1 . Writer Andrew Leland started losing his sight 20 years ago, when he was in high school, as a result of a progressive eye disease called retinitis pigmentosa (色素性视网膜炎). His first experience of loss of sight happened temporarily at night, in which he was confused that everyone else seemed to see in the dark so much better than he did. Over the years, his disease has progressed gradually. He’s now legally blind, although he still has a narrow field of vision, which allows him to see about 6% of what a fully sighted person sees.

Leland analogized his vision to the view you might get by looking through a toilet paper tube or a keyhole. He said, “Imagine having that toilet paper tube tied to your head and trying to walk down the street; there’s a whole bunch of things you don’t see but that you really ought to, like dogs.”

In his new book, The Country of the Blind, Leland writes about losing his vision and preparing for blindness, how his condition impacts his identity, how the world sees him and his marriage, and something valuable he has learned.

He said he was not going to try to tell people that having vision was not an unbelievably useful thing for a human being for many reasons. When talking about the experience of being alive and being conscious, he referred to James Joyce — Joyce believed that he was only losing one world among many, and that vision was only a tiny part of experiences when he was going blind.

He thought if you looked at the things that blind people were capable of imagining, like John Milton writing Paradise Lost as a blind person, there was this unbelievable richness in humans’ consciousness that vision had nothing to do with. Other realms (领域) such as the mental and emotional realms were all so rich that they could also help unfold things on earth before you.

1. What do we know about Leland?

A．He went totally blind in high school.

B．He experienced night blindness at first.

C．He was born with a narrow field of vision.

D．He was aware of his condition throughout.

2. Which is closest in meaning to “analogized” underlined in paragraph 2?

A．Connected.

B．Reduced.

C．Compared.

D．Exposed.

3. Why is James Joyce mentioned?

A．To help explain an opinion.

B．To stress the value of good vision.

C．To state his considerable influence.

D．To show the inconvenience of blindness.

4. What message is conveyed in the last paragraph?

A．Practice is the best teacher.

B．The blind have more vivid imagination.

C．Things are not set in concrete.

D．Vision is not the only window in the world.

2 . My mother has always been one of those rare people that sees the good in everyone and does good things. She’s had her ups and downs but has always_______a positive, sunny outlook on life and been very_______to people.

One day, my little sister fell and hurt her ankle, desperately needing a_______to the hospital emergency room. My mother immediately_______into crisis mode, packed my sister into the car, and drove to our local hospital. In such a_______, my mother didn’t call to tell my father. When she got to the hospital, she realized she needed to_______with my father immediately.

While waiting for my sister to be examined, my mother_______her way to the pay phone to place her call. She put her coin in, called my father and told him everything. After she hung up, the phone_______several additional coins that Mom wasn’t owed.

Realizing that the phone was_______, my mother decided to leave the________coins by the phone. She told us that in a crisis, people might not remember to bring________with them to make that emergency call.

I’ve often thought about her________from an adult’s perspective. I realize that someone seeing the money by he phone may have________taken it because not everyone was as________as my mother. But I like to believe that my mother’s faith was ________and that someone who needed them found the coins waiting there.

1.

A．tolerated

B．anticipated

C．maintained

D．expressed

2.

A．patient

B．helpful

C．honest

D．polite

3.

A．rest

B．stay

C．lift

D．visit

4.

A．cut

B．shifted

C．looked

D．stuck

5.

A．rush

B．way

C．relief

D．process

6.

A．come along

B．keep in line

C．make up

D．get in touch

7.

A．made

B．felt

C．picked

D．gave

8.

A．found

B．returned

C．collected

D．charged

9.

A．smart

B．ready

C．convenient

D．broken

10.

A．different

B．ancient

C．extra

D．rare

11.

A．luck

B．phones

C．change

D．chances

12.

A．opportunity

B．decision

C．appointment

D．encounter

13.

A．simply

B．suddenly

C．obviously

D．gradually

14.

A．thoughtful

B．grateful

C．hopeful

D．successful

15.

A．hard-won

B．newly-built

C．well-placed

D．deeply-rooted

3 . At an antiques store near their home, Michael, 11, and his brother Mauro,9, encountered a link to a real national hero accidentally.

