I used to be a very self-centered person, but in the past two years I have really changed. I have started to think about other people 21 I think about myself. I am happy that I am becoming a 22 person:
I think my 23 started when I was at Palomar College. At first, I just wanted to get my 24 , and be left alone. I thought I was smarter than everyone else, so I hardly ever 25 to anyone in my classes. By the end of my first semester, I was really 26 . It seemed as if everyone but me had made friends and was having fun. So I tried a(n) 27 . I started asking people around me how they were doing, and if they were having trouble I 28 to help. That was really a big 29 for me. By the end of the year, I had several new friends, and two of 30 are still my best friends today.
A bigger cause of my new 31 , however, came when I took a part-time job at a Vista Nursing Home. One old lady there who had Alzheimer s disease became my 32 . Every time I came into her room, she was so 33 because she thought I was her daughter. Her real daughter never 34 her, so I took her place. She let me 35 . That making others feel good make me feel good, too. When she died, I was 36 , but I was very grateful to her.
I think I am a much 37 , person today than I used to be, and I hope I will not 38 these experiences. They have 39 e to care about other people more than about myself. 40 who I am today, and I could not say that a few years ago.
21．A．since B．before C．or D．unless
22．A．famous B．simple C．different D．skilled
23．A．education B．career C．tour D．change
24．A．balance B．homework C．degree D．interest
25．A．talked B．wrote C．lied D．reported
26．A．careful B．lonely C．curious D．guilty
27．A．argument B．game C．experiment D．defence
28．A．dared B．offered C．hesitated D．happened
29．A．dream B．problem C．duty D．step
30．A．us B．which C．them D．whom
31．A．attitude B．hobby C．hope D．luck
32．A．friend B．partner C．guide D．guest
33．A．polite B．happy C．strange D．confident
34．A．bothered B．answered C．visited D．trusted
35．A．explain B．guess C．declare D．see
36．A．homeless B．heart broken C．bad-tempered D．hopeless
37．A．quieter B．busier C．better D．richer
38．A．forget B．face C．improve D．analyze
39．A．forced B．preferred C．ordered D．taught
40．A．miss B．like C．wonder D．expect
21．B
22．C
23．D
24．C
25．A
26．B
27．C
28．B
29．D
30．C
31．A
32．A
33．B
34．C
35．D
36．B
37．C
38．A
39．D
40．B
【分析】
作者讲述了自己从一个自私的人变成现在能为他人着想的人的感受和过程。上大学时一心只想着拿学位而拼搏，结果一个朋友都没有，感到很孤单。后来作者在Vista 护理之家，结识了一位改变了她、把她当作女儿的重病缠身的老妇人。老人告诉她：只有别人感到高兴自己才快乐。
21．B 考查连词辨析。A. since自从；B. before在……之前；C. or或者；D. unless除非。before在……之前，表示的含义是在考虑自己之前先考虑别人，对应前边的改变自我为中心。故选B。
22．C 考查形容词辨析。A. famous著名的；B. simple简单的；C. different不同的；D. skilled有技巧的。句意：做出改变，变成了不同于以前的人。故选C。
23．考查名词辨析。A. education教育；B. career事业；C. tour旅行；D. change变化。我想我是在帕洛玛学院的时候开始改变的。改变这个词贯穿全文。故选D。
24．考查名词辨析。A. balance平衡；B. homework家庭作业；C. degree级别；D. interest兴趣。上大学的目的，就是为了得学位，所以作者一开始，就只是为了拿学位。故选C。
25．考查动词辨析。A. talked谈论；B. wrote写；C. lied说谎；D. reported报道。talk to sb.和某人谈话，由上句I thought I was smarter than everyone else,可知，作者自恃清高，看不起别人，因而也不与人说话交流。故选A。
26．考查形容词辨析。A. careful细心的；B. lonely孤独的；curious好奇的；guilty犯罪的。孤独的，没有朋友，正好对应下文的It seemed as if everyone but me had made friends and was having fun.故选B。
27．考查名词辨析。A. argument争论；B. game运动；C. experiment实验；D. defense防御。对应下文开始做的事情。根据下文I started asking people around me how they were doing, and if they were having trouble I 8 to help.可知，作者这样做，是一个尝试。故选C。
28． 考查动词辨析。A. dared敢；B. offered提供；C. hesitated犹豫；D. happened发生。根据前一句if they were having trouble可推知，作者是愿意提供帮助的。offer to do sth表示主动提出做某件事情，更能体现出想改变的决心。故选B。
29．考查名词辨析。A. dream梦想；B. problem问题；C. duty责任；D. step台阶、步骤。表示一种进步。紧接着，对应下文的具体的进步之处。故选D。
30．考查代词辨析。A. us我们；B. which哪个；C. them他们；D. whom谁，who的宾格。这是一个由and连接的并列句，前后都是一个简单句，后半句中表达“其中有两人”，所以用two of them。故选C。
31．考查名词辨析。A. attitude态度；B. hobby爱好；C. hope希望；D. luck幸运。由首句可知，作者之前是个self-centered person，通过一次经历发生了变化并对比自己的今昔，所以可得出是attitude（态度）的变化。故选A。
32．考查名词词义辨析。A. friend朋友；B. partner伙伴；C. guide向导；D. guest客人。作者去敬老院做兼职，与老人之间成了朋友。故选A。
33．考查形容词词义辨析。A. polite礼貌；B. happy快乐；C. strange奇怪；D. confident自信。通过空格后面because she thought I was her daughter可推测出old lady是非常高兴的。故选B。
34．考查动词词义辨析。A. bothered打扰；B. answered回答；C. visited参观；D. trusted信任。通过文中信息得知old lady是一个病人，可知她真正的女儿从来都不看望她。故选C。
35．考查动词词义辨析。A. explain解释；B.guess猜测；C. declare宣称；D. see明白；理解。由后边句子making others feel good make me feel good, too可知，老人使作者明白了一个道理。故选D。
