Some time ago, I discovered that one of my chairs had a broken leg. I didn’t think there would be any difficulty in getting it mended, as there was a lot of antique (古董) shops near my home. So I left home one morning, carrying the chair with me. I went into the first shop, expecting a friendly reception. I was quite wrong. The man didn’t even look at my chair.
The second shop, though slightly more polite, was just the same, and the third and the fourth — so I decided that my approach (way) must be wrong.
I went into the fifth shop with a plan in my mind. I placed the chair on the floor and said to the shopkeeper, “Would you like to buy a chair?” He looked it over carefully and said, “Yes, not a bad chair. How much do you want for it, sir?” “Twenty pounds,” I said. “OK,” he said, “I’ll give you twenty pounds.” “It’s got a slightly broken leg,” I said. “Yes, I saw that. It’s nothing.”
Everything was going according to the plan and I was getting excited. “What will you do with it?” I asked. “Oh, it will be easy to sell once the repair is done.” “I’ll buy it,” I said. “What do you mean? You’ve just sold it to me,” he said. “Yes, I know but I’ve changed my mind. I’m sorry. I’ll give you twenty-seven pounds for it.” “You must be crazy,” he said. Then, suddenly the penny dropped. “I know what you want. You want me to repair your chair.” “You’re right,” I said. “And what would you have done if I had walked in and said, ‘Would you mend this chair for me?’ ” “I wouldn’t have agreed to do it,” he said. “We don’t do repairs, not enough money in it and too much trouble. But I’ll mend this for you, shall we say for a fiver (five dollars)?” He was a very nice man and was greatly amused by the whole thing.
1. The expression “the penny dropped” in the last paragraph means the shopkeeper ______.| A．changed his mind | B．accepted the offer |
| C．saw the writer’s purpose | D．decided to help the writer |
| A．￡ 5. | B．￡ 7. | C．￡ 20. | D．￡ 27. |
| A．honest | B．careful | C．smart | D．funny |
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【推荐1】Last year, I had the chance to study at a British secondary school as an exchange (交换) student.
The British school day begins at 9 a.m. and ends at 4 p.m. Students usually have to learn nine subjects at secondary school. Every student in the UK must study English, Maths and the Science subjects: Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Students can also choose to study other subjects, such as History, Art and Business. The classes are different from those in China. Each teacher has their own classroom and the students move around for every lesson.
I enjoyed most of the classes, but some of them were quite challenging. Maths was quite easy and enjoyable because the material was less advanced in the UK than in China. However, learning in English was a great challenge for me. There were a lot of difficult English words, especially in Geography and Biology. Class discussion is very important in the UK, but I could not make a great contribution because sometimes I wasn’t able to express myself clearly in English. Although there was not as much homework as I was used to, it was still challenging. Fortunately, my teachers and classmates were always helpful and gave me lots of encouragement. My language skills improved over time.
After school, there were many clubs to join. The one that attracted me most was the Rugby Club. It was great fun. Also, I enjoyed acting in the Theatre Club. I still have photos of myself acting in William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. For me, joining clubs was a great way to meet British students and make friends with them.
I am glad to have the opportunity to experience this different way of life. I met some great people and learnt a lot about school life in the UK.
1. What can we learn about British secondary school?| A．School day starts early in the morning. |
| B．Science subjects are optional. |
| C．Teachers have fixed classrooms. |
| D．Students are free to choose subjects. |
| A．Attractive. | B．Difficult. | C．Creative. | D．Various. |
| A．He felt Geography and Biology the toughest to learn. |
| B．He was scared of joining in classroom discussion. |
| C．He didn’t do well at first due to language skills. |
| D．He had few chances to make friends. |
| A．Experiences abroad. |
| B．School life in the UK. |
| C．Advice for exchange students. |
| D．Challenges in the UK schools. |
【推荐2】It was the end of a long, tiring week of work and I was desperately in need of some positive feedback. More specifically, I was in search of those sweet dialogues: The compliment. As none seemed to be upcoming, I decided that I would create an accidental one. Then I ordered a pizza to be delivered instead of laboring in the kitchen after such a long week.
After dinner was delivered and consumed, I gathered my family in the living room to watch an old film version of “A Christmas Carol”, hoping that they would complain about the plain food I ordered. We got to the part in the movie where Bob Cratchitt describes what Christmas dinner will be like to his wife and family.
“It will be a PERFECT dinner.” Then, turning to his son, he says, “Won’t it, Tim?”
Tiny Tim agrees enthusiastically. “Oh, yes, Father. It will be the best one in all of Londontown!”
I just had to speak up at this point. There was no sense in waiting for a compliment. I was getting impatient, so I used the direct approach.
“Well, at least Mrs. Cratchitt’s meals get noticed.”
