1 . Have you ever had an embarrassing experience? Last week we asked readers to tell us about embarrassing experiences. We received thousands of letters! Here is a selection.
Tony: My most embarrassing experience happened when I had just left university. I had just started teaching in a Liverpool middle school. One morning my alarm clock didn’t ring. I woke up at half past eight and school began at nine. I quickly washed, dressed, jumped into my car and rushed to school. When I arrived, the students had already gone into class. I didn’t go to the office, but went straight into class. After two or three minutes the students began laughing, and I couldn’t understand why! Suddenly I looked down and understood. I had put on one black shoe and one brown shoe!
Henry: The most embarrassing experience I’ve ever had happened two years ago. After seeing a film, my wife and I had lunch in our favorite restaurant in town. Then we decided to take a walk along the street. The street was very busy and we started holding hands. Suddenly my wife saw a dress that she liked in a shop window, and stopped. I started looking at some watches in the next window. After a minute or two I reached for my wife’s hand. There was a loud scream, and a woman slapped my face. I hadn’t taken my wife’s hand. I’d taken the hand of a complete stranger (陌生人)!
1. Tony arrived at school late that morning because ________.| A．he couldn’t find hid shoes | B．his alarm clock didn’t ring |
| C．he washed and dressed slowly | D．his car went wrong on the way |
| A．wearing a wrong shoe | B．his alarm clock didn’t ring |
| C．looking down suddenly | D．rushing into the classroom |
| A．at the cinema | B．in the shop |
| C．at the restaurant | D．along the street |
| A．尖叫声 | B．笑声 | C．哭声 | D．呼救声 |
| A．slapped the woman in the face | B．took the hand of a complete stranger |
| C．heard his wife screaming in the street | D．knocked over some watches in the shops |
My problems started when we were having a biology class. Students were curious about a picture of ducks and wanted to see the kind of animals. Mrs Reno, our biology teacher, told us that she had a baby duck in her yard and could take him to us to know him. But baby ducks were on my list of terrifying things. Because I’ve always been afraid of these furry (毛茸茸的) animals.
To make matters worse, Trent Dillard was in my class again, Last year, I had to sit in front of him. He knew I was afraid of furry animals, and all the year he pretended to put them on my hair.
The next day. Mrs Reno took a cage, a baby duck inside it. She pulled out the baby duck and set him on the desk. “This is Ripley,” she said. Strangely, he seemed to understand what Mrs Reno said, and he was quiet and stayed at the desk.
Trent whispered (小声说), “I think you’re scared of him.” “I am not!” I said. Mrs Reno looked towards Trent and me. “What’s wrong?” she asked. “Amy’s scared of Ripley,” Trent announced. “No, I’m not.” I was nervous. “I love ducks. They’re my favorite animals.” Mrs Reno smiled, “I was going to ask for a volunteer to feed Ripley at recess (课间休息), but since you’re a duck lover, how would you like the job?” She probably thought I was speech-less with joy. But I was very frightened.
At that time, Trent stood up and said, “I want to join Amy.” Mrs Reno said, “OK. I guess Amy can have a helper.” During the recess, Trent opened the cage and caught Ripley. “Careful!” I cried, surprised that I was worried about him. Trent looked out the window. “Hey, the guys are playing football and I’ll go. Take Ripley.” “You can just put him down.” I meant for Trent to put him down inside the cage, but Trent set him on the floor and ran out-side. At that time, Ripley walked towards the door.
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。
I took a deep breath (呼吸) and caught Ripley.
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In fact. Mrs Reno knew I was afraid of Ripley and was glad that I could overcome my fear.
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3 . Like a lot of people, I started running to lose weight. That was in 2004 when I was in college, battling the 40-plus pounds I’d gained from my diet of pasta, fries and sweets. It took me over five years to lose weight, but I never was able to get super lean and muscular like I had always wanted to be.
As a mother, I have gone through two pregnancies (怀孕), gaining 50-plus pounds during each, and always ran to lose weight. Even running 45 minutes three to four times a week didn’t help me lose those last 10 pounds. Running an hour five times a week and doing long training runs on the weekend just made me super hungry, and I ended up gaining weight.
I gradually gave up running. I wasn’t excited to do it anymore because it wasn’t offering the results I thought it should have. I decided to take a leap and sign up for a month-long program for CrossFit. I started going there five days a week. After one month of CrossFit, I was shocked at how my body had changed. In the first month I was there, I never repeated the same exercise. Before trying CrossFit, I put in a lot of miles running, but my heart rate never got as high as it does doing five minutes of wall balls, box jumps and burpees.
It has been three months since I started CrossFit. I love my new exercise routine (一套动作) because I’m actually excited to go when my alarm goes off at 4:40 am. It’s fun to try a new exercise routine. I’m proud to see what I can achieve and how strong I’m getting, and I also look forward to sweating alongside the same dedicated (热忱的), supportive, and inspiring group of people in the morning.
