Justin’s bedroom was so full of flat bicycle tires, bent tennis rackets, deflated basketballs, and games with missing pieces that you could hardly get in the door.  His parents pleaded with him to clean out his room.

“What use is a fish tank with a hole in the bottom?” his father asked.  But Justin simply smiled and repeated his motto, “Never throw anything out, you never know when it might come in handy.”

When Justin was away from home, he always carried his blue backpack — a smaller bag of his bedroom — a place to store the many objects that he collected.  It was so worn and stretched that it hardly resembled a backpack anymore.

Justin had earned a reputation for figuring things out and getting people out of otherwise hopeless situations.  Many of his classmates and neighbors sought him out when they needed help with a problem.  On the first day of school, his friend Kenny, came looking for Justin.

“Do you think you have something in your backpack that could help me remember my locker combination (箱子密码)?”  he asked.  “I lost the piece of paper it was written on.  I have a science class in two minutes and if I’m late on the first day it’ll make me look bad for the rest of the year.”  Kenny looked really worried.

“Relax,” Justin said, taking his backpack off and opened it.  “Remember how you borrowed my notebook in my home to write the combination down?  Well, I know how I can recover what you wrote.”

He took the notebook and a soft lead pencil out of his backpack.  The page that Kenny had written on had left faint marks on another page in the notebook.  Justin held the pencil on its side and rubbed it lightly over the marks.  Slowly but surely the numbers of the locker combination appeared in white.

“That’ s amazing!”  Kenny said, “I owe you one.”  And he dashed off to open his locker.

It was just another day in the life of the boy whose motto was “Never throw anything out; you never know when it might come in handy.”

1.Why is Justin’s room in such a mess?

A. He always forgets to clean it.

B. He never throws anything out.

C. He has no time to clean it.

D. He shares the room with his brother.

2.In what way is Justin’s blue backpack used?

A. He uses it as a place to store collected objects.

B. He uses it to carry his books and sports equipment.

C. His parents tell him to clean it all the time.

D. He carries it to remind others of his ability.

3.The underlined phrase “pleaded with” means              .

A. ignored            B. asked            C. pushed        D. admired

4.How does Kenny feel toward Justin?

A. Annoyed         B. Disinterested       C. Grateful       D. Angry

 

As educators, we often never know the influence we have on our students. It is always wonderful to have ___35___ students visit us and share the successes they have achieved. And those glorious moments, when we can instantly see the influence we have on a student, fuel us to continue making connections hoping to ___36___ in the life of every child.

As a music teacher for twenty-seven years, I have always known that music ___37___ the soul. It can ___38___ all kinds of barriers to reach students in a very special way. It can be the ___39___ for each child to find their light. I would like to share a story about it.

For a few years I was blessed with the opportunity to teach ___40___ students one afternoon a week. One of my most ___41___ students was a five-year-old girl called Vanessa, who had difficulty walking, and could not speak. We ___42___ sat on the floor for our music lessons and Vanessa liked to sit on my lap. One of her favorite songs was “John the Rabbit.” It was a call and response song where I sang the call and the students ___43___ twice while singing the repeating phrase, “Oh, yes!” Vanessa liked to ___44___ her hands together with mine and clap with me. We probably performed that song during every class, Vanessa and I clapping together. But she ___45___ said or sang a word.

One day late in the school year, when the song was finished, Vanessa turned around, looked me dead in the eye, clapped her tiny hands twice and said the words “Oh, yes!” I opened my mouth in ___46___ and for that moment I was the one who could not speak. When my heart ___47___ started beating again, I looked over at the assistant teacher to find her also ___48___. Through music, we had made an awesome connection.

Several years later, I passed Vanessa on the street in town. I stopped my car and waved to say hello. She waved back with a big ___49___ on her face and then clapped her hands twice, imitating the song we had ___50___ so many times in our music class. This precious little girl, ___51___ her connection with music, left an impression on me that will last forever. Every child has the ___52___ to learn and grow. It is up to us as educators to ___53___ the way to reach each and every one of our students. We all must find each child’s ___54___.

