It was a rainy day， and I had no desire to drive up the winding mountain road． But my daughter Carolyn had ________that I come to see something at the top of the mountain． So here I was，________making the two-hour journey through fog． By the time I saw how thick it was near the peak， I'd gone too far to_______．
After parking the_______， we walked along a path that was________with pine needles．
Gradually， the peace and________of the place began to fill my mind． Then we turned a corner - and I gasped（倒吸气）in _______． From the top of the mountain were________of flowers flowing across valleys． A mass of color - from the palest pink to the deepest yellow to the most ________red - shone like a carpet before us． It looked as though the________had spilled gold down the mountainside．
Who ________such beauty？ How？ As we ________the house in the center of the field， we saw a sign that _______： "Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking．" The first answer was：
"One________- Two Hands， and Very Little Brain．" The second was： "One Plant at a Time， Started in 1980．"
I was so moved that I could scarcely_______． "She started almost 40 years ago，" I finally said， "probably just the beginning of a（n）_______， but she kept at it．" The________of it opened my eyes to the world of the _______． "Imagine，" I said， "if I'd had a vision and worked at it， just a little bit every day， what might I have _______？" Carolyn smiled． "Start tomorrow，" she said． "________yet， start today．"
1.A. insisted B. suspected C. preferred D. appointed
2.A. automatically B. absolutely C. unwillingly D. faithfully
3.A. rush out B. turn back C. pull over D. move on
4.A. taxi B. car C. bike D. bus
5.A. damp B. firm C. thick D. mild
6.A. absence B. significance C. convenience D. silence
7.A. amusement B. gratitude C. fright D. amazement
8.A. rivers B. bunches C. pairs D. branches
9.A. abstract B. vivid C. consistent D. severe
10.A. storm B. wind C. sun D. volcano
11.A. created B. imitated C. predicted D. conveyed
12.A. quitted B. possessed C. approached D. transformed
13.A. wrote B. read C. called D. appeared
14.A. Adolescent B. People C. Genius D. Woman
15.A. see B. smile C. sleep D. speak
16.A. idea B. doubt C. guess D. joke
17.A. judgment B. wonder C. contribution D. trend
18.A. steady B. concrete C. possible D. contradictory
19.A. accomplished B. opposed C. risked D. strengthened
20.A. Later B. Closer C. Faster D. Better
When we meet someone for the first time， we usually get an uncertain sense of what kind of person they are by the way they shake hands， talk， or walk． In the age of social networking， however， first impressions are sometimes made even before we actually meet someone in person - that is， by looking at their profile photos（头像）． 1.
In the study， a group of researchers from the University of Pennsylvania in the US used software to analyze the profile photos of 66，000 users of US social platform Twitter and 3，200 of their tweets． 2.The researchers wanted to find out if there was a relation between a person's profile photo and personality．
According to the results， open people are more likely to pose in an unusual way and use objects such as glasses or a guitar in their profile photo because they enjoy new and exciting experiences． Meanwhile， sensitive people often hide their negative emotions．3.Instead， they use an image of something like a pet， a car or a building． That's because sensitive people are strongly influenced by the strong social standard．
4.For example， outgoing people are found to have the most colorful profile images， as they want to emphasize their personality and show themselves off， the researchers wrote．
Although social media photos "usually represent oneself， they also allow a user to shape his or her own personality，" according to the researchers．5.After all， first impressions always last．
A．They want to show themselves off．
B．They try to avoid showing their faces．
C．We should make our profile photos available to others．
D．Some users were asked to complete a survey about their personality types．
E．According to a recent study， these social images say a lot about our personality．
F．When choosing a profile photo， we should think about what image we'd like to convey．
G．The colors used in profile photos also give us some information about the photo's owner．
So many of us hold on to little complaints that may have come from an argument，a misunderstanding，the way we were raised，or some other painful event．Stubbornly，we wait for someone else to reach out to us-believing this is the only way we can forgive or rekindle a friendship or family relationship．
A friend of mine，recently told me that she hadn't spoken to her son in almost three years．She said that she and her son had had a disagreement about his wife and that she wouldn't speak to him again unless he called first．When I suggested that she be the one to reach out，she said，"I can't do that．He's the one who should apologize．"After a little gentle encouragement，however，she did decide to be the first one to reach out．To her amazement，her son was grateful for her willingness to call and offered an apology of his own．As is usually the case when someone takes the chance and reaches out，everyone wins．
Whenever we hold on to our anger，we tum"small stuff（问题）"into really"big stuff"in our minds．We start to believe that our positions are more important than our happiness．They are not．If you want to be a more peaceful person you must understand that being right is almost never more important than allowing yourself to be happy．The way to be happy is to let go，and reach out．Let other people be right．This doesn't mean that you're wrong．Everything will be fine．You'll experience the peace of letting go，as well as the joy of letting others be right．
You'll also notice that，as you reach out and let others be"right"，they will become less defensive and more loving toward you．They might even reach back．But，if for some reason they don't，that's okay too．You'll have the inner satisfaction of knowing that you have done your part to create a more loving world，and certainly you'll be more peaceful yourself．
1.The underlined word"rekindle"in Paragraph 1 probably means" ______ ．
A. recover B. develop
C. accept D. replace
2.In the author's opinion，we hold on to our anger often because we think ______ ．
A. we can turn small issues into big ones
B. our happiness is more important
C. our own opinions matter most
D. others will be less defensive
3.The best thing to do after a quarrel is to ______ ．
A. let go of our own fights B. realize that you are wrong
C. expect others to give in D. apologize to others first
4.What would be the best tide for the passage？ ______
A. Be Peaceful B. Reach Out and Give
C. Small and Big Stuff D. Enjoy Your Friendship
