Last year, things didn’t go well to me. Like many people during the pandemic, my husband Paul, lost his job. I was working, but only part-time. I was worried about money, COVID and our future. That’s when our mailboxes really started getting to me.
I’d never liked our mailboxes much, which was already in rough shape and stood at the end of our long driveway with the paint faded and the metal pole rusted (生锈).
One day, someone had driven into the pole, which was now bent slightly. However, because the boxes could still hold the mails and the postman wasn’t complaining, there was no need to replace them. But every time I saw them lately, they reminded me of all the problems in my life.
“Lord, I wish we had better mailboxes,” I found myself thinking one day on my way to work. It was more of a passing thought than a prayer. I probably would have forgotten all about it if it were not for the news we got the next morning.
“Our neighbor just sent a message,” Paul said. “A girl drove her car right into the mailboxes, completely breaking them down.”
“Is she okay?” I asked.
“She wasn’t hurt, but really upset. Shihiem saw it happen. He said she’s just a teenager. He gave her our number and information.”
“That certainly wasn’t in the budget,” I thought. As much as I wanted new mailboxes, getting them would be expensive.
I glanced out of the window. There was an unfamiliar car at the end of the driveway. It was too far away to see what the driver was doing. Surprisingly, about two hours later I found on the spot where rusted mailboxes had once stood was a solid, white post with new, shiny mailbox sitting on each arm—one black, one white. Paul handed me a note.
“Dear Neighbor, I am so, so sorry I hit y’all’s mailbox. I bought and replaced them with new pretty ones. Again, I am so sorry. Have a wonderful, blessed day!”
The writer had included her phone number and address in case we needed anything else.
We did—we needed to thank her! We also wanted to make sure she hadn’t been injured.
1. Why didn’t the writer replace her mailboxes?
| A．She was busy working. | B．The postman liked them. |
| C．They could still be used. | D．They reminded her of the difficulties in life. |
| A．Clever and beautiful. | B．Hardworking and intelligent. |
| C．Talented and friendly. | D．Responsible and considerate. |
| A．It’s boring. | B．It’s discouraging. |
| C．It’s inspiring. | D．It’s interesting. |
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【推荐1】Ever wonder what happens to spacecraft after they get launched to space? Well, that is where my job as an instrument operation engineer comes in. My job consists of planning, generating, and operating scientific instruments in-flight. I am grateful for having worked on missions at Saturn, the Moon, and our own planet Earth.
When I was a high-schooler, I was unsure of what college I wanted to attend, or what major I wanted to choose. After receiving an email from a college called Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), I decided to apply to a summer program they were offering with the encouragement of my mom. After participating in that program, I knew that MIT was the right university for me. The passionate students and boundless opportunities developed a feeling of belonging in me that led me to apply and eventually get accepted.
The most exciting and fulfilling part of being an engineer is that I am able to work on projects that benefit humanity. When people think of the space industry, they picture the outer reaches of our solar system. What they may not imagine is the great body of work being done to study our own home—Earth. I am thankful to have a career that allows me to commit myself to that responsibility.
The high light of my career has been witnessing the end of the Cassini mission to Saturn. And when the Cassini spacecraft had run out of fuel, I quickly learned that it was not just the end of the mission, but the end of a team. The night we watched with bittersweet longing as its signal faded to nothing is something that I will always keep in my memories. And while Cassini will be remembered for its historic contributions, what I will remember it for is the team it brought together.
My friends often ask why a girl could achieve all these. I always grew up a big fan of fiction. I realized that a common theme of hero stories is that the hero must always make a choice to start their adventure. If you don’t pick up the sword in your own story because you are afraid of what may happen next, you risk not having a story at all.
1. Why did the author apply to MIT?| A．She set this goal as a high-schooler. | B．A summer program made her love MIT. |
| C．The majors in MIT interested her. | D．Her mother urged her to go to MIT. |
| A．She is proud to work for human well-being. | B．It’s hard for a girl to have such a career. |
| C．She is annoyed by being misunderstood. | D．It’s easy to predict what she does. |
| A．Breathtaking images of the planet. | B．The opportunity to operate the cameras. |
| C．Its historic contributions. | D．The team it brought together. |
| A．Practice makes perfect. | B．Well begun is half done. |
| C．No way is impossible to courage. | D．Time lost cannot be won again. |
【推荐2】The morning had been a disaster. My tooth was aching, and I’d been in an argument with a friend. Her words still hurt: “The trouble with you is that you won’t put yourself in my place. Can’t you see things from my point of view?” I shook my head stubbornly—and felt the ache in my tooth. I’d thought I could hold out till my dentist came back from holiday, but the pain was really unbearable. I started calling the dentists in the phone book, but no one could see me immediately. Finally, at about lunch time, I got lucky.
