主題語境5：日常生活

本刊試題研究中心

Ⅰ. 閱讀理解

My PhD adviser called me into his office,saying I needn't bring my notebook. After 15 minutes of listing my positive things, he looked me in the eye and said, “You are fired from the lab.”

I had moved to Israel from my native India the year before, excited to experience a new culture and study for a PhD. At first things went well in my new lab. Then, 3 months before I was fired, I ran into some problems. I made a few mistakes in the lab that slowed my research, but I wasn't aware that my adviser noticed them, and he never spoke to me about any concerns. I'm still not sure why he fired me, but I guess it was because of those mistakes. He wasn't confident that I could complete my research in time as we'd planned.

The first few days after I was fired were especially difficult. I spent hours staring at my computer screen, unable to get anything done.One day all I could do was sit on a beach, crying. I tried to change his mind with promising results, but he stuck to his decision. I could not break the news to my family in India, as the fear of disappointing them would overwhelm（壓垮）me.I soon got into a state of sadness and anxiety.Meanwhile, the date for me to leave the country was drawing near, as my visa required me to be registered as a student. I was lonely and without hope.

Around that time, I watched Dasvidaniya, a Hollywood movie that's about a man who has 3 months to live. One line from the movie stuck out to me:“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade（檸檬水）.” What kind of “lemonade”could I make out of my present situation? My desire to complete a PhD was never in doubt.After much reflection, I told myself that one failed attempt was not the end of the world, and that I needed to give it another try. With renewed confidence, I emailed expected advisers and applied to other programs. Within 2 months,I landed an offer from a PhD program in Italy. I accepted it and relocated to Europe, happy that my goal of completing a PhD was alive once again.

I'm thankful that I didn't give up on my dream and that I found another professor willing to take me on.

1. What is paragraph 2 mainly about?

A. The personality of the adviser.

B. The author's problems in study.

C. The possible reason for the author's being fired.

D. The author's difficulty in adapting to a new culture.

2. What did the author do after being fired?

A. He applied for a new visa.

B. He got addicted to computer games.

C. He tried to change the adviser's mind.

D. He shared the news with his family in India.

3. What kind of “lemonade” did the author make out of the difficult situation?

A. Persuading the adviser to let him stay.

B. Being responsible for different programs.

C. Holding the belief to get a doctor's degree.

D. Getting accepted by another PhD program.

4. What lesson can we learn from the story?A. Direction is more important than effort.

B. Turn to movies for comfort when in trouble.

C. A doctor's degree is important for the future.

D. Difficulties in life can be turned into something positive.

Ⅱ. 補全信息

How to realize your true potential

Every human being, regardless of race, sex,or any other characteristic, everyone has the incredible capacity to realize their potential_1__,there are several steps you can make on your path to this realization.

Determine your core values. In order to realize your full potential, you must know and live according to your core values. ______2_.Studies suggest that you will find your life more meaningful, and feel a deeper sense of happiness, if you live a life that is in line with what's the most important to you.

____3_. Once you have a good idea of your core values and what areas of your life could be,take some time to decide your true potential. Is it personal improvement or more success in your career?

Be patient and kind to yourself. ____4_.More importantly, it will take self-compassion.Acknowledge your strengths and skills as well as the areas in which you need to grow. Honor the efforts you make each day toward realizing your true potential.

Find areas that do not agree with your values. If you don't feel like you're living up to your true potential, it could be because parts of your life are currently not up to your core values.__5__.

A. If you take it for granted

B. Though it will be no easy task

C.Decide what your true potential looks like

D. Determine whether you have set up your final goals

E. Achieving your true potential will take time and effort

F. So see whether these are areas in which you like to change

G. These are the things that shape how you view yourself, others, and the world around you

Ⅲ. 語法填空

For some people, choosing to be scared can be fun. Going through a haunted house (鬼屋)might make 1.___________(they) scream, and then laugh! Dr Margee Kerr, a sociologist, has seen a lot of people 2.__________(thrill) to be scared.

“Some people like to be scared because they like the way their body changes,” she says.“Think of 3._________your heart pounds when you're going to a birthday party. Some feel that same kind of 4.___________(excite) when they watch a scary movie or go on a thrill ride.”

For others, that feeling takes their mind off their worries. “When we're scared, our attention 5._________(shift) to the present moment,” Dr Kerr says. “You're 6._________(probable) not thinking about your homework that's due next week when you're playing a game of hide-andseek.”

Fear is 7._________tool that the brain uses to keep the body safe. It urges a person 8._________(hide), run away, or defend oneself.9._________(fast) heartbeat and breathing send more blood and oxygen to the muscles so they're ready when they're needed. Our memories also help protect us and experiences can lead to long-lasting fears that may stop a person 10._________trying new things.

Ⅳ. 讀后續寫

閱讀下面材料，根據其內容和所給段落開頭語續寫兩段，使之構成一篇完整的短文。

When my family moved to the United States from Colombia, I was 9 years old and knew little about English. As time passed,teachers finally knew all of their students and and everyone began to adapt to the life, except for me. No one called out my name, and no one seemed to know I existed. I spent the next month in my new classroom quietly. I felt that fear, loneliness and sadness came over me.

The school never cared that I didn't speak English, but something else was teaching me English. Every morning when my aunt drove me to school and picked me up, she always had 106.7 Light FM (私家車廣播) on. It was this station that introduced my young ears to the English sounds.

Because of Sabrina the Teenage Witch, I learned the difference between “witch” and“which”. While watching the TV show South Park, I was attracted by the funny characters. In fact, thanks to pop culture, the world of English became available to me while it was being turned down at school.

I also learned how to express my emotions thanks to pop culture. One day at school, we were taking a math quiz and the whole class was quiet. Suddenly, the tip of my pencil broke and I yelled, “My Jesus! ” Everyone held their breath in surprise and I laughed to myself because something at that moment told me I had just learned my first bad words in English.

注意：

1. 所續寫短文的詞數應為150 左右；

2. 續寫部分分為兩段，每段的開頭語已為你寫好。

Paragraph 1:

I appeared to be embarrassed at that moment, but in my heart I felt happy.__________

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Paragraph 2:

Four months passed before the school placed me into an English as a Second Language program.__________________________

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