1 . Charity in Action
In a busy city like Shanghai, the hustle and bustle often overshadow the needs of those less fortunate. However, amidst this chaos, there are still stories of
One such story unfolded one sunny afternoon in the heart of the city. Li Hua, a high school student, was walking home from school,
Curious, she approached and saw an elderly woman sitting on the ground,
Without
Inspired by this encounter, Li Hua decided to take action. She organized a charity event at her school,
To her surprise, the response was
The charity event was a huge success. Not only did it raise a significant amount of money and goods, but it also
Li Hua’s actions not only
In the busy and often impersonal world of Shanghai, Li Hua’s story is a beacon of hope, a reminder that amidst the noise and crowds, there is still room for
| A．charity | B．success | C．adventure | D．courage |
| A．advocated | B．annoyed | C．amused | D．amazed |
| A．happy | B．lost | C．helpless | D．hopeless |
| A．sorrow | B．happiness | C．confusion | D．surprise |
| A．hesitation | B．permission | C．doubt | D．invitation |
| A．sad | B．nervous | C．warm | D．proud |
| A．reducing | B．gaining | C．losing | D．raising |
| A．carried out | B．gave away | C．put up | D．took down |
| A．negative | B．indifferent | C．overwhelming | D．disappointing |
| A．offering | B．demanding | C．expecting | D．refusing |
| A．created | B．destroyed | C．ignored | D．avoided |
| A．ignored | B．highlighted | C．linked | D．analyzed |
| A．helped | B．hurt | C．ignored | D．frightened |
| A．shaking | B．showing | C．lending | D．pointing |
| A．kindness | B．wealth | C．fame | D．power |
2 . Australia looks browner and flatter than I remembered; it’s dry grass here and there dotted with tough bushes and unremarkable buildings. The lighting is violently intense.
My friend keeps talking in the driver’s seat and I respond with ‘Ah-huh’ and ‘Oh really?’ to appear interested in her string of gossip about people whose faces I have long forgotten, whose stories I’ve stopped caring about.
‘Are you okay?’ my friend asks, taking her eyes off the road to study my expression with her all-knowing eyes.
‘Just tired,’ I say. She accepts my lie with an unconvinced shrug. I keep searching in my mind’s eyes, hoping to bring back into focus images from the remote towns of Asia: steam coming off boiling pots, baskets filled with strange fruits, giant pigs alongside little kids.
I laugh at the thought.
‘Something funny?’ my friend asks.
‘Oh, just a memory,’ I say. ‘The little kids in northern Thailand were so friendly. When we’d pass them in the street, they’d greet us at the top of their lungs in their native language.’
‘Cool,’ she says, and then-’Hey, guess what? I had my bathroom remade!’ ‘Wow,’ I say. And then she details her bathroom project, and I ‘Ah-huh’ and ‘Oh really?’. Home improvements, kids, full-time jobs: these are the standard conversation topics of thirty-something women. In the years since I left, my friends have matured into responsible adults, but I’m stuck in another place entirely, more comfortable in a local bus traveling along the edge of a Himalayan mountain. If they are all grownups now, what does that make me?
People say that travel changes you, but I never anticipated it would be like this. I close my eyes and return to the excitement of being sped at 565 miles per hour to somewhere foreign and wild. But I must stay this time. My dad has been diagnosed with a serious illness and so here I am, back in reality, back to my roots.
1. How does the author feel on her arrival in Australia?| A．Interested. | B．Conflicted. | C．Exhausted. | D．Excited. |
| A．They have different interests and lives as grownups. |
| B．They share fond memories of growing up together. |
| C．They care about and provide updates for each other. |
| D．They enjoy telling personal stories to exchange ideas. |
| A．they make me think of growing up as they do |
| B．we are all adults who will eventually settle down |
| C．a comfortable home is what we all need as adults |
| D．diverse experiences shape individuals’ life paths |
| A．Feeling Lost When Back in Australia |
| B．The Excitement of Traveling to Australia |
| C．Australia: A Place like Asia in My Heart |
| D．Out of Asia, Out of Mind |
3 . The train was at a standstill, some twenty minutes outside Kolkata, when an unexpected stroke of luck presented Piya with an opportunity to go for a seat beside a window for some fresh air. She had been sitting in the stuffiest part of the train compartment, on the edge of a bench, now, moving to the open window, she saw that the train had stopped at a station called Champahati.
Looking over her shoulder, Piya spotted a tea-seller on the platform. Reaching through the bars of the window, she called him with a wave. She had never cared for the kind of chai, Indian tea, sold in Seattle, her hometown in the USA, but somehow, in the ten days she had spent in India she had developed an unexpected taste for milky, overboiled tea served in earthenware cups. There were no spices in it for one thing, and this was more to her taste than the chai at home.
