When Emanuel received an email from Professor Richard English, Queen’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor at the School of History, Anthropology, Philosophy and Politics, encouraging him to apply for a PhD in Politics in Belfast, it was a pinch-me moment Emanuel never thought would be possible. After all, just a few short years ago, he was living on the streets couch-surfing at friends’ houses and weeding gardens to make ends meet. Now, one of the world’s leading political academics was preparing to welcome him to Queen’s University over 4,000 miles away.
Emanuel never knew who his father was and his mom was mentally ill when she gave birth to him, so the hospital took him off her and he was unofficially adopted for the first few years of his life. What followed was a childhood with uncertainty as Emanuel was passed between the adoption system and family members.
Through his high school and community college years, he moved from house to house, living with friends at times and living on the streets at others.
Determined to change all that despite his rocky start in life, Emanuel involved himself in school--doing everything he could to earn extra tuition (学费) money in his spare time. But getting accepted into university was scarcely possible because a person like him couldn’t get a regular student loan.
Fortunately, the government backed him, having created a policy allowing disadvantaged persons to access funding for higher education. He graduated from the University of the West Indies with a 1st Class Honors degree and went on to do his Masters.
Emanuel knows that his story could have been very different.
“I discovered Professor Richard English online and sent him an email honestly, not thinking he would reply and to my surprise, he did. I applied for the highly competitive Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Scheme in order to fund my research at Queen’s. When I was told I was successful, my whole world changed.”
1. What does the underlined word “pinch-me” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．Expected. | B．Unbelievable. |
| C．Awkward. | D．Anxious. |
| A．His father was dead. | B．He lived on the streets. |
| C．He was once adopted. | D．He lived with his friends. |
| A．By receiving a regular student loan. |
| B．By earning the tuition all by himself. |
| C．By borrowing the money from friends. |
| D．By getting support from the government. |
| A．Well begun is half done. | B．It’s never too old to learn. |
| C．You are the master of your life. | D．Lost time is never found again. |
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【推荐1】THE ROAD TO SUCCESS
Near the small town of Grottoes, Virginia, a narrow dirt road goes from the house of Stephen Curry’s grandfather to the woods nearby. A far cry from the bright lights and shiny courts of the National Basketball Association (NBA), it was along this road that Stephen’s grandfather built a simple basket by attaching a piece of plastic to a telephone pole.
Like his father, basketball star Dell Curry, Stephen spent many childhood hours playing on this muddy basketball court. He probably didn’t realise it at the time, but it was where he learnt to be creative and flexible as a player. You see, with every shot, the weak plastic backboard gave way. The bumps and rocks that lined the road under the basket caused the ball to bounce in all directions. Knowing where the ball would go wasn’t easy. He had to adjust his own playing style as a result. Shooting with great accuracy was another thing he learnt. Only shots perfectly aimed at its centre went into the heavy, thick basket. In this way, practising day in and day out helped Stephen sharpen his skills.
Despite his father’s successful career, Stephen was thought by many people, including his high school teammates and coaches, to be too short, too thin and too weak to follow in his father’s footsteps. But Stephen carried on. Playing basketball was his dream. He would not give up. He finally ended up playing college ball at a small, little-known school, Davidson College, not too far from where he lived. His creativity and perseverance made him Davidson’s star player.
Selected for the NBA in 2009, Stephen joined the Golden State Warriors. He performed beyond everyone’s expectations with his accurate shots and continuous efforts. In 2015, Stephen won his first NBA championship, and he led the Warriors to their first championship since 1975.
After receiving the Most Valuable Player award for two years in a row, Stephen explained his philosophy, “I never really set out to change the game... What I want to do is just be myself... I know it inspires a lot of the next generation and a lot of people who love the game of basketball to value the skill of it, and value the fact that you can work every single day to get better. You’ve got to be able to put in the time and the work. That’s how I got here. That’s how I continue to get better every single day.” Inspiring others to have faith in themselves, Stephen Curry is living proof that what other people think of you does not have to influence what you become. Through self-belief, hard work, perseverance and some help from an old hoop, he has demonstrated that nothing is impossible.
