1 . Life is for living according to the well-used expression. Sometimes what we wish to do is not completely up to us.
Bucket lists have been called “the greatest hits of your life” and have helped some people get over anxiety to follow their dreams. Some of us may choose to write one to fill our life with new experiences, from skydiving to swimming with sharks.
This is something the BBC radio programme “All in the Mind” has been looking at. It heard from a blogger called Julie, who said she made a promise to live her bucket list.
It’s probably true that a list can encourage people to follow someone else’s idea. But why not at least dream of what we would like to do?
| A．The list can sometimes be crazy. |
| B．Working hard helps realize bucket lists. |
| C．Creating bucket lists can certainly give us hope. |
| D．How about making a bucket list once in a while? |
| E．Why not reach for the stars, even if we only reach the sky? |
| F．She dreams of cycling around the world and pushing her limits. |
| G．But there is no harm in dreaming about what we want in our life. |
2 . Good afternoon. I am Sullivan. Now think about a question: What determines the way we are when we grow up? Let's start with the TV program Seven Up. Do you still remember it? It started following the lives of a group of children in 1973. We first meet them as wide-eyed seven-year-olds and catch up with them at seven-year intervals: nervous 14-year-olds, serious 21-year-olds and then grown-ups.
There are ups and downs in their lives, but interestingly, in almost all the cases the children's early hopes and dreams are shown in their future lives. For example, at seven, Tony is a lively child who says he wants to become a sportsman or taxi driver. When he grows up, he goes on to do both. How about Nicki? She says, "I would like to find out about the moon." And she goes on to become a space scientist. As a child, soft-spoken Bruce says he wants to help "poor children" and ends up teaching in India.
But the program would have been far less interesting if the lives of all the children had followed this pattern. It was the children whose childhood did not prepare them for what was to come that made the program so fascinating. Where did their ideas come from about what they wanted to do when they grew up? Are children influenced by what their parents do, by what they see on television or by what their teachers say? Many film directors, including Steven Spielberg, say that an early visit to the cinema was the turning point in their lives. One of my colleagues, Dr. Margaret, who has devoted herself to researches in this area and published her findings in Science, thinks that the major factors are parents, friends and the wider society.
1. From paragraph 2, we know that ________.| A．people will make great achievements if they have dreams in their childhood |
| B．the children's childhood dreams are more or less the same |
| C．the lives of the children in the TV program are not smooth |
| D．a large number of poor people in India are in need of help |
| A．going to a movie at an early age helps a child learn about society |
| B．a single childhood event may decide what one does as a grown-up |
| C．parents and friends can help a child grow up properly |
| D．films have more influence on a child than teachers do |
| A．The TV program is not so appealing. |
| B．One of the children, Bruce, ended up teaching in India because he is not strong. |
| C．The children in the TV program made good preparations for their future in their childhood. |
| D．In the TV program, the research on the children is done every seventh year. |
| A．a professor | B．a radio announcer |
| C．a librarian | D．a geologist |
3 . Jessica Reindahl had big dreams growing up as an only child in a military family-she wanted to fly, serve her country and, finally, help people.
“I wanted to fly because I just loved the excitement to get off-deck and in the air,” Reindahl says. “I wanted to serve my country because I wanted to be a part of something bigger than all of us.”
Reindahl’s first two dreams came true during a nine-year service in the U.S. Navy. Reindahl worked as a flight engineer on naval aircraft since 2007. “I kept the plane ready to fly both on the ground and in the air,” Reindahl says.
While in the Middle East, Reindahl met a nurse who flew in the Navy. “I saw how devoted and present they were with the care of their patients and it completely inspired me,” Reindahl says. “From that day, I knew I wanted to be a nurse.”
When she left active duty in 2016, Reindahl applied to UW-Eau Claire for a nursing degree. And her final goal will be achieved this month when she graduates.
“I want to give back,” Reindahl says. “I love learning about science, and if that can save a life, or make the world better, then I want to help.”
