1 . During the past years, my first teacher — my mother — has been suffering from dementia (痴呆). Of course, I wish my mother still could make full use of her
Living in another city, I have
Even so, she has never
My mother has always been
Even as my mother
| A．memory | B．talent | C．knowledge | D．freedom |
| A．thoughts | B．realities | C．arrangements | D．intentions |
| A．look for | B．refer to | C．pick out | D．learn about |
| A．gradually | B．silently | C．willingly | D．curiously |
| A．trying | B．risking | C．agreeing | D．hating |
| A．practiced | B．stopped | C．suggested | D．imagined |
| A．schedules | B．skills | C．lessons | D．efforts |
| A．allow | B．order | C．force | D．require |
| A．dreams | B．needs | C．goals | D．results |
| A．active | B．generous | C．humorous | D．honest |
| A．noise | B．money | C．breakfast | D．change |
| A．depends | B．acts | C．moves | D．falls |
| A．raise | B．hold | C．examine | D．draw |
| A．loses | B．finds | C．keeps | D．offers |
| A．commands | B．blames | C．persuades | D．teaches |
2 . Once you get close enough to someone, it’s easy to assume they’ll be a friend for life — but friendships take work, too, and it’s important that you make time to cultivate these relationships as well.
1. “How do you think we’ve both changed since we became friends?”
There’s a good chance that you’ve been friends with those closest to you for some time, which means you’ve both changed in certain ways over the years. Shari, founder of Imperfectly Perfect Life, says it’s important to reflect on that change. “
2. “
“You don’t have to just focus on your own friendship. People vary greatly in what makes them feel most connected to others — for some it’s sharing something exciting together, while for others, it’s doing daily tasks together,” Julia, a clinical psychologist, notes.
3. “What is the best advice you’ve ever received?”
Another way you can “gain a deeper understanding of your friend’s values, beliefs, and the lessons they’ve learned along their journey” is by asking them about the best advice they’ve ever received. “This provides an opportunity to share wisdom that has had a significant impact on their personal growth,” Natalie shares. “
4.“What are your biggest dreams for your life?”
| A．What life experience has shaped you the most? |
| B．Acknowledging your growth can enhance your friendship |
| C．When do you feel most connected to the people in your life? |
| D．It’s also good to acknowledge that even the closest friendships are not perfect |
| E．You should know what your friend actually envisions for themselves in the future |
| F．Additionally, it opens the door for meaningful conversations about life’s challenges |
| G．We’ve talked to different experts to get their best advice on how to create stronger bonds |
Jenny was the only child in her home. She had a quarrel with her mother that afternoon and she ran out of the house angrily. Having wandered aimlessly in the street for hours, she felt a little hungry and wished for something to eat. She stood beside a stand for a while, watching the middle-aged seller busy doing his business. However, with no money in hand, she sighed and had to leave.
The seller noticed the young girl and asked, “Hey, girl, you want to have the noodles?”
“Oh, yes… but I don’t have money…” she replied.
“I’ll treat you today,” said the seller.
The seller brought her a bowl of noodles, whose smell was so attractive. Jenny thanked the seller and started to gobble (狼吞虎咽) up the delicious food… then cried silently.
“What is it?” asked the seller kindly.
“Nothing, actually I was moved by your kindness!” said Jenny as she wiped her tears. “Even a stranger on the street will give me a bowl of noodles, while my mother scolded (骂) me and drove me out of the house. She showed no care for me. She is so mean and cruel!”
Hearing the words, the seller smiled, “Girl, I only gave you a bowl of noodles and you thanked me a lot. But it is your mother who has raised you since you were a baby. Can you number the times that she has cooked for you? Have you expressed your thanks to her?”
Jenny sat there, speechless and numb (麻木的) with shock she remembered her mother’s familiar face and weathered hands. “Why did I not think of that? A bowl of noodles from a stranger made me feel grateful, but I have never thanked my mum for what she has done for me.”
On the way home, Jenny made up her mind to make an apology to her mother for her rudeness as soon as she arrived home.
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。
Approaching the doorway, Jenny took a deep breath.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________A gentle touch on her hair called her mind back.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| A．Her teacher. | B．Her father. | C．Her schoolmate. |
ONE DOLLAR AND EIGHTY-SEVEN CENTS. That was all she had. Della counted it three times. One dollar and eighty-seven cents. And the next day would be Christmas. If she was to buy a nice gift for her husband Jim. she would need more money. But how could she earn some? Della stood in front of the mirror in her apartment, She looked at her reflection, brushed her long, brown hair, and made up her mind: she was going to sell her hair. With the money she received for it, she would buy Jim a perfect gift.
