1 . In 2012, Laura Eshelman man was in the middle of a mental unsettlement. She was having ________ in finding work. “I was leaving a downtown business where I had another job application ________. I was feeling pretty ________ and decided to go to the Whole Foods across the street,” Eshelman recalled.

As she crossed the street, Eshelman ________ a man asking tor money on the corner. But he was ________ by passersby. As Eshelman ________, he purmed to her, and asked if he could have a little bit of money. She was ________ and said: “Leave me alone. I don’t have anything to give you. Get away!”

Eshelman ________ into the grocery store. But suddenly she realized how ________ she bad been to the man. Eshelman rushed outside to find him. She apologized and ________ some coins from the bottom of her _________.

As she ________ him the change, the man said, “It’s OK. Everything ________ will disappear.” And all of a sudden, she felt like somebody was seeing her ________, and she started to cry.

“That moment on the street was one of the few ________ in that extremely dark period of my life,” Eshelman later said.

1.

A．fun

B．trouble

C．experience

D．luck

2.

A．rejected

B．submitted

C．displayed

D．followed

3.

A．relaxed

B．awkward

C．nervous

D．depressed

4.

A．remembered

B．guided

C．spotted

D．comforted

5.

A．ignored

B．touched

C．rewarded

D．cheated

6.

A．hesitated

B．waited

C．escaped

D．approached

7.

A．active

B．impatient

C．anxious

D．desperate

8.

A．slid

B．struggled

C．got

D．looked

9.

A．helpful

B．rude

C．strict

D．particular

10.

A．set aside

B．put away

C．dug out

D．used up

11.

A．heart

B．pocket

C．store

D．drawer

12.

A．handed

B．lent

C．returned

D．awarded

13.

A．dangerous

B．normal

C．unpractical

D．unpleasant

14.

A．pain

B．choice

C．effort

D．privilege

15.

A．instants

B．chances

C．differences

D．flashes

3 . Growing up in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Oliver James understands the power of words. His inability to read and write held him _________ from success for years.

In 2020, James decided to make a _________ and started to teach himself how to read. Then, in 2022, he started a TikTok account to _________ his reading journey. Along the way, James has _________ millions with his stories about success and struggles. His _________ often feature him reading aloud from the latest book off his must-read list.

Letter by letter, word by word, James’ _________ led him to speak out about the importance of literacy (识字) to a broad audience, which led to a podium (讲台) in Washington, in October 2023 to read an acceptance _________ for the Barbara Bush National Literacy Honors Award.

James talked about his _________ before the event with People Magazine, mainly about reading his speech from a teleprompter (提词器). “I was nervous,” he said. “But knowing that I was about to speak in front of all those people was _________. It was an experience that I’ll never __________.”

In a recent interview, James said that now he __________ reads bedtime stories to his 1-year-old son at night. He also hopes that as he __________ improving his reading and writing, he can grow his inspirational speaking career (事业) to encourage others to __________ their dreams, no matter how difficult it is.

“It feels like I found my __________ in life,” he said in the interview. “I’m finally __________ the world.”

1.

A．on

B．back

C．up

D．out

2.

A．living

B．wish

C．comment

D．change

3.

A．share

B．receive

C．design

D．discover

4.

A．confused

B．inspired

C．frightened

D．cured

5.

A．cartoons

B．examinations

C．videos

D．interviews

6.

A．promise

B．support

C．failure

D．effort

7.

A．speech

B．report

C．research

D．letter

8.

A．anger

B．pride

C．anxiety

D．honor

9.

A．exciting

B．natural

C．familiar

D．tough

10.

A．regret

B．forget

C．expect

D．select

11.

A．gradually

B．formally

C．regularly

D．obviously

12.

A．begins

B．avoids

C．considers

D．continues

13.

A．design

B．follow

C．check

D．prove

14.

A．power

B．method

C．purpose

D．source

15.

A．contributing to

B．looking into

C．benefiting from

D．meeting with

5 . Before age thirty-four, I was a stay-at-home mom. Then, things changed and I had to find a job. I stumbled along with low-paying jobs, stress and self-doubt.

Three years later, while working at a community college, I became friends with the president’s secretary. She encouraged me to take classes and get a teaching degree. I wrestled with the idea for several months and finally enrolled in one class that fall. To my amazement, I loved school. I loved learning. So, in the spring, I enrolled in two classes while working full-time. I doubled up on classes, even going in the summer months. I won’t say it was easy. I still had all the responsibility for two teenage daughters, making my house a home, preparing meals, planning social events, making sure their homework was done, and finding time to do my own homework.

