1 . A letter written to a 12-year-old girl in Lithuania was delivered in December, almost 51 years after it was sent by a pen pal in Poland. “I thought that someone was pranking me,” said Genovefa Klonovska after being handed the letter, which included a handmade colored rose and two paper dolls.

The letter, together with 17 others, fell out of a ventilation hole (通风口) this summer, dirty and wrinkled, as a wall was taken down in a former post office on the suburb of Vilnius. Jurgis Vilnius, owner of the building immediately called the post office. “I’m so happy they got interested,” said he.

Street names and their numbering have changed in Vilnius, and post office workers spent months looking for the right houses and talking to current renters and neighbors, tracking down where the recipients moved to. Only five were found. In several cases children of late recipients were handed a lost letter.

“We felt a moral duty to do this,” said Deimante Zebrauskaite, head of the customer experience department at Lithuania Post.

One lady compared the experience to receiving a message from a bottle thrown into sea. People were emotional. “Some felt they saw a part of daily life of their deceased parents,” Zebrauskaite said.

In the letter to Klonovska, sent from Koezary in Poland and stamped in 1970, a girl named Ewa complains buses no longer reach her village, so she has to walk in minus 23 degree Celsius cold, and asks for pictures of actors.

Now in her 60s, Klonovska has no memory of Ewa. She probably wrote Ewa after finding her address advertising for pen pals in a newspaper, and the relationship ceased after the letter got undelivered.

“So good that the letter didn't matter much. The loss was not life-changing,” said Klonovska “What if they delivered a lost letter from a suitor (求婚者) to his love, and their wedding never happened?”

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

A．Brightening.

B．Embarrassing.

C．Tricking.

D．Pleasing.

2. What happened to the letters in Paragraph 2?

A．They were accidentally found.

B．They remained well-preserved.

C．They were delivered by the former post office.

D．They were hidden by the owner of the building.

3. Which of the following best describes the present post office in Vilnius?

A．Generous.

B．Dutiful.

C．Honest.

D．Cautious.

4. What can we learn from what Klonovska said?

A．Klonovska refused a suitor.

B．Klonovska stopped the wedding.

C．The undelivered letter ruined the relationship.

D．The undelivered letter made little difference to her.

2 . For most people, life has become a burden on their shoulders, and its weight is growing heavier and heavier, until one day they can’t carry it anymore. So how can we design a life that is less complex and more meaningful? With minimalism (极简主义).     1     The following ways will assist you in your journey to living a simper yet fuller life.

    2     Most people’s living space is filled with things that are never used and don’t contribute to their well-being. Separate the ones you do need from the ones you don’t, and throw the latter right into the dustin — or better, give them away to people who might actually benefit from them.

Appreciate all the amazing things you already have. We constantly compare ourselves to others who seem happier, more beautiful and more important than us. We try our best to imitate those we envy.     3     We need to stop comparing and accept ourselves for who we are, with all our imperfections. Take a moment to appreciate what you have.

Do one thing at a time. Minimalist living actually means making the most out of each and every moment. We’re usually carrying out different tasks at the same time. So whatever we are doing, our mind is partly wondering somewhere else.     4    

Develop mindfulness.     5     Thus you need to develop mindfulness. Mindfulness means fully attending to what’s happening in the present. There are many ways one can do so. Perhaps the most common way is to sit for about 30 minutes somewhere comfortably with your upper back straight and pay full attention to your breath as it’s coming in and out through your nose. In this way, you won’t be distracted by your thoughts.

A．It is about enjoying life more with less.

B．Stop consuming products you don’t need.

C．Yet no matter how much we try, we always fail.

D．Get rid of things that don’t serve your happiness.

E．minimalist living requires a calm and undisturbed mind.

F．Stop multitasking and concentrate on a single thing at a time.

G．Unfortunately, our minds are filled with worries in our busy lives.

3 . Research has shown that people tend to get more happiness from spending their money on experiences, such as travel and entertainment (娱乐), than on things like clothes and electronic products. But are people happier during the purchased (购买的) experience itself? Or does the happiness come more from expecting or remembering the experience?

A new study, published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, offers an answer. Our experimental purchases not only bring us greater pleasure in terms of expectation and remembrance than do our material (物质的) purchases, but they also bring us greater in-the-moment enjoyment, the study found.

For the study, the researchers recruited (招募) 2,635 adults who agreed to receive texts at any time during the day. The texts began with a happiness question, which asked the participants (参与者) to tell how they felt “right now”, ranging from very bad to very good. Half of them were then asked if they had made a material purchase within the past hour, such as clothing or electronic goods. The others were asked if they had made an experimental purchase within the past hour, such as eating in a restaurant or attending a concert.

The researchers found that the purchasers of the experiences express higher levels of happiness than the purchasers of the material goods, no matter how much the purchases cost.

To deal with possible differences in types of purchasers, the researchers carried out a second study in which they researched more than 5,000 adults. “We still found the same result,” said Amit Kumar, the study’s lead author (发起人).

