My wife and I used to feel that it was impossible to be a true friend to someone whose name we didn’t know. How wrong we were! Years of Sunday morning bus trips through the city with the same group of “nameless” people have changed our thinking.
Before the bus takes off, we all join in a conversation: where’s the silent woman who sits up front and never replies to our greetings? Here she comes. Her worn clothing suggests she doesn’t have much money to spare, but she always takes an extra cup of coffee for the driver.
We get smiles from a Mexican couple as they get on the bus hand in hand. When they get off, they’re still holding hands. The woman was pregnant late last year, and one day her change of shape showed that she’d borne the child. We even felt a little pride at the thought of our extended family.
For many months, our only sadness lay in our inability to establish the same friendship with the silent woman at the front of the bus. Then, one evening, we went to a fish restaurant. We were shown to a table alongside someone sitting alone. It was the woman from the bus.
We greeted her in the friendly and familiar way we’d shown all year, but this time her face softened, then a shy smile. When she spoke, the words escaped awkwardly (笨拙地) from her lips. All at once we realized why she hadn’t spoken to us before. Talking was hard for her.
Over dinner, we learned the story of a single mother with a disabled son who was receiving special care away from home. She missed him badly, she explained.
“I love him…and he loves me, even though lie doesn’t express it very well,” she murmured. “Lots of us have that problem, don’t we? We don’t say what we want to say, what we should be saying. And that’s not good enough.”
The candles lit on out tables. Our fish had never tasted better. The atmosphere grew pleasant, and when we parted as friends—we share names.
1. The underlined word “establish” in the fourth paragraph probably means____________.| A．set up | B．keep | C．discover | D．take part |
| A．She was worried about her disabled son. |
| B．She was only interested in the bus driver. |
| C．She had some difficulty in expressing herself. |
| D．She was sad to see the happy Mexican couple as a single mother. |
| A．The silent woman with her son both brought interest to the passengers. |
| B．The silent woman and her son both had some difficulty in expressing. |
| C．My wife and I didn’t become friends with the silent woman. |
| D．The Mexican couple were going to give birth to a baby. |
| A．The Silent Woman on the Bus | B．Different Kinds of Friendship |
| C．Going to Work by Bus | D．Friends of the Road |
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But while he was thinking this, his feet were taking him, step by step, closer and closer to the dot in the distance, which in the meantime had become a speck, and then began to show every sign of turning into a blob. And shortly after that the blob became a figure. And then, as Bruno got even closer, he saw that the thing was neither a dot nor a speck nor a blob nor a figure, but a person.
In fact it was a boy.
“Hello,” said Bruno.
“Hello,” said the boy.
Bruno was sure that he had never seen a skinnier or sadder boy in his life but decided that he had better talk to him.
“I've been exploring,” he said.
“Have you?” said the little boy.
“Yes. For almost two hours now.”
This was not strictly speaking true. Bruno had been exploring for just over an hour but he didn't think that exaggerating slightly would be too bad a thing to do. It wasn't quite the same thing as lying and made him seem more adventurous than he really was.
“Have you found anything?” asked the boy.
“Very little.”
“Nothing at all?”
“Well, I found you,” said Bruno after a moment.
He sat down on the ground on his side of the fence and crossed his legs like the little boy and wished that he had brought some chocolate with him or perhaps a pastry that they could share.
“I'm Shmuel,” said the little boy.
Bruno scrunched up his face, not sure that he had heard the little boy right. “What did you say your name was?” he asked.
“Shmuel,” said the little boy as if it was the most natural thing in the world. “What did you say your name was?”
“Bruno,” said Bruno.
“I've never heard of that name,” said Shmuel.
“And I've never heard of your name,” said Bruno. “Shmuel.” He thought about it. “Shmuel,” he repeated. “I like the way it sounds when I say it. Shmuel. It sounds like the wind blowing.”
“Bruno,” said Shmuel, nodding his head happily. “Yes, I think I like your name too. It sounds like someone who's rubbing their arms to keep warm.”
