Until a few years ago, I had what most people would call a good life.I had a ______ job that paid the bills; I had a good family that I was close to, and I had a place to live and money in the bank for trips and ______, and there was nothing much wrong in my life. _______, I was bored.
I wanted more. I wanted to live ______ and loudly and make sharp memories instead of the ______ ones of everyday life. But I was ______. I had never had any ______ in myself. As a child, even buying something in a shop caused me a great deal of ______, and even though I did get better as I got older, I never quite ______ that childhood shyness.
And I tried everything, like reading books about confidence. I also took tiny steps leading to my goals. But none of them really ______.
So I ______ that the small steps weren’t enough. I signed up for an internship (实习期的工作) of teaching English in Vietnam, an ______ huge step, one that ______ me as much as it excited me. And then the day came and I left my home and my loved ones. I was alone in a country where the food was ______ and the streets were unfamiliar. I had no idea whether I would be able to ______ everything that this very strange environment would ______ at me.
I spent five months in Vietnam, teaching, exploring and laughing, I’d learnt to ______ myself, my skills, my abilities and my decisions. I returned home ______, even to myself, let alone to others. The ______ that had controlled my life and the self-doubt were ______.
That one big chance changed everything for me, and in me.
1.A. stable B. temporary C. difficult D. demanding
2.A. tips B. rewards C. treats D. fines
3.A. Thus B. Instead C. Otherwise D. However
4.A. easily B. brightly C. peacefully D. modestly
5.A. bitter B. clear C. grey D. sweet
6.A. proud B. innocent C. outgoing D. afraid
7.A. pride B. confidence C. interest D. shame
8.A. stress B. excitement C. confusion D. surprise
9.A. added to B. talked about C. got over D. suffered from
10.A. continued B. survived C. failed D. helped
11.A. figured B. promised C. predicted D. disagreed
12.A. equally B. impossibly C. unnecessarily D. occasionally
13.A. ignored B. impressed C. annoyed D. terrified
14.A. nice B. colorful C. strange D. inadequate
15.A. doubt B. handle C. quit D. obtain
16.A. point B. throw C. shout D. aim
17.A. trust B. enjoy C. excuse D. forgive
18.A. unconcerned B. unsatisfied C. unchangeable D. unrecognizable
19.A. fear B. respect C. courage D. anger
20.A. picked up B. forgotten about C. worn off D. put off
Everyone dreams. If you’ve ever tried to figure out the meaning of a strange dream, you’re not alone. Humans have been trying to make sense of dreams since recorded history. 1. Here are some of the findings.
2. People with great creativity are more likely to dream about unusual settings and about blocks in the natural world, such as a log or a rock they can’t get around.
You’ve got a heart problem. People who have frequent nightmares may be significantly more likely to suffer from an irregular heartbeat or chest pain. If you have those problems, it’s more difficult for you to breathe at night. 3.
You’re avoiding something. Do you dream about being followed by a stranger, a monster, or a giant tidal wave? This could indicate that you’re afraid to deal with something in your daily life. 4.
You’ll have a good result in a test. Students whose performance improved were those who had dreamed about the maze (迷宫) during the sleep. 5. This improves learning and problem-solving skills.
Despite the fact that technology has vastly expanded our understanding of dreaming, much of what occurs when we’re asleep remains as it has always been: a mystery.
A. How creative you are.
B. Dreaming may strengthen memories.
C. What kind of problem solver you are.
D. What can our dreams tell about ourselves?
E. How can we understand better about ourselves?
F. That explains why you cannot have a sound sleep.
G. Ask yourself what issue or emotion you’re faced with.
The idea that you can use humor, laughter, and play to make you healthier probably seems too simple to be true. However, it is really true and simple. The sense of humor, laughter and play plays an important part in keeping you healthy.
Treat the blues with a sense of humor, which is closely tied to laughter. Laughter is infectious. Have you ever heard a big laugh of a young child and been able to keep yourself from smiling? When laughter is shared between people, it makes them closer to each other and increases their happiness. Smiling is the beginning of laughter and a smile is also just as infectious as laughter is. You can experience something by smiling at everyone around you, and you will feel happier just by sharing a smile, even with a stranger.
Play is an important part of making sure that we stay healthy. We are often encouraged to make sure our children play, and are told of the benefits of being out playing. However, what we often forget is that it is just as important for old people to make play be part of their life as it’s for children. Physical play is important for the old and it certainly helps prevent illness. While the studies are still in the early stages, the studies that have been done have shown that physical play certainly plays a part in preventing cognitive (认知的) falling.
1.What can laughter increase according to the author?
A. Cognitive ability B. Good relationships
C. A sense of humor D. Happiness and trust
2.What does the author think the old should do?
