1 . Thomas was a well-known wise man. One day, he wandered in a beautiful small town. Because of his fame, people from nearby towns who heard of his arrival all came to visit and seek his advice.

Many who came sought help with difficulties in daily life, and Thomas, unable to bear turning them away, patiently offered suggestions. Word spread quickly, and more and more people came to see Thomas for guidance.

One day, dozens of people crowded outside Thomas’s door, all clamoring (大声地要求) that their problems were the most serious and urgent, each insisting that Thomas address their concerns first, with no one willing to yield (让步).

After a moment of thought, Thomas took out some paper and a pen and said, “I can’t hear clearly with everyone talking at once. How about everyone write down your problem on a piece of paper and place it in this basket beside me?”

Once everyone had placed their notes in the basket, Thomas shook the basket and said, “Please each take a piece of paper from the basket and read what it says.”

As everyone read a note from someone else, they all realized that indeed, each person has their own troubles, and every household has its own challenges. Then Thomas spoke up, “Now, whose problem is the most urgent to solve?” Hearing that question, no one spoke again, because now no one dared to claim that their problem was the most severe.

Often, we are bound by our immediate feelings. When difficulties and problems strike, it feels as though we are caught in a vortex of pain. But if we shift our focus from ourselves and look towards others, we might discover that the problems we face are not so significant. Perhaps others are the ones who need help more urgently, or maybe there is something within our power that we can do for them.

1. Why did people visit Thomas?

A．For advice.	B．For a meeting.
C．For a competition.	D．For introductions.

2. How did Thomas handle the crowd?

A．He ignored them.	B．He listened to each one individually.
C．He prioritized the problems himself.	D．He asked them to write down their problems.

3. What did reading others’ problems show to the people?

A．The complexity of their difficulties.	B．The similarity of their situations.
C．Their need for more advice.	D．Their living conditions.

4. What lesson did Thomas teach?

A．Competition.

B．Sympathy.

C．Prioritization.

D．Self-confidence.

2 . I was born with facial differences. My first surgery was when I was 3. That same year, I started _______ lessons when my mom signed me up to learn ballet. My mom said, “When you’re on stage, no one _______ your face,” and what I think she _______ was, “When you’re on stage, people can look past your difference and _______ you for who you are.”

I’ve had nine surgeries. I am forever _______ to my family for trying to give me every chance at a “normal” life. _______, what I would have really wanted was for that ”normal“ life to be a result of a culture where typical _______ weren’t a requirement for full participation in society.

It’s a daily experience for people with facial differences to get _______ questions like, “What happened to your face?”— that’s very _______, which I think is so messed up. I see ________ a lot when strangers are asking these questions.

I want people to examine their deeply held beliefs about what they ________ is beautiful and worthy of adoration and ask why? Why do we devalue people based only on what they ________?

The next time you see someone with a(n) ________, take a moment before asking annoying questions. You can help reduce your bias (偏见) by just ________ a person’s humanity — not through a lens (镜头) of pity, but by recognizing them as someone who is probably more ________ than different from yourself.

1.

A．piano

B．dance

C．acting

D．violin

2.

A．notices

B．shows

C．values

D．anticipates

3.

A．affected

B．predicted

C．chose

D．meant

4.

A．see

B．help

C．need

D．change

5.

A．equal

B．resistant

C．awesome

D．grateful

6.

A．Instead

B．Therefore

C．Otherwise

D．However

7.

A．families

B．faces

C．chances

D．lives

8.

A．exciting

B．amusing

C．disturbing

D．astonishing

9.

A．complex

B．important

C．common

D．practical

10.

A．hope

B．pity

C．panic

D．pain

11.

A．think

B．recall

C．demand

D．obtain

12.

A．rely on

B．decide on

C．put aside

D．look like

13.

A．expression

B．personality

C．difference

D．background

14.

A．recognizing

B．announcing

C．improving

D．classifying

15.

A．unique

B．similar

C．obvious

D．desperate

3 . 阅读短文, 在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

    1     (change) a bad habit is difficult, and it is easy     2     (make) excuses and give up. We need to make     3     our minds and show some discipline , and make small changes over time. There is no pill to help us, but changing will ensure we have     4     magic happy and healthy life!

