When the new term came, I had a new classmate, a little old lady with a warm smile. She said, “Hi, handsome! I’m 87 years old. Can I give you a hug?”
I said heartily, “Of course!”
“Why are you in college at such an age?” I asked.
She joked, “I’m here to meet a rich husband, get married, have children, and then travel around.”
“No, seriously,” I asked.
“I always dreamed of having a college education. Now I’m getting one!” she told me.
Over the year, Rose became an icon (偶像). She easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she enjoyed the attention from other students.
At the end of the term, we invited Rose to speak at our banquet (宴会). I’ll never forget what she taught us.
“We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. Here are the secrets of staying young: You have to laugh and find humor every day as well as have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die!” she said.
“There is a big difference between growing old and growing up. Anybody can grow old. That doesn’t take any talent or ability,” she added. “But to grow up, you have to find the chances in change. Have no regrets. We usually don’t have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do.”
One week after graduation, Rose died peacefully in her sleep. She taught us by example that it’s never too late to be all you can possibly be.
1. What was the writer’s new classmate like?2. Why was she in college at such an age?
3. According to Rose, what’s the secret of staying young?
4. What does the underlined word “that” refer to (指的是)?
5. Would you like Rose to be your icon? Why?
2 . Anda Union is a nine-member band from the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The band’s name “Anda” comes from the Mongolian word for “brotherhood”.
In August, 2023, the band performed for the first time in the music show The Big Band 3. Their performance soon won the hearts of the audience. The first song they performed was called Jangar, which brought to life the epic (史诗) of Jangar, a famous Mongolian hero. Dressed in traditional Mongolian costumes, the nine musicians played instruments such as the horse-head fiddle (马头琴) and a box-shaped double bass. And they sang in Mongolian, giving the audience a special musical experience.
“I had only dreamed about the grasslands of Inner Mongolia before, but by watching their performance, I felt as if I were in the broad grasslands, enjoying their beauty,” said an audience member. “I especially love their horse-head fiddle,” said another. “It sounds like horses running across the grassland.”
Nars, the band’s lead musician, says since they started the band, their goal has been to draw inspiration from old, forgotten songs while creating a new form of music. They consider Mongolian music a great treasure and want more people to hear it.
Most of the members are good at khoomei (呼麦), a style of Mongolian throat singing. In 2006, Anda Union was given the chance to perform nationwide. In addition, they took their unique sound worldwide, touring the US, the UK, Australia and New Zealand.
They have slowed down and returned home, giving themselves time to meet elderly musicians and listen to more old songs in recent years. “There is a wealth of folk music for us to learn. So far, all we have done with our songs is like a drop in the ocean,” says Nars.
1. Who is Jangar?| A．A great hero. | B．A famous musician. | C．The lead singer of the band. |
| A．It was boring. | B．It was fantastic. | C．It was too loud. |
| A．It’s a special way of Mongolian throat singing. |
| B．The band members are all good at it. |
| C．It’s a traditional way of expressing one’s feelings in western countries. |
| A．They have planned to start a new band. |
| B．They have continued touring around the world. |
| C．They have slowed down to look for more inspirations (灵感) in their hometown. |
3 . It happened today, which we never want to happen, but we’ve been preparing for it for a whole school year. A tornado touched down (登陆) near our school.
I wasn’t even in the classroom at the moment. I had taken a student with me to the workroom to help gather something for a test. When the emergency alarms went off, immediately I grabbed my student’s hand and ran as fast as I could back to the classroom.
I never imagined needing to put our tornado practice into use. I never imagined actually needing to line my students up against the wall and have them crouch down (蹲伏) with their knees and heads touching the ground, hands on the backs of their heads. Their hearts beat so fast that they couldn’t catch their breath. Their fear-filled eyes looked up at me as they asked if their parents, grandparents and friends were going to be fine. Never could I imagine that the silence would come over the whole schoolyard, with hundreds of students gathered in the classrooms of one building.