When Alok and I met in 1984， he was attracted by my passionate love of children， dogs， and poetry． I was drawn to his intelligence and his broad， comforting shoulders． Our marriage was very happy， and our sons， Viraj， an accountant， and Anurag， a lawyer， were warm， loving， and blessed with both a high level of integrity （正直） and a wicked sense of humour． It was as if I had everything I had wished for． When people said， "Life is not perfect，" I used to think， "Oh， but it very nearly is．"
But one Saturday night everything became different． Alok and I were about to leave our flat in Delhi for a party when all of a sudden he just passed away． It was a fatal cerebral stroke （脑中风） without warning．
I was terrified， but felt I owed it to myself， to Alok， and to the boys to rise above the loss and use the strength our love had given me to go forward． I also had to deal with some pressing problems． Where would I live？ Our home was a company-owned flat， and most of the facilities we'd enjoyed， like the club， medical coverage， and even the phone， came with his job．
I made the decision to try and do as much as I could on my own， without asking， or expecting， other people to help me． As a journalist， I had been privileged to share some truly exceptional life stories． I now had to handle my own life story， and accept change with as much courage as I could muster．
The journey ahead needed new skills． I finally found the right job， and today I am working in corporate communications． My life now is very different from what it was earlier． I understand that we are all given an inner strength， and that we truly grow up， regardless of age， when we learn to stand alone．
1.What changed everything for the author？ ______
A. The birth of her children．
B. Moving to a new home．
C. Her happy marriage．
D. The sudden death of her husband．
2.We can infer from the passage that ______ ．
A. Alok's job provided him with housing and medical insurance
B. the author didn't work when her husband was alive
C. Viraj and Anurag engaged in the same occupation
D. the author's current living situation is bad
3.What does the underlined word "muster" in the fourth paragraph probably mean？ ______
A. Admire． B. Learn．
C. Gather． D. Wander．
4.What does the author want to tell us？ ______
A. Society should give support to single women．
B. Faced with a sudden change， we should be brave．
C. We should receive necessary support as we age．
D. Instead of staying at home， women should work， regardless of age．
Our "Mommy and Me" time began two years ago． My next-door neighbor and fellow mother， Christie， and I were out in our front yards， watching seven children of age 6 and under ride their bikes up and down． "I wish I could take one of my children out alone，" said Christie．
Then we worked out a plan： when Christie takes one of her children out， I'll watch her other three． And when she watches two of mine， I'll take someone out．
The children were extremely quick to accept the idea of "Mommy and Me" time． Christie's daughter， McKenzie， went first． When she returned， the other children asked her tons of questions． McKenzie was smiling broadly． Christie looked refreshed and happy． "She's like a different child when there's no one else around，" Christie shared with me quickly． With her mother all to herself， McKenzie didn't have to make an effort to gain attention．
Just as Christie had noticed changes in McKenzie， I also discovered something different in each of my children during our alone times． For example， I am always surprised when my daughter， who is seldom close to me， holds my hand frequently． My stuttering（口吃的）son， Tom， doesn't stutter once during our activities since he doesn't have to struggle for a chance to speak． And the other son， Sam， who's always a follower when around other children shines as a leader during our times together．
The "Mommy and Me" time allows us to be simply alone and away with each child - talking， sharing， and laughing， which has been the biggest gain． Every child deserves to be an only child at least once in a while．
1.What is the text mainly about？ ______
A. The advantage of spending time with one child at a time．
B. The experience of the only child being with mother．
C. The happy life of two families．
D. The basic needs of children．
2.Right after McKenzie came back， the other children were ______ ．
A. happy B. regretful C. curious D. friendly
3.What is one of the changes the author finds in her children？ ______
A. The boys become better followers．
B. Sam holds her hand more often．
C. The daughter acts like a leader．
D. Tom has less difficulty in speaking．
4.The author seems to believe that ______ ．
A. having brothers and sisters is fun
B. every child needs parents'full attention
C. it's tiring to look after three children
D. parents should watch others' children
Remembering names is an important social skill．Here are some ways to master it．
Recite and repeat in conversation．
When you hear a person's name，repeat it．Immediately say it to yourself several times without moving your lips．You could also repeat the name in a way that does not sound forced or artificial．
Ask the other person to recite and repeat．
You can let other people help you remember their names．After you've been introduced to someone，ask that person to spell the name and pronounce it correctly for you．Most people will be pleased by the effort you're making to learn their names．
Admit you don't know．
Admitting that you can't remember someone's name can actually make people relaxed．Most of them will feel sympathy if you say，"I'm working to remember names better．Yours is right on the tip of my tongue．What is it again？"
Use associations．
Link each person you meet with one thing you find interesting or unusual．For example，you could make a mental note："Vicki Cheng…tall，black hair．"To reinforce（加强） your associations，write them on a small card as soon as possible．
Limit the number of new names you learn at one time．
When meeting a group of people，concentrate on remembering just two or three names．Free yourself from remembering everyone．Few of the people in mass introductions expect you to remember their names．Another way is to limit yourself to learning just first names．Last names can come later．
Go early．
Consider going early to conferences，parties and classes．Sometimes just a few people show up on time．That's fewer names for you to remember．And as more people arrive，you can hear them being introduced to others-an automatic review for you．
1.If you can't remember someone's name，you may ______ ．
A. tell him the truth B. tell him a white lie
C. ask him for pity D. ask others to help you
2.When you meet a group of people，it is better to remember ______ ．
A. all their names B. a couple of names first
C. just their last names D. as many names as possible
3.What does the text mainly tell us？ ______
A. Tips on an important social skill．
B. Importance of attending parties．
C. How to make use of associations．
D. How to recite and repeat names．
