Once, as a young man full of exuberant fancy, I undertook to draw up a catalogue of the acknowledged “goods” of life. As other men sometimes tabulate lists of ______（1）they own or would like to own, I ______（2）my inventory of earthly ______（3）: health, love, beauty, talent, power, riches, and fame.
When my catalogue was completed I proudly______（4）it to a wise elder who had been the______（5）and spiritual model of my youth. Perhaps I was trying to______（6）him with my precocious wisdom. Anyway, I handed him the list. “This”, I told him______（7）.“is the sum of mortal goods. Could a man______（8）them all, he would be as a god.”
At the corners of my friend’s old eyes, I saw______（9）of amusement gathering in a patient net. “An excellent list,” he said,______（10）it thoughtfully, “well digested in contented and set down in not-unresonable______（11）. But it appears, my young friend, that you have omitted the most important______（12）of all.You have forgotten the one ingredient, lacking which each possession______（13）a hideous torment.”
“And______（14）,” I asked, peppering my voice with truculence, “is that missing ingredient?” With a pencil stub he crossed out my______（15）schedule. Then, having demolished my adolescent dream structure at a single______（16）, he wrote down three syllables: peace of mind. This is the gift that God______（17）for His special Proteges.” he said.
Talent and beauty He gives to many. Wealth is commonplace, fame not______（18）. But peace of mind – that is His final guerdon of approval, the fondest insignia of His love. He bestows it charily. Most men are______（19）blessed with it; others wait all their lives—yes, far into advanced age—for this gift to descend______（20）them.
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TEXT 1
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It boasts vibrant cities, beautiful countryside, incredible wildlife and some of the best wine in the world.So, it’s certainly easy to see why South Africa can offer the perfect holiday for everyone.And who better to show you exactly why you should book your next getaway to this awe-inspiring country more than the locals who know it best?
Whether you’re looking for a cultural city break, an action-packed adventure or getting up close and personal with Mother Nature herself – these are the people who can help you get the most out of a South African sojourn.
Thoko Jili takes tourists on a tour of Zulu culture in an area called the Valley of a Thousand Hills, which sits close to Durban.Here, you can eat traditional Zulu food, sing with the locals and even drink their traditional beer, umqombothi.
Thoko believes that there is no community with the same warmth as the Zulu people and it’s a place where tourists get to discover the real South Africa.
South Africa is famous for its safaris, but for Alison Towner, its ocean life is just as rich. Cruising around the Dyer Island system off the tip of the country, visitors get the opportunity to see the marine big five – the great white shark, African penguins, southern right whales, cape fur seals and dolphins. But for the more adventurous, Alison recommends shark cage diving for an unforgettable – and terrifyingly invigorating – swim on the wild side.
Tour guide David Quihampton takes visitors of South Africa’s Panorama route, which encompasses stunning scenery such as Blyde River Canyon and Libson Falls.And what makes it so special for David is that the route is home to so many diverse cultures, each with their own unique characters.One of the hikes he recommends is to the lookout, God’s Window, when on a clear day, you can see Mozambique.
For South African local Siseko Yelani, the Wild Coast on the country’s Eastern Cape is unparalleled when it comes to outstanding unspoiled natural beauty – and is the perfect place for horse-riding, hiking or fishing.
He suggests trekking through indigenous forests, sailing through the Transkei Gates Gorge and watching mesmerising natural sea arch the Hole in the Wall at Coffee Bay as Eastern Cape experiences you must tick off your trip’s to-do list.
But Siseko believes that’s it’s the local people who will make you want to go back again, saying: “You get to interact with friendly locals who might even show you where the next pub in the village is.”
Growing up in a South African township, chef Abigail Mbalo knows all about nostalgic local cuisine.And that’s why the winner of South Africa’s MasterChef has opened the 4Roomed Ekasi Culture restaurant in a Cape Town township, serving up her take on the country’s classic dishes.
From the passage，we can learn that “umqombothi” is the name of______.
In the eyes of Alison Towner，______.
