I always wanted to be extraordinary at something. Not just as in,”Great job, Jimbo!” No, I wanted to be best-in-class, awe-inspiring, tiptop; a world-famous genius,like Michael Phelps or Mark Zuckerberg.
Unfortunately, my version of reality did not quite line up with this delusional vision. I was a good swimmer, but I peaked at the collegiate State Championships level. My academic record was pretty solid, but I never would have made it into one of those ivy-league schools.
Though I rose to above-average status in a couple of areas, the disappointing truth was that I would never amount to anything more than a mid-sized fish in a small pond. God apparently had other plans.
What drove me crazy, though, was the superstar talent thrown in my face at every turn. Some folks just seemed to get an unfair intensive dose(剂量)of it. Why couldn’t I be like Bernie William, the famed New Yorkees player who also happens to be a world-class jazz guitar virtuoso(艺术大师)?
Some say greatness is simply a function of putting in the practice time. Around ten thousand hours, to be precise, according to author Malcolm Gladwell. I don’t question the theory of devoting extraordinary efforts to developing one’s expertise, but it seems that raw talent is equally important. You either have it or you don’t.
I’ve heard that as people approach middle age, their life satisfaction increases because they begin to accept the gap between the expectations for themselves and the reality. After a few decades of frustration without the desired results, we eventually come to terms with how our lives turned out, even if it falls far short of our idealized youthful expectation.
Hope bends, it seems.
1.What does the word “delusional” in Para2 most probably mean?
A.Imaginary B.Realistic C.Abstract D.Practical
2.In the passage, the writer thinks of himself as .
A.a world-famous genius B.a mid-sized fish in a small pond
C.a world-class virtuoso D.a student in an ivy-league school
3.According to the writer, what makes “greatness”?
A.Extraordinary efforts B.Ten thousand hours of practice C.Raw talent D.Talent and time
4.Which of the following might be the best title ?
A.Hope Bends B.Frustrating Decades
C.Practice Works D.Youthful Expectation
The local dog park might be getting busier and cat cafés might be opening in every neighborhood, but do you know which traditional pet is the most popular around the world?
United States
The United States is home to the highest number of domestic (驯养的) dogs, cats, and fish, and Americans are more likely to treat their friends like humans. U.S. pet owners spend $50 billion a year on their animal companions, and 36% of dog owners have used some of that money to buy their pet a birthday present.
Russia
According to Russian tradition, keeping a cat as a pet is good fortunate, so it's no surprise the cat is Russia's most popular pet. In 2016, 57% of Russian households contained a cat, compared to the 29% that had dogs. On March 1, Russia celebrates National Cat Day as part of celebrations for World Cat Day.
Brazil
Brazils domestic bird population was about 19 million in 2013, while dogs held top rank at just over 37 million. Brazil has the highest number of small dogs per capital city in the world. The nearly 20 million small dogs are attributed to (归因于) a rapidly-growing middle class living in small urban apartments.
United Kingdom
Dogs and cats rank second and third in Britain, while fishes hold the top spot. It has been linked not only to the low maintenance (维护), but also to the fact that many other pets like dogs or cats are not allowed in some places.
1.Why are the figures mentioned in Paragraph 2?
A.To explain the importance of pets.
B.To show Americans growing wealth.
C.To explain why Americans have pets.
D.To show how Americans love their animal friends.
2.Where are cats regarded as the symbol of good luck?
A.In Brazil. B.In Russia.
C.In the United States. D.In the United Kingdom.
3.What are the most popular pets in the United Kingdom?
A.Dogs. B.Cats.
C.Birds. D.Fishes.
