2021年湖南省永州市孟公山中學(xué)高三英語(yǔ)聯(lián)考試卷含解析

2021年湖南省永州市孟公山中學(xué)高三英語(yǔ)聯(lián)考試卷含解析一、選擇題1.—Howwasthejourney?

—Tiring!Icaughtthetrainatthelastsecondbutalltheseats_____．Istoodalltheway．

A．wouldoccupy

B．hadoccupied

C．hadbeenoccupied

D．wouldbeoccupied參考答案：C2.Notonlyhavetheexchangestudents’personalskillsstrengthened,_______havethesocialskillsthatthey’vegainedfromlivingabroad.A.butalso

B.so

C.butso

D.but參考答案：C3.Theballoons,agreat______,______theatmosphereofthefestival.A.scene;addedup

B.scenery;addeduptoC.view;added

D.sight;addedto參考答案：D略4.—Hey,Tina．CanIaskyouaquestion?—Sure．____ A．Whynot?

B．What'sup?

C．Sowhat?

D．Whatfor?參考答案：B5.Shehasagiftforcreatinganatmosphereforherstudents______allowsthemtocommunicatefreelywitheachother.A.which B.whereC.whatD.who參考答案：A6.—Sorry,Iforgottoposttheletterforyou.—Nevermind,I______itmyself.A.post

B.amgoingtopost C.wasposting D.willpost參考答案：D7.__________,theoldmanevenhadnomoneytobuyabusticket.A.Ashiswalletstolen.

B.Hiswalletbeingstolen.C.Hiswalletstolen.

D.Stealinghiswallet.參考答案：C【詳解】考查獨(dú)立主格結(jié)構(gòu)。句意：他的錢(qián)包被偷，這位老人甚至沒(méi)有錢(qián)買車票。因?yàn)榍昂缶涞闹髡Z(yǔ)不一致，所以要用獨(dú)立主格結(jié)構(gòu)。Hiswallet和動(dòng)詞steal的被動(dòng)關(guān)系，用過(guò)去分詞表被動(dòng)，相當(dāng)于Ashiswalletwasstolen.A項(xiàng)沒(méi)有謂語(yǔ)動(dòng)詞，不是句子。此處不表示動(dòng)作進(jìn)行，不用beingstolen.steal的主語(yǔ)不是theoldman，不用Stealing形式。A、B、D都錯(cuò)誤，故選C.【點(diǎn)睛】獨(dú)立主格結(jié)構(gòu)，是由“名詞或代詞+現(xiàn)在分詞、過(guò)去分詞、不定式、形容詞短語(yǔ)、名詞短語(yǔ)、介詞短語(yǔ)或副詞短語(yǔ)”構(gòu)成的一種獨(dú)立結(jié)構(gòu)。在該結(jié)構(gòu)中，名詞或代詞與其后的部分構(gòu)成邏輯上的主謂關(guān)系，用來(lái)修飾謂語(yǔ)動(dòng)詞或整個(gè)句子。在句中作狀語(yǔ)，表示“時(shí)間、條件、原因、伴隨，方式或結(jié)果”

等含義。其位置比較靈活，放于句首句末均可。1.

名詞（代詞）+

現(xiàn)在分詞Theclockstrikingtwelve,Iwenttobed.

（表原因）2.

名詞（代詞）+

過(guò)去分詞Helaythereonhisback,

histeethset,hisrighthandclenchedonhisbreast.

（表伴隨）Enoughtimegiven,shewillsurelydothejobbetter.

（表?xiàng)l件）3.

名詞（代詞）+

不定式Herearethefirstthreevolumes,

thefourthonetocomeoutnextmonth.

（表伴隨）4.

名詞（代詞）+

形容詞短語(yǔ)Herfacepalewithanger,sherosetogoaway.

（表原因）Isawadeeppond,

thewaterbluelikethesky.

（表結(jié)果）5.

名詞（代詞）+

介詞短語(yǔ)Childinarms,

afewwomenstoodtherechatting.

（表方式）6.

名詞（代詞）+

副詞短語(yǔ)Summerover,

thestudentsreturnedtoschool.

（表原因）7.

名詞（代詞）+

名詞短語(yǔ)Hisfirstshotafailure,

Tomfiredagain.

（表原因）8.with復(fù)合結(jié)構(gòu)“with復(fù)合結(jié)構(gòu)”也是獨(dú)立主格結(jié)構(gòu)的一種，同樣十分重要。在句中表示“原因，結(jié)果，伴隨，方式”等情況。8.Thedancers,allof_______maskscameoffsuddenly,gaveusagreatsurprise.