“How old are you?” he asked.
Shmuel thought about it and looked down at his fingers and they wiggled in the air, as if he was trying to count. “I'm nine,” he said. “My birthday is April the fifteenth nineteen thirty-four.”
Bruno stared at him in surprise. “What did you say?” he asked.
“I said my birthday is April the fifteenth nineteen thirty-four.”
Bruno's eyes opened wide and his mouth made the shape of an O. “I don't believe it,” he said.
“Why not?” asked Shmuel.
“No,” said Bruno, shaking his head quickly. “I don't mean I don't believe you. I mean I'm surprised, that's all. Because my birthday is April the fifteenth too. And I was born in nineteen thirty-four. We were born on the same day?”
Shmuel thought about this. “So you're nine too,” he said.
“Yes. Isn't that strange?”
“Very strange,” said Shmuel.
“We're like twins,” said Bruno.
“A little bit,” agreed Shmuel. “Where did you come from?” asked Shmuel, narrowing his eyes and looking at Bruno curiously.
“Berlin.”
“Where's that?”
Bruno opened his mouth to answer but found that he wasn't entirely sure. “It's in Germany, of course,” he said.
“Don't you come from Germany?”
“No, I'm from Poland,” said Shmuel.
Bruno frowned. “Then why do you speak German?” he asked.
“Because you said hello in German. So I answered in German. Can you speak Polish?”
“No,” said Bruno, laughing nervously. “I don't know anyone who can speak two languages. And especially no one of our age.”
“Mama is a teacher in my school and she taught me German,” explained Shmuel. “She speaks French too. And Italian. And English. She's very clever. I don't speak French or Italian yet, but she said she'd teach me English one day because I might need to know it.”
1. Why did Bruno lie to Shmuel about the time he had been exploring?2. What did Bruno and Shmuel have in common?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
Shmuel viewed his mother as a smart woman because she could solve difficult math puzzles.
4. Is having the same interests good for friendship? Please put forward your idea and explain the reason. (In about 40 words)
【推荐2】Friendships can be sources of joy and sources of sorrow. There isn’t exactly a rule book on what to do when things get tense or bad.
Broken promises
Jan Yager, a specialist in this field often hears from people who’ve been hurt by a friend’s broken promise. Dr. Yager likes to point out we don’t have formal contracts with friends where we’ve agreed to never disappoint each other. Therefore if you bring a fantasy about what the ideal friend will do in any situation to a relationship,
When things feel unbalanced
Maybe you feel like you’re always sharing about your life, but your friend doesn’t open up about hers. It’s common for relationships to experience periods where things are unbalanced. Maybe one friend is going through a breakup and needs extra support. It’s also possible another friend simply has more to discuss at any given time.
It doesn’t feel great when you check Facebook Monday morning to find out that your friends went on a weekend getaway without you. Scott Christnelly, another specialist, says, “I encourage clients to express their feelings about it but also not to jump to conclusions.” Then find someone else to talk to — maybe, a family member, or a close friend (not the one who went on the trip) — to explain how you feel. If you do make conversations,
| A．Feeling left out |
| B．Feeling stressed out |
| C．you are expecting too much of your friend |
| D．you are setting yourself up for disappointment |
| E．you can brainstorm what might have happened and how you will respond |
| F．In times like these, it’s important that you practice becoming a better listener |
| G．Here are tips on how to manage the common relationship difficulties from specialists |
【推荐3】The Internet Harms Friendships
While the Internet can bring people closer together, it can also harm friendships.
Firstly, talking online is no replacement for face-to-face contact — Images really cannot replace a real-life smile or hug. According to a parenting expert, Denise Daniels, communicating through a screen makes it more difficult for children to concentrate or show kindness to others. As we know, important social skills are developed through direct contact with other people.
Thirdly, online relationships may not be what they appear to be. Friendships are built on the basis of trust, and with online communication you can never be 100 percent sure that the people you are chatting to is being honest about who they are.
