In a quiet Northern California neighborhood, Michael seemed like a normal 11-year-old boy. His family made use of the Californian sunshine to grow orange trees and roses. All seemed good from the outside, but Michael was troubled.
Since he was taken in at 3 years old, Michael never really connected with his parents. There was a strictness about them that his nature couldn’t understand, and he was left to himself to sort out (整理) confusing feelings and the need for connection.
Without the tie a young boy needs at home, Michael often found himself down the street at his best friend’s house. Of course, the two boys laughed, read picture books and ate junk food. But the real reason why Michael liked his friend’s home was Mr. Christensen. He was the kind of father who understands boys.
With Mr. Christensen, the boys spent hours in the garage fixing an old sports car. They drove up the California coast at high speed, feeling the salt wind wash over them. The car was too loud to allow for any conversation, which was fine with Michael. He didn’t yet know how to express his feelings; for the time being, just being able to feel them was enough.
For many young boys, the language of connection is written in the wrenches (扳手) they and their parents turn, the wrestling matches they watch, the hours of their watching clouds race by overhead. Mr. Christensen understood that boys need time to learn this language. He knew a boy learns respect and duty by being loved in an unspoken way.
Some 50 years later, Michael remembers his time with Mr. Christensen. “My own father couldn’t raise me, so I was given away. My adoptive father (养父) did his best but never allowed a relationship to form between us. Luckily for me, I had Mr. Christensen. I have tried to be the kind of father he was, teaching, having fun and spending time with my child.”
1. What was the problem with young Michael?| A．He had to do hard work on the farm. |
| B．He dropped out of school with his best friend. |
| C．He was given up by his parents as a little kid. |
| D．He was treated badly by his adoptive parents. |
| A．Strong wind. | B．Too loud noise. | C．Busy repair work. | D．Driving excitement. |
| A．By taking part in competitions. | B．Through communication. |
| C．By studying hard. | D．Through doing things together. |
| A．Mr. Christensen. | B．His friends. |
| C．His own father. | D．His adoptive parents. |
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【推荐1】I tried not to look down. My palms (手掌) were sweating. All I could concentrate on was the man below who was keeping the ladder steady. The tiny people waved up at me, but I couldn’t see them clearly.
When I got to the top, some sort of supernatural force brought my feet to the edge of the platform. I was going to slip off the board. The line holding me was going to break, and I was once again going to be thrown to death. Down was the only direction my eyes would go.
I begged to go back down the ladder, but the stupid man tried to convince me. The tiny dots below shouted encouragingly, saying they would run with me as I flew. I was going to slide off that platform. I couldn’t think; the tears stopped my brain. Why wouldn’t he let me go back? The message replayed in my mind, “You’re going to die…”
Like a blown-up balloon, I was let go just before it could be knotted at the bottom. I went in every direction, tension escaping from my body as I fell. The breeze hit my face and cooled my sweaty body. I could see clearly now, and I was flying.
Today, I am still terrified of heights. It would be nice to say that I conquered my fear and found something I loved. I owe my zip line (飞索) experience to the Englishman who pushed me off the platform. I am grateful for the experience because I love adventure. Trying new things has always appealed to me. Some of the most rewarding experiences I have had, like flying, have come out of conquering what at first appears to be frightening and impossible. While my days of aerial escapades are over, I look forward to the future and the question of fear of flying and will continue to create questions wherever I go.
1. How did the author feel when he was on the ladders?| A．Exhausted. | B．Frightened. | C．Annoyed. | D．Excited. |
| A．To teach him to fly. | B．To push him to death. |
| C．To develop his courage. | D．To test his ability to climb. |
| A．everyone can enjoy flying well |
| B．trying difficult things is his favorite |
| C．looking back on the old days is awful for him |
| D．something that seems impossible can be conquered |
| A．The author’s zip line experience. | B．The author’s difficulty in life. |
| C．The author’s failure in adventure. | D．The author’s dreams about his future. |
【推荐2】While I was in hospital, a friend recommended a popular online series of daily meditations, a “can’t afford to miss” in his mind. Mostly, the morning ones were impossible to do as the hospital routine starts at half past five, so I mostly listened the evening ones, which were very helpful. Once, however, I managed the morning one, which talked about the importance of doing something or creating something which will survive us.
