1 . When I first built my website 3 years ago, I had no idea what I was doing.

Naturally, I went to various websites and blogs for _________. I noticed features like social media buttons, advertisements, comments and more. At first glance, these seemed _________ since every website had them. But as I _________ my site, I found they were not. Instead, a clean, user-friendly design had _________ effects. Without advertisements or social media buttons, more people were _________ in my articles. It seemed that the _________ my website became, the better the results were.

Later, I noticed the _________ of simplicity in other areas of life.

As a kid, I was too thin. As an athlete, I needed to get stronger. So I spent hours designing the right combination of exercises. But when I _________ got stronger, I assumed that I was missing some kind of exercise. So I kept _________ something new. But it took me years to realize that the key was the exact opposite.

I __________ the complex workouts and focused on just one or two exercises. Surprisingly, there was a noticeable __________ in my strength in just four months.

From __________ to workouts, my skills didn’t improve overnight. Instead, I made progress by ignoring, reducing and __________ non-essential choices. I think this principle also __________ to most things in life. So when you make a list of your plans, decide what truly matters to you and __________ the rest.

1.

A．attention

B．relaxation

C．inspiration

D．recognition

2.

A．familiar

B．essential

C．similar

D．special

3.

A．abandoned

B．tested

C．copied

D．imagined

4.

A．temporary

B．harmful

C．serious

D．positive

5.

A．trapped

B．disappointed

C．absorbed

D．uninterested

6.

A．simpler

B．richer

C．cheaper

D．faster

7.

A．impact

B．limit

C．fault

D．purpose

8.

A．finally

B．gradually

C．obviously

D．barely

9.

A．adding

B．achieving

C．admiring

D．avoiding

10.

A．carried on

B．gave up

C．took out

D．set down

11.

A．blow

B．gap

C．drop

D．rise

12.

A．websites

B．comments

C．articles

D．features

13.

A．making

B．removing

C．facing

D．accepting

14.

A．responds

B．appeals

C．applies

D．objects

15.

A．turn off

B．put off

C．cross off

D．show off

2 . As the saying goes, life is sweet. But while we may wish for consistently sweet moments, life often serves us other _________.

Recently, we celebrated my mom’s birthday. In her nineties now, as she _________ the closing stages of a long and remarkable life, she struggles with dementia (痴呆), leading to her mind and body not _________ the way she would want.

The day before the celebration, we _________ to bake cookies with her great grand kids. Not just any cookies, but 60 _________ sugar cookies cut in different shapes, covered with lots of sprinkles (糖屑). Though the kids worked as carefully as they could, they made the kitchen a total mess, _________almost as many sprinkles on the floor as on the cookies. They went on for hours, rolling dough, baking, cutting shapes, and _________ with four kinds of sprinkles.

The next day, the birthday _________ was a success. We took many pictures, and the beautiful cookies were shared. In an _________ way, those sweet sprinkles have not only stuck in my mind but remained almost everywhere in our home for the past few days. In every __________, I continue to find them, in all the colors of the rainbow, four shapes and sizes, sweet, and after I __________ step on them, not so sweet.

Truly, these are bittersweet moments, filled with __________ emotions. From such moments, we unwillingly learn that much in life is __________ our control: the separations and losses, the __________ of life, the passage of time. Life serves up many flavors. __________, we can choose our attitudes on the journey.

1.

A．memories

B．flavors

C．experiences

D．smells

2.

A．forgets

B．realizes

C．nears

D．questions

3.

A．functioning

B．changing

C．failing

D．growing

4.

A．decided

B．asked

C．managed

D．continued

5.

A．new-born

B．snow-covered

C．hard-won

D．home-made

6.

A．working on

B．preparing for

C．cutting off

D．resulting in

7.

A．checking

B．decorating

C．struggling

D．volunteering

8.

A．cake

B．wish

C．gift

D．party

9.

A．unexpected

B．unknown

C．undoubted

D．unlimited

10.

A．picture

B．cookie

C．room

D．house

11.

