2 . Believe it or not, I hate birthdays. First of all you keep getting ________, and second you always get presents you can’t ________. If I could just have a nice chocolate cake all to myself, I’d be very happy. But no! I have received more ties, pajamas, umbrellas, and gloves than you can imagine. I keep all my unwanted gifts piled neatly in a corner of my closet. If I need one of the items, I draw from my stock, but that is a ________ occurrence. The result is that my pile is quite large.

One day, my Aunt Gloria called me.

“Hello, Shelley,” she said. “We’re having a surprise birthday party for Cousin Stove. Will you be able to come on Thursday the 29th at 2p.m.?”

“One minute, while I look at my ________,” I said.

“Too ________,” I thought to myself. “I’m free. I guess I’ll have to go.”

To Aunt Gloria, I said, “Yes, that day looks O.K. to me. I’ll be there. Should I bring anything for the party?”

“No,” answered Aunt Gloria, “just bring yourself.”

The morning for the party arrived. After some thought, I ________ that it would be proper to bring my ________ a little gift. I thought it would please her. I had a good stock of gifts in my ________, so I could simply rewrap one and offer it to her. It was getting late by the time I got around to wrapping it. So I ________ the first box I saw and wrapped it in a hurry.

My ________ were all-there when I arrived. They were glad to see me, and if the occasion hadn’t been a birthday party, I guess I would have been glad to see them. Uncle Joe told me I had ________. “You look wonderful,” he said.

I plowed my way through the crowd to Aunt Gloria. “Here,” I said cheerfully, ________ my gift. “A little something for you.”

“Oh, that’s very kind of you,” said my aunt. She began to ________ the gift. “I wonder what it could be,” she murmured. Then she began to read a ________ that was enclosed, which I didn’t remember having put in.

“Dear Shelley,” she read, “hope you enjoy these ________. They’ll keep your fingers warm in the winter. Love, Aunt Gloria.”

1.

A．taller

B．older

C．smarter

D．fatter

2.

A．stand

B．buy

C．use

D．eat

3.

A．frequent

B．rare

C．essential

D．precious

4.

A．watch

B．book

C．gift

D．calendar

5.

A．bad

B．interesting

C．good

D．important

6.

A．hesitated

B．promised

C．decided

D．proposed

7.

A．brother

B．friend

C．cousin

D．aunt

8.

A．desk

B．box

C．closet

D．cake

9.

A．grabbed

B．selected

C．stole

D．dug

10.

A．friends

B．classmates

C．neighbours

D．relatives

11.

A．grown up

B．arrived late

C．lost weight

D．shown off

12.

A．holding out

B．sending up

C．dropping off

D．leaving behind

13.

A．admire

B．unwrap

C．receive

D．enjoy

14.

A．book

B．letter

C．sign

D．card

15.

A．gifts

B．cakes

C．gloves

D．ties

4 . My school holiday routine usually involves sleeping in, but one morning, I woke up early for no particular reason. With nothing to do, I decided to _______ glance out of my window at the parking lot below, but unexpectedly witnessed something that greatly _______ my life.

As I _______ people coming and going, getting into their cars and driving away, my attention was drawn to a(n)_______ man busy washing and cleaning the cars near a bicycle with a bucket attached to its _______. The damp ground _______ that he must have started his work quite early.

He was just simply dressed. However, there was a _______ sense of pride in the way he went about his tasks — cleaning one window at a time,_______ to admire his work, and repeating the process. He seemed devoted to his small business, happily _______ at passers-by and occasionally stopping to chat with other old folks heading to the nearby market.

________ his simple life, he appeared content. This incident made me reconsider my ________. If we are willing to work hard,________ should not be a barrier to earning a living. I felt ashamed and ________ when compared with him. It ________ me that at any age, we should make the most of time and ________ the value of hard work.

1.

A．gradually

B．causally

C．constantly

D．regularly

2.

A．attracted

B．disturbed

C．touched

D．impacted

3.

A．observed

B．recognized

C．felt

D．heard

4.

A．adult

B．young

C．elderly

D．poor

5.

A．bicycle

B．handle

C．wheel

D．seat

6.

A．explained

B．concluded

C．indicated

D．described

7.

A．slight

B．visible

C．hidden

D．possible

8.

A．backing off

B．stepping forward

C．taking over

D．showing up

9.

A．pointing

B．looking

C．laughing

D．waving

10.

A．Due to

B．According to

C．In spite of

D．In view of

11.

A．attitude

B．principle

C．identity

D．standard

12.

A．sex

B．age

C．character

D．position

13.

A．grateful

B．sympathetic

C．exhausted

D．guilty

14.

A．confused

B．informed

C．warned

D．struck

15.

A．predict

B．reflect

C．appreciate

D．convince

5 . On several occasions, I arrived at the Starbucks drive-through window only to find my bill already paid by a kind stranger. _________, I now keep an eye on my rearview mirror, looking for some one deserving of this _________.

One morning, I spotted a (n) _________ middle-aged woman in a shiny sports car behind me. I smiled to myself, “No way does she need me to buy her coffee!” But somehow a voice _________ inside that I should. And so I did. I knew I had trusted that little voice and that was all that really _________.

When I returned to my car, the lady was there. “Hi,” she said. “Thank you for the coffee. I never _________that.”

“You’re welcome. I was just ‘_________.’”

Surprisingly, she _________ to cry, revealing her struggle with _________ bankruptcy (破产) following a business crisis and the recent __________ of her son due to cancer. “I needed a __________ that everything would work out. When you bought my coffee this morning, I knew that was it.” Now I was the one who was choking back tears. I told her that I could __________ her suffering. I, too, had recently lost my son.