While searching through military memorabilia (纪念品), the boys had unearthed a Purple Heart, a Bronze Star, and a Good Conduct Medal bearing the name Charles J. George. The shop’s owner said the medals were worth hundreds of dollars, but he agreed to let the boys have them for free on one condition: that they return the awards to the soldier’s family.

The brothers found a Charles George online in the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor database, but the listing didn’t show a middle name or an initial. After searching military records at the library and online with no luck. Michael and Mauro found a YouTube video of a memorial service for George conducted in his hometown, Cherokee, by a local service officer Warren Dupree. The boys e-mailed Dupree, who responded with details about the heroic act that carned George the medals. During a war, George died after throwing himself on a bomb to save two fellow soldiers.

As for the middle initial J, the brothers learned that Cherokee don’t take middle names — Charles George had adopted his father’s name, Jacob, as a middle name just in case he would need it to join the army. The mystery was solved.

Dupree invited the brothers to Cherokee to present the medals to George’s family a few months later. “It felt so good to give the medals back,” says Michael, who wants to write a children’s book about the hunt for Charles J. George. “It was an honor,” adds his brother.

1. What can be inferred about the shop owner?

A．He cared about his credit.	B．He wanted to donate the medals.
C．He admired national heroes.	D．He tried to test the young visitors.

2. What ultimately contributed to the return of the medals?

A．Military records.	B．A YouTube video.
C．Online database.	D．The fellow soldiers.

3. Which of the following best describes the brothers?

A．Creative and generous.	B．Ambitious and talented.
C．Determined and trustworthy.	D．Intelligent and knowledgeable.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．The value of the medals.	B．The influence of a hero.
C．The journey of treasure hunt.	D．The discovery of a hidden past.

4 . Mason Smith, who goes by @dadsocial on TikTok, wanted to do something ________ for his daughter’s third birthday. Her daughter has been ________ about Peppa Pig for over a year. It’s the only song she wants to be played in the car. It’s the outfits she wants to wear and the ________she wants all her food in. So when it came to her birthday gift, she said she ________ Peppa Pig’s whole house.

It only took the crafty dad a few hours to ________out the project, which caught the ________ of over 18 million people ________ he shared it on TikTok.

“I ________ up a few photos of the house and planned the build and scale around what would be most cost-efficient with minimal ________ , and that’s how I ________ the 8-foot-tall Peppa Pig house. I also wanted to build it fully weatherproof so we can ________ it outside to play in it for years to come!” he shared.

The dad said it took him roughly four hours over the span of two days to get the job done. The father’s ________ part was putting the blue windows and yellow door cloth on because that made the house come to ________ and look attractive.

When the daughter saw it, she ________ and yelled. She spent the rest of the afternoon playing inside and, of course, had to ________ it with all her stuffed animals and toys.

1.

A．original

B．useful

C．extra

D．special

2.

A．worried

B．crazy

C．curious

D．certain

3.

A．kitchen

B．size

C．shape

D．position

4.

A．designed

B．sold

C．wanted

D．decorated

5.

A．plan

B．let

C．carry

D．roll

6.

A．point

B．attention

C．mood

D．sympathy

7.

A．once

B．unless

C．as though

D．in case

8.

A．mixed

B．looked

C．gave

D．brought

9.

A．contact

B．effort

C．waste

D．design

10.

A．got command of

B．got away from

C．came around to

D．came up with

11.

A．keep

B．protect

C．recover

D．display

12.

A．suspected

B．challenging

C．necessary

D．favorite

13.

A．market

B．light

C．hand

D．life

14.

A．stopped

B．jumped

C．struggled

D．appeared

15.

A．compare

B．connect

C．fill

D．share

5 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

When I was a kid, my parents and I lived near the forest. They often told me that our family was a team that needed to work together for the household to function smoothly. There was always an abundance of work to do — cooking, cleaning, and walking dogs. I volunteered to walk our dog, Max, who had been adopted one month before. I never dared let this giant dog off the lead (牵狗绳), just in case he took off.