The works of great poets and writers come to mind, but how many of us will write the next David Copperfield, or Ode to Autumn? Sporting triumphs also occur: the breaking of the four minute mile for instance. But again, how many of us are great athletes? So what can we do?
Shakespeare writes, “The evil men do lives after them; the good is oft interred (often buried) with their bones.” For once, however, I think Shakespeare is wrong. I think the good we do can live after we have gone. Sir Terry Pratchett writes, “A man is not truly dead while his name is still spoken,” and I think that is more true. Perhaps we cannot expect our name to be remembered for hundreds or thousands of years, but to be remembered with kindness and even thankfulness after we’ve gone is surely something to strive for.
I had two grannies when I was growing up. One was my mother’s mother; the other was our cousin’s grandmother on their father’s side. Our own grandmother died young, so this lovely lady adopted us as her honorary grandchildren.
Granny was the most lovely and loving lady you could imagine. There were always cakes in the tin and a warm welcome whenever we visited, there were small presents at Christmas and on our birthdays, and we loved her dearly. It was only when I attended her funeral that I realized how far her love extended: the church was packed, and tale after tale was told of her kindness. Her name was — and possibly still is — spoken long after her death.
I wish I could say the same of my other grandmother, but I can’t. My mother talks about her, but I don’t; there is no point in talking about unkindness.
When I announced my retirement, a couple of months ago, I was stunned to receive so many emails and letters of thanks. My patients really appreciate all that I have done for them. That will last after I’m gone and spread down through generations.
1. Which of the following statements will the author probably agree with about the online meditation?| A．The evening meditation are more important than the morning ones. |
| B．The online meditation receive more attention in the evening. |
| C．The morning meditation are difficult to use in daily life. |
| D．The online meditation are worthy of the name. |
| A．support Shakespeare’s statement on the afterlife |
| B．argue that greatness is the only way to be remembered |
| C．emphasize the importance of kindness to ordinary people |
| D．criticize the idea that only evil deeds are remembered |
| A．The author’s granny on mother’s side was a kind person. |
| B．Shakespeare believed the goodness fades far sooner than the evil. |
| C．A man’s contribution is highly dependent on their achievements. |
| D．People were happy to know the retirement of the author. |
| A．magazine featuring famous athletes |
| B．blog post by a doctor who recently retired |
| C．book about the importance of creating a legend |
| D．medical journal discussing the benefits of meditation |
【推荐3】The World Is Our Classroom
Tonight, our family was going out to play under the full moon.
We first started going on full moon walks for ourselves, because my husband Todd and I, loved them and we needed these little doses of moonlight to stay happy and to function in society. But after we became parents, we did this for Sierra and Bryce. We wanted the kids to see that there is much magic in the natural world, most of which is accessible to anyone. We also wanted to show them it was not necessary to travel far from home to have an adventure, learn, and experience something new. Nearly every month, our family went into the night to “play” by the full moon.
Once we arrived at our location that evening, Sierra and I stood holding hands, waiting to cheer the full moon in its rising. A thin sliver of the apricot (杏黄色) moon poked above the Blue Mountain Ridge. Everyone stood up, witnessing its rising. More of the moon came out until it turned into a brilliant orange sphere. Todd explained to the children that the moon makes no light of its own, but simply acts like a mirror, reflecting the sun light back to us. “Does the moon’s face change?” Bryce asked. I told him that the moon rotates with the earth and the same side of the moon is always facing earth. We never see the other side, the far side of the moon. Sierra remarked that the moon looked larger when it was rising. I explained that it is an optical illusion (视错觉) because it is so close to the horizon that the moon tricks our eyes.
Much of the knowledge that Todd and I shared with them had been learned from our past life experiences. If we did not have the knowledge to explain and educate, we looked it up, either beforehand to enhance the experience, or afterwards, together, after we wondered and came up with a list of questions.
Sometimes all it takes is going outdoors and gazing up at the heavens.