A．dangerously

B．successfully

C．emotionally

D．accidentally

12.

A．new

B．strong

C．mixed

D．negative

13.

A．within

B．through

C．beyond

D．toward

14.

A．shortness

B．meaning

C．record

D．style

15.

A．Instead

B．However

C．Meanwhile

D．Therefore

3 . Reading is a healthy habit that everyone should develop from childhood because of the benefits that come with it.     1     Therefore, take your time and start by reading slowly. The following will discuss the effects of not reading books, so you can basically consider and judge where you are and understand how reading can be beneficial.

    2     People who don’t read and don’t like to read find it harder to learn than people who actually read. For example, most students who fail to develop a reading habit find it difficult to get through school. This then leads to students dropping out, which is bad for society. Reading is a habit that strengthens the brain and develops your inborn love of wanting to learn more. Therefore, not being addicted to books closes you off from this.

Narrow mindedness. Reading a variety of books broadens the readers’ mind. Most people who don’t read have a certain narrow mindedness to them that can easily be noticed.     3     When you don’t read, you’re forced to take everything at face value and then create and shape your views in this way.

Low brain power. One advantage of reading is its ability to improve brain function. Reading can help people become better thinkers and use brains more effectively. People who don’t read usually have low brain power because they don’t exercise the brain as much as readers do.     4    

Poor imagination. Reading books allows you to tap into your imaginative power.     5     This is important because it expands (拓展) your thought process as well as the ability to understand. People who don’t read books usually are short of the inspiration necessary to create imagination. This makes it difficult to be creative.

A．Learning difficulty.

B．The reason for this is simple.

C．Such exercise strengthens the brain.

D．Inability to fully understand the world.

E．It then makes you picture what you read.

F．It is developed slowly just as any habit would.

G．The ability to read is important in today’s world.

4 . Mark and his friends decided to visit Mount Matterhorn, a beautiful mountain in Europe this year. It can not only be _________ from countless viewpoints, but also offered a pyramid-shaped peak.

Since it was a very hard climb to the top, they _________ to make camp at the last possible spot with one of the most extraordinary views, and decided to _________ the next day, not intending to finish the whole climb.

While Mark was _________ how a handful of people were making their way to the _________, he changed his mind and invited his friends to join him. _________, no one was willing because it was too dangerous, and they were _________ with where they were. Luckily, there was a group of climbers who were just _________ past and were on their way to the top. Mark quickly asked them if he could join them, and he was _________.

When they eventually reached the top, Mark was __________ as it’s so beautiful and it’s not at all that __________ as told. A climber next to him, pointing his finger at the __________ where Mark and his friends and many others had set their camps, smiled and explained. “You see, most people in the crowd right there end up satisfied in the __________ of their journey.” continued the man. “Many of them never think that they have the potential to achieve more, so they remain part of the crowd their whole life.”

Hearing that, Mark __________ how many times he was like those who have a(n)__________ they want to reach but not follow through till the end.

1.

A．traveled

B．appreciated

C．preserved

D．removed

2.

A．hesitated

B．struggled

C．pretended

D．stopped

3.

A．continue

B．return

C．escape

D．settle

4.

A．organizing

B．confirming

C．observing

D．considering

5.

A．crowd

B．camp

C．peak

D．pyramid

6.

A．Plus

B．However

C．Instead

D．Therefore

7.

A．satisfied

B．busy

C．familiar

D．patient

8.

A．skiing

B．riding

C．jogging

D．walking

9.

A．accepted

B．ignored

C．greeted

D．threatened

10.

A．out of breath

B．out of control

C．in amazement

D．in relief

11.

A．tough

B．unique

C．worthwhile

D．unusual

12.

A．habitat

B．spot

C．source

D．temple

13.

A．ch arm

B．hope

C．memory

D．middle

14.

A．promised

B．announced

C．wondered

D．doubted

15.

