Every man wants his son to be somewhat of a clone, not in features but in footsteps. As he grows you also age, and your ambitions become more unachievable. You begin to realize that your boy, in your footsteps, could probably accomplish what you hoped for. But footsteps can be muddied and they can go off in different directions.
My son Jody has hated school since day one in kindergarten. Science projects waited until the last moment. Book reports weren’t written until the final threat.
I’ve been a newspaperman all my adult life. My daughter is a university graduate working toward her master’s degree in English. But Jody? When he entered the tenth grade he became a “vo-tech” student. They’re called “motorheads” by the rest of the student body.
When a secretary in my office first called him “motorhead”, I was shocked. “Hey, he’s a good kid,” I wanted to say. “And smart, really.”
I learned later that motorheads are, indeed, different. They usually have dirty hands and wear dirty work clothes. And they don’t often make school honor rolls(光荣榜).
But being the parent of a motorhead is itself an experience in education. We who labor in clean shirts in offices don’t have the abilities that motorheads have. I began to learn this when I had my car crashed. The cost to repair it was estimated at $800. “Hey, I can fix it,” said Jody. I doubted it, but let him go ahead, for I had nothing to lose.
My son, with other motorheads, fixed the car. They got parts from a junkyard, and ability from vo-tech classes. The lost was $25 instead of $80.
Since that first repair job, a broken air-conditioner, a non-functioning washer and a non-toasting toaster have been fixed. Neighbors and co-workers trust their car repairs to him.
These kids are happiest when doing repairs. They joke and laugh and are living in their own relaxed world. And their minds are bright despite their dirty hands and clothes.
I have learned a lot from my motorhead: publishers need printers, engineers need mechanics, and architects need builders. Most important, I have learned that fathers don’t need clones in footsteps or anywhere else.
My son may never make the school honor roll. But he made mine.
1. What used to be the author’s hope for his son?| A．To avoid becoming his clone. | B．To resemble him in appearance. |
| C．To develop in a different direction. | D．To reach the author’s unachieved goals. |
| A．His daughter does better in school. | B．His daughter has got a master’s degree. |
| C．His son tried hard to finish homework. | D．His son couldn’t write his book reports. |
| A．His son had the ability to fix it. | B．it would save him much time. |
| C．it wouldn’t cause him any more loss | D．other motorheads would come to help. |
| A．tidy and hardworking | B．cheerful and smart | C．lazy but bright | D．relaxed but rude |
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【推荐1】One day, Jack told his friend. Tom , that he loved a very beautiful girl with charming eyes and long hair, and that he wanted to marry her.Tom was so happy to hear the news and asked Jack to lead him to her . However, Tom loved her at first sight , He then told Jack , “This girl is not suitable for you . She deserves a handsome man like me.” Jack was astonished and struggled with Tom until they went to the police to solve the problem.
They told the policeman their story. The policeman asked them to bring the girl to his office. However, when the policeman saw her, he became taken with her and said, “This girl is not suitable for you two . She deserves someone with a status like me .” The three men struggled with each other and then went to the king.
The king asked them to bring him the girl. When the king saw the girl, he said, “Oh, the girl should marry a king like me .” They all argued with each other.
Then the girl said, “I have a solution. I’m going to run and you’ll run after me I’ll be the wife to the one who catches me first.” The four men all agreed and ran after her. While running after her, they suddenly fell into a deep hole. From the top, the girl looked at them and said, “Now, let me tell you who I am.”
“I’m Reputation—I’m the one all people run after. They compete against each other to get me . They leave principles aside to seek for me , and they are sure to fall like you !”
1. What makes the four men love the girl ?| A．The girl’s reputation. | B．The girl’s beauty. |
| C．The girl’s smart mind. | D．The girl’s way to speak. |
| A．close to | B．delightful with | C．confused about | D．attracted to |
| A．seeking only for reputation may bring disasters |
| B．running after girls makes us fall down |
| C．men can never touch beautiful girls |
| D．love at risk is all the time taking place everywhere |
| A．All Men Are Similarly Stupid | B．A Smart Girl Has All Solutions |
| C．Always Follow the Principles in Life | D．Be Careful about Beautiful Girls |
Some people live to climb the highest mountains. Some people live only dreaming about it while others live to avoid ever climbing at all. But one thing is certain — all people meet mountains in their life.
