It seemed like it had only been a few years ago that Indigo, our black Lab (拉布拉多寻回犬), had first rushed through our door. While time raced by, our children grew up and went off to university. The mirror, which had reflected a young mum when Indigo first arrived, now showed a woman in late middle age. We all turned grey: me, my husband, the dog. In August 2017, I took Indigo for one last walk. She was slow and shaky on her paws. She died that month, a tennis ball by her side. Not long after, I got a call from our dog daycare. One of their customers was dying, and her dog, Chloe, needed a home. Given our recent loss, they asked, might our family be interested in adopting her? I told them I’d owned a succession of dogs since 1964, each one of them a witness to a particular phase of my life. But with the loss of Indigo, all that was over. The days of my dogs, I now understood, were done at last.
Then one morning, as I was passing the dog daycare, I changed my mind. What harm could Chloe do? She spent hours that first day going to every corner, sniffing things out. Finally she sat down by the fireplace and gave me a look as if to say if you wanted, I would stay with you.
Everything I know about love I’ve learned from dogs. But everything I know about loss I’ve learned from them, too. They fill our hearts. And then, in what seems like no time at all, they’re gone.
1. What do we know about Indigo and the author from paragraph 1?| A．Indigo liked playing tennis ball with her. |
| B．Indigo kept her company for many years. |
| C．Indigo was the first dog she ever adopted. |
| D．Indigo took its last walk hesitantly with her. |
| A．She was not interested in Chloe. |
| B．She was too old to take care of Chloe. |
| C．She feared suffering mental loss again. |
| D．She already owned a succession of dogs. |
| A．Cautious. | B．Energetic. | C．Scared. | D．Easy. |
| A．Why I adopt dogs | B．What I learn from dogs |
| C．How I get along with dogs | D．How dogs keep me company |
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【推荐1】Soon after Savannah Phillips got fastened into her window seat on a United Airlines flight from Oklahoma to Illinois this past May,she glanced over at her seatmate.He was in his 60s, wore bright yellow sunglasses,and was busy texting.The letters were unusually large and the screen was bright,making it easy for Phillips to read what he was typing out:"Hey Babe,I'm sitting next to a smelly fatty."
＂It was like confirmation of the negative things I think about myself on a daily basis,"the 33-year-old mother wrote in a Facebook post after the flight.Soon tears streamed down her cheeks as she hugged the cabin wall,trying to make herself as small as possible.
Sitting a row behind them and across the walkway was Chase Irwin,a 35-year-old bar manager from Nashville,Tennessee.He could see the man's texts,too-and he could see Phillips."I noticed her looking at his phone,"Irwin told wsmv.com."I was sick to my stomach.I could not have this guy sit next to her this whole flight and her thinking he's making fun of her," he told Nashville's News Channel 5.
In an instant,Irwin had unfastened his seat belt and was overlooking the texter."Hey,I need to talk to you,"Irwin told him."We are switching seats-now."When the texter asked why,Irwin said,"You're texting about her,and I'm not putting up with that."
The texter agreed quickly.Irwin took his place next to Phillips and was soon cheering up his new seatmate.
＂He encouraged me not to let that guy get to me and that everything was going to be fine," Phillips wrote.And he was right.She and Irwin spent the rest of the flight chatting like old friends.
With her faith in humanity restored,Phillips wrote on Facebook,"The flight attendant told him that he was her hero.He wasn't her hero-he was mine."
1. Why did Savannah Phillips weep?| A．She sensed her seatmate's unfriendliness. |
| B．She was confirmed that her seatmate was ill. |
| C．She was disgusted by the smelly seatmate. |
| D．She felt embarrassed at her weight problem. |
| A．He had a stomachache. |
| B．He was familiar with Phillips. |
| C．He liked Philips. |
| D．He was kind by nature. |
| A．Philips didn't believe in humanity. |
| B．Philips was grateful to Chase Irwin. |
| C．Such heroes were needed in every flight. |
| D．Flight attendants should deal with such incidents. |
| A．A hero of the attendant |
| B．Humanity lost forever |
| C．A romantic encounter |
| D．A journey of hurt and delight |
【推荐2】Shay asked, “Do you think they’ll let me play?” Shay’s father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but the father also understood that if his son, mentally and physically disabled, were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence.
Shay’s father approached one of the boys on the field and asked if Shay could play, not expecting much. The boy looked around and said, “We’re losing by six runs (分) and the game is in the eighth inning (局). I guess he can be on our team and we’ll try to put him in to bat in the final inning.
Shay struggled over to the team’s bench and put on a team shirt with a broad smile and his father had a small tear in his eye and warmth in heart. The boys saw the father’s joy at his son being accepted.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay’s team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the top of the final inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously joyful just to be in the game and on the field. In the bottom of the final inning, Shay’s team scored again. Now, Shay was scheduled to be next at bat. Would they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game?
Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was almost impossible. The first pitch (投) came and Shay missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to throw the ball softly towards Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.
The pitcher could have easily thrown he ball to the first baseman and Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game .Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the head of the first baseman, beyond the reach of all teammates, The audience and the players from both teams started screaming, “Shay, run to first!” Never in his life had Shay ever run that far but made it to first base, wide-eyed and shocked.
Everyone should, “Run to second!” Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the smallest guy on their team, who had a chance to be the hero for his team for the first time, could have thrown the ball to the second baseman, but he understood the pitcher’s intentions and he too intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third baseman’s head.
All were screaming, “Shay, Shay, Shay, all the way Shay.” Shay reached third base when one opposing player ran to help him and shouted, “Shay, run to third.” As Shay rounded third, all were on their feet, crying, “Shay, run home!” Shay ran to home, stepped on the home base and was cheered as the hero who won the game for his team.
That day, the boys from both teams helped bring a piece true love and humanity into this world. Shay didn’t make it to another summer and died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy and coming home and seeing his mother tearfully hug her little hero of the day!
1. Not expecting much, Shay’s father still asked the boy if Shay could play, mainly because the father _________.| A．noticed some of the boys on the field were heisting |
| B．guessed his presence would affect the boy’s decision |
| C．learned some of the boys on the field knew Shay well |
| D．understood Shay did need a feeling of being accepted |
| A．believed they were sure to win the game |
| B．would like to help Shay enjoy the game |
| C．found Shay was so eager to be a winner |
| D．fell forced to give Shay another chance |
| A．was obviously aware of the pitcher’s purpose |
| B．looked forward to winning the game for his team |
| C．failed to throw the ball to the second baseman |
| D．saw that Shay already reached second base |
| A．The pitcher did not throw the ball to the first baseman. |
| B．The audience and the players from both teams cheered for him. |
| C．The opposing players failed to stop his running to home. |
| D．One of the opposing players ran to help him. |
| A．True human nature could be realized in the way we treat each other. |
| B．Everyone has his own strength even if mentally or physically disabled. |
| C．Everyone can develop his team spirit in sports and please his parents. |
| D．The results of the game should not be the only concern of the players. |
【推荐3】By the time Robert Porter Allen was born in 1905, the whooping crane was already in trouble. The beautiful bird was once commonly found across North America. By 1941, the whooping crane population had dwindled to the double digits. The tallest species in North America were critically endangered.
In the 1940s, the remaining cranes migrate every year from the Gulf Coast of Texas to somewhere in the north of Canada to breed. The conservation community didn’t know where the birds went. The wetlands where they used to spend winters were growing rarer and rarer as the tiny, non-migrating group of whooping cranes was alive in Louisiana in 1941, but the group had disappeared by the time Allen started his research.
In 1942, Allen undertook the whooping crane project over the next three years, he did almost constant fieldwork that took him from Texas up the cranes’ migration route to Nebraska, and on into Saskatchewan in search of the nesting ground of the birds.
Studying the bird in its breeding habitat and seeing how many birds were born would allow conservationists to understand how to help the birds on their journey. But finding the whooping cranes’ nesting site meant difficult and fruitless air searches over northern Canada.
In 1952, Allen wrote a report on the whooping crane. The report was a warning call to the conservation community: only 33 migratory “whoopers” remained, and their nesting site still hadn’t been found. Two years later, the whooping cranes breeding grounds in Canada’s Wood Buffalo National Park were finally found, and Allen headed north to study them personally, an “incredibly difficult journey,” in Sprunt’s words, Allen’s work laid the groundwork for conservationists to save the birds.
Their efforts paid off as the numbers reached 57 by 1970 and 214 by 2005. Today, the whooping crane is still listed as endangered, but there are roughly 600 birds alive.
1. What is the passage mainly about?| A．It is a story about Allen’s searching for a lost bird. |
| B．It is a story about conserving the whooping crane. |
| C．It is a story about the cranes’ long migration flight. |
| D．It is a story about the crane surviving the winters. |
| A．Reduced. | B．Stayed. | C．Increased. | D．Limited. |
| A．Deadly diseases. | B．Habitat loss. | C．Natural disaster. | D．Illegal hunting. |
【推荐1】Math teacher Curtis Taylor lives for those "aha moments" when he helps his students achieve a learning breakthrough. "I tell them all the time, 'I got goosebumps（鸡皮疙瘩）'". when he witnesses them move from confusion to understanding. And he has put in plenty of work—continuing his own education through master's degree and doctoral studies—to enhance his ability to help create those special moments in the classroom.