I sat in my car for a while, my heart kind of __________. I believe I gave her much more than a cup of coffee. Next time I am in the drive-through and feel the __________ to pay it forward — there will be no __________.

1.

A．Naturally

B．Practically

C．Typically

D．Consequently

2.

A．reward

B．attention

C．care

D．gesture

3.

A．exhausted

B．proud

C．elegant

D．weepy

4.

A．insisted

B．required

C．begged

D．claimed

5.

A．mattered

B．remained

C．existed

D．succeeded

6.

A．ordered

B．expected

C．proposed

D．demanded

7.

A．stopping by

B．taking care

C．dealing with it

D．paying it forward

8.

A．failed

B．happened

C．proceeded

D．prepared

9.

A．potential

B．permanent

C．optional

D．unbelievable

10.

A．treatment

B．loss

C．suffering

D．condition

11.

A．belief

B．response

C．decision

D．sign

12.

A．appreciate

B．ease

C．share

D．handle

13.

A．stirred

B．broken

C．racing

D．sinking

14.

A．duty

B．urge

C．strength

D．determination

15.

A．regret

B．hesitation

C．concern

D．sorrow

6 . Shane Grammer’s artwork can be found in cities in Mexico, South Korea, Dubai and beyond.In the past years, it’s the murals (壁画) he painted on damaged walls throughout the town of Paradise, California that have gained attention and touched viewers.

In 2018, the Camp Fire, the deadliest wildfire in California’s history, swept through Paradise, flattening entire communities, killing scores of people, and displacing tens of thousands. Grammer,whose hometown was just 15 miles from Paradise, was living with his family and working in the Los Angeles area when he saw accounts of the destruction on his friends’ social media pages. A single mother he knew shared a photo of ash and rubble where her home once stood. A childhood friend’s post showed her burned-down house. After he saw a photo of a friend Shane Edwards’ home, which had been reduced to a brick wall with only a chimney standing, he was driven to paint it.

With Edward’s permission, Grammer then used spray paint to transform Edwards’ burnt chimney into a strikingly black-and-white portrait of a woman, a piece he called “Beauty Among the Ashes.” Once the image was posted on Instagram, the victims of the fire, especially, could not contain themselves. “You bring beauty and hope.” one posted. Over three months, the 47-year-old created a series of more than a dozen spray-painted murals on the remains of buildings and vehicles rendered useless by the flames. The images included a victim of the fire, a young girl who survived but lost her house, and a series of religious characters.

As a street artist, Grammer has committed his life to creating more art installations (装置艺术) all over the world that connect people through tragic life events. He has started a foundation called the Art Through Hope Foundation where he intends to bring peace through his art to those affected by tragedy. “I want to do something powerful and make art that emotionally influences people,” said Grammer in an interview with KRCR. “I think any artist would consider that as their ultimate goal. And to me, that is the biggest miracle I feel like.”

1. What has led to Grammer’s rise to fame?

A．The Art Through Hope Foundation.	B．The post of a burnt-down house.
C．His paintings on the ruins in Paradise.	D．His art installations all over the world.

2. Why did Grammor paint murals after the Camp Fire?

A．To record the wildfire.	B．To bring hope to the victims.
C．To add beauty to the ashes.	D．To remember his friend's home.

3. What docs the underlined word “that” in the last paragraph refer to?

A．Creating touching art.	B．Working miracles in art.
C．Bringing peace through art.	D．Doing something powerful.

4. Which of the following is the best title for the text?

A．From Ashes to Art: Street Artist’s Murals of Hope

B．From Paradise to Worldwide: Street Artist’s Journey

C．From Tragedy to Hope: the Story of Shane Grammer

D．From Mural to Miracle: Shane Grammer’s Art Mission

9 . I suffered a stroke (中风) in March 2013, then mostly recovered (康复) and realized I had been very ________. Six months after the stroke, I began to take piano lessons. Some people believe students can only learn music well when they’re ________. Money problems meant I never had that ________ as a child. But I had a dream, so this belief did not ________ the 52-year-old me.

I learned slowly with my first teacher. Then after two years, I started with a man. He seemed ________. In our first lesson, he asked me how my last teacher taught. I ________ how she would play each new song for me first and then help me work it out.

“I won’t be doing that,” he said. “I expect you to learn the ________ yourself and I expect you to practice. If not, you will have to find another ________.”

Our class lasted three months. However, in our last lesson before Christmas, he strongly criticized (批评) me, saying that I played with the ________ rhythm and tone (节奏和音调). I went home in a state of ________.

When I saw him again, I played the same ________ again and then said, “I practiced this piece about 500 times.”

There was silence. Then, surprisingly, he said he could see I had put ________ into it.

From that day, he changed. He became kind and warm. He ________ explained difficult terms and took care to ________ my creativity. Through him, I fell deeply in love with ________.

It is the piano that helps me get over the stroke and find my confidence again.

1.

A．free

B．tired

C．lucky

D．cold

2.

A．young

B．clever

C．famous

D．healthy

3.

A．feeling

B．chance

C．worry

D．trouble

4.

A．surprise

B．attract

C．save

D．discourage

5.

A．strict

B．mad

C．satisfied

D．funny

6.

A．asked

B．described

C．learned

D．considered

7.

A．benefits

B．stories

C．notes

D．letters

8.

A．teacher

B．student

C．doctor

D．family

9.

A．strong

B．common

C．different

D．wrong

10.

A．fear

B．peace

C．sadness

D．excitement

11.

A．song

B．trick

C．match

D．sport

12.

A．interest

B．pressure

C．money

D．effort

13.

A．angrily

B．patiently

C．secretly

D．probably

14.

A．challenge

B．limit

C．develop

D．copy

15.

A．painting

B．literature

C．running

D．music