When I was growing up in America, I was ashamed of my mother’s Chinese English. Because of her Chinese English, she was often treated unfairly. People in department stores, at banks, and at restaurants did not take her seriously, did not give her good service, pretended not to understand her, or even acted as if they did not hear her.
My mother has long realized that the limitations of her English as well. When I was fifteen, she used to have me call people on phone to pretend I was she. I was made to ask for information or even to shout at people who had been rude to her. One time I had to call her stockbroker (股票经纪人). I said in an adolescent voice that was not very convincing (令人相信的), “This is Mrs. Tan.”
And my mother was standing beside me, whispering loudly, “Why he doesn’t send me check already two weeks late.”
And then, in perfect English I said: “I’m getting rather worried. You agreed to send the check two weeks ago, but it hasn’t arrived.”
My mother then talked more loudly. “What he want? I come to New York to tell him in front of his boss.” And so I turned to the stockbroker again, “I can’t accept any more excuse. If I don’t receive the check immediately, I am going to have to speak to your manager when I am in New York next week.”
The next week we ended up in New York. While I was sitting there red-faced, my mother, the real Mrs. Tan, was shouting to his boss in her broken English.
When I was a teenager, my mother’s broken English embarrassed me. But now, I see it differently. To me, my mother’s English is perfectly clear, perfectly natural. It is my mother tongue. Her language, as I hear it, is vivid, direct, and full of observation and wisdom. It was the language that helped me see things, express ideas, and make sense of the world.
1. Why was the writer’s mother poorly served?| A．She was unable to speak good English. | B．She was often treated unfairly. |
| C．She was not clearly heard. | D．She was not very polite. |
| A．They forgave the stockbroker. | B．They failed to get the check. |
| C．They went to New York immediately. | D．They spoke to the stockbroker’s boss at once. |
| A．It confuses her. | B．It embarrasses her. |
| C．It helps her understand the world. | D．It helps her tolerate rude people. |
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After Mom died, I began visiting Dad every morning before I went to work. He was weak and moved slowly, but he always had a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice on the kitchen table for me, along with an unsigned note reading, “Drink your juice.” Such a gesture, I knew, was as far as Dad had ever been able to go in expressing his love. In fact, I remember, as a kid I had questioned Mom “Why doesn’t Dad love me?” Mom frowned (皱眉). “Who said he doesn’t love you?!” “Well, he never tells me.” I complained. “He never tells me either,” she said, smiling. “But look how hard he works to take care of us, to buy us food and clothes, and to pay for this house. That’s how your father tells us he loves us.”
I nodded slowly. I understood in my head, but not in my heart. I still wanted my father to put his arms around me and tell me he loved me. Dad owned and operated a small scrap metal (收破烂金属) business, and after school I often hung around while he worked. The machine that he used looked like a giant pair of scissors with blades (刃) thicker than my father’s body. If he didn’t feel those terrifying blades just right, he risked serious injury. “Why don’t you hire someone to do that for you?” Mom asked Dad one night as she bent over him and rubbed his aching shoulders with a strong smelling liniment (搽剂). “Why don’t you hire a cook?” Dad asked, giving her one of his rare smiles.
Many years later, during my first daily visit, after drinking the juice my father had squeezed for me, I walked over, hugged him and said, “I love you, Dad.” From then on I did this every morning. My father never told me how he felt about my hugs, and there was never any expression on his face when I gave hugs to him.
1. What did the note say every morning the author’s father put it on the kitchen table?(no more than 5 words)2. Why did the author complain to his mother about his father?(no more than 10 words)
3. How did the author’s father show his love for his family?(no more than 10 words)
4. What conclusion can we draw about the author’s father from the underlined sentence in the second but last paragraph?(no more than 10 words)
5. Are you moved by this story? Tell us how you will show your love for your parents.(no more than 20 words)
【推荐2】While children are dogs-loyal and affectionate (情深的)— teenagers are cats. It’s so easy to be a dog owner. You feed it, train it, and boss it around. It puts its head on your knee and gazes at you as if you were a Rembrandt painting. It jumps indoors with enthusiasm when you call it.
