1 . For the first 19 months of her life, Helen Keller was like other pretty happy babies in every way. Then in 1882, a sudden illness destroyed her sight and hearing. Because she could not hear what other people were saying, the child could not learn to speak. For the following 5 years, she lived in a world of darkness, without sounds or words and her parents could do nothing but let her be.

The person who changed Helen’s world was her teacher, Anne Sullivan, who entered her life. Miss Sullivan had accepted a job, which seemed impossible. She had agreed to teach a blind child who had never learned to act like a human being, because no one had ever been able to guide her in any way. No one could control Helen. She acted like a young animal, rushing wildly around, throwing things, and hitting anyone whom she could reach. Who could believe that such a child could be taught?

But Anne Sullivan was a very special kind of teacher. She had been blind during part of her own childhood and had learned to read Braille, a system of writing that uses raised dots which can be felt by the finger of a blind person. She had learned to see again after several operations, but she had never forgotten the experience of being blind.

Miss Sullivan understood Helen. She loved her and believed she could teach her.

Anne Sullivan could not teach Helen Keller to speak until some other important things had been learned. The little girl had to learn to control her actions and feelings. She had to learn that she could not always do what she wished to do. She had always been able to get what she wished by using force. The teacher had to change such habits without breaking the child’s spirit.

Miss Sullivan’s battle began. Sometimes, there was real fighting between the wild child and the strong young teacher. At last, however, the battle was won by Miss Sullivan, who had succeeded in showing Helen that she loved her and wanted to help her. The child and her teacher became friends. They continued to be friends until the teacher’s death, 50 years later.

The day on which Helen finally accepted Miss Sullivan as her friend and teacher was a great day in Helen’s life. After that the teacher could begin to teach the child language.

1. Helen became blind and deaf after ________.

A．an unexpected accident	B．a football match
C．a sudden disease	D．fighting with her teacher

2. Sullivan probably passed away in ________.

A．1917

B．1932

C．1937

D．1939

3. To begin with, she taught Helen ________.

A．to pronounce a few words	B．to control herself properly
C．to copy some letters	D．to make different sounds

4. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．Sullivan learned the Braille when she was blind as a child.

B．Blind as Sullivan was, he accepted the challenge to teach Helen.

C．At first Sullivan and Helen often fought each other.

D．Sullivan died when she was fifty years old.

2 . When she returned home that year, she was given an enthusiastic welcome in the same hall. Many hands stretched out to her, many cameras focused on her. A reporter in glasses kept pestering her with the question: “What do you like best?” She was wondering how to respond when she caught sight of a bunch of flowers. Then she said, “Flowers!” Following her remarks, more flowers were at once presented out to her, too many for her to hold. During the past two years, she had participated in many international competitions and brought back one shining medal after another. What she got in return was all smiles, flowers and camera flashes. Was it because of this that she became preoccupied with winning? The more she won, the more obsessed she was with the fear of losing. So her mind was in fact more burdened with success than with failure. The mind could control physical pains but could not free itself from mental strain easily.

This time when she was a little off balance on the horizontal bar (平衡木), she became so worried that she lost self-control and fell off. This failure was followed by several more in other events. Afterwards in order to avoid people at the airport, she trailed along behind the team. She found that very few people greeted her and reporters seemed to shun her. However hard she tried, she couldn’t turn the tide; she was a complete failure. Indeed, who would side with a failure?

All of a sudden, she saw a pair of shoes in front of her. Who could it be? She raised her bent head slowly and saw a navy blue suit, long legs, and then a clear fair face. Before her stood the stewardess with her hands behind her back, speaking with a smile, “I watched your performance on the television. I knew you would come home today. So I am here especially to welcome you.”

“I did very poorly.” She lowered her head again.

“No. You did your best.”

“But I failed.”

“Nobody can avoid failure. I believe failure is as important to you as success. Failure belongs to the past, and victory is the future.” The stewardess’s voice came gentle but firm.

Hearing these words, the girl raised her head. The stewardess held out her hands from behind her back with a big bouquet of colorful flowers, and presented it to the girl. The strong fragrance seemed to turn into a magic, powerful current that went through her body. She was moved to tears. Flowers are usually given to victorious heroes. Why to the disgraced loser?

1. What does the underlined word “pester” mean in paragraph 1?

A．Greet.

B．Annoy.

C．Inquire.

D．Concern.

