From homeless to Harvard … it’s an unlikely turn of events. Liz Murray’s life is a triumph (胜利) over misfortune, and an amazing example of the importance of Dreaming Big. Murray’s upbringing in the Bronx, as the child of addicted parents, was filled with severe challenges. There was never enough food in the house, the apartment was dirty and drugs were everywhere. By age 16, Murray’s mom had died and she was homeless — sleeping in parks, riding the subway all night, and living as a high school dropout on the streets of New York City.
Suffering this pain, Murray always imagined her life could be much better than it was. “I knew I had to change my situations for the better, and that no one could do that for me. But, I quickly found that I also could not do it alone. I had to take responsibility first, and then I had to find help — a community of caring people to help me get there.” Determined to change her life, Murray finished high school in just two years, and with the help of devoted mentors (导师) and teachers, she was awarded a full scholarship (奖学金) by the New York Times to Harvard University — all while camping out in New York City parks and subway stations.
Her story sounds like a Hollywood movie — and it practically is. Lifetime Television produced a movie about Murray’s life story entitled Homeless to Harvard, which was nominated (提名) for three “Emmy Awards”. Murray received the White House “Project’s Role Model Award” and Oprah Winfrey’s first-ever “Chutzpah Award”. Her memoir (回忆录), Breaking Night, landed on the New York Times best-seller list after it came out and it quickly became an international best-seller published in twelve countries, in eight languages.
1. What is the purpose of Paragraph 2?| A．To show Murray’s determination. | B．To thank a community of caring people. |
| C．To recommend a healthy lifestyle. | D．To introduce the value of education. |
| A．From her father. | B．From the New York Times. |
| C．From devoted mentors. | D．From Harvard University. |
| A．Emmy Awards. | B．Dreaming Big. |
| C．Breaking Night. | D．Homeless to Harvard. |
| A．Dreams are lies. | B．Where there’s a will, there’s a way. |
| C．Too much is as bad as too little. | D．A bad beginning makes a bad ending. |
2 . The County Police Department posted on social media. It was meant to
Twelve years ago, on a hot day in July 2011, then-Detective(警探)Sweeney
Detective Sweeney knew he had to act quickly. He held Matthew and
When Matthew’s grandmother saw Sweeney’s photo, she
After they heard the story, the staff in the office planned a surprise reunion. They
Everyone in the police station felt happy as they saw a reunion after twelve years.
1.| A．debate | B．advance | C．congratulate | D．attract |
| A．recognized | B．matched | C．doubted | D．showed |
| A．visited | B．noticed | C．admitted | D．answered |
| A．Absolutely | B．Creatively | C．Immediately | D．Obviously |
| A．branch | B．scene | C．habit | D．deed |
| A．complaining | B．approaching | C．calling | D．responding |
| A．experimented | B．researched | C．performed | D．recorded |
| A．took off | B．paid off | C．cleaned up | D．signed up |
| A．recovery | B．escape | C．appearance | D．lesson |
| A．application | B．reference | C．lecture | D．photo |
| A．surfed | B．reached | C．rejected | D．awarded |
| A．joy | B．attention | C．safety | D．difficulty |
| A．reported | B．confirmed | C．attempted | D．arranged |
| A．surprised | B．annoyed | C．awkward | D．curious |
| A．way | B．reason | C．memory | D．thought |
3 . As cities balloon with growth, access to nature for people living in urban areas is becoming harder to find. If you’re lucky, there might be a pocket park near where you live, but it’s unusual to find places in a city that are relatively wild.
Past research has found health and wellness benefits of nature for humans, but a new study shows that wildness in urban areas is extremely important for human well-being.
The research team focused on a large urban park. They surveyed several hundred park-goers, asking them to submit a written summary online of a meaningful interaction they had with nature in the park. The researchers then examined these submissions, coding (编码) experiences into different categories. For example, one participant’s experience of “We sat and listened to the waves at the beach for a while” was assigned the categories “sitting at beach” and “listening to waves.”
Across the 320 submissions, a pattern of categories the researchers call a “nature language” began to emerge. After the coding of all submissions, half a dozen categories were noted most often as important to visitors. These include encountering wildlife, walking along the edge of water, and following an established trail.
Naming each nature experience creates a usable language, which helps people recognize and take part in the activities that are most satisfying and meaningful to them. For example, the experience of walking along the edge of water might be satisfying for a young professional on a weekend hike in the park. Back downtown during a workday, they can enjoy a more domestic form of this interaction by walking along a fountain on their lunch break.
“We’re trying to generate a language that helps bring the human-nature interactions back into our daily lives. And for that to happen, we also need to protect nature so that we can interact with it,” said Peter Kahn, a senior author of the study.