In my opinion, friends should focus more on face-to-face communication, and less on online communication.
| A．In addition |
| B．Because of this |
| C．This is the best way to maintain healthy relationships |
| D．Secondly, the Internet can make people self-centred |
| E．Secondly, the Internet has made communication more fun |
| F．Finally, I believe the Internet brings people closer together |
| G．It is these skills that enable us to develop lifelong friendships |
【推荐1】When I was a little girl, I was foolish enough to believe everything adults said. Even I was scared to death by a word my mother said.
It all started when my elder brother came home with a heavy bag of cherries（樱桃）a friend gave him. In order to spend a pleasant afternoon, my sister suggested we have a competition to see who could eat the most cherries in as short a time as possible and be the winner. We all jumped at her idea, and the competition began in no time. Our action had to be fast and we must know how to bite in the middle of the cherry to chew and spit the seed out losing no time. I realized that this wasn’t a good game to play. And I suddenly found that I have swallowed more than one seed down to my stomach. Then Mother came and laughed and said to me, “tonight when you sleep, a cherry tree will grow out from your head.” I was jittery and scared. I believed every word she said at that age. I was rather frightened that night thinking how I was going to make it to school the next morning if I had a tree on top of my head or how I would leave this world just like that because of the cherry seeds in my stomach. I couldn’t sleep the whole night.
Well, the next morning, I woke up to my surprise , and discovered nothing had changed. My head was normal as it was. But one thing remains unchanged until this day. My love for cherries stays forever.
1. Why did they start the cherry eating competition?| A．Because they wanted to challenge their friends. |
| B．Because their mother asked them to do that. |
| C．Because they wanted to have a happy afternoon. |
| D．Because they just wanted to please their brothers. |
| A．Pleased. | B．Worried. |
| C．Lucky. | D．Disappointed |
| A．Because her mother asked her to do that. |
| B．Because she wanted to have a good relationship with her mother |
| C．Because her brother had the similar experience before. |
| D．Because she was too young at that time. |
| A．tell an interesting story of her childhood |
| B．introduce a kind of fruit to readers |
| C．show the reason why she hates the fruit |
| D．show her anger to her mother |
【推荐2】When I was a teenage boy, my parents signed me up in a local junior golf camp. From that moment, my life has been pretty much devoted to the game.
When I play golf, there’s always a chance of making something magical happen-whether it’s breaking a personal record or potentially making a hole-in-one. This is the aspect of golf that attracted me in growing up. However, I had to take a break because I couldn’t really afford to play while in college, suffering from burnout. I’d still go out once in a while to play with friends, but for the first time since my teens, I was away from my community.
Several years later, my enthusiasm for playing golf was inspired again. I became familiar with the game again after playing on and off at Langston Golf Course. From the moment I arrived. this place felt like one of the courses where I grew up: A modest spot where people of all working-class backgrounds came to experience the game, eat lunch or have a drink. A place where golfers who are Black, brown and women are welcomed.
The sense of community I’ve regained with the game is more than I could’ve ever imagined. I like hiking around, chasing a little white ball around a golf course. I also like connecting with old friends and meeting new ones. Some I’ve been playing with since high school, and our text threads are loaded with trash talk about who’s playing well and who isn’t. They’re usually the ones spurring me to practice and get better. We share experiences on the golf course that are memorable and have stories for days: My circle only seems to be expanding, and I’m excited to see what the future bolds.
1. Why was the author once away from his golf community?| A．He couldn’t spare time to play golf. | B．He didn’t feel a sense of achievement. |
| C．He wanted to make more new friends | D．He tried to get out of his parents’ control |
| A．It carried his past memories | B．It reminded him to keep modest |
| C．It offered him a sense of belonging. | D．It witnessed his accomplishments |
| A．Hating. | B．Warning. | C．Forbidding | D．Pushing. |
| A．Golf: My Journey to Greatness | B．Golf: More Than a Game to Me |
| C．Discovering Enthusiasm for Golf | D．Pursuing Perfection Through Golf |
【推荐3】An 80-year-old man was sitting on the sofa in his house chatting with his 45-year-old son. Suddenly a crow (乌鸦) landed on their window edge.