One morning, we were walking along in the forest when Max started pulling on the lead. At first, I was able to hold on despite the wet ground from a recent shower. But the more I tried to stop him pulling, the more it turned into a tug of war. And thanks to the slippery ground, I lost.

Pulling his lead, Max shot off like a bullet, leaving me screaming behind. I chased him but lost my footing and fell face-first into some mud. I stumbled (踉跄) to my feet, but looking ahead, I found him running back towards me. I thought he was going to stop and give me his “Sorry” look. But instead, the dog shot past me and returned after a while.

As soon as we got home, my mother immediately attended to Max with a warm towel and a doggy treat. I thought seeing me stumbling and covered in mud, I would also get a warm cup of tea and a motherly kiss. Instead, I got a very loud lecture about letting the dog loose in the forest.

I felt frustrated. It wasn’t fair that she didn’t understand how difficult it was to control Max. I fought back, “Stop lecturing me! Why is everything my fault?” With these words, I stormed into my bedroom and slammed the door shut.

In the evening, I heard my mother call Max and take him out. It wasn’t long before I heard my mother screaming and the door opening again.

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。

I walked out of my room.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Dad stepped in, suggesting that we work together to train Max.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6 . I found a brown bag outside after our move. “Grass Seed,” it said in big letters. My husband and I _________ the seeds all over the dirty yard in front of our new house. “I have no idea if they will _________,” I told him, “but it’s worth a shot.” Just like our _________ to move to the rural Arizona.

Near our new house sat a charming cottage, which was _________ to tourists. I got a job offer to _________ the cottage. I’d worked in hotels for years, so when offered the _________, I jumped at it. Still, it was a big change. I _________ that it would be a right move.

While we waited for our grass to grow — or not — we _________ settled into our new house through our efforts. We made it a cozy home, despite the _________ in the front yard, which was still bare now. Meanwhile, many of the cottage guests became __________, and I got to know them well. I felt __________ to make their stays memorable. Perhaps I was better at that than __________.

But after a monsoon (季风) swept through, I woke up to a beautiful morning and looked out the window. There was no grass growing in the sunlight. __________, our yard was covered in a rainbow of zinnias (百日菊)! The front yard turned out even better than I could have __________, just like our new life. And it remains a powerful __________ of the beauty that awaits us in our new chapter.

1.

A．sought

B．spread

C．collected

D．removed

2.

A．remain

B．last

C．dry

D．root

3.

A．need

B．intention

C．decision

D．agreement

4.

A．rented

B．given

C．sold

D．introduced

5.

A．green

B．advertise

C．fill up

D．look after

6.

A．help

B．chance

C．service

D．accommodation

7.

A．pretended

B．decided

C．understood

D．prayed

8.

A．naturally

B．hardly

C．gradually

D．temporarily

9.

A．uncertainty

B．potential

C．danger

D．untidiness

10.

A．locals

B．employers

C．regulars

D．gardeners

11.

A．proud

B．grateful

C．curious

D．stressed

12.

A．house renting

B．yard cleaning

C．keeping house

D．growing grass

13.

A．Otherwise

B．Instead

C．Besides

D．Therefore

14.

A．imagined

B．designed

C．remembered

D．appreciated

15.

A．test

B．memory

C．reminder

D．choice

7 . On a Sunny Saturday, Alyson Machigua, three, screamed with laughter as she and her mother, Marlen, played a game in the front yard of their home. Suddenly, tiny Alyson _______ the backyard of a neighbor. About half way across the yard, Alyson disappeared, seeming swallowed (吞没) by a hardly _______ opening in the ground, which meant the opening was not easy to find. Marlen cried loudly for help.

The neighbour Luz Jimenez, 26, was preparing dinner in her kitchen and _______ the cries were the sounds of children playing. However, when she ran outside anyway, she found Marlen _______ and dialing 911.

“Alyson fell into the hole!” Marlen cried to Luz. Then Luz heard Alyson’s cries from deep underground. Luz ran inside her own _______ and down to the basement for a gray rope to drop into the hole. Back in the yard, she used her hands to dig the hole, _______ the opening. When the policeman Aaron Perkins arrived a few minutes later, Luz was in the hole up to her _______.

