1 . Twelve-year-old Catherine has a lot of friends—632, actually, if you count up her online friends. And she spends a lot of time with them.
But is it possible that Catherine’s online friendships could be making her lonely? That’s what some experts believe. Connecting online is a great way to stay in touch, they say. However, some experts worry that many kids are so busy connecting online that they might be missing out on true friendships.
Could this be true? During your parents’ childhoods, connecting with friends usually meant spending time with them in the flesh. Kids played Scrabble around a table, not words with friends on their phones. When friends missed each other, they picked up the telephone. Friends might even write letters to each other.
Today, most communication takes place online. A typical teen sends 2,000 texts a month and spends more than 44 hours per week in front of a screen. Much of this time is spent on social media platform.
In fact, in many ways, online communication can make friendships stronger. “There’s definitely a positive influence. Kids can stay in constant contact, which means they can share more of their feelings with each other,” says Katie Davis, co-author of The App Generation.
Other experts, however, warn that too much online communication can get in the way of forming deep friendships. “If we are constantly checking in with our virtual world, we will have little time for our real-world friendships,” says Larry Rosen, a professor at California State University. Rosen also worries that today’s kids might mistake the “friends” on the social media for true friends in life. However, in tough times, you don’t need anyone to like your picture or share your blogs. You need someone who will keep your secrets and hold your hand. You would like to talk face to face.
1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?| A．To tell about true friends. | B．To start a discussion. |
| C．To encourage online friendships. | D．To summarize(总结) the text. |
| A．In any case. | B．In public. | C．In person. | D．In advance. |
| A．Unconcerned. | B．Positive. | C．Worried. | D．Confused. |
| A．Teenagers need to focus on real-world friendships. | B．It’s easier to develop friendships in real life. |
| C．It’s wise to turn to friends online. | D．Social media help people stay closely connected. |
2 . Four Best Christmas Markets in Italy
BolzanoBolzano market is one of the largest in Italy and one of the first markets in the country. It is the ideal place to join the festive activities. You’ll find a large Christmas tree decorated with lights. Besides, there are little wooden houses filled with traditional gifts, candles, crafts and so much more which can give a medieval (中世纪的) feeling.
TurinThe market in Turin is a traditional Italian Christmas market and one of the first markets in the country. It is decorated with Christmas lights and decorations. Here you’ll find hand-made goods in a typical Piedmontese style as well as famous chocolates from Turin.
VenicePiazza San Marco is home to Venice’s Christmas market. During this time the city turns into a small Christmas village with unique decoration, lights and lots of cheers. There are dozens of Christmas trees as well as little wooden shops and visitors from all around the world. Shops offer the best treats you’ll ever taste, traditional street food and hand-made goods.
MilanOne of the longest running Christmas markets in Milan, is a sight worth seeing. The market dates back to the 1500s when it was once an event to allow locals to pay their respects to Sant’ Ambrogio. Today, there are over 300 stalls (货摊) decorated with lights and selling hand-made goods.
There are so many Christmas markets to enjoy. Start planning your Italy escape today. Are you ready to get into the festive spirit?
