1 . After Stewart and Debbie Wilder lost their son, Cameron, in 2013, the last thing on their minds was decorating for the holiday season. “We haven’t put anything up in three years. It has all stayed boxed up,” said Debbie.
But in December 2016, the house was lit up for Christmas, with little lights cheerfully lining the rood and eaves(屋檐). It wasn’t the Wilders but a stranger Carson Zickgraf, the founder of CZ Enterprises LLC, who finally made the house shine. “I started crying,” Debbie says about seeing the lights for the first time. “It was really special.”
Zickgraf has been donating his light-stringing services to brighten the lives of families affected by losing their children, especially during the difficult holiday season since 2015 and has decorated the houses of more than two dozen families so far.
He started the project by chance. He was hanging lights on a home when the owner mentioned that some neighbors were having a hard time that holiday season because their son had recently died. Then he had an idea. “I sent my crew there to decorate that house too,” he says. The family was delighted. In fact, he had two friends who had died young, and he’d always wished he could ease the pain for their loved ones. Now, he’s found a way.
“There’s something special about Christmas lights. They warm the spirit.” Zickgraf knows his efforts can’t completely remove the pain from these families, but he can make the holidays a little cheerier. “I wish I had a bigger company so I could do more houses,” he says.
1. How was the Wilders affected by the loss of their son?| A．They didn’t feel like decorating their house for Christmas. |
| B．They were the last to put up some decorations at Christmas. |
| C．They had no one to help decorate their house for Christmas. |
| D．They had the belongings of their son boxed up at Christmas. |
| A．To make more houses brighter. | B．To expand his own business. |
| C．To relieve the victim family’s pain. | D．To memorize his dead friends. |
| A．Enthusiastic and optimistic. | B．Courageous and smart. |
| C．Ambitious and generous. | D．Considerate and helpful. |
| A．Lights warming the spirit | B．A person brightening houses |
| C．Families going through sufferings | D．A business hanging lights |
2 . A young and fearless child, Thomas Alva Edison wanted to know the inner workings of the world around him and was not afraid to dive (潜水) into the river behind his house to find answers. At five, his curiosity to understand fire ended with the family barn burned down. His dangerous curiosity and endless questions drove his father crazy. But his mother saw something else in her son.
Edison’s “turnabout” really began at age eight. He was registered at Reverend Engle’s school in 1855．The lessons were likely boring to the little boy. He daydreamed through classes.
One day, in front of Edison, Reverend Engle complained that the boy was addled and unable to be taught. Edison ran home in tears. The next day, his mother, Nancy Edison, brought him back to discuss the situation with Reverend Engle. She became angry at the teacher’s ways — Everything was forced on the kids. She said her son was much smart and that she would educate him at home. Surprisingly, this marked the end of Edison’s formal education and the beginning of the great inventor.
Mrs. Edison equipped her son with works of literature and history as well as science that fed his passion (求知). She encouraged Edison’s hands-on experiments. Young Edison applied what he learned to practice. Despite a few explosions and burns that happened at home, Mrs. Edison encouraged her son to go on in that path.
It was the model of discovery and innovation (创新) that Edison learned from his mother that would mark the rest of his creative life. Edison met challenges with his head and hands.
The light of Edison, which has lasted more than a century, might never have reached us were it not for an admirable mother who saw the promise in her son where others only saw problems.
1. What can we know about young Edison?| A．He was curious about the world around him. |
| B．His carelessness led to a fire in the classroom. |
| C．His action made his teacher quite proud. |
| D．He was forced to drop out of high school. |
| A．Nervous. | B．Frank. | C．Energetic. | D．Stupid. |
| A．She thought that her son made little progress. |
| B．She couldn’t afford the cost of private education. |
| C．She was dissatisfied with the teaching at school. |
| D．She believed that the school was to be closed. |
| A．Put homeschooling before everything. |
| B．Focus on the promise their children show. |
| C．Develop their children’s love for experiments. |
| D．Take no notice of mistakes their children made. |
3 . At thirteen, I was diagnosed(诊断) with kind of attention disorder. It made school difficult for me. When everyone else in the class was focusing on tasks, I could not.
