It was early winter several years ago. I had pulled out my old winter coat for another year’s use. It was still in pretty good shape although it was looking dirty from so many winters’ wear. I didn’t really need a new one but I wanted one and casually mentioned it to my daughter one day. She was such a sweet, loving girl that I should have guessed what would happen next. A few weeks later she gave me a new winter coat as a gift.
I put the old one in my closet and started to wear the new coat every day. Each day, though, when I opened my closet, something troubled me. It seemed a shame that my old but still good coat should just sit there keeping no one warm during the cold winter days. After a few weeks, I took it out and drove to a local charity shop. I knew that there was someone who couldn’t afford a coat but could get my old one.
My new coat is my old coat now. It is getting a little dirty and worn, too. It has black marks on the sleeves. It is in too bad shape to even donate to charity. I wonder if I should buy a new one soon, but I think I will wait for a while. I don’t really need a new one and maybe I can find something else to give to the charity shop instead.
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Want is a growing giant whom the coat of Have was never large enough to cover.” Perhaps the best way to deal with our wants then is to give instead. Love, after all, brings us the most joy. And the more of it you give away, the more of it you have.
1. Which word can best describe the author’s daughter?| A．Wealthy. | B．Thoughtful. | C．Easy-going. | D．Humorous. |
| A．It cost too much. | B．It was looking dirty. |
| C．There was not enough room for his new coat. | D．It was not sent to someone in need. |
| A．Telling his daughter. | B．Buying a new one soon. |
| C．Donating it to charity. | D．Sending something else to charity. |
| A．Giving fills our wants. | B．Love is the key to joy. |
| C．The more you give, the more you lose. | D．A coat is large enough to cover our wants. |
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【推荐1】Michael stands in a circle with the other boys. At the center of it is Coach Dave, a former college wrestler, now wrestling coach. “I honestly believe each kid can win every match,” Coach Dave says. “And I tell them that.”
The mental strength gained from a coach is as important as physical strength. And Michael soaked it up. As a freshman, Michael lost half of his matches, but the next year the practice began to pay off, “It finally just clicks,” Michael says. “You walk onto the mat, and you know you’re going to win. When Coach Dave tells you how you are going to beat an opponent, you just go out and do it.”
At a tournament in Reno, Michael was ranked nationally and faced a wrestler from the Midwest ranked a few spots above him. In the final seconds of the match, ahead by one point, Michael clung to the lead while his opponent clung to his ankle, trying to get a takedown. Michael was hopping his way out of the circle to gain a restart. It’s the easy way out, like a boxer ducking out of the ring to get a breather and preserve a lead.With his back to his opponent, he took one more step. The opponent grabbed the other ankle, and Michael went down, Two points. Match over.
After the match, Dave asked one question, “Are you going to run away from challenges in life or turn and face them?” Michael knew exactly what he’d done wrong-and that it could become a lifelong flaw if he didn’t correct it. All he had to do was turn into his opponent and counterattack. “You’ll beat him next time,” Coach Dave said.
Eventually Michael won the tournament and won a lot of matches that year, but the encouragement from Dave is where he learned the most. “When someone believes in you like that, you know you can do it,” Michael says, “I often hear Coach Dave when I’m in tough situations. ‘No excuses, just do it.’ That encouragement has been my guide.”
1. What does the underlined part “soaked it up” in Paragraph 2 mean?| A．Got a chance. | B．Fully understood it. |
| C．Ate it up. | D．Built it up. |
| A．He escaped from the match. | B．He lost the match. |
| C．He beat his opponent. | D．He gave up the match. |
| A．Believing in yourself. | B．Correcting your mistakes. |
| C．Accepting your weaknesses. | D．Taking risks and fall. |
| A．Caring. | B．Humorous. | C．Inspiring. | D．Generous. |
Each spring brings a new blossom of wildflowers in the ditches along the highway I travel daily to work.
There is one particular blue flower that has always caught my eye. I’ve noticed that it blooms only in the morning hours, the afternoon sun is too warm for it. Every day for approximately two weeks, I see those beautiful flowers.