Then around age 13, your adoring little puppy turns into a big old cat. When you tell it to come inside, it looks amazed, as if wondering who is so boring. Instead of following your doorsteps, it disappears. You won’t see it again until it gets hungry — then it hunts through the kitchen long enough to turn its nose up at whatever you’re serving. When you reach out to touch its head, in that old affectionate gesture, it turns away from you, then gives you an indifferent (冷漠的) look, as if trying to remember where it has seen you before.
Since you are the one who raised it, taught it to fetch and stay and sit on command, you think that you did something wrong. Filled with guilt (内疚) and fear, you redouble your efforts to make your pet to do things in a right way.
Only now you’re dealing with a cat, so everything that worked before now has the other side of the wanted result. Call it, and it runs away. Tell it to sit, and it jumps on the counter. The more you go toward it, waving your hands, the more it moves away.
Put a dish of food near the door, and let it come to you. But remember that a cat needs your help and you love too. Sit still, and it will come, seeking that warm and comforting lap. It has not entirely forgotten. Be there to open the door for it.
One day your grown-up child will walk into the kitchen, give you a big kiss and say, “You’ve been on your feet all day. Let me get those dishes for you.”
Then you will realize your cat is a dog again.
1. When you call a dog, how will it probably react to you?| A．Excitedly. | B．Curiously. | C．Angrily. | D．Calmly. |
| A．A dog. | B．A parent. | C．A situation. | D．A teenager. |
| A．Children like cats can easily obey parents’ orders. |
| B．Parents should try their best to leave their children alone. |
| C．You can’t expect children to care about their parents’ feelings. |
| D．Parents should consider what they do wrong to educate their kids. |
| A．To tell us how a dog changes into a cat. |
| B．To tell us how to deal with teenagers aged 13 or so. |
| C．To tell us the similarities between pets and children. |
| D．To tell us how to keep pets like cats and dogs. |
【推荐3】In one of the old buildings near our school, one could see an old man sitting by a large window on the first floor. His name was James. During the three years at school, I had hardly ever found him missing from his usual position.
He was a high-ranking government official and lived happily with his wife. Once there was a bus accident, in which a number of passengers were seriously injured and were taken to the hospital for treatment. James was responsible for the rescue operation. It was a big hospital, but James was shocked to notice how ill-equipped it was. There were no enough life-saving drugs and life-supporting equipment. The injured and their companions had to struggle there. James attempted to help. However, though he emptied his pockets, many of them died that day.
That was a turning point in his life. He made a decision to devote his life to helping others, particularly the poor and needy patients and their companions. He began spending much of his income on these people. Since this required a lot of time and energy, he found it difficult to fulfill his official duties and therefore chose to retire, which, in turn, reduced his income considerably.
His wife was deeply worried. Most of the time, James was out and paid least attention to home affairs. Meanwhile, as he was spending a lot helping others, she had to struggle even to meet the household expenses. Though she was not opposed to his helping the poor, she urged him not to overlook his own life and home, but it had no effect on him. One day they had a heated argument and in the end she left him, never to return. Though he continued with his work, this was a great blow and did serious harm to his health and enthusiasm and he was soon forced to stay indoors. That was when he took his position by the window, spending his time looking outside.
A few weeks after my graduation, I returned to school, only to find the buildings gone. I heard that they were torn down. All the people left except James. He refused to go' and the next morning, he was found at his usual place by the window, dead.
1. What changed James' view toward life?| A．The difficulties in his career. | B．The deaths in the bus accident. |
| C．The bad conditions in the hospital. | D．The responsibilities in the operation. |
| A．take care of the injured passengers |
| B．find a better job to increase his income |
| C．spare more time and energy to help others |
| D．stay away from the difficult official duties |
| A．she was strongly against his deeds |
| B．James paid too little attention to his work |
| C．her work to support their daily life was too tiring |
| D．James failed to keep a balance between charity and home |
【推荐1】My hands were shaking uncontrollably. I tried incredibly hard to focus on the words that I spent hours putting down on paper. I tried to conquer my fear of speaking in public on numerous occasions throughout my life. During college and at my first few jobs, I would get ridiculously nervous when I had to give a presentation or lead a meeting. Public speaking had been my nemesis for as long as I could remember.
