1 . 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

2 . A confident smile is a happy smile. Have you ever had a stranger smile at you while you were out in public? Maybe you were feeling down, but their genuine and friendly smiles literally made you turn your frown upside down. All thanks to that smiley person, your negative attitude suddenly subsided. It is hard to believe that such a small gesture can impact your mood so sim ply, but I would be lying if I said that I’ve never experienced this feeling. I’m sure you can relate.

With that being said, science can back this up. Where are these happy feelings coming from? Well, when you smile at someone, you may feel like you’re experiencing temporary happiness.That is because endorphins (内啡肽) are released in the brain when you smile. Endorphins can be described as natural painkillers for the body, which also boost your self-esteem (自尊). Smiling is really a simple act of kindness, which can also make you feel better about yourself.

As an illustration, someone going in for a job interview with their heads held high, and smiles on their faces will have a better chance of scoring the job. Employers remark that a person who looks down when they speak to avoid showing their smiles during an interview, most likely won’t be hired, because it looks as though they are hiding something. However, that person with an inviting smile shows confidence. No matter what you look like, a smile is worth a thousand words and people can recognize that.

It gives me such a rewarding feeling helping children, teens, and adults to build their selfesteem through treatment. It’s all worth it seeing that spark of joy in my patient after the job is all said and done. I truly believe that a bright eyed smile has the capacity to allow you to connect with others, without uttering a sound.

1. What does the underlined word “subsided”mean in Paragraph 1?

A．Appeared.

B．Weakened.

C．Increased.

D．Smiled.

2. What’s the use of endorphins?

A．Making people feel happy.

B．Making people act kindly.

C．Making brains work fast.

D．Curing some diseases.

3. Why is it hard for a person not showing a smile to get a job?

A．He holds his head too high.

B．He looks down upon others.

C．He looks a little dishonest.

D．He is too confident.

4. What kind of work is the author likely to do?

A．A teacher.

B．A volunteer.

C．A scientist.

D．A doctor.

3 . While enjoying my fresh lunch in a restaurant in Amsterdam, I noticed something odd. Customers coming in for something to eat ignored the person standing behind the counter (柜台), preferring to________through a smart phone.

What was the crazy thing about this? They were just several________apart! In fact, they were so close that the staff member took a quick________at his screen to get a head start on picking the right vegetables—all without any words________. Now, I get it: Modern technology allows us to be more________, but I might be witnessing something deeper: we prefer not to talk to each other anymore.

Think about it for a moment. When was the last time you naturally ______ a conversation with somebody you didn’t know? The chances are that you don’t even________! Likely either you or the other person was “busy” with other things like________with a smartphone. Now, with the________of digital technologies, one can’t help but pay the________for modern efficiency: our ability to talk to strangers.

We shop,________a hotel, or order a taxi, all via an app.________with random strangers is becoming rarer and rarer. Yet there are surprising________of having even a short and simple conversation with strangers. You might learn something________, and beyond doubt, it has the power to enrich your understanding of others and________a special bond in our modern world.

1.

A．talk

B．call

C．order

D．deliver

2.

A．meters

B．millimeters

C．kilometers

D．centimeters

3.

A．chance

B．turn

C．look

D．test

4.

A．spoken

B．written

C．typed

D．mentioned

5.

A．efficient

B．enthusiastic

C．effective

D．energetic

6.

A．ended up

B．engaged in

C．made up

D．went on

7.

A．hear

B．believe

C．remember

D．understand

8.

A．recording

B．studying

C．playing

D．calculating

9.

A．idea

B．aim

C．problem

D．rise

10.

A．cash

B．price

C．debt

D．tax

11.

A．decorate

B．book

C．build

D．repair

12.

A．Contact

B．Work

C．Quarrel

D．Reunion

13.

A．interests

B．benefits

C．disadvantages

D．influences

14.

A．unrealistic

B．unsuitable

C．unreasonable

D．unexpected

15.

A．serves as

B．refers to

C．accounts for

D．consists of

4 . My knees started shaking, yet my body froze. It felt as though my soul left my body and I had no _______ of it. I looked through the list posted on the wall _______. My heart sank as I saw all my friends’ names on that list but was _______ to find mine.

