Last year at Christmas time, my wife, three children and I were on our way from Paris to Nice. Somehow everything went wrong. Our hotels were “tourist traps” and our rented car broke down. On Christmas Eve, when we checked into a dirty hotel in Nice, there was no Christmas spirit in our hearts.
It was raining and cold when we went out to eat. We found a small restaurant poorly decorated for the holiday. Only five tables in the restaurant were taken. There were two German couples, two French families, and an American sailor, by himself. They were eating in stony silence except the sailor. He was writing a letter, and a half-smile lighted his face. In the corner a piano player was listlessly (无精打采地) playing Christmas music.
All of us were interrupted by an old French flower woman through the front door. She had a worn overcoat and her old shoes were wet. Carrying her basket of flowers, she went from one table to another. No one bought any. Exhausted and sad, she sat down at a table.
The sailor finished his meal and got up to leave. Putting on his coat, he walked over to the flower woman’s table.
“Merry Christmas,” he said, smiling and picking out a handful of flowers. “How much are they?”
“Two francs, sir.”
The sailor put a twenty franc note in the woman’s hand.
“I don’t have change, sir,” she said. “I’ll get some from the waiter.”
“No, ma’am,” said the sailor, leaning over and kissing the ancient cheek. “This is my Christmas present for you.”
注意：1．所续写短文的词数应为80左右；
2．续写部分的开头语已为你写好；
Then the sailor headed for our table with the flowers in his hand.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________2 . Teenagers who spend more time on after-school activities and less than two hours of screen time after school are more mentally (心理上) healthy, according to a study published in the journal Preventive Medicine. The new study was carried out by researchers from the University of British Columbia.
The study used information collected from more than 28, 000 seventh-grade Canadian students between 2014 and 2018. The students first answered questions about their usage of screen time after school, including how much time they spent watching TV, Netflix or something else. Then, students reported how many days they had taken part in after-school activities such as sports or arts programmes. After that, researchers asked students to describe their state of mind. For example, when given a statement such as “I start most days thinking that I will have a good day”, they could choose to what level they agreed with it on a scale (等级).
Some of the results were expected, researchers said in the study. Students with no after-school activities usually had high levels of screen time, for example. And they expected girls would score higher on negative indicators (消极指标) of mental health, as earlier research had found that they tended to have higher levels of anxiety (焦虑) compared to boys.
What was noteworthy, researchers say, is that even among students who took part in after-school activities, 46% still went beyond the recommended screen time of two hours. At the same time, 67% of students who didn’t take part in after-school activities also had more than two hours of screen time. Together, this suggests high screen time among teenagers generally.
“The findings suggest that after-school activities are valuable for the happy growing of teenagers,” the study said. “While past studies have proved the importance of after-school activities for social and academic (学业的) development, the present study shows their importance for good mental health results.”
1. Which of the following came last when students took part in the new study?| A．Talking about their lifestyles. | B．Introducing their after-school activities. |
| C．Reporting their mental states on a scale. | D．Answering questions about screen time use. |
| A．They often have higher levels of satisfaction. |
| B．Few of them take part in after-school activities. |
| C．Anxiety has become a serious problem among them. |
| D．Too much screen time may be more harmful to them. |
| A．Earlier findings about screen time are wrong. |
| B．High screen time is common among teenagers. |
| C．No after-school activities mean no screen time. |
| D．Screens attract teenagers more than after-school activities do. |
| A．They are good for teenagers’ physical health. |
| B．They help to improve teenagers’ mental health. |
| C．They encourage teenagers’ social development. |
| D．They allow teenagers to become better learners. |
A few years ago, the company I worked for sent my wife and me to live in New York for a year. I’ve always loved running, so I was really happy when I found out I lived next to Central Park. This meant that every morning I could go for a run before I went to work.
Because a lot of people had told me to be careful of robbers in the park, so usually I didn’t take anything with me. How could they rob me if I didn’t have anything? But one morning, my wife gave me a S 10 bill and asked me to buy some bread on the way.