Dr. Megan Lagunas, assistant professor of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, regards Reindahl as someone who will be an asset to the nursing profession.“Jessica’s different background” allows her to bring her own perspective (视角) to nursing school which positively challenges everyone in those learning environments to think beyond their own viewpoint,” Lagunas says. “The nursing profession is lucky to have her.”
1. Why did Jessica Reindahl want to fly?| A．Because she liked the feeling of flying. | B．Because she wanted to serve her country. |
| C．Because she decided to follow her father. | D．Because she meant to give back to others. |
| A．Her different background. | B．Her experience with a nurse. |
| C．Her devotion to her country. | D．Her professor’s encouragement. |
| A．A lucky person. | B．A learned person. | C．A valuable person. | D．A powerful person. |
| A．Like father, like son. | B．Roses given, fragrance in hand. |
| C．God helps those who help themselves. | D．Nothing is impossible for a willing heart. |
4 . Children grow quickly, especially their feet. But many families cannot afford new shoes each time a child needs them. As a result, about 300 million children around the world go barefoot（赤脚的）. Those children risk picking up diseases from the soil. An American man may have a solution for those barefoot kids—a shoe that grows with the child.
Kenton Lee is the creator of The Shoe That Grows. He explains how the shoe works and how it’s able to last so long. “It grows in three places; the front, on the side, and on the back. It can last up to five years. The bottom is like tire rubber. The top is just high-quality leather.”
The shoe comes in two sizes: small that fits children aged 4 to 9 and large for children aged 9 to 14.
Lee got the idea for the shoe while working as a volunteer in Kenya. However, it was not easy to turn his idea into a reality. Finally, in 2009 Lee founded a non-profit organization called Because International. In the office, he kept a pair of his own shoes to help him remember his promise.
Because International works with several partner organizations. Together, they’re sent more than 50,000 pairs of shoes to 70 countries. Most are going to East Africa. And then also a lot of shoes go to Haiti, some of the Central American countries as well. Many of these areas do not have good sanitation（卫生设备）, and illness spreads easily.
A pair of shoes, he says, gives more than protection. It gives a child self-worth and more chances to succeed. Because it’s a small thing that really makes a big difference to keen them healthy and happy and having more chances to succeed. Kenton Lee adds that his goal is to help get The Shoe That Grows to as many children as he can around the world.
1. Why are so many children around the world barefoot?| A．They grow so quickly that their families can’t buy proper shoes. |
| B．Their families are too poor to buy them enough new shoes. |
| C．They don’t like wearing new shoes. |
| D．There are no shoes at all now. |
| A．the shoes are designed for adults. |
| B．the shoes just grow in two places |
| C．Kenton Lee made great efforts to invent the shoes |
| D．Because International was founded to make much money |
| A．get himself to stick to his promise |
| B．let others know how hard he worked |
| C．encourage others to invent the shoes |
| D．make himself change shoes easily |
| A．it’s not necessary to improve sanitation in East Africa |
| B．Central America is the poorest place in the world |
| C．a small thing can really make a big difference |
| D．the shoes can make children succeed easily |
Larry first began diving when he was his daughter’s age. Similarly, his father had taken him along on one of his expeditions. Since then, he had never looked back. Larry started out by renting diving suits from the small diving shop just along the shore. He had hated them. They were either too big or too small. Then, there was the instructor. He gave him a short lesson before allowing him into the water with his father. He had made an exception. Larry would never have been able to go down without at least five hours of theory and another similar number of hours on practical lessons with a guide. Children his age were not even allowed to dive.
After the first expedition, Larry’s later diving adventures only got better and better. There was never a dull moment. In his black and blue suit and with an oxygen tank fastened on his back, Larry dived from boats into the middle of the ocean. Dangerous areas did not prevent him from continuing his search. Sometimes, he was limited to a cage underwater but that did not bother him. At least, he was still able to take photographs of the underwater creatures.