She paid for her tea and was trying to get in the cup through the bars when the man in the seat opposite her own suddenly turned over a page, jolting her hand. She turned her wrist quickly enough to make sure that most of the tea spilled out of the window, but she could not prevent some from spilling over his papers.
“Oh, I’m so sorry!” Piya was very embarrassed: of everyone in the compartment, this was the last person she would have chosen to injure with her tea. She had noticed him while waiting on the platform in Kolkata and she had been struck by the self-satisfied tilt of his head and the way in which he stared at everyone around him, taking them in, sizing them up, sorting them all into their places.
“Here,” said Piya, producing a handful of tissues. “Let me help you clean up.”
“There’s nothing to be done,” he said testily (暴躁地). “These pages are ruined anyway.”
For a moment she considered pointing out that it was he who had knocked her hand. But all she could bring herself to say was, “I’m very sorry. I hope you’ll excuse me.”
“Do I really have a choice?” he said. “Does anyone have a choice when they’re dealing with Americans these days?”
Piya had no wish to get into an argument so she let this pass. Instead, she opened her eyes wide and, in an attempt to restore peace, came out with, “But how did you guess?”
“About what?”
“About my being American? You’re very observant.”
This seemed to do the trick. His shoulders relaxed as he leaned back in his seat. “I didn’t guess,” he said. “I knew.”
1. In the first paragraph, Piya was relieved when she got a window seat because it meant that ________.| A．there was more room for her luggage |
| B．she no longer had to suffer from a lack of air |
| C．there was less chance that she would miss her stop |
| D．she didn’t have to stand for the rest of the train journey |
| A．was disappointingly weak in taste |
| B．reminded her of her home in Seattle |
| C．would have tasted better if served fresh |
| D．was preferable to the chai she had had before |
| A．find out what the man really thought about Americans |
| B．ensure the man realized that she had apologized |
| C．try to calm the situation down by starting a conversation |
| D．make sure the man knew he was being rude |
4 . Artist Susan Shepherd is best known for her flower paintings, and the large garden that surrounds her house is the source of many of her subjects. It is full of her favourite flowers, most especially vancties of tulips and poppies. Some of the plants are unruly and seed themselves all over the garden. There is a harmony of colour, shape and structure in the two long flower borders that line the paved path which crosses the garden from east to west. Much of this is due to the previous owners who were keen gardeners, and who left plants that appealed to Susan. She also inherited the gardener, Danny. “In fact, it was really his garden,” she says. “We got on very well. At first he would say, “Oh, it’s not worth it” to some of the things I wanted to put in, but when I said I wanted to paint them, he recognized what I had in mind.”
Susan prefers to focus on detailed studies of individual plants rather than on the garden as a whole, though she will occasionally paint a group of plants where they are. More usually, she picks them and then takes them up to her studio. “I don’t set the whole thing up at once,” she says. “I take one flower up at once,” she says. “I take one flower out and paint it, which might take a few days, and then I bring in another one and build up the painting that way. Sometimes it takes a couple of years to finish.”
Her busiest time of year is spring and early summer, when the tulips are out, followed by the poppies. “They all come out together, and you’re so busy,” she says. But the gradual decaying process is also part of the fascination for her. With tulips, for example, “you bring them in and put them in water, then leave them for perhaps a day and they each form themselves into different shapes. They open out and are fantastic. When you first put them in a vase, you think they are boring, but they change all the time with twists and turns.”
1. In the first paragraph, the author describes Susan’s garden as ________.| A．being only partly finished |
| B．having a path lined with flowers |
| C．having caused problems for the previous owners |
| D．needing a lot of work to keep it looking attractive |
| A．He felt she was interfering in his work. |
| B．He immediately understood her feelings. |
| C．He was recommended by the previous owners. |
| D．He was slow to see the point of some of her ideas. |
| A．She creates her paintings in several stages. |
| B．She spends all day painting an individual flower. |
| C．She likes to do research on a plant before she paints it. |
| D．She will wait until a flower is ready to be picked before painting it. |
| A．look best some time after they have been cut. |
| B．should be kept in the house for as long as possible. |
| C．are not easy to paint because they change so quickly. |
| D．are more colourful and better shaped than other flowers. |
A Good Samaritan (助人为乐者) Saves Bride’s Big Day
In a heartwarming display of kindness and good fortune, a passerby came to the rescue of a bride whose wedding day nearly took an unexpected turn for the worse
Sharon Travers was on her way to the ceremony at Cults Parish Church in Aberdeen, Scotland,
The car Triumph Stag
Following the successful rescue mission, Sharon
Thanks to the power of social media and a community-driven appeal, the anonymous (匿名的) Good Samaritan
“I’m glad the bride managed to get to the church on time,” Alan said.
