When people hear that I’m the youngest person to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean, they all have the same question: How did a 22-year old woman row a 19-foot boat for 70 days through high winds and crashing waves? Well, the biggest difficulty for me wasn’t physical. By the time I decided to do the ocean row, I had already biked 3,300 miles cross-country, run across the Mojave Desert, and swum the 325-mile length of the Allegheny River. No, the tough part would be mental: How would I handle the loneliness, the boredom of the vast sea?

I set off on January 3, 2010. I set my sights on getting past the quarter-way mark, which would take about 20 days.

Day 20, January 22, was gray and cloudy. I could have done something to celebrate, such as treating myself to a chocolate bar. But I didn’t.

I was suffering from terrible loneliness. I hadn’t seen landing over two weeks. Every day was beginning to feel the same. Eating, rowing, sleeping, watch the sky, watch the ocean.

Then, around sunset, I saw something move on the horizon. They were dolphins! They circled my boat. Suddenly I felt so grateful. They had come to help me celebrate, just when I needed them. I rowed at full strength for the next 20 minutes with the dolphins around. By the time we went our separate ways, I was no longer lonely. Better yet, I knew I would be okay.

I did make it, all 2,817 miles. I hit the coast of Guyana, South America, on March 14, after 70 days and five hours at sea. My ocean row raised $70,000 for the Blue Planet Run Foundation, which funds drinking water programs around the world. I know some athletes spend the entire journey imagining the end, and that helps them get through. But for me, the secret is to focus on the moment, where you experience the personal growth — those moments of awareness of being connected to the sun, the weather, and the waves. And, on the best day of my life, those dolphins, which freed myself from terrible loneliness.

1.Which is the step taken as part of preparation for the tough row?

A.swimming the 325-mile length of the river

B.answering the same question raised by people

C.running 3,300 miles cross-country

D.biking across the Mojave Desert

2.What does the underlined part mean?

A.I didn’t have any chocolate bar for energy.

B.I wasn’t in the mood to celebrate my first goal.

C.It’s a pity not to celebrate my passing the quarter of the way

D.It’s a pity not to treat myself to a chocolate bar on Day 20.

3.What can be implied from the last two paragraphs?

A.Imagination was an effective way to help me get through.

B.The Blue Planet Run Foundation helped me a lot.

C.The dolphins accompanied me to reach my destination

D.The unexpected dolphins swept away my loneliness

4.Which can be the best title of the passage?

A.The day I stopped being lonely

B.The only challenge for a 22-year old

C.How to overcome loneliness at sea.

D.How to row alone across the Atlantic

 

Welcome every morning with a smile. Let your first hour set the theme of success and positive action that is certain to echo through your entire day. Today will never happen again. Don’t waste it with a false start or no start at all. You were not born to fail.

Starting the day right can give good momentum (动力) for the rest of the day. Having a power morning is a key factor for a fruitful day. Here are some tips on getting the most out of the morning.

Wake up early. In theory, there’s no difference in waking up early or late as long as you get the proper amount of sleep. However, there is a psychological advantage when you wake up earlier than the average person and then you’ll have more time to do preparation before engaging in the real world.

Exercise. Good health is always a benefit with exercise, but studies have also shown that morning exercise helps you to sleep better at nights.

Eat breakfast. It’s the most important meal of the day. According to the Mayo Clinic, we should choose three from the following four: fruits and vegetables, grains, dairy, and protein. Did you know that you can actually gain weight when you skip breakfast?

Take a shower. When you shower, do you do it in the morning or at night? I used to shower in the evenings, but I found that morning showers helped me to be more alert.

Prioritize (优先) your To-Do list. Leo coined the acronym MIT to mean “most important tasks.” Our to-do list might be never ending, but put on top of the list a couple of urgent tasks that will define the day to be a successful one.

Check your emails. Only once. Getting a lot of emails can be very distractive. You actually are more productive when you check them only a few times at fixed time of the day. I only do them 2-3 times a day—once in the morning, once at lunch, and one more as it gets toward the end of the day.

1.The purpose for the author to write this passage is to       .

A.tell you to get up early every day

B.offer you the best way to start the day

C.give you advice about how to arrange a day

D.advise you to prioritize your to-do list every morning

2.If you don’t have breakfast, you may       .

A.lose weight.

B.be productive.

C.put on weight.

D.be more alert.

3.The underlined word “coined” in Paragraph 6 means       .

A.invented

B.designed

C.founded

D.defined

4.The author advises you to check your emails only once because       .

