Mother’s Day was around the corner. Everyone in the class was discussing what gift they should give to their beloved moms. Their teacher, Ms. Jenkins, was instructing them to make pretty postcards with a soulful message.
On Monday morning, Ms. Jenkins entered the classroom. Before she could say something to greet the kids as usual, 8-year-old Simon raised his hand as quickly as possible.
“Yes, Simon?” asked the teacher with a questioning look and the big smile often hanging on her face.
“Excuse me, Ms. Jenkins. What did you get for Mother’s Day?” he inquired.
All his classmates looked at their teacher and Ms. Jenkins smiled again, struggling to hide her sadness, which flashed across her face. “Sadly, nothing. Simon, I don’t have kids.”
Simon felt sorry for his teacher. He could not figure why. It seemed unfair that she didn’t receive anything for Mother’s Day when she was surrounded by kids all the time. She should have received something. Suddenly a good idea hit him.
That afternoon, school over, Simon flew home like a rabbit. After having finished counting the few dollars in his piggy bank, he asked his mother to take him to the flower shop nearby.
When they got in the car, Simon explained to his mother what he would do. Having understood the whole story, his mother looked at him with a loving expression.
The following day, Simon arrived at his classroom with a bunch of flowers and presented it to Ms. Jenkins with a bright smile. “I know you’re not a mother, but you treat us with kindness, affection and patience. You surely deserve a Mother’s Day gift, too,” he said to his teacher, whose jaw dropped in shock. The other kids applauded as Simon hugged Ms. Jenkins.
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。
Astonished and joyful, Ms. Jenkins stood there still.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The other kids came up one by one.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________2 . In a heartwarming incident that highlights the power of human connection, a woman’s act of kindness saved the life of a struggling homeless man.
During a
Casey went over to engage him in
After
Upon opening the
Casey posted on social media later that day that “this lovely man’s name was Chris, and Chris was one of the most
| A．holiday | B．break | C．gap | D．pause |
| A．recognized | B．dominated | C．spotted | D．consulted |
| A．Basically | B．Repeatedly | C．Eventually | D．Amazingly |
| A．afford | B．deliver | C．abuse | D．guarantee |
| A．experiment | B．reputation | C．argument | D．conversation |
| A．Touched | B．Persuaded | C．Frustrated | D．Criticized |
| A．tea | B．coffee | C．gift | D．seat |
| A．dynamic | B．reliable | C．precise | D．mean |
| A．restored | B．spoke | C．enhanced | D．complained |
| A．realizing | B．convincing | C．disturbing | D．acquiring |
| A．leave | B．wait | C．skip | D．bless |
| A．reward | B．message | C．apology | D．excuse |
| A．book | B．door | C．note | D．essay |
| A．pursuits | B．welfare | C．reasons | D．hope |
| A．sincere | B．negative | C．enthusiastic | D．hardworking |
3 . In 2019, after retiring from her career as a social worker, Ane Freed - Kernis decided to build a home workshop and devote all of her free time to stone carving. “I might be covered head to to e in dust but I’m happy — it was something I needed more of in my life when I hit 60,” she says.
This appeal has its origins in Freed - Kernis’ childhood. Growing up on her father’s farm in Denmark, she used to wander through the fields with her eyes fixed on the ground, looking for stones to add to her collection. “I’ve always been drawn to the shapes and textures (质地) of stones,” she says.
After moving to England in 1977 and training as a social worker, Freed - Kernis soon became occupied with her busy career and the demands of raising her son. Stones were the last thing on her mind, until her father died in 2005. “He took a stone carving course in his retirement, and I always thought stone seemed so fun but never had the time to look into it myself,” she says. “After he died, I became determined to learn in his honour.”
Signing up for a week-long stone carving course at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Freed-Kernis began to learn how to turn a block of rock into well-designed shapes. “It was really scary at the start because you would spend hours just hammering (锤打).”