A.their

B.whose

C.which

D.whom參考答案：B9.Havinghadaloosetoothtoremove,Iwenttothedentist’stogetit____outyesterday.A.pulled

B.topull

C.pulling

D.beingpulled參考答案：A試題分析：句意：因?yàn)橛幸活w活動(dòng)的牙齒要移出，所以昨天我去牙醫(yī)診所把它拔了?！皐enttothedentist’stogetitpulledout”去牙醫(yī)診所拔牙，此處it指代tooth，牙是被拔的，因此用過(guò)去分詞pulled充當(dāng)賓補(bǔ)以表示被動(dòng)，故A項(xiàng)正確。10.Thesetwocountriesaresimilar

theybothhaveahighsnowfallduringwinter.A．towhich

B．inwhich

C．inthat

D．exceptthat參考答案：C略11.JudgingthevoicenotbyappearancebutbythevoiceitselfmakestheTVshow

fromnumerousamusementprograms.

A.holdout

B.standout

C.stretchout

D.turnout參考答案：B12.Jane'sstruggletomakeaplaceforherselfinthemusiccircleisthekindoflifestory___afascinatingnovelmightbewritten．

A．where

B．bywhom

C．forwhat

D．a(chǎn)boutwhich參考答案：D略13.Thegrowingspeedofaplantisinfluencedbyanumberoffactors,_____arebeyondourcontrol.A.mostofthem

B.mostofwhich

C.mostofwhat

D.mostofthat參考答案：B14. _______playingdumbwithteachers．Theyknowverywelltheirstudents. A．It’snouse B．There’snodoubt C．It’snowonder D．There’snoneed參考答案：A15.Hemusthavebeenill,orhe________tothelecturethen.A.wouldcome

B.wouldhavecomeC.came

D.hadcome參考答案：B試題分析：考查虛擬語(yǔ)氣。句意：他一定是生病了，不然，他那時(shí)就會(huì)去聽(tīng)講座了。or表示相反的情況，根據(jù)then可知，與過(guò)去事實(shí)相反，主句用wouldhavedone，故選B。16.Manylifestylepatternsdosuch__greatharmtohealththattheyactuallyspeedup__weakeningofthehumanbody.A.a;/

B./;the

C.a;the

D.the;a參考答案：B二、完型填空17.Onewinternineyearsago,I___21___atahomelessshelterinLosAngeles,preparingmealsforpeople.ThereImetAlbert,whosaidhelikedmysocks.“Wanttoseemine?”heasked,liftinghis___22___.Hewasbarefoot.Hesaidhehadbeenhopingtogetapairbuthadnevermadeit.Ifelta____23____feelinginmystomach.Thenextday,afterwork,Iwenttobuysocks—about$100___24___.Thatnextmorning,_____25_____myalarmfor5a.m.anddrovetothelocalpark,acommondestinationfor___26___people.Itwasstilldarkout.Itookoutabagofsocksand___27___agroupofmen,standingaroundatree,___28___withcold.WhenIhandedeachofthemapairofsocks,theylookedconfusedatfirst,________29________mymotives(動(dòng)機(jī)),buttookthem.Anhourlater,I____30____allthesocks.Mostpeopleweresleeping.IfeltlikeSanta.Whentheywouldwakeup,theywouldfindaverymeaningfulpresent.EveryweekI’llhandoutmanysocks.IfI’mawayformorethanaweek,Iwillbringsockswithmeandhandthemouttothehomelessinotherstatesandcountries.Inthepastyears,thishasbecomemyhabit.It’s_____31_____,Isuppose,andit’sincredibly____32____tohelpmakesomepeople’s____33____alittlebiteasier.PartofmehopestoseeAlbertoutthere,but____34____,Idon’t,I’dliketothinkoneofthepairswill____35____him.21.A.challenged B.volunteered C.researched D.calculated22.A.leg B.arm C.hand D.head23.A.magical B.sinking C.comforting D.frightening24.A.money B.worth C.value D.worthy25.A.made B.placed C.set D.fixed26.A.merciless B.sleepless C.jobless D.homeless27.A.signaledto B.shoutedat C.headedfor D.wavedat28.A.trembling B.clapping C.jumping D.sleeping29.A.proving B.inquiring C.demanding D.questioning30.A.tookoff B.tookout C.gaveoff D.gaveout31.A.detective B.impressive C.addictive D.sensitive32.A.satisfying B.embarrassing C.amazing D.entertaining33.A.winter B.lives C.families D.difficulties34.A.unless B.until C.evenif D.asif35.A.suit B.fit C.match D.find參考答案：21.B

