Society tells us that we should count our blessings, focus on all that we have and feel grateful for what we’ve been given. But there is nothing wrong with “healthy discontent”. In fact, healthy discontent is what motivates us to improve ourselves and our circumstances. Without this feeling, life’s easier to stand still.

I always have a certain level of discomfort. That discomfort drives me to work hard at my job. I don’t just want to remain where I am. Professionally, I want to keep getting better. Likewise, I always have a certain amount of discontent with my home. That drives me to always try to improve it by making it look better.

My feelings of discontent with my job and my home don’t mean that I don’t appreciate them. It’s an incredible blessing to be able to work and be paid for one’s efforts. Similarly, if you live in a safe place, with running water, heating, and air conditioning, you are incredibly fortunate. These are not the things to be taken for granted. However, we should be striving (力争) to improve.

If you happen to be good at playing the piano, you should work to continually improve your skills. The same holds true for our personal development. If you have areas in your personality that need improvement, you should work on them, too.

For instance, I can be very impatient. As a result, I work hard to try to conquer that flaw (缺点) by keeping my impatience to myself. When we feel discontent with ourselves, we have to be honest with ourselves.

It’s easy to make excuses for our bad behavior, but we need to face our discontent and say to ourselves, “I need to work on this.” This week, consider whether you have healthy discontent in your life. Have you become so settled in your life that you don’t see regular improvement?

Do you have a character flaw that you wish you didn’t have? Don’t ignore these things. Instead, take steps to address your areas of discontent and keep improving your life every day. No matter how great we think things are going, there’s always room for improvement.

【小题1】What is stressed in Paragraph 1?

A．The gratitude for what we have.

B．The importance of healthy discontent.

C．The lessons from society.

D．The easiness of standing still in life.

【小题2】Why does the author have feelings of discontent with his job and home?

A．He doesn’t treasure them.

B．He is particular about them.

C．He desires to improve them.

D．He is difficult to satisfy.

【小题3】What does the author advise you to do if you have personal flaws?

A．Leave them as they are.

B．Make efforts to overcome them.

C．Make excuses for them.

D．Be patient with ourselves.

【小题4】How does the author support his view mostly?

A．By listing some questions.

B．By telling his own experiences.

C．By analyzing various causes of healthy discontent.

D．By showing consequences of healthy discontent.

   When it comes to exercise，most of us fit into one of the two groups — those who keep a regular exercise habit and those who think about being more active but can’t seem to have a plan to do it consistently. Whatever your attitude to exercise，there’s another form of physical activity that many of us car-loving people can do to get enough movement in general.

Studies have shown that putting away your car and walking, biking or taking public transport to work can have a significant positive influence on your health by improving spirits, reducing body weight and lowering the risk of heart disease.

It’s not surprising that taking a bus or a train regularly leads to a more physically active lifestyle. Just think about what comes with using public transport. Those who travel to work without a car walk to stations, climb stairs, often stand while waiting for their bus or train, and then finally travel on foot or by bicycle to their destination. Such active transport can make up for the inactive time spent in work and school environments.

There’s no doubt that the improving public transport system in the city is influencing the way people work and live. But though the public transport system is improving, it is not within easy reach of everyone who would like to use it.

Bike-sharing programs are also growing in popularity（普及）and helping to bridge a gap in the crowded city public transport system. These programs allow users to easily book, ride and return a borrowed bike. Bike-sharing programs help people who might still need to travel some distance between the end of the bus or the underground line and their final destination. They also offer an opportunity to residents and visitors to travel freely around the city without being trapped in a car.

【小题1】What exercise does the author suggest for car-lovers?

A．Form a habit of taking exercise regularly.

B．Make a plan for exercise and take time for it.

C．Take a bus or a train and thus do some walking.

D．Live near the sports center for enough exercise.

【小题2】How can we make up for the inactive time we spend at work?

A．By taking public transport to work.

B．By taking a drive to the countryside for fresh air.

C．By climbing stairs and standing during breaks.

D．By making a plan for exercise and stick to it.

【小题3】What remains a disadvantage of public transport despite its improvement?

A．It’s too expensive and always comes late.

B．It’s too crowded and uncomfortable for travel.

C．It’s usually out of reach for most people.

D．Sometimes it can’t meet people’s demands.

【小题4】What can be known about bike-sharing programs?

A．They can prevent people from being trapped in accidents.

B．They help to improve the city’s public transport system.

C．They are beginning to replace public transport.

D．They are beginning to appear in some large crowded cities.

   So let’s say that you’re sitting at a restaurant and when your food arrives, you take one bite and decide that something is preventing you from taking a second bite. No matter what the reason is, this dish is going back to the kitchen, and now it’s up to you to find a way to send it back politely.

First of all, the single most important thing to do when you’re sending something back is to do it immediately. If you eat half the dish before sending it back, the server and kitchen will believe that you really don’t need to send it back.

If a dish is too salty that it cannot be eaten, you should first let the server know what the situation is, and they’ll take it back to the kitchen and bring you a new one. Remember that it is not the server’s fault, so don’t take it out on them. Also, don’t be afraid that they’ll get angry at you, or someone will spit (吐) in your food. It’s their job to make sure that you’re satisfied, and if the kitchen clearly makes a mistake the server will be frustrated with the kitchen, not with the diner who has been served an inedible meal. A new dish will be cooked, and nobody’s going to spit in it.

