1 . A few years ago, I bought a flat. It was a triumph of hope and determination over property prices, and the peak of a 20-year dream. The day I got the keys should have been the most exciting day of my life and yet, the second I opened the door, panic set in. I spent my first night as a homeowner in a hotel researching how to sell a flat and wondering if it was too late to change my mind.
I didn't sell my flat because I remembered why I had wanted it in the first place — but there are times when we get what we want and it simply isn't right. I've always found a strange disconnect between wanting something and getting it. Wanting is a place of possibility and, in a state of lack, the desire is strong. We imagine how this thing — a new job or relationship — can change our lives and at the same time forget that adding something to our life doesn't mean all our problems disappear. We create a narrative around the desire and, when we get it, and it is different to how we pictured it, we feel frustrated.
For me, this most often occurs in relationships. I have a habit of filling in the gaps with people, rather than getting to know them. I go on a date with someone and, instead of piecing them together brick by brick, I start to imagine what my life would be like with them in it. It shouldn't have been a shock that the reality in no way matched my fantasy — but it was. I knew I wanted out, yet part of me felt committed: this was someone I thought I had wanted for so long, I couldn't walk away, could I?
We tend to shame others for changing their minds. I think, however, it's far braver to move towards something that will bring happiness than to stay in a miserable situation to protect your pride. So, when someone tells you they've changed their minds, congratulate them on knowing themselves well enough, and being strong enough, to admit it. It takes a lot to come clean about getting it wrong, but the relief of doing so — of setting ourselves free from a personal-shaped hole, is worth it every time.
1. Why did the author spend her first night as a homeowner in a hotel?| A．The flat was under decoration. |
| B．She wanted to sell this terrible flat. |
| C．The flat was different from her desire. |
| D．She was too excited to sleep in the flat. |
| A．Filling in the gaps with people around you. |
| B．Getting to know others little by little naturally. |
| C．Imagining what the life would be like with others. |
| D．Spending plenty of time to promote the relationship. |
| A．Never change your mind. |
| B．Never give up your first-time dream. |
| C．It is worthwhile to protect one's own pride. |
| D．It is brave to step out of a miserable situation. |
| A．A new flat | B．A personal-shaped hole |
| C．A proud soul | D．An unexcepted accident |
2 . We’ve all experienced failure. Whether we like it or not, failure is part of life. How people respond to it is of great importance both to their decisions and achievements. Some are likely to have such expectations: “If I should reach that goal, how happy would I feel?” In a recent study, we wanted to understand how such expectations may change in the face of failure. Are people able to predict their own happiness?
The old saying “the grass is always greener on the other side” suggests that people spend much of their time longing for things they can’t have. In other words, the harder it is to achieve, the higher the valuation. But is this a good model for how ordinary people process failure? According to the story The Fox and the Grapes, failure often leads us to drop our initial (最初的) plan. In the story, the fox jumps with all his strength, yet he fails to reach the grapes. Finally, he walks away, concluding that the grapes were sour (酸的) anyway.
So, which is it: greener grass or sour grapes? We did an experiment to determine how people react to failure.
In the study, about 1,200 participants (参加者) received either good or poor feedback (反馈) on the practice trial of a test. Half of them were told that they had performed in the bottom 20 percent, while the other half, in the top 20 percent. They were then asked to predict how they would feel if they earned a high score on the actual test.
The research results showed that those who received poor feedback on the practice trial predicted that they would feel less happiness and less pride, compared to those who received strong feedback. However, when they received a top score on the actual test later, they were just as happy as the other half, and much happier than they had predicted before. This suggests that the initial failure made people undervalue how good it would feel to succeed in the future.
The question though, is why failure makes us downplay our future happiness. According to Professor Jon Elster, people don’t always know what they want, and often change their wishes to match what appears within reach. When the outcome doesn’t fit the one they have of themselves, they protect themselves by devaluing the goal—rather than devaluing self. In other words, when personal failure happens, one way of protecting our positive (积极的) sense of self is to refuse to accept the emotional importance of future achievements.
Detachment (超脱) from personal goals can be useful, if it helps people redirect their attention from the impossible to better and more achievable goals. However, if the sour-grape effect kicks in too early and people become fearful of failure, they could miss out on the chance to try again and realize that what once seemed impossible is now within reach.