Larry’s first expedition without his father was in the Cayman Islands. There were numerous diving spots in the area and Larry was determined to visit all of them. Fortunately for him, a man offered to take him around the different Spots for free. Larry didn’t even know what the time was, how many spots he dived into or how many photographs he had taken. The diving spots afforded such a wide array of fish and sea creatures that Larry saw more than thirty varieties of creatures.
Larry looked at his daughter. She looked as excited as he had been when he was her age. He hoped she would be able to continue the family tradition. Already, she looked like she was much braver than had been then. This was the key to a successful underwater expedition.
1. In what way was this expedition different for Larry?
| A．His daughter had grown up. |
| B．He had become a famous diver. |
| C．His father would dive with him. |
| D．His daughter would dive with him. |
| A．Larry had some privileges. |
| B．Larry liked the rented diving suits. |
| C．Divers had to buy diving equipment. |
| D．Ten-year-old children were permitted to dive. |
| A．To protect himself from danger. |
| B．To dive into the deep water. |
| C．To admire the underwater view. |
| D．To take photo more conveniently. |
| A．Larry didn’t wear a watch. |
| B．Larry was not good at math. |
| C．Larry had a poor memory. |
| D．Larry enjoyed the adventure. |
| A．Become a successful diver. |
| B．Make a good diving guide. |
| C．Take a lot of photo underwater. |
| D．Have longer hours of training. |
6 . Dream is strength. The strength can bring us wherever we want to get to and it can bring us a lot of wonders on our way to the place in our dreams.
Dream is beauty. Maybe you can see the things full of magic and maybe you will be moved by your own dream.
Everyone has his dreams and dreams are especially important to teenagers. As teenagers, you have many dreams. These dreams can be very big, such as winning the Nobel Prize. Or they can be small,for example, you may just want to become one of the ten best students in your class.
Andrew Matthews, an Australian writer, tells us that making our dreams come true is the biggest challenge in our life.
You must never give up your dreams.
| A．These kinds of thoughts stop you realizing your dream |
| B．There will be many difficulties on the road to your dreams |
| C．Once you find a dream |
| D．You may think you’re not very good at some school subjects |
| E．Both big dreams and small ones are very important to our lives |
| F．The world is so real that the dreams seem weak |
| G．Your talent is one of the most important factors in living your dreams |
Your mother and I don’t yet have the words to describe the hope you give us for the future. Your new life is full of promise, and we hope you will be happy and healthy so you can explore it fully. You’ve already given us a reason to reflect on the world we hope you live in.
Like all parents, we want you to grow up in a world better than ours today. While newspapers often focus on what’s wrong, in many ways the world is getting better. Health is improving. The number of poor families is decreasing. Knowledge is growing. People are connecting. Technological progress in every field means your life should be much better than ours today.
We will do our part to make this happen, not only because we love you, but also because we have a responsibility to all children in the next generation. We believe all lives have equal value. Our society has its duty to improve the lives of all those coming into this world, not just those already here.
Today, most people die from five things — heart disease, cancer, stroke, neurodegenerative and infectious diseases — and we can make faster progress on these and other problems. Once we recognize that your generation and your children’s generation may not have to suffer from disease, we collectively have a responsibility to increase our investments (投资) a bit more towards the future to make this reality. Your mother and I want to do our part. Curing disease will take time. Over short periods of five or ten years, it may not seem like we’re making much of a difference. But over the long term, seeds planted now will grow, and one day, you or your children will see what we can only imagine: a world without suffering from disease.
There are so many opportunities just like this. If society focuses more of its energy on these great challenges, we will leave your generation a much better world. Our hopes for your generation focus on two ideas: advancing human potential (潜能) and equality. Our society must do this not only for justice or charity, but for the greatness of human progress.
Today your mother and I are devoted to spending our lives doing our small part to help solve these challenges. I, Zuckerberg, will continue to serve as Facebook’s CEO for many, many years to come, but these things are too important to wait until you or we are older to begin this work.