“If you come by right now,” the receptionist said, “the dentist will fit you in.”
I took my purse and keys and rushed to my car. But suddenly I began to doubt about the dentist. What kind of dentist would be so eager to treat someone at such short notice? Why wasn’t he as busy as the others?
In the dentist’s office, I sat down and looked around. I saw nothing but the bare walls and I became even more worried. The assistant noticed my nervousness and placed her warm hand over my ice-cold one.
When I told her my fears, she laughed and said, “Don’t worry. The dentist is very good.”
“How long do I have to wait for him?” I asked impatiently.
“Come on, he is coming. Just lie down and relax. And enjoy the artwork,” the assistant said.
“The artwork?” I was puzzled.
The chair went back, suddenly I smiled. There was a beautiful picture, right where I could enjoy it on the ceiling. How considerate the dentist was! At that moment, I began to understand what my friend meant by her words.
What a relief!
1. Which of the following best describes the author’s feeling that morning?| A．Cheerful. | B．Unhappy. |
| C．Nervous. | D．Satisfied. |
| A．The dentist’s agreeing to treat her at very short notice. |
| B．The dentist’s being as busy as the other dentists. |
| C．The surroundings of the dentist’s office. |
| D．The laughing assistant of the dentist. |
| A．Because the dentist came at last. | B．Because the assistant kept comforting her. |
| C．Because she could relax in the chair. | D．Because she saw a picture on the ceiling. |
| A．Strike while the iron is hot. | B．Have a good word for one’s friend. |
| C．Put oneself in other’s shoes. | D．A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
【推荐3】I was sitting at my desk when another graduate student in my lab approached me. “Can you help?” he asked. His experiment wasn’t working and he desperately needed help. I was then a fifth year PhD student, and I took pride in being the senior member of the lab, whom everyone looked up to. But that also meant I was the one everyone turned to for help - which ate away hours, days, and sometimes weeks that I could have spent on my own research.
There were many reasons I had a hard time saying no to such pleas(恳求). I was new to the United States for graduate school. I found it difficult to make new friends and discover activities I enjoyed. So I spent a huge chunk of my time in the lab, with my lab-mates serving as my primary source of social connection. I feared that if I brushed them off, I’d lose their favor.
But the extra responsibilities came at a cost. I had to work extra hours to catch up with my own work, and I often made sacrifices to my personal life.
It wasn’t until my wife gave birth to our first child that I realized how thin I had stretched myself, and how misguided my priorities were. While she lay in a hospital bed in the early stages of labor, I sat nearby hunched(伏首前倾的)over my laptop finishing up a work report hours later, after hearing my daughter’s first cry and watching her tiny fingers grab tightly onto mine, it dawned on me: I should have been fully present during my daughter’s birth. I was clearly spending too much time working if my job had intruded(侵入)into one of the most precious moments of my life.
From then on, I decided to spend more time with my family by paring down my work tasks and carefully considering each request for help. I still enjoyed collaborating with others, but I prioritized mutually beneficial tasks or those my manager asked me to take on, rather than accepting everything that came my way.
I noticed many benefits: no longer working overtime, more family time, and improved work performance. I was also pleased to discover that “Sorry, I’d love to help but I have a deadline coming up” is an acceptable response to a request for assistance.
It’s hard to say “no” to those you work with. But I’ve learned that sometimes that’s the best course of action to avoid an excessive workload and lead a freer and happier life.
