1 . As a traveler with a disability, I have always avoided cruises. This expedition-style small-ship cruise changed my mind.
When our expedition leader
In fact, the possibility of
Our visit there wasn’t about what we could do or see. It was an opportunity to just be—to exist in a brief
| A．knew | B．announced | C．remembered | D．replied |
| A．living | B．return | C．landing | D．mark |
| A．failing | B．choosing | C．struggling | D．hoping |
| A．Instead | B．Finally | C．Thus | D．Otherwise |
| A．strategic | B．remote | C．favorable | D．central |
| A．set foot on | B．fell victim to | C．kept track of | D．gained control of |
| A．constructions | B．conditions | C．descriptions | D．distributions |
| A．unwanted | B．unsecured | C．unplanned | D．unauthorized |
| A．mistakenly | B．nervously | C．routinely | D．happily |
| A．walk | B．flight | C．ride | D．path |
| A．dampen | B．share | C．convey | D．fuel |
| A．changed | B．lost | C．fought | D．made |
| A．in response to | B．in view of | C．in contrast to | D．in defense of |
| A．moment | B．experiment | C．glance | D．ceremony |
| A．value | B．need | C．miss | D．experience |
2 . Earlier this month, Bob Dylan released The Philosophy of Modern Song, a collection of 66 songs, detailing their status in music and, sometimes, explaining what a given track might mean or do. The book reminded me of the Harry Smith’s Anthology of American Folk Music, in which Smith intelligently summarizes each song's narrative arc as if it were a newspaper headline. Dylan is less direct and more tends to allegorical (讽喻的) long speeches.
Dylan has always had a slightly tense relationship with the writers and journalists who grammatically analyze his songs for meaning, and, while reading The Philosophy of Modern Song, there were moments when I grew slightly red-faced, worried that the book might be an purposeful joke, making fun of all the drooling (垂涎) critics who have gone thrilled trying to illustrate the greatness and beauty of his work. Yet the pattern and rhythm of his descriptions will be quite familiar to anyone who listened to “Theme Time Radio Hour”, the Sirius XM show that Dylan hosted from 2006 to 2009.
Ultimately, both projects repeat, in a serious way, just how difficult it is to study, investigate, and evaluate something as indescribable and brain-scrambling (烧脑) as popular music.
The Philosophy of Modern Song picked a limited number of songs, for Dylan to define the masterpieces that defined him, and he did so determinedly. Much like Smith’s Anthology, Dylan’s book is deeply personal, despite its sweeping title. It’s obvious that Dylan did not adjust his preferences to suit a cultural narrative or to play down his age. Yet that the book contains only four songs performed by women is both depressing and astonishing. This might lead readers to question Dylan’s character and, more worrying, to wonder about the limits of his musical knowledge.
1. What do the two books, The Philosophy of Modern Song and Anthology of American Folk Music, have in common?| A．The writing style. | B．The writers’ career. |
| C．The books’ subject. | D．The creation background. |
| A．Because he was on bad terms with Bob Dylan. |
| B．Because he failed to listen to Dylan’s radio program. |
| C．Because he was laughed at for his comments on Dylan’s book. |
| D．Because he may be among those critics taking advantage of Dylan’s works. |
| A．It presents a whole history of American folk music. |
| B．It offers a review on Bob Dylan’s personal music albums. |
| C．It suggests a possible lack of attention to women’s music. |
| D．It follows the example of Anthology of American Folk Music. |
| A．To question Dylan’s expertise in folk music. |
| B．To introduce the newly-published book by Bob Dylan. |
| C．To blame Dylan for his underestimating female musicians. |
| D．To compare the two books of Philosophy and Anthology. |
1. What kind of place does Party Time Events provide?
| A．Restaurants. | B．Boats. | C．Offices. |
| A．How much to pay for the rent. |
| B．How to arrange atmosphere for a party. |
| C．How many courses to prepare for a meal. |
| A．Country music. | B．Dance music. | C．Live entertainment. |
| A．Next to a bar. |
| B．At the back of a bar. |
| C．In front of the Lochmead Leisure Center. |
A young boy, named Timmy, lived in a small town. He disliked doing any work; he found it boring and would always come up with a reason to avoid it. His room was always messy with toys thrown everywhere, socks under the bed. Books and clothes piled up like a small mountain. Homework often remained untouched on the desk, buried under comic books and game controllers.
Timmy avoided chores, finding them less exciting than his digital universe. Day and night, Timmy tapped buttons, lost in virtual battles, his eyes glued to the screen. Socializing means chatting with fellow games online rather than meeting friends outside.
