1 . Like many young people, Jessica wants to travel the globe. Unlike most of them, this 25-year-old is doing it
They’re part of a new form of the
It’s not all sightseeing. The two travelers carefully
The couple has a high
| A．indoors | B．online | C．single-handed | D．full-time |
| A．game | B．service | C．vacation | D．procedure |
| A．safe | B．busy | C．helpful | D．affordable |
| A．local | B．private | C．sharing | D．agricultural |
| A．strangers’ | B．parents’ | C．co-workers’ | D．neighbors’ |
| A．favor | B．defense | C．honor | D．absence |
| A．plan | B．explain | C．compare | D．complete |
| A．buy | B．transport | C．choose | D．please |
| A．support | B．comfort | C．control | D．attention |
| A．cooking | B．staying | C．waiting | D．studying |
| A．success | B．survival | C．growth | D．unemployment |
| A．budget | B．abilities | C．expectations | D．understanding |
| A．admiring | B．donating | C．sending | D．borrowing |
| A．clean | B．open | C．simple | D．empty |
| A．guess | B．decision | C．response | D．impression |
2 . Two years ago, I lost my wallet. I made the poor decision of keeping my identity card, my credit card, a large amount of money and other various things inside my
About a week
After that, I decided that I wanted to do
That’s why I
| A．handbag | B．wallet | C．pocket | D．car |
| A．money | B．food | C．gold | D．card |
| A．satisfied | B．excited | C．worried | D．puzzled |
| A．bad | B．good | C．beautiful | D．wonderful |
| A．ahead | B．earlier | C．long | D．later |
| A．threw | B．searched | C．returned | D．suggested |
| A．the people | B．the police | C．the students | D．the children |
| A．sadness | B．surprise | C．regret | D．disappointment |
| A．got up | B．looked up | C．gave up | D．picked up |
| A．it | B．her | C．him | D．them |
| A．kind | B．funny | C．stupid | D．serious |
| A．protect | B．respect | C．help | D．recognize |
| A．bad | B．good | C．free | D．sick |
| A．allow | B．force | C．choose | D．encourage |
| A．herself | B．himself | C．itself | D．yourself |
Sandy and Jane came to see the jobo tree on the hilltop again. Jobos were their favorite fruit, but the tree belonged to a lady who lived in the house by the hill. They heard she was difficult, but that sometimes she would give fruit in return for an errand(差使)
The girls finally gathered their courage to knock on her door. An elderly woman with a fierce look answered, staring down at the girls. “We heard …”said Sandy, her voice shaky, “that you give jobos in payment for running an errand.”
The lady raised one eyebrow, then went into the kitchen and took two baskets. She pushed them into the girls’ hands.“Go fill these with jobos, and come right back.”
The girls raced up the hill to the tree and filled the baskets with the ripest jobos. Back at the house, the lady filled a bag with rice and handed it to Sandy. “Take this bag and one basket of jobos to the Brown family. And ask them for the payment,” the lady added with a tight smile.“If you return without the payment, you won’t get the fruit.”
The girls struggled all the way with the bag and the basket. When they were there, Mrs. Brown answered the door. Inside on the floor were three little children, each painting something on papers.
Mr. Brown was lying sick in bed.Times were hard.
The girls handed her the food.“This is from the lady with the jobo tree, ” said Sandy.
“She asked for the payment, too.”Jane said awkwardly.
“The payment! The payment!” The children repeated, waving the paper in their hands happily.
Sandy and Jane looked at each other strangely. With a smile, Mrs. Brown handed Sandy a large sealed(密封的)envelope so full that it was almost starting to break open. The girls said goodbye and left quickly. “I wonder,” Sandy murmured, “whether Mrs. Brown can afford to pay for that food.”
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。
Worried, the two girls discussed what was in the envelope as they walked back.
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The lady opened the envelope, took out a pile of papers, and smiled.
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My teenage son, Jordan, always complained about having to be home earlier than all his friends. He would tell me that he was already seventeen, but still had a curfew (宵禁). He believed he was practically an adult. I pointed out that he was not an adult as he was still in high school.
“You don’t trust me!” he yelled. Before I continued, he rolled his eyes, slammed the door and walked away. I sighed. How could I make Jordan see that I only wanted to keep him safe?
I decided to go for a walk, hoping the December air would clear my head. I opened the front door and nearly stepped on her: a small black cat, just like a meatball. “Hi, Meatball,” I said, bringing her into my arms. I walked back in, touching her neck gently. Meatball seemed happy enough to come in the house, but after an hour or two, she sat by the door, meowing to go back outside.
“Why won’t she just stay in with us all the time?” Nathan, my youngest son asked.
I explained to him that she was happy here but she liked being able to come and go as she pleased.
“That must be nice,” Jordan muttered from the other room, complaining why the cat, not him, could come and go. He even asked me to give Meatball a curfew.
Meatball became a regular.
One night, temperatures were unusually low. Meatball stood at the door, meowing to go outside.
I shook my head at her, afraid that she might freeze to death. She stared at me and meowed again. I patted her head, “I know you’re not happy, but it’s for your own good.”
