1 . It’s a classic story. A kid is forced to learn an instrument from a young age, and they develop a bittersweet _________ with it. In the end, is the struggle worth it? For me? it was.

I started playing_________ when I was around four years old — that was 15 years ago! -—and since then, the longest I’ve ever gone without _________ piano keys was probably two months. This was an immense _________ of dedication to something that I wasn’t even planning to be “productive” with. So there must have been something worth holding on to, right?

The easy guess is that I was always so purely in _________ with music and piano that I couldn’t bear to let them go, even as my life got_________. Family and peers who played instruments were, at least in my own head, _________ placed beside me in competition. I felt _________ to improve and be the best in order to _________ something to others, even to myself. I never felt like piano was mine; it was something I was trying over and over to __________ the right to.

It’s difficult to learn to love something that you didn’t choose in the first place. I didn’t __________ piano; for a while, it was more of something I was __________ than a hobby. But somehow, sometime, love grew. The love and hate I’ve had for the piano were both__________ and grown.

Remember that with dedication, __________ can make a home where hate grows. There is no__________. We need time. We need room.

1.

A．expectation

B．inspiration

C．relationship

D．challenge

2.

A．guitar

B．violin

C．organ

D．piano

3.

A．touching

B．feeling

C．flowing

D．hearing

4.

A．series

B．range

C．amount

D．sort

5.

A．love

B．competition

C．touch

D．tune

6.

A．sharper

B．merrier

C．busier

D．better

7.

A．confidently

B．annually

C．fortunately

D．constantly

8.

A．adaptation

B．pressure

C．leisure

D．benefit

9.

A．prove

B．Inspire

C．create

D．prevent

10.

A．buy

B．earn

C．lend

D．do

11.

A．play

B．replace

C．quit

D．choose

12.

A．fed up with

B．in line with

C．come up with

D．caught up with

13.

A．sought

B．planted

C．attracted

D．informed

14.

A．effort

B．energy

C．condition

D．love

15.

A．sunrise

B．daybreak

C．shortcut

D．highway

2 . We were designing a wheelchair for the engineering course. Based on my experience, I believed steel would be too _________ and aluminum (铝) would be lighter. But the student who insisted on using steel once worked at a bike shop; _________ I didn’t know better, having used _________ only for crafts (手工艺). A few days later, when the steel wheelchair arm kept _________ because of its weight, I felt I had been _________.

I liked crafting, but when I took engineering in college, I put this _________ aside because I didn’t think it was _________ to my academic work. I told myself engineering adequately fed my creative side and I didn’t _________ the hobby.

Although the wheelchair project was a _________ that my crafting might be important and relevant, I continued to __________ bringing it up in professional spaces.

My __________ didn’t change until one day when I felt restless and __________ crafting as an outlet. While putting liquid into a mold, I __________ “injection molding”—a standard engineering manufacturing process. I suddenly realized that in the __________ sense, this art is not injection molding, but it shares the spirit and probably some __________. Maybe my crafting was something I should hug rather than hide.

Soon I saw more examples of __________ between engineering and craft that I had previously __________. I saw how crafting taught me not to quit when my product didn’t __________ my initial vision and to consider the failed __________ as a learning experience, just as an engineer must.

So I took up crafting again and also stopped __________ it from others.

1.

A．expensive

B．hard

C．ugly

D．heavy

2.

A．originally

B．surely

C．previously

D．embarrassingly

3.

A．metal

B．tools

C．wheels

D．technique

4.

A．falling

B．waving

C．shaking

D．breaking

5.

A．lucky

B．confused

C．right

D．disappointed

6.

A．ability

B．hobby

C．idea

D．opportunity

7.

A．relevant

B．equal

C．new

D．similar

8.

A．like

B．develop

C．abandon

D．need

9.

A．chance

B．hint

C．possibility

D．demand

10.

A．try

B．keep

C．practice

D．avoid

11.

A．goal

B．method

C．attitude

D．fate

12.

A．referred to

B．looked for

C．held on

D．turned to

13.

A．pointed out

B．stared at

C．thought of

D．focused on

14.

A．medical

B．social

C．technical

D．mental

15.

A．skills

B．benefits

C．examples

D．materials

16.

A．conflicts

B．connections

C．advantages

D．differences

17.

A．overlooked

B．discovered

C．used

D．learned

18.

A．meet

B．match

C．suit

D．improve

19.

A．test

B．agreement

C．creation

D．project

20.