One Saturday morning, Timmy’s mom asked him to clean up his room. Timmy frowned and ignored his mom, diving deeper into his video game. His mother sighed and went on with her chores. That afternoon, as Timmy was standing by the window, he noticed his neighbor, Mr. Jenkins, working tirelessly in his garden, repairing the wooden fence (栅栏).
At the sight of Timmy, Mr. Jenkins smiled and called out, “Hey, Timmy, I need a helper to hold the wooden strips (木条). And could you lend me a hand for a moment?” Hesitantly, Timmy walked over. Mr. Jenkins showed him how to do it. He continued to help do gardening work such as watering and weeding(除草) in the garden. As they worked, Mr. Jenkins shared his adventurous stories when he was a soldier, and Timmy listened with respect.
Hours passed, and to Timmy’s surprise, he enjoyed helping out. His hands were dirty, but he felt delighted and meaningful. As they finished, Mr. Jenkins thanked Timmy and showed him the result of their teamwork: a neat garden full of colorful flowers and fresh greenery. Timmy felt proud and realized that work could be fun and rewarding.
注意：1.续写词数为150 词左右;2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
The next day, Timmy decided to give his own room a change.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Later, when his mother entered his room, she was astonished.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________1. When should you arrive when invited to a party at 8:00 in America?
| A．From 8:00 to 8:30. | B．From 8:30 to 9:00. | C．From 9:00 to 9:30. |
| A．Music. | B．Cigarettes. | C．Games. |
| A．Beer. | B．Wine. | C．Cookies. |
| A．He will attend a party. |
| B．He has never been to a party. |
| C．He is good at dancing. |
Growing up in Simplicity, Louisiana, near Lake Charles, I developed a love for fishing, though I didn’t have a fishing pole. I only had a length of fishing line with a bobber (浮子) and a barbless hook (无倒钩的鱼钩) tied to the end, always in my pocket ready for any fishing opportunity.
This spring, De Wilde’s, Simplicity’s biggest store, decorated its main window with a fishing pole. It was a shining fishing pole made of fiberglass. I wanted that pale in the worst of ways.
Opportunity knocked when, two weeks after Easter, De Wilde’s announced a fish-catching contest. Although such contests were common in Simplicity, this one held a special attraction for me — the very fishing pole displayed in the window was the prize. The rules were simple: the person returning to De Wilde’s with the largest fish before 7 o’clock on the contest day won.
I decided to participate. However, on the day of the contest, I woke up late to the glaring sun. I quickly put on my T-shirt and jeans, stuffed the rolled line into my pocket and hurried barefoot to the riverside. Despite a later start than others, I suck to my plan: heading to my usual lucky spot, convinced that a big fish awaited me there.
Upon reaching my spot, I climbed upstairs, pulled out the line, and sat down, legs hanging over the water. I dug out some worms and put one on to my barbless hook and let it drop into the water. It sank from sight; the red and white bobber was the only sign that something was up. I waited and waited because that was the best thing and only thing if you were going to catch the contest-winning fish. With sunlight peeking through the underbrush and dancing on the dark water, I changed the worm on the hook for the eighth time, but still, no fish bit.
注意：1.续写词数应为150左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Just as the sun dropped, the bobber slowly slipped down in the water and disappeared deep.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Holding the largest fish in my bleeding hands, I arrived at DeWilde’s at 7:10 with torn jeans.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________7 . COVID-19. You read that right. It’s not just that we’re sick of COVID-19 but coronaviruses (冠状病毒) have been with and in us for hundreds of years. A former president called it “just a cold”. The wording might have been slightly clumsy.
For those who can’t be very ill, there is an injection that will help their immune system get a head start. The effectiveness doesn’t last quite as long as the disease; that’s not surprising. And the disease (coronavirus infections, any of the five). doesn’t give lifelong immunity anyway, not before 2019, not after 2023. Nothing new: You get seasonal colds every season; these are often coronaviruses.
| A．So what should you do? |
| B．Then who is to turn to? |
| C．And the same rules apply as with any cold: |
| D．But there were already four coronaviruses that caused seasonal colds. |
| E．Because of advances in basic sciences, we could watch the virus change. |
| F．Your family doctor is who knows you and knows all this and a whole. |
| G．With the data we can analyze the virus and apply suitable and personal therapies. |
An egg sandwich in hand, I quickly grabbed my bag and climbed into the honking car. I took out my physics notes and started skimming through them once more.
Today was a very important exam-of physics. For me, it is a really hard subject and I had worked really tough and intended to do my best in it.
I entered the queue outside the assigned classroom where the invigilator(监考老师)was checking our pencil cases. All the seniors and juniors were mixed and we were sitting in an English letter order. Upon looking at my name, I was surprised to see someone else sitting on my seat. She was a senior.
