1 . I make the most and the least sense when I’m riding my bike. It’s one of the rare things in life that lets you escape from the world, while also connecting you to it. I love to drive my way through forests, around lakes, and into little communities I never knew existed.

Along the way, my brain escapes from stress. Life quiets down to simple rhythms. Problems seem to disappear. Throw in a good podcast or music, and I’ll be gone for hours. On a nice long ride, you start finding new layers of yourself, new bursts of energy. That’s when I feel like my body is actually weightless.

Riding a bike is especially good for people like me, who have long-running knee problems.

I’m missing a fairly important ligamen(韧带)in my left knee — a surgeon took it out on my 1^st birthday, along with a tumor that had grown under my kneecap. That meant I learned to walk in a full leg cas(石膏). One leg grew a little shorter than the other, making me self-conscious about the special shoes I wore. But on a bike, I was just like anyone else. And my doctor told me from an early age that riding a bike would build up muscles to help hold my knee together.

The idea of being a “serious” cyclist still strikes me as a bit funny. After all, riding is fun. And when you’re riding for fitness, it usually means you’re using a very efficient machine not to get from point A to B, but just to ride around in a loop, with your feet moving in circles. That’s not to say I don’t keep track of my average speed after a long ride, or my monthly mileage. Those statistics are a way for me to compete with myself, and stay motivated.

I’m glad cycling has helped me stay healthy. But I love that it’s given me a place to release the pressure. Leaning over my handlebars, I’ve come to terms with setbacks and made plans for the future.

1. What can the author benefit from the cycling?

A．Losing weight.	B．Making his body energetic.
C．Getting enough fresh air.	D．Setting off for an adventure.

2. Why does the author need riding a bicycle?

A．To show his talent.	B．To learn a new skill.
C．To build up his confidence.	D．To help him recover from illness.

3. Which of the following best describes the author?

A．Persistent.

B．Self-conscious .

C．Demanding.

D．Sweet-tempered.

4. Which can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Life always makes sense.	B．That’s why I love cycling.
C．I can do everything I want.	D．I do some crazy things on my bike.

2 . Education has always been the key part of young Nikita’s life. However, the home-school _________ is a massive barrier, one that she was _________ to crossing on foot, by walking 14km every single day. _________ the struggle, her disadvantaged parents couldn’t _________ to provide her with an _________ means of transport. So Nikita had to _________ walking. Every day it would take her 2 hours to walk to school. Saturdays were _________ tiring for her, as school begins two hours earlier than usual. However, Nikita’s difficulties were about to _________ soon.

Deeply _________ by her story, Anirudhha Deshpande, the MD of City Corporation Ltd. , __________ an electric bicycle to her. He said, “I’m very impressed by Nikita’s __________ for study. Her determination to walk 14km daily and go through the forest to attend school is __________. I hope this electric bicycle will further increase her __________ and make her journey more __________.”

After receiving the gift, Nikita said, “While the wild animals in the forest do make me afraid, it is the __________ of my school that keeps me moving forward. This bicycle is a big __________ and a great encouragement to me. It will always remind me to __________ myself to pursuing my doctor dream.” According to her headmaster, Nikita is a __________ student. “From her grades to her love for study, all things are remarkable. She __________ lets her problems get in the way of her studies, and that __________ is something her classmates should learn from her.”

1.

A．distance

B．cooperation

C．difference

D．relationship

2.

A．committed

B．sensitive

C．equal

D．accustomed

3.

A．Beyond

B．Despite

C．Under

D．Against

4.

A．afford

B．agree

C．wait

D．offer

5.

A．extra

B．original

C．alternative

D．individual

6.

A．choose

B．begin

C．accept

D．continue

7.

A．occasionally

B．particularly

C．absolutely

D．obviously

8.

A．arise

B．lose

C．end

D．increase

9.

A．moved

B．shocked

C．worried

D．saddened

10.

A．set aside

B．got across

C．made over

D．gave away

11.

A．concern

B．talent

C．enthusiasm

D．demand

12.

A．worthwhile

B．admirable

C．simple

D．natural

13.

A．motivation

B．delight

C．satisfaction

D．interest

14.

A．meaningful

B．colorful

C．memorable

D．comfortable

15.

A．sight

B．image

C．thought

D．matter

16.

A．appeal

B．help

C．deal

D．shot

17.

A．apply

B．abandon

C．adapt

D．address

18.

A．mature

B．medical

C．graduate

D．star

19.

A．even

B．never

C．still

D．just

20.

A．ambition

B．responsibility

C．firmness

D．courage

3 . Bill lived in a small village in England with his father, mother and a ________ sister Nancy. They lived far away ________ the other people of the village. He had no friend to ________ together. Nancy was too young to play with Bill.

During the last ________ he got a good idea. He wrote a letter and said in it, “I am a ________ and fourteen years old. I want ________ a friend. Please write to me ________ you get this."

He put the letter in a ________ and threw it ________ the river in front of his house. He said to himself, “ ________ nobody will write to me."

________ the bottle was ________ at the seashore in France by ________ schoolgirl. She ________ the letter in the bottle and wrote to ________ . In her letter she said, " ________ happy I am to have a friend in ________ ! I am ________ . I am as old as you." One day Bill got the letter from the girl in France. He was very glad to ________ that his letter swam across the sea. ________ has immeasurable power.

1.