1. Why did the author find it difficult to refuse the requests of his lab-mates?| A．He was afraid to be left out by them. | B．He wanted to earn their respect. |
| C．He was the senior member of the lab. | D．He had once received help from them. |
| A．He was guilty for his absence when she was born. |
| B．His wife had sacrificed a lot for the family. |
| C．He should have balanced work and life better. |
| D．He should work harder due to the increased responsibilities. |
| A．To put his work tasks aside. |
| B．To cut his work tasks down. |
| C．To stop his work tasks. |
| D．To get familiar with his work tasks. |
| A．Enjoying family life. | B．Giving priority to family. |
| C．Giving and taking. | D．Learning to say “no”. |
【推荐1】As children, Anaa Jibicho and Lamah Bility lived in the same St. Paul, Minn., neighborhood and quickly found out they had a similar past. For both of their families, there was much less safe drinking water than needed, and they suffered because of the global water crisis (危机). When Jibicho was 2 years old, he, too, became ill from contaminated (受污染的) drinking water. While Jibicho was struggling in Ethiopia, Bility, now 24, was in Liberia. He walked every day for three hours to gather water. When Jibicho was 7 and Bility was 11, their families moved to the United States.
As they started settling into their new lives, the water crisis in their home countries appeared in their minds. Millions of Africans, as well as countless others around the world, lack access to safe drinking water, mainly because of poor infrastructure (基础设施).
That’s why “it’s important for us to tell our stories,” Jibicho said. “People typically see numbers and they don’t really know what that means. Those numbers are real people.”
In summer 2020, they launched a water bottle company called Didomi, which means “to give” in Greek. The company uses 50 percent of its money from selling its products to fund projects aimed at improving access to clean water in African nations. They say that they have provided nearly 50,000 people with access to safe drinking water for 10 years.
The company’s commitment to fighting against the water crisis recently caught the attention of the George Washington University (GWU), which plans to distribute (分发) Didomi bottles to all students, staffers, and faculty members this year.
Didomi is on track to broaden its reach, particularly through its partnership with GWU. Jibicho and Bility said the partnership will provide nearly 30,000 people with clean water for 10 years. When the university agreed to distribute Didomi water bottles, “we were just in disbelief,” said Jibicho, a student at Pomona College in Claremont, Calif.
1. What did Jibicho and Bility have in common?| A．They were from the same country. |
| B．They suffered from the same disease. |
| C．They dreamed of going to the United States. |
| D．They had trouble using cleaning water in childhood. |
| A．To warn people of the danger. | B．To make people realize the facts. |
| C．To give people some suggestions. | D．To encourage people to take action. |
| A．It has been going for more than ten years. | B．It donates money to some projects. |
| C．It has helped about 5,000 people. | D．It is a global company. |
| A．Worried. | B．Doubtful. | C．Uncaring. | D．Supportive. |
【推荐2】Oregon firefighters battling wildfires across the state have a new force on their team: a Baby Yoda doll, which has become a symbol of hope and joy among the first responders who have been tirelessly fighting the historic fires that have wiped out communities and killed at least nine people since early September.
It all began when five-year-old Carver Tinning and his grandmother Sasha Tinning from Scappoose, Oregon, came across the toy while searching for items to donate to Oregon firefighters.
The toy, along with a note saying, “Thank you, firefighters. Here is a friend for you, in case you get lonely. Love, Carver.” was handed to donation drive volunteers on September 12, 2020. The thoughtful gift brought tears to their eyes. “The fires were close to us, and everyone was really high on emotion,” says volunteer Tyler Eubanks. “We were all really inspired that Carver wanted to give a companion to the men and women who were out there risking their lives to fight the wildfires.”
Eubanks delivered the toy to a group of firefighters working to control a 25-acre fire in Colton, Oregon. He had initially intended to take a few pictures of the Baby Yoda in action for Carver, and then bring back the toy to the donation site. However, the firefighters decided to hold on to the doll and share it to lift the spirits of troops across the state and also of colleagues fighting fires in Colorado.
“He’s been a really big morale boost,” said Jaebyn Drake, a firefighter with the Oregon Air National Guard. “A lot of the people on my crew, I showed them the note and everything, and they just loved it. A couple of people broke down in tears ... It just really meant a lot to us, and it was really emotional for a lot of people.”