1. What can we infer from Paragraph 1?| A．The author had a sweet tooth. | B．The author led a relaxing life. |
| C．The author succeeded in losing weight. | D．The author was a strong-minded woman. |
| A．She was tired every day. | B．She lost the last 10 pounds. |
| C．She stayed fit and healthy. | D．She was putting on weight. |
| A．A running routine. | B．A kind of exercise. |
| C．An interesting game. | D．A kind of equipment. |
| A．Helpful. | B．Difficult. | C．Cheap. | D．Boring. |
I’d lived next door to Debbie and her 84-year-old mother, Nan, for about six months and we’d become fast friends. Nan was blind and was also hard of hearing. One day, when Debbie was at work, she asked me to check on her mother. She fixed some baby monitors (监控器) and gave me a receiver.
I was glad to help. But I also felt a little funny about it. After all, what could I do? I’ve been born blind, too. In fact, at 54, I’d come to wonder if I had much value anymore.
At 9:00 pm I grabbed up my cane (手杖) and headed over to Debbie’s. After a brief check, I felt everything was fine, so I said goodnight to Nan. Then I locked the door and found my way home. I sat on my chair, switched on the receiver and laid it on an end table. However, Minutes later I heard a sound. It was Nan on the receiver. She was walking slowly across the floor. A door opened. Maybe she’s heading to the bathroom. Then I heard something strange, something I couldn’t identify. Had she turned on the shower? Why? Maybe the sound was something else. Something catching fire?
The monitor was one-way. I couldn’t call her. I reached for my cane and starting to get worried. I got out of my chair and headed for the door. “Jim! Jim!” I heard over the monitor. “The house is on fire! Help!”
I went as fast as I could to Debbie’s. I had to get Nan out. But how? I wasn’t even sure where Nan was, let alone how I would get to her. One thing I knew: There wasn’t much time. When getting to the front door, I could smell heavy and thick smoke. I reached for my key and unlocked the door. “Nan!” I called. No sound. Was I too late?
“Here, Jim. Help!” Her voice was weak.
“Nan, where are you? Keep talking!”
注意：
1.续写词数应为150左右。
2.请按如下格式在相应位置作答。
“Here, Jim, here!” Sounded as if she’s right in front of me.
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I tapped with my cane until we found the front door.
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5 . Bailey, a recently adopted dog ran away from her new owner. The adoptive family had searched for it for several days, but
They
Bailey
“At 1:42am Bailey is ringing the doorbell like, ‘I’m
Hyde
Bailey is now home with her new family.
1.| A．in trouble | B．in vain | C．at risk | D．under attack |
| A．jumped | B．brought | C．turned | D．took |
| A．watch | B．exhibition | C．business | D．sale |
| A．believe | B．change | C．expect | D．hope |
| A．flight | B．drive | C．length | D．journey |
| A．mental | B．digital | C．local | D．good |
| A．left | B．reached | C．abandon | D．adopt |
| A．new | B．former | C．old | D．forever |
| A．tired | B．fine | C．honored | D．home |
| A．going | B．singing | C．falling | D．shouting |
| A．reaching | B．crying | C．waiting | D．waving |
| A．got | B．took | C．blew | D．rushed |
| A．hard | B．aloud | C．far | D．little |
| A．night | B．evening | C．afternoon | D．morning |
| A．special | B．long | C．critical | D．short |
Thirty years ago, I was a sixteen-year-old boy, tall and thin. It was the end of summer and the cool winds of fall were in the air. In front of a house, there was a truckload of wood, which my father, my brother and I had unloaded the day before.
My father and my brother were out to do farm work, so I needed to move these pieces of wood around the house again and again to where we were piling the chooped wood. And then I would cover it with oilcloth to keep it from getting wet. In those days, we used to use these wood fires to cook. We tried our best to collect firewood because we still needed some to get through the whole winter.
I worked fast at first, but soon I realized that I needed to go slower if I didn’t want to make myself too tired. Then I spent much time piling the wood and tying it together with a rope in case of falling down. To start with, I thought the work was boring. But then it became a game for me. Seeing that I could pile the wood so neatly, I smiled during the hard work.
After a while, the wood was all piled up, and my skinny arms felt a little sore. However, I didn’t stop working. I still needed to fetch some water with containers from the spring near our home. Our well water was so full of iron that it tasted terrible, so all cooking and drinking water had to come from the spring. The five-gallon containers felt like they weighed a ton, but I picked one at a time and carried them all up the hill to my house.
As I carried the last container back home, I saw my mother smiling at me at the door with a glass of tea in her hand. She said to me, “Here you are, baby. Just take a break.” We sat down with our dogs at our feet, watching the leaves blowing in the wind. Relaxing in the moment of peace and harmony, I figured out a good way to get water easier.
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。
I decided to make a pipe to convey water.
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My neighbors came to my house to get water at dusk.
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Jim Fraser would observe a little girl selling flowers beside a street on his way from work every day. She sat by a large green board and a banner that read, “Brighten your day with these flowers, and your help can brighten mine.”