It was a beautiful morning and the park was quiet with very few people walking or jogging (慢跑) around. While I was running through the park, another jogger knocked into me. He apologized and continued running. For a while, I didn’t think too much of it. However, when I noticed the wide path where I was running, I thought was kind of strange. The warning of robbers in the park occurred to me. ”It could have been a robber!” I suddenly became alarmed, so I checked my pocket and found that the money was missing. Without thinking twice, I ran after that jogger. I finally caught up and held him by the arm. I shouted, “Give me the $10 bill! Now!” I am not usually a hot-headed (性急的) person, but I got really angry this time. I couldn’t believe the robbery was actually happening to me. Filled with anger, I shook my fist at him. This seemed to frighten him. He quickly put his hand in his pocket and gave me the money. Then he ran away as fast as he could.
I bought the bread and went home. As soon as I got home, I couldn’t wait to tell my wife my story. “You won’t believe what happened to me,” I started with pride. She immediately stopped me, “I know, you left the money for the bread on the kitchen table.”
注意：1. 所续写短文的词数应为80左右；
2. 请按如下格式在相应位置作答。
Looking at the money on the table, I stood there, shocked.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________4 . As a young boy my family was very poor. I would often help do something for the neighbors to
One day I
I put my hands in the jar and
I was twelve years old when I moved from that neighbourhood. I will never forget the huge
| A．save | B．give | C．earn | D．change |
| A．turned | B．knocked | C．worked | D．looked |
| A．how | B．when | C．why | D．if |
| A．school | B．time | C．trouble | D．bed |
| A．bag | B．carpet | C．coat | D．sofa |
| A．allowed | B．forced | C．helped | D．stopped |
| A．punished | B．tested | C．praised | D．paid |
| A．set up | B．took out | C．talked about | D．put away |
| A．boring | B．new | C．fine | D．terrible |
| A．keep | B．make | C．remove | D．buy |
| A．visit | B．forgive | C．welcome | D．serve |
| A．recognize | B．reward | C．understand | D．protect |
| A．goals | B．stories | C．marks | D．ideas |
| A．room | B．money | C．food | D．time |
| A．grabbed | B．lost | C．borrowed | D．charged |
| A．rare | B．special | C．simple | D．enough |
| A．promised | B．discovered | C．knew | D．admitted |
| A．asked | B．required | C．showed | D．wrote |
| A．decision | B．progress | C．mistake | D．difference |
| A．courage | B．kindness | C．honesty | D．happiness |
5 . Two heroic teenage lifesavers were praised after rescuing(救援) a drowning man from Lake Mulwala.
Grace Creenaune, and Erica Montgomery, 18, were on duty
Workers
Grace said that was when their training
The pair had
The girls’ boss said she was extremely
| A．regarding | B．dressing | C．working | D．playing |
| A．protested | B．found | C．debated | D．admired |
| A．caused | B．promoted | C．admitted | D．asked |
| A．broke | B．turned | C．jumped | D．hid |
| A．movement | B．sleep | C．fight | D．trouble |
| A．help | B．money | C．shelter | D．power |
| A．made a difference | B．fell apart | C．gave up | D．made an impression |
| A．reminded | B．regretted | C．pretended | D．struggled |
| A．nearly | B．obviously | C．actually | D．directly |
| A．adventure | B．surprise | C．condition | D．expectation |
| A．exciting | B．frightening | C．serious | D．meaningful |
| A．proud | B．fond | C．ashamed | D．confident |
| A．wonder | B．way | C．chance | D．doubt |
| A．arrived | B．survived | C．understood | D．escaped |
| A．place | B．opportunity | C．responsibility | D．lead |
6 . Sport is not only physically challenging, but it can also be mentally challenging. Criticism from coaches, parents, and other teammates, as well as pressure to win can create an excessive amount of anxiety or stress for young athletes. Stress can be physical, emotional, or psychological and research has suggested that it can lead to burnout. Burnout has been described as dropping or quitting of an activity that was at one time enjoyable.
The early years of development are critical years for learning about oneself. The sport setting is one where valuable experiences can take place. Young athletes can, for example, learn how to cooperate with others, make friends, and gain other social skills that will be used throughout their lives. Coaches and parents should be aware, at all times, that their feedback to youngsters can greatly affect their children. Youngsters may take parents’ and coaches’ criticisms to heart and find a mistake in themselves.
Coaches and parents should also be careful that youth sport participation does not become work for children. The outcome of the game should not be more important than the process of learning the sport and other life lessons. In today’s youth sport setting, young athletes may be worrying more about who will win instead of enjoying themselves and the sport. Following a game, many parents and coaches focus on the outcome and find fault with youngsters’ performances. Positive reinforcement motivates and has a greater effect on learning than criticism. Again, criticism can create high levels of stress, which can lead to burnout.
