1 . A little stream flowed down from a high mountain far away through many villages and forests, until it reached a desert. The stream then thought, “I’ve been through countless obstacles. I should have no problem crossing this desert!” But soon she found herself gradually disappearing into the mud and sand. After numerous tries, she found it was all in vain and was very upset. “Maybe it’s my destiny! I’m not destined to reach the vast ocean in the legend.”

At this time;a deep voice came, saying, “If a breeze can cross the desert, so can a river.”

It was the voice of the desert. Unconvinced, the little stream replied, “That’s because a breeze can fly, but I cannot.”

“That’s because you stick to what you are If you’re willing to give it up, and let yourself evaporate (蒸发) into the breeze, it can take you across, and you can reach your destination,” said the desert in its deep voice.

The little stream had never heard of such a thing. She could not accept this idea. After all, she had never experienced anything like it before. Wouldn’t it be self-destruction to give up what she was now?

“How do I know if this is true? and will I still be what I am now?” asked the little stream.

“Yes, and no. Whether you’re a river or invisible vapor, your inner nature never changes. You stick to the fact that you’re a river because you don’t know your inner nature,”answered the desert.

Deep down, the stream vaguely remembered that before she became a river, it was perhaps also the breeze that had carried her halfway up a high mountain, where she turned into rain and fell onto the ground and became what she was now. Finally the little stream gathered her courage and rushed into the open arms of the breeze; which carried her to the next stage of her life.

The course of our lives is like the experience of little stream. If you want to surpass the obstacles in your life in order to head for the destination of Truth, Virtue and beauty, you should also have the wisdom and courage to renounce (放弃) your ego (attachment to yourself).

Perhaps you can try asking yourself these questions: What is my inner nature? What is it that I cling to? and, What is it that I really want?

1. What obstacle did the stream come across when starting to cross the desert?

A．Her effortless attempt.	B．Her unrealistic goal.
C．Her bowing to fate.	D．All that struggle for nothing.

2. Which are the right changes of the stream’s attitudes according to the text?

A．Confident — shocked — determined — withdrawn

B．Sad — determined — disappointed — shocked

C．Disappointed — doubted — confident — surprised

D．Hopeful — upset — shocked — determined

3. What’s your understanding of the underlined phrase “Yes, and no.”?

A．Give up what you are, and you will never owe it again.

B．While you change physically, your inner nature will never change.

C．Only by sticking to yourself can you realize your dream.

D．Changing yourself means losing control of everything.

4. Which of the following is NOT the author’s attitude to life?

A．When you can’t change the environment, change yourself.

B．Stick to your inner nature rather than what you are.

C．Once starting the journey, you should stick to your goal.

D．Be flexible and adaptable, venturing into the unknown.

2 . I finally climbed into bed at 1:20 in the morning after my 31th birthday celebration. I was about to fall asleep when I was awakened by the sound of ______ water, as if I were lying beside a waterfall instead of in my bedroom. When I got off the bed, I was ______ by the cold water rising to my knees and rising fast.

It has to be from a burst pipe in the ______, I thought. Shaking and in darkness, I grabbed my cellphone and ______ the flashlight. When I stepped from the bedroom to the bathroom, I saw it wasn’t a burst pipe at all. ______, water was shooting through the gaps of the door from outside. All around me, things were ______ -the lamps were shattering (破碎), the cupboards were being torn apart.

I ______ that I began to panic. Any effects of the celebratory drinks I’d had earlier were now gone; ______ cleared my head. And the water was now ______ my waist. I struggled to wade (趟过水) to the door. Finally, I made it to the door, through which I squeezed into the street. I stood there in the ______, wet and panting (喘气的). What was once a lovely, cozy street was now a waterscape, with ______ furniture and trees. The flood had drowned the neighborhood. Many of the houses around us were ______. Luckily, I was ______ by rescuers.

I came close to drowning that day. But rather than dwell on (沉湎于) that in my head, I prefer to ______ what my mother told me afterward: “Christian, don’t remember the day when you ______ everything. Remember the day you survived.”

1.

A．rushing

B．horrible

C．interesting

D．running

2.

A．thrilled

B．amazed

C．puzzled

D．shocked

3.

A．bedroom

B．living room

C．bathroom

D．hallway

4.

A．turned on

B．turned up

C．turned down

D．turned off

5.

A．Still

B．Therefore

C．Yet

D．Instead

6.

A．breaking

B．keeping

C．suffering

D．challenging

7.

A．realized

B．recognized

C．admitted

D．admired

8.