Tears filled my eyes. Just then, a group of students _______ to see the final team list. Every one of them jumped with _______ after seeing that they made the basketball team. Trying to _______ about the situation, I walked home. However, I walked _______ and it felt as if I had a100-pound weight tied to my backpack. My mind was also _______.

Noticing my _______ facial expression, my father asked me what was wrong. “I didn’t make the basketball team,” I replied. “What are you going to do about it? Are you just going to sit there?” he asked.

I just shook my head and ________ myself in my room. Being alone in my room, I thought hard about what my dad said, and it started ________ to me. Nobody was going to give me a(n) ________ on that team. I would have to ________ it. Then I decided to take action. Conveniently, there was a ________ near my school, and I biked there after school every day and trained hard for two hours. I wasn’t sure if I could finally make it, but I ________ it.

After almost a year of ________, I tried out for my seventh-grade team. ________ the result, I knew I’d worked hard and learned about mental ________. The next day, I found out I made the team. As the saying goes, “The greater the ________, the sweeter the reward.” I couldn’t ________ with it more.

1.

A．sight

B．control

C．memory

D．record

2.

A．angrily

B．indifferently

C．aimlessly

D．anxiously

3.

A．unsure

B．unnecessary

C．unable

D．unwilling

4.

A．crowded

B．pretended

C．hesitated

D．announced

5.

A．regrets

B．confusion

C．sadness

D．excitement

6.

A．talk

B．forget

C．worry

D．argue

7.

A．heavily

B．bravely

C．quickly

D．smoothly

8.

A．open

B．wild

C．blank

D．clear

9.

A．irregular

B．unsuitable

C．irresponsible

D．unusual

10.

A．treated

B．locked

C．relaxed

D．comforted

11.

A．making sense

B．showing off

C．coming over

D．turning back

12.

A．excuse

B．account

C．spot

D．comment

13.

A．quit

B．earn

C．hide

D．share

14.

A．museum

B．library

C．supermarket

D．gym

15.

A．stuck to

B．focused on

C．cared about

D．admitted to

16.

A．waiting

B．planning

C．practicing

D．learning

17.

A．Regardless of

B．Thanks to

C．Apart from

D．According to

18.

A．health

B．toughness

C．attitude

D．weakness

19.

A．courage

B．patience

C．effort

D．confidence

20.

A．shake

B．agree

C．fix

D．deal

5 . Why are you doing this? I often hear that or similar questions. Many people don’t understand why I like travelling by bicycle.     1     But for me, it’s the best way to travel.

When I sit on the bike, I am free and flexible. I can stop at any time to eat or start the stove to enjoy a coffee with breathtaking views. I’m not dependent on bus or train.     2     I come to places I would never have seen. My bike makes it possible for me not to plan beforehand, which leaves space for adventure. Because adventures don’t come around the corner during a planned hotel-vacation.

I am in the nature the whole day. The wind blows across my face.     3     I see monkeys hanging directly above me in the tree, whales swimming along the coast, a bear waving at us and many more animals. Smelling the blackberries, I’m stopping to fill my stomach. In the car, bus or train, I would have missed all of these.

    4     Some long-term cyclists spend 4,000 dollars per year or less. And I spend about 350-450 dollars a month. This is due to two reasons: I have no transport costs. And I also have the freedom of wild camping, during which I can cook for myself. All these factors contribute to a cheap travel.

I could tell hundreds of stories. Because of getting to know so many people, I have experienced a lot. The travel form itself invites many to ask questions. And the best thing about it is that all these stories make me rich. I’m rich in memories, of which I always think with laughter.     5    

A．I listen to the birds singing.

B．And they think it’s so tiring.

C．It will change the way you see the world.

D．I can decide for myself when and where to go.

E．Before my start, I was fascinated by the bike touring community.

F．Nobody can ever take them away and they are of great value to me.

G．Compared to other travel forms, bike touring is one of the most affordable.

6 . 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 could hear one of my classmates expressing her impatience with my slow crawl up the ladder (梯子),“If she’s afraid of heights, why would she sign up for a Bungee Jumping (蹦极) class?” My friend was at the top of the ladder, trying to cheer me up. How did I wind up on a ladder hanging above the Hudson River?

It was my friend who invited me to the Bungee Jumping class. At first, I was doubtful, but her enthusiasm and guarantees of strict safety procedures won me over.