Della had her hair cut off and sold it for twenty dollars. She spent the next two hours hunting for Jim’s gift. She found it at last: a simple but beautiful watch chain for his gold watch, which had been passed down to him from his grandfather. Della paid twenty-one dollars for the watch chain, and hurried home with the remaining eighty-seven cents. She looked at her reflection in the mirror carefully again. She felt nervous.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式作答。
Did she look like a little schoolboy without her beautiful long hair? Would Jim still think she was pretty? She was about to find out.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________And the next day would be Christmas. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
6 . The Smith’s home was always buzzing with activity, with Mrs. Smith seemingly at the
One day, little Johnny felt a surge of
From that day forward, Mrs. Smith started seeing the housework in a new
| A．bottom | B．top | C．corner | D．center |
| A．borrows | B．lends | C．holds | D．needs |
| A．bitterness | B．anger | C．courage | D．excitement |
| A．piped up | B．burst in | C．broke out | D．called off |
| A．shame | B．surprise | C．doubt | D．sorrow |
| A．choking | B．shaking | C．steady | D．jumpy |
| A．collecting | B．breaking | C．throwing | D．cutting |
| A．information | B．branches | C．money | D．groceries |
| A．coming across | B．washing over | C．taking away | D．turning off |
| A．notable | B．unique | C．quiet | D．crucial |
| A．role | B．light | C．chapter | D．setting |
| A．decorating | B．designing | C．building | D．maintaining |
| A．dramatically | B．significantly | C．immediately | D．certainly |
| A．fair | B．worthwhile | C．helpful | D．necessary |
| A．explore | B．accept | C．preserve | D．appreciate |
7 . Just how bad of a mother am I, I silently wondered, as I watched my 13-year-old son deep in conversation with Siri. Gus has autism (自闭症), and Siri, Apple's “intelligent personal assistant” on the iPhone, is currently his BFF(Best Friend Forever). Obsessed with weather formations, Gus had spent the past hour exploring the difference between isolated and scaltered thunderstorms—an hour during which, thank God, I didn't have to discuss with him myself. After a while I heard this:
Gus:“You're a really nice computer.”
Siri:“It's nice to be appreciated.”
Gus:“You're always asking if you can help me.Is there anything you want?” Siri: “Thank you, but I have very few wants.”
Gus: “OK. Well, good night!”
Siri: “See you later!”
That is Siri. She does not let my communicatively impaired son get away with anything. When Gus discovered there was someone who would not only find information for him related to his various obsessions but would also be willing to tirelessly discuss these subjects, he was hooked.
She is also wonderful for someone who does not pick up on social cues: Siri's responses are not entirely predictable, but they are predictably kind—even when Gus is rude. I heard him talking to Siri about music, and Siri offered some suggestions. “I don't like that kind of music.” Gus snapped(厉声说). Siri replied, “You're certainly entitled to your opinion.” Siri's politeness reminded Gus what he owed Siri. “Thank you for that music, though.” Gus said.
My son's practice conversations with Siri are starting to translate into increased facility with actual humans. Yesterday I had the longest ever conversation with him. Admittedly, it was about different species of turtles which might not have been my choice of topic, but it was back and forth, and followed a logic. For most of my son's 13 years of existence, this has not been the case.
Indeed, many of us wanted an imaginary friend when we were young, and now we can all have one not entirely imaginary anytime we wish to. In a world where the commonly held wisdom is that technology isolates us, it's worth considering another side of the story.
The developers of intelligent assistants recognize their potential usefulness for those with speech and communication problems, and some are currently pondering new ways in which the assistants can help. “For example, the assistant would be able to track eye movements and help the autistic learn to look you in the eye while talking." said William Mark, vice president of the company from whom Apple purchased the technology behind Siri. “See, that's the wonderful thing about technology. Getting results requires a lot of repetition. Machines are very, very patient."