According to the passage,on Wild Coast tourists can do all of the following activities, except ____.
Which of the following statements about Abigail Mbalo is NOT TRUE?（ ）
In which column of a newspaper can you most probably read this article?（ ）
TEXT 2（26-30）
We’re reading a book or opening an envelope when, all of a sudden, there’s a sharp pain on our finger.You see a little bit of blood and realize you’ve just gotten a paper cut.
Dr Hayley Goldbach, a resident dermatologist at UCLA Health，explained that one reason paper cuts hurt so much is where they occur: primarily on the finger. “We have nerve endings all over the body,” she said. “In places where there is refined movement and sensation — like the lips or tips of the fingers — they have a high density of nerve endings.” These nerve endings are known as nociceptors and they send signals to the brain about things that could cause a break in the skin, such as extreme hot or cold temperatures and chemicals.
Another reason why paper cuts hurt so much is that you’re using your hands throughout the day.”You often get paper cuts on the pad or the tip of the finger, “said Dr Goldbach. “It’s hard not to use your hands, so there’s constant pressure on the wound without a chance for it to heal.”
The paper itself is another reason why these superficial cuts leave us in so much pain. “Paper is quite sharp, jagged — it’s a bit of serrated edge,” said Dr Goldbach. “It cuts you pretty quickly before you have the chance to realize it.”This, in turn, leaves behind a cut that is jagged rather than smooth.
“Paper can contain fibers that are inflammatory, which is why it’s important to run the cut under water and wash it with a little soap,” Dr Goldbach added. Additionally, paper cuts are quite shallow, which makes them even more annoying to deal with.When the body has a deep cut, blood clots to prevent bleeding and then a scab forms to protect it.But paper creates cuts deep enough to reach the nociceptors but not deep enough to trigger the clotting mechanism, meaning it takes longer for new skin to replace the dead cells.
Dr Goldbach also added that because we don’t expect to hurt ourselves while working with paper,the surprise of cuts leaves us in further pain.”We tend to be careful with a knife — you’re being careful on purpose because you know there’s a danger,” said Dr Goldbach.While we’re careful with knives, we’re not so careful with paper.
If you do get a paper cut, Dr Golbach recommends washing it with soap and water and putting a band-aid on it.”You want to make sure it’s clean and covered to prevent re-traumatizing it,” she said.Dr Goldbach also suggests to not believe the old wives’ tale that claims cuts heal faster if left uncovered because they form scabs.She says wounds that are kept moist under a bandage will be less painful and will replace the damaged skin cells more quickly with new ones.
Dr Goldbach added that paper cuts don’t have high rates of infection — in fact, it happens so rarely that there are no available statistics — but warns that there are situations in which you should seek medical attention. “If it’s red, if there’s drainage, it looks contaminated or infected, see a doctor immediately,” she warned.
When you get a paper cut out the fingertip, _____.
According to Paragraph 4 and 5,which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?（ ）
In paragraph 6, Dr Goldbach cmphasizes that ____can cause paper cuts to hurt more than other cuts .
In order to make sure the paper cut heals quickly,Dr Goldbach does not recommend _____.
In which of the following situations,you need to seek medical attention?（ ）
TEXT 3 (31-35)
On a balmy winter day，Klaas Einte Adema lugged his ice skates from car to rink to continue his training for a race that might never come. The 36-year-old has spent the better part of his adult life doing this — showing up at the rink six days a week, skating laps, honing technique and waiting for the weather to someday cooperate.
“When it’s coming, I’m ready,” he says of the country’s most storied and near-mythical sporting event.
The Elfstedentocht translates to “eleven cities tour.” It’s an ice skating race that measures about 135 miles and takes place on the canals that connect the 11 cities in the Friesland province of the Netherlands. The 110-year-old event is wildly popular — the next race is expected to attract 26,000 participants, 2 million spectators and 3,000 journalists and will surely draw the attention of nearly every person in the country — largely because of the long wait and grim forecast associated with it.
