4 . 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。

“I will never forget you,” Meryl said to his pet dog with tears rolling down his cheek (脸颊). With his head leaning to one side, Thone watched his master, “Woof, woof! Woof, woof!” He wagged his tail back and forth, seeming to understand what Meryl was talking about.

“I can’t take care of myself anymore, let alone take care of you,” Meryl cleared his throat. “Soon, I’ll move to an old people’s home, and I’m sorry to say that you can’t come along. They don’t allow dogs there, you know.” “Don’t worry, my friend. I’ll find a nice new home for you. I’ve known the owners of the new home, and they like dogs very much,” Meryl added. “With your good looks, we’ll have no trouble at all. Anyone will be proud to own such a fine dog.”

Thone wagged his tail really hard and walked proudly up and down the kitchen floor. For a moment, the familiar delicious food gave him a feeling of happiness. But then a sense of fear struck again. Thone’s tail hung between his legs and he stood very still.

“Come here.” With great difficulty, Meryl knelt down on the floor and lovingly pulled Thone close to him. He tied a ribbon (丝带) around the dog’s neck with a huge red bow, and then he attached a note to it, which said “Happy New Year! My name is Thone. For breakfast, I like bacon and eggs — even corn will do. For dinner, I prefer mashed potatoes and some meat. That’s all. I eat just two meals a day. In return, I will be your most loyal friend.”

“Woof, woof! Woof, woof!” Thone was confused and his eyes begged. The old Meryl blew his nose into his handkerchief once more. Later, hanging on to a chair, he pulled himself up from the floor. He buttoned his overcoat, reached for the dog’s leash (皮带) and softly said, “Come here, my friend.” He opened the door against a wave of cold air and stepped outside, pulling the dog behind.

As they were walking in the empty street, dusk was beginning to fall.

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。
After a very long time, they stopped before a large house with tall trees in its front.
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Through teary eyes, the old Meryl watched from behind the tree as the boy’s mother took the note.
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5 . Music is present in any part of the world, and it is appreciated and felt everywhere. Without its presence, life could be boring. Studies show that music is good for your body and mind.     1    

Music can increase pain management. Listening to music can help increase your pain tolerance (耐痛性).     2     Listening to music can help you gain a sense of control over your ability to deal with pains. If you have a certain pain, for example, listening to music that you enjoy can help reduce the pain that you experience.

●    3     Listening to certain types of music, such as relaxing music, can naturally reduce both your heartbeat rate and breathing rate. Additionally, music has shown promising results as a treatment for heart disease. Whether it involves listening to music or composing music, the calming effect that music produces further improves your heart’s health by supporting it throughout the healing process.

●Music can reduce anxiety and depression     4     When it comes to anxiety and depression, music treatment can help to reduce the amount of stress hormones. For example, listening to music that you enjoy can naturally decrease the amount of cortisol (皮质醇) that your body releases.

●Music can improve self-expression and communication. Self-expression and communication are an important part of the human experience, especially when it comes to basic emotional and mental health needs.     5     By listening and singing along to music, kids who struggle to interact and communicate with others can practice using the very skills needed to do so.

A．Music can improve heart health.

B．Music can increase your heartbeat rate.

C．Here are some benefits of music treatment.

D．They are two common pains in your daily life.

E．It has been proved to be helpful for anxious and depressed people.

F．Listening to music can also help decrease the strength of your pains.

G．For kids weak in both areas, music treatment can help develop their relative skills.

6 . The Masai(马赛人) are continually trying to keep their own ways in an increasingly modern world. They live along the border of Kenya and Tanzania in East Africa, moving their homes from time to time to follow their cattle, the source of their livelihood. They rely on their cattle in many parts of their life. They like drinking the cows’ milk.

They don’t kill their cattle for food. But if a cow is killed, the parts of its body are used to make containers, shoes, clothin,   ropes, bed coverings and so on. Not all of the men have cows. The more cattle a man owns, the richer he is considered to be. A man who owns 50 or fewer cattle is considered poor. Rich men have a thousand or more. The cattle, though owned by the man, are considered to belong to the man’s entire family. The family names the cattle and can recognize each animal’s special voice.

The Masai men have become known as warriors(勇士), protecting their cattle against other wild animals. They wear their red long hair. Most women often take care of their children, cook food, clean clothes and make clothing at home. They also make necklaces dresses and headdresses. A few women can also become authorities once they are powerful enough. They speak a language called Maa.