I had been fearful of heights since primary school. Avoiding my fear of heights became second nature. I tried not to look down at balconies or staircases. I avoided traveling by plane as much as possible. I declined invitations from friends to join them on roller coasters (过山车).

But here I was, at age twenty-six, facing my fear of heights in a rather extreme way. I had come around to the idea of trying Bungee Jumping. I figured it wasn’t much different from swinging on the monkey bars as a kid. The one obstacle I didn’t expect was the ladder. In order to reach the Bungee Jumping, I had to climb up a twenty-two-foot ladder.

My friend’s distraction techniques helped to take my mind off my dangerous task. I found a rhythm and kept going. With a slow and steady (稳定的) pace, I made it to the top.

An instructor tied me to a safety belt and told me to step to the edge of the platform. I held the Bungee Jumping bar with sweaty hands, surprised that it was too thick to fix my hand around. Instead of a firm grasp, my hands were in a weak, bear-claw position.

The cheers from my classmates rang out below. An instructor reminded me of the safety rules, including the net below that would catch me at the bottom. He reminded me to listen to the directions while in the air, so I could perform well.

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。

I stood face to face with my fear of heights.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

My second round of Bungee Jumping went a bit more smoothly.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7 . 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。

The medals don’t mean anything and the glory doesn’t last. It’s all about your happiness. The rewards are going to come but my happiness is just loving the sport and having fun performing.

—Jackie Joyner-Kersee

Today I am going to share my experience that is related to the quote that I just read. It all started last year when the drawing competition took place. I really wanted to win it and get the trophy(奖杯)of the best artist, so I started working really hard on my weak points in drawing and I started to plan on how I could win the trophy. I spent so many hours working on it that the time flew really fast.

Finally the big day came. I was so excited but nervous at the same time. I just hoped my plans would work to make me good enough to win the trophy and the competition.

I went to the hall where we had to draw. I saw my best friend so I waved to her and she waved back. When the drawing competition started, I drew what I needed to draw in the place and I was feeling very confident that I would finally get the trophy of the best artist.

Then came the day when they called out the winner. I was so confident to get the prize that I didn’t even bother to hear who was getting it because I knew I would be the one to get it. Then I heard my friend’s name being called and this shocked me so much.

How could she get it and not me? I congratulated her and went home making sure nobody saw how sad I was. I was happy for my friend but I was very disappointed at the same time, so I did something that I usually do when I am sad or disappointed—read a book.

注意：1．续写词数应为150个左右；
2．请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

I saw a book with some moral stories, which gave me a lot of inspiration.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

After reading this story. I finally understood why I didn’t win the competition.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8 . One day, Fainsilber Katz, who is 60 years old, went to visit her favorite ______ . She parked her car and ______ the beach with everything she ______ for the day: a chair, a beach umbrella, flippers, sunglasses and a cooler. With so many things, it was ______ for her to keep her body balance when climbing over some rocks.

When she reached a part of the beach entrance, she found there was a large step down. Unsure whether she could take the step ______ , she stopped, ______ what to do. ______ a young man, about 30 years old came over to Fainsilber Katz, and asked, “Do you need some ______ ?” “Sure!” Fainsilber Katz ______ .

The man took some of the things that Fansilber Katz was ______ . Then he gave Fainsilber Katz his ______ to walk her down the ______ . Fainsilber Katz felt ______ .

The man’s act of ______ comforts Fainsilber Katz and reminds her that when life gets hard, one doesn’t have to do it ______ . Where there is a help, there is a hope.

1.

A．farm

B．beach

C．bookstore

D．museum

2.

A．headed for

B．cleaned up

C．showed off

D．looked up

3.

A．doubted

B．learned

C．discovered

D．needed

4.

A．difficult

B．easy

C．strange

D．interesting

5.

A．seriously

B．tiredly

C．safely

D．heavily

6.

A．warning

B．begging

C．explaining

D．wondering

7.

A．For example

B．In short

C．At the moment

D．In addition

8.

A．time

B．help

C．praise

D．water

9.

A．answered

B．required

C．ordered

D．recorded

10.

A．buying

B．carrying

C．throwing

D．choosing

11.

A．bag

B．coat

C．hand

D．gift

12.

A．stage

B．chair

C．hill

D．step

13.

