When I entered college, I took Professor Black's poetry class. Even though I finished every task and1no classes, I earned a “C” at the end of the term. Frustrated, I went to his office and asked in a low voice, my knees2, “Do I have any talent?” He was a kind person. He pushed his hair behind his ears3he was thinking. “Probably not,” he said4. “Thank you,” I said, feeling like a grafted (嫁接的) apple tree: part of me discouraged, another part5to accept it.

    The latter part led me to another poetry class by Professor White. This time, I earned an “A”. Professor White told me that6in his class earned an “A”. I was shocked. His7approach reminded me of Professor Black, from whom I learned teachers don't hold the keys to their students'8.

    Every human being is9born with talent. Some10souls are born with many talents. People are11to subjects they have a gift for,12nearly everyone in the writing class has writing talent.

    But no one can13whether or when talent will bloom (绽放) into art that others14as good. Some people bloom early, others late, some not at all. Artists must have enough15to make art, and trust their own pleasure in making it. It was really the faith in myself as well as the16in writing poems that helped me17many years of writing poems without being recognized.

    I've been teaching creative writing for more than 30 years. Students sometimes ask me, “Do I have talent?” I tell them my18, and say, “Of course you do. But just19writing no matter whether anyone approves (认可,赞成)-or even 20.”

    A few years ago, I took a sightseeing trip to Washington, DC. I saw many of our nation's treasures, and I also saw a lot of citizens on the street—unfortunate ones, like beggars and homeless folks.

    Standing outside the Ronald Reagan Center, I heard a voice ask. “Can you help me?” When I turned around, I saw an old blind woman with her hand extended. In a natural reflex (自然反射), I reached into my pocket, pulled out all of my loose change and placed it in her hand without even looking at her. I hated being disturbed by a beggar.

But the blind woman smiled and said: “I don't want your money. I just need help finding the post office.” In an instant, I realized what I had done. I had acted with prejudice (偏见)—I had judged another person simply for what I thought she had to be.

    I hated what I saw in myself. This incident brought back my central belief. It reminded me that I believed in being humble (卑下的), even though I'd lost that belief for a moment.

    The thing I had forgotten about myself is that I am an immigrant (移民). I left Honduras and arrived in the US at the age of 15. I started my new life with two suitcases, my brother, my sister and a strong mother. Through the years, I have been a dish washer, roofer, mechanic, cashier and pizza delivery driver, among many other humble jobs. Eventually, I became a network engineer.

In my own life, I have experienced many acts of prejudice. I remember a time at age 17—I was busboy (餐馆工), and I heard a father tell his little boy that if he did not do well in school, he would end up like me. I have also seen the same treatment of family and friends, so I know what it's like, and I should have known better.

    But now, living my American middle-class lifestyle, it is too easy to forget my past, to forget who I am and where I have been, and to lose sight of where I want to go. The blind woman cured me of my blindness. She reminded me of my belief in being humble, and to always keep my eyes and heart open.

    By the way, I helped that lady to the post office. And in writing this essay, I hope to thank her for the priceless lesson she gave me.

    If you have spent any time living in or visiting a big city in China, you have most likely used the service that Didi provides. The convenient ride-sharing company, now known as Didi Chuxing, was praised last month by Fortune magazine. According to the magazine, it is changing the world with its environmentally friendly solution to getting around in major cities. As the magazine reported: “Didi concluded that last year its car-pooling services helped reduce total car trips in the country by 1 million a day, which saved 500 million liters of gas, cutting 13.5 million tons of carbon emissions (排放) per day.” The transport service was the only Chinese company to make the important magazine's list, and its influence can be felt in many parts of Chinese society.

    Didi is just one example of what is being called the “sharing economy”. The sharing economy is one in which regular people exchange goods and services, usually using an online marketplace. Other similar companies include companies that allow people to rent out their homes to strangers like Airbnb and Couchsurfing, and similar ride sharing services like Uber and Lyft.

    All of these services are possible partly because many people are realizing that they have underused assets in their lives. Millions of people around the world have started renting them out online to earn extra money. They rent their apartments while they are away for the weekend, lend people their cars for money and even sell their spare time.

    The sharing economy is the latest example of the Internet's value to customers. This model is now big enough for regulators and companies to have woken up to it. That is a sign of its great potential. It is time to start caring about sharing.

    My youngest son Jack has begun to learn the cello (大提琴). Every night, he carefully gets his cello out of its case and begins practising. I won't lie; It's not pretty. While he's getting better every day, he has a long way from becoming the next Yo-Yo Ma.

    This led me to wonder what Yo-Yo Ma was like the first time he played the cello. Of course, we now know him as one of the most excellent artists in the world, but I'm sure that when he first tried, he wasn't much better than my son. I'm not suggesting that Jack is going to take the classical music world by storm one day. But he's got to start somewhere.