22.A

23.B

24.B

25.C

26.D

27.C

28.A

29.D

30.D

31.C

32.A

33.B

34.C

35.D本文是一篇記敘文。九年前作者在洛杉磯的流浪漢收容所里做志愿者，和Albert的對(duì)話之后作者感到心里很難受，意識(shí)到流浪漢很需要襪子，之后他便去買襪子送給這些人，并把它養(yǎng)成了一個(gè)習(xí)慣，而作者也從幫助他人中獲得了滿足感?！?1題詳解】考查動(dòng)詞詞義辨析。句意：九年前的一個(gè)冬天，我在洛杉磯一個(gè)無(wú)家可歸的收容所自告奮勇為人們準(zhǔn)備襪子。A.challenged挑戰(zhàn)；B.volunteered自愿做；C.researched研究；D.calculated計(jì)算。根據(jù)下文atahomelessshelter可知，在收容所做志愿者。故選B?！?2題詳解】考查名詞詞義辨析。句意：句意：“想看看我的嗎？”他問(wèn)，說(shuō)著就抬起了他的腿。A.leg腿；B.arm胳膊；C.hand手；D.head頭。根據(jù)上文ThereImetAlbert,whosaidhelikedmysocks.“Wanttoseemine?”可知，Albert說(shuō)喜歡作者的襪子，他問(wèn)作者想看看他的襪子嗎，因此推斷是抬起他的腿。故選A?！?3題詳解】考查動(dòng)詞詞義辨析。句意：我覺(jué)得肚子有種下沉的感覺(jué)。A.magical有魅力的；B.sinking下沉的；C.comforting舒適的；D.frightening令人恐懼的。根據(jù)上文Hesaidhehadbeenhopingtogetapairbuthadnevermadeit.可知，Albert說(shuō)希望有一雙襪子但是從來(lái)沒(méi)有得到過(guò)，結(jié)合下文Thenextday,afterwork,Iwenttobuysocks作者第二天下班去買襪子，可推斷，作者聽(tīng)了Albert沒(méi)有襪子這件事心里一沉，心情沉重。故選B。【24題詳解】考查名詞詞義辨析。句意：第二天下班后，我去買了一雙大約價(jià)值10美元的襪子。4.句意：他說(shuō)他一直希望得到一雙襪子，但從未得到。A.money錢(qián)；B.worth價(jià)值；C.value價(jià)值；D.worthy值得的。worth與具體金額連用，表“價(jià)值多少錢(qián)”。故選B?！?5題詳解】考查動(dòng)詞詞義辨析。句意：第二天早上，我把鬧鐘設(shè)置在了早上5點(diǎn)，開(kāi)車去了當(dāng)?shù)毓珗@，這是無(wú)家可歸的人經(jīng)常在的地方。A.made制作；B.placed放；C.set設(shè)置；D.fixed修理。根據(jù)下文yalarmfor5a.m.可知，設(shè)置鬧鐘為早晨5點(diǎn)。故選C。【26題詳解】考查形容詞詞義辨析。句意：第二天早上，我把鬧鐘設(shè)置在了早上5點(diǎn)，開(kāi)車去了當(dāng)?shù)毓珗@，這是無(wú)家可歸的人經(jīng)常在的地方。A.merciless殘忍的；B.sleepless睡不著的；C.jobless沒(méi)有工作的；D.homeless無(wú)家可歸的。根據(jù)上下文可知，此處應(yīng)指作者去給那些在公園里露宿的無(wú)家可歸的人送襪子。故選D?！?7題詳解】考查動(dòng)詞短語(yǔ)辨析。句意：我拿出一袋襪子，朝一群人走去，那些人圍著一棵樹(shù)站著，凍得發(fā)抖。A.signaledto向……示意；B.shoutedat朝……喊；C.headedfor朝……走去；D.wavedat向……揮手。此處應(yīng)指作者朝一群無(wú)家可歸人走過(guò)去（分發(fā)襪子）。故選C。【28題詳解】考查動(dòng)詞詞義辨析。句意：我拿出一袋襪子，朝一群人走去，那些人圍著一棵樹(shù)站著，凍得發(fā)抖。A.trembling發(fā)抖；B.clapping鼓掌；C.jumping跳；D.sleeping睡覺(jué)。根據(jù)空格后的withcold可知，他們圍著樹(shù)站著，瑟瑟發(fā)抖。故選A?！?9題詳解】考查動(dòng)詞詞義辨析。句意：當(dāng)我遞給他們每人一雙襪子的時(shí)候，他們起初看起來(lái)很困惑，懷疑我的動(dòng)機(jī)，但還是收下了他們。A.proving證明；B.inquiring打聽(tīng)；C.demanding要求；D.questioning對(duì)……懷疑。由上文theylookedconfused可知，他們應(yīng)是懷疑作者的動(dòng)機(jī)。故選D?！?0題詳解】考查動(dòng)詞短語(yǔ)辨析。句意：一小時(shí)后，我發(fā)完了所有的襪子。A.tookoff脫下；B.tookout拿出；C.gaveoff釋放；D.gaveout分發(fā)。根據(jù)語(yǔ)境可知，此處指作者分發(fā)完了所有的襪子。故選D?！?1題詳解】考查形容詞詞義辨析。句意：我想，這會(huì)令人上癮，并且?guī)椭鷦e人使別人的生活好過(guò)些，這會(huì)讓我非常滿足。A.detective偵探的；B.impressive印象深刻的；C.addictive上癮的；D.sensitive敏感的。根據(jù)上文Inthepastyears,thishasbecomemyhabit.可在，這已經(jīng)成為了作者的習(xí)慣，因此推斷作者認(rèn)為這是令人上癮的。故選C?！?2題詳解】考查形容詞詞義辨析。句意：我想，這會(huì)令人上癮，并且?guī)椭鷦e人使別人的生活好過(guò)些，這會(huì)讓我非常滿足。A.satisfying令人滿意的；B.embarrassing令人尷尬的；C.amazing令人吃驚的；D.entertaining使人愉快的。此處表達(dá)的是"給人幫助，使他們（沉重）的生活變得輕松一點(diǎn)，可以給我們帶來(lái)非同尋常的滿足感。