In my first literature class, Mrs. Smith asked us to read a story and then write on it, all within 45 minutes. I raised my hand right away and said, “Mrs. Smith, you see, the doctor said I have attention problems. I might not be able to do it.”
She glanced down at me through her glasses, “you are no different from your classmates, young man.”
I tried, but I didn’t finish the reading when the bell rang. I had to take it home.
In the quietness of my bedroom, the story suddenly all became clear to me. It was about a blind person, Louis Braille. He lived in a time when the blind couldn’t get much education. But Louis didn’t give up. Instead, he invented a reading system of raised dots (点), which opened up a whole new world of knowledge to the blind.
Wasn’t I the “blind” in my class, being made to learn like the “sighted” students? My thoughts spilled out and my pen started to dance. I completed the task within 40 minutes. Indeed, I was no different from others; I just needed a quieter place. If Louis could find his way out of his problems, why should I ever give up?
I didn’t expect anything when I handed in my paper to Mrs. Smith, so it was quite a surprise when it came back to me the next day—with an “A” on it. At the bottom of the paper were these words: “See what you can do when you keep trying?”
1. The author didn’t finish the reading in class because ________.| A．he was new to the class | B．he was tired of literature |
| C．he had an attention disorder | D．he wanted to take the task home |
| A．He had good sight. | B．He made a great invention. |
| C．He gave up reading. | D．He learned a lot from school. |
| A．The disabled should be treated with respect. |
| B．A teacher can open up a new world to students. |
| C．One can find his way out of difficulties with efforts. |
| D．Everyone needs a hand when faced with challenges. |
4 . Opera for Beginners
Many people think that opera is boring, difficult to understand and unpleasant to listen to. They only see strange people singing in a foreign language and wearing funny costumes. They're too quick to judge and a lot of people have believed stupid ideas about opera without ever actually seeing one. If one takes opera seriously, with an open heart, and goes to several good live performances, I don't see any reason why he or she would dislike or hate it. The following tips can help you learn to enjoy opera.
First of all, if you are new to opera, start with a short, well-known title, such as The Marriage of Figaro by Mozart. In the beginning, avoid difficult operas with complex storylines. If your first experience is not fun, then you will expect all operas to be boring. Moreover, before going to a performance, do a little bit of homework: learn the story of the opera. If you know about the main characters and the story before you start watching, it will be much easier to understand what is happening on the stage. Finally, the most important way to enjoy opera is to keep an open mind. If you believe that you will enjoy watching opera, then you will most likely enjoy it. Think of opera as a live TV show. Opera shows the same things—love and hate, good and evil and humans and nature—that are found in many of today's popular movies and best-selling novels. In fact, many of these movies and novels use stories copied from famous operas!
Opera is full of catchy, wonderful melodies （旋律）. It's full of drama and laughter. It's full of wonder and life. Opera can be fun to watch, and it allows the audience to experience different cultures. Many people have enjoyed it for hundreds of years, and by following the tips above, you can enjoy it, too. Indeed, opera will change the minds of the people who once hated it. And most importantly, as one of the most diverse art forms out there, opera helps you appreciate different performance styles from all over the world.
1. Many people think that opera is boring because ______.| A．it is like a TV show | B．they know little about it |
| C．they dislike its storylines | D．its music style is old-fashioned |
| A．To start with a long opera. | B．To learn to sing an opera. |
| C．To master a foreign language. | D．To get familiar with an opera's story. |
| A．have the same writer | B．share a similar story |
| C．teach people about lifestyles | D．help people keep an open mind |
| A．Various. | B．Humorous. | C．Ancient. | D．Exciting. |
5 . Are you looking for some new and exciting places to take your kids to? Try some of these places.
★Visit art museums. They offer a variety of activities to excite your kids' interest. Many offer workshops for making hand-made pieces, traveling exhibits, book signings by children's favorite writer, and even musical performances and other arts.
★Head to a natural history museum. This is where kids can discover the past from dinosaur( 恐龙 ) models to rock collections and pictures of stars in the sky. Also, ask what kind of workshops and educational programs are prepared for kids and any special events that are coming up.
★Go to a Youtheater. Look for one in your area offering plays for child and family visitors.