2. According to the passage, what contributes to her winning medals before?

A．She had received many smiles, flowers and camera flashes.

B．She was passionate about walking on the horizontal bar.

C．Her mind was free from over anxiety about failure.

D．She was in good physical condition.

3. What may be her strongest emotion after she failed?

A．Ashamed.

B．Stressed.

C．Miserable.

D．Grief-stricken.

4. What is the main message the writer tries to convey?

A．Action is worry’s worst enemy.

B．The winners laugh and the losers weep.

C．Excessive pressure will become a burden.

D．Success is never final and failure is never fatal.

3 . Our savings ran out and we were going to lose our house. We had to move into Grandpa’s house, which had been old and beyond _________ when Grandpa Mac was living. Now that the place had been _________ for more than five years, it became much worse.

The roof seemed to leak _________. Hundreds of thousands of footsteps had _________ the finish (饰面) off the hardwood floors. One of the doors on the kitchen cupboards was broken and it _________ open forever. Worst of all, the white paint on the walls was beginning to fall but there was _________ nothing we could do about that.

Joe and I both tried to be _________ around Kelly as we packed to move. She was only three. As long as we didn’t give her the wrong _________, she wouldn’t notice the poor condition of her new home.

One evening, I walked out into the back yard to _________ the heavy heat in the house. __________ there wasn’t any air conditioning. Kelly was busy __________ the dandelions (蒲公英) in the yard. She smiled when she saw me and ran over to give me a bright yellow bunch. “We have __________ in the yard, Mommy. Most people just have grass,” she said. “We also have pretty butterflies. This must be the __________ place in the whole world to live.”

I suddenly __________ things were not that bad. It took a three-year-old to teach me how to see something to be __________ for in our new home.

1.

A．control

B．repair

C．recognition

D．comparison

2.

A．empty

B．noisy

C．secret

D．busy

3.

A．for no reason

B．in every respect

C．on no account

D．at any moment

4.

A．worn

B．kept

C．cut

D．cleared

5.

A．proved

B．felt

C．grew

D．stood

6.

A．hardly

B．simply

C．suddenly

D．occasionally

7.

A．brave

B．friendly

C．energetic

D．cheerful

8.

A．warning

B．answer

C．message

D．lesson

9.

A．escape

B．defeat

C．release

D．absorb

10.

A．Probably

B．Accidentally

C．Naturally

D．Consequently

11.

A．planting

B．picking

C．watering

D．observing

12.

A．flowers

B．insects

C．seats

D．trees

13.

A．quietest

B．safest

C．nicest

D．cleanest

14.

A．confirmed

B．declared

C．recalled

D．realized

15.

A．eager

B．grateful

C．concerned

D．responsible

4 . COVID-19 entered my life in the form of an e-mail. My friends and I were in a small café as I read that our university had been ______ down for the following week.

It was three days later when the ______ hit. I watched my friend throw all her ______ into a suitcase and take the next flight out of the country. Her ______ words: ‘‘better locked out of Venice than locked in’’ caused fear and ______ inside me. I wondered: ‘‘Will I be able to graduate from school?” and “What if everyone leaves and I am alone and ______ in Venice?’’

I turned to my roommate and the ______ and rational (理性的) voices of my parents. I decided to ______. We all thought it would be two weeks, maybe three and then life would return to ______ and our semester (学期) would go on as planned.

Things changed so fast, I felt like a ______ out of water, turning between thoughts and ideas every time I read another news ______. Every day my phone ______ new information that made me uneasy. Life was ______, but life was continuing.

Then Italy went into a full lockdown and I was restricted to Venice. Two days later, I joined the few ______ exchange students for pizza but we were told we must only ______ two at a time and stand a metre away from each other.

I am taking ______ of this time to do yoga on the roof, take Italian lessons on YouTube with my roommate, cook on our hotplate and ______ afternoons studying and writing on my balcony.

I have learned things that I could have ______ learned in a lecture hall. I have learned how to step back and let go of ______ my semester abroad could have been and instead ______ the small things that fill me with happiness.

1.

A．torn

B．shut

C．pulled

D．taken

2.

A．rudeness

B．sigh

C．sadness

D．reality

3.

A．money

B．books

C．belongings

D．food

4.

A．unbelievable

B．parting

C．greeting

D．beneficial

5.

A．uncertainty

B．surprise

C．impression

D．inspiration

6.

A．affected

B．trapped

C．screamed

D．starved

7.