1. What is the main idea of the first paragraph?| A．Mental stress should be reduced. | B．Sport should be made less competitive. |
| C．Stress should be made less. | D．Sport can be mentally challenging. |
| A．it can help them learn more about society |
| B．it enables them to criticize themselves |
| C．it can provide them with valuable experiences |
| D．it teaches them how to set realistic goals for themselves |
| A．Parents and coaches should enable children to enjoy sport. |
| B．Parents and coaches should help children to win every game. |
| C．Parents and coaches should train children to deal with stress. |
| D．Parents and coaches should understand the meaning of sport. |
| A．To teach young athletes how to avoid burnout. |
| B．To persuade young children not to worry about criticism. |
| C．To stress the importance of encouraging children. |
| D．To discuss the skill of combining criticism with encouragement. |
7 . Research has shown that people tend to get more happiness from spending their money on experiences, such as travel and entertainment (娱乐), than on things like clothes and electronic products. But are people happier during the purchased (购买的) experience itself? Or does the happiness come more from expecting or remembering the experience?
A new study, published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, offers an answer. Our experimental purchases not only bring us greater pleasure in terms of expectation and remembrance than do our material (物质的) purchases, but they also bring us greater in-the-moment enjoyment, the study found.
For the study, the researchers recruited (招募) 2,635 adults who agreed to receive texts at any time during the day. The texts began with a happiness question, which asked the participants (参与者) to tell how they felt “right now”, ranging from very bad to very good. Half of them were then asked if they had made a material purchase within the past hour, such as clothing or electronic goods. The others were asked if they had made an experimental purchase within the past hour, such as eating in a restaurant or attending a concert.
The researchers found that the purchasers of the experiences express higher levels of happiness than the purchasers of the material goods, no matter how much the purchases cost.
To deal with possible differences in types of purchasers, the researchers carried out a second study in which they researched more than 5,000 adults. “We still found the same result,” said Amit Kumar, the study’s lead author (发起人).
“If you want to be happier, it might be wise to shift some of your spending away from material goods and a bit more towards experiences,” Kumar said. “That would probably lead to greater happiness.”
1. Why does the writer put forward two questions in paragraph 1?| A．To make a fact clear. |
| B．To introduce a new study. |
| C．To compare different researches. |
| D．To doubt the view of researchers. |
| A．To ask them about their spending plans. |
| B．To understand their needs and spending habits. |
| C．To know the change in their purchasing choices. |
| D．To find out their purchasing behavior and feelings. |
| A．satisfy. | B．apply. | C．change. | D．increase. |
| A．People prefer to purchase material goods instead of experiences. |
| B．People get more pleasure from spending money than making money. |
| C．The level of happiness from purchases depends on how much they cost. |
| D．Experimental purchases bring people greater happiness than material ones. |
8 . I was never very neat while my roommate Kate was extremely organized. Each of her objects had its place, but my always hid somewhere. She even labeled (贴标签) everything. I always looked for everything. Overtime, Kate got neater and I got my merriser. She moved to push my dirty clothing over and I would lay my books on her tidy desk. We both got tired of each other.
Who broke out one evening. Kate came into the room. Soon, I heard her screaming, “Take your shoes away! why under my bed!” Suddenly I saw my shoes flying at me. I jumped to my feet and started yelling. She yelled back louder.
The room was filled with anger. We could not have stayed together for a single minute but for a phone call. Kate answered it. From her end of the conversation, I could tell right away her grandma was seriously ill. When she hung up. She quickly crawled (爬) under her covers, crying. Obviously. that was something she could not go through alone. All of a sudden, a warm feeling of sympathy (同情) rose up in my heart.
Slowly, I collected the pencils, took back the books, made my bad. Cleaned the suckers and swept the floor even on her side. I got so absorbed into my work that I even didn’t notice Kate had sat up. She was watching. Her tears dried and her expression was such disbelief. Then, she reached out her hands to grasp mine. I looked up into her eyes. She smiled at me. “Thanks.”
Kate and I stayed roommates for the rest of the year. We didn’t always agree, but we learned the key to living together: giving in, cleaning up and holding on.