故選A?！?3題詳解】考查名詞詞義辨析。句意：我想，這會(huì)令人上癮，并且?guī)椭鷦e人使別人的生活好過(guò)些，這會(huì)讓我非常滿足。A.winter冬天；B.lives生活；C.families家庭；D.difficulties困難。根據(jù)語(yǔ)境可知，此處指“讓一些人的生命更輕松了點(diǎn)”。故選B?！?4題詳解】考查連接詞詞義辨析。句意：我還是希望在那里能見(jiàn)到Albert，但是盡管我不想（看見(jiàn)他還在那里），我更喜歡想到有一雙襪子會(huì)找到他。A.unless除非；B.until直到；C.evenif盡管；D.asif好像。根據(jù)句意可知，此處是讓步關(guān)系。故選C?！?5題詳解】考查動(dòng)詞詞義辨析。句意：我還是希望在那里能見(jiàn)到Albert，但是盡管我不想（看見(jiàn)他還在那里），我更喜歡想到有一雙襪子會(huì)找到他。A.suit適合；B.fit適合；C.match匹對(duì)；D.find找到。此處find是擬人的用法，指Albert總有一天會(huì)收到作者送出去的襪子，符合文意。故選D。三、閱讀理解18.Dailyphysicalactivityisanimportantpartofahealthylifestyle.Forthisreason,manyarchitectsanddesignersareworkingtocreatebuildingsthatencouragepeopletomakeexerciseapartoftheirordinaryroutine.Themovementtopromotehealthyactivitythrougharchitectureiscalledactivedesign.Itbeganin1998aspartofauniversitypublichealthprogram,andithassincegainedpopularityincitiesaroundtheworld.Activedesignusesanumberoftechniquestoencouragetheoccupantsofabuildingtobemoreactive.Oneofthemostimportantstrategiesofactivedesignisinspiringpeopletomakewalkingpartoftheirroutine.Aparticularlysuccessfultoolforpromotingwalkingistheskip-stopelevator.Theseelevatorsstoponlyoneverysecondorthirdfloor,leavingriderstotakethestairsinordertoreachtheirdestination.Anotherstrategyofactivedesignistomakestairsmorepleasantandinviting.Insteadofcreatingdarkstairwellsthatarelocatedinisolatedpartsofbuildings,activedesignuseswell-litandcentrallyplacedstairstoencouragemorefoottraffic.Skip-stopelevatorsandappealingstairdesignarebotheffectivetoolsofactivedesignbecausetheyofferincentiveandopportunityforexercise.Infact,researchersstudyingabuildingthatemploysbothskip-stopelevatorsandmoreattractivestairdesignsaidthat70percentofbuildingoccupantsreportedusingthestairseveryday.Activedesignencouragesphysicalactivityusingnotonlytheinteriorfeaturesofabuilding,buttherelationshipbetweenabuildinganditssurroundingsaswell.Abuildingthatemploysactivedesignmayintegrateoutdoorspaceinordertomaketheenvironmentmoreengagingandpromotephysicalactivity.Someelementsthatarchitectsusetoincorporatetheexteriorwiththeinteriorareglasswalls,interiorgardensorparkspaces,andcourtyardswithopenceilings,allofwhichde-emphasizetheboundariesbetweeninsideandoutside.Theseelementsmakethebuildingmorephysicallyandmentallyinvigorating.Similarly,byincreasingthenumberofentrancesandexitstoabuilding,architectscanhelpkeepabuilding’susersinterestedintheirsurroundingsbyprovidingavarietyofroutesforthemtouse.Ifpeoplecontinuetobestimulatedbynewsightsorexperiences,theyarelesslikelytochoosethequickestandeasiestpathtotheirdestinationandmayinsteadchooseamorephysicallychallengingroute.12.Whatdoestheunderlinedword“incentive”inparagraph2mean?A.requirement