【题文1】A. late            B. former           C. recent           D. present

【题文2】A. make it     B. make sense       C. make a mess      D. make a difference

1.A. touches        B. saves            C. abandons         D. feels

2.A. get across B. cut down         C. take over        D. break through

3.A. means      B. direction        C. process          D. companion

4.A. disabled       B. normal           C. outgoing         D. junior

5.A. awful      B. elegant          C. memorable        D. sensitive

6.A. partly     B. hardly           C. nearly           D. mostly

7.A. sang           B. whispered        C. yelled           D. clapped

8.A. strike     B. put              C. hit              D. shake

9.A. ever       B. never            C. still            D. even

10.A. horror        B. delight          C. astonishment     D. embarrassment

11.A. immediately   B. completely       C. slowly           D. finally

12.A. scared        B. breathless       C. speechless       D. clumsy

13.A. greeting      B. smile            C. expression       D. affection

14.A. performed B. operated         C. trained          D. recorded

15.A. upon          B. through          C. from             D. beyond

16.A. desire        B. talent           C. ability          D. urge

17.A. discover      B. change           C. test             D. make

18.A. strength      B. dream            C. light            D. dignity

 

Minimalism (简约主义) is a term that describes movements in various forms of art and design, especially visual art and music, where the work is reduced to its most basic features.

As for me, minimalism functions well not in art or design, but in my daily life.

When I was packing for university, I found it extremely difficult to let go of some of the things I owned. I knew I couldn’t take everything with me, but I kept asking myself “how could I possibly throw this away?”, “what if I need it one day?”, and “what about all of the memories?” Now that I’ve moved, and left that stuff behind, I don’t even miss it. Whether or not I got rid of it, it barely makes a bit of difference to me now.

I’ve learned that over time people forget, or their need for a particular object eventually disappears. Either they store it away or they get rid of it.

You might think nostalgically（怀旧的） about the toys you cared about when you were a child, but what is making you smile now is not the thing itself but the memory of it. 1’ve heard it a hundred times, “you don’t need things to make you happy.” It takes something life-changing like moving across the country to realize how true this is.

Speaking of which, for a lot of people, minimalism is about able to move. It’s about being able to go almost anywhere at any time because you don’t have many possessions to carry. When you keep things you don’t need they become a burden that ties you to a place. Moving to university was a good time to let go of a lot of stuff. And when I visit for the holidays, I’ll probably get rid of even more, to lighten the burden.

Of course there are exceptions. There are some things that are irreplaceable, very rare or expensive or we simply love and cherish for some reason or another, since we are humans. But after we keep those, how much is left that we don’t really need?

Hence, minimalism. And why does minimalism bring happiness? That was a bit of a roundabout way of saying that, it’s because what really makes me happy is freedom. And the key to freedom is minimalism because minimalism reduces our attachment to things.

Attachment to too many objects creates a great mess and can severely hold back our freedom to do whatever we want, while minimalism helps us start new projects, move, travel, learn new things, work, expand, be debt-free, be healthy – really living life to our full potential.

I left the nest to fly onwards and upwards, I can’t do it with old things weighing me down. And that is why I have adopted minimalism with open arms.

1.In paragraph l, the writer gives the definition of minimalism to      .

A．introduce a topic                       B．present his own idea

C．describe a scene                        D．offer an argument

2.Many people don’t want to let go of some of their belongings because       .

A．they haven’t had any life-changing experiences

B．they fear their memories will be gone with the thrown-away stuff

C．they hope to live life to their full potential by storing things away

D．they may have to change their lifestyle because of the loss of them

3.Which of the following is NOT the reason why the writer favors “minimalism” in life?                          

A．It takes the burden off her while she is moving.

B．It reduces her attachment to her personal things.

C．It enables her to gain the freedom that she desires.

D．It helps her to realize how true life is.

4.By saying “there are exceptions”, the writer means       

A．little is left if we keep what we cherish most in our life

B．minimalism should be practised accordingly in different situations

C．minimalism is a method difficult to employ in reality

D．life is full of exceptions so it’s difficult to preserve what we value

5.What’s the main idea of the passage?

A．Minimalism brings happiness.

B．Minimalism is applied in many fields.

C．Minimalism makes people think nostalgically.

D．Minimalism is about able to move.