This spring, I started a wildflower garden in our yard. I can look out of the kitchen window while doing the dishes and see the flowers. I’ve often thought that those lovely blue flowers from the ditch would look great in that bed alongside other wildflowers.
Every day I drove past the flowers thinking, “I’ll stop on my way home and dig them.” “Gee, I don’t want to get my good clothes dirty…” I had wanted to stop and dig them but I didn’t make it anyhow. My husband even gave me a folding shovel one year to be used for that expressed purpose.
One day on my way home from work, I was saddened to see that the highway department had mowed the ditches and the pretty blue flowers were gone. I thought to myself, “Way to go, you waited too long. You should have done it when you first saw them blooming this spring.”
A week ago we were shocked and saddened to know that my oldest sister-in-law has a terminal brain tumor. She is 20 years older than my husband and unfortunately, because of age and distance, we haven’t been as close as we all would have liked.
I couldn’t help but see the connection between the pretty blue flowers and the relationship between my husband’s sister and us. I do believe that God has given us some time left to plant some wonderful memories that will bloom every year for us.
And yes, if I see the blue flowers again, you can bet I’ll stop and transplant them to my wildflower garden.
1. What caught the author’s eye along the highway she traveled daily to work?2. In the author’s opinion, why couldn’t she get the flowers?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
The author was saddened not only because the flowers were all gone but also because she had no time to create wonderful memories between her husband’s sister and them.
4. Please give some advice on how to develop a good connection with friends or relatives. (about 40 words)
So the man decided to help the butterfly. He cut off the remaining bit of the cocoon so that the butterfly could come out easily. But to his surprise, the butterfly got a heavy body and very small wings when it came out of the cocoon.
The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that the body would grow smaller at any moment and the wings would become larger and be able to fly. But neither happened. In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling（爬）around with a heavy body and small wings. It was never able to fly.
The man was in his kindness, but he did not understand the nature rules. Before the butterfly came out of the cocoon, fluid（流体）from its body must be forced into its wings, and then it would be ready for flying. It must have a hard struggle to get through the small opening to get its freedom from the cocoon.
Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If God allowed us to go through our life without any difficulties, it would make us fail. We would not be as strong as we could have been; we could never fly.
1. What was the butterfly doing at the beginning of the story?
| A．It was trying to make a cocoon for itself. |
| B．It was struggling to get out of its cocoon. |
| C．It was flying among the trees in the forest. |
| D．It was crawling around quietly on the ground. |
| A．Patient but cruel. | B．Careful and wise. | C．Kind but unwise. | D．Brave and funny. |
| A．Struggles are sometimes necessary in our life. |
| B．Nothing is difficult if we put our heart into it. |
| C．Every good deed will come back with a good result. |
| D．The greatest happiness in the world is to help others. |
| A．The love for the cocoon. | B．The joy of helping each other. |
| C．The lesson of the cocoon. | D．The expectation for the butterfly. |
【推荐1】For so long, failure has been pictured as something negative, something to be ashamed of and something to be kept a secret. But a Swedish psychologist, Samuel West, has decided to put our worst fears on the table. He is opening a museum -- the Museum of Failure -- in Helsingborg, Sweden, this June.
Instead of showing successes, as museums usually do, the Museum of Failure will display over 60 “failed” products from big-name companies such as Nokia, Apple and Coca-Cola. “I really hope you see that these mega-brands that everybody respects, they screw up too,” West told The New York Times. “I hope that makes you feel less nervous about learning something new.”
West’s opinion isn’t a new one. Albert Einstein once said, “A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.” And this idea has been embraced by lots of companies in the US. Silicon Valley, for example, is the home of some of the world’s most creative companies, yet its slogan turns out to be, quite surprisingly, “Fail fast, fail often.”
However, there are reasons for this. “The best companies are those that encourage failure, embrace out-of-the-box thinking, and allow employers to make mistakes and see what happens,” wrote Simon Casuto of Forbes.