1. What can we know from Tyler Eubanks’s words?| A．He was a firefighter. | B．He was really touched. |
| C．He participated in rescue. | D．He was in charge of reception. |
| A．Because he lost in touch with Carver. |
| B．Because the firefighters exhibited in public. |
| C．Because he was occupied in taking pictures. |
| D．Because the firefighters determined to keep it. |
| A．Skeptical. | B．Objective. | C．Approving. | D．Conservative. |
| A．Small Toys Make a Big Difference |
| B．A Five-year-old Child Drew Wide Attention |
| C．Oregon firefighters Are Fighting with wildfires |
| D．Baby Yoda Joins Firefighters in Battling Wildfires |
【推荐3】Frank Williams was a giant of Formula One (一级方程式), but hiding beneath all the success the British racing legend’s life was touched by tragedy.
The courage, energy and determination with which he dealt with this cruel roll of fate drew admiration from his family, friends, colleagues and the wider public. With Patrick Head he created one of the greatest Formula One teams of all time. Williams captured seven drivers’ titles, while the team’s nine constructors’ crowns places Williams second only to mighty Ferrari (法拉利).
His noted wisdom and charm, perseverant spirit served him well on his journey from being a trainee salesman earning 10 pounds a week, to the peak of the high-quality world of F1. He established Frank Williams Racing Cars in 1966, competing in F3 and F2, and F1 with a borrowed racing car from 1969.
The first all-Williams built F1 car had an inauspicious start, when with Henri Pescarolo at the wheel, it was destroyed in a crash in 1972. With funding an ever-present problem and having lost control of his company he left, with Head, to set up the team that is still racing today, in 1977.
Clay Regazzoni drove a Cosworth-powered Williams to its first F1 success, fittingly at the British Grand Prix, in 1979. Australian Alan Jones won the team’s first drivers’ title the following season. Williams also collected the constructors’ championship that year. Keke Rosberg took the 1982 title, with five more captured in a golden period between 1987 and 1997, all after Williams’ ill-fated 1986 crash to catch a flight in France that led to the car crash.
Williams had to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair.
“But life has to go on,” he said. “I was able to continue in the business I was already in.” Not for the first time personal suffering failed to decrease Williams’ single-mindedness to succeed, with Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve capturing the 1996 and 1997 world championships. He was knighted (封爵) in 1999 and became Sir Frank.
Williams died on November 28, aged 79.
1. Why does the author refer to Ferrari in paragraph 2?| A．To explain why the races are useful. |
| B．To voice his views on Formula One. |
| C．To show the achievement of Williams. |
| D．To emphasize the importance of Ferrari. |
| A．Unlucky. | B．Excellent. | C．Amazing. | D．Impressive. |
| A．be optimistic to face the life. |
| B．stop the career of Formula One. |
| C．spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair. |
| D．decrease his single-mindedness to succeed. |
| A．Where there is a will, there is a way |
| B．Frank Williams, Formula One Pioneer |
| C．God helps those who help themselves |
| D．Formula One, The high-quality Event |
Recently, I experienced a wonderful lesson in how little things still mean a lot. My brother, mother and I live in Hawaii. Our farm is at least a dozen miles from even the most basic of services. Therefore, I take weekly trips to the shop to get supplies. About a month ago, I finished loading up the car and was about to leave the parking lot, when a piece of paper on the ground caught my eye.
It was a receipt (收据) from the State Motor Vehicle Division, recording the owner’s payment of her Vehicle’s Registration fees. At first I thought that I could find the owner. So I waited there for about an hour. I looked over the receipt for contact or any personal data. I checked the date, the fees paid, noted the name of the owner and pocketed the paper. I decided that the best and easiest step to take was to put the receipt in an envelope and post it to the owner first the next morning.
By the end of the week, I received a beautiful “thank you” letter from a very grateful and happy woman containing a handwritten message and a card. In the letter, the woman explained how the wind snatched (夺去) her receipt from a pocket in her car’s passenger door. She had searched everywhere for quite some time before giving up.
It felt great to know I had helped someone avoid a loss by doing something which at first glance (一瞥) seemed little and unimportant.
1. How often does the author go shopping for supplies? (no more than 8 words)2. What did the author decide to do at last to find the owner? (no more than 10 words)
3. What does the underlined word “there” refer to? (no more than 5 words)
4. How did the woman lose her receipt? (no more than 12 words)
5. What does the author want to tell us through the passage? (no more than 20 words)
【推荐2】An Indian official and his wife were giving a large dinner party. Their guests including a visiting American naturalist were seated in their dining room with wide glass doors opening onto a veranda (阳台). A spirited discussion sprung up between a young girl who insisted that women had outgrown the jumping—on—a—chair —at—the—sight—of—a—mouse time and a man who said that she hadn’t as much courage as a man.