When I was a little girl, my family moved to a tiny town at the bottom of a big mountain. One day after school, while exploring the green woods of this amazing mountain, I almost fell on a set of stairs. What could these steps lead to? Curiosity got the best of me as I knew it would be starting to get dark soon. I started climbing up those strangely mysterious (神秘的) steps. I climbed and climbed. There was nothing but just green bushes and these steps. I had to reach the top. But it was now getting real dark. If I kept going I might not be able to see my way back. My mom would be worried sick if I didn’t come home soon. So I ran back home almost in the dark while trying not to get too scared.
Anxiously I went to bed dreaming about what I would find at the top of this magical mountain. Could there be a castle up there? Maybe I would find a monster (怪物) . Maybe I was taking the risk of never coming back home. Or, maybe all I would find was absolutely nothing! But something inside me was going to climb that mountain at all cost. I could hardly wait to try this adventure again.
Now we live in a world surrounded by the “can’t do” attitudes. We all fall down. We all have doubts and regrets. Still we must climb and dream about what’s at the top of our mountain. Monsters may appear or the night will fall. But never ever give up on your dream! Never let anyone tell you, “You can’t.” Dream big and climb high!
1. What made the author start to climb up the stairs to the mountain top? (one word)2. Why did the author hurry back home without reaching the top of the mountain? Give two reasons. (no more than 20 words)
3. How did the author feel that night? (no more than 3 words)
4. What does the author want to tell us? (no more than 6 words)
5. What’s your attitude towards the “mountain” in your life? (no more than 12 words)
【推荐3】Rumors (摇言) are not always nasty, but they can be especially annoying when the rumormonger spreads something against you. Unfortunately, you can’t just stop nasty rumors just by telling one person it isn’t true.
Clear the air
Set things straight.
Confront the source
Go after the rumormonger in the first place. Most gossip starters don’t really expect people to come after them, so you’ll have the element of surprise. However, don’t attack that person physically or otherwise. Simply approach that person and tell him that he has it all wrong. It’s best to do this when you’re in a room full of people.
Ignore it
If you find yourself battling with a rumor in the workplace, it’s important to tell your boss about it. Rumors, especially nasty ones, can make an influence on your work performance and how other people think of you.
| A．Tell your boss |
| B．Turn to your best friend |
| C．If it were that easy, rumors wouldn’t be such a problem |
| D．You should do something to make the situation better for you |
| E．Some people simply choose to ignore the rumor spread about them |
| F．Arrange a formal meeting to address the issue with many more people |
| G．Thus, others will also hear the truth and the rumor starter won’t go on |
【推荐1】I was 16 years old the day I skipped school for the first time. It was easily done: Both my parents left for work before my school bus arrived on weekdays, so when it showed up at my house on that cold winter morning, I simply did not get on. The perfect crime!
And what did I do with myself on that glorious stolen day, with no adult in charge and no limits on my activities? Did I get high? Hit the mall for a shoplifting extravaganza (狂欢)?
Nope. I built a warm fire in the wood stove, prepared a bowl of popcorn, grabbed a blanket, and read. I was thrilled and transported by a book — it was Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises — and I just needed to be alone with it for a little while. I ached to know what would happen to Jake Barnes and Lady Brett Ashley and Robert Cohn. I couldn't bear the thought of sitting in a classroom taking another biology exam when I could be traveling through Spain in the 1920s with a bunch of expatriates(异乡客).
I spent that day lost in words. Time fell away, as the room around me turned to mist, and my role — as a daughter, sister, teenager, and student-in the world no longer had any meaning. I had accidentally come across the key to perfect happiness: I had become completely absorbed by something I loved.