A．considerable

B．puzzled

C．upset

D．calm

8.

A．leave

B．travel

C．stay

D．hide

9.

A．fundamental

B．normal

C．messy

D．cheerful

10.

A．cat

B．fly

C．fish

D．horse

11.

A．combination

B．arrival

C．announcement

D．update

12.

A．delivered

B．reminded

C．confirmed

D．achieved

13.

A．respectable

B．modest

C．different

D．impressive

14.

A．floating

B．remaining

C．wandering

D．exhausting

15.

A．apply

B．measure

C．enter

D．stare

16.

A．consideration

B．charge

C．care

D．advantage

17.

A．devote

B．spend

C．waste

D．adjust

18.

A．ever

B．thus

C．yet

D．never

19.

A．why

B．when

C．what

D．how

20.

A．block out

B．focus on

C．come across

D．refer to

5 . For years, spring in our town was announced by Leon and Jo Martin, who owned the Dairy Queen. Every year, after their winter short-stay in Florida, they would post the words “Now Hiring” on their sign. I would walk past, see the sign, see Leon and Jo readying for their spring opening, and feel winter’s icy veil (面纱) lift from around me. It was as accurate an indication of spring as any calendar, and when they died and their children sold the Dairy Queen to someone who kept it open year-round, it threw off our town’s circadian (生理节奏的) rhythms something terrible. We’re still not sure when spring begins.

Well, that’s not entirely accurate. When the tool store on the west edge of town, where Johnston’s IGA grocery store used to be, stops selling snowplows and starts selling lawn mowers, that’s a pretty good sign winter’s ruling has loosened.

There are other signs of spring if one is watchful. The deer lighten in color, the dog sheds, the buds swell, the snow melts on the south hillside, and the calf appears, tied to its mother by bonds of hunger. The farmer casts the manure (肥料) upon the field, thoughtfully provided by the aforementioned calf and mother. Who needs a calendar when a calf is nearby?

Nothing seems impossible in spring — a cure for cancer, weight loss. Anything can happen, and often does. I proposed to my girl-friend a dozen times and was denied each time, so I waited until spring and raised the question a 13^th time, and she said ‘‘yes’’. Engaged one spring, married the next.

1. How did the people in the town know the coming of spring?

A．They were told by Leon and Jo Martin.

B．They read the best calendars of the world.

C．They saw the shop-owner preparing for business.

D．They found Leon’s family coming back from Florida.

2. What does the writer mainly want to convey in the last two paragraphs?

A．His gird-friend is rather stubborn.

B．It is not a proper time to lose weight.

C．One can only propose marriage in spring.

D．There’re signs to strengthen coming of spring.

3. What is the best title of the passage?

A．Why I Love Spring	B．How I Know It’s Spring
C．A Year’s Plan Starts with Spring	D．Changes Take Place in My Town

6 . 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。

A Hole in the Fence

In a small village, a little boy lived with his father and mother. He was the only son of the family, so his parents, especially his mother spoiled him very much. Gradually, the boy got angry easily and teased others with his words. He scolded kids, neighbors and even his friends due to anger. His friends and neighbors avoided him, for which his parents were very worried and depressed.

His parents advised him many times to control his anger and develop kindness. Unfortunately, all their attempts failed. Finally, the boy’s father came up with an idea.

One day, his father gave him a huge bag of nails. He asked his son to hammer one nail to the fence every time he became angry. The little boy found it amusing, so he agreed to do what his father said.

The first day the boy hammered 38 nails into the fence. Then it began to become less. He found it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.

Gradually, the number of nails hammered to the fence was reduced and the day arrived when no nail was hammered! Yes, the boy did not lose his temper at all that day. For the next several days, he did not lose his temper, and he did not hammer any nail.

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。

Now, his father told him to remove the nails each time the boy controlled his anger.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Then, his father told the boy,

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7 . This past year, my 14-year-old son and I took in a high-school-age exchange student. This was not the first time we had done this. I was hoping for a _______ of that happy experience. The most difficult step in the process is the _______ decision to go ahead. These kids come not as guests _______ as family. One can have all sorts of reasons for not doing it: What if he doesn’t _______? What if he eats a lot?

_________ these worries, we took the leap, and in August 2010 our boy arrived – a lively Swede who ran toward us _______ Anton ran toward him with a handmade _______ reading “Welcome, Gustav!” What’s interesting is that those first moments, hours, and days were never _______. If ever a stranger were made for our family, it was Gustav.