1. What does the story The Fox and the Grapes suggest?| A．The outcome valuation depends on what goal is set. |
| B．Difficulties result in a higher achievement expectation. |
| C．Past performance doesn’t help predict future happiness. |
| D．Initial failure makes future success appear less attractive. |
| A．undervalue | B．better understand | C．destroy | D．discover |
| A．The participants cared more about strong feedback. |
| B．The happier people are those who predict less happiness. |
| C．The participants’ performance failed to match their abilities. |
| D．People devalue the goal to keep a positive view of themselves. |
| A．Failure is the mother of success. |
| B．Detachment stops people from changing wishes. |
| C．The seemingly impossible is worth trying sometimes. |
| D．The sour-grape effect pushes us to keep moving forward. |
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 . As young students, you have many dreams. These dreams can be very big, such as winning the Nobel Prize; they can also be small, such as becoming one of the best students in your class.
Once you find a dream, what do you do with it? Do you ever try to make your dream real?
Andrew Matthews, an Australian writer, tells us that making your dreams real is life’s biggest challenge. You may think you’re not very good at some school subjects, or that it’s impossible for you to become a writer. Those kinds of ideas stop you from realizing your dream.
In fact, everyone can realize his dream. The first thing you must do is to remember what your dream is. Don’t let it leave your heart. Keep telling yourself what you want every day and then your dream will come true faster. You should know that a big dream is, in fact, made up of many small dreams.
You must also never give up your dream. There will be difficulties on the road to your dreams. But the biggest difficulty comes from yourself. You need to decide what is the most important. Studying instead of watching TV will help you to get better exam results, while saving five yuan instead of buying an ice cream means you can buy a new book.
As you get closer to your dream, it may change a little. This is good as you have the chance to learn something more useful and find new hobbies.
1. Which of the following isn’t mentioned(提到) in this passage?| A．You may think you’re not good at some school subjects. |
| B．Making your dreams real is life’s biggest challenge. |
| C．You must never give up your dream. |
| D．Listening to English more can help you realize your dream. |
| A．can’t be realized | B．can be very small |
| C．will come true | D．can be very big |
| A．Remember what your dream is. |
| B．Don’t let your dream leave your heart. |
| C．Keep telling yourself what you want every day. |
| D．A, B and C. |
| A．to remember what your dream is |
| B．to decide what is the most important |
| C．to learn something more useful and find new hobbies |
| D．to get better exam results |
| A．How to Become a Writer |
| B．How to Make Your Dream Real |
| C．A Big Dream Is Made Up of Small Dreams |
| D．Everyone Can Realize His Dream |
5 . We spend hours, days and years of our lives in school. Imagine you could design your dream school, what would it be like? What would you be doing? We wanted to find out what teenagers around the world thought. Here is what they said:
Richard from the USA: My dream school would have a big swimming pool and two soccer fields. It would also have a cinema, a gym and a shopping centre. My school has none of these, and I think there should be more pleasant things for students to do while they are studying.
Sonia from Italy: I’d like a room where we can relax and play computer games. I’d also like to have a music room. I think there should be a place for everyone to go and relax after class.
Wu from Beijing: I think it would be great to have another day off every week, besides the weekend. If that day was a Friday or a Monday, we would have a long weekend every week. What fun! I also think school should start later, at about 10 o'clock, and finish earlier.
Hannah from Australia: In my dream school, I think the teachers should give us more freedom and choice about how we study and what we study. I also think it’s not necessary for us to wear school uniforms every day. I really don’t like wearing it.
1. Which country is NOT mentioned in the passage?| A．Italy | B．Japan | C．Australia | D．China |
| A．Sonia from Italy would like a room where she can relax and play computer games |
| B．Richard from the USA thinks his dream school should start at 10 o'clock |
| C．Hannah from Australia likes wearing a school uniform every day |
| D．Wu from Beijing thinks it would be great to have two more days off each week |
| A．Schools in the past | B．Schools today |
| C．Dream schools. | D．School lives |
6 . Do you want to help yourself achieve your own New Year's resolutions( 决心)？ Then consider these tips:
A Stanford professor says that we should develop "small habits” for ourselves rather than try to change our behaviors entirely. The “small habits” can be anything. They might be practicing an instrument for 3 minutes per day, flossing(用牙线清洁)just one tooth or a single push-up when you first get out of be.