1. What phenomenon does the author describe at the beginning of the text?| A．Pocket parks are now popular. | B．Wild nature is hard to find in cities. |
| C．Many cities are overpopulated. | D．People enjoy living close to nature. |
| A．To compare different types of park-goers. | B．To explain why the park attracts tourists. |
| C．To analyze the main features of the park. | D．To find patterns in the visitors’ summaries. |
| A．Walking is the best way to gain access to nature. |
| B．Young people are too busy to interact with nature. |
| C．The same nature experience takes different forms. |
| D．The nature language enhances work performance. |
| A．Language study. | B．Environmental conservation. |
| C．Public education. | D．Intercultural communication. |
4 . Cumbria, England
While London is amazing and definitely a must-go on any traveler’s list, Cumbria is a great destination if you want to see English autumn. Cumbria is often called the English Lake District. So apart from copper hills, green and red woodlands and pine trees, you’re also guaranteed beautiful mirror reflections of autumnal scenery in the multiple lakes around here.
Bruges, Belgium
Those pretty buildings wrapped in vines that go all shades of crimson in the autumn — it’s a feast for your eyes. And the canals, you have to take a boat ride through the canals when you’re there — it’s incredible. Plus, they have the most charming open air markets that work all the way until the end of November, and it’s also a great opportunity to taste the best chocolate you’ll ever have in your life.
Bavaria, Germany
What makes Bavaria a great fall travel destination? All the amazing wine and beer festivals that take place here in the autumn months. Speaking of views, did you know that Bavaria is home to not 1, not 2, but 25 historic Castles? It’s a fairy-tale land, so enjoy it.
Perthshire, Scotland
Scotland is known for the beauty of its nature. But Perthshire in particular is just incredible. It’s often called the Big Trees County. The views of grassy hills, beautiful yellow and red trees, and the golden reflections in the lakes are simply breathtaking. If you want to see autumn in full glory — this is the place to go.
1. Which is the best place to try the best chocolate according to the text?| A．Cumbria, England. | B．Bruges, Belgium. |
| C．Bavaria, Germany. | D．Perthshire, Scotland. |
| A．It has many historic castles. | B．It has many beautiful lakes. |
| C．It has many grassy hills. | D．It has many red woodlands. |
| A．In the early spring. | B．In the early summer. |
| C．Just in the autumn. | D．Just in the winter. |
The Spring Festival is
During the Spring Festival, families gather together and enjoy the family reunion.
With more and more people
I had been swimming competitively for five years but after such a long time, I was ready to quit. I was often the only African American at the swimming competitions and our team couldn’t afford good uniforms. However, my number-one reason for wanting to quit was that I kept receiving “Honorable Mentions (荣誉奖)”. Any athlete knows that you don’t want to have a bookshelf full of “Honorable Mentions”, which you get just because you showed up.
One summer’s day, the day before a big swim meeting, I decided to tell my grandma that I was quitting the swim team. When I told her, she looked me in the eye and said, “Baby, remember these words ‘Quitters never win and winners never quit.’ Your grandmother didn’t raise losers or quitters. You go to that meeting tomorrow, and you swim like you are a grandchild of mine, you hear?” I was too afraid to say anything but “Yes, ma’am.”
The next day we arrived at the swim meeting late, missing my group of swimmers in the 15/16 age group. My coach insisted I should be allowed to swim with the older group. I knew she expected me to take part.
As I mounted the board, all the other girls looked at me. I quickly noticed that these girls were all here to do just one thing — beat me. All of a sudden, my grandma’s words rang in my head, “Quitters never win and winners never quit. You swim like you are a grandchild of mine.” “Yes, Grandma, I will swim like I am a grandchild of yours,” I said to myself.
续写要求：
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。
The match began! I swam harder than I had ever swum before.
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It was then that I heard the claps and cheers around me.
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Lionel Messi,
8 . Michael Todd wore the same clothes every day for the first three weeks of school. The other kids began to notice that he was wearing the
Two of kids laughing at him were Antwan Garrett and Kristopher Graham, a pair of freshman football players. But over time, they realized that their
“I felt like I need to do something,” Graham said to Garrett. So they
“He wasn’t smiling or anything but I thought this was going to make him smile,” Graham said. They apologized for laughing at him. They then handed Todd a big
“
| A．large | B．small | C．very | D．loose |
| A．nothing | B．something | C．everything | D．anything |
| A．afford | B．determine | C．refuse | D．promise |
| A．angry | B．hurtful | C．empty | D．plain |
| A．record | B．rule | C．spirit | D．silence |
| A．thought of | B．gave up | C．focused on | D．turned down |
| A．broke | B．passed | C．swept | D．searched |
| A．curious | B．enthusiastic | C．amazed | D．anxious |
| A．coat | B．bag | C．document | D．bottle |
| A．other than | B．instead of | C．as well as | D．in spite of |
| A．alone | B．straight | C．still | D．aside |
| A．teammates | B．roommates | C．friends | D．relatives |
| A．Concentrating on | B．Recalling | C．Taking up | D．Forgetting |
| A．school | B．hall | C．store | D．classroom |
| A．last | B．first | C．worst | D．best |
9 . Take a look at your fingers. Would you believe me if I told you that the length of your fingers in relation to one another can predict your personality? I know that it sounds like one of those silly tests you see on Facebook, but I have to admit that it was spot-on for me.