When one _______ a foreign student, one of the biggest considerations is how he will interact with one’s ________ children. Gustav, at 17, was not only a good role model, but also showed big ________ leadership. A couple of months into his __________, I approached Gustav and asked, “Are you homesick?” He ________ me a thoughtful look, said, “I think about home, but I’m not homesick.” It was a perfectly reasonable and honest __________.

With a month to go, we had to talk about Gustav’s ________. There was a flight ________ to consider, graduation from high school and, of course, ________ some way for Gustav to pack up. The day finally came. “I don’t want to leave,” he said, but we both knew that there was no ________ in the matter. “I know,” I said. “We don’t want you to leave. You have ________ beauty to our lives.” That might have been the last thing I said, or needed to say, but something else ________. “Gustav,” I said as he faced me, “I always wanted to have three sons. Thank you.”

1.

A．swap

B．section

C．repeat

D．request

2.

A．fresh

B．last

C．necessary

D．initial

3.

A．but

B．and

C．yet

D．or

4.

A．pick out

B．dive into

C．hang on

D．fit in

5.

A．Instead of

B．Regardless of

C．In favor of

D．In terms of

6.

A．how

B．as

C．why

D．which

7.

A．scene

B．sign

C．sight

D．scenery

8.

A．specific

B．gentle

C．awkward

D．tense

9.

A．takes in

B．keeps up

C．contributes to

D．adapts to

10.

A．other

B．own

C．another

D．special

11.

A．basically

B．officially

C．brotherly

D．luckily

12.

A．recovery

B．stay

C．plan

D．difficulty

13.

A．reached

B．jumped

C．threw

D．posted

14.

A．story

B．comment

C．reason

D．response

15.

A．return

B．hesitation

C．departure

D．decoration

16.

A．campaign

B．motivation

C．decision

D．reservation

17.

A．figure out

B．pointed out

C．take off

D．pay off

18.

A．decision

B．project

C．brand

D．choice

19.

A．attached

B．added

C．donated

D．devoted

20.

A．rejected

B．erupted

C．answered

D．received

8 . When I was in Tanzania, Modesta was my Swahili teacher, who was friendly and outgoing. Three years later, I was living in India, teaching at an English-medium international school. Modesta was still in her village, about 15. She had exhausted her country’s free education options. Instead of high school, early marriage is waiting for her. After much thought, I decide to invite Modesta to join me. I stressed the challenges: She’d have to adapt to living in an English-speaking environment, dealing with racism, and being separated from her family. Modesta decided she was up for the adventure.

At the airport gate, the agent asked for our yellow fever vaccination (疫苗接种) certificates. Tim and I pulled out ours but Modesta didn’t have one. “Then she won’t be allowed on the plane,” the agent said. “India won’t let her into the country without it. But...” My heart was racing. How had I failed to think of this? “There’s a clinic at the other end of the airport,” the agent said. “Takeoff is in 30 minutes, and the certificate is only valid 10 days after the injection.”

When the nurse finished the injection, I glanced at my watch again — 14 minutes — and said: “So, in order for us to travel today, the paperwork has to be dated 10 days earlier.” The nurse replied with a lazy eyebrow raise. “Modesta is from the village,” I almost cried. “For her this means everything: continuing her studies, learning English...” The nurse didn’t say anything, but with nine minutes left, when she handed us the certificate, it was backdated by 15 days.

We dashed through the gate just as it was closing. When we finally took off, my hand shook as I held Modesta’s. Tim finally broke our silence. “I was ready to pay an enormous bribe back there, to get them to change the date.” “I was ready to tell lies,” I said. “Big lies, whatever it took.” “I was praying and praying to Jesus,” Modesta said. Fifteen years later, Modesta has friends on four continents and the first college degree in her family.

1. If Modesta had refused the author’s invitation, she ___________.

A．would have been married

B．would have taught foreigners Swahili

C．would have studied in an international school

D．would have continued her education in Tanzania

2. Why Modesta was not permitted to board the plane?

A．She had a fever at that time.

B．She didn’t have a passport.

C．She didn’t get a birth certificate.

D．She was not vaccinated against yellow fever.

3. Why was the nurse willing to backdate the certificate by 15 days?

A．Modesta prayed to Jesus.

B．The author told a white lie.

C．Tim gave her a large amount of money.