1. What’s Stephen’s first basket?| A．A second-hand basket bought by his grandfather. |
| B．A piece of plastic attached to a telephone pole. |
| C．A new one built in the woods nearby. |
| D．A wooden one picked up behind the house. |
| A．To play in a small court. |
| B．To adjust his own style. |
| C．To strengthen the plastic backboard. |
| D．To bounce the ball in all directions. |
| A．With his accurate shots and continuous efforts. |
| B．By joining the Golden State Warriors. |
| C．By following in his father’s footsteps. |
| D．With the help of his grandfather. |
| A．To explain why Stephen Curry was doubted by many people. |
| B．To inform people about Stephen Curry’s basketball skills. |
| C．To inspire people with Stephen Curry’s determination to succeed. |
| D．To tell what Stephen Curry has achieved during his career. |
【推荐2】In the shadow of Kenya’s Mount Kilimanjaro, nine Rothschild giraffes, the rarest giraffes on the planet, are free to wander at the English-style manor (庄园). Every day shortly before 9am, they come up to the house and stick their heads through the windows and doors in search of morning treats. The manor’s owners, Tanya and Mikey Carr-Hartley, share their dining table with them. And now the couple are sharing the fantastic experience with the public by opening the manor gates to guests at the giraffe hotel, the only hotel of its kind in the world. Now, guests can feed the giraffes at breakfast but can also get up close to them from their second-floor bedrooms.
Mr and Mrs Carr-Hartley，both 38, spent their childhood living close to the house in Nairobi and have always been enthusiastic about the animals. Tanya said, “Mikey and I grew up near this manor house when we were children. We are both third generation Kenyans and have always wanted to work in conservation. Mikey’s family have been related to the protection of animals for many generations. His granddad helped the removal of giraffes as far back as the 1930s because the Rothschild giraffes lost much of their natural living space. When the house came up for sale, we jumped at the chance to buy it as we had always dreamed of owning it. Now, we were absolutely overjoyed to do something for the giraffe protection. Having the giraffes so close is very special and something which people can now experience by staying in one of the ten rooms at the hotel.”
A conservation project to save them was started at the manor in 1974 by the previous owners. “The previous owners ran a very successful breeding (繁殖) programme, where many giraffes were set free into the wild and we hope to continue,” said Tanya.
1. Why are the Carr-Hartley family unusual?| A．They’re living on the rarest giraffes. | B．They share their home with giraffes. |
| C．They’re good at making giraffes’ food. | D．They train giraffes to manage the hotel. |
| A．It has had a long connection with giraffes. | B．It used to raise giraffes around the manor. |
| C．It built a new manor for the wild giraffes. | D．It removed giraffes to Mount Kilimanjaro. |
| A．Visitor-friendly. | B．Energy-saving. | C．Costly. | D．Fruitful. |
| A．Giraffes’ breakfast by guests | B．Reasons for giraffe protection |
| C．The world’s only giraffe hotel | D．History of the giraffe manor |
【推荐3】An 80yearold man was sitting on the sofa in his house along with his 45yearold son.Suddenly a crow (乌鸦) landed on their window.
The father asked his son, “What is that？”
The son replied, “That is a crow.”
After a few minutes, the father asked his son for the second time, “What is this？”
The son said, “Father, I told you just now.It's a crow.”
After a little while, the father asked his son the same question for the third time, “What is this？”
This time, the son said to his father in a low and cold tone, “It's a crow, a crow.”
After a moment, the father yet again asked his son for the fourth time, “What is this？”
This time his son shouted at his father, “Why do you keep asking me the same question again and again? I have told you already, ‘IT IS A CROW’.Are you not able to understand this？”
A minute later the father went to his room and came back with a diary, which he had kept since his son was born.On opening a page, he asked his son to read that page.