Pre-show play shops are conducted by area artists and educators where kids can discover the secret about performing arts. Puppet( 木 偶 )making and stage make-up are just a couple of the special offerings you might find.
★Try hands-on science. Visit one of the many hands-on science museums around the country.
These science play-lands are great fun for kids and grown-ups alike. They'll keep your child mentally and physically active the whole day through while pushing buttons, experimenting, and building. When everyone is tired, enjoy a fun family science show, commonly found in these museums.
1. If a child is interested in the universe, he probably will visit _____.| A．a Youtheater | B．an art museum |
| C．a hands-on science museum | D．a natural history museum |
| A．Science games designed by kids. | B．Learning science by doing things. |
| C．A show of kids' science work. | D．Reading science books. |
| A．A museum guide. | B．A tourist map. |
| C．A science textbook. | D．A news report. |
6 . Fans of Star Wars might remember Luke Skywalker’s home planet. Called Tatooine, the planet orbits two stars. A new study suggests similar planets might be the best focus in the search for places that can host life outside our solar system.
Many suns come in pairs called binary stars. Lots of these should have planets orbiting them. That means there could be more planets orbiting around binary stars than around lone stars like our sun. But until now, no one had a clear idea about whether those planets could host life. New computer models suggest that in many cases planets like Tatooine could be fit for life.
The researchers ran computer models of binary stars arranged in thousands of ways. Each had an Earthlike planet orbiting the two stars. The team modeled different sizes and shapes of the stars’ orbit around each other. They then tracked the movement of the planets for up to a billion years of simulated (模拟) time. That showed whether the planets would stay in orbit over timescales that might develop conditions to start life. They also checked to see if the planets stayed in a habitable zone. That’s the region around a star where an orbiting planet’s temperatures are never extremely hot or cold, and water could stay liquid (液态).
“An atmosphere and oceans could make a great difference,” says Mariah MacDonald, who took part in the new modeling work. Plentiful air and water could change the picture. Adding atmospheres to the modeled planets should increase the number of stars that could host life. She hopes to build more advanced models in coming months.
“Models of planets orbiting binary stars could guide future efforts to look for them with telescopes,” says Jason Wright, who studies the physics of stars at Pennsylvania State University. “This is an under-explored population of planets. There’s no reason why we can’t go after them,” he says. “And it might be worthwhile to try.”
1. Why does the author mention Tatooine in Star Wars?| A．To attract movie lovers. | B．To introduce the topic. |
| C．To remember an old friend. | D．To present a newfound planet. |
| A．Its preparation. | B．Its application. | C．Its process. | D．Its finding. |
| A．Improve the study. | B．Lead a peaceful life. |
| C．Start another project. | D．Travel into outer space. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Positive. | C．Concerned. | D．Uncaring. |
7 . Typing with one hand when the other one is occupied can be a real pain, so imagine having to type with just one foot. It’s got to be a nightmare, but 21-year-old Hu Huiyuan from China’s Anhui Province is using her only functional foot to write not just a few sentences, but an entire fiction novel!
Born prematurely(过早地), Hu was diagnosed with cerebral palsy(脑瘫) when she was only 10 months old. This left her permanently paralyzed—the only parts of her body she can move are her head and left foot. As she grew older, she learned how to perform everyday tasks using her foot.
Despite not having received formal education, Hu is surprisingly well-spoken. Over the years, with the help of her mother, she taught herself to read and write. “I’m not a genius, but I’m very focused,” she said, modestly. “When I watched TV in my childhood, I often learned words on the screen.”
“When I was teaching her how to speak, I had to repeat every single word a thousand times before she got it, ”Hu’s mother said. “But once she mastered the word. I felt satisfied.”
With time going by, Hu’s language got so proficient that she set out to write a story about the pursuit of dreams and love. She’s doing this by typing out every single word on her computer using only one foot.
In spite of all these setbacks, Hu is able to type 20 to 30 words a minute. She has already written six chapters—that’s 60,000 words—and says she only has two more chapters to go before the novel is complete.