Please note that absorption is not the same as distraction or obsession. To be absorbed by something is to become it and when we come out of it, we are richer for it. To be distracted by something is also to disappear, but not in a good way. We become nothing at all. We don't get enriched. And to be obsessed by something, finally, is to become consumed and destroyed by it. So the trick to happiness, then, is to find something that absorbs you and become that thing by pursuing it with devoted attention.
Looking back on it now, I can see that some subtle things were happening to my mind and to my life while I was in that state of absorption. Hemingway's language was quietly braiding itself into my imagination. I was downloading information about how to create simple and elegant sentences, a good and solid plot. In other words, I was learning how to write. Without realizing it, I was hot on the trail of my own fate. Writing now absorbs me the way reading once did and happiness is their generous side effect.
1. Why did the author skip school on that day?| A．Because her parents left home early. |
| B．Because she was eager to read a novel. |
| C．Because it was a cold winter morning. |
| D．Because she hated to have biology class. |
| A．Reading by the fire. | B．Travelling in Spain. |
| C．Breaking the regulations. | D．Being occupied by one's passion. |
| A．Maintaining. | B．Entering. | C．Mending. | D．Blocking. |
| A．You picture yourself as the characters in a book and live and breathe and love and die with them. |
| B．When you read a book, you frequently turn to your smartphones, checking WeChat messages, |
| C．You spend endless time and amounts of money on computer games without caring about anything else. |
| D．Your mind always wanders about various things and it takes you a lot of time. |
| A．The author was tired of her real-life roles. |
| B．The author learned how to write through online courses. |
| C．Being fully engaged in writing now makes the author happy. |
| D．The author knew when she would be good at handling her life. |
【推荐2】My father used to say to me “Have you checked the oil in the car”, which is his version of “Hello, hope you are well”. Sometimes our phone calls would begin with an inquiry about the oil, with not a lot in between.
Fathers have a lot of love to give, but it’s often supplied through the medium of practical advice. The affectionate “You made my life better from the moment you were born” may be rarely heard, but there is the more common “I’ll hold the ladder while you get the leaves off the roof”.
Why can’t our fathers just say “I love you” or “It’s great to see you”? The point is: That’s exactly what we are saying. You just have to translate from the language that is Fatherlish. Listen closely enough and “I love you” can be heard in the lengthier “I could come around Saturday and replace the silicon seal around the base of your toilet because I reckon that thing is getting really smelly”.
When I was 17, I went on my first road trip. My father stood on the corner in the predawn of a cold morning to bid us farewell. “Highways are dangerous,” he said, “so don’t try overtaking anything faster than a horse and buggy. And take a break every two hours. And every time you stop for gas, you really should check the oil.” At the time we thought his speech was funny and would chant “horse-and-buggy” every time I floored the accelerator.
Dad’s long gone now. But after all these years, I realize that had I owned a copy of the Fatherlish-to-English dictionary, I’d have understood that the speech my friend and I so casually mocked (嘲笑)was simply Dad’s attempt at affection.
1. According to the passage, how do fathers usually show their affection?| A．By inquiring their kid’s car. | B．By doing rather than saying. |
| C．By offering helpful advice | D．By accompanying their kids. |
| A．To exemplify the unique parental concern. | B．To provide some background knowledge. |
| C．To explain the reasons for his behavior. | D．To present his father’s funny speech. |
| A．His father has gone somewhere faraway. |
| B．He regretted making fun of his father’s speech. |
| C．He owned a copy of the Fatherlish-to-English dictionary. |
| D．His father’s speech got across to him when he was 17. |
| A．Caring and considerate. | B．Devoted and generous |
| C．Talkative and humorous. | D．Knowledgeable and diligent. |
【推荐3】Our lives are measured by the passing years and shaped by major milestones such as graduating from school, getting jobs, getting married and having children. Sometimes, however, it’s the little things that we find play an important role. Often we don’t even notice them until they change or we suddenly don’t have them anymore.
My wife and I live on the top floor of an apartment. Looking out of the bedroom window, there were no buildings as high as ours and, as a result, we never had to close our curtains at night. If I was awake in bed at night, I could look up and see the stars. I would wonder if there were planets revolving around them, and were any of those planets like ours. I’ll probably never know the answers but the questions themselves intrigue me.