Jeffrey, lying on the sofa, turned his head around. “OK. Mom, that PIZZA you PHONED in tonight was GREAT!!”
“It was the finest pizza in all of Londontown, my dear!” Walter cut in.
OK, the point was well taken: I did phone for the delivery of the pizza. But does that deny the dinners I cooked after working a full day in the previous weeks and months? Finally I realized that sometimes it just doesn’t pay to fish for compliments; sometimes you hook yourself with your own bait (诱饵).
1. What does the underlined word “compliment” in Paragraph 1 mean?| A．Praise. | B．Comment. |
| C．Greetings. | D．Congratulations. |
| A．To get relaxed. | B．To criticize them. |
| C．To gain some positive feedback. | D．To talk about “A Christmas Carol”. |
| A．She had to pay to get praised. |
| B．The family were hooked on the film. |
| C．Her kids disliked takeaway food. |
| D．The food she cooked wasn’t appreciated. |
| A．Watching a Film | B．An Impatient Mother |
| C．A Tiring Weekend | D．Fishing For a Compliment |
【推荐3】“The moment before they called my name, I was really nervous because the other finalists’ presentations are really good and I thought they would win,” Kara Fan, 14, who has won America’ s Top Young Scientist, told Yahoo Finance. “When they announced my name, I was really surprised actually.”
To win that claim, Fan’ s nano-particle liquid bandage had to surpass the experiments of hundreds of fifth to eighth graders as well as nine other finalists. Fan started developing her liquid bandage in April 2019 to fight the overuse of antibiotics (抗生素).
According to the CDC, roughly 2 million people every year suffer a bacterial infection in the U. S. and about 23, 000 passed away as a result. If left alone, a UN study reported, drug- resistant diseases or the “superbug” could lead to 10 million deaths across the globe by 2050. When Fan’ s sprayable bandage dries on a person’ s skin, it creates a thin layer that protects the wounded area while breaking the cell wall and killing the bacteria on the skin. After experimenting with copper nitrate (硝酸铜) to fight bacteria, switching to the silver nitrate ended up being the major catalyst (催化剂) to seeing results for her award-winning project.
“Thousands of years ago, ancient people would use copper and silver to eat with and they would drink water from like copper bowls to kill bacteria,” Fan explained. “I found out that it didn’t work. So I used nano silver.”
Sir Alexander Fleming’ s discovery of penicillin— a type of antibiotic— is Fan’ s favorite scientific discovery. That said, she doesn’ t think humans should rely too heavily on penicillin.
Following her years at Westview High School, Fan hopes to continue her biology track at Stanford University. Along with the ＄ 25, 000 cash prize she won on October 29, becoming America’ s Top Young Scientist may help get the private university’ s attention.
1. How did Kara Fan feel about her winning the prize?| A．Confident. | B．Regretful. | C．Proud. | D．Unexpected. |
| A．To fight overuse of antibiotics. | B．To enter a national contest. |
| C．To reduce deaths from injuries. | D．To get into a good university. |
| A．Copper nitrate. | B．Copper. | C．Silver. | D．Nano silver. |
| A．Addictive. | B．Valuable. | C．Useless. | D．Irreplaceable. |
【推荐1】I discovered the power of fear when I became stuck to my driveway, as if my feet were crazy-glued to the cement (水泥). As much as I tried, I could not move them. The realization that my daughters were playing in Nancy's house, just one-half block away, paralyzed (麻痹) my legs, making me unable to move when I neared the end of our driveway. Dense, black smoke was rising from behind the Sycamore Maple trees on the other side of the street and was enveloping three houses, making them barely visible. Nancy's house was one of them.
I tried to call out for my daughters, hoping to see them run safely to my arms, but my voice was also stuck-stuck in my throat with no intention of coming out. There I stood, helpless, paralyzed and silenced by fear, unable to protect the two lttle girls I loved more than even I had realized.
Although trapped in a body that couldn't move or speak, I could still hear. I could hear other mothers anxiously calling their children. I could hear a frightening silence that covered the neighborhood instead of the usual happy voices of children. And, finally, I could hear the alarm of the fire engine. As the alarm announced, "We're on our way," it instantly dissolved the crazy glue that had held my feet to the cement and it unlocked the soundproof box that had silenced my voice. I was free to make sure my daughters were safe.
As I continued down the driveway, two little girls, my two little girls, ran toward me from across the street. They had come home to tell me about the fire in the garage next to Nancy's house. Not only did my feet and voice work now, but my eyes were also in good working order and had no trouble producing tears.
