1 . An accident several years ago, in some way, taught me the meaning of life.

After a marriage failure, I lived _________ with my family. Being lonely, I visited an old age home frequently in our city. There I met Kurien in his late eighties. He served the army in the past and retired. But his son didn’t bother to _________ his own father, nor respected him.

Mr. Kurien got extremely   _________ with the life in his house and moved into this home. We both began to share thoughts and slowly it was a routine that I spent some time with him, discussing what he did in the _________, their daily schedule, camps, food etc.

I used to carry with me some snacks and _________ them under a tree with him. I saw him really very happy in my _________. Frankly speaking, I was also happy with his company. One day he told me with tears, “I really found a very good _________ in you. I feel like living some more years to spend happy time with you.” What he said really _________ me a lot.

When leaving, I told him not to worry too much and that god would give him enough time to spend with me. However, I had no time to go to the home the next day. I felt a little _________.

The day after when I reached the home, his room was _________. I didn’t know what had happened. I asked the _________ there and was told he had passed away the very night we both met last. How sad I was! Just then, the nurse passed me a _________.   Surprisingly, it was from Mr. Kurien. In the letter, he thanked me for my company.

Letter in hand, I couldn’t help _________. I really miss him. I haven’t given him anything worthwhile, except listening to his words and sharing his thoughts. But the poor old man _________ his gratitude to me. I wish I had told him earlier I sincerely thanked him and that in my heart he was a great friend and will always be. Let’s   _________ what we can before it’s too late.

1.

A．cheerfully

B．awkwardly

C．separately

D．sadly

2.

A．give up

B．take care of

C．put aside

D．turn to

3.

A．frustrated

B．satisfied

C．familiar

D．delighted

4.

A．nursing home

B．city

C．house

D．army

5.

A．sort

B．bury

C．eat

D．pack

6.

A．food

B．presence

C．enthusiasm

D．generosity

7.

A．colleague

B．audience

C．roommate

D．friend

8.

A．touched

B．shocked

C．frightened

D．embarrassed

9.

A．upset

B．relaxed

C．excited

D．annoyed

10.

A．tidy

B．chaotic

C．clean

D．empty

11.

A．doctor

B．nurse

C．patient

D．worker

12.

A．book

B．note

C．letter

D．receipt

13.

A．crying

B．shouting

C．laughing

D．whispering

14.

A．forgot

B．regretted

C．abandoned

D．expressed

15.

A．upload

B．share

C．capture

D．memorize

2 . The idea of Buy Now Pay Later, or BNPL, has attracted millions of shoppers with the promise of interest-free credit. An incredible 45 percent of 18 to 24-year-olds in the UK turned to BNPL last year, according to The Money Charity. Lenders say they offer a better deal than credit cards, because they do not charge interest but make money from affiliate deals (关联交易) with retailers (零售商). It may be a new way of borrowing money, but the old rules still apply: unless you repay the debt quickly, you are building up trouble for the future.

Now, BNPLs are growing in popularity and do have upsides — mostly convenient shopping with interest-easy financing and no strict approval requirements. However, they also make it effortless to overshop, overspend, and get in over your head with credit problems. 

Lenders pay the retailer on your behalf, and then you repay over 30 days or three months, spreading the cost to help with your cash flow. They say this is fairer and less expensive than credit cards. That may be true, but BNPL has dangers, too.

BNPL lenders may not charge any interest, but they still want you to pay back the money you have borrowed, so what if you can’t? Typically, you have 30 days to pay. If you don’t, your lender will contact you to chase late payments. If you still don’t pay, they call in the debt collectors.

Citizens Advice says that 14 million used a BNPL product last year, but six million did not understand what they were signing up for. Some 26% of BNPL customers regretted their choice, while 41% struggled with repayment. Younger people were particularly at risk. A quarter of those making BNPL repayments couldn’t afford food, rent or bills as a result.

Another worry is that BNPL lenders only perform ‘soft’ searches on a person’s credit report, so do not see the borrower’s true credit status. This means they cannot remove people with financial problems and may end up adding to their troubles. BNPL lenders say they do careful checks to make sure they never lend more than a consumer can afford to pay back, and also pause accounts if a single payment is late. Nobody wants to be pursued by debt collectors. If you do use BNPL credit, never borrow more than you can afford to repay.