The American watched the other guests’ reactions towards the topic and saw a strange expression on the face of the hostess. Her muscles contracted slightly and she whispered to the servant standing behind her chair. The servant left the room quickly and then placed a bowl of milk on the veranda just outside the open doors. The American remembered that milk in a bowl means only one thing—bait(诱饵) for a snake in India. He realized there must be a snake in the room and any move could cause the snake to attack.
“Now let’s play a game! I’ll count three hundred and not one of you is to move a muscle. Those who move will be fined fifty rupees(卢布). Ready!” The American said. Then the people sat just like stones.“…two hundred and eighty …” when, out of the corner of his eyes, he saw the snake appear and made for the bowl of milk. Screams rang out as he jumped to shut the veranda doors safely.
“You’re a brave man!” the host exclaimed. “A man has just shown us an example of perfect control.” “Just a minute,” the American said, turning to his hostess, “Mrs Wynne, how did you know the snake was in the room?”
A faint smile lighted up the woman’s face as she replied, “Because it was crawling across my foot.”
1. Why did the servant put a bowl of milk on the veranda?| A．To feed other snakes outside. |
| B．To interrupt the heated discussion. |
| C．To relax the guests off nerves. |
| D．To attract the snake there. |
| A．Creative and critical. |
| B．Generous and humorous. |
| C．Smart and calm. |
| D．Environmentally—friendly and serious. |
| A．The hostess. |
| B．The American. |
| C．The girl. |
| D．The man mentioned in the first paragraph. |
| A．The American thought out a game for fun. |
| B．The discussing man would feel sorry for his comments. |
| C．The hostess was to blame for the dangerous incident. |
| D．The guests knew the fact and remained still. |
【推荐3】Macie Semrau, a 6-year-old girl from Eliot, Maine, seldom missed school. So, when she refused to even get dressed one day, her mother decided to allow her to stay home with her father Kyle and her 4-year-old brother Caleb. The family would later be extremely thankful that the little girl refused to leave after she found her father passed out in the basement.
After returning from his night work, Kyle was feeling light-headed. He told his wife Kate that he would be laying low for the day with their children. He finally made his way to the basement. Macie paid attention to her father’s condition when she heard him shouting, and she and Caleb went to have a look. Macie found her 37-year-old father was about to lose awareness (意识). She asked him for his phone’s passcode (密码) so she could unlock it. After successfully opening his phone, she found the local police department’s number and called the police.
Smith was floored by Macie’s decision-making and her ability to stay calm. The little girl listed the family’s Goodwin Road address while explaining that her father was in trouble. In the meantime, Caleb comforted his father. Thanks to Macie and Caleb, he was sent to Wentworth-Douglass Hospital, where he required four liters of oxygen (氧气) and spent three days recovering.
“I’m very lucky, obviously because of my daughter and son and the police’s response” said Kate. “It was quick,” he added, mentioning that the police arrived just in two minutes thanks to Macie’s call. “It was unbelievable. I was in tears myself,” he said.
The Eliot Police Department also praised the young girl for her quick thinking and strong awareness. Eliot Police Chief Elliot Moya praised the Semraus for teaching their children about awareness of their surroundings (环境) as well as communication skills. Can your child open your phone and call the police? If not, now’s the time for them to learn.
1. What do we know about Macie from paragraph 1?| A．She was late for class regularly. | B．She went off to school almost every day. |
| C．She enjoyed staying home with her father. | D．She liked to play with her brother at home. |
| A．How to call for help with her father’s phone. |
| B．How to give emergency treatment to her father. |
| C．How to send her father to hospital with her brother. |
| D．How to get her father’s phone to connect to the Internet. |
| A．His daughter was wise to skip school that day. |
| B．His kids and the police’s response was immediate. |
| C．A policeman happened to be there to come to his help. |
| D．The police department’s phone was not busy that day. |
| A．fit into their new surroundings | B．show off their communication skills |
| C．remember the police’s phone number | D．learn some practical life skills earlier |