1. Why was the author stuck to her driveway?| A．She was too tired to move her legs. |
| B．Thick black smoke blocked her view. |
| C．The cement on the driveway was still wet. |
| D．The fear for her daughters' safety struck her. |
| A．Shouting from other anxious mothers. | B．Strange silence in the neighborhood. |
| C．The alarm of the coming fire engine. | D．The courage to protect her daughters. |
| A．She burst into tears of relief and happiness. |
| B．She was really thankful to see her girls saved. |
| C．She was too excited to believe what she saw. |
| D．She overcame her fear and fully recovered. |
| A．Love in Fire | B．Stopped in Silence |
| C．A Narrow Escape | D．The Price of Fear |
【推荐2】On a Friday evening in December, I was laid off. My heart sank.
In the next week, I desperately applied for jobs as my bank account grew smaller. I felt as if the world was closing in on me.
One weekend afternoon, I dropped my daughter Kristil in a wealthy gated community for a birthday party. I watched as she went in, surrounded by all the nice things we couldn’t afford. I drove home defeatedly.
Back at home, I glanced out the window. It had been snowing on and off all morning. I noticed a woman with short white hair struggling to open her car door against the wind. As she got out, I realized it was my old professor, Sister Esther Heffernan. I hadn’t seen her since we’d met three months before.
I first met Sister Esther 10 years ago when I was her student at Edgewood College in Madison, Wisconsin. Kristil was 3 at the time, and I sometimes took her to class. Sister Esther was understanding and would bring coloring books to occupy Kristil.
Even after I graduated, we still kept in touch. I had grown to love her like family.
I rushed to the front of my building. “What are you doing out in this weather?” I asked as we hugged.
“Well, I tried to call you last week but couldn’t get through. Then I called your company and they said you weren’t working there anymore, so I thought I would come by,” Sister Esther said. “I have gifts for you and Kristil.”
She handed me a card. “This is for you,” she said as she kissed me on the cheek. I walked her to her car and waved as she pulled away.
When I opened her card, I turned in shock. Hundred-dollar bills fell onto the table. Tears of gratitude puddled in my eyes as I counted. Sister Esther had given me $1,000.
14 years passed, but I’ve never forgotten what Sister Esther did for us.
1. Why did the author say the world was closing in on her?| A．Because she couldn’t find any well-paid job. |
| B．Because she lost her job and could hardly make ends meet. |
| C．Because she had no access to a wealthy gated community. |
| D．Because she couldn’t content herself with nice things. |
| A．Depressed. | B．Hopeful. | C．Awkward. | D．Confident. |
| A．Serious. | B．Determined. | C．Courageous. | D．Thoughtful. |
| A．Love me, love my dog. |
| B．The flames rise high when everybody adds fuel to it. |
| C．A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
| D．Roses are given, and the fragrance remains in hand. |
【推荐3】Last year, I spent my holiday with some of my children and grandchildren in a rented house in an unfamiliar neighborhood in Lakewood, New Jersey. Everyone in the area was super friendly and hospitable (好客的), offering to introduce themselves to us.
The home next door to us was particularly fascinating. In the yard, there was a trampoline (蹦床), a swing set and various toys and games that were particularly popular with young children. The owner was also very friendly and invited the kids to come over and play.
They played for hours on end. While we relaxed in our yard, perhaps feeling comfortable, perhaps enjoying each other’s company, perhaps forgetting that young children can’t be left too long without adults looking after them.
Unexpectedly, a small fight broke out. My 10-year-old grandson pushed the boy of the next door. At this point, the mother next door went to intervene (调停).
She came over to speak to us. Were I in that position, I would have been a very angry mother and complained about the bad behavior of these visiting children, and definitely sent them home.
What she did was quite the opposite. She spoke of their great pleasure in sharing the backyard, of a slight difficulty that had arisen and of the necessity of monitoring our children’s behavior. She told her children we were all their guests and that we should be respected and treated well. After that, these children got along well as before.
Honestly, I owed my thanks to the neighbor. Small as her actions may seem, they were big in our eyes. The neighbor not only kept the children happy but also taught me an unforgettable lesson in dealing with relationships. From her, I learned small and kind actions can bring warmth to people.
1. What is the purpose of this text?| A．To tell a story of warm friendship. |
| B．To describe an exciting trip experience. |
| C．To give advice on how to be a great mother. |
| D．To share a lesson the author learned from a neighbor. |
| A．The boy next door picked on the author’s grandson. |
| B．The children secretly went into the yard to play games. |
| C．The adults didn’t take good care of the children while relaxing. |
| D．The author’s family spent their holiday in her friend’s neighborhood. |
| A．Kind and calm. | B．Strict and tough. |
| C．Generous and curious. | D．Rude and narrow-minded. |
| A．She will leave without doing anything. |
| B．She will be patient and take kind actions. |
| C．She will teach her own children a good lesson. |
| D．She will stop troubling her hospitable neighbor. |
