Once when I was facing a decision that involved high risk, I went to a friend. He looked at me for a moment, and then wrote a sentence containing the best advice I’ve ever had: Be bold and brave — and mighty forces will come to your aid.
Those words made me see clearly that when I had fallen short in the past, it was seldom because I had tried and failed. It was usually because I had let fear of failure stop me from trying at all. On the other hand, whenever I had plunged into deep water, forced by courage or circumstance, I had always been able to swim until I got my feet on the ground again.
Boldness means a decision to bite off more than you can eat. And there is nothing mysterious about the mighty forces. They are potential powers we possess: energy, skill, sound judgment, creative ideas — even physical strength greater than most of us realize.
Admittedly, those mighty forces are spiritual ones. But they are more important than physical ones. A college classmate of mine, Tim, was an excellent football player, even though he weighed much less than the average player. “In one game I suddenly found myself confronting（面对） a huge player, who had nothing but me between him and our goal line,” said Tim. “I was so frightened that I closed my eyes and desperately threw myself at that guy like a bullet— and stopped him cold.”
Boldness — a willingness to extend yourself to the extreme—is not one that can be acquired overnight. But it can be taught to children and developed in adults. Confidence builds up. Surely, there will be setbacks and disappointments in life; Boldness in itself is no guarantee of success. But the person who tries to do something and fails is a lot better off than the person who tries to do nothing and succeeds.
So, always try to live a little bit beyond your abilities—and you’ll find your abilities are greater than you ever dreamed.
1.Why was the author sometimes unable to reach his goal in the past?
A. He faced huge risks.
B. Fear prevented him from trying.
C. He lacked mighty forces.
D. Failure blocked his way to success.
2.What is the implied meaning of the underlined part?
A. Act slightly above your abilities.
B. Swallow more than you can digest.
C. Develop more mysterious powers.
D. Learn to make creative decisions.
3.What was especially important for Tim’s successful defense in the football game?
A. His physical strength. B. His basic skill.
C. His spiritual force. D. His real fear.
4.What can be learned from Paragraph 5?
A. Boldness can be gained little by little.
B. Confidence grows more rapidly in adults.
C. Trying without success is meaningless.
D. Repeated failure creates a better life.
I decided a few months ago that l was going to treat myself to a 4-day getaway from Los Angeles and visit Chicago. I turned in some long-saved frequent flier miles(航空积分里程) for the airplane ticket, but had to shell out cash I really couldn’t afford for the hotel. I found a travel website where a discounted promotional 3-night stay was purchased from a recently opened hotel.
About three weeks before the trip, I had to regretfully cancel and only then realized the room, while transferable to another person, couldn’t be changed to a later date and wasn’t refundable(可退款的)．For the next two weeks, I tried selling it on Craig’s list with no success. Five days before the “big weekend” I gave up trying to spend any money and decided I’d contact some friends who live in Chicago and offer someone a free “staycation”. After trying a handful of people all of whom already had their own plans, I was determined to have the room not go to waste.
That’s when it suddenly occurred to me that I was looking at the rooms in the wrong way. Instead of viewing them for vacation purposes, surely there must be a way to put them to good use, and that was when the idea that some sort of shelter might be able to use it hit me. I finally found one whose focus is aiding victims of domestic violence. This particular one was willing to listen to my out-of-left-field story and facilitated the transfer of the rooms. The shelter was working with a desperate woman and her young daughter, who were fortunately able to make use of the room.
1.What did the author decide to treat himself to?