“Mom’s not being mean to you,” Nathan told the cat. “She’s just trying to keep you from turning into a frozen meatball.” We both laughed at his joke.
The next morning, I couldn’t find Meatball. I asked the kids if anyone had seen her.
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。
Jordan nodded, “I let her out last night.”
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________As I drove to the animal hospital, Jordan sat in the back, holding Meatball inside his coat.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________As a young boy, I was carefree. Every vacation I looked forward to two things—seeing my grandpa and hearing his wonderful stories. My grandpa was a very good storyteller. He had worked various odd jobs when he was young and wove his adventures and misadventures into fantastic tales. These wonderful tales colored my childhood.
As I grew up, I had to admit that Grandpa’s stories went on a little long, even a little boring and gradually lost their magic. However, not wanting to upset him, my brother and I would sometimes take turns sitting in the living room, listening to grandpa tell his stories.
When my grandpa was approaching 91, he suffered from serious memory-loss. It was kind of what doctors called dementia (痴呆), probably the earliest stage of Alzheimer’s disease. Following the doctor’s directions, we moved him into a Sunrise Assisted Living Community, where he could get a better care. After that, grandpa hardly came to our house.
One weekend before my grandpa’s birthday, I came to visit him. Seeing grandpa sitting in his armchair, dull-looking, I was consumed with mixed feelings. I wheeled grandpa to the sunshine in the courtyard, talking to him. He couldn’t express himself clearly and spoke in short bursts, but I listened to him patiently and carefully just as I used to be a little boy.
It was then that I noticed a shadow box with some old and yellowish photos in it. I picked one up, in which my brother, several boys in our neighborhood, and I were playing basketball with grandpa cheering us on twenty years before. My mind flashed back to those beautiful memories. Back then, Grandpa was in good physical condition and we were all wearing basketball jerseys, playing and laughing with abandon. I presented the photo to my grandpa, pointing at each member and reminding him of their names. Incredibly, grandpa could speak out the name of every player. I even caught a soft light in grandpa’s eyes and a smile on his lips.
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。
A bright idea for grandpa’s birthday came to my mind.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Seeing “the same players” playing there, grandpa seemed to have thought of something.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________6 . Michael and his wife, new residents in a San Francisco apartment, learned about their neighbor Jeff Dunan’s volunteer work for Bangladesh Relief, an organization that provides food, clothing and essential supplies for disadvantaged people in northern Bangladesh. Inspired, Michael donated $150 to Dunan’s GoFundMe campaign. However, a credit card notification alerted him to an unintended $15,041 charge.
When he saw the five-figure number, he was confused. Soon, it all made sense. Michael’s credit card number started with four and one. Clearly, he accidentally began typing his credit card information while his cursor (光标) was still in the donation box.
Michael planned to call Dunan to explain, but before he had the chance to do that, he started receiving Facebook messages from Shohag Chandra, the charity’s Bangladesh-based program manager, thanking him for his generous donation. After he looked through the photos of people holding thank-you signs that read his name, Michael’s heart sank. He felt terrible that he had to withdraw his handsome donation. Once his original contribution was refunded, he decided to donate $1,500.
Although Michael had told his family and friends about the tale, he decided to share it publicly on social media, after Dunan told him the organization was desperately in need of funds. “The least I could do was take the time to post this story online and see if I could inspire other people to donate to the cause,” Michael said.
Little did he know, though, that the story would be seen far and wide, ending up raising more than $120,000 for Bangladesh Relief in the span of only a few weeks—about eight times Michael’s mistaken donation. According to Dunan, more than 3,700 people have contributed because of Michael’s post. Michael has been stunned (震惊) by the ongoing outpouring of support. “Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine this reaction,” he said. “People can be amazing when they come together for something like this.”
1. How did Michael make the large donation?| A．He input an incorrect amount. | B．He encountered a system error. |
| C．He was greatly inspired by Dunan. | D．He entered wrong credit card details. |
| A．He saw people in despair. | B．He failed to offer enough money. |
| C．He didn’t receive the full refund. | D．He realized the scale of his mistake. |
| A．Dunan’s request for publicity. | B．A desire for personal recognition. |
| C．The organization’s urgent need for funds. | D．Pressure from his family and friends. |
| A．Actions speak louder than words. | B．Many hands make light work. |
| C．Always prepare for a rainy day. | D．A good beginning is half of victory. |
7 . Elmer Whitaker sighed as he looked over his muddy crops. A terrible
"What a disaster, “Whitaker said.” My whole family has always survived on the harvests of this field. I feel
Thomas calmed him down and thought for a moment. “I see this not as a disaster but as an
Elmer Whitaker considered this. Thomas was right-he had become set in his ways. This disaster could push him to make his farm
And so Whitaker
| A．force | B．smoke | C．war | D．storm |
| A．mud | B．grass | C．mist | D．dust |
| A．went on | B．set off | C．came by | D．burst in |
| A．special | B．desperate | C．sensitive | D．tireless |
| A．opportunity | B．agreement | C．intention | D．element |
| A．as usual | B．in disbelief | C．on purpose | D．with pride |
| A．innocently | B．gratefully | C．politely | D．cheerfully |
| A．major | B．traditional | C．different | D．natural |
| A．restore | B．exchange | C．donate | D．abandon |
| A．formal | B．diverse | C．realistic | D．obvious |
| A．informed | B．demanded | C．enlightened | D．promised |
| A．tasted | B．planted | C．shared | D．received |
| A．careful | B．troubled | C．familiar | D．impressed |
| A．diversify | B．remove | C．deliver | D．observe |
| A．manner | B．dream | C．symbol | D．cause |
As the afternoon sun bathed the local beach with its warm, golden rays, four-year-old William sat on the beach with a mix of expectation and confusion. His dad, Steven, sat by his side. They were waiting for William’s friends to arrive and celebrate his long-awaited birthday party. William’s wide eyes, filled with hope and happiness, stared at the shoreline, looking for familiar faces.