    Michael Jordan wasn't born playing basketball, but I'm sure that he had to start somewhere. Warren Buffett wasn't born making great investment choices, but he had to start somewhere. J. K. Rowling wasn't born a writer, but he had to start somewhere. Bruce Springsteen wasn't born a songwriter and performer, but he had to start somewhere. Each of these individuals is now famous as being at the top of their occupation. But when they first started, their skills would have been disappointing and their potential unrealized. It has taken years of hard work to realize their undoubted talents. But they had to start somewhere.

    I don't know what my kids are going to do with their lives, but they have a great opportunity to explore a wide range of experiences before focusing on one or two things that they can be crazy about and good at. It's my job as dad to encourage them not to be put off by their bad first efforts. Because everyone has to start somewhere.

    How to Prepare for an Exam

           There's no need to be tense (紧张的) or cram (死记硬背). By doing a couple simple things ahead you can ensure that you are confident and ready for anything that comes up on the test.

           After you have taken notes from studying all of your material including the book and your notes, use that information to make flash cards. Turn statements into questions

    Quiz yourself. Once everything is written down on flashcards, quiz yourself with the cards. Keep reviewing the questions that you get wrong until you get them right. You can carry flashcards around with you and quiz yourself when you're on the subway or riding in the car.       Definitely continue to quiz yourself until you get them all right.

    Do practice questions.       Practice doing the questions in the book that you were assigned for homework. Do extra questions in the back of the book. Re-do questions that you got wrong, and try to figure out why you got them wrong. Do practice questions until you feel more comfortable with subject matter.

    On the day of the exam, set your alarm at least two hours before the test. Scientists believe that a good night's rest is the key to better test scores. An hour and a half before the exam, start running through all the themes and sub-topics in your head. Like always, check your notes if you get stuck. Use your flashcards to help you commit all the tiny details to memory if they're not already memorized.       If you're given yourself enough time to study, you should feel well prepared and relaxed.

A. Goon a balanced diet.

B. Take exercise and keep it up.

C. Make flash cards.

D. This is especially helpful for subjects such as math.

E. You might quiz yourself for a half hour or so, then take a break

F. Stop studying at least 15 minutes before the exam, but an hour is preferable.

G. Preparing for an exam can be stressful and time-consuming, but it doesn't have to be.

A Bite of China

    No trip would be complete without experiencing the local food culture. Actually, China has various kinds of delicious food,       (include) a wide variety of local snacks (小吃).

    Without a doubt, for the majority of the foreigners I contacted, and myself included, Peking Duck, Dim Sum, Mongolian Hot Pot were the favorite Chinese        (dish). China is a place       the food is not only delicious, but the        (cheap) I've ever found.

      my last night in Beijing before returning to the States, I went to a Peking Duck restaurant that had been suggested for me to try. What a beautiful place! Splendid woodblock prints on the walls, fresh flowers in the vases on the table,       (attract) silverware (镀银餐具) and beautiful chopsticks. I was handed        menu and found most of the prices      (be) especially low for the high quality of the food. The duck came in whole or half, along with all the little decorations that you know if you've ever eaten Peking duck—a little tortilla (玉米饼) to put the sliced duck and vegetables in chopped onion, sauce.

    Anyway, I ended up ordering a whole duck and thought I'd just take the rest back to my hotel      (eat) later if I couldn't finish it. Unbelievably, in the end there was none of the whole duck      (leave) on the plate. Umm, yummy!

注意：1.词数80左右；2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；3.开头语和结束语已为你写好，不计入总词数。

Dear Li Yue,

Yours truly,

Li Hua

    In 1989, fresh out of high school, I had the difficult task of choosing a career path before college started in three months. In those days in Pakistan, there were limited options (选择): becoming a doctor or an engineer, or entering the financial world after getting a business degree. I wasn't interested in engineering, so that I was left with medicine or business. I couldn't decide.

    My uncle, one of the ciders in the family, suggested that I do a work placement to experience it for a month in an international company followed by a month in a hospital. After that, I could make a decision. It seemed like a brilliant idea.

    I was accepted for a month's placement at a foreign bank in Karachi. I got a feel for how the world of finance functioned, made new friends, and generally enjoyed the mostly easy-going work surroundings.

    The month passed rapidly, and soon I began working at a leading hospital in Karachi. The experience couldn't have been more different. The hospital had an intense (紧张的) environment. The days started early (at 7 am, compared to 9 am at the bank), and were filled with endless duties. And the night calls! This was crazy, working all day, through the night, and again the next day.

    I began thinking about my two experiences. The bank had offered a more relaxing atmosphere, better working hours and less stress. The hospital was full of excitement and unpredictability, but the studying and training was difficult. It seemed that the business option was going to win out.

    Near the end of my month at the hospital, I was driving home after an especially busy night call. In front of me was a public bus, with college students sitting on the top. As the driver weaved through (穿梭) traffic, I could see the boys shaking from side to side.

注意：⒈所续写短文的词数应为150词左右；

⒉应使用5个以上短文中标有下划线的关键词语；

⒊续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；

⒋续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。

Paragraph 1: Suddenly, a boy fell off the back of the bus.        ▲              .

Paragraph 2: The next day, when I went to hospital to see the boy, all his family got up, with grateful smiles on their faces.            ▲                   .