A．amazement

B．fear

C．gratitude

D．anxiety

9.

A．due to

B．up to

C．added to

D．related to

10.

A．shadow

B．garden

C．darkness

D．lightening

11.

A．floating

B．swimming

C．flying

D．diving

12.

A．designed

B．buried

C．destroyed

D．burnt

13.

A．prevented

B．stretched

C．saved

D．followed

14.

A．recall

B．recommend

C．experience

D．ignore

15.

A．spotted

B．flooded

C．failed

D．lost

3 . Time was introduced to us when we were just kids and only knew the playing hours, but when we grew up, we got our own senses about how important “The Time” is. There is a story on time management which can give you some guidance.

A philosophy professor, once, decided to teach the students a valuable lesson about Time Management, so he stood before his class with some items on the table. When the class began, wordlessly he picked up a big and empty jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks, about 2 inches in size. He then looked towards the class and asked the students if the jar was full. They all agreed that it was full. Therefore, the professor then moved to pick up a box of pebbles (鹅卵石) and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar gently. The pebbles, of course, rolled through the gaps between the rocks.

He then again looked up to the students and asked if the jar was full. They all again nodded their heads. For the last time, he turned towards the jar, this time, picked up a box of sand, poured it into the jar and shook it lightly. Of course, the sand moved into the gaps and filled up everything else. He then asked students for the last time if the jar was full or not. The students were surprised but responded with a unanimous “Yes.”

“Now,” said the professor, “I want you to realize that this jar actually is your life. The rocks are the important things — like your family, your children, your health, your partner. If nothing remained but only these, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter — like your job, your career, your house. The sand is everything else, the unimportant stuff.” “If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued “there is no space for the pebbles or the rocks.”

“The same goes for your life. If you keep on filling the jar with the sand, it means that you keep on spending all your time and energy on the pity things and you will never have room for the things that are important for you. First and foremost, focus on the rocks — the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.”

1. What’s the main function of the first paragraph?

A．To make a prediction.	B．To offer a guidance
C．To provide some advice.	D．To attract readers’ interest.

2. What can we know about the lesson from the passage?

A．The professor put the pebbles into the jar first.

B．The professor did four experiments altogether.

C．The result of the experiment was beyond students’ expectation.

D．It aimed to make students realize the importance of time for success.

3. According to the story, what are the “rocks” considered in life?

A．Your job and family.	B．Your career and children.
C．Your parents and body.	D．Your house and money.

4. What is the main lesson the professor wants to convey in the class?

A．It is important to make full use of time efficiently.

B．It is necessary to attach more importance to what truly matters in life.

C．It is crucial to strengthen the consciousness of managing time.

D．It is vital to arrange enough time for all aspects of life in advance.

4 . In 1967, my husband and I graduated from college with financial challenges. We struggled to make both _________ meet because of our low-paying jobs as well as college loans. The birth of our son that summer _________ our financial pressure.

Later we got involved socially with a community of couples. They _________ our values and had insights to offer on parenting. This group of people went to many places and engaged in various activities. They _________ made us feel welcome although our finances often _________ our participation.

One summer, the group _________ a picnic and requested we bring potato chips. I was _________ that I didn’t have to spend much on the event. So I bought two large bags of the least expensive brand of potato chips I could find. _________, we got to the state park, only to find a real feast laid out — chicken, watermelon, home-made salads, and desserts. _________, I thought about leaving but a friend reassured (使……安心) me that our time to make a __________ for the feast would come.

Decades have passed. Now, as my husband and I approach retirement with our grown son, that picnic remains __________ in my memory. Our friends’ kindness has __________ how we perceive and assist others. We may never repay those who once provided for us, but we continue the tradition of __________, supporting our struggling younger friends.

That day, the feast symbolized a(n) __________ of gratitude, not to be repaid, but to be paid forward. It serves as a __________ of the lasting power of community and kindness.

1.

A．terms

B．routes

C．ends

D．sides

2.

A．allowed for

B．sorted out

C．resulted in

D．added to

3.

A．challenged

B．shared

C．reflected

D．acknowledged

4.

A．hopefully

B．originally

C．consistently

D．occasionally

5.

A．encouraged

B．restricted

C．refused

D．facilitated

6.

A．advertised

B．funded

C．delivered

D．organized

7.

A．relieved

B．satisfied

C．astonished

D．convinced

8.

A．Instead

B．Therefore

C．Moreover

D．However

9.

A．Depressed

B．Disappointed

C．Embarrassed

D．Worried

10.

