On that particular morning, we were in Kansas, midway through a project to photograph the storm that sweeps across the middle of the United States every spring. Nick Moir, our team leader, sat on the edge of the bed, checking apps and online radars in search of a good storm cell (云泡) for us to pursue.
“This is it,” he said, waving his phone at the rest of the crew—photographer Krystle, videographer Armstrong, and me. “Let’s roll out.”
We loaded the car with our equipment and off we went, driving under cloudless blue skies for hundreds of miles. We left that quiet day behind when we reached the outer edge of our targeted storm and entered a dark scene of clouds, distant lightning, and continual rain. As we neared the heart of the cell, we found ourselves braving high winds, very heavy rain, and merciless hail (冰雹). Kryestle, at the wheel, sped up to get in front of the storm, but it was moving too fast. We could barely keep pace with it.
Then we caught sight of a rain-wrapped tornado (龙卷风) half a mile to our right. The horrible conditions made it difficult for us to keep the monster in sight. We lost our cellphone reception. We couldn’t see beyond 20 feet, and the hail was so loud we had to shout to communicate. Our road was on a crossing path with the tornado.
That’s when Nick called it. “We have to quit,” he shouted. Krystle suddenly changed direction, driving the car north onto a country road. For the next hour, we were struck by large hail as we escaped the madness of that dangerous chase.
Disappointed and defeated, we knew it was right to give up. We pulled over and watched until the lightning-filled cloud rolled away, lighting up the dark sky. Nick located another super cell not far from where we were.
1. What was Krystle’s task in the team?| A．To schedule the storm filming. | B．To take photos and drive the car. |
| C．To evaluate the risk of the chase. | D．To locate the tornado online. |
| A．An unexpected tornado made it dangerous to go on. |
| B．The car was too slow to keep up with the storm. |
| C．They failed to be in touch with each other by cellphone. |
| D．The distant lightning and heavy rain threatened them. |
| A．They changed direction and headed north. |
| B．They stayed there to watch the lightning. |
| C．They discussed whether it was right to quit. |
| D．They continued to photograph the storm. |
| A．Through the tornado. | B．Into the storm. |
| C．Away from the hail. | D．Under the blue sky. |
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【推荐1】My mother loves flowers. As soon as warm weather comes around, you will find her planting, watering and weeding over everything. For many years we lived next door to each other, and she spent as much time in my garden as she did her own. After the flowers became plentiful each summer, she would cut colorful bouquets (花束) to enjoy inside the house — both hers and mine. I would often come home from work and find a beautiful arrangement (布置) of fresh flowers on my coffee table.
Shortly before Christmas one year, a local flower shop offered a bouquetamonth special. It seemed to be a great way to thank her for all of the flowers she had given me through the years.
After the holidays, in early January, I drove her to the flower shop to pick up her first month’s bouquet. The small fresh colorful bouquet would hardly fill a small vase (花瓶).
I was so embarrassed. However, after we returned home, she began to arrange the flowers she had received. “Mom, I’m sorry,” I told her. “I can’t believe how skimpy that bouquet is.” She looked at me and smiled. “It’s okay,” she said. “It allows me to better enjoy the beauty of each one.”
Mom’s words helped me to realize something bigger and more important — when we have too many good things, we often fail to enjoy the beauty of each one.
Thanks, Mom, for helping me understand that less is sometimes more.
1. According to Paragraph 1, which of the following is TRUE?| A．The author’s mother usually bought flowers for her daughter. |
| B．The author used to buy some fresh flowers on her way home. |
| C．The author’s mother put fresh flowers on the author’s coffee table. |
| D．The author and her mother shared a becautiful garden. |
| A．bring more flowers to her mother’s garden |
| B．express thanks for all her mother’s done |
| C．celebrate the coming Christmas |
| D．arrange her mother’s new house |
| A．The mother was not happy when receiving the bouquet. |
| B．The author couldn’t afford a big bouquet. |
| C．The mother would send back the bouquet to the flower shop. |
| D．The author would pick up another bouquet the next month. |
| A．beautiful | B．colorful | C．cheap | D．small |
| A．How to grow flowers. | B．How to arrange flowers. |
| C．Enjoying life if possible. | D．Considering things in other ways. |
Now that I am no longer young. I have friends whose mothers have passed away. I have heard these sons and daughters say they never fully thanked their mothers until it was too late to tell them.
I am blessed with the dear mother who is still alive. I appreciate her devotion more each day. My mother does not change, but I do. As I grow older and wiser, I realize what an extraordinary person the is. It’s sad that I am unable to say these words in her presence, but they flow easily from my pen.