Now 65, Freed-Kernis has a thriving small business built largely through word of mouth. She creates 12 to 15 pieces a year that can take anywhere from a few days to three weeks to complete, while her prices range from £ 200 to £ 3,000. “I’m making smaller ones,” she says. “I don’t have to depend on the money much, so I want to keep prices in the range that people can afford, mainly just covering costs and labour (劳动力).”
1. Freed-Kernis was first attracted by stones when ______.| A．she was 60 | B．she was a child |
| C．her father died | D．she moved to England |
| A．She never cared about her father. |
| B．She led a disappointing life in Denmark. |
| C．She spent lots of time studying stone carving. |
| D．She learned stone carving under the influence of her dad. |
| A．Hopeful and proud. |
| B．Confident and satisfied. |
| C．Nervous and frightened. |
| D．Impatient and unprepared. |
| A．They are easier to move by her. |
| B．They are more affordable to people. |
| C．She wants to save costs and labour. |
| D．She is too old to focus on making large ones. |
4 . I have always enjoyed cold climates and connecting to the environment.
In November 2023, I joined the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust (英国南极遗产信托基金会), the charity that looks after British heritage in Antarctica, as their
Five of us now share the island with 1,000 penguins, who of course are given
When we arrived here in November, the base had been shut for winter,
As postmaster, I’ve
On our days off, we enjoy going on long walks around the island, taking more time for all the
| A．reporter | B．postmaster | C．researcher | D．explorer |
| A．In other words | B．In turn | C．In addition | D．In summary |
| A．keep track of | B．guard against | C．take control of | D．get hold of |
| A．duties | B．supplies | C．preference | D．treatment |
| A．secrets | B．balance | C．word | D．distance |
| A．clean | B．remove | C．count | D．replace |
| A．so | B．but | C．because | D．or |
| A．easily | B．breathlessly | C．unwillingly | D．separately |
| A．Discovering | B．Maintaining | C．Escaping | D．Enriching |
| A．fighting | B．remaining | C．disappearing | D．digging |
| A．processed | B．written | C．delivered | D．collected |
| A．collectors | B．sellers | C．buyers | D．makers |
| A．hesitant | B．curious | C．anxious | D．specific |
| A．small | B．obvious | C．powerful | D．important |
| A．worried | B．touched | C．confused | D．surprised |
5 . When Ryan Boyland graduated from medical school this spring, his parents, Michelle and Roosevelt Boyland, wanted to do something special to mark their son’s achievement as the first person in their family to become a doctor.
Michelle Boyland came up with the brilliant idea of renting out a billboard after seeing a story on TV.
“Everybody knew about it except Ryan. And I told him that I needed to talk to him and we’re going to meet at his older brother’s apartment in the parking lot,” Michelle Boyland explained, adding that the parking lot was near where the billboard was located. “Ryan had tons of questions as usual. ‘Why are we meeting? How come we can’t talk about it right now over the phone?’ I said, ‘This is very important. I need to see your face.’”
When his mother, brother and sister took him to see the billboard in person, Ryan Boyland had no idea what was going to happen until he finally looked up and saw his photo towering above the roadway.
“The first thing I thought was, how long it had been there and how many people had already seen me before I had seen me? A moment of mild panic kind of entered me,” he recalled. “In the past, I have been a little bit hesitant about receiving such attention and seeing my head 20 feet off the ground was a bit of a shock.”
The billboard, which reads, “Congratulations Doctor Ryan Boyland Class of 2023 University of Nebraska Medical Center,” stands tall in front of Bellevue University in Bellevue, Nebraska.
“I chose that location because it’s right down the street from the church that we attend, as wellas right down the street from the high school that Ryan went to 10 years ago,” Michelle Boyland said, adding, “I wanted it to inspire our community. I wanted it to inspire the kids, little kids, middle schoolers that they can be doctors too.”
Ryan Boyland has gotten ready to move to Denver to begin his career as an emergency medicine residency(住院医生) in Denver Health.
“He’s accomplished a lot in a very short period of time and I’m looking forward to many more accomplishments in the future. Hopefully, he’ll start taking credit for it a little bit better,” dad Roosevelt Boyland said.
