Adventure is in my blood. And I had been considering how I was going to ______ my high school graduation. I didn’t just want a small party in the backyard. I started thinking about doing a solo ______ somewhere out of the ordinary. I took out maps and drew the 1,500-mile route along which I would be ______ from the northernmost point in Norway to the southernmost section of Sweden. When I ______ my plans with my dad, he ______ as I thought he would. Because I get my ______ spirits from him, he was ______ it.
I had only been away from my home three days now, but there was an inner ______ going on inside of me. Part of me was ______ and doubting whether I ______ could make it. The other part of me was ready to ______ to myself and my family that I could do it by myself.
On the road, I met another bicyclist who was quite a bit older than I was. He had started his journey ______ by bike at the southern part of Norway and had just finished. I could tell he had a great sense of ______. It encouraged me not to ______.
As I listened to my ______ artists on my MP4 player, I pedaled (踩踏板) with my feet. There was ______ around me for miles. ______, that wasn’t entirely true. There were mosquitoes—millions of them. My arms were so dotted with ______ that they looked like a topographical map (地形图). But, however ______ it would be, nothing could stop my advance ______ the destination. As you know, adventure is in my blood.
1.A. celebrate B. finish C. spend D. organize
2.A. flight B. activity C. performance D. trip
3.A. walking B. flying C. biking D. jogging
4.A. provided B. shared C. exchanged D. compared
5.A. agreed B. sighed C. teased D. obtained
6.A. aggressive B. adventurous C. optimistic D. athletic
7.A. in fear of B. in charge of C. in favor of D. in need of
8.A. battle B. dilemma C. request D. discussion
9.A. stubborn B. ambitious C. homesick D. astonished
10.A. naturally B. really C. extremely D. obviously
11.A. submit B. turn C. prove D. adapt
12.A. alone B. practically C. patiently D. sincerely
13.A. humor B. direction C. balance D. satisfaction
14.A. calm down B. break down C. keep on D. give up
15.A. personal B. favourite C. professional D. grateful
16.A. nobody B. everybody C. anything D. everything
17.A. Simply B. Actually C. Eventually D. Fortunately
18.A. wounds B. cuts C. bites D. burns
19.A. boring B. confusing C. complex D. tough
20.A. from B. with 
C. in D. towards
If something that you’re doing doesn’t challenge you, then it doesn’t change you. We all need some normal stress in our lives, after all. 1. So challenge the following limits:
1. Figure out what you are scared of and do it continuously.
If you are a salesman, and you’re scared of talking to people personally or over the phone, now, instead of being scared and thinking you will fail, spend at least five minutes a day to pick up the phone and make a call. 2. But don’t stop on the first try! Eventually, you can look at fear in the eyes and say, “Go on, I’m not scared!”
2. Take a class for a hobby you’ve been wanting to develop.
Make sure this hobby is not linked to your career; you have to relax and relieve your stress while performing this. 3. Apart from helping you challenge yourself, taking a class for your hobby may also give you extra income.
3. Set aside at least nine minutes a day for physical exercise.
4. A simple 9-minute run around your neighborhood can do wonders for yourself. Exercise can not only help you maintain your regular weight, but also make you feel better about yourself.
4. 5.
Don’t just limit yourself to your fellow travelers—try to connect with the service staff. You never know what kind of people they’re going to be. Get out of your house or go online right now to book your class. Start to travel now and learn to challenge yourself.
A. You should do it continuously.
B. You don’t need to go to the gym.
C. Someone may make you disturbed.
D. Running in the gym may be a better choice.
E. Some examples might be cooking, sewing, painting and so on.
F. Travel and allow yourself to be interested in new people.
G. You can never see any improvement if you stick to your comfort zone.
In modern society there is a great deal of argument about competition. Some value it highly, believing that it is responsible for social progress and prosperity(繁荣). Others say that competition is bad; that it sets one person against another; that it leads to unfriendly relationship between people.
I have taught many children who held the belief that their self-worth relied on how well they performed at tennis and other skills. For them, playing well and winning are often life-and-death affairs. In their single-minded pursuit of success, the development of many other human qualities is sadly forgotten.