“If you want to be happier, it might be wise to shift some of your spending away from material goods and a bit more towards experiences,” Kumar said. “That would probably lead to greater happiness.”

1. Why does the writer put forward two questions in paragraph 1?

A．To make a fact clear.

B．To introduce a new study.

C．To compare different researches.

D．To doubt the view of researchers.

2. What did the researchers text the participants for?

A．To ask them about their spending plans.

B．To understand their needs and spending habits.

C．To know the change in their purchasing choices.

D．To find out their purchasing behavior and feelings.

3. Which has the similar meaning to the underlined word “shift” in the last paragraph?

A．satisfy.

B．apply.

C．change.

D．increase.

4. What does the new study find about people’s purchases?

A．People prefer to purchase material goods instead of experiences.

B．People get more pleasure from spending money than making money.

C．The level of happiness from purchases depends on how much they cost.

D．Experimental purchases bring people greater happiness than material ones.

4 . 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。

Suzie wanted to go to a party. It was a beach party. It had been almost the only thing her friends had been talking about for the last couple of weeks. It was going to be the best party of the year, perhaps the best party of her life.

But there was a problem… and a big problem. Her mom had said no. Suzie was desperate, and the more desperately she pleaded her case, the more emphatically her mom said no. Suzie was disappointed. No, worse than that, she was heartbroken. This was her best friend’s party. How could she tell her that her mom wouldn’t let her go? She’d look silly if she was the only one not there. The other kids were bound to laugh at her. They might even dump her as a friend if she didn’t join in and participate in what they were doing.

Sunday dinner came around and Suzie’s Grandma joined the family for the meal, as she nearly always did on Sunday. Grandma noticed how unhappy Suzie had been looking during the meal but didn’t say a thing. It was Suzie’s turn to wash up and Grandma said, “Let me help you,” while the rest of the family shifted into the living room to watch a video.

“What’s up?” asked Grandma as Suzie dumped the dishes into water. Grandma wiped a plate with a tea towel.

“Mom won’t let me go to my best friend’s party,” said Suzie, sadly. “Has Mom explained why she doesn’t want you to go? “ asked Grandma. “No,” replied Suzie.

“Then for a moment, put yourself in her position,” said Grandma. “If you were Mom, what would your objections be?”

Suzie hadn’t stopped to think about her mom’s side. All she had seen was what she wanted. “Well,” she answered after thinking for a moment or two, “it’s a beach party. Maybe she doesn’t trust us or thinks we’ll get into trouble. Maybe she thinks we’ll drown or something, but we all know how to swim and look after ourselves.”

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。

After further discussion, Suzie realised that her mom might be concerned about her safety because no adults would be at the party.

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Suzie thought Grandma’s suggestions over and decided to have a chat with her mom.

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5 . Did you know that swimming can provide you with the tools you need for achieving success later in life? The following life lessons aren’t things you can be taught in a classroom. They are drawn from the count-less hours we spend swimming in the clean water.

Having big goals is necessary to achieve success in the pool. Sometimes those big goals can be our worst enemy, however. You need to start with short-term goals. Sometimes taking baby steps can be too slow for some people, making them annoyed, but successful swimmers know that this slow progress provides an accumulated effect that has a huge impact in the mid and long term. Success in the pool — and life — is achieved step by step, mistake by mistake, small win by small win.

Swimming tests your mental limits. I cannot count how many times I watched the coach write a set of training plans on the board and felt myself holding back deep inside, mind racing, with thoughts of how badly I was going to die over the course of the set. But then what happened? I pulled it off. I started the set, and talked myself through it. “Hey, this isn’t so bad.” A little bit later, “Okay, halfway done.” And finally, “I am going to achieve the goal!”

The reality is you never know how tough you are until you are in the race, reaching that goal even though a few minutes earlier you were mentally shaking in your swimming suit. This carries really well into the other challenges you will face in your life. We always think we aren’t capable, that swimming or life finally beats us, but believe it or not, you will always be as strong as you need to be.

1. Why does the author think that sometimes big goals can be harmful?

A．Swimmers will feel annoyed at their slow progress.

B．Big goals need a long annoying term to achieve.

C．Small but necessary steps can be easily ignored.

D．More mistakes are needed to achieve bigger goals.

2. What was the author nervous about when seeing the set on the board?

A．Losing his life in the race.	B．Failing to reach the goal.
C．Drinking the water in the pool.	D．Finishing the race halfway.

3. What does the phrase “pulled it off” in Paragraph 3 mean?

A．Left the place.

B．Took it off.

C．Made it.

D．Gave it up.

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

A．Confidence is what you need to reach your goal

B．Life lessons you will learn from swimming

C．Swimming can make you tough in life

D．Small goals add up to big success

6 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。
Hi Alice,

My name is Zhao Ming and I’d like to be your pen friend. I’m 16 years old. I have two little brothers. They’re very     1     (love). I often help my parents look     2     them in my spare time. My mother     3     (work) in a toy shop. She loves     4     (she) job. And my father is     5     engineer. He is busy every day,     6     he tries to spend more time with us.