Other teachers and I tried our best to comfort our students, assure (使确信) them of their safety and promise them everything would be all right, though we truly didn’t know what the result would be.
Today has done something bad to me, and I am sure it has done harm to the hundreds and thousands of teachers in the local areas and surrounding areas. But at the same time, I am very proud, surprised and pleased with how my students behaved. Never have I seen they follow directions so quickly and quietly. Even though tears were in eyes and hearts were beating fast, my students were brave beyond their age today. They were able to be 100% calm and collected (镇静的) the whole time and for that, I was greatly moved.
| A．In the gym. | B．In the hallways. | C．In the classrooms. | D．In the playground. |
| A．The students’ hearts beat fast because of fear. | B．The students were asked to stand against the walls. |
| C．The students were organized to run to the nearest exit. | D．The students felt certain about the safety of their families. |
| A．Because the tornado did not do harm to the local areas. |
| B．Because the parents worked well with the school all the time. |
| C．Because the students were brave and well-organized during the tornado. |
| D．Because hundreds of students lined up against the walls of one building. |
| A．A horrible tornado hit the school. |
| B．The school was in a mess after the tornado. |
| C．A brave teacher saved many people’s lives during the tornado. |
| D．The teachers and students stayed calm when the tornado happened. |
4 . My city has a typical modern cinema showing all the newest films I want to see. It’s near where I live, but a year ago, I realized something was missing the experience of discussing a film with a group of people after watching it with them. So, I decided to start a film club with my friends!
We choose a different location (地方) in the city each month to show films.
Last week, we chose an old factory to show a film about Antarctica. It was freezing cold in the factory, and this created the perfect environment for the film!
Each time we show a film, we manage to make things a bit easier for us, especially now we’ve got our own equipment. We also know the number of audience (观众) who will come because everything’s online—no more worries that the seats are not enough! There is always plenty to do, but when people of all ages come up at the end to say what a great experience they’ve had, we feel it’s worthwhile (值得的).
We’ve made a website to let people know about our club because we know that now most people go online for information rather than read local newspapers. We’ve also tried putting up a few posters in coffee shops.
Nothing’s as successful as word of mouth, though—people telling their friends about the club. And the audience loves the surprise activities we put on with each film—last month it was a small movie test, which everybody enjoyed.
1. Why did the writer start a film club?| A．The nearest cinema was too far from his house. |
| B．The films shown at his local cinema were not good. |
| C．He wanted the chance to share opinions about films. |
| A．the film club is making progress |
| B．the film club needs new equipment |
| C．the writer plans to have a movie test next month |
| A．口口相传 | B．流言蜚语 | C．脱口而出 |
| A．Safe. | B．Common | C．Successful. |
5 . Barry and Lisa Moss live in a pretty village in Suffolk. England. They left London two years ago, but they still can’t believe how much their life has changed.
In London, they were successful. And they were very wealthy. They had a big apartment and two expensive cars. They used to spend a lot of money on clothes and vacations. They did all these things without thinking because they had lots of money. But did they enjoy their life?
One day, Lisa was driving home. She suddenly realized (意识到) that it was always dark when she left home in the morning and dark when she left the office in the evening. She usually came home in a bad mood. And she used to work most weekends, too. Barry was too busy to have time for his hobbies cooking and fishing. So both of them thought it was time to change.
The Mosses sold their apartment and cars, found a house in a village and set up a small restaurant. “it’s perfect,” says Lisa. “We grow all the fruit and vegetables for the restaurant. Barry does the cooking and I love talking to customers.”
The Mosses still work hard. but their life now is quite different from that in London. “Though now we don’t make as much money as we did before.” laughs Barry, “we have time to do all the things we like.”
Do they miss London? “We’re happy with fewer things! And in fact, we don’t think about London anymore!” says Lisa.
1. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word “wealthy” in Paragraph2?| A．Clever. | B．Active. | C．Rich. |
| A．Their hobbies. | B．Their busy life. | C．The beauty of the village. |
| A．They run a hotel. | B．They run a restaurant. | C．They run a clothing store. |
| A．They love it. | B．They don’t like it. | C．They don’t mind it. |
Linda is excited. Today she will go hiking in Mount Washington. Her teachers, Mrs. Green and Mrs. Chang, love to hike, who know a lot about hiking and mountain safety.
Mount Washington is the tallest mountain in New England. It is almost 6,300 feet high. Mount Washington can get twenty-six feet of snow in a year! So much snow can take a long time to melt.
Mrs. Green leads the way. There are seven girls and two adults. Mrs. Chang makes sure everyone hikes safely.
Everyone has a full bag. The hikers need lots of water, snacks, and lunch. They have more clothes too. Everyone needs a jacket, a raincoat, a hat, and gloves. Even in summer, mountain weather can be cold.
“I’m tired,” Inez says. After a rest, Linda and Inez sing songs. Inez feels better. “Hiking is hard work,” Linda says, “but I love it!” The group hike higher up Mount Washington. Linda finds the snow first. “I can’t believe there is snow in July,” Linda shouts, “My brother won’t believe me!” The girls put on their jackets, gloves, and hats, and they play in the snow. They feel cold now. The wind blows. They are happy to have warm clothes.
After another rest, Mrs. Green calls the girls. “We have to hike back now,” she says. “Can we come again next summer?” Inez asks. “Please!” Linda says, “Next year I want to hike to the top!”
1. What do Mrs. Green and Mrs Chang know about?2. How many people go hiking in Linda’s group today?
3. What should be brought when hiking in Mount Washington?
4. Why do hikers have to wear more clothes?
5. Do you think hiking is good or bad ? Why?
Wu Dajing won the first place in the men’s 500m short track (短道) speed skating, in the ISU (国际滑冰联盟) World Cup Short Track Speed Skating series in Dordrecht, the Netherlands on November 27, 2021.
Wu Dajing was born in Heilongjiang Province on July 24, 1994. He started skating when he was ten years old and entered the national team in 2010. He loves to play basketball in his free time.
In 2014, Wu Dajing won a silver medal in the men’s 500m at the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, and bronze medal in the men’s 5,000m relay. In the same year, he won a gold medal in the men’s 500m at the World Championships (锦标赛) in Canada. He was chosen as China’s flag bearer at the 2017 Asian Win Games.
Wu Dajing said, “I believe that as long as I work hard, I will succeed.” In 2014, he was presented (颁发) with the May 4th Youth Medal. It’s the highest honor for young people in China.
Wu Dajing surprised the skating world by breaking the world record twice in the men’s 500m short track speed skating race and winning the only gold medal for China at the Winter Olympics in 2018, which is very meaningful for China! He became the first Chinese man to win an Olympic gold medal on ice!
An introduction of Wu Dajing | |
| Born in Heilongjiang Province on July 24, 1994. He started skating and entered the national team in 2010 | |
| In 2014 | He won |
| After 2014 | He was He |
Over the past thirty years, many big changes have taken place in our hometown, Yuwan. Many big companies and factories have been opened. Lots of tall buildings are standing here and there. In the past, Yuwan was only a lonely seaside village. Now it has become a modern city.
Look! This is the new train station. In the past, people here never saw trains or buses. Few people had bikes. Most people walked if they wanted to leave Yuwan. Now the train station is big. And there are more buses to take people to every part of the city and other places. There are also parks, museums and places for people to enjoy sports, music and art. The city government has built more roads. Some people have stopped riding bikes. They have bought cars. The traffic has been very heavy today. It’s a modern city now.
Thirty years ago, there were only one thousand people living in Yuwan. Now the population is much larger. More and more people are coming here to work or live. It has become a new tourist attraction (吸引地) as well. More supermarkets have been opened and you can enjoy beautiful beaches. Sea food and some places of great interest.