1. What does the underlined word “this” in paragraph 2 refer to?| A．Going outdoors to watch full moon. | B．Going on a hike through the forest. |
| C．Visiting a museum to learn about space. | D．Traveling far from home to have an adventure. |
| A．It was a rare chance for them to play under the full moon. |
| B．They felt forced to watch the moon coming out with their parents. |
| C．They remained curious and kept digging deeper about the moon. |
| D．They knew the answers to all the questions put up by their parents. |
| A．They did not make much effort to teach their children. |
| B．They gained all the knowledge from their past experiences. |
| C．They left some questions for the kids to get them thinking after each trip. |
| D．They sometimes looked up information in advance to better educate their children. |
| A．As we stared up at the sky, a brilliant shooting star raced across the sky. |
| B．Families have to spend a ton of money to have fun and learn. |
| C．Opportunities to seek magical experiences and learning is right around us. |
| D．Wonder often occurs when you don’t quite understand what something is. |
【推荐1】When Emanuel received an email from Professor Richard English. Queen’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor at the School of History, Anthropology,Philosophy and Politics, encouraging him to apply for a PhD in Politics in Belfast, it was a pinch-me moment Emanual never thought would be possible. After all, just a few short years ago, he was living on the streets couch-surfing at friends’ houses and weeding gardens to make ends meet. Now, one of the world’s leading political academics was preparing to welcome him to Queen’s University over 4,000 miles away.
Emanuel never knew who his father was and his mom was mentally ill when she gave birth to him, so the hospital took him off her and he was unofficially adopted for the first few years of his life. What followed was a childhood with uncertainty as Emanuel was passed between the adoption system and family members.
Through his high school and community college years, he moved from house to house, living with friends at times and living on the streets at others.
Determined to change all that despite his rocky start in life, Emanuel involved himself in school-doing everything he could to earn extra tuition (学费) money in his spare time. But getting accepted into university was scarcely possible because a person like him couldn’t get a regular student loan.
Fortunately, the government backed him, having created a policy allowing disadvantaged persons to access funding for higher education. He graduated from the University of the West Indies with a 1st Class Honors degree and went on to do his Masters.
Emanuel knows that his story could have been very different.
“I discovered Professor Richard English online and sent him an email honestly, not thinking he would reply and to my surprise, he did. I applied for the highly competitive Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Scheme in order to fund my research at Queen’s. When I was told I was successful, my whole world changed.”
1. What does the underlined word “pinch-me” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．Expected. | B．Unbelievable. | C．Awkward. | D．Anxious. |
| A．His father was mentally ill. |
| B．He was abandoned by his mother. |
| C．He was once adopted by his relatives. |
| D．He lived with his friends now and then. |
| A．By receiving a regular student loan. |
| B．By earning the tuition all by himself. |
| C．By borrowing the money from friends. |
| D．By getting support from the government. |
| A．Well begun is half done. |
| B．It’s never too old to learn. |
| C．You are the master of your life. |
| D．Lost time is never found again. |
【推荐2】We all put our hands in the middle, ready for the “TIGERS!” shout. Andrew looked up, his face wrinkled in confusion, and then loosed in relief he said, “Whoa, for a second I forgot there was a girl on this team. I was wondering why there was one hand with painted pink nails!” The guys laughed, and I smiled, once again reminded how cool it was that I was different. “1, 2, 3, TIGERS!” and we were off to the field.
My adventures as the only girl on my all-boys middle school football team were always interesting. Football is known as being predominantly male. But I love football. Ever since I could walk, I would get around the fields. My dad is a huge football fan, and we spend many Saturday afternoons playing football in the yard or watching games. Football is in my blood. So when signups came for the 7th- and 8th-grade team, I signed up. Who says a girl can’t do it?
Back to Grade 7. Though it was strange for the guys to have me there, and a few felt embarrassed when they heard they’d be tackling a girl, they got used to it. The coach treated me like anyone else, and the boys learned to also. I did the drills, I tackled people, and I got tackled. By the time I got home every night, my body literally crumbled into my bed. But it was all worth it. Game days were everyone’s favorite. Football is a team sport of passion, pride and love. The coach would always tell us, “We win as a team: we lose as a team!”
To play well we needed to work as a team. Different as I was being the only girl, it didn’t matter. One person, one girl, is not a big thing. I was a part of the team. The coach got us all together, and we’d once again shout “TIGERS!”