The houses of Masai made from sticks and grass, which are held together with a mixture of mud, are not very firm or safe. These plain houses with some basic supplies are built in a circle and make up a Masai village. They are not meant to last long since the migration(迁徙) of the cow population means that the Masai move as well. In the meantime, in order to prevent animals from entering, they also form a wall of branches. The whole setup is to protect the cattle, which sleep at night in the middle of the village. They seem to live a natural and self-sufficient life but lack modern civilisation.

1. What do we know about the Masai?

A．They don’t move in their lives.

B．They each have their own cows.

C．They don’t kill their cattle at all.

D．They are heavily dependent on cattle.

2. What do most of the Masai women work as?

A．Designers.	B．Authorities.
C．Housewives.	D．Warriors.

3. Which word best describes Masai houses?

A．Modern.

B．Lasting

C．Simple.

D．Safe.

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

A．Africans: Living a Moving life

B．Africans: Brave People in the World

C．The Masai: Rich People in East Africa

D．The Masai: Maintaining a Traditional Lifestyle

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。

Collette was born in 1990 with Down syndrome (唐氏综合征). Her mother, Rosemary, promised to never treat her daughter differently or stop her pursuing dreams. Rosemary always supported her daughter’s ambitious pursuits. “I never feel the need to tell her she’s different. To me, it is just a label, and we all have strengths and weaknesses,” explained Rosemary. Despite being treated no differently at home, Rosemary could not control how others would regard Collette in the outside world. In high school, Collette endured years of loneliness and didn’t have many friends. She found comfort and a sense of achievement in her favorite hobby, baking.

After graduating from Clemson University, at age 26, Collette confidently went out into the job market. She had finished the three-year program a year early and posted good grades. Despite her excellent academic records, several potential employers rejected her, saying she wasn’t “a good fit”. It was too sad and hard for Collette to face. Some people saw her as a labeled individual with disabilities and they would not give her a chance. Collette recalled of her disappointing job search, “To me, it felt like they didn’t like me at all because of who I am. No one would hire me, so I decided to open my own business.” Collette started to take matters into her own hands by focusing on her strengths and her passions for baking.

Collette used rejection as fuel to build her baking business. With no business experience, but inspired by her encouraging family, she started her own cookie business. Rosemary helped guide Collette in the opening of her first business. With Collette’s drive combined with the support of family, friends and the community, the business met with a good start.

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。
Collette was determined to make a success of her new business.
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One day, Collette was interviewed by a reporter.
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8 . Whether your kid can count on a sizable inheritance (遗产) or your family is living pay period to pay period, a college degree is a must. Along with the invisible life skills you get from those formative years on campus, college comes with a bankable payout: A Georgetown University study found that, on average, college graduates make a million dollars more over a lifetime than people who stop at high school.

Recently, a Bronx nonprofit asked me to speak to a group of high schoolers whose families were struggling financially. The participants were (rightly) worried about taking on too much college debt. Here’s what I told them: Even when you subtract (扣除) tuition, lost earnings during the college years, and other factors, an average college grad will still take in $300,000 more than those without a college degree.

And while rising tuition fees are a serious worry, free college programs of one kind or another have sprung up in more than 20 states. My own home state, New York, boasts one of the most comprehensive efforts. The Excelsior Scholarship program guarantees that students at public institutions attend tuition-free if their family earns under $110,000 a year.

Even in Silicon Valley, where there are many successful people who don’t own a college degree, I asked a group of parents there if it’s true that kids are giving up a college degree because they’re sure they’ll be rich people. The answer was a resounding, unapologetic no.

The truth is that in this STEM (science, technology, engineering and math)-centric age, any form of home-schooling or social education can’t replace the formal school education. Especially in an age when many low-end careers are being replaced by artificial intelligence (AI), a college degree can give your kid an edge.

1. In writing paragraph 1, the author aims to ________.

A．propose a definition	B．make a comparison
C．give an example	D．present an argument

2. What can we infer from the text?

A．Free college programs are available all over the USA.

B．In the STEM-centric age, a college degree is essential.

C．In New York, all public school students are tuition-free.

D．Children from rich families don’t need a college degree.

3. What is happening to the low-end careers?

A．They are developing very rapidly.

B．They are all being engaged by AI.

C．They are all depending on a degree.

D．They are disappearing because of AI.

4. Which is the most suitable title for the text?

A．Why do you need a college degree?

B．Where can you enjoy free education?

C．What is a must in the STEM-centric age?

D．How much do people with a degree earn in US?