’m okay,” I lied.
When my mother left my room, I lay on my bed, starting thinking. What a dilemma (窘境)! I wished there were some one I could talk with. Could I keep it and get all kinds of stuff for me and my family? It wouldn’t be too bad for me to keep it, if I shared it...right? Thoughts ran through my mind. But I really didn’t need someone else to give me the answer.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
I finally made a decision and called my parents into my bedroom.
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Though surprised, the shop owner helped find the family’s telephone number.
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