“Get out of there,” Perkins told Luz, raising her up by the _______. “It’s dangerous for you.” “It’s more dangerous for the baby,” Luz said. “She’s going to _______.” After Perkins tied one end of the rope to a tree, Luz lowered ________, little by little, down the 15-foot-deep hole. Below, she saw water covering the floor of the hole. Alyson’s neck was covered. Luz dropped the remaining few feet into the water beside the baby. “Everything is going to be fine,” she told the little girl. “Don’t worry.”

As they waited for help in the two feet of dark water, Luz prayed that there were no snakes swimming at her feet. She ________ nothing more than snakes. Aboveground (在地面上), Perkins talked to Luz, keeping her ________.

Just minutes later, the Hacketts-town Fire Department and Hacketts-town Rescue Team arrived and lowered a ________ into the hole. Luz climbed up with Alyson in her arms, and then handed her over to her mother. Emergency workers rushed the baby to an ambulance, ________ her clothes to survey the injury. Alyson was scared and covered in dirt but ________, she was uninjured. Luz saved the baby’s life.

1.

A．depended on

B．wondered at

C．moved into

D．left behind

2.

A．visible

B．dark

C．deep

D．regular

3.

A．announced

B．guessed

C．forgot

D．reported

4.

A．exercising

B．joking

C．wandering

D．sobbing

5.

A．house

B．bank

C．bookstore

D．kindergarten

6.

A．filling

B．covering

C．widening

D．narrowing

7.

A．table

B．feet

C．chair

D．waist

8.

A．ears

B．arms

C．noses

D．eyes

9.

A．die

B．cry

C．lose

D．arrive

10.

A．another

B．him

C．those

D．herself

11.

A．requested

B．defended

C．attacked

D．feared

12.

A．humorous

B．calm

C．upset

D．busy

13.

A．case

B．bag

C．ladder

D．basket

14.

A．tearing off

B．pulling on

C．cutting out

D．complaining about

15.

A．naturally

B．typically

C．originally

D．incredibly

8 . Having Spider-Man close gives you the courage to face the coming days. It certainly________the moment if he pays you a ________. That’s why recently Spider-Man and Captain America ________from the roof of Le. Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. The kid were ________. The staff cheered. And the parents cried. It was one of those________moments when everything that’s right with the world converges into(汇聚成) an explosion of ________.Kids and parents find a little more hope, a little more ________.

Children really need ________. They help kids deal with the world around them, ________ a little bit of hope and much entertainment. In our world of uncertainty, our kids ________ need a bit of help, keeping their balance and looking forward to a better future.

Farther south, another team of window washers also made their ________ as superheroes at a hospital in St.Petersburg, Florida, and the children were cheerful. The distraction from their pain is ________ to their mental health, helping them ________ faster and making them happy.

We can all be somebody’s superhero for a day, an hour or just a moment. Distracting someone from the ________they are feeling with a little something to cheer them up just ________ their day, not just hanging from a rooftop.

1.

A．extends

B．treasures

C．brightens

D．misses

2.

A．ticket

B．visit

C．fine

D．meal

3.

A．hung

B．shouted

C．fell

D．escaped

4.

A．careful

B．thoughtful

C．frightened

D．excited

5.

A．decisive

B．magical

C．awkward

D．difficult

6.

A．choices

B．innovation

C．demand

D．emotions

7.

A．courage

B．time

C．pressure

D．patience

8.

A．teachers

B．heroes

C．families

D．friends

9.

A．losing

B．feeling

C．requiring

D．providing

10.

A．definitely

B．eventually

C．only

D．rarely

11.

A．presentation

B．experience

C．appearance

D．impression

12.

A．limited

B．beneficial

C．unnecessary

D．impossible

13.

A．respond

B．grow

C．recover

D．learn

14.

A．pain

B．kindness

C．relief

D．regret

15.

A．fill

B．ruin

C．end

D．make

9 . Seven years ago, my wife bought me a terrific birthday present. For $70, she   _________ me two garden plots of land 20 feet by 20 feet from the Skokie Park District, which come with free _________ to fresh water from faucets, no _________. The football field of garden is a true place of beauty, costing the Park District very little to _________, with the water pipes being the only _________ capital investment.

