1 . If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

Dreaming about whether you would want to read minds, see through walls, or have superhuman strength may sound silly, but it actually gets to the heart of what really matters in your life.

Every day in our work, we are inspired by the people we meet doing extraordinary things to improve the world.

They have a different kind of superpower that all of us possess: the power to make a difference in the lives of others.

We’re not saying that everyone needs to contribute their lives to the poor. Your lives are busy enough doing homework, playing sports, making friends, seeking after your dreams. But we do think that you can live a more powerful life when you devote some of your time and energy to something much larger than yourself. Find an issue you are interested in and learn more. Volunteer or, if you can, contribute a little money to a cause. Whatever you do, don’t be a bystander. Get involved. You may have the opportunity to make your biggest difference when you’re older. But why not start now?

Our own experience working together on health, development, and energy the last twenty years has been one of the most rewarding parts of our lives. It has changed who we are and continues to fuel our optimism about how much the lives of the poorest people will improve in the years ahead.

1. What does the underlined part in Paragraph 2 refer to?

A．Your life style.	B．Your life value.
C．Your trouble in life.	D．Your life experience.

2. Why does the author say they are inspired every day?

A．They possess different kinds of superpowers.

B．They have got the power to change the world.

C．Some people around them are making the world better.

D．There are many powerful people in their life and work.

3. What does the author stress in Paragraph 5?

A．Learning more and contributing more to a cause.

B．Rising above self and acting to help others.

C．Working hard to get a bigger opportunity.

D．Trying your best to help the poor.

4. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．The author believes the lives of the poorest will get better.

B．Much more progress will be made in the near future.

C．The work on health is the most valuable experience.

D．People’s efforts have been materially rewarded.

2 . December 15, 2014

Dear Alfred，

I want to tell you how important your help is to my life.

Growing up, I had people telling me I was too slow, though, with an IQ of 150+ at 17, I’m anything but stupid. The fact was that I was found to have ADHD(注意力缺陷多动障碍). Anxious all the time, I was unable to keep focused for more than an hour at a time.

However, when something did interest me, I could become absorbed. In high school, I became curious about the computer, and built my first website. Moreover, I completed the senior course of Computer Basics, plus five relevant pre-college courses.

While I was exploring my curiosity, my disease got worse. I wanted to go to college after high school, but couldn’t . So, I was killing my time at home until June 2012 when I discovered the online computer courses of your training center.

Since then, I have taken courses like Data Science and Advanced Mathematics. Currently, I’m learning your Probability course. I have hundreds of printer paper, covered in self-written notes from your video. This has given me a purpose.

Last year, I spent all my time looking for a job where, without dealing with the public , I could work alone, but still have a team to talk to. Luckily, I discovered the job—Data Analyst—this month and have been going full steam ahead. I want to prove that I can teach myself a respectful profession, without going to college, and be just as good as, if not better than, my competitors.

Thank you. You’ve given me hope that I can follow my heart. For the first time, I feel good about myself because I’m doing something, not because someone told me I was doing good. I feel whole.

This is why you’re saving my life.

Yours,

Tanis

1. why did’t Tanis go to college after high school?

A．She had learned enough about computer science

B．She had more difficulty keeping focused

C．She preferred taking online courses

D．She was too slow to learn

2. As for the working environment, Tains prefers____.

A．working by herself

B．dealing with the public

C．competing against others

D．staying with ADHD students

3. Tanis wrote this letter in order to_____.

A．explain why she was interested in the computer

B．share the ideas she had for her profession

C．show how grateful she was to the center

D．describe the courses she had taken so far

3 . I suppose that the most basic and powerful way to connect to another person is to listen. Just listen. Perhaps the most important thing we ever give each other is our attention. And especially if it’s given from the heart. When people are talking, there’s no need to do anything but receive them. Listen to what they’re saying. Care about it. Most times caring about it is even more important than understanding it. Most of us don’t value ourselves or our love enough to know this. It has taken me a long time to believe in the power of simple saying “I’m so sorry,” when someone is in pain.
One of my patients told me that when she tried to tell her story people often interrupted to tell her that they once had something just like that happening to them. Her pain became a story about themselves. Eventually she stopped talking to most people. We connect through listening. When we interrupt what someone is saying to let them know that we understand，we move the focus of attention to ourselves. When we listen, they know we care.
I have even learned to respond to someone crying by just listening. In the old days I used to reach for the handkerchiefs, until I realized that passing a person a handkerchief may be just another way to shut him down，to take them out of their experience of sadness. Now I just listen. When they have cried all they need to cry, they find me there with them.
This simple thing has not been that easy to learn. It certainly went against everything I had been taught since I was very young. I thought people listened only because they were too shy to speak or did not know the answer. But now I know that a loving silence often has far more power to heal than the kindest words.
1. What does the author value most in the communication with each other?

A．Deep understanding.	B．Saying “I’m sorry”.
C．Attention from heart.	D．Doing nothing.