Look at your three middle fingers of your left hand. Is your index finger(食指)longer than your ring finger? Is your ring finger longer than your index finger? Or are the two the same length?
Category 1: A longer ring finger. If your ring finger is longer than your index finger, research shows that you’re likely a charming type, and you can probably talk yourself out of any situation. Others often find this personality type irresistible(无法抵制的)and will go to great lengths to help you. You’re more likely to take risks, and you’re good at problem-solving. People in this category make great engineers, soldiers and crossword-puzzle solvers.
Category 2: A longer index finger. If your index finger is longer than your ring finger, chances are that you are full of confidence — possibly even to the point of being over-confident and too proud. You are not necessarily shy, but you do enjoy time to yourself especially when you’re trying to complete a project. You are a determined go-getter who can make things happen, but you may be shy when it comes to taking the first step in building up a friendship. You are also probably happy with what you have, but you’re always wishing for more.
Category 3: The two are the same length. If your index finger and ring finger are roughly the same length, you are likely to avoid conflict at all costs and seek to keep the peace in your relationships. You are well-organized, faithful and sympathetic. But deep down under all of that caring and peace-loving, you also can go mad unexpectedly when you’re pushed too far.
How well did these descriptions match your personality? I was surprised at the accuracy in my case.
1. What might people with a long ring finger tend to be like?| A．Creative. | B．Attractive. | C．Hard-working. | D．Harm-hearted. |
| A．They are not welcome most of the time. |
| B．They always feel confident and never feel shy. |
| C．They are always satisfied with what they have. |
| D．They prefer to be left alone when working on a project. |
| A．The crossword-puzzle solver. | B．The adventurer. |
| C．The peacemaker. | D．The sweet talker. |
| A．Never believe the silly tests on Facebook. |
| B．The length of fingers can show personality. |
| C．Why your fingers are not of the same length. |
| D．How to find out about one’s personality exactly. |
10 . Jose Alberto Gutierrez’s life would never be the same again after finding a copy of Anna Karenina 20 years ago. It happened that he was driving his garbage truck through wealthier neighborhoods and seeing books thrown away by the rich. It inspired him to start rescuing books from the trash. Eventually, he turned his book collection into a community library.
In Colombia’s capital city of Bogota, libraries tend to be far away from poorer communities. The choice of buying new books is non-existent for poor families and having access to a library of books is a luxury. Gutierrez grew up poor, and his family could not afford to educate him beyond primary school. But his mother was a passionate reader and read stories to him every night. Her love for books left a deep impression on Gutierrez, who never let a lack of formal education stop him.
Today, his community library, “The Strength of Words”, occupies most of his home and is piled from floor to ceiling with fiction and non-fiction titles. Everything from school textbooks to storybooks can be found in his collection of over 20,000 books! The Strength of Words library is open every weekend, and children in Gutierrez’s neighbourhood are allowed to look through the book collection. Adults are also welcome to expand their vision and develop new skills for a better life.
Today, the Gutierrez family doesn’t only want to start libraries in neighbourhoods. They want to create more safe spaces for school children to spend their time reading. This is important for kids living in Bogota where many young people waste time in the streets.
Gutierrez’s journey to give treasure back to his local community is an amazing example of how every one of us can improve the lives of those around us by identifying needs, investing time and finding a simple solution. We can take a leaf out of Gutierrez’s book and act the same way.
1. Where might Gutierrez find a copy of Anna Karenina?| A．In the trash. | B．In a community library. |
| C．In a rich man’s house. | D．In his garbage truck. |
| A．It aims to recycle and reuse the garbage. |
| B．It is supported by wealthier communities. |
| C．It is in the charge of his passionate mother. |
| D．It makes knowledge accessible to poor kids. |
| A．We should value Gutierrez’s spirit of paying back. |
| B．We can follow Gutierrez’s example to help others. |
| C．We should go to visit Gutierrez’s library personally. |
| D．We can donate deserted books to Gutierrez’s library. |
| A．From Trash to Treasure | B．The Books of Gutierrez |
| C．From Home to Community | D．The Strength of Reading |
