1 . It’s often recommended to befriend the enemy, but high school freshman Xavier Staubs did more than that. He saved his life.

At a swim meet, the 15-year-old boy rescued a _______who was struggling under water. It _______as a regular home meet. Xavier had just completed his relay. As he was resting, he suddenly noticed a boy in an adjoining lane was_______. “I heard people screaming, and I see him underneath.” Without_______, Xavier dived back into the pool and pulled the boy out to safety. _______, the boy started breathing on his own.

His_______actions got the attention of Representative John Moolenaar, who_______Xavier with a tribute (赞颂) in the Congressional Record.

At lunchtime, Xavier learned the congressman was coming to meet him. Moolenaar wanted to _______him with a recognition that would be kept in the Library of Congress.

“We heard the story about what he had done. The more I learned about it, the more I thought we really wanted to praise what he did,” the Congressman told CNN.

“Usually, you heard bad outcomes and _______situations,” Moolenaar said. “This was such a powerful ________of one student helping another________the two boys were competitors.”

________, Xavier’s mother, Jillian Staubs, said she was not________.

She arrived at the meet five minutes after the rescue happened. Something in her mind told her that her son was somehow ________.

Staubs said she tries to raise her children like what her grandmother did. And Xavier performing such a ________act was something she’s used to hearing about.

Xavier is not only a great swimmer but also a dancer, band member and a straight-A student. And now, a hero.

1.

A．classmate

B．competitor

C．volunteer

D．stranger

2.

A．took off

B．put off

C．moved off

D．started off

3.

A．performing

B．competing

C．drowning

D．training

4.

A．doubt

B．admission

C．preparation

D．hesitation

5.

A．Unluckily

B．Fortunately

C．Sadly

D．Honestly

6.

A．inspiring

B．moving

C．heroic

D．modest

7.

A．observed

B．respected

C．encouraged

D．recognized

8.

A．present

B．react

C．deserve

D．judge

9.

A．amusing

B．upset

C．pleasant

D．surprising

10.

A．example

B．incident

C．relief

D．event

11.

A．as for

B．as though

C．even though

D．now that

12.

A．Therefore

B．Otherwise

C．Besides

D．However

13.

A．pleased

B．surprised

C．delighted

D．puzzled

14.

A．involved

B．threatened

C．influenced

D．endangered

15.

A．determined

B．generous

C．selfless

D．devoted

2 . You probably think of aggression in its most violent form i.e. shouting matches and fights. Actually, there are varying levels of aggression. There are times when you start to display aggression, but you are not aware of it yourself.    1    

●They believe their opinion is fact

For effective communication to take place it is important to be able to distinguish between opinion and fact.    2    But aggressive people take it one step further. They act as if their opinion is fact, which is telling others that their opinions are irrelevant(不相关的).

●It's all about how it affects them

When something goes wrong, or when considering potential consequences, aggressive people only consider how it influences them. The impact on others is irrelevant to them.     3    I once knew a girl who, every time she had a quarrel with her boyfriend, used to wake her entire family up so she could tell them how she had been unjustly treated.

●Rapid speech

    4    They are determined to get their point across and have no desire to let the other person offer their input. They want total control of the conversation and are determined that the other person will hear what they have to say.

●Aggressive talking; defensive listening

This refers to the body language that they adopt when they are being aggressive.    5    They may point, spread feet apart with hands on the waist, etc. However, when the other person is speaking they will adopt a more defensive gesture e.g. crossing their arms.

Being familiar with these signs will help you to recognize the aggression quickly, and you will then be able to manage the situation more appropriately.

A．When talking they will likely lean forward.

B．The following are some common signs of aggression.

C．Aggressive people speak fast with little or no pauses.

D．These people are not giving you the opportunity to decline.

E．Offering a suggestion or thoughts on something that has happened is fine.

F．Aggressive people rarely attempt to find workable solutions to problems in life.

G．If something has negative consequences for them, everybody else is expected to suffer the consequences too.