In one of my low moments, as I questioned whether to continue with my education, my fifteen-year-old daughter strolled into the room. “What are you doing?” she asked, “Trying to decide if I want to pursue my education and get a degree or not,” I replied despondently (苦恼地). “Why are you wondering?” she asked. “Well, I’ll be forty by the time I finally get my degree.” “You’ll be forty anyway,” she said matter-of-factly. “Do you want to be forty with a degree or forty without a degree?” And then she walked out of the room. I stared after her in disbelief. Out of the mouth of babes! In that moment, my life changed. I wanted to be forty with a college degree!

I don’t know what got me to the finish line, but four months after my fortieth birthday, I walked proudly across the stage to receive my Bachelor’s in Education. Three years later, I received my Master’s in English. That one decision I made so many years ago opened doors to new worlds that I had never dreamed of before. It changed my life in the most beautiful way, filling it with joy, happiness, laughter and fun. And that made all the difference.

1. What inspired the author to pursue her education?

A．Advice from a friend at work.	B．A desire to change her career path.
C．A conversation with the college’s president.	D．Encouragement from her teenage daughter.

2. What made the author’s road to her degree tough?

A．Lack of her daughters’ support.	B．All the overwhelming household chores.
C．Financial crisis caused by low-paying jobs.	D．Demanding learning tasks required by the courses.

3. What motivates the author to carry on with her education?

A．Promotion at work.	B．The desire for a better self.
C．A newfound love for learning.	D．A conversation with her friend.

4. What can best describe the author?

A．Ambitious and curious.	B．Honest and adventurous.
C．Diligent and determined.	D．Courageous and considerate.

6 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

One summer day, I decided to go for a walk in the nearby forest. I had my backpack prepared with water, food, and sunscreen. I was excited to spend some time in nature, away from the busy city.

The forest was attractive, with towering trees that seemed to touch the sky and colorful wildflowers under my feet. I walked deeper into the woods, attracted by the pleasant sounds of birds. The path I followed was winding and narrow, but I paid little attention, carried away by the beauty. I started to notice that the trees around me looked unfamiliar. Soon I found myself lost. I realized that I had no idea which way to go.

The sun was setting and I knew that I needed to find a way out before it got dark. I started walking, trying to remember which direction I had come from. But the forest was a maze (迷宫) of winding paths, and I soon found myself going in circles. Every tree looked the same, and every path seemed to lead nowhere.

The sound of leaves made me jump. Was it a wild animal? My heart was racing and I tried to stay calm as I listened for other sounds. But there was only silence, broken now and then by the distant calls of birds.

As the sun set, I fully understood the seriousness of my situation. There was no food or water left. I was completely alone, lost in a wilderness that could easily devour (吞噬) me. I walked nervously, tripping over things in my path, feeling frightened with a racing heartbeat. Hours passed, or maybe only minutes. Time had lost all meaning in this place.

注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在相应位置作答。

But then, as I was about to give up hope, I saw a weak light in the distance.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The house s owner welcomed me inside.

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7 . The journey of learning Beijing Opera has been a meaningful one for me.

When I first stepped into the practice room, the sounds of instruments filled the air. The _________ performers moved with grace and their voices were full of power. As a beginner, I found it hard to _________ the movements and vocal techniques. It seemed impossible to _________. But with each practice period, I found the determination to keep _________. Repeating the steps and vocal exercises over and over again, I practiced _________. My teachers and classmates were very _________. They encouraged me during moments of doubt and told me that _________ was not given but earned.

As time went on, I began to see _________ in my performance. My voice became more _________ and my movements more graceful. I started to feel a connection with the __________ understanding the feelings they had through their movements and expressions.

Finally, the day arrived for my first __________. I stepped onto the stage and the music started. I put my heart into the performance. The cheers that filled the theater at the end of the show were __________. The journey was __________, but learning Beijing Opera taught me a valuable lesson: never __________. I will carry with me the lesson learned from Beijing Opera that will __________ me on the road to success, both in the world of Beijing Opera and life.

1.

A．surprised

B．traditional

C．important

D．experienced

2.

A．keep up with

B．get back on

C．stay away from

D．look forward to

3.

A．know

B．change

C．learn

D．share

4.

A．checking

B．going

C．asking

D．cheering

5.

A．safely

B．helplessly

C．quietly

D．tirelessly

6.

A．supportive

B．active

C．creative

D．productive

7.

A．kindness

B．success

C．wealth

D．chance

8.

A．details

B．value

C．methods

D．progress

9.