The father asked his son, “What is that?”
The son replied, “That is a crow.”
After a few minutes, the father asked his son for the second time, “What is this?”
The son said, “Father, I told you just now. It’s a crow.”
After a little while, the father asked his son the same question for the third time, “What is this?”
This time, the son said to his father in a low and cold tone, “It’s a crow, a crow, a crow.”
After a moment, the father yet again asked his son for the fourth time, “What is this?”
This time the son shouted at his father, “Why do you keep asking me the same question again and again? I have told you already, ‘IT IS A CROW.’ Are you unable to understand this?”
A minute later the father went to his room and came back with a diary, which he had kept since his son was born. On opening a page, he asked his son to read that page.
“Today my little son aged three was sitting with me on the sofa when a crow suddenly landed on the window edge. My son asked me 23 times what it was, and I replied him 23 times that it was a crow. I hugged him lovingly each time he asked me the same question. I didn’t feel angry at all, but instead felt affection for my son”.
If your parents reach old age, do not look at them as a burden, but speak to them gently, and be kind to them. From today say this aloud, “I want to see my parents happy forever. They have cared for me ever since I was a little child. They have always showered me with love. I will respect and take care of my old parents in the best way no matter how they behave.”
1. In what tone did the son said to his father “It’s a crow, a crow, a crow.”?| A．Impatient. | B．Excited. | C．Hurried. | D．Surprised. |
| A．eighty | B．three | C．thirty-eight | D．forty-five |
| A．A crow | B．Father’s love | C．An old dairy | D．An old man |
【推荐1】Brie Fainblit in California does her homework by candlelight whenever the power gets cut off. If the water goes, she fills empty bottles at school to wash her hair. She is used to not having what other people have. Mostly, the 19-year-old student just accepts it.
But she won’t do that for prom (毕业舞会).
She wants to be Highland High School’s prom queen and turn heads.
Fainblit lives with her mother, who is disabled, and her aunt, who works two part-time jobs to support them.
There is never enough money for new clothes. Usually, Fainblit finds what she can at the local Goodwill, but the prom dresses there are too big and too old.
So, back in September, with the dance a distant dot (点) on the calendar, she decided to make a dress for herself—out of soda-can tabs (拉环), for free.
For months, Fainblit’s aunt, Sylvia Davalos, has asked everyone at her jobs to help. Together with Fainblit and her friends, they have turned her dining room table into an assembly line.
But who knew that tabs came in so many colors, shapes and sizes, or that some have holes and some don’t? Who knew that many would have sharp edges that would need to be smoothed out?
And who knew that it would take many months to get enough perfectly shaped, identical (同样的) silver tabs for one prom dress?
Fainblit’s mother and aunt haven’t been able to buy her much. But they have tried to make up for that by emphasizing creativity over cash. For her dress, using thick black thread, Fainblit stitches (缝制) tab to tab in row after perfect row.
The dress is not finished. The tabs have taken their toll: Fainblit and her mother both have Band-Aids on their fingers.
Other girls in Fainblit’s class will have gone to the mall to pick out their dresses. Some will ride in cars from their homes to the school, where a bus will take them all to the prom.
Brie will have no special chariot (座驾) and no pocket money to burn.
But she’ll be a proud Cinderella in soda tabs, with her soda tab prince by her side.
1. What does the underlined pronoun “that” in the second paragraph refer to?| A．Accepting whatever life has to offer. | B．Being unhappy with one’s living conditions. |
| C．Copying what others are doing. | D．Doing one’s best to impress others. |
| A．Because she wasn’t satisfied with the prom dresses at local stores. |
| B．Because it cost almost nothing and made her unique at the prom. |
| C．Because her prom partner encouraged her to do so. |
| D．Because she wanted to show off her clothes-making skills and her creativity. |
| A．She kept the soda-can tabs dress a secret from her friends. |
| B．She has to take part-time jobs to make her soda can tabs dress. |
| C．She spent months collecting the material needed for her prom dress. |
| D．She is used to designing and making her own clothes. |
| A．caused damage | B．drawn attention |
| C．proved successful | D．fallen apart |
【推荐2】An Ellenton man just turned 93 years old, and decided it was time for him to go to the beach—for the first time.