But some people are doubtful of this so-called “culture of failure”. They are worried that if failure becomes a “symbol of honor”, as Wired magazine put it, it may even be seen as “uncool” when someone tries to reduce the risk of failure. This may push people to care too little and try too little.
“Sometimes people hid behind failure, when they could have prevented it,” wrote Anna Isaac of The Telegraph.
So it’s important that you set apart the two kinds of failure—the kind that makes you a loser and the kind that takes you forward. The key is whether you’ve learned something from your mistakes.
“Learning is the only process that turns failure into success.” West said The Guardian.” If you don’t learn from your failures, then you’ve really failed.”
1. What does the underlined phrase “screw up” in the second paragraph mean?| A．Make a profit. | B．Make a mess. |
| C．Make a highlight. | D．Make a risk. |
| A．The more failure, the better. |
| B．Accept failure, and try new things. |
| C．The more you fail, the less success you achieve. |
| D．Failure is more important than success. |
| A．The New York Times. | B．Forbes. |
| C．Wired. | D．The Guardian. |
| A．Failure’s value lies in learning from it. |
| B．If you fail, you are a loser. |
| C．It’s not necessary to try to reduce the risk of failure. |
| D．Failure is the key to put you forward. |
I left university with a good degree in English Literature, but no sense of what I wanted to do. Over the next six years, I was treading water just trying to earn an income. I tried journalism, but I didn’t think I was any good, then finance, which I hated. Finally, I got a job as a rights assistant at a famous publisher. I loved working with books, although the job that I did was dull.
I had enough savings to take a year off work, and I decided to try to satisfy a deep-down wish to write a novel. Attending a Novel Writing MA course gave me the structure I needed to write my first 55,000 words.
It takes confidence to make a new start — there’s a dark period in-between where you’re neither one thing nor the other. You’re out for dinner and people ask what you do, and you’re too ashamed to say, “Well, I’m writing a novel, but I’m not quite sure if I’m going to get there.” My confidence dived. Believing my novel could not be published ,
I put it aside.
Then I met an agent（代理商）who said I should send my novel out to agents. So, I did and, to my surprise, got some wonderful feedback. I felt a little hope that I might actually become a published writer and, after signing with an agent, I finished the second half of the novel.
The next problem was finding a publisher. After two-and-a-half years of no income, just waiting and wondering, a publisher offered me a book deal — that publisher turned out to be the one I once worked for.
It feels like an unbelievable stroke of luck — of fate, really. When you set out to do something different, there’s no end in sight, so to find myself in a position where I now have my own name on a contract of the publisher — to be a published writer — is unbelievably rewarding.
1. What does the underlined part in Paragraph 1 mean?
| A．I was waiting for good fortune. |
| B．I was trying to find an admirable job. |
| C．I was being aimless about a suitable job. |
| D．I was doing several jobs for more pay at a time. |
| A．to finish the writing course |
| B．to realize her own dream |
| C．to satisfy readers’wish |
| D．to earn more money |
| A．Disturbed. | B．Ashamed. | C．Confident. | D．Uncertain. |
| A．It pays to stick to one’s goal. |
| B．Hard work can lead to success. |
| C．She feels like being unexpectedly lucky. |
| D．There is no end in sight when starting to do something. |
【推荐3】It's not easy to grow up. Actually, it's far from easy. Growing up can be a real "pain" for some of us. We are always doing things that someone else makes us do and aren't allowed to do all the things we like. Sometimes we feel trapped, sometimes we are fearful, and sometimes we just don't understand why we can't stay young forever. When we look back on all the hardships in life with a positive attitude, we realize that all of our growing pains actually turn into growing gains!
Throughout our lives we are going to face many challenges and pains, but we should never let these obstacles（障碍）keep us from following our dreams. We must overcome every obstacle one small step at a time.