1. How do BNPL lenders earn profits according to the text?

A．They force borrowers to pay their debts.

B．They require payment for retailers’ services.

C．They receive a certain fee from affiliate deals.

D．They charge interest from 18 to 24-year-old users.

2. Why does BNPL become more and more popular?

A．For strict approval requirements and no interest.

B．For its convenience of shopping with high interest.

C．For buying anything needed without credit problems.

D．For convenient shopping and no strict approval requirements.

3. What problem does the Buy Now Pay Later method have?

A．All the young people can’t repay the debt quickly.

B．It is difficult to know the borrower’s real credit status.

C．More than half of BNPL customers can’t afford the payments.

D．BNPL has to depend on debt collectors to get back the money.

4. What is the author’s attitude towards BNPL?

A．Favorable.

B．Indifferent.

C．Objective.

D．Critical.

3 . Kurth Reis of San Francisco, California, has been through many hard times in his life. In 2018, Reis had a serious motorcycle accident and spent time in a hospital. The accident affected him deeply, body and spirit. He had several medical operations. Reis said he felt like he was “reborn” each time he woke after an operation. Following 88 days in the hospital, Reis was released and felt ready to change his ways.

Lately, he says he just wants to make people happy by making bubbles. You can watch him perform his bubble art for hours at a time around the city’s streets and in its parks. Sometimes he puts out a glass container called a tip jar. People who watch his show can drop money into it if they want to.

If the weather is good for bubbles, Reis makes a special mixture that can make bubbles the size of a small car. Humidity, or the amount of water in the air, is good for bubbles. So, he does not perform on very dry days. To make his large bubble, he puts a small rope hanging from two long sticks into the bubble mixture. As he removes it, he opens his arms wide and the bubbles begin to form. Once enough air is inside the bubble, he moves his arms back together to set the bubble free. Some people feel it looks like a bubble “ballet.”

While Reis may seem like a bubble-making expert, he only got started in April 2020. Reis can support himself with donations from crowds that watch him perform. But money is not what stirs him to make bubbles. He feels his art is useful in more important ways. Not long ago, a woman told Reis after a performance that his bubbles had lifted her spirit when her dad died.

Reis can see smiles rise from under the face covers worn by those watching him perform. Children cheer and clap their hands. Reis said such reactions make him feel like an essential worker whose job is to spread joy during the health crisis.        

“I’m just trying to put a smile on somebody’s face by doing some bubbles.” said Reis.

1. What can we know about Kurth Reis from Paragraph 1?

A．He had to repay his operation fees.

B．He intended to do something different.

C．He suffered a minor motorcycle accident.

D．He gave up his career as a motorcyclist.

2. What may people do when they watch Reis’ performances?

A．Put some money into a tip jar near him.

B．Give him a hand when he sets a bubble free.

C．Grasp a small rope hanging from two long sticks.

D．Add a special mixture to help him make large bubbles.

3. What does the underlined word “stirs” mean in Paragraph 4?

A．forces

B．determines

C．stops

D．encourages

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Lost Time Is Never Found Again

B．Ups and Downs Make One Strong

C．Everything Comes to Him Who Waits

D．Small Actions Have a Big Impact

7 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

Melissa was a single parent of three small children, working at a low-paid job. Money was always tight and she had to work hard to make ends meet. But they still felt blessed with a roof over their heads, food on the plate, clothes on their backs, and even if not a lot, always enough. Not knowing they were poor, the kids just thought their mother was strict in money management. Melissa was really glad about that.

Christmas was just around the corner. Although there wasn't budget for a lot of gifts, Melissa planned to please the kids with a family party. She prepared weeks ahead of time, asking one by one what the kids wanted for Christmas. Fortunately, Melissa managed to spare $ 80 dollars for the whole family to enjoy the fun of Christmas shopping.

The big day arrived. Mellissa drove the kids to a nearby Walmart and gave each kid a twenty-dollar bill. “Now, my children,” she announced, “you have two hours to pick a gift in the supermarket. Then we will meet back at the gate.” Excited, the children scattered (四散) and rushed into the supermarket.