2. The woman patient stopped telling her story to most people because________.

A．she didn’t get enough respect from others

B．she was discouraged by being often interrupted

C．people often told her their own opinions

D．people couldn’t understand her sad situation

3. If you hand a handkerchief to someone crying, you may________.

A．hurt his feelings

B．make him embarrassed

C．encourage him to continue to cry

D．stop him from letting out his sorrow

4. It can be inferred from the passage that while communicating, ________.

A．listening is a perfect way to respond to others

B．people keep silent because they don’t know the answer

C．keeping silent means being too shy to speak

D．it is easy to form the habit of listening silently

4 . 阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。

Friends and neighbors poured in to greet her. The phones ring endlessly and she answers them to accept_______from all the wishers. She is_______her golden day as she reaches 50 years of age.

Her mother welcomed her into this world with tears of _______, for she was not the son her mother had desired. Her father felt blessed to have a sweet little daughter like her_______. As she grew up, she_______joy to the whole family. Her grandparents made her life a princess, but her mother never showed any_______to her. She never really got a chance to _______a special mother-daughter bonding _______, she was always surrounded by her friends. But what she_______for was some tender words of love from her mother.

As she grew up, she found her own ways to__________her sorrow of such mental hurt. At college, she found some close friends to__________a lifelong friendship with. Her friends felt__________of her and remarked how lucky she was to live like a princess. Later she married a young bachelor who__________her a brighter future. There were several ups and downs in their__________but his support brought fresh__________to her life. She shared a magical relationship with her daughter, and thus she__________as a baby when her daughter married and immigrated abroad. She said her daughter had helped her__________the sorrow of her past. Our conversation was __________interrupted by a call. It didn’t take long for me to __________ who the caller was. It must be her __________.

1.

A．warnings

B．greetings

C．suggestions

D．opinions

2.

A．celebrating

B．expecting

C．receiving

D．foreseeing

3.

A．gratefulness

B．excitement

C．sorrow

D．astonishment

4.

A．though

B．yet

C．therefore

D．otherwise

5.

A．took

B．admitted

C．fetched

D．brought

6.

A．patience

B．love

C．comfort

D．terror

7.

A．share

B．welcome

C．increase

D．improve

8.

A．Pitifully

B．Regretfully

C．Fortunately

D．Normally

9.

A．longed

B．prepared

C．searched

D．thanked

10.

A．predict

B．avoid

C．resist

D．overcome

11.

A．develop

B．take

C．compare

D．fight

12.

A．tired

B．envy

C．afraid

D．ashamed

13.

A．answered

B．promised

C．advised

D．informed

14.

A．quarrels

B．studies

C．relations

D．lives

15.

A．hope

B．disaster

C．applause

D．agreement

16.

A．laughed

B．whispered

C．cried

D．argued

17.

A．off

B．with

C．through

D．in

18.

A．casually

B．gradually

C．suddenly

D．frequently

19.

A．detect

B．guess

C．imagine

D．conclude

20.

A．daughter

B．mother

C．father

D．brother

5 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。将答案填写在答题卡的相应位置。

Anger can disturb a supposedly happy and     1    (peace) life. If we can learn to contain this emotion, we could decrease the unnecessary trouble that it    2    (bring).

Linda and I got along like sisters.     3    , on one weekend, I quarreled with her over a decision on     4    to visit the library. She wanted to go out later since she had not washed her hair, while I could not wait to check out the    5    (late) publication on Harry Potter, my all time favorite. This small dispute soon    6    (blow) into a big one as both of us thought the other was unreasonable, inconsiderate and     7    (simple) ridiculous.     8    (drive) by childish anger, we shouted at each other mercilessly over the phone and never spoke to each other for a long time.

If I had controlled my anger and walked    9    Linda’s shoes for a mile, I would have understood her hesitance to go out, and we could have avoided hurting each other’s    10    (feel).

6 . One morning, my husband Jerry went back to the kitchen as he just finished loading his car. ＂I guess filling my thermos(保温瓶) is all that I have left to do, and then I’m off.＂ Down the drain went the hot water that had been warming his thermos.

With a nostalgic(怀旧的) look on his face, he softly said, ＂Anytime I fill my thermos I think of your mom.＂ The tone in his voice was so tender as he spoke of my mother, who is sadly no longer with us.

＂Oh honey, I know she’s watching and listening right now with a big smile on her face,＂ I responded, tears in my eyes.

One morning years ago when we were leaving, mother watched as Jerry was to fill his thermos. Mom then casually said, ‘Jerry, if you filled your thermos with hot water and let it sit a while, your coffee would stay hot for longer then.＂ With her simple suggestion, his face showed that he was shocked by his own lack of common sense. Well, of course it would!

He poured out the small amount of coffee already in the thermos and refilled it with boiling hot water. Then he poured the water and refilled it with hot coffee. Mom smiled as Jerry did so.

Words of wisdom from a loving mother-in-law made an impact that will never be forgotten. She never dreamed her words would be a treasured and everlasting memory in the heart of her son-in-law.

The lasting memories don’t necessarily come from major moments in life. Memories are often made during those small, ordinary times. Life is about small moments we share with friends and loved ones.