I’m in the school basketball team. We usually play     7     (match) on Saturday mornings. Last week, we played against another school. They ran     8     (fast) than us. However, we had better teamwork. Finally, we     9     (win)! How happy we were! This is the     10     (eight) time we beat them.

Could you tell me something about you?

Best,

Zhao Ming

7 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Why does Sam look frustrated?

A．The number of his customers is decreasing.

B．He argued with some customers.

C．He can’t satisfy his customers.

2. Where does the woman suggest Sam advertise?

A．In newspapers.

B．On the Internet.

C．On billboards.

3. What will the speakers do first?

A．Go to Sam’s company.

B．Come up with a solution.

C．Go to a restaurant.

8 . If you can’t get your hands off your cellphone, you have unknowingly become a slave to this device. Being addicted to a cellphone can be potentially harmful. Here are some reasons why you should use your cellphone less.

    1     Very often you forget the world outside your cellphone. Just leave the phone at home, take a walk, and get to know what you really want in life. Discover what sparks your interest and pursue it with all your heart.

You should focus more on personal interactions in real life. Can you hug your dad and feel his strength through the phone? Can you kiss your mom goodnight over the phone?     2     Cellphones just snatch these precious things away from you.

Your grades will go up. Leave your phone behind when going to school. Once you get home, don’t lie on the bed and text your friends.     3     Your grades will improve.

You need to give your mind a break. Constantly chatting on the phone puts too much pressure on your brain, which does great harm to both your physical and mental health.     4    

You need to keep away from anxiety. Research has shown that people who use cellphones all day long are more anxious and restless.     5     When they don’t get what they want, they will become depressed. Therefore, keep the phone away to keep anxiety at bay.

A．Get through your homework first.

B．You should develop your true interests.

C．You should continuously learn new things.

D．These are small gestures that play a big role in life.

E．With their growing popularity, your laziness will grow, too.

F．They seem to look for recognition and acceptance through the device.

G．So make your mind rest so that you can think and function well the next day.

9 . Do You Have a Positive Attitude?

Who would you rather hang around with? Someone who always acts in low spirits? Or someone who manages to see the good around him，even when things aren't always going great?     1    

Having a positive attitude can help you in many ways.     2    Your friends will definitely appreciate you more if you see the silver lining rather than just the dark clouds!

    3    The less pressure you feel, the better you will feel overall. So if you've been feeling tired, put on a happy face and you just might feel better soon.

But how can you have a positive attitude when life is hard? It's more than just turning life's lemons into lemonade.     4    But it's worth it.

A positive attitude doesn't mean ignoring life's troubles. It just means looking for the good in things, rather than being a pessimist and concentrating on the bad in things. Sometimes your attitude can make all the difference.

Identify (识别) those areas of your life that might not be going so well.     5    Focus on one at a time and think of ways you can find the positive in things.

A．The answer is to have a positive attitude.

B．Having a positive attitude can take some hard work.

C．They are likely to make you have negative thoughts.

D．Having a positive attitude can also reduce your stress level.

E．If you have a positive attitude, you're more fun to be around.

F．When you feel better physically, you naturally feel better mentally.

G．It's no surprise that people enjoy being around positive people rather than negative people.

10 . If you’re worried about being a self-centered person, that concern shows you’ve already taken an important step towards change.     1    

Focus on listening instead of talking. Give others your full attention and really hear them out. Self-centered people often make conversations center around themselves and they tend to get bored when the focus isn’t on them.     2     Give others a chance to speak their minds and do your best to show that you’re really listening.

    3     Imagining yourself in their situation helps you understand them better. If your friend is telling you about something that happened to him or her and you just don’t feel engaged (吸引住), it can help to imagine how you would feel in his or her situation. Try asking yourself how you would feel and what you would need if you were him or her. Then, keep those things in mind when you respond to your friend.

Use fewer “I” and “me” statements. Fight the strong wish to talk about yourself in every conversation. It’s an easy habit to get into, but you can’t focus on anyone else if you’re always talking about yourself. Try to actively reduce the number of “I” and “me” statements you make in daily conversation. Studies show that talking about yourself less often can make you happier and healthier.     4    

Learn how to compromise (妥协).     5     Compromising means choosing to believe another person’s needs and desires are just as important as your own. Instead of demanding your way during a disagreement comes, try meeting the other person halfway so that each person gets some of their needs met.

A．Let someone else be in charge.

B．Put yourself in someone else’s shoes.

C．If this sounds familiar to you, you can break that habit.

D．If there are other solutions, don’t always have to add yours.

E．Self-centered people want everything to go their way all the time.

F．Try reminding yourself to do that when you are not having a good time.

G．Change can be tough, but there are still useful tips you need on this journey.