B.encouragementC.technique

D.assistance13.Whydoestheauthordiscussdarkstairwellsinparagraph2?A.Todemonstratethedifferencesbetweenelevatorandstairwelldesign.B.Todescribeoneadvantageofusingskip-stopelevatorsinbuildings.C.Tomakeapointaboutwhypeopledon’tusethestairsoften.D.Toarguethatskip-stopelevatorsmayleadtodesignfailures.14.WhichofthefollowingisNOTawaythatarchitectsweakentheboundarybetweenindoorandoutdoorspaces?A.Creatingmoreroutesforenteringandexiting.B.Buildinggardensinsidethebuilding.C.Creatingspaceswithopenceilings.D.Usingsee-throughmaterials.15.Howdoesparagraph2relatetoparagraph3inthepassage?A.Para2describesanearlymodelofadesigndiscussedinpara3.B.Para3arguesabouttheeffectivenessofthetechniquefrompara2.C.Para3introducesadifferentstrategythantheonediscussedinpara2.D.Para2explainsatechnique,andpara3givesexamplesofhowitisused.參考答案：12.B

13.C

14.A

15.C【分析】這是一篇說(shuō)明文。文章主要講了日常體育活動(dòng)是健康生活方式的重要組成部分。出于這個(gè)原因，許多建筑師和設(shè)計(jì)師都在努力建造一些建筑，鼓勵(lì)人們把鍛煉作為日常生活的一部分。【12題詳解】詞義猜測(cè)題。劃線詞所在的句子Skip-stopelevatorsandappealingstairdesignarebotheffectivetoolsofactivedesignbecausetheyofferincentiveandopportunityforexercise.跳停電梯和吸引人的樓梯設(shè)計(jì)都是積極設(shè)計(jì)的有效工具，因?yàn)樗鼈兲峁┝思?lì)和鍛煉的機(jī)會(huì)。劃線的詞與opportunity并列，都應(yīng)該是表示積極意義的詞，所以“incentive”意思是鼓勵(lì)，A.requirement要求；B.encouragement鼓勵(lì)；C.technique技巧；D.assistance幫助，故選B。【13題詳解】推理判斷題。答案定位在第二段Anotherstrategyofactivedesignistomakestairsmorepleasantandinviting.Insteadofcreatingdarkstairwellsthatarelocatedinisolatedpartsofbuildings,activedesignuseswell-litandcentrallyplacedstairstoencouragemorefoottraffic.（積極設(shè)計(jì)的另一個(gè)策略是讓樓梯更舒適、更吸引人。積極設(shè)計(jì)沒(méi)有在建筑的孤立部分創(chuàng)建黑暗的樓梯井，而是使用采光良好的中央樓梯來(lái)鼓勵(lì)更多的步行交通。）這正解釋了人們?yōu)槭裁床唤?jīng)常走樓梯的原因，故選C?！?4題詳解】細(xì)節(jié)理解題。答案定位在第三段Someelementsthatarchitectsusetoincorporatetheexteriorwiththeinteriorareglasswalls,interiorgardensorparkspaces,andcourtyardswithopenceilings,allofwhichde-emphasizetheboundariesbetweeninsideandoutside.（建筑師用來(lái)將室內(nèi)外結(jié)合的一些元素包括玻璃墻、室內(nèi)花園或公園空間，以及帶有開(kāi)放式天花板的庭院，所有這些都弱化了室內(nèi)外的界限。）其中并沒(méi)有提到“創(chuàng)建更多的進(jìn)出路徑”，故選A。【15題詳解】推理判斷題。答案定位在第三段Activedesignencouragesphysicalactivityusingnotonlytheinteriorfeaturesofabuilding,buttherelationshipbetweenabuildinganditssurroundingsaswell.