A．different

B．expressive

C．similar

D．encouraging

10.

A．characters

B．teachers

C．actors

D．members

11.

A．class

B．job

C．visit

D．show

12.

A．music to my ears

B．bottom lines

C．time on my hands

D．top secrets

13.

A．interesting

B．boring

C．challenging

D．meaningful

14.

A．win out

B．give up

C．wake up

D．stand out

15.

A．protect

B．trust

C．guide

D．pick

8 . At my first lesson in Chinese calligraphy, my teacher told me plainly: “Now I will teach you how to write your name. And to make it beautiful.” I felt my breath catch. I was curious.

Growing up in Singapore, I had an unusual relationship with my Chinese name. My parents are ethnically Chinese, so they asked fortune tellers to decide my name, aiming for maximum luck. As a result, I ended up with a nonsense and embarrassing name: Chen Yiwen, meaning, roughly, “old”, “barley (薏米)” and “warm”.

When I arrived in America for college at 18, I put on an American accent and abandoned my Chinese name. When I moved to Hong Kong in 2021, after 14 years in the States, I decided to learn calligraphy. Why not get back in touch with my heritage? I thought.

In calligraphy, the idea is to copy the old masters’ techniques, thereby refining your own. Every week, though, my teacher would give uncomfortably on-the-nose assessments of my person. “You need to be braver,” he once observed. “Have confidence. Try to produce a bold stroke(笔画).” For years, I had prided myself on presenting an image of confidence, but my writing betrayed me.

I was trying to make sense of this practice. You must visualize the word as it is to be written and leave a trace of yourself in it. As a bodily practice, calligraphy could go beyond its own cultural restrictions. Could it help me go beyond mine? My teacher once said to me, “When you look at the word, you see the body. Though a word on the page is two-dimensional, it contains multitudes, conveying the force you’ve applied, the energy of your grip, the arch of your spine.” I had been learning calligraphy to get in touch with my cultural roots, but what I was really seeking was a return to myself. Now I have sensed that the pleasure out of calligraphy allows me to know myself more fully.

During a recent lesson, my teacher pointed at the word I had just finished, telling me: “This word is much better. I can see the choices you made, your calculations, your flow. Trust yourself. This word is yours.” He might as well have said, “This word is you.”

1. What did the author initially think of her name “Chen Yiwen”?

A．It was lucky so she gladly accepted it.	B．She felt proud of its symbolic meaning.
C．She understood the intention but still disliked it.	D．Its strange pronunciation made her embarrassed.

2. The author decided to learn calligraphy to ______.

A．pick up a new hobby	B．reconnect with her origin
C．gain insights into a new culture	D．fit in with local community

3. From the teacher’s words, the author learns that calligraphy ______.

A．reflects the creator’s spirits	B．comes from creative energy
C．highlights the design of strokes	D．depends on continuous practice

4. What does the author intend to tell us?

A．Appreciate what our culture offers.	B．Find beauty from your inner self.
C．A great teacher leads you to truth.	D．We are the sum of what we create.

9 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

“And that’s ‘The Ray of Hope’ for you!” Asta said as she ended her book review. She took a deep bow and was given thundering applause. I, too, gave applause. I was happy for my friend. Well, I was pretending to be happy for her. Deep down inside, I was rather feeling envious of Asta. She was always the one who makes speeches, debates and tells stories to others. Me? No! I had stage fright and was always the shy, quiet one who was never courageous to speak in front of others. I had never managed to do a presentation without stammering(结巴). Every time I saw someone making a speech, I would imagine myself in his or her place, receiving the applause and praise.

I was walking to the canteen with Asta. She, as usual, was looking at the script. She had been chosen to be the presenter for the National Day Celebration. I sighed to myself. Why could I not be like her, always loud and brave? If only there was a way to prove myself...

Just then, I caught a glimpse of a poster on the noticeboard.

“Minute to say it?” I read the poster out loud.

It was a competition where one has to prepare a speech about a particular topic and summarize it on the stage within one minute. This could be my big chance to overcome my stage fright! And the best part was, if I won the competition, I would receive a mini-trophy (小奖杯).

Without thinking twice, I grabbed a form and filled in it. I took a seat in the canteen with Asta and told her what I had done, after which she said that she had also signed up for the competition. Suddenly, regret hit me like a 20-pound hammer. I was competing against Asta who was the best speaker in the school! I was bound to lose! Why was I so ill-fated? I just wanted a chance to prove myself that I could overcome my stage fright.

注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

The big day finally arrived.

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Next, it was Asta’s turn.

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