The race only takes place when conditions allow; when extreme winter bowls over the region, the temperatures drop, and the canals freeze over. But the Netherlands is no longer a romantic wintry wonderland, and there hasn’t been an Elfstedentocht since 1997, marking the longest drought ever between races. Climate change has endangered the race and is slowly dousing hopes across the province.
The threats that climate change poses to the sports world are not theoretical, and they aren’t all looming far down the road. Scientists, sports enthusiasts and event organizers around the globe have already noticed an impact, from changes in the ocean that affect water sports and fishing, to extreme heat that has taken a toll on event scheduling and athlete training, to rising sea levels and intensifying storms that endanger communities and livelihoods.
In places such as Leeuwarden and the 10 other cities in Friesland, the toll can be seen in daily life. For generations, children have grown up on a pair of thin steel blades. Many still learn to skate, but they do it almost exclusively indoors. Einte Adema brought his 18-month-old daughter to the rink a few weeks back, not long after she had mastered walking.
“Ice skating is so big here, when it gets below zero, you have lots of water and everybody’s crazy,” he says. “Everybody wants to skate. You meet people on the water, on the ice; it’s just beautiful.”
The Elfstedentocht is more than a race, just as ice skating here is more than a sport. It’s woven into the cultural fabric, a time-honored part of daily life in this region. The canals connect cities and skating outdoors connects people, so when the canals fail to freeze, something is lost.
Einte Adema feels his family’s roots are intertwined with skating and the Elfstedentocht. His father skated in the arduous race twice. His grandfather did it three times. “I hope I can ride one in my lifetime,” Einte Adema says.
But as he waits for an Elfstedentocht that might never come, he also knows his daughter’s childhood will be different than his own. The canals, lakes and dikes won’t turn into impromptu community gatherings. Neighbors won’t gather on the ice and mingle with soup, hot chocolate and warm adult beverages. Not only are the people here fearful of losing a storied race, but they sense a cherished slice of their culture is melting away.
From the passage, we can infer that Klaas Einte Adema might be______.
Which of the following statements about the Elfstedentocht is NOT TRUE?（ ）
The underlined phrase “down the road” in Paragraph 5 probably means______.
The impacts that climate change poses on sports world do not include______ .
In the eyes of people in Friesland, the Elfstedentocht______ .
The traditional Chinese Longtaitou Festival, or Dragon Head Raising Festival, falls on the second day of the second lunar month every year, and recognizes the start of spring and farming.This year it falls on March 8. Ancient people believed that（36）______this day, rainfall increases（37）______the rain-bringing Dragon King（38）______(wake) from his winter sleep. A well-known phrase（39）______(go), ” Er yue er,long tai tou,” meaning, “On the second day of the second month, the dragon lifts his head.” The festival celebrates ancient agrarian Chinese culture,and while some of traditional ways to celebrate it are no longer in practice,others persist.
The most famous tradition is getting a haircut. Some believe that going to the barber on this day gets rid（40）______bad luck, while（41）______believe getting a haircut during the first month of the lunar calendar brings bad luck. Another saying warns that cutting your hair in the first month will cause your uncle（42）______(die). Although today few pay attention to it,it was once tradition to line（43）______outside barber shops on the day of Longtaitou.（44）______(have) avoided haircuts for the preceding month.
People eat toufu balls in East China’s Fujian province during the festival,and often make tofu and vegetable balls to pray for family and business.（45）______(Fry) beans are the traditional festival fare for people in parts of Shandong province.
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人在学本事、长见识的过程中，舒适有时候反而是一种障碍。有的家长发现孩子每天没少做题，成绩却不见长，仔细检查发现，孩子做的都是自己会的那几种，表面看数量不少，其实在不断重复“1+1=2”，在自己驾轻就熟的领域待着，不想再费劲向前了，这种学习，很难进步。
请以“comfort zone”为话题，自选角度，自拟标题，写一篇英语作文。
要求：
（1）观点明确，条理清晰，结构完整，语言流畅；
（2）词数：200词左右。
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