4 . 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。

Special#2，Please

My flight arrived in San Diego around midnight, and by the time I drove home and got into bed it was nearly 2:00 a. m. I was tired and jet-lagged when I dragged myself out of the bed. Nevertheless,I had to be up bright and early that morning: I was the opening keynoter(主旨发言人) at a national conference.

In short, I needed to recover quickly. A hearty breakfast in the early morning sun was what I needed. I headed for Carlos & Annie’s, a popular restaurant located in the heart of the seaside town.

“I’d like steak and eggs, please,” I said to the waitress after I had finally found a table in the restaurant. “Oh, I'm sorry,” she apologized. “We're out of Special#2. We've served the last of our steaks. How about Special#14?” “Oh, no steak and eggs?” I couldn't seem to accept it.

I'm not sure if it was my heartfelt sigh that caught Carlos, the owner's attention. His warm, caring brown eyes seemed determined to pinpoint the best solution. He then said, “You know, I think I did see one final steak back

there.”

Pressing my luck,I quickly declared, “Wow,that would be great. But you know, I’m not sure if I want a breakfast stenk at all. What I really want is a steak—one that’s two inches thick, tender and juicy, served medium rare.” “Not to worry,” Carlos assured meand left. The young waitress gave me a wink(眨眼) and said with a knowing smile, “Carlosis being Carlos again!” I did not give her words much thought.

Then, I noticed Carlos as he left the restaurant through the side door and walked into a neighborhood grocery store across the street. Carlos exchanged morning greetings with everyone he knew and even helped the owner of the bookstore next door by holding the items that filled her arms. Then he reentered the restaurant with a bag in his hand.

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。

Paragraph 1: Within minutes，an exact Special#2 was in front of me.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Paragraph 2: I was about to leave when I learned Carlos had already sold the restaurant.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5 . As a writer, I miss rejection slips. Not that I enjoyed receiving those pre-printed slips of paper, but at least when I got one, I was pretty sure that a flesh-and-blood _______ had put it in the envelope. And there was always the chance I might see a handwritten sentence on the bottom, _______ the piece almost made it. When an editor at McCall’s wrote, “I’m afraid I have to say no on this _______ piece, but try me again on another, would you?” It was almost as _______ to me as if she had said, “We’ll _______ it and here is an advance for you”.

Nowadays, rejection slips seem to have disappeared with the use of online submissions. Most editors don’t feel it a must to _______ they have received, read, or considered your work because they receive so many _______ each day.

For me, there are three _______ of rejection slip pain. The first is _______ brought on by finding a flat “no” on a ________ piece of paper, then followed by anger (how could they ________ a piece that is obviously so much ________ than most of the stuff they print), and, finally, rebirth: I will live to ________ a new piece another day.

Learning to ________ rejection seems like part of growing up as a writer. Despite the many letters of acceptance I have received, my folder of “Noteworthy Rejection Slips” is far ________ than that of “Noteworthy Acceptances”, which indicates to me the fact: I still have some growing up to do.

1.

A．writer

B．reader

C．mailman

D．editor

2.

A．demanding

B．indicating

C．suspecting

D．arguing

3.

A．boring

B．novel

C．lengthy

D．particular

4.

A．thrilling

B．upsetting

C．embarrassing

D．amusing

5.

A．buy

B．reject

C．check

D．substitute

6.

A．prove

B．determine

C．explain

D．acknowledge

7.

A．proposals

B．drafts

C．contributions

D．instructions

8.

A．meanings

B．stages

C．wonders

D．rewards

9.

A．relief

B．frustration

C．anger

D．hesitation

10.

A．valueless

B．expensive

C．characterless

D．shiny

11.

A．make up

B．put away

C．turn down

D．insist on

12.

A．easier

B．better

C．shorter

D．longer

13.

A．print

B．revise

C．download

D．submit

14.

A．accept

B．criticize

C．judge

D．evaluate

15.

A．thinner

B．fatter

C．older

D．newer

6 . My wife and I parked by a rough path the same time as a young man covered in tattoos (纹身). I ______ he was unfriendly，so we tried to ______ ourselves from him. But he struggled hard to ______ and wanted to talk some. We slowed down. He said he was recovering from a bad time in his life. We ______ left him in the dust，heading up the river.

Hours later we turned back ______ a flash flood had taken out the bridge. There he was again, following to ______ us. He shared a little more of his ______. He lost his mother and sister in a car accident and he was permanently ______ too. We slowed down to the pace he could ______ for the whole way back.

