1 . Is life a story or a game? Answers may vary from one to another. Over the course of life, we find things to love and commit to — a job, a partner or a community. At times, we struggle to learn from our misfortunes to grow in wisdom, kindness and grace.

Will Storr, a writer whose work I admire, says this story version of life is a misunderstanding. In his book The Status Game, he argues that human beings are deeply driven by status. Rather than about being liked or accepted, he writes, it’s about being better than others. “When people are obedient to us, offer respect, admiration or praise, that’s status. It feels good.”

Life is a series of games, he adds. There’s the high school game of competing to be the popular kid. The lawyer game to make partner. The finance game to make the most money. The academic game for fame. The sports game to show that our team is the best. Even when we are trying to do good, Storr claims, we’re playing the “virtue game” to show we are morally superior to others.

I think Storr is in danger of becoming one of those guys who ignore the noble desires of the human heart and the caring element in every friendship and family. The status-mad world that Storr describes is so loveless. In fact, gaming as a way of life is immature. Maturity means rising above the shallow desire — for status — that doesn’t really nourish us. It’s about cultivating the higher desires: the love of truth and learning; the inner pleasure the craftsman gets in his work, which is not about popularity, and the desire for a good and meaningful life that inspires people to practise daily acts of generosity.

How do people gradually learn to cultivate these higher motivations? To answer that, I’d have to tell you a story.

1. What lies in the core of Will Storr’s opinion about life?

A．The pride in one’s virtue.	B．The pursuit of superiority.
C．The desire for acceptance.	D．The motivation by wealth.

2. What can be viewed as higher motivations in the text?

A．Love and inspiration.	B．Maturity and desire.
C．Commitment and kindness.	D．Friendship and popularity.

3. What’s the main purpose of the passage?

A．To correct an attitude.	B．To compare two values.
C．To explain two arguments.	D．To criticize a viewpoint.

4. What story do you think the author will tell next?

A．A king’s-comeback story.	B．A rags-to-riches story.
C．A Yuan Longping-style story.	D．An overnight-success story.

2 . The clock rules our lives. The more we try to save time, the less time we seem to have. In every area of our lives we are doing things faster. And many of us live in towns and cities which are getting noisier and more stressful as each day passes. But now a worldwide movement, whose aim is to slow life down, has started. Its supporters are people who believe that a happier and healthier way of life is possible.

The Slow Food movement was founded the day that an Italian journalist, Carlo Petrini, saw that McDonald’s had opened a restaurant in a beautiful square in Rome. He thought it was sad that many people today live too quickly to sit down for a proper meal and only eat much fast food. He decided that he had to try to do something about it and so he started the Slow Food movement. Slow Food has become a global organization ever since and now has more than 80,000 members in 100 countries.

Slow Food also encourages people to eat local and regional food, to use local shops and markets, to eat out in small family restaurants, and to cook with traditional recipes.

The idea of Slow Cities was inspired by the Slow Food movement. The aim of Slow Cities is to improve people’s quality of life. Towns which want to become a Slow City have to reduce traffic and noise, increase the number of green areas, plant trees, build pedestrian zones, and promote local businesses and traditions. Now it has spread to other countries all over the world, from the UK to Japan and Australia. There are now 135 Slow Cities in 24 countries across the world that have been named since founding of the organization in 1999. Gao Chun County, in east China’s Jiangsu Province, is expected to be named the first “Slow City” in China next year.

“Slow Cities are about having a community life in the town,” said a local resident. “It is not ‘slow’ as in ‘stupid’. It is ‘slow’ as in the opposite of ‘worried’ and ‘stressful’.”

But not everybody is happy. For teenagers, who have to go 25km to Norwich, the nearest city, to buy CDs, living in a Slow City is not very attractive. “It’s all right here for adults,” says Lewis Cook, 16. “But if you want excitement, you have to go to Norwich. We need more things here for young people.”

1. What’s the aim of the Slow Food movement?

A．To call on people to eat out.	B．To make people enjoy cooking.
C．To drive McDonald’s out of Rome	D．To encourage people to slow down.

2. All the following are necessary to be a Slow City EXCEPT ____________.

A．reducing traffic and noise	B．increasing the number of green areas
C．building more department stores	D．promoting local businesses and traditions

3. From the fourth paragraph, we know that ____________.

A．Slow Food was founded in 1999	B．there is no Slow City in China now
C．Slow Cities are mainly in the UK	D．there are about 24 Slow Cities in the world

4. How does Lewis Cook feel about living in a Slow City?

A．Satisfied.

B．Excited.

C．Happy.

D．Dissatisfied.

5. Which of the following would the founders of Slow Food agree with?

A．Slow down and you’ll move fast.	B．Time flies never to be recalled.
C．Eat slowly and you’ll be healthy.	D．Pay attention to the quality of life.

3 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What is the man’s problem?

A．He forgot his password.

B．He can’t use the system.