Howard Fisher has been living in Florida for 20 years, but never went into the Gulf waters. For his birthday, he finally decided to see what the hype was all about it. On Sunday, he took a trip to Anna Maria Island with the help of his daughter, Sandra.
“I guess he never went to the beach because he wasn’t motivated at the time!” she told FOX 13. “By the time he decided to go, he was 93—and needed my help.”
He told her, “Sandra, isn’t it amusing? I have lived here for 20 years and never once went to the ocean. Now, I think I might like to, but I can’t.”
Sandra responded, “Yes, you can, Dad. I will make sure of it.”
Sandra, who lives in Alabama, visited her father for his birthday, and decided to help his beach wish come true. They got a beach wheelchair, which is loaned out to visitors from noon to 4 p.m. every day, she explained, at Anna Maria Island Beach Café. Those wheelchairs are provided by Manatee County.
Sandra had to document the big day. In her photos, Howard is seen with a big smile, as he relaxed and swam in the calm, green waters.
She said he was mesmerized, as he floated on his back, gazed up above him, and took in his surroundings.
“Look, I float just like a cork,” he said. “Isn’t this great? Look at that sky and those clouds.”
1. Why did Sandra’s father never go into the Gulf waters?| A．Because he was afraid of water. |
| B．Because he was too occupied to go there. |
| C．Because he couldn’t find anyone to help him. |
| D．Because he had no interest. |
| A．Funny. | B．Sorrowful. |
| C．Joyful. | D．Unimaginable. |
| A．They bought one. | B．They borrowed one. |
| C．Visitors lent one to them. | D．Manatee County made one for them. |
| A．A Daughter Took Her 93-year-old Father to Swim in the Sea |
| B．A Daughter Gave Her Father a Big Surprise for His 93rd Birthday |
| C．A 93-year-old Man from Florida Went to Beach for the First Time |
| D．A 93-year-old Man from Florida Regretted Not Having Swum in the Sea |
【推荐3】When I was an eight-year-old girl, Mother told me to put my coat on because we were going to go somewhere special. Usually, that meant we were going to see someone important or that I would at least get a new toy. I asked which one it would be that day, and she told me that I would be getting something better than a toy. She said I would get “access to a world of toys”．
But we did not end up at any toy store. Nor did we finally see anyone we knew. Instead, Mother pulled her car at Marcy Public Library. Mother led me directly to the reception desk. “I’d like to get my daughter a library card,” she told the man behind the desk. He asked her to fill out a form and smiled at me. “What kind of books do you like?” he asked. I was too shy to reply then. I simply smiled back and shrugged my shoulders. “Well, you’ll figure it out in time” he said.
I do not remember what I checked out that first day, but I know that in the years that followed I read everything I could find of interest at that old library. I read through all the Nancy Drew books before advancing to Judy Blume, then the classics: Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Shakespeare. Then I read books on history, books of poetry, and books about art. The library opened up a world that I never knew existed.
So Mother was right. Getting a library card was like getting access to a world of toys.
1. Why did the author’s mother ask her to put on the coat?| A．To eat delicious food. | B．To go to someplace special. |
| C．To swim. | D．To meet important people. |
| A．at Marcy Public Library. | B．at any toy store. |
| C．at that old library. | D．Judy Blume. |
| A．The author is outgoing and active. | B．The author is shy when asked. |
| C．The author only read books on history. | D．Her mother was unwilling to let her read. |
| A．Getting a library card. | B．Making a lot of money. |
| C．Getting a car. | D．Getting a good book. |
