When I was a little girl, you and I loved decorating the living room and tree to make it look festive. We loved Christmas. After decorating, we would bake cakes. “Make enough mince pies (肉末馅饼), because Santa likes them,” you would tell me.
Christmas Eve came, I was totally excited at the thought of Santa coming. I’d get into my neatly made bed and fall asleep until Christmas morning.
I’d wake up and thrill at the sight before me. At the bottom of my bed would be loads of presents that Santa had brought during the night. I’d scream in delight, excitedly tearing the paper open. Running downstairs, I would discover there were also lots of presents around the Christmas tree.
Many years later, the tradition continued and we’d bake the mince pies and cakes. The only thing that stopped was the presents at the end of the bed I grew out of them.
One afternoon, we were making extra mince pies as usual when I casually commented that you really loved them, “Those extra mince pies were actually never for Santa, They were for you!” You never said a word a silly smile was your only reply.
Christmas changed in 1986, when you suffered a serious brain haemorrhage ( 脑出血 ) . After suffering throughout Christmas, you passed away on the 29 December.
Only now am I starting to enjoy Christmas again, and while I don t do the baking any more, I do have mince pies in the house. I leave one out just for you, as if you were still a part of my Christmas. And I make sure I put up the decorations in memory of you, and us. At the end of the letter, thanks for the wonderful memories of Christmas, Mum.
1. Why was the author excited at Christmas Eve?| A．She would dream of Santa. |
| B．She would receive a lot of presents. |
| C．She would have enough mince pies. |
| D．She would decorate the Christmas tree. |
| A．Mum no longer baked the mince pies. |
| B．Santa no longer brought presents to the author. |
| C．The author was old enough not to receive presents. |
| D．The author got tired of the same presents every year. |
| A．The author told the truth. | B．Santa didn’t like mince pies. |
| C．She ate the extra mince pies. | D．The author couldn’t understand her yet. |
| A．To remember her mother. | B．To express thanks to Santa. |
| C．To reflect on the past old days. | D．To record memories of Christmas. |
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【推荐1】When Randy Smalls found out that his daughter, ReOnna, was in a group of students who bullied(霸凌) a girl at school, he couldn’t bear to sit back.
As someone all-too-familiar with being bullied, he felt they should say sorry to Ryan Reese, the girl who was getting picked on. And in doing so, he also found a way to teach his own daughter a lesson. He decided to help Ryan buy brand new clothes. ReOnna was upset, especially because she is into fashion. So Randy asked her to come with them and help pick out Ryan’s new clothes. Randy also took Ryan to get her hair done at asalon (美发厅). Randy’s generosity became inspiration. Several local salons also offered to help keep her looking beautiful in the months that followed.
Upset as Re’Onna was at first, the more time she spent with Ryanthe more she began to truly understand the importance of not bullying. Not only because it’s not okay to hurt others but because you never know what someone else is going through. For Ryan, that included losing her dad, grandpa, and aunt in a short period of time. “I wasn’t expecting it,” Ryan said. “I just started to cry. It really took me deeper down in my depression.”
“As parents, we have to take responsibility for what our children do,” Randy said. “We can teach our children, but when they go and are around other children, something terrible may happen. When situations like this happen we have to take action and be the parent and not the friend.”
1. What did Randy find out?| A．His daughter was bullied. | B．His daughter bullied a girl. |
| C．His daughter failed in exams. | D．His daughter got hurt at school. |
| A．Buying new clothes for Ryan. | B．Blaming her for being involved in bullying |
| C．Reporting the bullying to the school. | D．Urging her to make an apology to Ryan. |
| A．Many students helped Ryan. bir | B．Randy’s daughter felt upset. |
| C．Several local salons also took action. | D．The school also did something for Ryan |
| A．The parent is stricter. | B．The parent is more caring. |
| C．The parent is more helpful. | D．The parent is more responsible |
【推荐2】One of my earliest memories started with me sobbing. Mum took out an old sheet of wrapping paper and began to fold it. Soon, a paper tiger stood on the table. “Tiger!” said mom. I was fascinated by Tiger and stopped crying.
Mum started to make paper toys and would leave them on the breakfast table for me.
One day, when I was playing with Tiger, my neighbor, a boy around my age asked, “What’s this?” “It’s a paper tiger. My mum made it!” I replied proudly. “Your mum makes you toys from rubbish?” he cried in disbelief. I had never thought of Tiger as that. Looking at it now, I found Tiger’s body patched (修补) all over with tape. I hid Tiger in my pocket sheepishly.
The next day at school, the other children whispered as they stared at me. “Do you really play with rubbish? Don’t you have any normal toys?” Someone shouted. The children roared with laughter. I tried to slip away but fell to the ground.
When I got home, I put Tiger and all the paper animals into a big box and hid it in the attic (阁楼). When I saw Mum’s new creation, a paper giraffe, I knocked it into the bin. I shouted at her, “I’m not a baby anymore!” From that day on, Mum’s creations stopped appearing on the breakfast table.