C．He can’t find his computer.

2. Where is the computer services office?

A．Beside the stairs.

B．At the back of the lift.

C．Next to the reception desk.

4 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. When might Susan leave the library?

A．At 9:00 p.m.

B．At 8:00 a.m

C．At 7:00 p.m.

2. Why did Susan stay in the library the whole day?

A．To study for the coming exam.

B．To finish her graduation paper.

C．To prepare for the presentation.

5 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What can Leo play?

A．The piano.

B．The guitar.

C．The violin.

2. What is the purpose of the music group?

A．To help students relax.

B．To celebrate National Day.

C．To prepare for a competition.

3. Why does Leo hesitate to join the music group at first?

A．He is too busy with his study.

B．He is afraid of meeting new people.

C．He doesn’t think he is good enough.

6 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。1.

A．They didn’t open their wings.

B．They didn’t stop moving around.

C．They didn’t come down from the tree.

2.

A．Talk about them at her school.

B．Send them to the local paper.

C．Enter them in a competition.

7 . Do you ever find yourself saving the good things in life for some distant moment in the future? Maybe you have a collection of fancy plates that only see the light of day on special occasions, or perhaps you’re waiting for the perfect time to wear that beautiful dress put away in your closet.     1    

In a recent conversation with leading psychologist Dr. Alison McClymont, we explored the idea of giving ourselves permission to enjoy the good things now, rather than waiting for an uncertain future.     2     So saving pleasure for the future may be pointless.

But why do we feel the need to save things for best?     3     It’s typically British to save our crockery or clothes for “special” occasions. This mindset may have originated from times when resources were not enough and has been passed down through generations. However, when we feel abundant, we are more willing to use and appreciate our favorite things regularly.

Welcoming the joy of everyday life can be seen as an act of self-love. We are supposed to surround ourselves with things that bring us happiness, even in ordinary moments.     4     It’s also about finding ways to renew our worth, fighting the negative thoughts that we don’t deserve to enjoy the good things in life.

    5     Take out those fancy plates for a simple weeknight dinner. Wear that beautiful dress to run errands or pick up your kids from school. Celebrate the small moments and make them extraordinary. Because in the end, life is too short to deny ourselves joy. Let’s break free from the mindset of waiting for the perfect moment. Embrace the joy of everyday life and make every day a celebration.

A．So, why not start now?

B．Well, it’s time to reconsider.

C．By doing so, we can boost our overall well-being.

D．After all, there will be more happiness in store for us.

E．Actually, cultural and generational factors play a crucial role.

F．The reason may be that our well-being is closely related to abundance.

G．If we deny ourselves small moments of joy, we may never get them again.

8 . 假定你是李华，你随父母来到美国已有半个月了，但你感到烦恼。请你根据下面提供的有关信
息，用英语给当地报纸写一封信，请求帮助。内容要点如下：
1.父母忙于工作和学习；
2.单独在家，整天与电视为伴；没有朋友，感到孤独；
3.请求帮助。
注意：（1）信的开头与结尾已给出，不计词数；
（2）词数：100 个左右。
Dear Editor,
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Best wishes.

Yours,

Li Hua

9 . Why are the kids in the woman’s yard?

A．To play baseball.

B．In New York.

C．To get their baseball back.

10 . The Decluttering Philosophy That Keeps Your Home Organized

When you sit at your desk, you may constantly be confronted by chaos.     1     Here an expert shares about some useful strategies to keep our messes at bay and her decluttering philosophy — getting rid of unnecessary possessions and distractions.

    2     “What becomes clutter and where your clutter collects can say a lot about what’s going on with you.” Thus the first thing you should keep in mind is to understand your clutter. When you understand the reasons behind your clutter, it’s a lot easier to know what to keep and what to get rid of.

When it comes to organizing, don’t bite off more than you can chew. If you start off with too big a goal, you might get discouraged if the job takes too long.     3     Instead, start with something less challenging. You can also work within short time restrictions. All in all, setting realistic goals and breaking tasks up into manageable portions can really help.

Once you’ve chosen an area to declutter, make a list of everything you have in that space. Then comes the hardest part: figuring out what to get rid of. At this stage, please look at your items with neutral eyes.     4    

Admittedly, it’s easy to be organized the day after decluttering, when tidiness is still top of mind. But what happens when you come home from a trip and are too tired to unpack your luggage? Or when you get the flu and are too sick to clean up?     5       In other words, make a system that works for you even when you’ve got to work or when you’ve got a cold.

A．Everyone’s clutter tells a personal story.

B．So don’t restore your entire garage in one afternoon.

C．The key is to create practices that can be easily maintained.

D．It can help you let go of things you don’t need but feel attached.

E．Comparatively speaking, the job taking shorter time will be easier to finish.

F．At this time you may wonder how to clean up your space and keep it that way.

G．If you are worried about these situations, you can delay your decluttering schedule.