A．keeping

B．borrowing

C．separating

D．hiding

3 . 许多人认为“生命在于运动”，谈谈你个人的运动经历，要点如下：
1.谈谈你平时最喜爱做的运动；
2.运动给你带来的好处；
3.你认为运动应该注意什么。
注意：
1.词数100左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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4 . 假定你是李华，本周六你校举行一场英语演讲比赛，演讲的主题是对音乐的看法以及你喜欢的音乐类型及原因。请你写一篇演讲稿，词数100左右。请按照以下要点指引，完成写作:
第一段：1）问候（如：大家下午好）； 2）自我介绍； 3）写作目的（如：我很高兴有机会和大家分享我对音乐的看法）。
第二段：1）对音乐的看法。（如：音乐在我们的生活中很重要。首先，它可以使我们感到放松。其次，当我们遇到困难时，音乐可以鼓舞我们。再次，音乐还可以帮我们理解其他文化）；2）我喜欢的音乐类型基原因（如：我喜欢流行音乐和古典音乐。因为流行乐使我感到高兴和开心。古典乐听起来平和、优美）。
第三段：1）结尾（如：这是我的演讲内容。谢谢您的聆听！）
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5 . Making a Hobby Stick

A hobby is a great way to stay busy during downtime.     1     Here are some tips which may help you stick with your hobbies.

Find a friend to do the hobby with you, Many people find the buddy(同伴) system works when starting a hobby. If you and a friend agree to get into a hobby together, you’ll both be more likely to stick it out. Choose a friend with compatible( 相容的) interests. If you have a friend who’s into extreme sports, while you tend to like staying in with a book, the two of you will not be a good match hobby- wise. Instead, choose an equally bookish friend.     2    

Look for a community. Many people find it’s easier to stick to a hobby if there’s community support.     3     If you like singing, for example, join a local choir. If you are not fond of socializing, you can look for support online. If you’ re a knitter, for example, you can post in forums asking for advice and inspiration involving new knitting projects.

    4     If your hobby is something you’ve never done before, you’ re unlikely to be good at it right away. Have some patience as it takes time to build up a skill. Try to remind yourself why building this skill set is important to you so you’ll have the motivation to keep going.

Don’t force yourself to continue a hobby you hate. You will never know whether you’ll take to something if you don’t try it. It’s okay if you give a try on a hobby and decide it’ s not for you.     5     If it’s doing the opposite, try something else. Remember, the hobby you re most likely to stick with long term is the one you like.

A．Start small.

B．Have some patience.

C．Try joining a class or club related to your hobby.

D．A hobby is meant to help you relax and reduce your stress.

E．The two of you could try joining a local book club together.

F．A friend who loves books will certainly broaden your horizon.

G．However, many struggle to stick with hobbies once they start them.

6 . To this paper-cutting artist, Shi Qinling, scissors are like what brushes are to painters, or what pens are to writers. Always having a pair of scissors on her also allows her to create art whenever inspiration hits. “Some people like to pen their feelings in diaries. I prefer to cut them out,” says the 35-year-old, who is currently working at the Fenglin community cultural activity center in Shanghai.

Shi developed an interest in handicraft when she was a child who often found herself alone at home. Out of boredom, she would play with paper, folding and cutting them into different shapes. This interest later developed into a passion, one that she decided to pursue by majoring in arts and crafts design during her time in university.

After graduation, however, she found herself working at a ship design company as she was unsure about what she wanted to do with her future. About a year later, the Shanghai Arts and Crafts Research Institute offered her a position in their paper-cutting department. Realizing that she still had a love for the craft, she switched her career.

In 2010, she started learning paper-cutting from Xi Xiaoqin, the national inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage for paper-cutting. Three years later, one of her works, The Fighting Fish, won third place at the Baihua Cup, a competition for Chinese arts and crafts. Six years later, Shi was named a Shanghai paper-cutting inheritor and become the city’s “youngest inheritor” of the paper-cutting heritage.

1. What can we learn about Shi from Paragraph 1?

A．Scissors are important for her for self-protection.

B．Scissors are significant for her for artistic expression.

C．She creates art by drawing whenever she has inspiration.

D．She is a paper-cutting artist as well as a painter and writer.

2. Why did Shi work at a ship design company after graduation?

A．She was at a loss what to do in the future.	B．She majored in ship design in university.
C．She was sure that she loved to design ships.	D．She wanted to be an inheritor of the company.

3. What does the underlined word “switched” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Adopted.

B．Hatched.

C．Changed.

D．Reformed.