How does a daughter begin to thank her mother for life itself? For the love, patience and just plain hard work that go into raising a child? For running after a toddler, for understanding a moody teenager, and for tolerating a college student who knows everything? For wailing for the day when the daughter realizes what her mother really is?
How does a grown woman thank a mother for continuing to be a mother? For being ready with advice when asked or remaining silent when it is needed? For not saying “I told you so.” when she could have voiced these words dozens of times? For being essentially herself — loving, thoughtful, patient and forgiving?
I don’t know how to thank her, dear God, except to bless her and live up to the example she has set. I pray that I will look as good in the eyes of my children as my mother looks in mine.
1. We can infer from the passage that the author is .| A．reserved and romantic | B．cold and practical |
| C．stubborn but responsible | D．talkative and realistic |
| A．she has her own lovely sons and daughters |
| B．she is excellent in bringing up her own children |
| C．it is too late to say thanks to her mother in her presence |
| D．she still has the chance to express her appreciation to her mother |
| A．mothers should offer advice rather than blame |
| B．the sentence “I told you so.” can be repealed if necessary |
| C．the author is very thankful to her mother for her education |
| D．mothers can instruct their children whenever they want to |
| A．devotion | B．forgiveness |
| C．consideration | D．self-preservation |
【推荐3】As a teenager in the 1990s, Melissa Blake was interested in fashion. Unfortunately, fashion wasn't much interested in her.
Blake, who has bone and muscle disease and is under four feet (1.21 metre) tall, couldn't find jeans or dresses in her size. At age 39, she became a disability-rights fighter and a writer whose work appeared in the New York Times, but she gained a national following in 2019 after clapping back those who made ugly comments about her online.
“People said that I should be banned from posting photos of myself because I'm too ugly. So I'd just like to remember the occasion with these three selfies(自拍)…" she tweeted. Over the next year, Blake posted a new selfie every day.
Her fans went wild, calling Blake a goddess and a powerful woman.
Among her fans is Mindy Scheier, the founder and CEO of Runway of Dreams (梦想T台)， which showcases fashion for the disabled. The show is part of the New York Fashion Week. Last fall, Scheier asked Blake to be one of the event's models.
Since the Runway of Dreams show was virtual, Blake's sister filmed her riding her scooter (滑板车)on a quiet street dressed in a T-shirt and an oversize vest.
“It was a little scary," Blake says of modeling. But she's glad she took the challenge. Often, when we think of access for people with disabilities, we think of buildings and employment, she says. But it’s also important to have access to what's fun and enjoyable.
“Fashion isn't going to solve all the world's problems, says Blake. " When disabled people are included, it sends a message that we deserve a seat at the table in all aspects of life.”
1. What does the underlined words "clapping back" in Paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．fighting back | B．calling back |
| C．taking back | D．keeping back |
| A．Hardworking and patient. | B．Responsible and inspiring. |
| C．Easygoing and open-minded. | D．Determined and romantic. |
| A．Everyone should love fashion. |
| B．Being a model is necessary for the disabled. |
| C．We should reserve a seat for the disabled in the buildings. |
| D．Though broken in body, the disabled can be firm in spirit. |
【推荐1】Cyndi Decker, a schoolteacher in Florida, had recently taken an art class and made a painting of a huge white bird called an egret (白鹭). Her proud son posted a photograph of Decker on Reddit, shyly holding her painting. Below it he wrote, “My mom painted this and said no one would like it.“
Then Kristoffer Zetterstrand, an artist in Sweden, saw the photo, deciding to pay respect to the teacher by painting Decker holding her painting. He even captured the shy look on her face. Zetterstrand photographed himself holding his painting of Decker holding her painting. He posted the image on Reddit. The caption for his photograph is “I painted somebody’s mom.” Two days later, Amer, a student in Canada, painted a picture of Zetterstrand holding his painting of Decker holding her painting. Her caption read, “I painted the guy who painted the other guy’s mom.” The artist Vince Law was the next to join in. The caption for his photo of his painting is “I painted the girl who painted the guy who painted the other guy’s mom who painted an egret.” Artist Travis Simpson continued the fun.
And it happened again and again and again!
By this time, more than one million people had seen the paintings and pictures of paintings on a number of social media websites. Many artists around the world jumped into the process, many at the same time.
“I was in fear I was going to read a lot of hateful comments. You all have proven me so wrong. I’m assuming most of you could be my kids, and you all get an unjust accusation in this world. You all are caring and a ton of fun! Thanks for uplifting me! You all have inspired me instead,” she wrote on Reddit.