1. According to Hu Huiyuan, she learned to read and write well because_____.| A．her mother taught her | B．she often watched TV |
| C．she concentrated on what she did | D．she had a gift for language |
| A．She was very clever. | B．She was very patient. |
| C．She was very strict. | D．She was very worried. |
| A．skillful. | B．interesting. | C．enough. | D．satisfying. |
| A．Two. | B．Four. | C．Six. | D．Eight. |
8 . Waking up one morning at the age of six, young Charles Mulli found his family missing. He soon realized that he had been
Mulli was forced to become to become a beggar（乞丐）in order to stay
When Mulli turned 16, he walked for three days to Kenya’s capital, Nirobi, looking for
Soon the Mulli House was filled with 100 orphans（孤儿）, but that was just the beginning. In 1989, Mulli and his wife
| A．allowed | B．loved | C．treated | D．abandoned |
| A．healthy | B．safe | C．alive | D．happy. |
| A．important | B．wise | C．honest | D．creative |
| A．food | B．work | C．home | D．money |
| A．wasted | B．borrowed | C．lent | D．saved |
| A．transport | B．sport | C．public | D．medical |
| A．trainer | B．boss | C．competitor | D．worker |
| A．But | B．So | C．Or | D．Because |
| A．fall | B．break | C．turn | D．place |
| A．disabled | B．homeless | C．talented | D．careless |
| A．reminded | B．warned | C．cured | D．informed |
| A．visiting | B．watching | C．teaching | D．helping |
| A．invited | B．purchased | C．established | D．sold |
| A．life | B．school | C．hospital | D．shelter |
| A．learned | B．experienced | C．imagined | D．hoped |
9 . When I was a child, I often dreamed of the time when I could leave home and escape to the city. We lived on a farm and in the winter especially, we were quite cut off from the outside world. As soon as I left school, I packed my bags and moved to the capital. However, I soon discovered that city life has its problems too.
One big disadvantage is money—It costs so much to go out, not to mention basics like food and housing. Another disadvantage is pollution. I suffer from asthma(哮喘), and at times the air is so bad that I am afraid to go outside. Then there is the problem of traveling round. Although I have a car, I seldom use it because of the traffic jams. One choice is to go by bicycle, but that can be quite dangerous.
Of course there are advantages. First, there is so much to do in the city, whatever your tastes in culture or entertainment. Besides, there are wonderful jobs and greater chances of moving to a more important job or position. Finally, if you like shopping, the variety of goods is very surprising—and , what is more, shops are often only a short walk away.
Is life better then, in the city? Perhaps it is , when you are in your teens(十几岁)or twenties. However, as you get older, and especially if you have small children, the peace of the countryside may seem preferable. I certainly hope to move back there soon.
1. What was the writer always thinking about when he was a child?| A．Staying on the farm. | B．Moving to the countryside. |
| C．Leaving home for the city. | D．Running away from the school. |
| A．He is very old now. | B．He is in good health. |
| C．He prefers driving a car. | D．He lives in the city now. |
| A．express his opinions about way of life | B．describe his life in the countryside |
| C．show an interest in the outside world | D．persuade the reader to live in the city |
10 . The COVID-19 pandemic（疫情）has left many worrying about the future. However, I’ve found
I was
My mother
We don’t know what’s going to happen next. Yet one thing is
| A．beauty | B．knowledge | C．strength | D．evidence |
| A．drowning | B．dreaming | C．praying | D．working |
| A．praised | B．greeted | C．circulated | D．raised |
| A．roll | B．pile | C．list | D．chain |
| A．Otherwise | B．Therefore | C．Besides | D．However |
| A．sight | B．place | C．reach | D．balance |
| A．mirror | B．table | C．comer | D．wall |
| A．when | B．after | C．before | D．till |
| A．ask | B．realize | C．doubt | D．advise |
| A．wore | B．bit | C．read | D．rounded |
| A．convinced | B．confused | C．surprised | D．worried |
| A．streaming | B．getting | C．pulling | D．pointing |
| A．different | B．familiar | C．proper | D．strange |
| A．camera | B．door | C．lock | D．cap |
| A．easy | B．subtle | C．sure | D．necessary |
| A．even | B．still | C．already | D．also |
| A．ignore | B．examine | C．favor | D．hate |
| A．practice | B．accept | C．avoid | D．finish |
| A．challenging | B．discouraging | C．amusing | D．terrifying |
| A．power | B．coat | C．mask | D．lipstick |