There is, however, one example when you are sending back a dish which will really annoy both the server and the kitchen. If you order a pasta dish that contains pancetta but then send it back to the kitchen because you’re a vegetarian (素食者) and don’t know what pancetta is, and then congratulations because you’re one of the most unbearable types of customers a restaurant can have. A perfectly good plate of food is just thrown out because you don’t ask what pancetta is before ordering.

So the bottom line: Use common sense if you think that you need to send your dish back. If the kitchen do something wrong, then they’re on the hook for a new plate of food. If you do something wrong, then hopefully you’ve learned a lesson.

【小题1】When the diners find something wrong with the dishes they ordered, they should __________ .

A．send them back immediately	B．eat half the dishes before sending them back
C．go back to the kitchen themselves	D．wait until the cook apologizes to them

【小题2】The underlined word “inedible” in Paragraph 3 can be replaced by “ __________”.

A．unbearable	B．unpleasant
C．tasteless	D．uneatable

【小题3】What will happen when you are sending back a dish owing to your own mistake?

A．You’ll be fined by the restaurant.

B．Your request will be refused immediately.

C．You’ll be forced to leave the restaurant.

D．Your food will be thrown out of the restaurant.

【小题4】The passage is intended to __________.

A．guide diners how to enjoy a good meal in a restaurant

B．introduce the best way to send back food in a restaurant

C．introduce the bottom line people should have in a restaurant

D．inform the diners of the most important things to do in a restaurant

阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。

Ariana caught another whiff(难闻的味道) and tried to hold her breath. She moved away slightly, but Ashley only moved closer and continued talking. Ariana felt trapped. She wanted badly to tell Ashley that she didn't smell very good. But how could she do that without hurting her feelings? Instead, she gathered the remains of her lunch to throw in the trash, thankful for the excuse to get some fresh air. She looked back to see Ashley eating quietly. Ashley's hair was tangled(乱糟糟的) , and her clothes were dirty. Ariana forced herself to go back to the table and take her seat, vowing(发誓) that she would not sit with Ashley tomorrow.

When Ariana got home from school, she complained to her mother, ''There's a girl named Ashley who likes to sit next to me in school, but she smells bad. ''

''She's probably having a tough day, '' said her mother.

''No, it's not just one day. She smells bad a lot, '' Ariana explained. ''Nobody else likes to sit next to her, either. ''

''I don't think you understand Ashley's situation, so let me ask you this..., '' Her mother's tone was serious. ''Who makes sure that your hair is combed every morning so you'll look nice when you go to school? ''

''You do, '' answered Ariana.

''Who makes sure you're bathed and cleaned every day? And your clothes are washed and neatly ironed? ''

''You and Daddy, '' Ariana said again.

''Do you live in a nice home? Do you have enough to eat? ''

Ariana nodded, beginning to feel guilty. She was starting to understand now. Ashley couldn’t help her situation because she was only seven years old—the same age as Ariana. Grown-ups are supposed to take care of kids.

''Why doesn't her family take better care of her? '' Ariana asked.

''Not all children live in the best situation, '' her mother said. ''The best thing you can do for Ashley is to treat her with kindness and sympathy. ''

注意：1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2. 应使用5个以上短文中标有下划线的关键词语；
3. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
4. 续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph 1:
Ariana bit her bottom lip. Sadness for Ashley filled her heart.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:
At the end of the school year, the second grade prepared to go on a field trip to the zoo.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A, B, C, 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。
As a general rule, all forms of activity lead to boredom when they are performed on a routine basis. As a matter of fact, we can see this ________at work in people of all _________. For example, on Christmas morning, children are excited about _______with their new toys. But their ________soon wear off and by January those_________toys can be found put away in the basement. The world is full of_________stamp albums and unfinished models, each standing as a monument to someone’s _________interest. When parents bring home a pet, their child________bathes it and brushes its fur. Within a short time, however, the_______of caring the animal is handed over to the parents. Adolescent enter high school with great_______but soon looking forward to________. The same is true of the young adults going to the college. And then, how many_________, who complain about the long drives to work, _________drove for hours at a time when they first_________  their drivers licenses? Before people retire, they usually  _______to do a lot of_____things, which never had _____while working. But ________after retirement, the golfing, the fishing , the reading and all of the other pastimes become as boring as the jobs they _______. And, like the child in January, they go searching for new_________.

【小题1】

A．principle B．habit C．way D．power

【小题2】

A．parties B．races C．countries D．ages

【小题3】

A．working B．living C．playing D．going

【小题4】

A．confidence B．interest C．anxiety D．sorrow

【小题5】

A．same B．extra C．funny D．expensive

【小题6】

A．well-organized B．colorfully-printed C．newly-collected D．half-filled

【小题7】

A．broad B．passing C．different D．main

【小题8】

A．silently B．impatiently C．gladly D．worriedly

【小题9】

A．promise B．burden C．right D．game

【小题10】

A．courage B．calmness C．confusion D．excitement

【小题11】

A．graduation B．independence C．responsibility D．success

【小题12】

A．children B．students C．adults D．retirees

【小题13】

A．carefully B．eagerly C．nervously D．bravely

【小题14】

A．required B．obtained C．noticed D．discovered

【小题15】

A．need B．learn C．start D．plan

【小题16】

A．great B．strange C．difficult D．correct

【小题17】

A．time B．money C．skills D．knowledge

【小题18】

A．only B．well C．even D．soon

【小题19】

A．lost B．choose C．left D．quit

【小题20】

A．pets B．toys C．friends D．colleagues