A．decision

B．conclusion

C．rejection

D．goal

5 . 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

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’ve been a leader of a youth group in my community for a number of years. Among all those organized group activities, the kids’ favorite is called ARK night, with ARK standing for Acts of Random Kindness. A couple of times a year, on a Sunday night, we go out into our community to perform kind acts for others.

We split into small groups and complete assignments around town. One group typically goes downtown to where the homeless population is gathered and hands out sandwiches and cold water in the summer, and hand warmers and hot bread in the winter. Sometimes a group makes posters and goes to local police and fire stations to say thank you. We often have groups that visit nursing homes and hospitals to share a smile and conversation with the patients.

One time, the small group I was leading left Post-it notes with positive messages on the windshields (挡风玻璃) of all of the vehicles in the visitors’ parking lot at the hospital. The hope was that someone who was sad or worn out after visiting a patient would be cheered up by our note.

We had spent the first part of the evening in my home, with the kids writing positive messages on their Positive notes, things like “Tomorrow is another day.” “Keep smiling.” “Things will get better.” and “Have a nice day.” One girl had curvy, beautiful handwriting and she decorated the corners of her notes with pretty multi-colored hearts.

After the kids left their notes on all those cars, one girl said to me, “We didn’t see one single person. How will we know that our notes made a difference?”

“We’ll just have to trust that they did,” I said. Normally, the kids could see the reactions of the people they were helping, and I could tell they were disappointed at the lack of interaction with people during this assignment. I wondered about it, too. Would the notes cheer anyone up, or would they be thrown away like the advertisements that are sometimes left on car windshields?

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。

One day, I noticed a post by a friend of mine on Facebook.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

It was one of our Post-it notes!

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7 . 假设你是李华，你校英语俱乐部将举办一次英语演讲比赛。请你以“Every Setback Is a Test for Us”为题写一篇演讲稿，内容包括：
1. 描述你自己经历的一次挫折；
2. 你克服挫折的体会。
参考词汇：setback 挫折 n.
注意：
（1）词数不少于100；（2）可适当加入细节，使内容充实、行文连贯。
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8 . Art is my favorite subject because I enjoy drawing. In school, there are only four ______ classes per week, which I find not enough. During an art lesson, I notice that time ______ to fly by. When I’m drawing ______, eighty minutes feels like eight minutes. One moment I am taking out my art materials, the next the teacher is ______ us to hand in our work.

Art is my favorite subject because it can bring ______ responses. For example, if I was happy, I would draw a colorful picture of myself.

I especially enjoy drawing cartoons. This is one area where my ______ is regularly exercised. Sometimes I draw things that amaze my classmates. I also love to draw still life in color. ______ is really an art and I have developed considerable skills in it, much to the disbelief of my classmates. As I have had so much ______ in coloring, I have a huge advantage over the ______ of the class.

______, I must say that I always feel good when I am drawing something. Perhaps this is why I ______ art so much. It’s because I get a good feeling every time I start drawing. Drawing is a (n) ______ exit for self-expression for me, so the feeling is ______. There is nothing to remember or practice in art as there is in the other subjects. All one has to ______ with art is follow one’s feelings, and the outcome is always ______.

1.

A．music

B．literature

C．maths

D．art

2.

A．escapes

B．seems

C．ends

D．remains

3.

A．something

B．anything

C．nothing

D．everything

4.

A．blaming

B．finding

C．asking

D．forgetting

5.

A．physical

B．critical

C．changeable

D．emotional

6.

A．feeling

B．creativity

C．muscle

D．sound

7.

A．Coloring

B．Practicing

C．Teaching

D．Singing

8.

A．problem

B．homework

C．practice

D．advice

9.

A．rest

B．last

C．least

D．less

10.

A．Still

B．Meanwhile

C．Sadly

D．Finally

11.

A．share

B．enjoy

C．show

D．apply

12.

A．rare

B．natural

C．abnormal

D．famous

13.

A．positive

B．strong

C．objective

D．indifferent

14.

A．buy

B．do

C．search

D．taste

15.