Then in my mid-thirties, I decided to join the public speaking group Toastmasters. At every meeting, we were rated and forced to compete with other speakers for an award. You would think that I would walk away from these experiences as a polished speaker, but nothing seemed to work.
It wasn’t until recently, when science and scientific institutions were being attacked for unfair reasons during the pandemic, that I decided I must speak out. Science has made this country a place where dreams come true — this is why we all need to protect science. In addition, as a science writer, I try to get readers to understand how science is related to their daily lives.
So I ended up on that frightening stage on that sunny Saturday in April — Earth Day. Despite the body shakes and fear, I persevered. That day, I looked out into the crowd of like-minded science supporters and I felt comfort.
Reaching that milestone goal of getting through a speech truly changed me. At almost forty, I learned that passion can set off a flame in my heart to do things I never dreamed possible. The darkness that led to my speech is sure to lead to new opportunities and adventures.
1. Which of the following can replace the underlined word “nemesis” in Para. 1?| A．Strength. | B．Confusion | C．Preference. | D．Struggles. |
| A．Things got worse for him. |
| B．Nervousness remained with him. |
| C．He became a polished writer. |
| D．He began to feel more competitive. |
| A．He had no choice but to rise up to defend his own job. |
| B．It was a good chance to learn science. |
| C．It was a project organized by Toastmasters. |
| D．He couldn’t bear people attacking science. |
| A．Frustration can be a stepping stone to success. |
| B．Love motivates us to achieve the unachievable. |
| C．Science can lead us to make wonderful changes. |
| D．Any difficulty can be overcome with great effort. |
【推荐2】Phineas T. Barnum is the best-known circus business owner of the nineteenth century. He excelled as a showman, and throughout his career in the entertainment business, he promoted many different forms of attractions.
Barnum’s first job was as a newspaper owner. He also worked as a writer and publisher. His lasting fame, however, is as a showman. Barnum considered this to be his main talent and he never changed this view of his character.
Barnum’s entertainment interests covered museums, traveling dance troupes, and even the mid-century US tour by Jenny Lind, the Swedish singer. He was, by nature, a risk-taker, and usually gained success from the most unlikely businesses.
Barnum was willing to adopt any tactic that publicized his businesses. His American Museum in New York included hoaxes and freaks (恶作剧和怪物), both human and animal. This was not unusual by the standards of the time, but even he felt the need to prove his hoaxes fair, as advertising tricks.
Barnum’s unbounded self-confidence meant he never doubted his ability to make a success of any business. He opened America’s first aquarium (水族馆) and opened a theater in New York that was the largest and most modern in the city. He aimed to change the public knowledge of theaters, and in this, he largely succeeded. He made theater-going respectable.
Determination and hard work featured majorly in the qualities that Barnum displayed, and he frequently spoke about the necessity of both. He believed success only came to those who worked for it and knew they had the self-determination necessary. He also stated the necessity of understanding the business that a person was running. Knowledge and experience counted much in Barnum’s life, and he certainly knew the entertainment business.
Success in life, according to Barnum, could only be achieved when a person is in good health. He advised that getting health y and maintaining a healthy body and mind would lead to happiness as well as success.
1. What does the underlined word “tactic” in paragraph 4 mean?| A．Policy. | B．Strategy. |
| C．Advice. | D．Attitude. |
| A．To show Barnum’s firm belief in his own capacity. |
| B．To tell us chances are important for any business. |
| C．To explain what kind of business was successful. |
| D．To indicate how bad people’s life was at that time. |
| A．It was respectable. |
| B．It was not highly thought of. |
| C．It was a common practice. |
| D．It was a way to acquire knowledge. |
| A．Eventful. | B．Adventurous. |
| C．Unsteady. | D．Outstanding. |
【推荐3】A Chicago resident didn’t know riding the local train would unexpectedly turn him into a hero.