1. What made Kate so angry one evening?| A．She couldn’t find her books. |
| B．She heard the writer shouting loud. |
| C．She got the news that her grandma was ill. |
| D．She saw the writer’s shoes beneath her bed. |
| A．Because she was scared by Kate’s anger. |
| B．Because she hated herself for being so messy. |
| C．Because she wanted to show her care. |
| D．Because she was asked by Kate to do so. |
| A．By analyzing courses. |
| B．By showing differences. |
| C．By describing a process. |
| D．By following time order. |
| A．My Friend Kate. |
| B．Hard Work Pays off. |
| C．How to Be Organized? |
| D．Learning to Be Roommates. |
9 . There have been many studies that show being in nature is good for your health. Walking in the woods is good for your well-being. Living near trees can help you live longer. But when you go for a walk in the woods, what is it particularly about being in nature or being outdoors that makes you feel good? Is it the sights or smells or sounds? A new study finds it might have something to do with the birds you hear while you have a walk.
Researchers from California Polytechnic State University analyzed how much the natural sounds people hear when they’re outdoors influence well-being. They found that the “chorus (合唱)” of birds singing increased well-being in protected natural areas.
For the study, researchers placed 10 hidden, evenly spaced speakers(扬声器) on two parts of trails(小路) in the Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks in Colorado. They played recorded songs from 11 kinds of birds. The researchers take turns to play the birdsong for a few hours a day for a week, and then turned off the speakers for a week at a time. They interviewed hikers after they passed through the areas with the speakers.
“The main result is that hikers that heard the birdsong responded to questions that showed a higher level of well-being compared to those that did not hear the birdsong,” Biology Professor Clinton Francis, who led the research, says.
Hikers who heard more birdsong on the first part of the trail said they felt better. Those who heard more birdsong on the second part reported that they thought more birds lived along that part of the trail. This feeling of more birds helps make the hikers feel better. “With the chorus, we were able to show that natural sounds have a clear effect on the quality of hikers’ experiences,” says Francis.
1. What’s the function of the questions in paragraph 1?| A．To bring in the topic of the text. | B．To advise people to walk in nature. |
| C．To call on people to care about nature. | D．To raise doubt about the research done before. |
| A．To broadcast chorus live. | B．To remind hikers of their health. |
| C．To improve people’s well-being. | D．To play sounds of different birds. |
| A．Recording. | B．Comparing. | C．Photographing. | D．Interviewing. |
| A．Being in nature is good for people’s heath. |
| B．Walking in forests help people live longer. |
| C．Hearing birdsongs is good for people’s health. |
| D．Raising birds improves people’s living quality. |
10 . Let’s celebrate some festivals in summer.
The Cariwest Festival
It is one of Edmonton’s most colourful summer festivals! It’s three days of fun as Caribbean Canadians share their music, cuisine and carnival culture! Local performers bring you amazing dance, music and fun. Bring Cariwest atmosphere into your home this year with these amazing online events.
Indigenous Festival
The annual Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival (SSIF) in Edmonton has done a wonderful job to make their annual off-line festival a number of online events this year because of COVID-19. The events take place from June 1 to 21. SSIF has partnered with BMO to provide Education Days for students to learn together about indigenous history. These classes for which only a small fee will be charged include art workshops, book readings and museum tours.
Bluegrass Festival
Just 45 minutes from the heart of downtown Edmonton is the town of Stony Plain that works hard to keep ties to its agricultural background, and here you’ll see old-styled lamp posts and historical wall paintings with a long history everywhere. It’s also the site of Western Canada’s largest bluegrass festival, which has been a main attraction for more than 25 years and in July every year draws in all the big names, including Grammy winners.
Cowboy Festival
You like poetry, music, art and cowboys? Then you can’t miss it. Heading into its 24th year, Cowboy Festival in Stony Plain in August is a showcase of the cowboy life. The events include good old-fashioned BBQ meals and some other entertainment.
1. What is true about SSIF?| A．It takes place in two cities. | B．It focuses on students. |
| C．It is annually held online. | D．It is free of charge. |
| A．It’s a city with modern appearance. | B．It has produced many musicians. |
| C．It has deep roots in agriculture. | D．It often hosts national festivals. |
| A．Cowboy Festival. | B．Indigenous Festival. |
| C．Bluegrass Festival. | D．The Cariwest Festival. |