A．return

B．fortune

C．difference

D．reform

11.

A．available

B．fresh

C．distant

D．untouched

12.

A．evaluated

B．calculated

C．influenced

D．defined

13.

A．innovation

B．cooperation

C．royalty

D．generosity

14.

A．debt

B．favor

C．advance

D．investment

15.

A．chance

B．motive

C．reminder

D．turn

5 . Our dog Bree is a Staffy cross. She ________ more like a cat than a dog. Unlike other dogs, she will very happily eat up her dinner ________ what is being offered. She does not hang around us waiting for pieces to fall her way.

That is, of course, unless I am making toast (烤面包) for my breakfast. She always makes her way to the ________ and sits very straight and tall at my feet as though to say “Look at what a good girl I am!” as soon as she catches a ________ of bread toasting. I ________ her, broke off a little bit of crust (面包皮) and fed it to her before ________ some spread to my toast. This became our “thing” — if I was having toast she’d join me for breakfast. She seemed ________ and I didn’t think a little crust would ________ her. Unfortunately, the day came when I fed her a piece of toast with a generous ________ of butter and jam. Clearly, she thought it was ________ as she now turns her ________ up at dry crusts and will only eat toast topped with a tasty spread.

This incident ________ me of a smart Chinese proverb: It is ________ to pass from a poor life to a rich one, but difficult to go back in the other direction. When it comes to ________ children, we should watch out for this. ________, they might be spoiled (宠坏) easily.

1.

A．changes

B．behaves

C．works

D．looks

2.

A．regardless of

B．in case of

C．because of

D．in search of

3.

A．bedroom

B．yard

C．study

D．kitchen

4.

A．sound

B．moment

C．smell

D．word

5.

A．forgave

B．praised

C．ignored

D．trapped

6.

A．applying

B．adapting

C．sticking

D．pressing

7.

A．injured

B．annoyed

C．satisfied

D．confused

8.

A．touch

B．please

C．impress

D．ruin

9.

A．spread

B．offer

C．act

D．meal

10.

A．strong

B．delicious

C．small

D．hot

11.

A．ears

B．eyes

C．nose

D．neck

12.

A．reminds

B．frees

C．clears

D．warns

13.

A．usual

B．possible

C．great

D．easy

14.

A．training

B．raising

C．helping

D．moving

15.

A．Therefore

B．Anyway

C．Otherwise

D．Instead

6 . I was quite young when I married. My wife shared with me my love for animals and she got several ________ pets, including one cat.

The black cat was beautiful. We named him Pluto. I liked him best so that I often fed him alone. Our friendship ________ for several years, during which, however, my wife and my job ________ me. Gradually, ________ became my new friend; I became quick to ________; I forgot how to smile and laugh.

One night I came home quite late from the inn. Walking with ________ steps, I made my way with effort into the house. As I entered, I saw Pluto was trying to stay out of my way to ________ me, which made me angry beyond ________. I lifted my foot and gave him a heavy kick ________. The cat burst into a tragic scream, like a ________ cutting through the peaceful dark sky.

It seemed a ring ________ me. I followed up the cry, calling “Pluto”. No response. Turn on the light, and I found him, curled up below a chair. I felt regretful and ________, attempting to comfort it. No response. I knew I had made an ________ mistake.

I made my efforts to ________ him in my manner, feeding him alone and eventually quit drinking. Maybe sometimes some evil things inside ourselves pushed us to do wrong, but we must bear in mind that we ought to treasure what is ________ us accompanying us in our lives.

1.

A．adoptive

B．adorable

C．ambitious

D．adaptable

2.

A．started

B．appeared

C．lasted

D．passed

3.

A．left

B．claimed

C．beat

D．defeated

4.

A．regret

B．silence

C．music

D．wine

5.

A．adjust

B．anger

C．arrange

D．abandon

6.

A．smooth

B．flexible

C．stable

D．uncertain

7.

A．avoid

B．stop

C．bend

D．accuse

8.

A．actions

B．words

C．reason

D．reach

9.

A．constantly

B．purposely

C．intently

D．appropriately

10.

A．storm

B．thunder

C．rainbow

D．lightning

11.

A．awakening

B．striking

C．knocking

D．uplifting

12.

A．stressed

B．frightened

C．guilty

D．delicate

13.

A．unforgettable

B．unforgivable

C．unaffordable

D．unforeseen

14.

A．do away with

B．get away with

C．make up with

D．catch up with

15.