36．由句意可知，当她去世的时候，“我”非常伤心（heartbroken）。homeless 意为“无家可归的”，bad-tempered 意为“坏脾气的”，hopeless 意为“没有希望的”，均不符合语境。故正确答案为B。
37．结合上文可知，“我”以前是一个过于以自我为中心的人，现在“我”懂得了关心别人，因此比起以前，“我”觉得自己变得更好（better）了。quiet 意为“安静的”，busy 意为“繁忙的”，rich 意为“富裕的”，均不符合文意。故正确答案为C。
38．考查动词词义辨析。A. forget忘记；B. face面对；C. improve改进；D. analyze分析。作者通过这次的experience发生了好的变化，可推测作者想记住这次经历，所以选will not forget,其他均不符合语境。故选A。
39．考查动词词义辨析。A. forced强迫；B. preferred更喜欢；C. ordered命令；D. taught教。作者通过这次经历使自己变得更好，所以可推测这次经历“教会”了自己什么。故选D。
40．考查动词词义辨析。A. miss想念、错过；B. like喜欢；C. wonder想知道；D. expect期待。通过文章可推测出与之前比较作者更“喜欢”现在的自己，故选B。
请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。注意：每个空格只填1个单词。
Feeling extreme loneliness can increase an older person’s risk of premature (过早的)death by 14 percent, according to research by John Cacioppo, professor of psychology at the University of Chicago.
Cacioppo and his colleagues’ work shows that the impact of loneliness on premature death is nearly as strong as the impact of disadvantaged socioeconomic status, which they found increases the chances of dying early by 19 percent. A 2010 meta﹣analysis showed that loneliness has twice as much impact on early death as obesity does, he said.
The researchers looked at dramatic differences in the rate of decline in physical and mental health as people aged. Cacioppo and his colleagues have examined the role of satisfying relationships on older people to develop their resilience ([rɪˈzɪliəns] 快速恢复的能力；适应力), the ability to feel better quickly after something unpleasant, and grow from stresses in life.
The consequences for health are dramatic, as feeling isolated or separated from others can disturb sleep, elevate blood pressure, increase morning rises in the stress hormone cortisol ([‘kɔ:tɪsɒl] 皮质醇), change the gene expression in immune cells, increase depression and lower overall subjective well﹣being, Cacioppo pointed out in a talk, “ Rewarding Social Connections Promote Successful Aging.”
Cacioppo, one of the nation’s leading experts on loneliness, said older people can avoid the consequences of loneliness by staying in touch with former co﹣workers, taking part in family traditions, and sharing good times with family and friends ﹣ all of which give older adults a chance to connect with others about whom they care and who care about them.
”Retiring to Florida to live in a warmer climate among strangers isn’t necessarily a good idea if it means you are disconnected from the people who mean much to you,” said Cacioppo. Population changes make understanding the role of loneliness and health all the more important,he explained. “People have to think about how to protect themselves from depression, low subjective well﹣being and early death. “
Although some people are happy to be alone, most people develop from social situations in which they provide mutual support and establish a strong bond. Evolution encourages people to work together to survive and accordingly most people enjoy companionship compared to be alone.
It is not solitude (独处)or physical isolation itself, but rather the subjective sense of isolation that Cacioppo’s work shows to be so destructive. Older people living alone are not necessarily lonely if they remain actively engaged in social life and enjoy the company of those around them. Some aspects of aging, such as blindness and loss of hearing, however, place people at special risk of becoming isolated and lonely, he said.
| Passage outline | Supporting details |
| The main idea | Chances are that older people will die early if they feel extremely 51．. |
| 52． with loneliness | • Like disadvantaged socioeconomic status and obesity, loneliness can 53． old men’s premature death. • When 54． from others, one will find physical health impacted and tend to feel depressive and unhappy. |
| Suggestions | • Keep in touch with others and take part in 55． activities. • Choosing to live in a pleasant climate don’t necessarily make sense if the elder are disconnected from people who are 56． to them. • Think about how to57． depression, low subjective well﹣being and early death. • Work together with others to 58．, to gain mutual support and establish a strong bond. |
| Conclusions | • The sense of isolation, rather than solitude or physical isolation itself, isn’t 59．to elders. • Living alone doesn’t mean loneliness if older people live an 60． social life. |