Melissa smiled. She looked at her own note and put it back into her pocket. Well, the Melissa smiled. She looked at her own note and put it back into her pocket. Well, the children's shining faces were the most precious Christmas gift for her, weren't they? Sitting in the car, she waiting patiently, imagining what gifts the kids would choose. She couldn't wait to share their joy.

Two hours later, the kids came back one by one. Tom and Tick rushed to their mother, eyes twinkling with excitement. They showed their gifts to Melissa and jumped with joy. The third child, Ginger, was obviously left behind, who dragged her feet to the car. To everyone's surprise, Ginger was empty-handed. Melissa said nothing, asked the kids to get into the car and headed home:

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。

Driving home, everyone was talking about their gifts in high spirits except the youngest daughter, Ginger.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“We have so much, but the homeless man doesn't have anything,” Ginger explained.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

9 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

The story of Zhang Guimei is well-known throughout China. About two decades ago, Zhang     1     (meet) a teenage girl sitting in a daze (茫然) on the side of a road in Huaping County, Yunnan Province. Zhang, a local high school teacher, asked her what was wrong. The girl said she wanted to go to school, but her family was too poor     2     (afford) it.

Zhang went to the 14-year-old girl’s home,     3     (hope) to persuade her parents to allow their daughter to continue schooling. However, the parents refused Zhang. With the little girl lingering (徘徊) in her mind, Zhang tried to figure out     4     to help the local girls.

In 2007, Zhang was elected     5     a representative of the 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and attended the meeting in Beijing. A news report on Zhang made her     6     (ambitious) of building a school for girls gain the attention of Huaping County officials and other     7     (supporter). A year later, Huaping Girls’ High School, China’s first tuition-free high school opened. Most of the girls were from mountainous areas.

Zhang’s story was adapted into a Chinese play,     8     (title) Teacher Guimei, by Yunnan Drama Theater, which launched a nationwide tour. Directed by Wang Baoshe, who is also the playwright, and Chang Hao, the Chinese play premiered in Kunming, Yunnan Province.     9     play received a lot of attention.

According to Chang, right after the play started its preparations, the creative team members visited Zhang     10    (frequent) and did interviews with her, trying to let the script (剧本) tell her story in a realistic way.

10 . Dogs in the classroom lower stress of primary school students, new research has found. The study by UK researchers found spending some time with a dog twice a week was better for reducing stress on students than many other classroom relaxation activities. And the benefits of these “dog dates" were similar for children in both normal and special schools.

Stress is known to negatively affect a child’s learning, behaviour, health and mood. This has led schools to try a number of ways to reduce stress, including yoga, mindfulness, physical activities and even having animals in classrooms.

The researchers from the University of Lincoln measured students' stress levels by tracking the level of the stress in their saliva (唾液). They studied 105 students aged 8 to 9 in four normal schools as well as 44 children of a similar age in seven special schools in the UK. The children were randomly (任意) divided into three groups: a group that spent time with a dog; a group that spent time doing relaxation activities; and a “control” group that did neither of these things. Students in the dog group spent 20 minutes with a trained dog twice a week for four weeks. The relaxation group spent the same amount of time doing exercises.

The researchers found that the children in the dog group had “significantly lower” stress levels, while those in the relaxation and control groups recorded an increase over the school term. The study, which was published in the journal PLOS ONE, also found stress was lowest in the children in the dog group immediately after their contact with the puppies. “Dog-assisted activities can lead to lower stress levels in schoolchildren with and without special educational needs,” University of Lincoln researcher Kerstin Meints said, “but more research is needed to discover what was the ideal amount of time and contact with dogs for the best effect.”

1. What is the benefit of having dogs in the classroom according to the research?

A．Relieving stress for students.	B．Making students feel less lonely.
C．Strengthening students' health.	D．Improving students’ learning ability.

2. How did the researchers get the findings?

A．By analyzing causes.	B．By providing examples.
C．By listing facts.	D．By making comparison.

3. What does the research show according to the last paragraph?

A．The proper contact time with dogs still needs further study.

B．Dogs have more effects on the children in special schools.

C．The children doing more exercises have the lowest stress level.

D．The children spending most time with dogs are lowest in stress.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．Students need the company of dogs

B．Classroom dog dates reduce kids’ stress

C．A new research about dogs is carried out

D．Dog-assisted activities become popular in UK