1. What is the author’s purpose in writing Paragraph 1?| A．To introduce members of her team. |
| B．To stress the distinctiveness of her team. |
| C．To show the routine before a football game. |
| D．To describe the tension before a football game. |
| A．Her love for football. | B．Her father’s encouragement. |
| C．Her desire to show off her skills. | D．Her dream to be a football coach. |
| A．The author was really excited. |
| B．The author was extremely tired. |
| C．The author had difficulty falling asleep. |
| D．The author kept practicing even before sleep. |
| A．The coach. | B．The team leader. |
| C．Fighting spirit. | D．Teamwork. |
【推荐3】I stare at the row of jars filled with my parents’ homemade tomato sauce. Every time I wonder: “Should I really use one?” I have been saving these jars like precious treasures. No matter how hard I try to find something instead, nothing compares. Store-bought sauces? It just doesn’t taste right. It doesn’t taste like home.
During the tomato season, all my family were a lot busier than usual. My parents would use the basement as an area for letting the tomatoes they had collected locally ripen. Like the other Italian families in the area, we would then take them to the garage when they were ripe enough. There they were cleaned and boiled. Once stewed (炖), whole tomatoes were passed through my father’s homemade machine used to separate the sauce from the skins. Jars at the ready, we filled them with sauce and seasoning. They would then be lined up and ready to use.
My parents would make more than just sauce every fall. I loved it when they would season all the pork sausage. We would fry the meat, tasting it before making the separate sausages. My parents expertly hand-tied the sausages while I would poke (戳) them all over. These were my family’s traditions.
These traditions were hard to maintain when my father got ill. After being diagnosed with cancer in 2019, he spent most of his time in hospital. In September that year he came home, on the same weekend we decided to continue the tradition. I have glorious (美好的) memories of that day as they once again made the sauce. It was a beautiful but short-lived moment. My father died soon after.
Every time I go to reach for one of the jars, something stops me. My mother, ever practical, was visiting us recently and just stared at them. “You should use these or they will go to waste.”
What will it feel like to use that last jar? It would mean the end of an era (时代). Who knows? Maybe it’s time to bring new traditions to life.
1. Why does the author attach so great importance to the jars containing the tomato sauce?| A．The recipe is unique. | B．The sauce is delicious. |
| C．It reminds him of home. | D．It took great patience to make it. |
| A．The time spent making tomato sauce. |
| B．The differences between homemade and store-bought sauces. |
| C．The rules of selecting tomatoes to make sauce. |
| D．The procedure for making tomato sauce. |
| A．Kind. | B．Polite. | C．Enthusiastic. | D．Down-to-earth. |
| A．To recall his family traditions of the past. | B．To show his respect for his late father. |
| C．To introduce his family traditions. | D．To complain about his tough past experience. |
【推荐1】Between flights, as I sat in the Denver airport, a young man approached me. He tilted (倾斜) his head toward the chair next to mine, then toward my suitcase blocking the chair. There were many open seats. Why this one? I thought. When he sat, I noticed the markings on his bag and his faded uniform. I asked. He nodded. I bowed my head slightly. Then he asked where I was headed.
“Home.”
Hands on his knees, he told me he was on vacation and was going home to surprise his mother. I asked how long it had been since he’d seen her (five years). I asked what he was looking forward to at home(a shower). He scanned the room cautiously as he talked. When he looked at me, his eyes kept no distance. He seemed to want something from me. I could not tell what it was.
He said it was hard to stop scanning for danger. Yesterday, he’d been in the desert. Fellow soldiers had been blown into pieces around him. Today, he was in an airport trying to understand anger over flight delays and the rush for coffee. He didn’t know how to be, here in this place.
I thought maybe I understood. One evening after spending hours with a friend who just lost her son, I went to my daughter’s performance. In the crowded lobby, mothers complained about their seats and bemoaned other small slights, but only compassion made sense to me. I felt disoriented, distant. I told the soldier about this. He breathed deeply and showed a small smile.
He’d seen the raw and unbearable. But he did not know how to tell us. This was what he needed from me, I realized. He did not want the seat beside mine. He wanted to sit with me.
I did not know his name, how his surprise would turn out, how long his tour of duty would last. We sat together until our flights were called and then said goodbye, two strangers heading home.