A. They should have a good rest.
B. They should play like children.
C. They should prevent cognitive falling.
D. They should take part in physical play.
3.Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
A. Humor, Laughter and Play for Health
B. Always Keep Our Body Healthy
C. Have an Active and Happy Life
D. Let Our Body and Mind Relax
Throughout my educational years, despite the kind teachers I had met, I never felt interest in writing until I met her, Mrs Kelley. At first, I believed that writing would still be my worst class. Gradually, my fondness increased. She taught the lesson in such a lively way and her word choice impressed me. But that was not what made her my favorite. Unlike other teachers, after instructions, she gave an enormous amount of freedom in what we wrote, allowing us to create our own stories using our imagination. And that mattered most.
There was one really revolutionary event: the historical fiction unit. We were to invent out own stories using the period we were given. World War II was mine. At that point, I was just looking for a good grade. Rather than creating a mundane (平淡的) story, I wanted to make a story that I felt was meaningful. As I progressed, I was pulled further and further into the reality that I had made. Grammar no longer existed, as my hands gained acceleration. When I typed the final word, my hands trembled with excitement. Briefly, I read it over and then submitted the draft.
In the midst of anxiousness, Mrs Kelley responded. She pointed out some mistakes and gave some suggestions. Sadly, there were no comments of recognition. I fixed the errors and moved on. But when waiting for the final grade, i erased all the unrealistic thoughts that wandered in my mind.
In the next class, surprisingly, after handing back my paper, Mrs Kelley mentioned that my story was very good. I looked at her in confusion. Soon excitement stirred inside me. I found a “+5” attached to the score. She had given an extra point in “Plot”,adding an “Excellent!”No other teacher had done this. On that day, I felt what it means to be a writer. Mrs Kelley introduced me to the beauty of literature and made writing so enjoyable.
1.What made Mrs Kelley so special according to the author?
A. He patience and kindness.
B. Her confidence in students.
C. Her creative teaching style.
D. Her professional knowledge.
2.How did the author feel when Mrs Kelley responded at first?
A. Excited. B. Worried.
C. Surprised. D. Disappointed.
3.What was the biggest benefit the author got from Mrs Kelley’s class?
A. Recognizing his talent.
B. Finding the joy of writing.
C. Determine his lifetime career.
D. Acquiring practical writing skills.
Asking for help is a sign of strength rather than weakness. In American culture, the independent individual is seen as their ideal. As the University of Missouri at St. Louis states on its website under the heading Key American Values, “Americans have been trained since very early in their lives to consider themselves as separate individuals who are responsible for their own situations in life and their own destinies.” The value also makes them think they can do everything themselves, and makes them feel badly about asking for help when they need it.
And when it comes to work situations, when they think about asking for help there, sometimes they fear that a request for help would make them look inept. While this has always been true for men, many women in the workplace have felt the need to try twice as hard as their male colleagues and do twice as much to get just as far and to prove their worth. Sometimes when we think about asking for help, our inner voices tell us, “See, if you admit you can’t do this on your own, they’ll see you for the imposter(骗子) you really are.”
But the fact is, even though individualism is on the rise, we can’t do everything by ourselves and we shouldn’t try.
Apple founder Steve Jobs once told the Santa Clara Valley Historical Association about the power of asking for help, and how he “never found anybody who didn’t want to help me when I asked them for help”. He said, at the age of 12, he called Bill Hewlett, co-founder of Hewlett-Packard, on the phone after getting his number from the phone book and asking him for spare parts so he could build a frequency counter(计频器). And Hewlett agreed and offered young Jobs a summer job assembling frequency counters.
“If you’re afraid of failing, you won’t get very far,” Jobs said.
1.What is the first paragraph mainly about?
A. What key American values are.
B. Why Americans refuse to ask for help.
C. Asking for help is a sign of strength.
D. Americans are responsible for their life.
2.Which of the following can replace the underlined word “inept” in Paragraph 2?
A. impolite B. identical
C. incompetent D. inappropriate
3.What can be learned from this US cultural phenomenon?
A. Americans suffer a lot from mutual distrust.
B. Americans see weakness as a sign of strength.
C. Americans should learn to build up confidence.
D. Americans lay emphasis on individual values.
4.What can we learn from Jobs’ words in the last paragraph?
A. Don’t hesitate to ask for assistance.
B. Be brave to try whatever you want.
C. Failure is the mother of success.
D. Learn to cooperate with others.
假定你是李华，你的外国好友Eric将作为交换生到你市的一所高中学习。因担心自己不能快速适应这里的学校生活，特写信向你求助，请就此给他写封回信。要点如下：
1．乐意提供帮助； 2．提出具体建议； 3．希望能够帮到对方。
注意：1．词数100左右；
2．可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3．信的开头及结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Eric，
I feel delighted to learn that you are coming to study in our city as an exchange student.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours sincerely，
Li Hua