A．small

B．little

C．big

D．large

2.

A．with

B．from

C．among

D．beside

3.

A．write

B．work

C．play

D．talk about

4.

A．time

B．moment

C．minute

D．summer

5.

A．man

B．gentleman

C．official

D．schoolboy

6.

A．to make

B．to love

C．to have

D．to write

7.

A．because

B．though

C．till

D．if

8.

A．bottle

B．basin

C．boat

D．glass

9.

A．into

B．for

C．with

D．on

10.

A．I'm glad that

B．I'm surprised that

C．I'm sorry that

D．I'm afraid that

11.

A．For three months

B．Three months before

C．Three months later

D．Till three months

12.

A．broken

B．sunk

C．founded

D．picked up

13.

A．an

B．the

C．a

D．that

14.

A．saw

B．watched

C．read

D．looked at

15.

A．Bill

B．Nancy

C．his father

D．her mother

16.

A．What

B．How

C．What many

D．How much

17.

A．England

B．France

C．China

D．America

18.

A．fourteen

B．thirteen

C．fifteen

D．sixteen

19.

A．see

B．know

C．understand

D．say

20.

A．Letter

B．Friendship

C．People

D．Students

4 . My 12-year-old niece was staying with us for a couple of days. She was remembering some acts of kindness that we did together when she was less than five years old. We talked about how so much had changed, and with the pandemic, how difficult it would be to do so many of those things, especially when it comes to strangers.

The next day, I needed something from the downtown area and happened to take her with me. As we walked

around on the street, we heard a beautiful male voice singing a very soulful song. We turned around to see a middle-aged man sitting on a street comer with his guitar. A couple were sitting on a bench nearby and listening to his music.

After getting a few things done, we happened to sit at an outdoor dining restaurant across from him on the other side of the street. My niece was learning how to sing herself, and she kept smiling and saying how wonderful his singing was. Seeing how moved she was by his music, at the end of our meal, I gave her a ten-dollar bill and asked her to walk across the street and put it in his bowl.

She was a little surprised. “Really?” she asked with bright eyes. I nodded. So she headed over and as she approached, the man was just finishing a song and started talking to her, and they ended up having a sweet conversation. She told him how touched she was by his music, and he ended up telling her that she made his day. As she was excitedly repeating the conversation back to me, she mentioned, “He didn’t even know how much it was. He was just thankful that someone was enjoying his music.”

1. What did the author and her niece do in the first paragraph?

A．They thought back to the past.

B．They decided to do good deeds outside.

C．They made a plan for going downtown.

D．They talked about meeting more strangers.

2. What caught the author and her niece’s attention on the street?

A．A guitar.	B．A restaurant.
C．A couple.	D．A voice.

3. What did the author want her niece to do?

A．Talk with the man.	B．Praise the man.
C．Learn music from the man.	D．Give money to the man.

4. What do we know from the meeting of the man and the author’s niece?

A．They shared singing skills.

B．They felt thankful to each other.

C．The man was proud of his singing.

D．The girl introduced the author to the man.

5 . A teenager, Justin Gavin, 18 years old, was walking down the street. Suddenly, he saw something that made his heart ________.

A small SUV covered in ________ drove past him. The Police Department ________ multiple calls, describing a woman trapped inside a burning ________. Gavin was on a walk to a local market when he first ________ there was a car on fire. Drivers honked their horns（按喇叭）and got out their cars to ________ the mother of the burning vehicle. Gavin was ________ to the woman to stop the car. But she couldn't stop. That's when he didn't have time to think and fell into ________. He ________ the burning car to help the family escape. "I just felt like if I were in that ________, I would want somebody to help me out," he said. When Gavin finally ________ the vehicle, it had come to a stop. He opened the car door and pulled the three children in the back seat to ________ first. Before the flames grew ________, he had gotten everyone out in time. The ________ was engulfed（吞没）by flames moments later.

The mother ________ the teenager with saving her family's life. The Police Department honored Gavin as a ________. Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo ________ the teenager with a "challenge coin" to acknowledge his ________ act. Gavin smiled big as the Chief shook his hand and offered him the ________. And Gavin realized the experience was ________.

1.

A．sink

B．open

C．smile

D．fail

2.

A．gas

B．flames

C．hopes

D．fear

3.

A．recalled

B．returned

C．received

D．rewarded

4.

A．truck

B．tool

C．board

D．vehicle

5.

A．understood

B．realized

C．insisted

D．wondered

6.

A．approve

B．suspect

C．remind

D．accuse

7.

A．yelling

B．responding

C．whispering

D．complaining

8.

A．ground

B．danger

C．excitement

D．action

9.

A．took off

B．came out

C．chased down

D．ran away

10.

A．platform

B．situation

C．family

D．area

11.

A．reached

B．postponed

C．witnessed

D．occupied

12.

A．safety

B．condition

C．base

D．decision

13.

A．thinner

B．darker

C．deeper

D．bigger

14.

A．teenager

B．car

C．woman

D．children

15.

A．provided

B．assisted

C．connected

D．credited

16.

A．host

B．scholar

C．hero

D．celebrity

17.

A．awarded

B．attained

C．appointed

D．advocated

18.

A．demanding

B．aggressive

C．comfortable

D．courageous

19.

A．behavior

B．appreciation

C．potential

D．opportunity

20.

A．hopeful

B．available

C．educative

D．puzzling