1. How did the author feel when the soldier approached him?| A．Angry. | B．Confused. |
| C．Respectful. | D．Joyful. |
| A．He attempted to find a coffee shop. |
| B．He formed the habit of staying alert. |
| C．He was distracted |
| D．He was checking |
| A．Showed respect for. | B．Added fuel to. |
| C．Expressed dissatisfaction with. | D．Took pride in. |
| A．My support for the soldiers. |
| B．My knowledge of the cruelty of war. |
| C．A chance to get away from the battlefield. |
| D．A brief sense of security |
The morning of my daughter’s first school play I had an important business meeting. I went to the play, getting a seat in the front row. I even brought my mum along in case it overran. But, not wanting to be late for my appointment, I moved quietly to the back. My daughter, who was just three at the time, noticed my empty seat and started to cry. Outside the doorway, I heard one mum say loudly and angrily, “She’s gone to work.” I watched as some of the others rolled their eyes. My stomach went cold.
It’s OK for a mum to have a job — as long as it’s part-time, fits around the school run or means she doesn’t have to leave the school play early or fly to the other side of the world now and again to earn a living. During the decade I’ve been a working mum I’ve received numerous critical comments from women about my work choices, but I think running my own business and travelling with my work when I can (while still taking my daughter to school most days and making pretty much every show or event) is setting a good example to my daughter. It shows her that it is possible to succeed at a time when women in many professions find it harder than men to reach the top and get less pay.
But I often feel I’ m in the minority. Do the women who roll their eyes at other women who leave the school play early or show up late to parents’ evening because their meetings overrun really believe females should only be in part-time, flexible work that fits around their children? I think it’s time for women to support each other’s career decisions.
1. What does the text mainly talk about?(no more than 10 words)2. What does the underlined sentence in the first paragraph probably mean?(no more than 25 words)
3. What may the author’s daughter learn from her working mother?(no more than 30 words)
4. What kink of job should a mother have according to other mothers who rolled their eyes? (no more than 5 words)
5. Do you agree with the author? Give your reasons.(no more than 25 words)
【推荐3】My grandparents are in the middle of a month-long visit with my family. This means they are staying in my bedroom while I share my sister Indi’s room.
“Isn’t it fun that we get to be roommates?” she asked exeitedly.
However, things didn’t turn out that way. It was time to sleep. I intended to turn off the big light and could just use my mini booklight to read.
“Wait!” said Indi. “I can’t fall asleep with any light on and without listening to The Adventure of Jeremy Owl.” “I don’t want to listen to anything,” I said. “I want to read.” “I promise you’ll change your mind when you hearit. Jeremy has an upside-down party, and you’ll never guess what happens. Indi presssed the play button on her CD player.
I had no way but to tolerate (忍受) it. That night, between the fan, Jeremy Owl’s upside-down-adventure and-Indi’s surprisirgly-loud snoring (鼾声), I had an extremely hard time concentrating on my book and an even harder time falling asleep.
Sharing a room doesn’t get any easier during the day. My things kept getting mixed up, covered and lost.
That night, we had a family meeting to come up with some solutions.“How about we just move to a big house with lots of bedrooms?” my little brother, Tex, suggested.“It could have a swimming pool and a basketball court,” “If we had a few million dollars lying around, that would be a fantastic idea,” said my dad, laughing.
But how could we solve our problem? Dad said we both need to be considerate of others and show each other mutual (互相的) respect. No mini booklight. No bedtime stories. And nobody is allowed to touch the other person’s things.
Finally, we both get some privacy and we become happy roommates.
1. Why does the author have to share a room with Indi?| A．To have some fun. | B．To strengthen their ties. |
| C．To make room for her grandparents. | D．To have her own room painted. |
| A．Unhappy but supportive. | B．Unfavorable but toleyant. |
| C．Understanding and appreciative. | D．Annoyed and dissatisfied. |
| A．Sadly. | B．Humorously. |
| C．Doubtfully. | D．Seriously. |
| A．It’s hard to maintain family ties. |
| B．Great things may be done by mass efforts. |
| C．Putting yourself in others’ shoes is important. |
| D．Teaching by example is better than teaching by words. |