Today my little son aged three was sitting with me on the sofa when a crow suddenly landed on the window edge.My son asked me 23 times what it was, and I replied him 23 times that it was a crow.I hugged him lovingly each time he asked me the same question.I didn't at all feel angry, but instead felt affection for my son.
If your parents reach old age, do not look at them as a burden, but speak to them gently, and be kind to them.From today say this aloud, “I want to see my parents happy forever.They have cared for me ever since I was a little child.They have always showered me with love.I will take care of my old parents in the best way no matter how they behave.”
1. The writer mainly intends to_________.| A．tell us the function of a diary |
| B．call on us to love our parents |
| C．teach us what a crow is |
| D．introduce a pair of son and father |
| A．puzzlement | B．hatred (恨) |
| C．worry | D．love |
| A．eighty | B．three |
| C．thirtyeight | D．fortyfive |
【推荐1】Anaya Elick was born without hands – she has stubs（残端）where most people’s wrists begin.
To hold a pencil, she must balance it between her wrists, then use her arms to push it along the page. But that didn’t sop her from winning a national handwriting contest when she was in first grade.
In the two years since, she has taken on greater challenges. Last week, she won another national handwriting contest, this one for cursive（草书）. And by all accounts from her teachers at Greenbrier Christian Academy, she has become an accomplished artist.
Anaya isn’t one to boast about her successes. She unwillingly says they make her proud but adds that they come from “lots of practice.”
Her friends at school said, “She inspires everybody by what she does and how she does it” child to fail, and raising one who was born with a disability can heighten that protective instinct.
Before Anaya was born, doctors knew about her condition, although not its cause. Other than having no hands, she is a regular 9-year-old girl. Middleton said being a parent can be scary. “No one wants their child to fail, and raising one who was born with a disability can heighten that protective instinct.”
Anaya succeeds because she is not afraid to fail, Middleton said. The two began practicing cursive last year, when Anaya was in second grade. She struggled sometimes, because unlike traditional penmanship, which allows for breaks after each letter, cursive words are written straight through – and added effort for someone who must balance rather than hold the pencil.
Middleton could see her daughter thinking through the challenge, figuring out how she could do better. She’d get frustrated at times, but she never hesitated to do things as often as it took to get them right.
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard Anaya say I can’t do something,” Middleton said.
That attitude carries over to her other interests.
Recently, Anaya and her classmates sat in Cheryl Leader’s art room, working on an exercise. The goal was to get them thinking about different concepts, like color combinations and how an image can be formed by fully coloring inside straight and diagonal lines.
1. How did she make her writing? ________.| A．by hand | B．with her arms |
| C．with her wrists | D．with her mouth |
| A．Because she doesn’t want her child to fail. |
| B．Because she love her child very much. |
| C．Because raising one who was born with a disability can be a burden. |
| D．Because she wants to protect her child from failing. |
| A．brave, hard-working and proud |
| B．brave, warm-hearted and kind |
| C．brace, diligent and modest |
| D．brave, diligent and shy |
| A．Girl without hands inspires everybody. |
| B．A special artist. |
| C．Mother and daughter. |
| D．We can do everything that we want. |
【推荐2】Since being introduced to chess at the age of six, Tanitoluwa “Tani” Adewumi has had one goal. He wants to become the world’s youngest-ever Grandmaster—the highest title a chess player can achieve. The record is currently held by Russian chess player Alexandrovich Karjakin, who won the title in 2002 at the age of 12.
To work for his goal, the gifted chess player practiced for up to 11 hours every day after school. On May 1, 2021, the now 10-year-old Tani became the newest national chess master of the United States. The title, awarded by the United States Chess Federation (USCF), requires players to get a rating of between 2200 to 2400. Tani achieved a rating of 2223 by defeating two chess experts, a master, and an international master. Tani said the secret to his success was thinking of his plays ahead of time.