A．observing

B．assisting

C．impressing

D．surrounding

7 . Recently, I accidentally found a set of Hanfu l only wore once from the bottom of the cupboard. I remember buying them simply to match the ancient-style hair accessories (配饰) a friend gave me. It occurred to me that 1 had been trapped in the “birdcage effect”.

“Birdcage effect” means that when you get an item one day, you will prepare more things to match it. Weeks ago, I was in the company of friends engaged in shopping. One said that she wanted to buy a good writing pen to match the delicate notebook that her sister gave her, so that she would fall in love with taking notes on reading, and thus love reading, not just reading. I joked that she must have fallen for the “birdcage effect”. But the friend said with a smile: “Why not use the ‘birdcage effect’ instead?”

For the first time, I heard that the “birdcage effect” can be used in reverse (逆向). However, this can’t help but remind me of middle school, and I seem to have used the “birdcage effect”. Passing by a bookstore one day, I purchased a magazine and saw the call for contributions published in the magazine, so I started writing with eager hands, and then I fell in love with writing.

After shopping with my friends that time, I began to proceed to use the “birdcage effect”. I bought a small fresh tablecloth to decorate my desk, and a beautiful notebook to record my inspiration. When everything was ready, I started writing again.

But how can we get rid of the “birdcage effect” in many things, and even use the “birdcage effect” in the opposite way? Various “birdcages” unavoidably appear in life, but we can distinguish them. If it is not in line with the actual situation, it is a “negative birdcage”, then we must learn to stop losses in time and maintain a heart of abandonment and separation. If it is a “positive birdcage” that motivates us to develop upward, we can clarify our goals, shop or decorate appropriately, and motivate ourselves to move towards our goals. At this time, you will find that the “birdcage effect” is actually not so terrible!

1. What is paragraph 2 mainly about?

A．The application of the “birdcage effect” in life.

B．The necessity of using the “birdcage effect” in life.

C．The turning point of the author’s idea on the “birdcage effect”.

D．The author’s conflict with her friend over the “birdcage effect”.

2. What is the author’s purpose in mentioning her middle school experience?

A．To recall her delightful days at school.

B．To explain the reason for her love with writing.

C．To confirm the positive of the “birdcage effect”.

D．To prove her knowledge of the “birdcage effect”.

3. How can we make use of the “birdcage effect” positively?

A．By realizing this effect has two sides.

B．By promoting our personal consumption.

C．By recognizing this effect is not so terrible.

D．By guiding our acts to go with reasonable goals.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Getting Rid of the Birdcage Effect Confidently

B．Motivating Ourselves to Move Towards Our Goals

C．The Birdcage Effect: Influence on Consumer Behavior

D．The Birdcage Effect: How to Use It to Your Advantage

8 . “Keep staring! I might do a _______!” That’s the message on a T shirt of mine.

People stare at me all the time so I thought this shirt would be funny. See, I’m a dwarf(侏儒). Most of the time people aren’t trying to be _______ they just haven’t seen many dwarfs like me before. I can_______ that,but I also want to let them know that I see them staring.   

I was born with achondroplasia(软骨发育不全症), the most _______form of dwarfism. Right now, I am almost four feet tall and that’s _______ as tall as I’m going to get.

I’m not going to pretend my height isn’t a _______. It is light switches and _______ are usually too high for me. It takes me almost three steps to _______ one step of an average size adult and my mom has to shorten almost all of my _______ .

But everyone faces challenges. You have to face them with a good attitude. So, I have a long barbecue fork to ________ things from shelves and drive a car with the help of pedal ________. If all else fails, I ask for things. The way I see it, I can do just about ________that an average size person can do. I’ll never play professional sports, but I have no problem ________ my limits. It may take me longer and it may be harder, but I can still do it.

My shirt shows people the ________ me a kid with a sense of humor. And maybe that’s the trick showing others that I’m just like them. I’m just shorter, but I’m ________ of who I am.

1.

A．favor

B．magic

C．trick

D．survey

2.

A．rude

B．nice

C．indifferent

D．hospitable

3.

A．avoid

B．evaluate

C．appreciate

D．object

4.

A．common

B．special

C．scary

D．outstanding

5.

A．hardly

B．particularly

C．awfully

D．practically

6.

A．challenge

B．symbol

C．milestone

D．barrier

7.

A．stars

B．ceiling

C．counters

D．ladders

8.

A．break away from

B．keep up with

C．draw back

D．bring along

9.

A．legs

B．steps

C．pants

D．distance

10.

A．pull down

B．pick up

C．drag along

D．stab into

11.

A．brakes

B．extensions

C．devices

D．stands

12.