A．tough

B．grateful

C．necessary

D．pleasing

9 . My plan to learn to play the cello (大提琴) was a health y choice. So I took the next innocent step of going to a shop that sells and rents string instruments, especially violins, violas, and cellos. The place was a hole-in-the-wall, up a steep flight of stairs. Instruments left a narrow path to the counter where a woman with grey hair and warm eyes greeted me. Since I couldn’t form a question about what I wanted, I just stood there exploring the scene, which felt immensely pleasurable.

I rented a cello, a bow, and a case to hold them. What attracted me to the cello was its enormous size and its soft, smooth, and memorable sounds. It’s an instrument made of beautifully polished wood that I could wrap my arms around and feel its powerful vibrations when the strings were played. That was a good starting point for me. The only problem was that I didn’t know how to play it.

There’s a popular belief that the cello is a particularly difficult instrument to learn. Another is the admonition, “Don’t bother if you are a beginner over age 10!” Well, I was 70, and what others thought no longer influenced me. And besides, I thought of the words of Dr. Cohen, who suggested that learning causes physical changes in the brain.

So I found a teacher who had respect for older adult beginners and I practiced diligently, daily for years, and sometimes disheartened, but I kept up. I’m happy to report that now, more than a decade later, I can hold my own in a string trio and two quartets （two violins, a viola, and me, the female cello）and even a senior community band. Of course, I’ll never sound like Yo-Yo Ma but you could recognize a Mozart piece if you heard me play it. And, more importantly, I don’t need to please anyone but myself.

Whether it’s a pleasurable pastime or a new career, the starting point is the same: wonder, curiosity, determination, and the desire to keep your brain sharp.

1. How did the writer feel in the shop?

A．Amused by the shop assistant.

B．Anxious for a live performance.

C．Pleased at the nice music atmosphere.

D．Curious about where to find a teacher.

2. What does the underlined word “admonition” in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Approval.	B．Criticism.
C．Puzzlement.	D．Warning.

3. Why does the writer mention Dr. Cohen in paragraph 3?

A．To recommend a reliable doctor.

B．To provide proof for common belief.

C．To add another reason for her decision.

D．To stress the crucial function of the brain.

4. Which of the following can best convey the writer’s idea?

A．Art is man’s second nature.

B．One is never too old to learn.

C．Education is the key to success.

D．Happiness is the best form of health.

10 . Success is often considered to be the opposite of failure. To teenagers, it is the achievement of a goal or completion of something they really need, such as good grades and the ability to get along well with their classmates. Some schools used to agree with most parents who measured (判定) the success of their children according to grades, but now they pay special attention to moral (道德的) education and character-building to make sure teenagers achieve success in building human relationships.

Schools give chances to students to discover their hidden ability so that they can enjoy some form of success. For example, those good at speaking skills are advised to take part in speech competitions while those interested in arts are expected to perform in front of their classmates. Teenagers also get the pleasure of success when they join their favorite clubs.

Teenagers are often told that success is not easy to achieve and that success lies in hard work. Great efforts have to be put into project work. Doing things much later than planned should be avoided as this will lead to a mountain of work which finally makes them nervous. Another good quality (品质) is a sense of responsibility which makes them remember that a task has to be completed.

Sticking to moral values is the key to success too. Honest teenagers will win the trust of friends leading to good relationships. Self-motivation (自我激励) is another quality to be developed, for self-motivated teenagers will have the strong will and drive to perform a task and finally get to enjoy a sense of achievement.

1. What does the underlined word “they” in Paragraph 1 refer to (指代)?

A．Their classmates.	B．Some schools.
C．Most parents.	D．Their children.

2. What can we learn from Paragraph 3?

A．Project work makes teenagers nervous.

B．Good qualities will lead to a happy life.

C．Teenagers are advised to complete tasks in time.

D．Taking responsibility will make work much easier.

3. What is important for making students strong minded?

A．Honesty.	B．Self-motivation.
C．Communication.	D．Friends’ trust.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．The Value of Moral Education

B．The Key to Discovering Hidden Ability

C．The Meaning of Success to Teenagers

D．The Way to Communicate with Others