Changes to our hometown | |
| In the past | Our hometown was only a lonely seaside village |
| Only one thousand people | |
| It was hard to see a bike and people had to go to other places on | |
| At present | People have changed Yuwan into a |
| People can take trains, buses or their own car to other places if necessary. | |
| You can find many tall buildings, companies and museums. Now it has become a new | |
For pupils at a village school in Yiyuan country, Shandong Province, Ren Jilan has not only been teaching them but also showing them how to face life bravely, especially when things just don’t seem to be working out.
Ren came from a poor family in a Yiyuan country village. She had to do more housework than other children when she was young because both her father and mother were in ill. With support from her relatives and villagers, Ren completed her 12-year school study and was accepted by Qufu Normal University. But the four-year university experience didn’t go well. Her father died and then she had to care for her mother. At the difficult moment, it was her teacher, Li Zhenhua, who offered help.
After graduation, Ren was faced with chances to work as a teacher in cities, but she chose to return to her hometown and work as a country teacher at Fuluping Primary School. “Teacher Li gave up a well-paid job in a big city to teach children at the village school. I’d like to follow his path,” Ren says.
Fuluping Primary School is 50 kilometers away from downtown Yiyuan country. It was once among the schools with the worst conditions in the country. But the school has its own beautiful and comfortable playground now.
Ren works hard on teaching and taking care of her students. She also spends a part of her money helping two poor students. She received the China Youth May 4th Medal—the country’s top honor for excellent young people.
“Life was not easy for me, but luckily I had nice people around me. They gave me a helping hand when I was in need, and it encouraged me to go on,” says Ren.
1. Who helped Ren complete her 12-year school study?2. Where did Ren choose to work after graduation from university?
3. How is the playground of Fuluping Primary School now?
4. What honor did Ren get from the country?
5. What do you think of Ren Jilan?
10 . What are good friends? This is not an easy question. But Mark Smith and Jarryd Haines have always been good friends. The two boys from Sydney have known each other for most of their lives. Both of them enjoy playing Australian football.
A few years ago, when Mark was nine, he developed brain cancer. The disease made the boy lose his eyesight, part of his hearing and his ability to play his favorite sport. However, throughout the years, Jarryd was still his closest friend. They still share their love of Australian football, and they still enjoy talking about the Sydney Swans, their favorite team.
Two weeks ago, I took my seat at Sydney Cricket Ground to watch the Swans. The old stadium was crowded with fans. Shortly into the second quarter, I heard some great commentary (现场解说) from a boy, I turned and saw Jarryd. Mark was sitting next to him.
Although he can’t see any more, Mark still loves the Swans very much. Usually, he goes to the stadium and listens to the commentary on the radio. However, in the second quarter of that match, the radio system broke down. That was when his friend Jarryd stepped in (介入).
I hardly looked at the Swans and Buddy, the team’s star player. Instead, I was concentrating on (专注) Jarryd and Mark. Mark listened carefully. He was lost in the magic of Australian football brought to life by his friend.
Sports can be competitive. However, they can also allow us to share wonderful moments with others. They may be close friends or perfect strangers. Here, Jarryd and Mark have moved me, with their precious friendship.
1. According to the passage, both Mark Smith and Jarryd Haines ________.| A．love Australian football | B．have brain cancer | C．are nine years old | D．like listening to the radio |
①completely unable to see ②completely unable to hear ③ completely unable to walk ④ unable to play Australian football
| A．①②④ | B．②③④ | C．①④ | D．②③ |
| A．from the very beginning of the game | B．before the game started |
| C．after the radio system broke down | D．after Mark asked him to do so |
| A．The two boys from the USA have known each other for most of their lives. |
| B．The Sydney Swans is the two boys’ favorite team. |
| C．The two boys have precious friendship. |
| D．The two boys often share their love of Australian football. |
| A．Commentary is very important in watching a football match. |
| B．It’s necessary to share the same hobby with our friends. |
| C．However hard the situation is, we should face it bravely. |
| D．A good friendship can make everything more wonderful. |