As a young girl my parents forced me to do so many things that I never liked. They made me learn to play the violin and then the piano. At that time I hated music, just because it was what they wanted me to do. But looking back now, I am so glad that my parents encouraged me to take music lessons. Music has enriched my life in so many ways. I realize that my parents and teachers were always pushing me along, not because they wanted me to suffer but because they wanted me to succeed in life. They've always wanted me to have better life than they did themselves.
Every moment of our lives we are either living or dying, so live life to its fullest! We are all going to experience growing pains, but they are just small pains in life. They might seem so huge at the time but we must be strong. Think about how we would feel if we had no fear and live life like that.
The future is ours! A little hard work and sweat never hurt anyone! If we realize that these pains are just small bumps（凸块）on our road to success we will realize that our growing pains are actually growing gains!
1. According to Paragraph 1, we learn that when we are young, ________.| A．life is easy for us | B．life is full of joy |
| C．we know we can stay young forever | D．we sometimes can't do things we like |
| A．take music lessons | B．turn gains into pains |
| C．look back on hardships | D．live a successful life |
| A．We all have to experience growing pains. |
| B．Life without fear is a better choice for us. |
| C．Growing pains are necessary for us to grow up. |
| D．A little hard work and sweat are harmful to us. |
【推荐1】Mei Lum is the fifth-generation owner of Wing on Wo & Co. in Manhattan’s Chinatown.
For Lum, the oldest-running business in Manhattan’s Chinatown sees the neighbourhood growing larger and larger and is an informal living room where she came of age. In the store on Mott Street, she shared meals with her family, took Chinese lessons with her grandparents and helped clean the store as a young girl.
Wing on Wo was started in the 1890s. In the early days, Wing on Wo was a general store that mainly sold dried fish and canned (罐装的) goods. It was also an informal post office. When Lum’s grandmother, Nancy, took over in 1965, she decided to focus on porcelain (瓷器) specifically. Its heyday (全盛时期) was the late 70s to the late 80s. A lot of the goods came from Hong Kong, where Lum’s grandfather grew up.
In 2016, her grandmother planned to sell the porcelain specialty shop and its building. Lum, who was preparing to study international relations at Columbia University, decided to take over the store — not only to preserve (保护) its cultural value, but to create a community centre.
“I see the store as a place for conversation for Asian Americans. They want to learn about family history and tradition, and are curious about their cultural identity. I want them to learn about their identity through our porcelain,” Lum said.
Wing on Wo has remained a family business from its founding. Lum’s father, Gary, has been manning the counter (柜台) for the past 30 years. Her mother, Lorraine, processes orders and manages the website. Even her grandmother helps out with some work in the store.
The pandemic pushed Lum to start learning how to run an online store. She’s also added a lot of new activities, including youth programs, an artist residency and a ceramicist fair, to ensure that in addition to preserving tradition, the business is shaping the future of Chinatown.
1. What did the store mean to Lum according to paragraph 2?| A．It gave her a chance to help her neighbours. |
| B．It played an important role in her childhood. |
| C．It helped her to develop a money-saving lifestyle. |
| D．It had a great influence on her choice of university. |
| A．She sold Wing on Wo. | B．She opened a new general store. |
| C．She began selling only porcelain in the store. | D．She changed the store into a porcelain factory. |
| A．To collect money for her college education. |
| B．To learn business skills from her grandmother. |
| C．To encourage young people to start a family business. |
| D．To provide a historical connection for Asian Americans. |
| A．Responsible and forward-looking. | B．Humorous and hard-working. |
| C．Creative and honest. | D．Kind and patient. |
【推荐2】A tabletop bean seller in Accra, Ghana has grown her business into a popular fast-selling and highly profitable local restaurant in just under 2 years.
Once upon a time in 2019, Madam Evangeli who sold beans on a tabletop in Accra hadn’t even heard of selling food on the Internet. She started her business selling to only physical walk-in customers. A few months after she started the business, she got introduced to an online food delivery platform — Jumia Food. She was doubtful about it because she didn’t fully understand how the process worked and what the benefits were. After a few days of research, she decided to join as a vendor (小贩) and test the platform.