Last summer, the neighbors sold the little house next door and it was bought by a developer to build a new apartment building. It will be four floors tall, the same as ours. When the new building is ready for new residents, we have to start closing our curtains at night.
Perhaps I will be able to wait until everyone else is likely to be sleeping and reopen my curtains. That’s one possible course but I really doubt we’ll do this. More likely we will close the curtains before going to bed and not reopen them until morning. That means that when I wake up in the middle of the night as usual, the room will be dark and there will be nothing to see, no view out the window of the beautiful night sky and no interesting questions to think about.
I’m sure the night sky is filled with wonders we may never actually see and probably can’t even imagine. With that mind-set I have enjoyed lying in bed in the small hours of the night and looking at the heavens and wondering. Our little town is growing as it unavoidably would but I’m going to miss the stars.
Sometimes, it’s the little things.
1. What does the underlined word “intrigue” mean in Paragraph 2?| A．Trick. | B．Interest. | C．Shock. | D．Escape. |
| A．Plan to move out of the town. |
| B．Communicate with neighbors. |
| C．Keep the curtains closed when sleeping. |
| D．Appreciate the appealing night sky as usual. |
| A．Destructive. | B．Understandable. | C．Beneficial. | D．Meaningless. |
| A．To arouse readers’ interest in the star observation. |
| B．To state the inconvenience of living on the top floor. |
| C．To remind the readers of the significance of little things. |
| D．To complain about the damage of building construction. |
【推荐1】Grandma, almost ninety years old, sat weakly on the park bench. She didn’t move. She just sat with her head down staring at her hands.
When I sat down beside her, she didn’t even notice me. I wondered if she was OK. So I asked her if she was OK. She raised her head, looked at me and said with a smile, “Yes, I’m fine .Thank you for asking me.” “I didn’t mean to disturb you, Grandma, but you were just sitting here staring at your hands and I wanted to make sure you were OK,” I explained to her.
“Have you ever looked at your hands?” She asked.“I mean really looking at your hands.” I slowly opened my hands and stared down at them. And then I turned them over. No, I guess I had never really looked at my hands as I tried to figure out the point my grandma was making.
Grandma smiled and told me the following story, “My hands put food in my mouth and clothes on my back. They tied my shoes and pulled on my boots. They held my husband and wiped my tears when he went off to war. They were uneasy when I tried to hold my newborn son. Decorated with my wedding band, they showed the world that I was married and loved someone special. They wrote my letters to him and shook when I buried my parents. They held my children and grandchildren and comforted my neighbors. They covered my face, combed my hair and washed the rest of my body. These hands are the mark of where I’ve been and the ruggedness of life.”
I never look at my hands the same again. When my hands are hurt or when I touch the faces of my children and my husband, I think of my grandma. I know I can also create a bright future using my hands.
1. The writer disturbed her grandma in order to know ________.| A．what she was doing | B．whether she understood the writer |
| C．why she was staring at her hands | D．if there was something wrong with her |
| A．Pleasure. | B．Richness. | C．Roughness. | D．Excitement. |
| A．She is fond of telling stories. |
| B．She treats others in a caring and helpful way. |
| C．She loves telling stories in an interesting way. |
| D．She prefers to talk with others about her friends. |
| A．couldn’t do anything as a result of her weak hands |
| B．lived a poor life without any help of technology |
| C．felt very tired when dealing with life with her weak hands |
| D．managed to go through many difficulties with her weak hands |
【推荐2】The winter storm that hit Kodak in December 2020 proved historic. As the wind picked up, rees fell, and power and phone service went out. More than 44, 000 Tennesseans would wake to ind themselves celebrating Christmas without electricity．
The Hundleys were among them. Ahead of them lay a snowy, icy road. Behind them, their old, unheated house. Hotel rates climbed during the holidays, and many hotels also had a policy gainst renting rooms to local residents, concerned they might use the rooms for illegal things. Even in the face of a massive storm, those hotels refused to lift their“no locals”rule.