He continued, “During much surgery and ______ I came to hate life...” Then he pulled up his shirt to show us a ______ life size tattoo from neck to waist. It was two ladies in a ______ light waving to him. “This is my mom and this is my sister,” he pointed, “They told me to stop hating everything. They loved me just as they always had and ______ me to live in love too!” He explained the brightly colored tattoo was the exact dream he had that day.

My ______ went away. It had painted a wrong picture of this wonderful person with a beautiful ______ . I learned more than he hoped to tell.

1.

A．assumed

B．remembered

C．admitted

D．confirmed

2.

A．tell

B．distance

C．save

D．free

3.

A．turn away

B．set out

C．catch up

D．settle down

4.

A．politely

B．secretly

C．carelessly

D．accidentally

5.

A．though

B．unless

C．because

D．before

6.

A．impress

B．interrupt

C．persuade

D．engage

7.

A．target

B．story

C．plan

D．journey

8.

A．confused

B．discouraged

C．ignored

D．injured

9.

A．observe

B．judge

C．manage

D．challenge

10.

A．silence

B．pain

C．failure

D．guilt

11.

A．massive

B．funny

C．random

D．popular

12.

A．brilliant

B．gentle

C．weak

D．sensitive

13.

A．allowed

B．begged

C．forced

D．expected

14.

A．doubt

B．sympathy

C．prejudice

D．resistance

15.

A．reputation

B．message

C．appearance

D．insight

7 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入1个合适的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

I had a very special teacher in high school. Her husband unexpectedly died of a heart disease. About a week after his     1     (die), she shared some of her thoughts with us.

When the class was nearly over, she     2     (move) some things aside on her desk and sat down there. With a gentle look of reflection, she said, “Before class is over, I’d like to share something with you. Each of us     3     (put) here on earth to learn, share, love and enjoy. None of us knows when this fantastic experience will end. It can be taken away     4     any moment.”

Her eyes began to water,     5     she went on: “So I’d like you all     6     (make) a promise. From now on, on your way to school, or home, find something beautiful to enjoy. It doesn’t have to be something     7     you see. It could be a scent (气味), or it could be the sound of the soft wind slightly touching the     8     (leaf) in the trees ...”

The class was completely quiet.     9     (pick) up our books, we went out of the room one by one silently. That afternoon, I noticed     10     (many) things on my way home from school than I had in a whole term.

8 . The true test of an effective team is one where the members operate as a self-managing team. The _________ allows the members on the team to establish teamwork, adjust its work processes, and _________ a communication channel to the rest of the organization.

I followed up with one of our customers to see first-hand what a very successful team looked and felt like. Here is their story on what they do to _________ as a team.

This team _________ eighteen members that worked in a manufacturing facility in Texas. Their working _________ were not the best. During the night when I _________ them, they were performing a hot and dirty job and _________ that, they worked from 12 pm to 8 am. Their _________ was not the best and the products they were making had a terrible _________, which most people can’t stand.

The reason why I know this information is that when you have the opportunity to see how a team really works, you want to __________ their secrets. So I was looking for answers.

As I stayed and communicated with the team members to find out how they worked together, they described to me their requirements for team development.

They said, “Each member has a good time, and we are in tune (协调) with each other, and we have a great __________ of team spirit, believe in our __________, and run the operation without a formal leader in the middle of things. We have a ‘shared’ philosophy.”

Their hard work and effort paid off as they became known as “the stars” of the company. They were described as “__________” compared to other 156 teams. They were motivated by the positive attention, and the __________ that went along with being the best.

It is clear that this team developed to compete for the goal instead of against each other. This team has stayed __________ and self-directed because of being allowed to become more than their “individual selves”.

1.

A．leader

B．learner

C．waiter

D．customer

2.

A．defend against

B．look into

C．leave out

D．serve as

3.

A．set out

B．stand out

C．work out

D．run out

4.

A．accounts for

B．concentrates on

C．consists of

D．cares about

5.

A．conditions

B．habits

C．states

D．attitudes

6.

A．bothered

B．reminded

C．trained

D．observed

7.

A．far from

B．in return for

C．apart from

D．in case of

8.

A．pay

B．mood

C．diet

D．rent

9.

A．delivery

B．smell

C．quality

D．shape

10.

A．compare

B．uncover

C．adjust

D．keep

11.

A．taste

B．bite

C．review

D．sense

12.