Originally from Greenville, S.C., Taylor recalls that the importance of education was strongly stressed in his own family. His aunt was an educator who went on to become a principal（校长）, and his mom taught pre-K before turning to a career in nursing
Looking back, he says that a career in education was probably "my destiny"—though not necessarily his first choice. "I wanted to be a musician at one point. I loved music; I loved playing music. And I told my mom, 'Hey, I'm going to be a musical artist; I'm going to be famous.' Obviously, that didn't work out."
He was also interested in perhaps becoming a medical doctor. "Then I gave blood the first time and passed out and said, 'No, that's not going to work. '"
But his middle school had a job shadowing program, and he was inspired by what he saw while shadowing an instructor from University of South Carolina Spartanburg. In high school, he recalls helping his brother with his studies, explaining, "I was curious about teaching and wanted to know more, so I joined Teacher Cadets."
Advancing his own education to improve his skills as an educator is an everlasting theme. In terms of his own lifelong education, Taylor mentioned that his advanced studies helped him "understand clearly how to teach mathematics and how students think about mathematics."
1. What does "aha moments" mean in the first paragraph?| A．Moments of serious doubt. | B．Moments of deep concern. |
| C．Moments of sudden realization. | D．Moments of great comfort. |
| A．Taylor isn't afraid of blood. |
| B．Taylor's aunt worked as a nurse. |
| C．A program inspired Taylor to be a teacher. |
| D．Taylor has become a famous musical artist |
| A．his dream of becoming a principal | B．curiosity and interest |
| C．his brother's help | D．Mom's new career |
| A．Curtis Taylor's lifelong education. |
| B．Curtis Taylor's first choice. |
| C．Curtis Taylor's interest in medicine. |
| D．Curtis Taylor's understanding of mathematics. |
When I became a writer, I had no future. What I had was a friend called George. He found me a home. It was cold and had no bathroom. I could only afford a used typewriter. A year later, however, I still hadn’t received a break and began to doubt myself. But I knew I wanted to write. I would keep putting my dream to the test—even though it meant living with fear of failure. This is the shadow land (阴影) of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there. Then one day I got a call from a friend who asked me to be an assistant for $6,000 a year. As the dollars were dancing in my head, something brought me to my sense. “Thanks, but no,” I heard myself saying. After that, I walked around my little room and started to feel like a fool. I felt a little low.
Later, I gradually began to sell my articles. It was after 17 years of being a writer that Roots was published. At once I had the kind of fame and success that few writers ever experienced. The shadows had turned into great sunlight. Before that, it was a long and slow climb out of the shadows.
1. The second paragraph is mainly about ______.
| A．the job chance the author ever had |
| B．the difficulties before the author succeeded |
| C．the great help from the author’s friends |
| D．the important choices the author made |
| A．the author’s dream of being a writer |
| B．the author’s trouble in making money |
| C．the author’s hard life before success |
| D．the author’s wish to be successful |
| A．confident | B．angry |
| C．excited | D．unhappy |
【推荐3】The world is filled with smart, educated and gifted people. We meet them every day. A few days ago，my car was not running well. I pulled it into a garage and the young mechanic fixed it in just a few minutes. He knew what was wrong by simply listening to the engine sound. I was amazed. The sad truth is that great talent is not enough.
I am constantly shocked at how little talented people earn. I heard the other day that less than 5 percent of Americans earn more than $100,000 a year. A business consultant who specializes in the medical trade told me how many doctors and dentists struggle financially. It was this business consultant (顾问) who gave me the phrase, “They are one skill away from great wealth.”
There is an old saying that goes, “JOB means ‘Just Over Broke (破产)’”. And unfortunately, I would say that the saying applies to millions of people. Because schools do not think financial intelligence is intelligence, most workers “live within their means”. They work and they pay the bills. Instead I recommend that young people seek work for what they will learn, more than what they will earn.
When I ask the classes I teach, “How many of you can cook a better hamburger than McDonald’s?” almost all the students raise their hands. I then ask, “So if most of you can cook a better hamburger, how come McDonald’s makes more money than you?” The answer is obvious: McDonald’s is excellent at business systems. The world is filled with talented poor people. They focus on perfecting their skills at building a better hamburger rather than the skills of selling and delivering the hamburger.
1. The author mentions the mechanic in the first paragraph to show that .| A．he is just one of the talented people |
| B．he is ready to help others |
| C．he has a sharp sense of hearing |
| D．he knows little about car repairing |
| A．spend more than they can afford |
| B．do in their own way |
| C．live in their own circle |
| D．live within what they earn |
| A．They don’t work hard enough. |
| B．They lack financial intelligence. |
| C．They don’t make full use of their talents. |
| D．They have no specialized skills. |
| A．how young people can find a satisfactory job |
| B．what schools should teach about finance |
| C．why so many talented people are poor |
| D．how McDonald’s makes much money |