“I just really want to say thank you,” Sharon responded. “I’m now laughing about it, but I certainly wasn’t at the time. I’m so grateful. It was such a fantastic moment.”
6 . People used to find it safe to keep their treasure and money in some secret or unknown places. They tried various ways as they could think out. They buried treasure to stop other people from taking it. They chose a quiet place, dug a deep hole and buried the treasure in it. Then they made a map of where the treasure was or wrote down other clues that would help them or someone else to find it again.
In Britain a few years ago, a writer wrote about some treasure that he had buried. He put clues in the story to help readers find it. Thousands of people hunted for the treasure. They dug holes all over Britain, hoping to find it.
One of the most popular adventure stories ever written is Robert Louis Stephenson’s “Treasure Island”, an exciting story about a young boy, Jim Hawkins, who is captured by pirates (海盗) and later finds some buried treasure.
Then there is the true story about a man who had to travel overseas for a year. He did not trust banks, so he buried his life savings in a park. Then he went away. On his return, he went straight to the park. But the park was no longer there. In its place there was a huge building.
And then there was a woman who buried her savings, all in bank notes, in a waterproof bag. When she dug it up years later, there was nothing left. Worms and insects had eaten the bag and everything in it.
And of course, these are stories about people who bury things and either forget where they have buried them or lose the map.
Although it is true that people sometimes lose their money because a bank fails, banks are still the safest place to keep our savings and treasures.
1. _________ could help them or someone else to find it again.| A．Making a map of the place and writing down some clues |
| B．Digging another hole and writing some clues |
| C．Colouring the place and making the map |
| D．Asking someone else and numbering the place |
| A．really had buried some small coins |
| B．started a nationwide treasure hunt |
| C．had lost his treasure and wanted people to help him find it |
| D．caused trouble because people dug holes everywhere |
| A．thought his money was safer there than in a bank |
| B．stayed away longer than he expected |
| C．got his life savings back again |
| D．travelled on the sea for a year |
| A．we cannot trust banks |
| B．we should not trust anyone |
| C．burying may not be the safe way to keep something valuable |
| D．insects can keep anything valuable |
7 . We lost another tree in our last storm, and it broke my heart. Thanks to the large amounts of rainfall here in the Pacific Northwest, tree roots don’t grow very deep or provide a strong anchor against the wind. We have lost many trees through the years, but this one was different.
About 17 years ago, I joined the Arbor Day Foundation, and they sent me 10 Canadian blue spruce seedlings. Our property has many large Douglas firs, which are magnificent trees, but I wanted to add some variety. I planted my blue spruce seedlings along the driveway, and I did all I could to protect them.
Shortly after that, a storm with gusts up to 129km/h ripped through our area and took down many of our fir trees. My seedlings survived. But when we decided to join our neighbor in selling our downed trees to a logger, we had to move the seedlings to keep them from getting destroyed. Sadly, five of the 10 blue spruce trees didn’t survive being moved.
Of the five that lived, three were in our front yard, where I could watch them grow into mature trees from my front window. When one of the big Douglas firs that towered over them died, we decided to cut it down before it fell.
After much debate, my husband, Eldon, and my son-in-law Gary Parker decided they could drop it without hitting any of the blue spruce trees. I watched breathlessly as the drama unfolded, praying the whole time I heard the chainsaw. The fir fell right between two of them as planned, and my trees continued to grow.
Then one night I was lying in bed during yet another windstorm and heard a loud noise, followed by the sound of a tree crashing down. The next morning I awoke to find the largest of our blue spruces lying on the ground; I was incredibly upset. For 17 years, I’d enjoyed watching it grow from a seedling to a tree nearly 40 feet (12.2 meters) tall. Now it was gone!
Losing my tree was hard to accept, even though I knew that it was nature’s way. I also knew there was only one thing I could do about it. Another 10 new seedlings recently arrived from the Arbor Day Foundation. I planted them in a safe spot close to the house. When they’re a little larger, I’ll transplant them to a permanent spot where I can watch them grow tall and beautiful.