3 . Being a good team player is an essential skill, especially at work and school. Then how to be a good team player?

Show you're reliable by doing everything you say you will. Your actions will reflect on everyone in your group, so do your best to always follow through.     1    

Make sure you do an equal share of the work. No one likes a teammate who barely contributes to the project.     2     Not only will your group mates appreciate your work ethic (行为准则)，it will show your supervisor(主管）or instructor that you’re a good team player.

    3     Always say what you mean，but use a loyal tone. Similarly，don’t waste people’s time by hiding the truth or being indirect about how you really feel.

Speak up when you have ideas.     4     Sharing your thoughts shows that you have more to offer and are thinking outside the box. Even if your ideas aren't right for the project, they might lead to future improvements on a different project.

    5     This is another way to show that you're a good team member. Step up to lead a project, knock out a backlog of unfinished tasks, or complete a side project. Then, complete the extra work as quickly as possible.

A．So take on an equal part of the work.

B．Volunteer to take on extra work, when necessary.

C．Adopt a positive attitude when it comes to your work.

D．Be direct and honest when you communicate with others.

E．Moreover, complete your task and always keep your promises to the group.

F．This shows leadership skills, while also making you a valuable part of the team.

G．If someone really doesn’t help the team, talk to her or him about team expectations.

4 . A new study, published in The Journal of Experimental Psychology found that communication interactions that included voice, like a phone call or video chat, created stronger social bonds than communication through typing, like text messaging or email.

In the study, researchers used various experiments to gauge connectedness. In one, they asked 200 people to make predictions about what it would be like to reconnect with an old friend by email or by phone and then assigned people at random to do one or the other. Although people anticipated that a phone call would be more awkward, hearing someone's voice actually made the experience better. However, people who participated in the experiment reported that they did form a significantly stronger bond with their old friend on the phone versus email, and they did not feel more awkward.

In another experiment, the researchers had strangers connected by either texting, talking over video chat, or talking using only audio. They found that both forms of voice communication — whether video or audio only — made the strangers feel significantly more connected than when they communicated via text.

Sabrina Romanoff, a Harvard trained clinical psychologist based in New York City, says people tend to text or email instead of calling because of convenience, as they see it as a controlled form of communication where they can "correspond information exactly in the way they intend without unexpected additions by the other person."

Romanoff says that in reality, texting can make it hard to determine the true meaning behind a conversation. A phone call is actually more convenient when considering the net effects of the message. Each party is more present, and therefore, able to gauge the meaning behind the content without ruminating on the endless possible meanings behind words and punctuation.

1. What is the purpose of the study?

A．To encourage people to let their fingers do the talking.

B．To introduce the effects of verbal and non-verbal communications.

C．To demonstrate the strengths and weaknesses of making phone calls.

D．To compare connectedness of communication through voice and typing.

2. Which way will make you feel more connected if you miss a friend far away?

A．Typing a letter.	B．Sending an email.
C．Having a video chat.	D．Texting a message.

3. What does "a controlled form of communication" refer to in Paragraph 4?

A．A way to talk about controlled topics.	B．A way to communicate without time limit.
C．A way to explain something without delay.	D．A way to express thoughts without being disturbed.

4. What advantage does making phone calls over texting?

A．Being more formal.	B．Being less awkward.
C．Being more straightforward.	D．Being less expensive

5 . Have you ever found yourself waiting at the stop for your bus to arrive and have a stranger ask a commonplace question? Perhaps you’ve stood in line waiting for a coffee and feel the need to just look over to the person next to you and ask about the weather.     1    

Small talk may seem like a waste of time.     2     “Big relationships are built on small talk,” Lindy Pegler, who has a master's degree in psychology, wrote on Medium. In fact, we spend a lot of our time making small talk.     3     Coming up with small conversations is the foundation (基础) of these relationships.