D．She knew deeply what it meant for Modesta.

4. It can be inferred from the passage that __________.

A．Modesta would face racial discrimination in India

B．Modesta failed to adapt to the new environment

C．Tim was unwilling to accept Modesta

D．Modesta’s parents treated her badly

9 . Over the years, I bought countless pairs of shoes that brightened my mood, picked out dresses that improved my figure and turned over my credit card for lots of make-up that I had hoped would make me look fresher and happier. But all those things failed to bring relief to my pain inside.

But one afternoon in October 2015, I walked out of one store with something more valuable than anything money could buy. I found hope in the unlikeliest place after months of hopelessness, thanks to a woman who decided to start a conversation with me in the store’s cafe.

It had been a painful time for me. Married a little over four years, I had suffered five heartbreaking abortions and, at 42, was slowly accepting the cruel idea that I might never be able to have a child.

On that special day, an elegantly dressed, slightly older woman seated beside me offered to share the photos and stories of her daughter to break the silence in the half-empty cafe. Her Chinese girl was about seven years old.

“She’s pretty,” I said. “But what made you decide to adopt her?” I asked, uncertain whether I had stepped into an area which seemed too personal. “I don’t want work to be my whole life,” she said. I wasn’t sure whether she saw the tears welling up in my eyes as I replied, “I don’t either, but I'm afraid it’s too late!” “I was 51 when I adopted Melanie,” she said, “And it's the most rewarding and exciting thing I’ve ever done."

When our bills came, we exchanged our names and telephone numbers, and in that minute, I saw a happier and more satisfied myself, a reborn “mother-to-be".

1. What can we learn about the author from Paragraph 1?

A．She cared about her appearance too much.

B．She lacked enough confidence in herself.

C．She failed to buy happiness with money.

D．She liked shopping more than anything else.

2. What did the older woman want to do when talking with the author?

A．Advise the author to forget her pain.

B．Introduce her beautiful daughter to the author.

C．Advertise the benefits of adopting a Chinese girl.

D．Share her feelings of being an adoptive mother.

3. Which of the following best describes the older woman?

A．Patient.

B．Inspiring.

C．Energetic.

D．Responsible.

4. Why did the author see a happier self after the conversation?

A．Her hope of owning a child was built up again.

B．She realized life was more important than work.

C．The older woman set an example as a good mother.

D．She could adopt children because she was still young.

10 . 阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。

“No 7, Jobie Nymble, takes the lead,” cried the announcer. “Just one more hurdle (跨栏) and ...” Cheers broke out. “Jobie Nymble from Riverside Middle School takes first place in the girls’ 100-meter hurdles!” The crowd went wild.

“County championships (锦标赛), here we come,” screamed Jobie, patting her green track spikes (钉鞋). They were her lucky shoes and she loved them. “Next Saturday, we’re taking home the gold,” Jobie whispered to her spikes, excitedly retying them.

“Don’t forget, guys,” said Marisol, one of her teammates. “My birthday party is next Friday at Hidden Park.”

Next weekend couldn’t come soon enough. Jobie smiled with excitement all week long. At track practice, she leaped over those hurdles faster than she’d ever leaped before. And it wasn’t long before everything in her path was a hurdle: flowerpots in her front yard, sidewalk cracks on the way to the bus stop and even her little sister, Teka!

The day of Marisol’s party, Jobie put on her favorite outfit: her blue shorts, an old track T-shirt from her dad, and her lucky spikes. “Perfect.” She smiled at herself in the mirror.

The party was under way when Jobie arrived at Hidden Park. She stopped by the track first, planning to do some practice.

“Jobie!” Two of Jobie’s teammates rushed toward her, breathless and barefoot. “Come on,” they yelled. “You have to try the slide.”

Jobie looked toward the party area. Suddenly, she saw it. The biggest slide she had ever seen was on the far side of the park. Smiling kids zoomed down the slide at unspeakable speeds. Without thinking twice, Jobie took off her spikes and dashed (猛冲) toward the slide. Its ladder stretched to the sky, but she reached the top in no time, closed her eyes and let go.

Jobie couldn’t get enough. She tried again and again. When it was finally time to go home, she unwillingly made her way back to the track where she’d left her shoes.

续写部分：
注意：1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语以为你写好；
Paragraph 1：

As she eyed the area from a distance, panic set in.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2：

The next day, Jobie turned up in a new pair of spikes for the championships.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________