A．natural

B．thankful

C．sad

D．afraid

14.

A．kindness

B．shyness

C．impatience

D．confidence

15.

A．simply

B．angrily

C．alone

D．willingly

9 . My photographs are the items I would definitely take or guard in case of an emergency. But what else? This was the question I asked myself as a ________ came toward us.

Unlike some friends and________, we decided to stay in our home. We didn’t have to choose what we would save by ________ it into the car, but we still had to decide what required protection by storing it in our walk-in closet. Surprisingly, few items made the cut - an obvious ________ that we had surrounded ourselves with beautiful yet unessential items. We needed ________ for the truly important things: ourselves.

Because when you hear the roar of the winds, or when something ________ hard against your windows, you don’t think of photos.You don’t worry about your big screen TV, or those paintings you’ve covered with towels to protect them, or that ________ car that you still haven’t finished paying for.

As ________ goes on outside, this is what you think: My children, are they OK? Are their impact-resistant(耐冲击的) windows working ________? Are their roofs keeping out the damage? My grandchildren, are they crying out in fear? Are they ________ as their own grandparents are? My relatives — yes, even those I try to avoid — have they ________ the worst of it? My friends, will they be forced to move somewhere else permanently? You don’t think about what you own but about what you love; what money can’t buy back.

Months and years after the hurricane, I often told people that there are two parts to ________ this kind of catastrophe: the horror of the hurricane itself and then the rebuilding that follows. The ________ together of a life, however, will take months, perhaps years.

But we will do it, ________ and as a community. Of that I have no doubt. In fact, I’ll make one more prediction. Piece by piece, item by item, we will once again collect the material possessions that decorate a home. I hate to admit this, but lessons learned ________ fear aren’t always long-lasting.

1.

A．flood

B．drought

C．wildfire

D．hurricane

2.

A．hosts

B．partners

C．relatives

D．architects

3.

A．applying

B．packing

C．exchanging

D．delivering

4.

A．sign

B．gap

C．clue

D．summary

5.

A．kit

B．gym

C．space

D．greenhouse

6.

A．rests

B．erupts

C．carves

D．cracks

7.

A．cheap

B．expensive

C．graceful

D．economic

8.

A．destruction

B．appreciation

C．challenge

D．determination

9.

A．as usual

B．as follows

C．as scheduled

D．as promised

10.

A．annoyed

B．amazed

C．confused

D．frightened

11.

A．escaped

B．protested

C．identified

D．processed

12.

A．causing

B．preventing

C．surviving

D．suffering

13.

A．cutting out

B．putting back

C．giving up

D．working out

14.

A．devotedly

B．creatively

C．individually

D．dependently

15.

A．in favor of

B．in times of

C．in need of

D．in search of

10 . Why Hard Work Is the Key to Success

Hard work and success go hand in hand.     1     However, you have to spend a lot of time working hard for success to build up over time gradually. So you’ll have to decide if you want to endure the pain of hard work, or look back and regret never having tried? That said, here are some points to consider before you make your choice.

Everything Comes at a Price

Success, for the vast majority of people, does not come without hard work.     2     You have to push past the obstacles and hold the goal in your mind, realizing that each step forward is one closer to achieving it.

Hard Work Helps You Make Your Luck

If you are an average Joe and simply idle your way through life, you are likely just a spectator (观察者) waiting for something to happen or fall into your lap. The truth of the matter is that the odds of this happening are improbable. Success will not happen suddenly, but with the right amount of strong determination and hard work, your luck tends to get better.     3    

Hard Work Promotes Discipline

It is not always going to be easy, and even the most determined people may give up and admit that they are defeated and stop trying.     4     Discipline ensures that you still get up and you are determined to see the result confidently.

You Harvest What You Sow

    5     The same goes for hard work. As you make a big effort each day and focus on your goals, you are consistently approaching your future success. As you begin to see the progress you have made, you will begin to feel a sense of achievement and pride in your work.

A．Life is certainly full of challenges.

B．That is where discipline comes into play.

C．Obtaining success without hard work is impossible.

D．When opportunities come your way, do not let them pass you by.

E．If you invest money over time wisely, you will make a good profit eventually.

F．You have to wake up early and head to work even when you do not feel like it.

G．When you hit a failure, the first thing coming to mind is whether you worked hard.