1. What did the author feel when she watched her son having a deep conversation with Siri about thunderstorms?| A．Concerned but helpless. | B．Excited and overjoyed. |
| C．Guilty but relieved | D．Hopeless and surprised. |
| A．He had always dreamed of having an imaginary friend. |
| B．He shows no interest in anything that is not related to weather. |
| C．He has trouble communicating with others because of his illness. |
| D．He has been friends with Siri since he was diagnosed with autism. |
| A．setting a fixed bedtime routine |
| B．exploring his special interests |
| C．shaping his logic while talking |
| D．improving his interaction with people |
| A．Siri makes people feel much lonely in modern society. |
| B．Siri sometimes provides better assistance than people. |
| C．Siri has a better academic performance than the author. |
| D．Siri is likely to be an effective cure for her son's autism. |
| A．Intelligent assistants will be more widely employed in the future. |
| B．The use of intelligent assistants will likely be limited to autistic people. |
| C．Machines are more skilled and patient at communication than humans. |
| D．William Mark was critical of the future development of intelligent assistants. |
I pressed my fist into Dad’s old baseball glove as I stared out of the window of my stepfather’s van. Not a day went by that I didn’t think about Dad and how much I missed him.
The van stopped at the edge of the baseball field. “Hey, buddy, have fun at practice. And don’t forget about your sister’s recital (表演) tonight,” said my stepfather as I climbed out.
Zoe is not my sister, and you can’t tell me what to do, I grumbled (嘟囔) to myself.
A bunch of guys from the team waved from the dugout. I jogged over half-heartedly. “Why do you look so unhappy?” David asked. “I have to go to my stepsister’s dance recital,” I sighed. “It could be worse,” David replied. I shot him an I-highly-doubt-that expression. “What if you had to perform in it?” Kevin said as he leaped and twirled (旋转) like a rodeo bull. I tried not to smile.
The truth was that I had a lot of mixed-up feelings since Mom remarried a few months ago. I had always loved baseball, but even that felt different lately. I could barely concentrate.
After practice, David and I sat together waiting for our ride. “I wish things didn’t have to change,” I said, “you know, for my mom and me.” “I have a stepmother and stepbrother too,” David said as if it were no big deal. “Seriously?” I hadn’t realized that, so I asked. David shrugged, “They’re just Mom and Dennis now. Give it a chance.” I let out a breath, still unsure about the recital tonight. Still unsure about everything!
Back home, I found Zoe in her costume, but something was wrong. Her arms were folded tight across her chest, and her eyes were glossed with tears. “What’s wrong, Zoe?” I asked. “Opening night jitters (战战兢兢),” my stepfather said. “She doesn’t want to be in the recital,” Mom said.
Huh. This should have been the best thing that could have happened — the possibility of not having to go to the performance. But somehow it wasn’t. Zoe had practiced so hard. And she’d reminded me at least a thousand times where she would be onstage.
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。
Thinking of Kevin’s funny dance, I had an idea.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________After Zoe disappeared into dancers backstage, we found our seats.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________注意：1. 写作词数应为80左右：
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Dear William,
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
10 . Children with strong family connections are associated with a high likelihood of flourishing (成功) in life, according to a new study led by Dr. Robert Whitaker from Columbia University, who surveyed over 37,000 children in 26 countries.
Family connection was determined by a mean score of five categories: care, support, safety, respect and participation. For each subject, the participants were given a statement and asked to assess now much they agreed with it, scoring from zero (do not agree) to four (strongly agree). For example, to measure care, they were asked how much they agreed with the statement, “I feel safe at home.”
The core of family connection is children feeling that they’re accepted and nurtured at home, which allows them to learn what their strengths and weaknesses are in a safe environment as they are building their identity, Whitaker said.
Children with the greatest level of family connection were over 49% more likely to flourish compared with those with the lowest level of family connection, according to the study. The highest scores in both family connection and flourishing came from children who lived with parents or never had their family worrying about finances.
Researchers then controlled the data for families’ poverty levels, including financial circumstances and food insecurity, to remove the effect they may have had on the numbers. After controlling for these factors, the strength of family connections still impacted how much children flourished.
So it is important to create a space where children feel seen and heard. While they are talking, grown-ups should show that they have a genuine interest in what their children are saying and try to suspend judgment. Adults do not need to make grand gestures to bond with their children. Having meaningful conversations is more important for your connection than taking them on expensive trips. Silence is also another powerful form of communication. Children and parents spending time together in silence or even running an errand or doing chores can create a connection.
1. What were the participants required to do in the research?| A．Add up the scores they’ve got. | B．Assess some statements. |
| C．Recall their childhood life. | D．Categorize some statements. |
| A．It allows them to build their identity. | B．It enables them to accept others. |
| C．It provides safe living conditions. | D．It makes them better know themselves. |
| A．To listen to them attentively. | B．To judge them immediately. |
| C．To organize trips frequently. | D．To assign housework regularly. |
| A．Close family bond brings successful children. | B．Children showing care will flourish. |
| C．Communication helps family connection. | D．Family connection ensures healthy children. |