“Um. . . excuse me, I think you got the wrong seat… ” my squeaky(细的)voice faltered(支吾).
She stared in front in a bored way. I had the feeling she was deliberately ignoring me. I had enough trouble socializing with people, so I decided to leave the matter to the invigilator. The invigilator came soon enough.
“Katie, dear, you need to move one seat back for Aliya here, ” the invigilator explained.
The girl, Katie, shifted and I settled down. The girl in front of me turned around and rolled her eyes at me. Now, I was puzzled. What was wrong? I had annoyed two people at the same time?
These thoughts drifted away as I started focusing on the paper. Minutes passed when out of the blue,there was a tap on my shoulder.
The girl behind me, Katie, whispered, “Quick! Change places with me.”
I froze. It took me a moment to process her words. Without even waiting for a response, she grabbed my arms, pulled me up and made me sit on her seat, exchanging our papers too. Then she and the girl in front of her started to exchange some notes. I didn’t know what to do. I fought hard to collect enough courage and raised my hand, but the invigilator was busy with another candidate.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右；2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Suddenly the door opened with a bang and in came a teacher.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“As for you, Aliya, ” he turned to me, “complete your paper here. ”
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“I’ll bet Anjali knows. Right, Anjali? Why don’t you show us since you’re the star student,” Deepak taunted (奚落).
Anjali was confused. She wasn’t trying to show off. She was just playing tabla (印度塔不拉鼓), like everyone else. And why was Deepak being so mean lately? Is it because tabla is a boy’s thing? She didn’t care that people thought it was a boys’ instrument. Anjali knew there was no such thing. She danced her fingers across the tabla to perform the composition in confusion. “Ugh!” Anjali heard someone groan, and she stopped playing.
“I guess I don’t know it that well after all,” Anjali said sheepishly to the teacher, Mr. Zakir. Her stomach was doing flip-flops. That wasn’t true. Not even a little. Mr. Zakir’s eyes narrowed. He looked like he was about to say something, but changed his mind. “The recital (演奏会) is next week, everyone. Keep practicing. I will be announcing who will get to perform onstage with me at my next concert!” Anjali had dreamed of a moment like that. She wanted to win the opportunity, but she needed to sort things straight with Deepak first.
As the class was dismissed, Anjali hurried over to Deepak. When she finally made eye contact with him, he purposely looked away and walked off. The next day at school, Anjali overheard Deepak whispering to Mary. “People are only interested because she’s the only girl in tabla class and they want her to feel special. She’s not that good—” Anjali was furious. She excused herself and went to the bathroom. She took some deep breaths but couldn’t relax. Her heart was pounding:
“It’s not my fault that people make a big deal about a girl playing tabla. I make mistakes too, but I work really hard. Maybe he should too. He should be less mean and practice more.”
“If I play in this concert, no one will talk to me again. He will turn everyone against me.”
“I don’t want to see a tabla or hear a tabla or play a tabla EVER AGAIN!!” Anjali yelled at the mirror. It was quiet for a moment. She believed it was one of her darkest days ever.
注意：1.续写词数应为150个左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题纸的相应位置作答。
Stepping out of the bathroom, Anjali saw some inspiring posters on the wall.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________After the recital, Deepak walked up to Anjali.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I wanted to go to a party. Who wouldn’t? Especially as this was no ordinary party. It was a beach party. It had been almost the only thing my friends had been talking about for the last couple of weeks. But there was a problem…and a big problem. My mom had said no. I was desperate, and the more desperately I asked, the more firmly my mother said no. I begged that everyone was going. However, my mother replied that she didn’t care who was going and that I was not going. I was disappointed. I was heartbroken. This was my best friend’s party.
Sunday dinner came around and my grandmother joined the family for the meal. Gran noticed how unhappy I had been looking during the meal but didn’t say a thing. It was my turn to wash up and Gran asked me there as on while the rest of the family shifted into the living room to watch TV.
I said sadly to Gran that my mom wouldn’t let me go to my best friend’s party. Gran asked if my mom had explained why. I replied no. Gran said that I should put myself in my mom’s position for a moment and consider what objections I would have if I were my mom.
After thinking for a moment or two, I told her that maybe my mom didn’t trust us or thought we would get into trouble at the beach party. I also suggested that maybe she was worried we would drown, but added that we all knew how to swim and look after ourselves.
Gran asked if there would be any adults at the party. I said no and added that who wanted their parents hanging around when trying to have fun. Gran suggested that my mother might just be concerned and didn’t want anything to happen to me. I objected that nothing would happen. “Maybe you’re right,” said Gran, “but may be Mom’s worried in case it could.”
注意：1.续写词数应为150左右;2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
“Maybe think of some solutions,” suggested Gran.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Then I ran to my mother in no time.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