A．limitation

B．prejudice

C．purpose

D．complaint

13.

A．special

B．normal

C．hesitant

D．ridiculous

14.

A．pity

B．security

C．pride

D．tense

15.

A．self-centered

B．self-employed

C．self-funded

D．self-driven

9 . The doorbell rang one mid-December evening. I frequently had unexpected visitors in those early days after my husband’s ________. But when my 6-year-old son opened the door, nobody was there. ________, on the doormat was a box, tied with a silver ________ and a note that said “On the First Day of Christmas...” A mystery.

Sam had died that fall, ________ me the single parent of our two boys, 6 and 8. My sons and I had already ________ to deal with Halloween, and Thanksgiving without Daddy. Still, I was afraid of Christmas. How could December have ________ without my husband?

The next night, the doorbell rang again. Another ________ came, decorated with the same silver ribbon (带子) and ________ the same card reading “On the Second Day of Christmas...”

For the next couple of nights, my boys waited near the front door to see who was leaving the gifts, but the bearer would always choose the moment they left to ________.

I didn’t know who the secret Santa was. But there was one thing I did know. In those dark days of ________, somebody was shining a light our way with a simple but ________ message: “You are loved.” It was such a strange feeling, to be left in darkness on the one hand and drawn so firmly toward ________ on the other. I believe hope will make a(n) ________.

After 11 days of offerings, we weren’t sure what to ________ when we approached home on that 12th night. I trusted there would be ________.

1.

A．promotion

B．death

C．retirement

D．operation

2.

A．Otherwise

B．Besides

C．Instead

D．Therefore

3.

A．rope

B．paper

C．flower

D．ribbon

4.

A．leaving

B．finding

C．naming

D．considering

5.

A．agreed

B．planned

C．managed

D．promised

6.

A．arrived

B．returned

C．ended

D．escaped

7.

A．book

B．toy

C．box

D．pet

8.

A．designing

B．including

C．showing

D．making

9.

A．get through

B．set off

C．move on

D．turn up

10.

A．regret

B．sadness

C．anger

D．disappointment

11.

A．annoying

B．funny

C．urgent

D．powerful

12.

A．dream

B．light

C．future

D．home

13.

A．difference

B．effort

C．comparison

D．contribution

14.

A．support

B．offer

C．expect

D．appreciate

15.

A．something

B．nothing

C．anything

D．everything

10 . My 10-year-old son attended an amazing half-day basketball camp with more than 60 kids. I watched how much _______ my son was having throughout the day.

Before the camp ended, there was a ________ competition. Only a few kids were picked to ________, and my son was not one of them. The competition ________ received prizes and recognition. And a few kids were titled as “all-stars” for effort,________and participation (参与).   Again, my son was not________.

When the camp ended, I could see how ________ he was. He certainly loves the sport, and his jumping skill is ________ . He would have enjoyed the recognition. But sometimes it doesn’t ________ that way.

In my mind, the day was ________. At the camp, he played with kids,________ them fiercely (激烈地) and took shots easily against them. But it was hard for him to see the result s as a small part of his day. The last thing I wanted was for these results to________ the experience.

It’s my job to help my kids think more ________. I did the math and figured out the shooting competition and awards were about 6% of the total camp. The rest of the camp, the parts that he________, were 94%. If my son felt most of the day was great—that’s a win. We can ________ the parts that disappoint us, as long as we are willing to focus on the bigger picture.

1.

A．patience

B．luck

C．fun

D．duty

2.

A．shooting

B．kicking

C．striking

D．passing

3.

A．practise

B．debate

C．speak

D．compete

4.

A．judges

B．volunteers

C．winners

D．organizers

5.

A．interest

B．friendship

C．knowledge

D．skill

6.

A．chosen

B．replaced

C．tested

D．forgiven

7.

A．relaxed

B．frightened

C．disappointed

D．excited

8.

A．impressive

B．average

C．poor

D．limited

9.

A．start up

B．break down

C．work out

D．go about

10.

A．empty

B．quiet

C．boring

D．wonderful

11.

A．guarded

B．shook

C．hugged

D．told

12.

A．save

B．ruin

C．enrich

D．remove

13.

A．honestly

B．positively

C．freely

D．quickly

14.

A．understood

B．enjoyed

C．questioned

D．quitted

15.

A．prevent

B．promote

C．explore

D．accept