1. How did Ryan Boyland feel when hearing the meeting place?| A．Nervous. | B．Excited. | C．Confused. | D．Ridiculous. |
| A．Because it is where Ryan graduated. |
| B．Because it is a place with large flow of people. |
| C．Because it is the most obvious place in the city. |
| D．Because it is a good place to inspire students in the neighbourhood. |
| A．He has high hopes for his son. |
| B．He believes his son will be the best doctor. |
| C．He believes the billboard will inspire his son. |
| D．He is not satisfied with what his son has achieved. |
By the time 18-year-old Amy Waldroop returned to her grandmother’s tiny house, it was nearly midnight and she was exhausted. After a full day’s work at a flower shop, she had put in another six hours waiting tables before heading home. This was her typical weekends.
Pushing the key into the lock, she quietly opened the door so as not to wake her younger siblings. She stepped into the front room, and froze. The house was a mess: plates of half-eaten food were scattered in front of the TV; clothes, shoes and exercise books were everyone.
Amy’s eyes welled with tears. “This is just too much for me.” she thought. Terrible memories began to race through her mind. Two years before, her parents lost their lives in an accident, leaving Amy and her siblings for their grandma, Helen, who had spent half of her life in a wheelchair. The life burden fell on Amy’s shoulders, which was too much for a girl.
Life moved on. One day, walking across the school grounds, Amy found a table littered with university brochures. She browsed through pictures of spacious campuses and happy peers, all of it looking unachievable for her, given the current situation and financial conditions. But her teacher gave her unexpected hope, saying“ You could attend university for free. It would take a scholarship, though, and for that you’d need much better grades.”
During her final year of high school, Amy diligently attended classes, then went to work after school, returned to her grandmother’s house, cared for her sisters and brothers and went through homework till the early hours of the morning, struggling for her dream university.
One afternoon, she walked home from school, holding a sheet of paper tightly. It was a letter from the University of California, informing her that she would be offered a scholarship and was admitted to the university. It was what she’d been longing for, a place where she could study to become someone special-a nurse, perhaps, or maybe even a lawyer.
注意：1．续写词数应为150左右；
2．请按如下格式作答。
Yet the letter only made Amy struggle inside.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The next afternoon, Amy spotted the wrinkled letter she threw into the dustbin on the table when arriving home.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________7 . When I was nine years old, my dad worked in a heating and air conditioning company. It allowed him to work mainly in the spring and fall. With summers free, my parents took me and my two brothers to the lake every day. I supposed my parents must realize that if they didn’t find us any things to do, we would finally start fighting, as we were too bored.
On the way to the lake, my mother drove the car and my father recited (朗诵) poems so my brothers and I wouldn’t get bored. I still didn’t know how my dad had learnt so many poems by heart. But I had a great discovery that every time my father recited them, those verses (诗句) could keep us three quiet for the next twenty--minute drive. Such moments could never be achieved by what else my parents usually did such as singing, telling stories, and so on.
One of the poems that completely attracted me was a bit silly. It begins—Ladles and jellyspoons/I come before you/To stand behind you/And tell you something I know nothing about. There were still many similar ones. I found I was deeply caught. I recited these lines in my head over and over, week after week until they burned new electrical pathways in my brain. I even couldn’t help copying those poems neatly in my favorite notebooks.
It’s a love story that continues to this day, thirty years and 10 books of my own later. So the value of the story is this: Read to your kids. Sing to your kids. Recite poems for your kids. Be silly with your kids! It may make all the difference. It works for me. Thanks, Dad.
