1 . A wildlife photographer was waiting, hoping to get a shot of a relatively rare bird, a particular kind of heron(鹭). He’d waited several frustrating hours in the woods, but with no luck at all. Suddenly, to the photographer’s delight, a heron settled on a branch right in front of him. The photographer raised his camera and took the shot. Feeling particularly pleased, the photographer looked at the image. To his astonishment, he saw that behind the heron, his photograph had also captured a very, very rare woodpecker flying past. He hadn’t seen it, but without even trying, he’d photographed an even rarer bird than the one he was aiming for. This is an example of serendipity.
Cases of serendipity can be found in numerous fields, such as science. Back in the 1800s, a man called Wellswas at a demonstration (演示) of laughing gas. After being given the gas, the patient started laughing, as expected. But then he suddenly fell over and cut his le g rather badly. To everyone’s surprise, the man reported that he couldn’t feel any pain. Wells hadn’t been looking for it, but he’d made a medical discovery — certain gases reduce and can even almost eradicate pain. Had Wells not been there that night, anesthesia (麻醉) might have taken longer to be discovered.
Most of us can probably think of at least one example of serendipity in our own lives. Jane, a friend of mine,was trying to come up with an idea for an article but got completely stuck. Frustrated, she decided to go out to a local café. As she was sipping her coffee, she heard two people talking behind her. A man was telling a story that sounded so unbelievable that she knew it had to be true. She asked the people if she could interview them for the article. They agreed and her article turned out to be one of the top trending articles of the week.
1. The word “serendipity” in paragraph 1 means the fact of __________.| A．observing rare birds in person | B．achieving important aims in time |
| C．finding valuable things by chance | D．taking interesting photos by mistake |
| A．The gas’s hidden damage. | B．The gas’s pain-killing effect. |
| C．The patient’s scientific discovery. | D．The patient’s balance-losing moment. |
| A．To take a break. | B．To meet a friend. |
| C．To write an article. | D．To do an interview. |
| A．To explain a concept. | B．To promote a culture. |
| C．To introduce a person. | D．To recommend a method. |
| A．She was ill. | B．Her aunt visited her. | C．She was busy with work. |
3 . It’s common that everyone wants to be happy. Everything we think, say, and do is connected with our innermost(内心深处的) desires to achieve happiness.
So how is it that some people seem to be happy all the time?
They smile.
Happy people smile, even when they don’t have much to smile about.The important part about smiling is that the change in physiology actually causes a change in psychology.
They create value.
Happy people often focus on the long term.
They eat healthy.
It’s hard to be happy when you spend most of your day worrying about the past or living in fear of the future.Happy people are present in the here and now.
They set goals.
Happy people also tend to set goals for the future.The goals give them an intended direction of travel. They’re buried in their hopes and aspirations of whatever they’re trying to achieve in life.
They think positive.
When thinking positive, and looking past problems and negativity, not only do we feel better mentally, but our minds are better able to process the heretonow.
Stick to the advice above for two or three months, and maybe you’ll find some amazing changes on yourself.
| A．They live in the moment. |
| B．In fact, positive thinking is the basis for being happier in life. |
| C．They build and develop relationships. |
| D．But for some reasons, often whatever we do, happiness is just out of reach. |
| E．The goals give them a clear direction of travel. |
| F．Happy people eat foods that are high in energy, raw and nutritious. |
| G．They work to create value in whatever they’re doing in life. |
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. |
| A．Beside the stairs. | B．At the back of the lift. | C．Next to the reception desk. |
5 . This journey began this morning almost an hour later than I had planned, although I had completed my packing before eight o’clock. I was quite clear about the fact that once I left, my house would stand empty for probably the first time since the day it was built. It was a strange feeling and perhaps explains why I was leaving so late, walking around the house many times over, checking one last time to see that all was in order.
It is hard to explain my feelings once I did finally set off. As I drove further and further from the house, I found the surroundings grow unrecognizable. I began to have a feeling of unease mixed with excitement. I took a turning and found myself on a road circling the edge of a hill. I could sense the steep (陡峭的) drop to my left. I felt a sense of alarm that I was perhaps not on the correct road at all, but speeding off in the wrong direction into a wilderness. It was only the feeling of a moment, but it caused me to slow down. And even when I was sure I was on the right road, I felt forced to stop the car a moment to think carefully.