1. What do Bolzano and Turin have in common?| A．Both are the earliest created markets in Italy. |
| B．Both make visitors feel in the Middle Ages. |
| C．Both provide hand-made chocolates. |
| D．Both sell gifts in wooden houses. |
| A．Its history. | B．Its decoration. |
| C．Its traditional sea food. | D．Its local people. |
| A．Bolzano. | B．Turin. | C．Venice. | D．Milan. |
This weekend a marathon took place in Salzburg, the city in
Running is
This just shows that perseverance pays off —
4 . Hansen and his 10-year-old son Chase search the streets of Salt Lake City every weekend for the homeless to take to lunch. They started Project Empathy (共情) four years ago to
“Just start with a smile, a hello. It really just starts with that. If you do it, you can make a connection. A small gesture can have a
Some of these shared meals have turned into stronger
Father and son’s
“My hope for the future is to
| A．buy | B．cook | C．share | D．eat |
| A．often | B．further | C．also | D．even |
| A．great | B．different | C．hard | D．little |
| A．replied | B．thought | C．joked | D．acted |
| A．desires | B．connections | C．promises | D．opinions |
| A．provided | B．allowed | C．enjoyed | D．housed |
| A．through | B．for | C．despite | D．to |
| A．surprised | B．relaxed | C．awesome | D．calm |
| A．dreams | B．influences | C．experiences | D．efforts |
| A．trains | B．compares | C．highlights | D．respects |
| A．importance | B．task | C．chance | D．role |
| A．argument | B．problem | C．debt | D．job |
| A．go away | B．grow popular | C．fade out | D．give off |
| A．spread | B．miss | C．exchange | D．maintain |
| A．before | B．if | C．until | D．so |
5 . How to Express Thanks to Loved Ones
You may feel grateful to your family and friends, but it may not always be easy for you to know how to express that. To truly express your gratitude (感激), you have to be kind and open.
Tell them how much you thank them. You may be taking your family members for granted (想当然) without even realizing it.
Write “thank-you” cards.
Do favors for them. Don’t do favors for your friends just because they’ve helped you out recently or because you want something in return.
| A．Give meaningful gifts |
| B．Thank the person publicly |
| C．When they face troubles and need some help |
| D．It’s one of the easiest ways to show your gratitude |
| E．Remember that a more grateful life is a happier life |
| F．To show how much your family members mean to you |
| G．Instead, help them out just because you care about them |
6 . When Arsh was a young boy, his parents, Divya Pal and Sanjeev, signed him up for extracurricular activities such as piano, karate (空手道) and gymnastics, but he preferred art. When Arsh turned 8, he received a watercolor paint set as a birthday gift. He spent all his spare time painting. That’s how he started painting.
Around the same time, Arsh often visited a local nursing home, where his mother works. Spending time there inspired him to start selling his art for a good cause. “I want to help people in need through my paintings,” he said.
And so began his fundraising (筹款) program, which he called “Art by Arsh”. He sold his paintings at local art shows, restaurants and libraries, as well as on his Instagram account and Facebook page. He donated his first $1,000 to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in 2018, and has since reached various other charities.
Arsh, now 12, mostly makes commissioned (委托创作的) pieces, and several of his customers have come back wanting more. That includes his neighbor, Jolene Schaver, who has five of Arsh’s creations hanging in her home and has bought many more for friends and family. “I was amazed at how talented he was at such a young age, without any formal training,” said Schaver.
Along with selling his paintings to benefit nonprofit organizations, Arsh now also teaches art lessons at the local nursing home. And he thought about accessibility, and realized not all people have the resources (资源) to make art—which has the capacity to comfort and heal (治愈). “One of my future goals is to make art accessible for kids who want to express themselves,” Arsh said. He has already started offering free art lessons to local children, and he hopes to expand (扩展) his classes further in the future.
1. What do we know about the young Arsh according to the first paragraph?| A．He received a painting as a birthday gift. | B．He made a living through painting. |
| C．He showed a lively interest in art. | D．He got a place at an art school. |
| A．To raise money by selling his paintings. | B．To introduce his paintings to more people. |
| C．To donate some of his paintings to charities. | D．To decorate local libraries with his paintings. |
| A．Warm-hearted and humorous. | B．Hard-working and honest. |
| C．Gifted and generous. | D．Kind and brave. |
| A．Form more nonprofit organizations. | B．Learn more about the healing power of art. |
| C．Do more voluntary work at the nursing home. | D．Create more opportunities for kids to make art. |
| A．The woman. | B．The man. | C．The man’s wife. |
8 . Last Monday, I visited Jalan Besar to find a new fan blade (风扇叶片) for a standing fan that my daughters had broken.
I worked in the Jalan Besar area 30 years ago and remembered that there were lots of small hardware shops selling unusual things so I thought that I would have no problem finding a fan blade. However, after walking around for almost an hour, I found out that these shops were no longer around.