Years later, while preparing for our class graduation photoshoot, someone suggested posing with a treasured childhood item. I then searched the attic for one and saw the box of old paper toys. I opened it with care. As I held Tiger, I recalled our adventures and how I had put it aside so carelessly. A pang of guilt crowded in on me.
When I received my graduation photo, I placed it on Mum’s dressing table with a note, “I’m sorry I threw the paper giraffe away and thanks for everything!” Later that day, I saw the photo in our family’s display cabinet. Next to the photo was a new addition — a paper giraffe.
1. What does the underlined word “sheepishly” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?| A．Embarrassedly. | B．Guiltily. | C．Proudly. | D．Disappointedly. |
| A．She put the paper toys in the attic. |
| B．She folded another paper giraffe |
| C．She secretly threw Tiger into the bin. |
| D．She stopped making paper toys for him. |
| A．He managed to keep calm when being laughed at. |
| B．His mother accepted his apology in the end. |
| C．He enjoyed creating paper toys with his mom. |
| D．His mother made paper toys to support her family. |
| A．A mother’s love is never exhausted. |
| B．One shouldn’t be ashamed to admit mistakes. |
| C．Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind. |
| D．No one will laugh at a person who goes all out. |
【推荐3】Kieron Graham always knew he had an older brother named Vincent. Though Kieron spent years thinking about him, he could never track him down.
That changed in December 2017, when Kieron’s adoptive parents gave him an Ancestry DNA test as a Christmas gift. Kieron, now 21, sent his saliva (唾液) sample in for analysis. When his results came back, he was stunned to find he had a lot of DNA matches for relatives who had also taken the test. Most were distant connections, but one match was so strong that it was labeled “close family.” His name was Vincent Ghant. Kieron looked for him on Facebook and soon made a possible connection.
“This is going to sound so wild...but I think you’re my brother,” Kieron wrote on Facebook’s Messenger app. “I was given up for adoption in 1997 and it says on my paperwork that my mother has a son with your name and your birth date. Her name is Shawn.”
“This is crazy,” said Vincent.
The craziness was just beginning. As they talked, the brothers realized they lived about 20 minutes from each other. More surprisingly, they attended the same university and majored and minored in the same subjects : political science and legal studies.
Vincent was nine when Kieron was born and remembers caring for his baby brother. But times were tough, and Shawn, who worked 15-plus hours a day as a nurse, decided that placing Kieron for adoption would give him the best chance to succeed.
“She was very emotional about that time, to the point where it was hard for her to put into words anything about what happened,” Vincent says.
Now the brothers had the chance to make up for lost time. They decided to meet at a local tea shop that week.
One of Vincent’s concerns was that Kieron might resent his birth family for placing him for adoption. He was relieved Kieron didn’t, and that he’d grown up in a loving family.
Since that first meeting, the brothers have bonded even more. They play football together and celebrated Christmas with their families. “We’ll keep growing our relationship until it’s time to leave this planet,” says Vincent. That shouldn’t be hard. As Kieron says, “We’ve got years and years to catch up on.”
1. What contributes most to the brothers’ reunion?| A．A conversation on Facebook. |
| B．An Ancestry DNA test. |
| C．Kieron’s constant tracking on Vincent. |
| D．The adoptive parents’ selfless love. |
| A．He used to be one of Vincent’s classmates. |
| B．He was separated from Vincent when he was born. |
| C．He was placed for adoption for the sake of his future. |
| D．He decided to return to his birth family. |
| A．Hateful. | B．Indifferent. | C．Affectionate. | D．Understanding. |
| A．The Power of Ancestry DNA Test |
| B．The Discovering of a Lost Brother |
| C．The Adoption by a Loving Family |
| D．The Bond Between Kieron Graham and His Brother |
【推荐1】Walker didn't realize the dangers of e-cigarettes last December when he bought his first one. "I thought it was cool," says Walker, who moved to Florida Atlantic University a month later. Within weeks, given the pressures of adjusting to a new campus, he was smoking a pack or more a day. "After about a week and a half," he says, "I'd get nervous and anxious if I didn't have it."
In early March, Walker went to a hospital emergency room near campus complaining of chest pain, fever and feeling sick. "Eleven days later my chest hurt so bad that I couldn't even sit straight," says Walker. X-rays showed that Walker had what looked like pneumonia (肺炎) in his left lung. Within days, Walker was put on a respirator (呼吸器) and later sent by air to another hospital. "He was dying," says his mom, Candy, a nurse.
It took seven days for doctors to confirm that Walker's infection was caused by the adenovirus (腺病毒). But they were at a loss to explain how the virus had nearly killed an otherwise strong and healthy college student. The answer became clear in mid-April after his father Dave was terrified by what he found — so many e-cigarettes. "Most likely," says Dr. Hunley, "it was the e-cigarettes that led to his breath failure, which contributed to the spread of the adenovirus."