The now fifth-grader first knew and fell in love with chess in 2017 after being exposed to the basics by a part-time teacher at school in Manhattan, New York. However, his mother, Oluwatoyin, didn’t let him join the school’s chess club due to the travel and chess competition costs. The family of four, who were living in a homeless shelter, did not have extra money to spare. When Oluwatoyin explained the family’s situation to the chess club’s instructor, Russell Makofsky, he instantly cancelled all costs for the young boy.
Tani did not disappoint those who supported him. Over less than a year after joining the club, he had garnered seven trophies(奖杯)and was ranked 27 in his age category. In 2019, the then eight-year-old, who was still living in a homeless shelter, made national headlines when he defeated 73 competitors to win the New York State Scholastic Chess K-3 Championship. His amazing story caught much attention and a GoFundMe campaign, set up by Makofsky, helped raise enough money for Tani and his family to move into a new home.
1. What can we learn from paragraph 2?| A．Tani’s efforts paid off. | B．Tani did badly at school. |
| C．Tani hardly practiced chess. | D．Tani’s thoughts were simple. |
| A．His mother. | B．His teacher. |
| C．Alexandrovich Karjakin. | D．Russell Makofsky. |
| A．The family was too poor to cover the costs. | B．The competition in the club was too fierce. |
| C．She was afraid that he was not independent. | D．She wanted him to concentrate on his study. |
| A．Assessed. | B．Designed. | C．Gained. | D．Missed. |
【推荐3】Life is just like a box of chocolates and you never know what you’re going to get. Sometimes when we are in our darkest hour, something completely unexpected happens that can give us a little bit of hope and comfort.
Jessica was a healthy woman. One day, while she was working on a brilliant idea that suddenly struck her, which she thought would be a real breakthrough for solving the mathematical problem she was working on, she suddenly lost consciousness. After she was rushed to the hospital, her heart rate slowed by nearly 50 percent. It took nine days for doctors to concentrate on what was causing her problem.
After several weeks, Jessica was still stiff (僵硬的) from head to foot, but luckily, she was able to move her lips. Staff noticed this and introduced Jessica to Consuelo Gonzalez, a professional lip reader. Consuelo can understand what people are saying by the shape their lips make. She can also understand how annoying it is not to be able to communicate because she has been completely deaf since the age of 8.
For a few hours each week, Jessica could have long conversations with Consuelo, diving into the ocean of words she dearly missed. Through Consuelo, Jessica asked the doctors and nurses questions she had long wanted answers to. She also talked to Consuelo about the vivid dreams she was mixing up with reality.
In fact, there are other ways for Consuelo to earn a living by reading lips, but she says helping patients separate horrible dreams from reality is the most rewarding way she can use her unique skill. “What is really wonderful, without doubt, is being able to use this skill to create healing and to create communication between human beings. That’s what feels best: Love.”
After four and a half months in the hospital, Jessica finally recovered. Consuelo was there, holding Jessica’s hands. Jessica eventually went back to work as a math professor. After her experience she wrote a new living will. One thing she added is that if she ever becomes incapacitated like this again, she is never to be left alone.
1. What is the correct order of the following events?a. Jessica was introduced to Consuelo Gonzalez.
b. Jessica went back to work and wrote a new living will.
c. Doctors spent nine days to find out what caused Jessica’s problem.
d. Jessica was able to ask the doctors questions she had long wanted answers to.
e. Jessica worked on a brilliant idea for solving the mathematical problem.
| A．ecadb | B．adcbe | C．ecdba | D．adbce |
| A．Jessica became deaf as a result of the sudden disease after losing consciousness. |
| B．Consuelo must have a gift in psychology as she could separate dreams from reality. |
| C．Consuelo accompanied Jessica all the time in the hospital until the latter recovered. |
| D．Doctors focused on the cause of Jessica’s disease before Consuelo offered help. |