When I was ready to give up and go home, I spotted an old-fashioned hardware store. After being greeted by a woman, I explained my predicament. She immediately asked me to show her the broken blade. Out of nowhere, a man who looked to be in his 60s came out.
He asked to see the blade and then disappeared into the shop. He came back with a blade but it did not look the same as what I had in my hand. We compared the two blades and he said that it might work.
I asked him how much it was. He told me that he had taken the blade off an old fan that someone had brought in for repair. He said, “It didn’t cost me anything, so why should I charge you for it?” That really touched me. I took the blade home and it worked perfectly! My daughters got a “new” fan for nothing.
When I told my wife (almost in her 60s) this story, she said this reminded her of the kind aunties and uncles who used to run small shops and were always ready to help others when she was growing up.
1. Why did the author go to Jalan Besar?| A．To visit his old friends. | B．To apply for a job. |
| C．To fix the broken fan. | D．To buy a new fan. |
| A．Nervous mood. | B．Difficult situation. |
| C．Anxious waiting. | D．Boring moments. |
| A．Kind and brave. | B．Honest and helpful. |
| C．Determined and curious. | D．Open-minded and humorous. |
| A．She remembered the old days. | B．She was greatly surprised. |
| C．She couldn’t believe it. | D．She thought little of it. |
注意：1. 续写词数应为 150 左右；
2. 请按如下格式在相应位置作答。
We were headed to the nationally famous Blue Owl Restaurant, in historic Kimmswick, Missouri, to celebrate my husband’s birthday. It is said that the restaurant is warm and romantic with smiling waitresses dressed in long blue dresses with white aprons. The food was delicious, and the service was extremely good. This week, the restaurant offers a sweetheart dinner that is well worth the price. So we decided to have a try.
There would be freezing rain today, but it might be around midnight. We would be safely home by then. But then, as we were near the restaurant, it suddenly started raining heavily. We were closer to the restaurant than home so it seemed wise to go to the restaurant.
By the time we arrived, the street in front of the restaurant was a sheet of ice. The parking lot was also a sheet of ice and in front of our car was a pool of water. I couldn’t pull in the parking lot and I knew, even if I parked on the street, we would never be able to get out and walk in the rain.
My husband couldn’t walk steadily (稳步地) and I was not strong enough to help him to cross the street. I was afraid we would fall, so we were planning to give up the meal in the fancy restaurant. But we really wanted to try the special chocolate- covered strawberries that were as large as baseballs. Also, we wanted to take pictures of the two of us.
At that moment, an unknown lady walked toward us.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________To our surprise, the lady, who just helped us, was the owner of the restaurant.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________10 . Kurt Campbell was a special student at school. He had difficulty in learning. For him, the hurt and
Learning was hard at school. It was a complete
His parent
Kurt’s parents took him to a new school, where he would
He wasn’t
But his new teacher, Mrs. Hornall, knew. She had got Kurt’s
Over the next few weeks and months, things began to
“Mrs. Hornall made the
| A．anger | B．hope | C．regret | D．joy |
| A．success | B．adventure | C．pleasure | D．struggle |
| A．tried | B．made | C．bought | D．chose |
| A．traveled | B．moved | C．escaped | D．searched |
| A．start | B．skip | C．repeat | D．spend |
| A．nervous | B．happy | C．curious | D．sure |
| A．way | B．sign | C．result | D．case |
| A．Hardly | B．Naturally | C．Fortunately | D．Surprisingly |
| A．information | B．letter | C．essay | D．notice |
| A．see | B．pack | C．break | D．put |
| A．mixed into | B．applied to | C．based on | D．filled with |
| A．change | B．happen | C．fade | D．grow |
| A．whispering | B．explaining | C．swearing | D．shouting |
| A．decision | B．deal | C．difference | D．attempt |
| A．motivation | B．attention | C．service | D．advice |