We will give away 99% of our Facebook shares — now about $45 billion — during our lives to advance this mission. We know this is a small contribution compared to all the resources and talents of those already working on these matters. But we want to do what we can, working alongside many others.
As we become parents and enter this next chapter（篇章）of our lives, we want to share our deep appreciation for everyone who makes this possible. We can make progress towards these opportunities only by standing on the shoulders of experts. And we can only focus on serving this community and this mission because we are surrounded by loving family, supportive friends and amazing colleagues. We hope you will have such deep and inspiring relationships in your life too.
Max, we love you and feel a great responsibility to leave the world a better place for you and all children. We wish you a life filled with the same love, hope and joy you give us. We can’t wait to see what you bring to this world.
Love,
Mom and Dad
1. When might the letter be written?| A．When Zuckerberg got married. | B．When people suffered from diseases. |
| C．After Zuckerberg’s daughter was born. | D．After Zuckerberg increased his investment. |
| A．people’s health is improving | B．poor families become fewer than before |
| C．technology makes progress in few fields | D．people communicate with others more |
| A．Because he is the CEO of Facebook company. | B．Because he is devoted to helping those who are poor. |
| C．Because he hopes that his daughter will live a rich life. | D．Because he hopes future generations won’t suffer from diseases. |
| A．positive | B．negative | C．objective | D．subjective |
| A．Zuckerberg and his wife have inspiring relationships in their life. |
| B．People can’t make much of a difference within 5 years. |
| C．Society is only responsible for those already in the world. |
| D．People have made faster progress on five main deadly diseases. |
| A．tell his baby that he will donate 99% shares of Facebook |
| B．call on people to make efforts to improve living conditions |
| C．tell people that he is willing to make contributions to the world |
| D．express love for his daughter and what he will do for the future |
8 . Children start out as natural scientists, eager to look into the world around them. Helping them enjoy science can be easy; there’s no need for a lot of scientific terms or expensive lab equipment. You only have to share your children’s curiosity. Firstly, listen to their questions. I once visited a classroom of seven-year-olds to talk about science as a job. The children asked me “textbook questions” about schooling, salary and whether I liked my job. When I finished answering, we sat facing one another in silence. Finally I said, “Now that we’re finished with your lists, do you have questions of your own about science?”
After a long pause, a boy raised his hand, “Have you ever seen a grasshopper （蚱蜢）eat? When I try eating leaves like that, I get a stomachache. Why?”
This began a set of questions that lasted nearly two hours.
Secondly, give them time to think. Studies over the past 30 years have shown that, after asking a question, adults typically wait only one second or less for an answer, no time for a child to think. When adults increase their “wait time” to three seconds or more, children give more logical, complete and creative answers.
Thirdly, watch your language. Once you have a child involved in a science discussion, don’t jump in with “That’s right” or “Very good”. These words work well when it comes to encouraging good behavior. But in talking about science, quick praise can signal that discussion is over. Instead, keep things going by saying “That’s interesting” or “I’d never thought of it that way before”, or coming up with more questions or ideas.
Never push a child to “Think”. It doesn’t make sense, children are always thinking, without your telling them to. What’s more, this can turn a conversation into a performance. The child will try to find the answer you want, in as few words as possible, so that he will be a smaller target for your disagreement.
Lastly, show; don’t tell. Real-life impressions of nature are far more impressive than any lesson children can learn from a book or a television program. Let children look at their fingertips through a magnifying glass（放大镜）, and they’ll understand why you want them to wash before dinner. Rather than saying that water evaporates（蒸发）, set a pot of water to boil and let them watch the water level drop.