He kept asking his dad where everyone was, and Steven just told him “they’re coming soon, ”trying to ease his son’s growing impatience. But the longer they waited, the more hopeless William became. He was extremely disappointed when the two invited families called and said they couldn’t make it to the celebration because of unexpected situations.
Steven watched his son, who had been eagerly expecting his special day for what seemed like ages. This year, William had been more aware than ever of his upcoming birthday, asking throughout the month when his birthday was, eagerly expecting a good time.
Feeling a sense of guilt for his son’s disappointment, Steven decided to turn to social media for help. He posted a lovely picture of him and William on the beach. Their faces were filled with a mix of hope and disappointment. The sincere words with the picture read, “William would love some friends to play with on the beach. To celebrate his fourth birthday, he has Hot Wheels, sand toys, dinosaurs, and we have some snacks and drinks. Any and all welcome. ”
William’s wish for companionship produced a strong response from the local people. They flooded the post with messages of support, birthday wishes, and offers to join the celebration. They were determined to make William’s day special.
“Going there. See you soon, ”one warm-hearted local commented on the post, promising to bring her family along. The message aroused the same feeling from many others, who were quick to follow suit.
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。
Soon, the beach was filled with scenes of joy.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________After hours of laughter and games, the sun began to set.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________9 . Kids are often stressed and scared when they break a bone, but Luis Ruiz makes getting a cast(打石膏)fun at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. The doctor customizes(定制)casts of young
About ten years ago, a little boy asked Ruiz to
“It lit him up!” Ruiz remembers. That moment of joy
Since that first
“The kids just
| A．patients | B．ladies | C．adults | D．partners |
| A．revise | B．make | C．draw | D．cancel |
| A．nurse | B．boy | C．reporter | D．doctor |
| A．set | B．mix | C．clean | D．mess |
| A．preferred | B．attempted | C．continued | D．recommended |
| A．finally | B．personally | C．confidently | D．curiously |
| A．disappointed | B．prepared | C．pleased | D．tired |
| A．advised | B．inspired | C．enabled | D．allowed |
| A．broken | B．strong | C．extra | D．bad |
| A．came along | B．got on | C．let off | D．went by |
| A．sight | B．distance | C．base | D．point |
| A．ugly | B．smiley | C．lonely | D．smelly |
| A．view | B．fact | C．part | D．comment |
| A．bring | B．wish | C．lend | D．mail |
| A．hosts | B．kids | C．parents | D．myself |
When something that’s important to you disappears, don’t be hopeless. It may miraculously (奇迹般地) come back sooner or later. I learned it on one winter day.
It was one of those busy days. Especially, I had lots of clothes to wash. and Karen, my four-year-old kid, kept following me, pulling my shirt and crying for attention. I was annoyed. To stop her troubling me and make her quiet, I searched the drawers in the bedroom and found-a bag of forgotten balloons. “Yellow,” she said with joy.
The balloons were the gifts for her that her uncle had bought abroad. These balloons were of good quality and very unique, unable to be found at least in our small town. Among the balloons, the yellow one was Karen’s favorite. And there was only one yellow balloon. She viewed it as her best friend and even signed her name on its surface.
After I blew the balloon up, she cheerfully took it with tiny fingers, touching it and telling it her secrets. Immediately. her attention was attracted.
After lunch. we prepared to go to the local public clothes-washing shop. Before long. I was ready. Carrying her yellow balloon. Karen followed me into oat car. On the way, she was singing and had fun with the balloon. She kept beating the balloon against the back of the car seat. As I turned the corner, trying to keep my attention on my driving, I felt a sudden, big wind blow across my feet. I called out at once, “Karen! Close the window. It’s cold out!”
And then I heard her frightened scream. In a hurry, I looked over my shoulder, expecting to see some terrible insects that led to her being frightened. But there wasn’t one. Karen was looking out of the window. both arms reaching out, as if to get something. And she cried, “Balloon, balloon. Come back! Come back!” Then. she turned to me, calling out, “Mom, please stop the car! My balloon has escaped.”
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。
“Alright, “I said and slowly pulled over.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________While walking in the park, we suddenly found a yellow balloon flying over a tree.
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