Facing the double blow，their truck was looking like the Hundleys’only option until Michelle Hundley came across a Facebook post from the Quality Inn．Not only would the hotel not lock out locals，the owner also promised to keep rates down to $25 per night．
It was the lifeline the Hundleys needed．They called the Quality Inn and were promised a room if they could get there safely．On their arrival，the couple unloaded their overnight bag and stepped into the hotel，where they experienced the first real warmth．
The hotel owner，Patel，came to America in 2004 and settled in Tennessee．A friend taught him the ins and outs of his new country while giving him a bed to sleep．Soon Patel was on his own two feet，earning a degree，running hotels to support his wife and son．Along the way，he never forgot how he’d started．He believes that those who do good to others will receive good in return．
So as the snow flew that Christmas，Patel knew his neighbors would need someone to take them in．“We will take care of you，”Patel wrote in the Facebook．The weather may have made a mess of the holidays for many，but inside the inn，the Christmas spirit was alive and well．
1. What does the underlined phrase“the double blow”in paragraph 3 refer to?| A．Hotels’ high prices and prejudice． |
| B．Bad road conditions and no shelter． |
| C．Power failure and no phone service． |
| D．Unfriendly treatment and the disabled truck． |
| A．By offering a room． | B．By picking them up． |
| C．By serving a free dinner． | D．By unloading their bag． |
| A．How Patel’s business started． |
| B．How Patel’s life values formed． |
| C．What Patel learnt from his family． |
| D．What contributed to Patel’s success． |
| A．To remember a hotel owner． | B．To introduce a nice place． |
| C．To expand a hotel’s business． | D．To share a heartwarming story． |
【推荐3】Nature’s beauty is all around you. Wild flowers shine in bright blues, yellows, and reds. Trees, with unique shaped branches, and leaves, decorate the horizon. Under your feet, pine needles, leaves, and grass give their natural beauty on the earth’s surface. But how many of you take the time to notice all of nature’s wonders?
Hannah Bullen-Ryner is an artist who not only takes the time to “smell the roses”, but she uses them as a medium to craft stunning portraits of birds. Bullen-Ryner, a photographer by trade, began her artistic hobby shortly after her twin daughters were born. The young mother suffered from depression and anxiety. To seek a solution, she turned to nature.
Bullen-Ryner started spending time alone in the woods, foraging for materials: flowers, branches, leaves, and grass. On an impulse (冲动), she started forming a portrait of a bird with the items she had gathered. When her picture was finished, Bullen-Ryner realized that she felt calmand hopeful. The process had been healing and therapeutic (有疗效的).
Bullen-Ryner tells My Modern Met, “Finding the medium of land art has allowed my art and soul to connect to the earth. As a full-time Mama of nearly three-year-old twin girls, and someone who suffers from anxiety, my art is my quiet time, my peace.”
When Bullen-Ryner creates her artwork on the forest floor, she never uses glues or any other material to bond the foraged items. This means that a single breeze is able to carry away or scatter her portrait.
“People often ask me why I don’t make something more permanent or they say it’s such a shame that it’s temporary,” Bullen-Ryner explains. “But for me,” she continues, “it is the short-lived nature of what I do that has become therapy for my soul. I get to put down all my anxieties, my fears, and all the chaos from my brain and turn it into something beautiful to honor Mother Nature. I take some photos and then walk or cycle away, leaving it all behind and feeling calmer, more connected, and truly lighter.”
1. Why did Bullen-Ryner take up her artistic hobby?| A．To kill time. | B．To make more profits. |
| C．To serve as a treatment. | D．To entertain her daughters. |
| A．Making. | B．Answering. |
| C．Providing. | D．Seeking. |
| A．It is well received with customers. |
| B．It cannot be preserved for a long time. |
| C．It stimulated the local tourism industry. |
| D．It won her widespread praise domestically. |
| A．Bullen-Ryner is grateful to nature. |
| B．Bullen-Ryner regrets what she has done. |
| C．Bullen-Ryner is into going to work by bicycle. |
| D．Bullen-Ryner persuades more people to participate. |