1. Why does the author share the fact that the tree lost in the last storm was “different” in the first paragraph?| A．Mainly because it was a rare Canadian blue spruce. |
| B．Mainly because it had survived many strong windstorms. |
| C．Mainly because she had devoted a great deal of effort to protecting it. |
| D．Mainly because the author once signed an agreement with the Foundation. |
| A．most trees were too weak to protect themselves from the windstorm |
| B．many trees did not survive after being relocated to a permanent spot |
| C．she plants trees along the driveway where the wind affects them greatly |
| D．the amount of rainfall there means tree roots can’t provide firm support |
| A．All the blue spruces were coincidentally uprooted in the last severe storm. |
| B．The author’s family cut the fir to make room for the blue spruces around it. |
| C．The author planned to sell blue spruces to a logger when they were mature. |
| D．The author was worried that cutting the dead fir would hurt the blue spruces. |
| A．The author couldn’t get over the fact that she had lost her blue spruces. |
| B．The author wanted to fight against nature by planting more trees. |
| C．The Arbor Day Foundation provides guidance about transplantation. |
| D．The author is hopeful about the new blue spruces she has newly planted. |
Several years ago, a co-worker invited me over for a classic social tradition: a game night. I don’t like board games. When I’m hanging out with others, I much prefer the free flow of conversation
So obviously, eager to make new friends. I told my co-work I was in.
The evening was disappointing. An alarmingly complex game was first explained and then repeated, upon my request. I
Not being a game person nowadays can make one feel like an exception. Board games, which in 2021 were a $13. 4 billion global market, are surging in popularity. There are people who love socializing through games in every town,
However, I still have a general sense
9 . It started with a bit of casual discomfort on the head, but after a week it had spread to the back of my neck, enough to lead me to my laptop. Annoying as it was, I was
As soon as I’d tapped in ‘online self-diagnosis’, the search engine provided me with over 11.5 million results. And during the time normally spent in the clinic’s waiting room reading the Women’s Weekly, I was able to find a site that would provide a free
I answered all the questions until I eventually reached a description exactly matching my
I headed off to the doctor for what I thought would be a blood test but which turned out to be a valuable lesson in not
I learnt my lesson, but for some the worry caused by
Once upon a time, hypochondria required time and effort: you had to go to the library to research your diseases and
| A．reluctant | B．surprised | C．able | D．sure |
| A．knowledge | B．association | C．evidence | D．medication |
| A．sample | B．assessment | C．subscription | D．upgrade |
| A．standards | B．arguments | C．definitions | D．symptoms |
| A．fortunate | B．touched | C．alarmed | D．different |
| A．believing | B．explaining | C．questioning | D．covering |
| A．keeping | B．losing | C．drying | D．washing |
| A．taking off | B．putting on | C．breaking away | D．looking up |
| A．dropped | B．differed | C．increased | D．helped |
| A．safety | B．health | C．access | D．money |
| A．available | B．accurate | C．misleading | D．complex |
| A．occasionally | B．automatically | C．painstakingly | D．literally |
| A．bringing to light | B．taking into consideration | C．putting into practice | D．setting on top |
| A．rare | B．hard | C．large | D．simple |
| A．state | B．change | C．freedom | D．peace |
10 . The Catnapper Mystery
Cody, the catnapper, had a talent for taking cats from trees, yards, and porches. He’d keep them until their owners paid for their return. One day, Milly’s kitten Mousie was missing. Milly accused Cody. “No way!” said Detective Denny. “I saw Cody catch a train to Planters Plain this morning. Mousie can’t have been kidnapped (绑架) by Cody!”
“There are no paw prints on my lawn,” noted Milly. “Mousie didn’t just scamper off!”
“And there are no sneaker prints,” said Detective Denny. “Cody only wears sneakers.” Then he noticed tiny holes in the grass that looked like they were made by high-heeled shoes. Denny pulled out a pencil. He was very careful as he measured the holes. “Half a pencil deep! Only Patty Perry’s Pet Shop wears heels that high and thin.”
Milly and Detective Denny ran to Patty’s, where a man was loading pets into a van. “Where are these animals going?” asked Milly.
“To Carter’s Cats in Planters Plain,” he replied.
“Where is Patty Perry?” asked Detective Denny.
“She had to catch a train,” said the man.
“Hmmm,” thought Denny. “Cody’s full name is Cody Carter. Sounds like Carter’s Cats! And he’s on a train to Planters Plain.”
Denny figured Patty would sell the cats and then Cody would steal them back. Only this time, Patty made the snatch. “They resell the cats in Planters Plain,” he realized, “and split the money!”
“Sounds illegal!” said the man with the van.
The Planters Plain police met the train and took the catnappers straight to jail. Best of all, the cats in captivity, including Milly’s Mousie, were returned to their owners.
1. Millie accused Cody of taking her cat because ________.| A．Cody was a detective | B．Cody was a catnapper |
| C．Cody owned a pet shop | D．Cody had a van |
| A．holes from Patty’s high heels | B．prints from Mousie’s paws |
| C．footprints from Cody’s sneakers | D．pets in the van |
| A．Cody left for Planters Plain. | B．Mousie was missing. |
| C．The catnappers went to jail. | D．Denny looked at Milly’s lawn. |