However, while some seem to be lost in the desire to succeed, others take an opposite attitude. In a culture which only values the winner and pays no attention to the ordinary players, they strongly blame competition. Among the most vocal are youngsters who have suffered under competitive pressures from their parents or society. Teaching these young people, I often observe in them a desire to fail. They seem to seek failure by not trying to win or achieve success. By not trying, they always have an excuse: “I may have lost, but it doesn’t matter because I really didn’t try.” What is not usually admitted by themselves is the belief that if they had really tried and lost, that would mean a lot. Such a loss would be a measure of their worth. Clearly, this belief is the same as that of true competitors who try to prove themselves. Both are based on the mistaken belief that one’s self-respect relies on how well one performs in comparison with others. Both are afraid of not being valued. Only as this basic and often troublesome fear begins to disappear can we discover a new meaning in competition.
1.Why do some people favor competition according to the passage?
A. It pushes society forward. B. It builds up a sense of duty.
C. It improves personal abilities. D. It encourages individual efforts.
2.The underlined phrase “the most vocal” in paragraph 3 means_____.
A. those who try their best to win
B. those who value competition most highly
C. those who are against competition most strongly
D. those who rely on others most for success
3.What is the similar belief of the true competition and those with a “desire to fail”?
A. One’s worth lies in his performance compared with others.
B. One’s success in competition needs great efforts.
C. One’s achievement is determined by his particular skills.
D. One’s success is based on how hard he has tried.
4.Which point of view may the author agree to?
A. Every effort should be paid back.
B. Competition should be encouraged.
C. Winning should be a life-and-death matter.
D. Fear of failure should be removed in competition.
In the dry Namib Desert on the west coast of Africa, one type of beetle has found a special way of surviving. When the morning arrives, the Namib Beetle collects water drops on its bumpy(起伏不平的) back, then lets the water roll down into its mouth, allowing it to drink in an area without flowing water.
Shreerang Chhatre wants to use what nature has developed to help the world’s poor. Chhatre is an engineer at MIT who works on fog harvesting, the equipment that, like the beetle, attracts water drops. This way, poor villagers could collect clean water near their homes, instead of spending hours carrying water from distant wells or rivers.
Access to water is a serious global issue. According to the World Health Organization and UNICEF, nearly 900 million people worldwide live without safe drinking water. The burden of finding and transporting water falls heavily on women and children. “As a middle-class person, I think it’s terrible that the poor have to spend hours a day walking just to obtain a basic necessity,” Chhatre says.
A fog-harvesting machine consists of a fence-like mesh panel(网状面板), which attracts drops, connected to containers into which water falls. Chhatre has improved the materials used in these machines. He is continuing his work at MIT Sloan and the Legaturn Center in order to develop a workable business plan for applying fog-harvesting machines.
Interest in fog harvesting dates back to the 1990s, and has increased since new research on the Namib Beetle became famous in 2001. A few technologists saw potential in the concept for people. One Canadian charitable organization, FogQuest, has tested projects in Chile and Guatemala.
But fog harvesting remains in its childhood, technologically and commercially, as Chhatre readily recognizes. “It still faces some open problems,” he says. “But it’s a work in progress.” After all, the water that fills our rivers and lakes comes from air.
1.Which of the following is TRUE of Shreerang Chhatre?
A. He is an African engineer.
B. He is researching on the Namib Beetle.
C. He has made the first fog-harvesting machines to use.
D. He is trying to put fog-harvesting machines to use.
2.Why is Namib Beetle mentioned in the passage?
A. To describe the severe conditions in Namib Desert.
B. To introduce the diversity of species in Namib Desert.
C. To inform how animal nature can be used to benefit people.
D. To raise the awareness of accessing clean drinking water in poor areas.
3.The underlined word “it” in the last paragraph refers to _________.
A. UNICEF B. the beetle
C. fog harvesting D. a Canadian charitable organization
4.The author’s main purpose in writing the text is to ________.
A. stress the importance of saving water
B. show the Namib Beetle’s special way of surviving
C. introduce a new machine for collecting water from air
D. inform people of the serious water problem in Africa
I was in my first year of college, making friends and enjoying life, but then my whole world turned upside down. I had a heart attack. It felt like some
one was stabbing(刺) me in the chest with a knife over and over again.
After three months of rest I went back to college, but then things took a turn for the worse. I was staying at my Nana’s house and woke up in the middle of the night with a terrible pain in my chest. I knew I was having a heart attack again.
I couldn’t even shout for help. Luckily my grandpa was going to the toilet and heard me falling out of bed. If it wasn’t for him, I probably wouldn’t be here.