By the time Walker finally left the hospital in July he'd lost 80 pounds, and his left lung and both his kidneys(肾) had been destroyed. Doctors say he now needs to have the kidney transplanted. Walker admits he is shaken by his experience. Meanwhile, Candy says, "Every time I see someone smoking e-cigarettes, I show them pictures of Walker in the hospital and ask, 'Do you understand that you could end up like this?'"
1. Why did Walker smoke e-cigarettes heavily?| A．He thought smoking e-cigarettes cool and safe. |
| B．He unwillingly entered a new environment. |
| C．He couldn't adapt to the new campus quickly. |
| D．He was given much pressure by his teachers. |
| A．By reducing his weight sharply. | B．By giving off poisonous gas. |
| C．By spreading the adenovirus. | D．By speeding breath failure. |
| A．Walker has realized the dangers of e-cigarettes. |
| B．Walker promises to warn others of e-cigarettes. |
| C．Walker had kidneys transplanted before leaving hospital. |
| D．Walker has recovered completely from his disease. |
| A．The Smoking Expenses | B．Walker and E-cigarettes |
| C．The Harm of E-cigarettes | D．A Brave Teenager—Walker |
【推荐2】In 1978, I was 18 and was working as a nurse in a small town about 270 km away from home. I was looking forward to having five days off from duty. Unfortunately, the only one train a day back to my home had already left. So I thought I’d hitch a ride (搭便车)．
I waited by the side of the highway for three hours but no one stopped for me. Finally, a man walked over and introduced himself as Gordon. He said that although he couldn’t give me a lift, I should come back to his house for lunch. He noticed me standing for hours in the November heat and thought I must be hungry. I was doubtful as a young girl but he assured me I was safe, and he also offered to help me find a lift home afterwards. When we arrived at his house, he made us sandwiches. After lunch, he helped me find a lift home.
Twentyfive years later, in 2003, while I was driving to a nearby town one day, I saw an elderly man standing in the glaring heat, trying to hitch a ride. I thought it was another chance to repay someone for the favor I’d been given decades earlier. I pulled over and picked him up. I made him comfortable on the back seat and offered him some water.
After a few moments of small talk, the man said to me, “You haven’t changed a bit, even your red hair is still the same.”
I couldn’t remember where I’d met him. He then told me he was the man who had given me lunch and helped me find a lift all those years ago. It was Gordon.
1. The author had to hitch a ride one day in 1978 because ________.| A．her work delayed her trip to her home |
| B．she missed the only train back home |
| C．she was going home for her holidays |
| D．the town was far away from her home |
| A．He helped the girl find a ride. |
| B．He gave the girl a ride back home. |
| C．He bought sandwiches for the girl. |
| D．He watched the girl for three hours. |
| A．she realized he was Gordon |
| B．she had known him for decades |
| C．she was going to the nearby town |
| D．she wanted to repay the favor she once got |
| A．Those who give rides will be repaid. |
| B．Good manners bring about happiness. |
| C．Giving sometimes produces nice results. |
| D．People should offer free rides to others. |
【推荐3】There lived in South Carolina a young woman named Eliza Lucas. Her father was governor of one of the islands of the West Indies. Miss Lucas often got seeds from her father, and then she planted them in South Carolina.
Once, her father sent her some seeds of the indigo (靛蓝) plant. She planted some of them in March, but a frost (霜冻) came and killed all her plants. However, she decided to plant some more seeds in April. These grew very well until a cutworm found them and ate her plants. Once more Miss Lucas planted some of the seeds. This time the plants grew very well. She wrote to her father about it. He sent her a man who knew how to get the indigo out of the plant.
However, the man tried not to show Miss Lucas how to make the indigo. He did not want the people in South Carolina to learn how to make it. He was afraid his own people would not get so much money for their indigo if other people made it as well. So he destroyed the indigo on purpose. But Miss Lucas watched him closely. She worked out how the indigo could be made. Some of her father’s land in South Carolina was now planted with the indigo plant.
Then Miss Lucas got married, and became Mrs. Pinckney. Her father gave her all the indigo growing on his land in South Carolina. It was all saved for seeds. Mrs Pinckney gave some of the seeds to her friends while her husband sowed others. They all grew and were made into the blue dye(染料) that we call indigo. In a few years, South Carolina was producing more than a million pounds of indigo every year. All the people were grateful to her.
1. The indigo plant died at first because of ______.| A．a cutworm | B．a frost |
| C．strong sunlight | D．heavy rain |
| A．They were afraid of her. | B．They were doubtful of her. |
| C．They were thankful to her. | D．They were worried about her. |
| A．was not as helpful as she expected | B．knew little about planting seeds |
| C．helped her a lot in making the indigo | D．made a lot of money in South Carolina |
| A．Eliza Lucas learned to plant seeds. |
| B．Eliza Lucas became Mrs. Pinckney. |
| C．Eliza Lucas got her father’s land in South Carolina |
| D．Eliza Lucas introduced indigo to South Carolina. |