（積極設(shè)計(jì)鼓勵(lì)身體活動(dòng)，不僅要利用建筑物的內(nèi)部特征，還要利用建筑物與其周圍環(huán)境之間的關(guān)系。）這一句很好的把第二、三段進(jìn)行了連接，第三段引入了與第二段中討論的策略不同的策略，故選C?！军c(diǎn)睛】推理判斷題要求考生在理解原文表面文字信息的基礎(chǔ)上，做出一定的判斷和推理，從而得出文章的隱含意義和深層意義。推理判斷題屬于主觀性較強(qiáng)的高層次閱讀理解題，做這類題目時(shí)，同學(xué)們應(yīng)嚴(yán)格依據(jù)作者所陳述的細(xì)節(jié)、事實(shí)以及作者的措詞、態(tài)度和語(yǔ)氣等，找出能夠表露作者思想傾向和感情色彩的詞語(yǔ)，然后利用自己已獲得的相關(guān)知識(shí)進(jìn)行推理判斷，從而得出符合邏輯的結(jié)論。小題2，答案定位在第二段Anotherstrategyofactivedesignistomakestairsmorepleasantandinviting.Insteadofcreatingdarkstairwellsthatarelocatedinisolatedpartsofbuildings,activedesignuseswell-litandcentrallyplacedstairstoencouragemorefoottraffic.（積極設(shè)計(jì)的另一個(gè)策略是讓樓梯更舒適、更吸引人。積極設(shè)計(jì)沒(méi)有在建筑的孤立部分創(chuàng)建黑暗的樓梯井，而是使用采光良好的中央樓梯來(lái)鼓勵(lì)更多的步行交通。）這正解釋了人們?yōu)槭裁床唤?jīng)常走樓梯的原因，故選C。19.Competitionisanideology(意識(shí)形態(tài))thatspreadsalloveroursocietyandmisleadsourthinking.

Butitmeansnoprofitsforanybody,nomeaningfuldifferentiation,andastruggleforsurvival.

Weadvocatecompetition,seeitasnecessary,andsetitslaws;andasaresult,wetrapourselveswithinit—themorewecompete,thelesswegain.Oureducationalsystembothdrivesandreflectsourcrazeforcompetition.

Gradesaloneareprecisemeasurementofeachstudent'scompetitiveness;pupilswiththehighestmarksreceivestatusandcredits.

Anditgetsworseasstudentsrisetohigherlevelsofthetournament.

Highereducationistheplacewherepeoplewhohadbigplansinhighschoolgetstuckinfiercecompetitionwithequallysmartpeersoverconventionalcareerslikemanagementconsultingandinvestmentbanking.

Fortheprivilegeofbeingturningintoconformists(順從者),students(ortheirfamilies)payhundredsofthousandsofdollarsinrapidlyrisingtuition.

Whyarewedoingthistoourselves?IwishIhadaskedmyselfwhenIwasyounger.

Mypathwassotrackedthatinmy8th-gradeyearbook,oneofmyfriendspredicted—accurately—thatfouryearslaterIwouldenterStanford.AndIenrolledatStanfordLawSchool,whereIcompetedevenharderforthestandardbadges(徽章)ofsuccess.

Thehighestprizeinalawstudent'sworldisunambiguous:theSupremeCourtclerkship.

Iwassoclosetowinningthislastcompetition.

IfonlyIgottheclerkship,Ithought,Iwouldbesetforlife.

ButIdidn't.

Atthetime,Iwasfrustrated.In2004,afterIhadbuiltandsoldPayPal,Iranintoanoldfriendwhohadhelpedmepreparemyfailedclerkshipapplications.Wehadn'tspokeninnearlyadecade.

Hisfirstwordstomewerenot“HiPeter”or“Howareyoudoing？”Butrather,“So,are