1. According to the passage, children can answer questions in a more logical, complete and creative way if adults ________.| A．ask them to answer quickly |
| B．wait for one or two seconds after a question |
| C．tell them to answer the next day |
| D．wait at least for three seconds after a question |
| A．any questions | B．any problems |
| C．questions from textbooks | D．any number of questions |
| A．tell their children stories instead of reciting facts |
| B．offer their children chances to see things for themselves |
| C．be patient enough when their children answer questions |
| D．encourage their children to ask questions of their own |
| A．to take them to travel around the world |
| B．to share the children’s curiosity |
| C．to explain difficult phrases about science |
| D．to supply the children with lab equipment |
9 . If you are hungry, what will you do? Grab a piece of your favorite meal and stay quiet after that? Just like stomach, even your mind will be hungry. But it never lets you know, because you keep it busy thinking about your dream lover, favorite star and many such absurd things. So it silently begins to hide your needs and never lets itself grow. When mind loses its freedom to grow, creativity gets its full stop. This might be the reason why we all sometimes think “What happens next？”， “Why can't I think？”， “Why am I always given the difficult problems？” Well, this is the aftereffect of using our brain for thinking of notsoworthy things.
Hunger of the mind can be actually satisfied through extensive reading. But why is it reading but not watching TV? Because reading has been the most educational tool used by us right from the childhood. Just like that to develop other aspects of our life, we have to turn to reading for help. You have a number of books in the world which will answer all your “howto” questions. Once you read a book, you just don't run your eyes through the lines, but your mind decodes (译解) it and explains it to you. The interesting part of the book is stored in your mind as a seed. Now this seed is unknowingly used by you in your future to develop new ideas. The same seed, if used many times, can help you link and relate a lot of things, which you would never think of in your wildest dreams！This is nothing but creativity. The more books you read, the wider your mind will become. Also this improves your oratorical (speechmaking) skills to a large extent and also makes a significant contribution to your vocabulary. When you start speaking English or any other language fluently with your friends or other people, you never seem to run out of the right words at the right time.
Actually, I had a problem in speaking English fluently，but as I read, I could improve significantly. So guys, do join me and give food for your thoughts by reading, reading and more reading. Now what are you waiting for? Go, grab a book and let me know!
1. What's the best title of the passage?| A．Hunger of the mind |
| B．Stomach and Mind |
| C．Feed your Mind by reading |
| D．Reading or Watching TV |
| A．you are not hungry |
| B．you keep it thinking of silly things |
| C．your creativity gets a full stop |
| D．you always meet with difficult problems |
| A．Reading can make your dream come true. |
| B．Reading can contribute to your vocabulary. |
| C．Reading can improve your spoken ability. |
| D．Reading can make people creative. |
| A．comment and blame | B．introduce and describe |
| C．explain and persuade | D．advise and inform |
From the age of 12, I have kept a handwritten journal, recording my thoughts and feelings regarding both the significant and boring aspects of my life. Through this daily practice I connected with myself, explored experiences and found a way to interpret and make sense of my relationships. Although I rarely reread my written material, the process of writing has remained with me as a means of processing my feelings and filtering（过滤）my experiences.
Yet today, handwritten letters are as rare as a red panda. Few of us write letters any longer, even to those to whom we are close. We communicate differently when we e-mail or text, both methods characterised by speed and informality. The deep thinking, which accompanied a handwritten letter, is almost entirely absent. We may be communicating more frequently and with more people, but the depth and quality of our communication has reduced.
Sadly, modern technology tends to be temporary. Few of us keep old e-mails or even print them out, so a sense of history and memory is lost. Archivists（档案管理者）report that more information has been lost in the past decade than in the previous 150 years. It is too easy to press the delete button.
In many other areas of records, material is now in the digital format. Yet saving material in a digital format only is extremely unstable. How it will survive the future remains a problem.
In this digital world of text, e-mails and instant messaging, the perceived value of writing is no longer obvious and the case for retaining the practice of writing needs to be made. Should we save the humble pen and paper when laptops and mobiles are functional, universal and unstoppable? Should children continue to be taught to write with a pen and paper?
With its passing, a good mode of self-expression is being lost. I invite readers to engage with handwriting and become aware of this special skill that has created civilization for centuries.