A. A big meal in Chicago.
B. A 4-day travel.
C. A holiday abroad.
D. A get-together with family.
2. The author purchased a 3-night stay from a newly-opened hotel .
A. to act as a promoter
B. to experience e-business
C. to get a free air ticket
D. to save some money
3. The room the author booked could only be .
A. cancelled within 24 hours
B. changed to a later date
C. transferred to another person
D. refunded half of the money
4. What did the author decide to do with the room at last?
A. Sell it online.
B. Let it go to waste.
C. Use it to help strangers in need.
D. Offer it to one of his friends.
书面表达
假设你的英文名为Jack,是英国诺丁汉大学的中国留学生。你负责为在该校就读的32名中国学生筹划寒假期间的苏格兰之行，为期7天，请你给诺丁汉的STA(Students’ Travel Agency)经理Phil发一封电子邮件，联系有关事宜。要点如下：
1. 希望能够派车接送；
2. 需要一名说标准英语，并非常熟悉苏格兰的导游；
3. 请求告知旅行日程及就餐、旅馆、费用等情况；
4. 你的联系方式：电子邮箱地址：Jackwang@yahoo.com.cn或电话号码：07747745007
注意：（1）词数：100词左右；
（2）开头和结尾已为你写出，不计入总词数；
（3）参考词汇：诺丁汉大学Nottingham University; 旅馆住宿accommodation；旅行日程安排itinerary；长途客车coach。
Hi, Phil,
I’d like you to organize a trip to Scotland for us.________________________________________.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________.
Yours truly,
Jack
短文改错，文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。
I am secretary of the City Student Union (CSU). We were organizing an art exhibition for high school students in city. It will be held in the 9th of July in the Exhibition Hall of Beihai. More than 1000 painting will be on show, but high school students and teachers from all the eight districts will come to the event. As you are very popularly with us Chinese high school students, we’d like to invite for you to the exhibition. We would be grateful when you could join them that day. Looking forward to hear from you soon.
语法填空
A few weeks ago, I was on vacation with my family in Malaysia. We visited lots of places. One of the hotels we stayed1.was near a China Town.
Everything was cheap there2.we did a lot of shopping. I was looking for a watch for myself and3.for my girlfriend. There were many shops that were selling4.same watch — but for different prices. I finally found the best price, so I bought the watches while my sister and mom were buying other things from the shop. 5.it was time to pay, I realized I was 10 dollars short, so I suggested6.(return) one of the watches. The7.(own) of the shop asked why and I explained I didn’t have enough money with me. She smiled and said, “You can take it, but promise me you’ll pay tomorrow!”So I asked her what time she8.(be) there the next day and said, “Okay, I promise.”
Unfortunately we changed our hotel and the new one was much 9.(far) away from China Town, but I still walked all the way to her shop and gave her the money. She smiled and said, “You’re a good person.” It’s so beautiful when people 10.you don’t know trust you.
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项，有两项为多余选项
The teenage years can be tough, and it’s normal to feel sad every now and then. But if these feelings don’t go away or become so intense that you can’t handle them, you may be suffering from depression.1.
Try not to isolate yourself
When you’re depressed, you may not feel like seeing anybody or doing anything. Just getting out of bed in the morning can be difficult, but isolating yourself only makes depression worse.
2.Spend time with friends, especially those who are active.
Keep your body healthy
Making healthy lifestyle choices can do wonders for your mood. Ever heard of a "runners high"? Physical activity can be as effective as medications for depression, so get involved in sports, ride your bike, or take a dance class. Any activity helps! 3.As for food, make sure you’re feeding your mind with plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
Avoid alcohol and drugs.
You maybe try drinking or use drugs in an effort to escape from your feelings and get a "mood boost," even if just for a short time. However, substance use can not only make depression worse, but can cause you to become more depressed. 4.. You will need special treatment for your substance problem.
5.
Stress and worry can lead to depression. Talk to a teacher if exams or classes seem overwhelming. In addition, if you have a health concern you feel you can’t talk to your parents about, see a doctor. A health professional can help you approach your parents and guide you toward appropriate treatment. If you’re dealing with relationship, friendship, or family problems, talk to an adult you trust.
A. Ask for help if you are stressed.
B. Even a short walk can be beneficial.
C. Turn to your parents for help.
D. As you get out into the world, you may find yourself feeling better.
E. In short, drinking and taking drugs will make you feel worse--not better--in the long run.
F. The more exercise you do, the healthier you will be.
G. Help is available and you have more power than you think.