It was a typical day for Anthony Perry, 20, who got off the train at Chicago’s 69th Street station. Since Perry was interested in purchasing a car, he was on his way to meet his grandfather, who had agreed to accompany him to view one he had been eyeing.
Suddenly, a physical fight erupted between two men at the station, which led to the two falling onto the train tracks. Although one of the men landed on his back, they continued to fight. This caused the other guy to fell on the third rail, which passes electric current to the train. The man was lying on the tracks and appearing to convulse (抽搐) as a result of hundreds of volts of electric current shooting through his body. It looked like the unnamed man lost his life. However, Perry refused to let him lie on the tracks. He jumped down from the platform and quickly crossed the tracks in front of a train that had managed to stop a few feet away.
Perry said “I was hoping I could just grab him and not feel nothing, but I felt a little shock. I felt it all through my body actually. I didn’t let that stop me.” Perry administered CPR to the man after he’d pulled him from the tracks. Then the man was taken to hospital and survived finally.
As planned, Perry went to look at the car he wanted to buy, but it had been sold. Just days after the incident, Early Walker, founder of an anti-violence organization, rewarded him with the car. “We need more Anthonys in the world,” Walker said.
Also, there to thank Perry was the Chicago police department. District Commander Roderick Watson said “So many times people think these young men are out here doing the wrong thing, but this is just a typical example of how a young man took it upon himself to jump in and do the right thing, and it should be recognized.”
1. What caused the unnamed man to fall on the third rail?| A．Carelessness of the man. | B．The emergency stop of the train. |
| C．An unintentional push from Perry. | D．The fight between him and another man. |
| A．Gentle and considerate. | B．Courageous and kind-hearted. |
| C．Energetic and ambitious. | D．Strong-willed and conservative. |
| A．He received it as a reward. | B．He purchased it at a discount. |
| C．The man rescued by Perry donated it. | D．His grandfather gave it to him as a gift. |
| A．Every man has its faults. |
| B．Parents have a high expectation for their children. |
| C．The young need to be evaluated objectively. |
| D．Most teenagers need to be inspired by model education. |
【推荐1】Since the age of three, Chelsie Hill had dreamed of becoming a dancer. “The only thing that I loved was dance”, she said. That ambition nearly ended one night in 2010. Hill, then a 17-year-old high school senior in California, was in a car accident that put her in the hospital for 51 days and left her paralyzed (瘫痪的) from the waist down. For most people, that would have ruined all the hope of dancing career. For Hill, it was the beginning. “I wanted to prove that I was still ‘normal’,” she told Teen Vogue. “Whatever normal meant, it definitely took a lot of learning and patience.”
After graduation, Hill wanted to expand her dance network to include women like her. She met people online who shared her determination, and she invited them to dance with her. Hoping to reach more people in a larger city, Hill moved to Los Angeles in 2014 and formed a team of dancers with disabilities she calls the “Rollettes”. “I want to break down the stereotype of wheelchair users and show that dance is dance, whether you’re walking or you’re rolling,” she said. So far, Hill has achieved her childhood dream. But the Rollettes have helped her find more. Every year she holds a dance camp for wheelchair users. She calls it the Rollettes Experience, and in 2019, 173 participants from ten countries attended.
For many, it was the first time they’d felt they belonged. Edna Serrano,a member of the Rollettes, says “Being part of the Rollettes team has given me the courage and confidence. It’s so powerful to have my teammates in my life, because they’re my teachers.” The dancers aren’t the only ones who feel inspired. One woman saw an online video of the team competing and commented, “You guys are so awesome! I’m in tears because you rock! To be in a wheelchair and still be so beautiful makes me know I can be beautiful too! Thank you!”