4. What can we infer from Shi’s experience?

A．Interest is the best teacher.	B．Pride goes before a fall.
C．It’s never too late to learn.	D．All roads lead to Rome.

7 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What sport does the man like best?

A．Volleyball.

B．Softball.

C．Basketball.

2. What kind of music does the man like?

A．Classical music.

B．Pop music.

C．Jazz.

3. What does the man do with friends to keep friendship?

A．He hangs out with them.

B．He plays sports with them.

C．He shares music with them.

4. When will the woman’s movie begin?

A．At2:30p.m.

B．At3:30p.m.

C．At3:00p.m.

8 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下对话。
1. What happened to the man when he was a child?

A．He was blind.

B．He lost his glasses.

C．He developed poor eyesight.

2. When did the woman begin to enjoy reading?

A．When in college.

B．When in middle school.

C．When at primary school.

3. In which major did the man get his college degree?

A．Math.

B．Psychology.

C．Literature.

4. What kind of book would the woman prefer?

A．A challenging one.

B．A simple one.

C．A non-fiction one.

9 . Making time for leisure activities can have a truly positive effect on your physical and mental well-being.    1    

Why do you need hobbies?

A 2015 US study in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine found that people were more positive, less bored, less stressed and had a lower heart rate when engaged in a leisure activity. Numerous other studies have shown that hobbies reduce stress.    2    

    3    

Start with what you enjoyed in the past. Did you once play football? Take it up again or try something else which satisfies your competitive spirit or the fun you get from being part of a team. Experts recommend a healthy mix of hobbies that give you physical, social and cognitive benefits.

Which leisure activities are good for physical health?

It’s clear that exercise is going to be good for you physically. Even regular walking can bring benefits for fitness.    4    and it’s sociable too. And both gardening and DIY could reduce the risk of a heart attack or stroke by up to 30 percent among over-sixties.

Which pastimes keep your mind active?

    5    They are associated with a lower risk of dementia (痴呆), along with board games, which are perhaps more sociable than playing a violin. Older choir singers have better verbal flexibility, indicating better cognitive flexibility, than people of a similar age who don’t sing in a choir, according to a recent Finnish study.

A．How do you start a hobby?

B．While dancing is a great workout,

C．How do you choose the right hobby?

D．Learn a language or an instrument and read books.

E．Learning something new is a great way to train your brain.

F．And you may have some questions to figure out as follows.

G．And they boost mood, wellbeing, life satisfaction and even heart health.

10 . 340-pound Andy Duran decided to return to his favorite high school hobby—skateboarding.

However, Duran’s _________ began before he even stepped on a skateboard. He couldn’t find any resources (资源) for _________ skateboarders—what types of skateboards to _________ and where to buy plus-size shirts.

What Duran did find instead was an unfounded _________. “People say that if you’re over 190 pounds you shouldn’t be on a skateboard,” he says.

Determined to do something to _________ the description of plus-size people in sports, Duran set up Chub Rollz—a skateboarding community for overweight skateboarders. To encourage plus-size people to _________ the fun sport, Duran created a list of recommended _________ for them. He also hosted skateboarding classes to teach beginners.

The comments on Chub Rollz have been _________. Following an article about his action on the Internet, Duran received a lot of messages from _________ showing thanks for giving them courage to stand on skateboards.

Duran believes a lot more needs to be done to __________ body image stereotypes (成见). “Maybe skateboard shops should create a __________ environment for us and all types of boards should be made—everyone is making lighter products, but sometimes we need other __________,” he explains. For those __________ about taking up their favorite sports due to their __________, Duran has this to say, “Be __________ to yourself, as you’re often your worst critic (批评家). That you don’t see it doesn’t mean you can’t do it.”

1.

A．chances

B．protests

C．challenges

D．arrangements

2.

A．new

B．fat

C．gifted

D．young

3.

A．register

B．design

C．sell

D．try

4.

A．proof

B．guideline

C．report

D．belief

5.

A．check

B．change

C．stress

D．match

6.

A．play

B．promote

C．like

D．rate

7.

A．products

B．books

C．hobbies

D．sizes

8.

A．unusual

B．positive

C．informal

D．immediate

9.

A．volunteers

B．students

C．strangers

D．neighbors

10.

A．understand

B．control

C．compare

D．remove

11.

A．safe

B．competitive

C．welcoming

D．healthy

12.

A．choices

B．plans

C．measures

D．experiences

13.

A．careful

B．curious

C．certain

D．doubtful

14.

A．skill

B．weight

C．popularity

D．age

15.

A．useful

B．open

C．kind

D．faithful