A．something

B．little

C．anything

D．enough

13.

A．adjusting

B．changing

C．perfecting

D．testing

14.

A．tall

B．different

C．strong

D．real

15.

A．ashamed

B．aware

C．capable

D．proud

9 . I stopped at the top of the hill, my right foot pressed back against the coaster brake (脚刹) on my bicycle. All I needed to do was to_______ my foot, and I would be swept down the hill. But I _______ . To my 12-year-old eyes, the hill was a mountain and the slope was _______ steep, which prevented me taking up the challenge.

When I returned to my hometown more than three decades later with my friends Dave and Scott, we _______ to the base of the hill and walked our bikes _______ . We stood once more at the top of that hill, looking down from the edge, but this time with a _______ set of eyes. To our surprise, now the _______ seemed more obvious, even larger than we’d imagined as kids. We knew that once we started down, there was no stopping or _______ . And right at the bottom of the hill, we would have to turn left to _______ dumping into the stream.

Dave went first. Then I was next. My heart was pounding. I ________ on the bike for a moment. Then I released the brake and yielded myself to ________ . I skidded to a stop next to Dave. Scott followed. The three of us spent several minutes laughing, draining off the adrenaline (肾上腺素) . We had ________ the childhood challenge of riding our bikes down the steep hill.

We didn’t know it then, but we’d face many similar ________ over the years — leaving home, getting married, moving to a different town, starting a new job, and many others — that would cause us to pause at the ________ and collect our courage ________ we launched ourselves down the trails of our lives.

1.

A．stamp

B．break

C．lift

D．keep

2.

A．paused

B．started

C．charged

D．fell

3.

A．unnecessarily

B．incredibly

C．occasionally

D．hardly

4.

A．ran

B．rode

C．climbed

D．wandered

5.

A．out

B．off

C．away

D．up

6.

A．similar

B．whole

C．different

D．smart

7.

A．risk

B．stream

C．slope

D．assumption

8.

A．turning back

B．looking down

C．giving in

D．breaking out

9.

A．get

B．avoid

C．make

D．search

10.

A．called

B．improved

C．smiled

D．balanced

11.

A．pressure

B．fate

C．gravity

D．difficulty

12.

A．recalled

B．completed

C．forgotten

D．received

13.

A．activities

B．troubles

C．lessons

D．periods

14.

A．corner

B．route

C．edge

D．line

15.

A．when

B．because

C．after

D．before

10 . At the age of 12, I withdrew into my bedroom with my guitar. I had neither musical talent — many_______music lessons had proved that — nor musical training. My fingers ached as I tried to press down on the strings without making them buzz (发出嗡嗡声). _______, I worked my way through 2-, 3- and even 5-chord (和旋) songs and discovered the _______ thrills of these musical notes. No one _______ me to do this. I did this myself and of my own free will for a week, and the sense of happiness－ true happiness _______ in absorption in something － has _______ me. Fifty years later, that week’s self-directed practice became a model and _______ for almost every meaningful thing I have done since. It makes me understand the _______ between achievement and accomplishment.

The world favors achievement while _______ accomplishment. The former is the completion of the task imposed (强加) from the outside — the ________ being a path to the next task. The latter is the end point of an activity we have chosen, whose bonus is the sudden ________ of happiness.

The seeking of accomplishment always ________ people. I learned so long ago in that ________ week that simply lifting one finger from the guitar’s C chord, you should get the most moving ________ in tune. I didn’t know then it was a major 7th chord, a favorite of some masters’. I just ________ accomplishment. That’s real human “achievement”.

1.

A．added

B．tailored

C．expected

D．failed

2.

A．Besides

B．Instead

C．Therefore

D．However

3.

A．fruitless

B．matchless

C．effortless

D．senseless

4.

A．wished

B．allowed

C．required

D．invited

5.

A．masked

B．rooted

C．set

D．stuck

6.

A．waited for

B．passed by

C．departed from

D．stayed with

7.

A．exchange

B．reason

C．foundation

D．priority

8.

A．relationship

B．difference

C．balance

D．similarity

9.

A．ignoring

B．avoiding

C．assessing

D．defending

10.

A．origin

B．process

C．decision

D．reward

11.

A．lack

B．need

C．rush

D．dream

12.

A．amazes

B．concerns

C．frightens

D．discourages

13.

A．adventurous

B．dangerous

C．memorable

D．horrible

14.

A．impression

B．performance

C．scene

D．harmony

15.

A．pursued

B．accepted

C．interpreted

D．analysed