1. What happened to Hill when she was 17 years old?| A．She got injured while dancing. |
| B．She just graduated from college. |
| C．She survived in a traffic accident. |
| D．She stayed in hospital for a month. |
| A．To get better dance training. |
| B．To help more women like her. |
| C．To post her performance online. |
| D．To get better treatment for her illness. |
| A．Competing with better dancers. |
| B．Feeling inspired and belonged. |
| C．Getting out of their wheelchairs. |
| D．Achieving their childhood dreams. |
| A．Talented and humorous. |
| B．Honest and ambitious. |
| C．Considerate and faithful. |
| D．Optimistic and determined. |
【推荐2】I climbed Kilimanjaro with Lava Expeditions(探险队) during the rainy season.I flew to Nairobi in Kenya and spent several days there. At my hotel in Nairobi I met the rest of the group with whom I would spend the next week. We all travelled on the bus together fora 6-hour journey into Tanzania and then Arusha, a quiet town.
After we arrived at our hotel in Arusha, we had dinner and a few drinks. Then we were introduced to more members including Taddeus Minja, the main guide, who was very experienced —climbing Kilimanjaro runs through the generations (代) of his family.
The next day the Lava Expeditions members checked if we had the correct and enough clothing for our expedition on Kilimanjaro. Only one person needed to bring more clothes.
After that we set off, walking in the rain through the beauty of the rainforest, all the way to the first camp. I was happy the next few days as the view was so wonderful and changed every day. I suffered a little during the trip and I felt so tired. But the members of Lava Expeditions provided me with lots of encouragement, which was one of the best memories. Finally we reached the top of Kilimanjaro in bright blue skies.I felt excited about climbing Kilimanjaro and the feeling didn't change during my trip.
Lava Expeditions looked after me so well that I was deeply thankful for their help.
1. How did the author get to Nairobi?| A．By bus. | B．By train. | C．By air. | D．On foot |
| A．He organized the journey. |
| B．He was the leader of Lava Expeditions. |
| C．He was the manager of a hotel in Arusha. |
| D．He had much knowledge about climbing mountains. |
| A．By carrying bags for him. | B．By offering food to him. |
| C．By encouraging him. | D．By teaching him climbing skills. |
| A．To tell readers about Lava Expeditions. |
| B．To give readers advice on climbing Kilimanjaro. |
| C．To encourage more people to climb Kilimanjaro. |
| D．To share his experience of climbing Kilimanjaro. |
【推荐3】Sally Smith is an unbelievable woman who looks like a fit 40-year-old, although she just turned 70. She follows a special raw(生的；未加工的) diet and only drinks rainwater.
She looks so young that people mistake her for her daughter when she’s out with her husband of 54 years, but I think he isn’t complaining.
Mrs. Smith says the secret to her beauty lies in her special diet, consisting of organic vegetables, fruits, seeds and nuts grown in her own garden; she calls it the “fountain(源泉) of youth”. The woman doesn’t touch anything that has been cooked.
And another strange thing she does is to collect rainwater, to keep her garden blossoming, but also to drink. But Mrs. Smith, who is from Miami-Dade County, Florida, didn’t always have such a healthy lifestyle. In fact, she ate meat regularly, as her husband used to own a meat factory way back in the 1960s. It was then that she decided to change her eating habit forever. And what a great decision that was! I mean, just look at her!
When she started off, Mrs. Smith was just looking for a few health benefits and never expected that she would look like a 40-year-old at the age of 70. Over the 27 years, she has been eating raw food, and she has written two booklets called Journey to Health and also produced a DVD containing all her healthy secrets.
Her husband, Mr. Smith, wishes he had followed her example, because now he looks much, much older and also suffers from diabetes (糖尿病) and high blood pressure. He takes prescription medicine every day, but Sally doesn’t even take an aspirin(阿司匹林).
1. What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 3 refer to?| A．Her raw diet. | B．Her beauty. | C．Specially cooked food. | D．The organic food. |
| A．Careless. | B．Honest. | C．Strong-willed. | D．Open-minded. |
| A．She sold them to the local people. |
| B．She gave up them at the age of 70. |
| C．She shared them with the public in various ways. |
| D．She improved them with her husband’s help. |
| A．Uninterested. | B．Doubtful. | C．Negative. | D．Supportive. |