I decided to step out and stretch (伸展) my legs a little. On the one side of the road, thickets and small trees rose sharply, while on the other I could now see the distant countryside and a town nearby.
I walked a little way along the roadside, when I heard a voice behind me. Until this point I had believed myself quite alone and I turned in some surprise. Sitting on the large stone was a thin, whitehaired man. He called to me again and signaled me to join him. For a moment, I took him for a homeless man, but then I saw he was just some local man enjoying the fresh air and summer sunshine, and saw no reason not to do so.
1. Why did the author set off later than planned?| A．Because he repeatedly checked the house. |
| B．Because he was feeling sad about leaving the house. |
| C．Because packing his belongings took longer than expected. |
| D．Because there was no one to help him get everything ready. |
| A．The road had become steep. |
| B．He realized he was driving too fast. |
| C．The beautiful scenery attracted him. |
| D．He suddenly feared that he might get lost. |
| A．didn’t expect to see anyone |
| B．didn’t want to speak to anybody |
| C．didn’t know there was a town nearby |
| D．couldn’t see anything because of the tree |
| A．He just wanted to finish it. |
| B．He felt unable to continue it. |
| C．He regretted having started it. |
| D．He had mixed feelings about it. |
1. What did the man study in college?
| A．Art history. | B．Medicine. | C．Business. |
| A．They’re neighbors. |
| B．They’re salesman and customer. |
| C．They’re teacher and student. |
| A．Doing what her father suggests. |
| B．Exploring all the possibilities. |
| C．Making a decision as early as possible. |
1．得知约翰要来非常高兴。告诉他可能遇到一些不同于美国的情况。
2．气候：冬天冷，有时下雪。夏天几乎不下雨，但一下起来就很大。提醒约翰带雨衣和棉衣。
3．饮食：饮食与美国很不同，他应尽力适应中国饮食，并要学会如何使用筷子。
4．最后，请他带一张美国地图，希望早日能见面。
字数：100—120个词。 参考词汇：筷子chopsticks
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| A．Her bank account. | B．Her happiness. | C．Her job. |
Caleb slipped his hand into mine as we stood on the bottom step of the staircase, watching the road. He was afraid. “Will she be nice?” asked the five-year-old softly, “will she sing, like mama did?” “She will.” I confirmed. But even papa didn’t sing anymore since mama died years ago. “Anna,” Caleb said, his voice low, “if you remember her songs, then I might remember her, too.” My eyes widened and tears came.
Sarah arrived that afternoon, tall and plain, wearing a bright yellow bonnet(软帽). She took Caleb’s hand, then mine, giving us some beautiful seashells. “Now we have some sea here.” she grinned. Then we walked through green grass fields that bloomed with India paint bush, red and orange, to home.
Sarah came from Maine, a faraway place by the sea, while we have vast plains and violent storm here. Sarah’s stew was tasty. She brushed my hair and tied it up with a rose ribbon. We picked flowers, hanging them from the ceiling in little bunches. “I’ve never seen this before,” said Sarah. “What is it called?” “Bride’s(新娘)bonnet,” I told her. Caleb smiled at the name.
The days grew longer. Papa taught Sarah how to ride his horse and drive his wagon(马车). When the housework was done, we sat in the meadow with Sarah, watching papa finish his job. His eyes shone when he smiled at her.
Sarah sang a song we had never heard, it was about the sea, blue and gray and green. “There are always things to miss, no matter where you are.” She smiled a sad smile, and then held us in arms. She promised to teach us how to sing and to paint the sea with real colored pencils.
“Will she leave us or stay and be our new mom?” Caleb secretly asked me, “I could be sick and make her stay.” I shook my head, upset with Caleb’s question, tears gathering at the corners of my eyes. But there was no time to cry, for suddenly papa called out from the barn “Caleb! Anna! Get inside!”
注意:
1. 所续写短文的词数应为 150 左右；
2. 续写部分分为两段, 每段的开头语已为你写好。
Paragraph 1:
Looking up, we saw a huge cloud, horribly black, moving towards us over the north fields. “A storm!”
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Paragraph 2:
The next morning, we awoke to find Dad and Sarah out, thus feeling a bit worried.
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1. What is the conversation mainly about?
| A．Weekend plans. | B．Phone usage. | C．Social apps. |
| A．5. | B．6. | C．60. |