A.the emails are not important

B.reading e-mails is distractive

C.you can only read e-mails at fixed time

D.getting so many emails can distract your attention

 

阅读下面的材料,掌握其大意,然后在26 ~ 40各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中,选出最佳选项。

Once a man came to a wise man’s house and said, “ I have many bad habits. Which one of them should I give up first?” The wise man said, “Never tell lies __1__ always speak the truth.” The man _2_ to do so and went home.

At night the man was about to go out to steal. Before setting out, he _3__ for a moment about the promise he made to the wise man. “If he asks me where I have been, what shall I say? Shall I say I went out _4_? No, I cannot say that. But nor can I __5__. If I tell the truth, everyone will start _6__ me and call me a thief. I would be _7__ for stealing.” So the man __8__ not to steal that night, and gave up this bad habit.

Next day, he wanted to drink wine. When he was about to do so, he said to himself. “What shall I say to the wise man __9__ he asks me what I did during the day? I cannot tell a lie.” And so he gave up the _10__ of drinking wine.

In this __11__, whenever the man thought of doing something bad, he __12__ his promise to tell the truth at all times. One by one, he gave up all his bad habits and became a very __13__ person.

Telling the truth is a very good _14__. If you always tell the truth, you can save yourself from a lot of __15__ and become a person whom everyone likes and favors.

Make a promise: I shall always speak the truth.

1.A. so                            B. for                                C. and                     D. or

2.A. promised              B. happened                   C. settled               D. began

3.A. played                    B. drank                           C. thought             D. slept

4.A. walking                  B. stealing                       C. studying                      D. climbing

5.A. move                      B. say                                   C. lie                         D. help

6.A. hating                          B. catching                          C. killing                  D. believing

7.A. expected              B. hurt                              C. ignored               D. punished

8.A. decided                  B. forgot                           C. asked                 D. pretended

9.A. before                          B. since                            C. if                          D. as

10.A. idea                      B. word                            C. power                D. use

11.A. base                     B. way                               C. place                    D. wine

12.A. recognized      B. planned                        C. broke                  D. remembered

13. A. good                    B. strong                         C. rich                     D. calm

14. A. custom                 B. habit                            C. game                  D. hobby

15.A. tests                    B. hopes                          C. pleasure                     D. trouble

 

第三节:完形填空(共20小题;每小题1.5分,满分30分)

阅读下面短文,从短文后所给各题的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

I learned to play on a piano purchased at Grinnell Brothers in Detroit.My brothers and sisters were taking lessons and I  41  to play, too."You're  42  young,"I heard over and over.But when began playing my sister's   43  by heart from hearing her practice, they   44  me begin. I was four.  45   joy and comfort I found at those keys.If I had a rough day at school,I played ragtime hard and loud  46  my frustratio(挫折)was gone, then I calmed my self with Mozart until I was  47  to face the world. The day I lost my first child, and my dad was diagnosed with cancer,I played until I nearly  48  .There was a comfort in those keys.

That piano followed me everywhere.I taught hundreds of  49  and adults on the keys of my own piano in Taylor for over ten years. I  50  my home to a fire in 1998 and my piano was destroyed. I felt  51 I lost my oldest friend.

The insurance (保险) supplied the money to purchase  52  .My mother asked me every time she spoke to me, "Did you get another piano yet?" even when she struggled to call me by name. After she died in 1999, I  53  an envelope containing a gift certificate(礼券)to Hammell Music for a  54 .Mother made sure that I would get another piano, knowing I wouldn't do it  55   .

And so I purchased a Yamaha baby grand. Nearby hangs Mom and Dad's  56  . I play every day when I come home from work. I imagine my folks are in heaven,  57  and smiling. Every song is for them and the  58  goes on.

And although I miss my first piano, the new one is a(n)  59  that old things pass away and new life  60  .

41.A.planned B.allowed       C.begged D.dared

42.A.very       B.so C.not      D.too

43.A.lessons   B.piano   C.keys     D.text

44.A.permitted       B.promised     C.let       D.made

45.A.What a   B.What   C.How    D.How many

46.A.until       B.when   C.as soon as    D.after

47.A.likely     B.ready   C.discouraged D.afraid

48.A.dropped  B.went    C.came to       D.slept

49.A.people    B.students       C.boys    D.children

50.A.destroyed       B.left      C.lost      D.rebuilt

51.A.as though       B.even though C.even if D.though

52.A.the other B.another       C.a house       D.one

53.A.accepted B.gained  C.received      D.won

54.A.present   B.piano   C.house   D.sum of money

55.A.for myself     B.at all    C.any way      D.above all

56.A.bed B.clothing      C.portrait       D.name

57.A.crying    B.listening      C.singing D.playing

58.A.joy  B.piano   C.sadness D.friendship

59.A.book      B.reminder     C.equipment   D.instrument

60.A.disappears      B.remains       C.stops    D.begins

 

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