The benefits of such conversations can actually contribute to our happiness and benefit our lives as a whole. Researchers found that having a healthy amount of acquaintances (熟人) and maintaining these relationships contribute to one’s sense of belonging to a community.

    4     It can be as simple as asking about their day or commenting on the traffic. “First and foremost, small talk is an act of politeness,” Pegler noted.

Who knows where this can lead?     5     You might find someone who has a common interest, or maybe even someone who turns out to be a close friend. There is one thing for sure. Making small talk can brighten our day.

A．Some people don’t like small talk.

B．So how does one start making small talk?

C．Small talk is a natural way for people to connect.

D．But it serves an important role in our social interactions.

E．In fact, the small connections we make can lead to big results.

F．This is small talk, and despite the name, it’s actually a big part of daily life.

G．Often, we find ourselves making small talk with the same people from time to time.

6 . Complaining happens a lot, probably much more than we even realize. Complaining is easy to do, but it’s not good for us. Doctors have found that people who complain about their health can actually worsen the symptoms of their disease.     1    People who complain frequently can end up losing friends because of their complaints.

If complaining is so harmful, why do we complain? Many people complain to get attention.     2     Sometimes we complain as a way of connecting with others, starting a conversation. We can complain to make ourselves look better by comparison. There are lots of excuses for complaining.

    3    It’s harder to find the positive or just stay quiet. Maya Angelou once said, “If you don’t like something, change it; if you can’t change it, change your attitude. Don’t complain.”

You can have gratitude (感激) or take action to find solutions rather than just complain about problems.     4    It can lead to a new vision. Robert Kennedy once said, “There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why? I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?”

But how can you stop yourself from complaining? It requires a plan. You could start by not complaining about anything for a week. It won’t be easy but it can be done. When we stop complaining about what’s missing in our lives and start being thankful for all we have, life changes for the better.     5    

A．Anyone can complain.

B．So, complain no more!

C．Complaining makes no sense.

D．Complaining does harm to health.

E．Complaining also hurts our relationships.

F．Dissatisfaction does not have to lead to complaining.

G．They use complaining as a means to draw attention to themselves.

7 . As is known, honesty is a virtue. It is admired in every culture. It means telling the truth and being fair and upright. So, is it necessary to be honest all the time? Could upping one's personal honesty light up a pleasure center in his own brain?

My 6-year-old daughter said that telling the truth made her feel "gold in her brain". Once she asked me if the cat really went to sleep last year, or if that actually meant that I had killed him. I sighed, wondering if I should wait to start this honesty project until my child grew up. But I braved it and told her, "Yes, I had made the choice for him, because he was suffering and I wanted him to be comfortable." It struck me that the choice to lie or be honest was often a choice between two equally undesirable things. Telling my daughter the truth did not make me happier, but lying would not either.

There was another scene. When a client accidentally paid me twice as much money for a project—sending a $1,000 check a week after he'd paid me—there was no internal debate. It was $1,000, so obviously, I notified the client. But when the McDonald's cashier gave me an extra dollar in change and the line had been so long and all I wanted was a Diet Coke and my kids were acting crazily in the back seat, it was a different story. Even though I gave the dollar back, I almost didn't, because an extra dollar was such a small thing and seemed somehow justified. Had I not focused on honesty, I would not have given it back.

When people were more honest, they also tended to feel better about their relationships and social interactions, the researchers found. This rang true to me, mostly because I felt better about myself. And focusing on honesty helped me feel that I was doing my part. It might even make me feel as if I had gold in my brain.

1. What's the function of the two questions in Paragraph 1?

A．To introduce the topic of honesty.

B．To help develop readers' good quality.

C．To remind readers to mind their manners.

D．To teach everyone not to lie but be honest.

2. How did the author feel on hearing the question about the death of the cat?

A．Guilty.	B．Confused.
C．Regretful.	D．Shamed.

3. What does the author mainly want to express in Paragraph 3?

A．Honesty doesn't lie in small instances.

B．Honesty is measured by the amount of money.

C．He struggled more with the small instances of honesty.