 

The day was warm and the sun shone down like a new beginning on my life. I was waving goodbye to my son, the last one of my fledglings （刚会飞的鸟）to leave home and go to new woods, "University actually" . I felt so lighthearted after spending many years looking after my four children-cooking, washing, ironing, teaching them how to look after themselves and manage their finances-that I actually thought “At long last, freedom".

But, as I watched my last one leave, although it was a joyous occasion, I realized I had not really prepared for this day, I was too tied up with bringing up these adults of the future to realize that they would all leave the nest and lives independently.

At first I didn't know what "I" wanted to do. I tried a part time job, which ended in me running out in tears. I started a business making soft furnishings, but that didn't work either.  I grew my own veggies and fruit, which lasted 3 years, until I was advised by my doctor that my feet couldn't take any more "tools” driven through them. 

I began wondering if I had a future of my own. I cried for the life I was used to, and hadn't known or wanted anything different.

Then one day I saw an ad. For foster parents, I discussed it with my husband who was always behind everything I tried and with great disturbance, I rang up the number.

I now laugh and sing with my 14-year-old foster daughter, even when my cooker is a mess and my bathroom is a disaster area. I now know, 8 years later, what “I” was meant to be doing with all the spare hours, days, and weeks I had on my hands when my last fledgling flew the nest. The sun shines once again in my home.

1.How did the mother first feel when her last child went off to university?

A．Lonely.

B．Anxious.

C．Relieved.

D．Annoyed.

2.The underlined phrase “was tied up with” in the second paragraph means “        ”.

A．was occupied in	B．was associated with
C．was tired of	D．was addicted to

3.In the third paragraph, the poor mother did all the things just to         .

A．live a greener and healthier life

B．earn more money for her kids’ education

C．shift her attention and ease her anxiety

D．start her own decorating business

4.What did the empty-nested mother think of her husband?

A．Skilled

B．Supportive

C．Stubborn

D．Open-minded

5.Thanks to the foster daughter, the author         .

A．got rid of her busy work	B．forgot her other children
C．found a suitable job	D．knew what she really wanted

 

In some urban centers, workholism is so common that people do not consider it unusual: they accept the lifestyle as normal. Government workers in Washington D. C., for example, frequently work sixty to seventy hours a week. They don’t do this because they have to; they do it because they want to.

Workholism can be a serious problem. Because true workaholics (工作狂) would rather work than do anything else, they probably don’t know how to relax.

Is workholism always dangerous? Perhaps not. There are, certainly, people who work well under stress. Some studies show that many workaholics have great energy and interest in life. Their work is so pleasurable that they are actually very happy. For most workaholics, work and entertainment keep them busy and creative.

Why do workaholics enjoy their jobs so much? There are several advantages to work. Of course, it provides people with paychecks, and this is important. But it offers more than financial security. It provides people with self-confidence; they have a feeling of satisfaction when they’ve produced a challenging piece of work and are able to say, “I made that.” Psychologists claim that work gives people an identity through participation in work, they get a sense of self and individualism. In addition, most jobs provide people with a socially acceptable way to meet others. Perhaps some people are compulsive about their work, but their addiction seems to be a safe-even an advantageous-one.

1.The passage indicates that workaholics ______.

A．just know work but nothing else

B．are willing to work hard for long hours without pay

C．find their work provide them more satisfaction and self-confidence than how much they are paid

D．has the work with more responsibility than others

2.One of the reasons that some people are not willing to quit their jobs even in their eighties and nineties is that ______.

A. they are in the need of financial security

B. they would rather work than be disturbed by domestic affairs

C. they long for a sense of identity and being accomplished

C. they may have health problems from sheer boresom

3.This passage is mainly about ______.

A．workaholics are usually successful people, but their lives are in a mess

B．workholism can lead to serious problems but it can also create a joyful life

C．people who are absorbed in their work may enjoy movies, sports and other kinds of entertainment

D．those who work even under difficult conditions may be very happy

4.It can be inferred from the passage that ______.

A．in the eyes of all the common people workaholics are peculiar

B．to workaholics, work is the sole source of happiness

C．a piece of challenging work may provide the workaholics a sense of satisfaction

D．workaholics are as addicted to their job as other people are to drugs or alcohol