Every time Jim crossed that specific street, he noticed that the girl was there. Unfortunately, few paid attention to her and she rarely sold anything. Jim always wanted to help her, and one day he got his chance. One of his office’s clerk was retiring. He wanted to get her something, and he thought a bouquet (花束) would be a great idea.
He stopped by the little girl that day, “Hello there,” he said, smiling, “could you please make me a fresh bouquet of roses?”
The girl raised her head, shyly, “Thank you for buying flowers from me. Please select the flowers and I will tie them together for you.”
He picked up the flowers and handed them to her. The little girl reached for a sheet and a ribbon beside her, and she skillfully made a lovely bouquet and extended to Jim. Jim was blown away by the girl’s abilities.
“Wow! That’s lovely. Thank you again for the bouquet. What’s your name, by theway?”
“I’m Cassy, and I’m 11 years old,” she said brightly, lowering her head again. “I hope you like the flowers, Please come for more!”
“I love them, Cassy. Thank you! I’m Jim. It is nice to meet you!” Jim smiled at her shyness.
The next day, Jim was on his way from work. However, he didn’t see Cassy in her usual spot. And she didn’t show up for several days in a row.
Jim was afraid that something horrible had happened to her. He asked the shops nearby and people around if they knew anything about Cassy, but regrettably, nothing came of it. Thankfully, after a week on his way from work, Cassy had returned with her flowers! However, she appeared incredibly skinny and pale, as if she hadn’t eaten and washed up in days, if not weeks.
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。
Jim asked why she hadn’t been here in days.
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To assist Cassy and her mother, Jim created a GoFundMe page online.
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In the spare time, Mrs Green always asked her sons, Alan and John to help their neighbor, Ms Maud, to clean her house because she was too old to do it herself. They helped Ms Maud throughout the spring.
Summer vacation just began. The two brothers planned to play tennis with friends every day, so they could make the freshman team. However, Alan’s racket (球拍) was lost, which disappointed him a lot.
As usual, Alan and John came to Ms Maud’s house to help her. They went down the block to the Ms Maud’s and got started. Before cleaning, John put boxes that were thrown around the garage (车库) floor on shelves. When John put a big box on a shelf, he found a tennis racket in the box. It was a new racket, which was exactly what Alan wanted.
“You’ve got to see this.” John took out the tennis racket and showed it to Alan.
“Whoa, where did you get that?” Alan asked. John pointed to the shelf, “It was just in the box over there.” Alan continued to say, “It is so beautiful. My tennis racket was missing. If we take it, I believe no one will ever know.” He looked at the garage door, which was closed.
But John didn’t think it’s a good idea, “Well, we do a lot of things for Ms Maud and don’t get paid. It’s not really stealing. It’s a kind of payment for our hard work,” said Alan. Without hesitation (犹豫), John looked at the racket, took it from Alan’s hand and put it back in the box.
“Hello, boys.” At that time, Ms Maud walked into the garage, surprising them. “I’ve made a cake. Can you come in for a piece? I really appreciate all the things you do for me.” “Ugh... sure, Ms Maud,” said John. “Let us finish up and we’ll be right in.” Ms Maud went back to her house.
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。
Then, John told Alan that Ms Maud always rewarded (奖励) them for helping her.
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After Alan and John finished the cake, Ms Maud walked in and handed Alan a new tennis racket.
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9 . A few days ago, I sat in the sofa watching TV. Just then I got a
His mother was badly ill in hospital. She couldn’t sleep at night and often
Do you know
| A．letter | B．e-mail | C．call | D．message |
| A．in | B．for | C．at | D．of |
| A．mother | B．father | C．brother | D．sister |
| A．talked | B．talk | C．to talk | D．talking |
| A．to | B．about | C．for | D．with |
| A．stop | B．to stop | C．stopped | D．not to stop |
| A．cried | B．shouted | C．laughed | D．heard |
| A．something | B．anything | C．nothing | D．none |
| A．what | B．whom | C．where | D．that |
| A．too | B．either | C．also | D．else |
10 . Two sisters have a debate about which life is better: city or country life. The elder sister, who lives in a city,
The younger sister’s husband, Pahom, has the same opinion with her. He thinks that everything is good with their country life, except that he
Man is never satisfied, and he often becomes greedy in an effort to
| A．insists | B．hopes | C．doubts | D．ensures |
| A．while | B．whether | C．though | D．since |
| A．food | B．achievement | C．comfort | D．scenes |
| A．loses | B．owns | C．needs | D．wins |
| A．manages | B．prepares | C．happens | D．fails |
| A．Besides | B．However | C．Otherwise | D．Therefore |
| A．In return to | B．In addition to | C．In order to | D．In time to |
| A．talk | B．deal | C．discussion | D．date |
| A．evening | B．daytime | C．afternoon | D．weekday |
| A．rule | B．wish | C．trouble | D．condition |
| A．desire | B．willingness | C．ability | D．way |
| A．ultimately | B．quickly | C．slowly | D．suddenly |
| A．reward | B．encourage | C．bury | D．satisfy |
| A．abandon | B．gain | C．keep | D．learn |
| A．remember | B．argue | C．regret | D．decide |