美籍教师Peter在你校工作三年，现即将回国就业。请你以学生会主席李华的名义给他写一封电子邮件表示感谢。内容包括：
1. 表示感谢；
2. 感谢的原因；
3. 表达祝福。
注意：
1.词数100左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3.开头语和结束语已为你写好，不计入总词数。
Dear Peter,
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：
1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
What are friends? We often talk about the topic for others. I think friends are those people whom can help you when you are in the trouble. Don’t forget the saying, “A friend in need was a friend indeed.” Your friend can tell you your mistake, though what they say is hard for you to listen. You can share happiness, trouble and worry with our friends. Someone also says, “You can’t walk some steps without a friend.” So I think friends are absolute important to us. I would like to make as much friends as possible.
阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。
Chinese restaurants, which almost never close on Christmas, have managed 1.(become) as culturally American as milk and cookies for Santa.
But before Americans were crowding into Chinese restaurants 2. Christmas dinner, they were more interested in crowding these restaurants out. Labor unions once organized boycotts against Chinese restaurants, but these boycotts 3.(rare) succeeded in their aim of driving the restaurants out of business. As is known, early Chinese 4.(immigrant) were not Christian, and losing an entire day of sales for a holiday they didn’t understand did not make economic sense to them. And Chinese restaurants boomed during the 5.(construct) of the Transcontinental Railroad, 6.(cater) to Chinese miners and railroad workers. Chinese restaurants used to be one of the few public places 7. welcomed African-American diners. Besides, Jewish customers were also welcomed because Chinese owners and waiters had no history of prejudice toward them. Therefore, 8. makes sense that Chinese restaurants were a destination for Jewish families on Christmas.
Over the past years Google 9.(find) that more people search for “Chinese restaurant open” during the week of Christmas, and Chinese food on Christmas has become an 10.(accept) alternative for anyone looking outside the usual holiday celebrations. It seems like proof that Chinese food and culture is finally part of mainstream America.
Kevin Durant is one of the best players that have won championships in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has also won the NBA's Most Valuable Player _________. But it is not just his _________ on the court that make him _________. It is where he came from and what he had to _________ that make him so.
Durant grew up in Washington, D. C. His father left the family when he was very young so his mom _________ him as a single parent. Times were _________ and they had to move from apartment to apartment. Because Kevin was very tall, he was _________ from everyone else of his age. Sometimes, he was bullied by his classmates.
Despite the _________, there was always a lot of love and _________ in his family. His mom wrote a(an) __________ that hung over Kevin's bed: “Always believe that anything is __________.” Kevin was very tall at an early age and he liked basketball very much. So when he was about 10 years old, he told his mom that he __________ becoming an NBA player and she did everything she could to help him.
He worked very hard at __________ himself. He failed many times but kept __________. “He practiced basketball 8 hours a day for 6 years __________! This was on top of his homework and playing for his school teams! ” said his coach.
From his mom and family, he learned always to be __________ and humble (谦逊的). Now that Kevin has achieved so much __________ on the court, he has focused a lot of his time on __________. His foundation helps to __________ homelessness, build basketball courts in low-income areas and help __________ children go to college.
1.A.reward B.prize C.award D.victory
2.A.suggestions B.facts C.plans D.comments
3.A.attractive B.available C.practical D.special
4.A.overcome B.overlook C.involve D.confirm
5.A.taught B.coached C.raised D.guided
6.A.limited B.critical C.convenient D.tough
7.A.free B.different C.far D.safe
8.A.memories B.feelings C.challenges D.envies
9.A.support B.appreciation C.praise D.admiration
10.A.sign B.note C.announcement D.letter
11.A.disappointing B.boring C.difficult D.possible
12.A.learned of B.thought about C.dreamed of D.set about
13.A.believing B.improving C.adjusting D.satisfying
14.A.getting up B.sitting up C.coming up D.looking up
15.A.perfectly B.particularly C.further D.straight
16.A.proud B.careful C.kind D.cheerful
17.A.desire B.success C.affection D.duty
18.A.giving back B.settling down C.taking over D.showing off
19.A.fight B.ban C.ignore D.check
20.A.ordinary B.popular C.ambitious D.poor