Forbes India offers a couple of simple tricks for going all the way with your resolution.
Some people advise you should keep your resolution to yourself.
| A．You can keep a scorecard |
| B．It is up to you to choose a more suitable way |
| C．Changing our behaviors is a more difficult task |
| D．Announcing your goal suggests a sense of finish |
| E．You should ask friends to improve your resolutions |
| F．Simplifying wishes to daily habits is much more practical |
| G．That's because you manage to keep on top of your resolutions |
7 . I always dreamed of studying abroad, to learn at a world-class university while further exploring the grounds on which these nations achieved new milestones of development with each passing day.
To study abroad after my graduation, I could not stop seeking my dream. To take the first step, I did some brainstorming and explored opportunities on the Internet and finally decided to go for China. There were a number of reasons behind it - its advanced education system and thousands of centuries of rich culture inspired me to study there. The primary one was my curiosity how a nation has left many nations behind in a short time at its fast pace of development.
So just like that, I applied, along with some of my friends, for a master's degree program at Communication University of China. I was the only one who got selected in the said program and in addition, the Chinese Scholarship Council sponsored all of my expenses. This good news was welcomed by my family.
This is my seventh month in Beijing. In my experience so far, one thing that appeared to be missing was the internship (实习)which I tried to find because I want to work here after completion of my studies. After some struggles I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to work as an intern with the Center for China and Globalization (CCG). It' s very exciting to work on their team as a researcher. Now I can proudly say that my decision to choose China as a study destination was the best decision I have ever made.
1. The writer writes the first paragraph mainly to .| A．encourage people to pursue dreams |
| B．summarize the main idea of the text |
| C．explain the reason for writing the passage |
| D．add some background information |
| A．China's rich culture. |
| B．His curiosity. |
| C．China's advanced education system. |
| D．His family's support. |
| A．He is most proud of living in China. |
| B．He wants to be a researcher in his own country in the future. |
| C．He plans to work in China after graduation. |
| D．He found a job upon arriving in Beijing. |
| A．Learning and Working in China |
| B．Travel Experiences in China |
| C．Realization of Dreams in China |
| D．Importance of Having Dreams |
8 . 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 |
9 . Despite becoming disabled at a very young age, Li Juhong somehow managed to fulfill her dream of becoming a doctor. The 37-year-old has been treating patients for the past 15 years in her hometown of Wadian Village, in China’s Chongqing.
Li was only four years old when she was involved in a tragic accident----- a truck ran over her and her legs were crushed (压碎) under its tires. The only way to save her life was to amputate them. But Li didn’t lose hope. She was determined to stay mobile and by age eight, she taught herself to move using her hands and two wooden benches for support.
It was undoubtedly difficult, but Li never let her condition hold back her dreams of studying medicine. She left the village to earn a medical degree from a special vocational school, returning in the year 2000 to work at the village clinic. Since then, she’s treated nearly all the 1,000 residents of the village, even managing to make house calls on her trusty old benches.
Li eventually married a local man, Liu Xingyan. He quit his job to take care of housework, and sometimes also carries her on his back to visit patients in neighboring villages. It is said that with Liu’s help Li has so far handled a total of 6,000 medical cases from various villages in the mountainous regions of Hechuan district. She has worn out 24 benches in the process.
“I just did what I felt I had to do,” She told the local media. “Even if I’m not honored for my work, I would still continue to do my job as a rural doctor. Compared with most others, I’ve come against more difficulties. But, I always whisper to myself that’ God helps those who help themselves’ in order to keep moving.”
1. What does the underlined word “amputate” in paragraph 2 mean?| A．Hold up. | B．Fight for. | C．Cut off. | D．Put away. |
| A．felt hesitating | B．felt upset | C．was strong-willed | D．felt grateful |
| A．favorable | B．Uncaring | C．Doubtful | D．Disappointed |
| A．She was once looked down upon. |
| B．She lacked support of the public. |
| C．She didn’t feel regret at her job. |
| D．She made a fortune by her job. |
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. |