D．He experienced some different incidents about honesty.

4. What's the author's opinion on honesty?

A．A white lie can be helpful.

B．Honesty makes people better off.

C．It is essential to be honest in daily life.

D．One should be honest in small things.

8 . 假设你是李华，你的好友Peter今天上午来你家找你陪他练习汉语口语。你因临时有急事外出，让他扑空。请根据以上情景，给他写封信。内容如下：
1.表示歉意；
2.解释具体原因，并希望他能谅解；
3.告诉他下次练习的时间、地点及话题。
注意：1.写作词数应为80左右；
2.信的开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数；
3.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

9 . How to Level up Your Self-Control

By definition, self-control is the ability to do something that benefits your long-term goals, instead of something that might satisfy your immediate desires.    1    --we end up sacrificing the well-being of our future selves all too easily.

    2    ?

Angela Duckworth, professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, says allocating resources between your present self and future self is an ongoing struggle. For example, exhibiting self-control over spending time on video games and social media, two of the most common temptations（诱惑）of the current era, means battling against age-old mechanisms in your brain.

If you're willing to look deeply into your tendencies and weak points, you can recognize the handful of problems that you need to work on.

    3    To improve self-control at work, Duckworth first recommends taking a future-oriented approach to your day, such as planning breaks and the time for checking emails in advance.

The problem of looking at your cell phone too often, say, can be solved by putting it on mute or, better yet, sticking it in your bag until lunch.    4    .

Finally, Duckworth advises laying a foundation of self-control that you can build of in the future.    5    because of too little sleep the night before, or an insufficient meal in the morning. By practicing healthier living away from the workplace, you can gather the strength and stamina（毅力）to help you control your worst urges when it matters most.

A．One place to start would be the office

B．What problems do you need to work on

C．We've all experienced unproductive workdays

D．But for many of us, short-term satisfactions are irresistible

E．Why is exercising proper self-control so tricky for some, and how to do better

F．If you can resist resigning you may achieve more on your overall self-control

G．Removing the temptation from sight is key to ensuring you're faithful to your mission

10 . Almost every light comedy or situation comedy makes me feel like I should be drinking wine every night with my best friend while one of us tries on clothes. Not only should we share the same dress size, but we should also have a long, rich history of togetherness and secrets. Clearly, this is not reality.

I have 598 friends. OK, but if I’m honest, 99.3 percent of those friends are those I met only once or acquaintances who live too far away to see regularly. That leaves 4 people, who I can call anytime, not feeling like I’m absolutely wasting their time. The remaining 0.2, I’ve decided, is my houseplant. I can tell it anything.

Feeling the same way? You’re absolutely not alone. Most of us find our “people” in school, but over time life changes: marriage, kids, etc. We grow out of our relationships and they grow out of us.

So when the relationships come to an end, how do you find a new one?

A woman in my apartment building, who I had seen around over the years, approached me one day and introduced herself. She bravely stated, “You seem cool. Do you want to hang out with me sometime? I’m looking for new friends.” I almost dropped my bag of groceries at her social honesty. And now we get together for coffee a few times a year, gossip (八卦) about the neighbors, and take in the mail when one of us is on vacation. But a few times a year isn’t enough for me.

So, what counts as true friendship as you get older? For me, it’s feeling comfortable enough to be myself. And if you’re like me, it’s also trust — not just keeping the secret, but trusting that my life choices aren’t their gossip elsewhere.

1. What do the numbers in Paragraph 2 show?

A．The author has some unusual friends.	B．The author has very few real friends.
C．The author is fond of phoning her friends.	D．The author doesn’t like most of her friends.

2. What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 5 show?

A．The author was a little careless.	B．The author was glad at the request.
C．The author was shocked by the request.	D．The author was carrying something heavy.

3. What does the author think true friendship is?

A．It is really difficult to find.	B．It can show one’s genuine belief.
C．It is really hard for people to understand.	D．It can make people have a sense of security.