Just when she added herself to the list on the Jumia Food website, the country was forced into lockdown (封城) in March 2020. Her customer base began to reduce rapidly since there were restrictions (限制) on movement and there were almost no customers around to buy from her. This became a problem since the business was her primary source of livelihood. She sometimes came to work to prepare meals only for a handful of people to buy.
She then remembered that she had listed on Jumia so the love story began. She started using the platform frequently and growing the business during the COVID-19 lockdown. A week later, the number of orders had increased three times and things were getting better. This continued for months as many of her customers now had a way to stay in the comfort of their homes or offices and still get their meals delivered to them safely. Sales started increasing rapidly. Madam Evangeli also has plans to open more shops in other parts of the city in order to support young out-of-work people.
Her life has been changed through the Internet. There are many more food vendors like Madam Evangeli who are benefitting from the power of the Internet. E-commerce (电子商务) is the future and it is important that every stakeholder (参与人) play their part in making sure that more lives are touched through the Internet.
1. What did Madam Evangeli think of selling food online in 2019?| A．It could help to change the poor’s life. |
| B．It could make her food popular. |
| C．It was full of the unknown. |
| D．It was a waste of time. |
| A．She suffered customer losses after lockdown. |
| B．She had no money to run more shops. |
| C．She had no time to prepare meals. |
| D．She couldn’t find a worker. |
| A．It gave many chances to jobless people. |
| B．It helped her to find her true love. |
| C．It failed to draw much attention. |
| D．It developed surprisingly fast. |
| A．People’s life is changing through the Internet. |
| B．E-commerce is a major choice of food vendors. |
| C．People’s attitude towards the Internet differs widely. |
| D．Madam Evangeli has encouraged others to do business online. |
【推荐3】When presented with a Make-A-Wish grant, most 13-year-old boys would buy a gaming system or take a trip to Disney World. But Abraham Olagbegi is not like most teens!
Abraham is recovering from a bone marrow transplant (骨髓移植) resulting from rare genetic blood disorder. Last year was a scary time for him and his family, but the transplant was successful, and he’s now on a path to good health. When he found out he was qualified for Make-A-Wish, he shocked everyone with his request.
“I remember we were coming home from one of his doctor appointments and he said, ‘Mom, I thought about it, and I really want to feed the homeless,’” said Miriam Olagbegi, Abraham’s mother. “I said, ‘Are you sure, Abraham? You could do a lot… You are sure you don’t want a PlayStation?’”
Abraham’s whole family thought it was a great idea, especially since they’ve tried to teach their kids to give freely and openly to others whenever possible. In the 13-year-old’s words, “My parents always taught us that it’s a blessing to be a blessing.”
Make-A-Wish granted Abraham’s special request, spending a day in September handing out free plates of food to people experiencing homelessness in Jackson, Mississippi. Local businesses donated all of the food and supplies, and together they managed to feed about 80 people!
Abraham said seeing the gratitude on their faces made his wish come true and “warms our hearts”. Now, the Make-A-Wish team will continue Abraham’s program named Abraham’s Table every month.
We’re just very excited to be able to continue on this program. It’s just so rewarding.” Miriam said. “If I was out there on the streets, homeless, I would want somebody at some point to think of me and to do something special for me. So, that’s what I try to teach my kids and we just try to pay it forward, by doing what we were raised to do.”
1. What did Abraham Olagbegi request as a wish?| A．A gaming system. | B．A trip to Disney World. |
| C．Free food for the homeless. | D．Donation of his family’s income. |
| A．They felt confused. | B．They were unsatisfied. |
| C．They tried to change his mind. | D．They fully supported it. |
| A．They are rich and generous. | B．They are very strict parents. |
| C．They influence Abraham positively. | D．They decide everything for Abraham. |
| A．Abraham’s Special Wish | B．Abraham’s Journey to Good Health |
| C．Influence of Family Value on Abraham | D．Community Support in Abraham’s Table |