The two holes in my heart were causing the problems and I needed an operation immediately to repair them. Unfortunately, the surgery didn’t go well and they only managed to repair one of the holes.
When I woke up from the operation, I had a really dry mouth and couldn’t wait to have something to eat and drink. The biggest shock of all came when I was told that I needed a heart transplant and was put on the register. The doctors were stunned(吃惊地) at how quickly heart failure came on—it usually takes years, but it took my heart less than six months to get to that stage. My whole world came crashing down, but I stayed strong. It was a choice between crying every day and getting on with my life.
As time went on, life became even harder. I hated feeling weak all the time and needing help with everything. It got to the point where I thought I would never get a new heart. I was diagnosed with depression.
Even though I thought that Christmas 2016 would be my last, I really enjoyed it and even had a good New Year. Everyone was crying for me when the clock struck midnight and they told me to keep fighting.
A week later, I got a call from the doctors saying they’d found a suitable donor(捐赠人). My wish came true and thankfully the operation went well. I spent four hours in surgery where they took out my old heart and put a new one in. When I woke up I burst out crying. I had a second chance of life.
1.What happened when the author was having his second heart attack?
A. He felt less pain than he had during the previous one.
B. He realized what it was and shouted for help in time.
C. He narrowly escaped death thanks to his grandfather.
D. He decided to have an operation to repair the two holes in his heart.
2.When the author learned that he needed a heart transplant, he ______.
A. couldn’t help crying every day
B. chose to continue to fight for his life
C. felt so depressed that he tried to kill himself
D. was anxious about his heart failure
3.After Christmas 2016, the author ______.
A. was convinced that the past Christmas had been his last
B. felt blessed and grateful for his second chance of life
C. received a heart transplant but the operation didn’t go well
D. felt hopeless all the time and was diagnosed with depression
4.Which one would be the best title for the text?
A. Choices Matter More Than Anything Else.
B. Rebuilding My College Life
C. Struggling to Have a New Life.
D. The Most Special Christmas
National parks across the USA offer visitors more than just hiking paths and points of interests. Park guests can now get to know their beautiful landscapes and rich histories in a whole new way with these adventure ideas.
• Golfing in Death Valley National Park
You’ve played the world’s best golf courses，but have you played the world’s lowest? Put the ball at the Furnace Creek Golf Course located in California’s remote Death Valley National Park. In addition to golf, the course also sets the stage for a horse-drawn carriage sightseeing offered through the resort’s Furnace Creek Stables.
• Luxury Camping in Yellowstone National Park
Want to experience sleeping under the stars? Far and Away Adventures serves up luxury-camping trips into Yellowstone National Park, covering States of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, complete with comfortable bedding and tents, delicious meals, and backcountry adventures. Guests are guided to a remote campsite along Yellowstone Lake by boat, and spend several days boating along its shores, fishing, and hiking among some of the park’s most original landscapes.
• Dog sledge in Denali National Park
Experience a dog sledge trip through one of the last wild frontiers(边疆), Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska. A team of dogs and experienced guides from EarthSong Lodge lead guests into the remote and calm land inside Alaska. Although day trips are available, multi-day sledge travels allow visitors to learn the art of dog dragging, not to mention enjoying grand views of Mt. McKinley.
• Canyon Vistas Mule Ride in Grand Canyon National Park
Take in the Grand Canyon, located in State of Arizona, by four-footed mule(骡子) for breathtaking views along the edge and into its depths. Mule rides have been offered at the Grand Canyon since 1887, and are a rich part of the canyon’s history. A new four-mile tour along the edge, the Canyon Mule Ride, takes approximately three hours to complete. Along the path, riders speak to the geologic shapes and human history of the area.
1.Among the national parks mentioned above, how many of them offer animal service for guests to enjoy beautiful natural scenery?
A. one B. two
C. three D. four
2.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The four national parks are located in different states of the USA.
B. In Death Valley National Park, guests can play the world’s best golf courses.
C. Of the four national parks, Yellowstone National Park covers the largest area.
D. Park visitors have recently been offered mule rides in Grand Canyon National Park.
3.If you are keen to learn about the geologic features of the park, you may choose to visit .
A. Death Valley National Park B. Yellowstone National Park
C. Denali National Park D. Grand Canyon National Park