1. How did people join in the painting?| A．By painting the same bird. |
| B．By means of sharing painting process. |
| C．By organizing voluntary painters on the Internet. |
| D．By painting the photo posted by the previous painter. |
| A．Considerate and entertaining. | B．Ambitious and patient. |
| C．Demanding and stubborn. | D．Caring and funny. |
| A．She was afraid of her painting skill. |
| B．Most of kids like non-photorealistic art form. |
| C．There exists language violence on the Internet. |
| D．She was instructed by the professionals. |
| A．The Social Media Changed a Woman Art-lover. |
| B．One Painting Started a Worldwide Painting Party. |
| C．How the Painters Reacted to a Kid’s Hope. |
| D．How a Woman Won the Respect of People. |
【推荐2】Alvin Bamburg was deep in the woods when something caught his eye. As Bamburg approached, he found it was a broken balloon with a note: “Dear Santa, my name is Luna. I am four years old. I live in Liberal, Kansas. This year I have been nice. I would like candy, Frozen doll, dog. With love, Luna.”
Bamburg felt his heartbeat quickened. Ever since he was a child, he had dreamed of this. “Years ago,” he says, “classes at school released balloons with notes. I’ve always wanted to find one.” He believed this was his childhood wish coming true. And he knew he would make Luna’s wish come true too.
On January 2, 2021, Bamburg posted a photo of the balloon and the Christmas list on his Facebook page, asking for help locating the sender. At first, he wasn’t confident the strategy would work. But as he saw the number of people sharing his post increase by the hundreds, “My hope grew into expectations,” Bamburg says.
At around the same time, Leticia Flores, the mother of four-year-old Luna, had no idea that such an effort was underway. One day last December, Luna had an idea of sending letters to Santa by balloon. Flores helped her write the letters, put the notes into festive red balloons and took her outside to release the wishes.
One day in early January, Flores got a call from a friend, saying “Someone found Luna’s balloon.” “It’s unbelievable!” Flores says. She was more than touched when Bamburg drove 600 miles to send a dog and other gifts to them in April.
Bamburg was happy and decided to attend a Santa Claus training school, hoping to bring fun to more kids.
1. What did Alvin Bamburg’s dream of since childhood?| A．Having some balloons sent to the sky. |
| B．Having his own wish realized by balloons. |
| C．Picking up a balloon with wishes on a note. |
| D．Making others’ wishes come true in person. |
| A．Sharing Luna’s wishes. | B．Making a Christmas list. |
| C．Collecting likes for the post. | D．Finding out where Luna lives. |
| A．Confident. | B．Responsible. |
| C．Caring. | D．Creative. |
| A．A special New Year gift. | B．Kindness from a stranger. |
| C．A balloon’s magic journey. | D．The great function of Facebook. |
【推荐3】That morning, I dropped our eldest at kindergarten and returned home to let our two younger children play while I worked on my medical report. It was wonderful, but it hit me that my career in hospital wasn’t making a difference in anyone’s life. I needed something that would stretch my limits and push me to grow. My career enabled me to work from home. I could work from home, and become a foster (领养) mother, providing safety for a child who needed it desperately.
On Monday morning, I picked up the phone and dialed the number I had googled for the nearest Department of Children’ Services. The man on the other end was receptive to my questions and explained the next step of training, involving eight weeks of classes designed to prepare and educate foster parents. We continued through all the classes, the home visits, background checks, and seemingly endless steps.
Five long months after we were approved, the phone rang. In the middle of the night, I woke my husband and rushed to East Tennessee Children’s Hospital--Our placement was waiting for us in the emergency room, sick and lack of nutrition. It didn’t take long for us to realize the full depth of her suffering. Six months later, her half-brother came to us by our request. We now had five children under our care.
On August 12, 2016, our family of seven walked into a small courtroom. The children’s lawyer and social worker were there. With just a few words, our adoption was finalized. These two amazing children weren’t going home, because they were already home. We are their forever family, and they are our forever children. We may not be able to change the entire world, but we have changed the world entirely for our new children.
1. How did the author feel about her hospital work?| A．Unusually demanding. | B．Lacking in motivation. |
| C．Filled with challenges. | D．Packed with chances. |
| A．She wanted to make a difference to other people. |
| B．She felt sympathetic for the abused children she knew. |
| C．She felt confident about her ability to raise children. |
| D．She experienced training to raise children properly. |
| A．The child to be adopted. | B．The need to get trained. |
| C．The approval of adoption. | D．The official at the hospital. |
| A．To put the adopted kids elsewhere. | B．To receive another adopted child. |
| C．To begin the kids’ adoption in her home. | D．To make the adoption officially legal. |