1. According to the author, why were his brothers and he taken to the lake daily in summer?| A．To reduce their study pressure. | B．To escape the heat of summers. |
| C．To teach them some new life skills. | D．To draw their attention to other things. |
| A．Poems were easy to learn by heart. |
| B．His parents were good at creating poems. |
| C．His father tried hard to get along well with them. |
| D．Poems could make the three brothers calm down. |
| A．He began to write poems himself. | B．He gradually fell in love with poems. |
| C．He made changes to some silly poems. | D．He grew to be a kid with excellent grades. |
| A．Children should be grateful to their parents. |
| B．Parents should avoid being too strict with kids. |
| C．Good family atmosphere is very important for kids. |
| D．Children should be encouraged to follow their dreams. |
8 . It was a cool, dry summer’s morning. I had just
All of a sudden I
I headed back home
It was like all persons passing by were
| A．knocked | B．dropped | C．showed | D．kept |
| A．scream | B．voice | C．whistle | D．report |
| A．hopeful | B．useful | C．joyful | D．careful |
| A．noticed | B．caught | C．avoided | D．heard |
| A．rolling | B．riding | C．driving | D．walking |
| A．wrote | B．waved | C．lied | D．played |
| A．tower | B．tree | C．roof | D．mountain |
| A．figure | B．shade | C．deer | D．sound |
| A．giving | B．getting | C．seeking | D．leaving |
| A．pulled over | B．turned around | C．looked back | D．broke in |
| A．drank | B．sang | C．chatted | D．danced |
| A．reward | B．credit | C．choice | D．result |
| A．silently | B．secretly | C．happily | D．calmly |
| A．flowing | B．throwing | C．crying | D．smiling |
| A．long | B．good | C．simple | D．boring |
One day a friend invited me to join gymnastics class that she had belonged to for many years. My mom got the needed information and within a few days I was ready to start!
When I got there, I was extremely nervous. The group wasn’t very welcoming so I was regretting signing up. It seemed they were comfortable with the team they had, and they didn’t want anyone to be added to it. But after working together for a few days, we all soon became friends. A month passed and I learned to do many things. I was excited and ready to learn back handsprings(手翻). Back handsprings are one of the main things you need to know for gymnastics because they are done so often. In my opinion, they are the hardest to do, but I was ready to try.
My friend was the queen of back handsprings, so she helped me understand each and every step. Our coach pulled out a handspring machine to help the kids who were learning how to do them for the first time. This machine is a block that has cushion(垫子) all around it. You basically sit in the mouth of the machine and push off with your feet and go backwards until you land on your hands, then feet.
Even with the handspring machine, I couldn’t get my feet right, so I had to try again and again. Impatient, some of the girls seemed to get angry. I was feeling like the new kid in the group again. The new kid that didn’t know what she was doing but everyone else knew it!
注意：1. 续写词数应为150个左右；2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Luckily, my friend, the queen of back handsprings, kept encouraging me.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________One day, I finally got it right.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Casey Ryan works in a well-known newspaper as a famous photographer. After work, he likes to take an adventure in the wildness and take some photos. Whenever photographer Casey heads into the wildness, he brings along his drone (无人机) to take some photographs from a bird’s eye view.
Having the drone with him on a recent trip to the Willamette National Forest in the Cascade Mountain Range in Oregon saved his and another person’s lives.
That day, Casey was driving through the Willamette National Forest. When he arrived at his destination, he began to use his drone to take many photos, and the beautiful places made him excited. These photos made him feel a strong sense of achievement.
With a good harvest, he began to drive home. On the way home, he came across a stranger whose car was stuck. At that time, Casey was still in the deep forest. Casey volunteered to help get it out without hesitation. Unluckily, he got his own car stuck in a ditch (沟) while trying to help, leaving both people in trouble with no cell phone service for miles around.
“I am so sorry for making your car stuck here. What can we do now?” the stranger said with anxiety.
“Don’t worry! Let’s think it over! Maybe I can call my wife for help,” Casey said.
“But here is too out-of-the-way. It is surely no cell phone service. How can we call for help?” the stranger said disappointedly.
Just as they were wandering, Casey immediately recalled a movie he’d seen recently in which a character typed some messages in the phone and used a drone to lift his phone high enough to catch cell phone service in a similar situation. When the stranger heard the idea, he felt pleasantly surprised. Just right, Casey had a drone. Casey walked quickly to his car.
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。
Casey pulled out the drone and took out his phone.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Nearly an hour after the messages were sent out to his wife, the rescuers arrived.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