1. Which word best describes the author’s feeling in Paragraph 3?

A．Confused.	B．Concerned.
C．Touched.	D．Interested.

2. The underlined part ＂don’t necessarily＂ is similar in meaning to ___________.

A．out of the question	B．without any doubt
C．certainly and absolutely	D．possibly but uncertainly

3. The message that the story intends to convey is ___________.

A．how valuable a mother’s advice is to her children

B．that lasting memories come from small things

C．what a wise woman the mother is to her son-in-law

D．why we should respect our parents and listen to them

7 . 你校正在举办英语周活动，你准备参加以Sharing为主题的英语演讲比赛。请你结一个事例，写一篇演讲稿，谈谈Sharing的作用。演讲稿应包含下列要点：
1. 有关Sharing的一个事例：时间，人物，内容，过程，影响等；
2. 你的感悟。
注意：1. 词数120左右；
2. 演讲稿的开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
Good morning, everyone!
It’s a great honor to be here and share something with you.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

8 . 假如你是李华，国际学校的教师Paul邀请你星期六参加该校举行的“中国文化日”活动。但你爷爷突然生病住院，你要和父母一起去医院探视，不得不谢绝他的邀请。请根据下列要点用英语给Paul写一封电子邮件。
要点：1.谢绝邀请；
2．说明理由；
3．预祝活动成功。
注意：1.词数100左右；
2．可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3．邮件开头和结尾已为你写好。
Dear Paul，
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Yours，
Li Hua

9 . 假定你是中学生李华。高三将是辛苦忙碌的一年，不管自己还是父母都会很辛苦。每个家长都是望子成龙的，处在这一重要的学习阶段，父母会对你的生活学习倍加关心。现在请你按照以下内容要点给自己的父母写一封感谢信。
内容要点：
1. 感谢父母这么多年来无微不至的关心；
2. 近段时间自己的学习情况及取得的进步，自己会继续努力，希望父母放心；
3. 高三过后一定多帮父母做家务。
注意：
1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3. 开头和结尾已给出。
Dear parents,
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

Love from,

Your son

10 . If you studied pictures that ancient people left on rock walls and you tried to determine their meaning, you would not detect interest in romance among the artists. ____, you would see plenty of animals with people running after them. Life for ancient people’s earned to center on hunting and gathering wild foods for meals.
In modern times, when food is available in grocery stores, finding love is more ____ in people’s lives. The ____ is all around us. It is easy to prepare a list of modern stories having to do with love. An endless number of books and movies qualify as love stories in popular culture.
Researchers are studying whether love, a highly valued emotional state, can be ____ They ask, what is love? Toothpaste companies want us to think attraction is all about clean teeth, but clean teeth go only so far. Scientists wonder how much the brain gets involved. You have probably heard that opposites attract but that ____ attract, too. One thing is certain: The truth about love is not yet set in stone.
First Impression
To help determine the ____ of attraction, researchers paired 164 college classmates and had them talk for 3, 6 or 10 minutes so they could get a sense of each other’s individuality. Then students were asked to ____ what kind of relationship they were likely to build with their partners. After nine weeks, they reported what happened.
As it turned out, their ____ judgments often held true. Students seemed to ____ at an early stage who would best fit into their lives.
The ____ Knows
Scientists have also turned to nonhumans to increase understanding of attraction. Many animals give off pheromones — natural chemicals that can be detected by, and then can produce a response in, other animals of the same species. Pheromones can signal that an animal is either ready to fight or is feeling ____ to partnerships. In contrast, humans do not seem to be as ____ as other animals at detecting such chemicals. Smell, however, does seem to play a part in human attraction. Although we may not be aware of chemicals like pheromones consciously, we give and receive loads of information through smell in every interaction with other people.
Face Value
Being fond of someone seems to have a number of factors, including seeing something we find attractive. Researchers had people judge faces for ____ The participants had 0.013 seconds to view each face, yet somehow they generally considered the images the same as people who had more time to study the same faces. The way we _____ attractiveness seem to be somewhat automatic.
When shown an attractive face and then words with good or bad associations, people responded to ____ words faster after viewing an attractive face. Seeing something attractive seems to cause happy thinking.1.

A．Instead

B．Therefore

C．Moreover

D．Otherwise

2.

A．romantic

B．stressful

C．central

D．artificial

3.

A．priority

B．proof

C．possibility

D．principle

4.

A．tested

B．impressed

C．changed

D．created

5.

A．appearances

B．virtues

C．similarities

D．passions

6.

A．illustrations

B．implications

C．ingredients

D．intentions

7.

A．predict

B．investigate

C．diagnose

D．recall

8.

A．critical

B．initial

C．random

D．mature

9.

A．memorize

B．distinguish

C．negotiate

D．question

10.

A．Nose

B．Eye

C．Heart

D．Hand

11.

A．open

B．alert

C．resistant

D．superior

12.

A．disappointed

B．amazed

C．confused

D．gifted

13.

A．emotion

B．attractiveness

C．individuality

D．signals

14.

A．enhance

B．possess

C．maintain

D．assess

15.

A．familiar

B．plain

C．positive

D．irritating