My _________ is that gardening is good exercise accessible to people far into late middle age and beyond, deeply beneficial and _________ by couples and groups of friends. My garden neighbors and I, once _________, share ideas and encouragement. My daughter loves to help me _________ the wild weed, and the whole family loves the good fresh food, some of which I give to friends and neighbors.

I __________ about $300 to $400 a year but harvest literally 10 times the __________ of fresh produce—and I’m far from the best gardener!

We need to __________ one another while respecting each other as individuals, as carriers of subcultures, as positive people. Human difference is easier to accept with __________ when we know each other and are building something together.

And who doesn’t need to have __________ and get some exercise and eat great food? Community gardening is a wholly __________ activity.

1.

A．sold

B．offered

C．guaranteed

D．rented

2.

A．use

B．access

C．storage

D．entrance

3.

A．comment

B．difference

C．charge

D．way

4.

A．measure

B．decorate

C．design

D．operate

5.

A．initial

B．risky

C．heavy

D．wise

6.

A．responsibility

B．qualification

C．ambition

D．experience

7.

A．occupied

B．divided

C．beloved

D．possessed

8.

A．lecturers

B．strangers

C．farmers

D．competitors

9.

A．harvest

B．irrigate

C．grow

D．classify

10.

A．waste

B．collect

C．earn

D．invest

11.

A．habit

B．value

C．room

D．time

12.

A．calm down

B．appeal to

C．connect with

D．believe in

13.

A．doubt

B．curiosity

C．care

D．dignity

14.

A．fun

B．money

C．fame

D．fortune

15.

A．tolerant

B．specific

C．positive

D．convenient

10 . Even with the heated water splashing on my shoulders, a chill (寒意) still ran through me. My son was swimming _______ along the bottom of the pool. He surfaced and said, “I’ll show you how to swim underwater.”Usually I was a(n) _______ student, but not this time.

I just couldn’t trust my body to _______.My anxious mind would not let go. Over the years, I had learned not to sink, but I had never found the _______ of swimming that came easily to my friends. Self-doubt hardened into a _______:I couldn’t swim underwater.

But my son George wouldn’t _______ this. “Can you try?” His waiting face was open with possibility. I thought of the_______ things we had asked of him. The days I left him at preschool, he wept bitterly as I _______.The times he bared his arm for shots from the doctor. Earlier times in pools when he, too, _______ deep water.

I couldn’t say no. “Try to swim to me. It’s not very far.” he said, ________ above the water.His voice,calm and encouraging,   ________ me. “When I count to three, you start, OK?” I didn’t move. “Let’s try again,” he said in his teacher voice. “One, two, three!”

After more false starts, I knew I must ________.I sucked in air, squeezed my eyes shut, and aimed like a torpedo (鱼雷) into the dark. I traveled ________ in this liquid world, just pushing forward. I ________ my breath until I couldn’t anymore. I burst up into cool air. “I did it!” I said, tears of ________ streaming down my smiling face.George smiled too. “Now,” he continued, “try to go a little farther.”

I swam farther.I swam.

1.

A．bravely

B．skillfully

C．carefully

D．nervously

2.

A．willing

B．ambitious

C．gifted

D．adorable

3.

A．bend

B．float

C．extend

D．swing

4.

A．knowledge

B．potential

C．freedom

D．chance

5.

A．goal

B．result

C．decision

D．belief

6.

A．realize

B．change

C．accept

D．consider

7.

A．special

B．basic

C．common

D．hard

8.

A．turned up

B．passed by

C．slipped away

D．broke in

9.

A．feared

B．missed

C．enjoyed

D．expected

10.

A．standing

B．towering

C．stretching

D．adjusting

11.

A．comforted

B．surprised

C．puzzled

D．amused

12.

A．continue

B．act

C．win

D．quit

13.

A．blindly

B．quickly

C．elegantly

D．freely

14.

A．lost

B．took

C．caught

D．held

15.

A．relief

B．sorrow

C．joy

D．gratitude