1 . A stand-up comedian is, supposed to be, a fluent communicator who is also good at using body language to _________ jokes.

However, for 27-year-old comedian Zhang Jiaxin, it takes a great effort to _________ pronounce the sounds of each character and sentence and be _________ on the stage. At birth, the oxygen _________ to his brain was curtailed (限制，削减), which _________ later problems with speaking and walking. The other long-term impairment is the loss of full use of his right hand.

It was two years ago when Zhang first performed stand-up comed yon the stage. At the time, he worked for the new media operation department of a company _________ in Xiamen, Fujian province, and had to prepare for a performance at the company’s year-end party.

He didn’t know much about stand-up performance. _________, as someone who likes to watch and be amused by entertainment shows from a very young age, he decided to give a humorous monologue at the party to amuse and _________ his colleagues.

It opened Zhang’s door to a colorful world of stand-up comedy.

He started to pay attention to the stand-up comedy live shows in Xiamen and got the _________ of a woman who worked at a local stand-up club.

“She sent me some videos of Drew Lynch (an American stand-up comic who developed a(an)__________ stutter (结巴) due to a sports injury earlier in his life) and told me that my defects are what make my appeal special,” he says. “That __________ me to have a go.”

After he read through a manual for writing and performing stand-up comedy, he started to __________his daily life to identify humorous __________ that could be used as jumping-off points to launch into stories.

Once he walked onto the stage, the audience __________ noticed his differences.

“__________, they were kind of walking on eggshells to spare my feelings. As I gradually opened myself to them, the atmosphere turned to be relaxing,” he says.

Wows and claps resounded. His jokes went down well as he worked the room with his humor.

1.

A．appoint

B．accompany

C．play

D．accomplish

2.

A．likely

B．especially

C．necessarily

D．clearly

3.

A．special

B．significant

C．flexible

D．obvious

4.

A．supply

B．turn

C．addition

D．reserve

5.

A．applied to

B．led to

C．lived up to

D．held on to

6.

A．based

B．settled

C．discovered

D．explored

7.

A．Besides

B．Therefore

C．However

D．Moreover

8.

A．amaze

B．entertain

C．experiment

D．greet

9.

A．contract

B．concept

C．conduct

D．contact

10.

A．artificial

B．little

C．permanent

D．consequent

11.

A．attracted

B．instructed

C．inspected

D．inspired

12.

A．examine

B．select

C．consider

D．expect

13.

A．facts

B．insights

C．moments

D．opinions

14.

A．frequently

B．immediately

C．subsequently

D．literally

15.

A．Initially

B．Finally

C．Completely

D．Precisely

2 . It was a dream born in fire. Andrea Peterson was five when she and her mother were trapped on the ledge（窗台）of a burning building.

“Throw the_________down!” said one of the firemen below, and little Andrea leaped into lifesaving arms, which motivated a life-long ambition: She wanted to_________fires as her rescuers did. She told that to the men who had_______her, and they laughed good-naturedly the way_________do when a kid says she wants to be an astronaut or a sports star. “You'll be a good mommy, “the_________told her. “But you can never be a firefighter.”

And then, as it tends to do, life doesn't___________her dreams. Pressured by her parents, she studied in an aviation school to become a flight attendant-and that's where she met her husband, Dennis. Unfortunately, Dennis was diagnosed with cancer. Peterson___________thirty-one years caring for the man she loved.

It wasn't until four years ago, after her_________passed away, that she felt that long-ago childhood dream calling. She _________volunteering at a local fire station. She spent a year lifting weights and watching her__________to keep fit. Later she began____________alongside men in their teens and 20s until she was____________.

Finally, Peterson became the only woman of the department's staff of twenty-seven firefighters. She has now       ________ more than 350 emergency calls, helping so many people beat back fires. She says, “I've always known that this is my____________.It doesn't matter how____________ I had to work or how long I had to wait.”

1.

A．fire

B．kid

C．tool

D．rope

2.

A．make

B．light

C．fight

D．cease

3.

A．saved

B．trapped

C．accepted

D．defeated

4.

A．heroes

B．scientists

C．sportsmen

D．grown-ups

5.

A．neighbors

B．firemen

C．passers-by

D．volunteers

6.

A．complete

B．abandon

C．stop

D．follow

7.

A．spent

B．wasted

C．needed

D．spared

8.

A．patient

B．husband

C．teacher

D．rescuer

9.

A．advised

B．missed

C．started

D．denied

10.

A．job

B．safety

C．life

D．diet

11.

A．training

B．working

C．waiting

D．reading

12.

A．disappointed

B．mature

C．practical

D．ready

13.

A．renewed

B．made

C．answered

D．rejected

14.

A．honor

B．dream

C．reward

D．pleasure

15.

A．hard

B．helpfully

C．well

D．attentively

5 . Age is just a number, and for Alan Camsell that couldn’t be more true. At 89, the Penrhyn Bay Strollers’ goalkeeper, and his teammates, believe he’s the oldest shot-stopper in the football league.

And now he’s been nominated(提名) in Sky Bet’s search for Real Football No. 1s. The UK’s No. 1 betting app is on the hunt for those at grassroots level who have made a special contribution to the beautiful game.

Alan says, “My wife told me when we had our first grandchild in our forties, ‘It’s alright being old, but don’t look old and don’t behave old.’ I’ve taken that to heart. Problems are there to overcome. I’ve had hip and knee replacements, cataract operations, and had a pacemaker put in just a few months ago. I’ve also got a hernia, but I just play on.”

The golden-age goalkeeper’s exploits on the football field have attracted TV coverage worldwide, and his record of the oldest shot-stopper remains unmatched. But incredibly, Alan didn’t have the chance to be a goalkeeper until he was 39.

“I’ve always followed the game, but the family business meant working weekends. So when evening five-a-side came around, I jumped at the chance to play,” he says.

While most players wear shin pads(护腿) and the occasional knee support, Alan has to go the extra mile to ensure he can play pain free during the football matches for his Welsh-based club.

Despite his health problems, Alan insists he’s got no intention of hanging up his boots any time soon. He adds, “I’ll play on forever and I’ve got no other plans. As long as the team’s prepared to put up with me, I’ll keep going.”

1. What do we know about Alan?

A．He took over the family business at a very young age.

B．He stepped over physical barriers to be a footballer.

C．He gave up his career owing to his various diseases.

D．He became a skilled goalkeeper when he was a teenager.

2. What does the underlined word “exploits” in paragraph 4 mean?

A．Achievements.

B．Arrangements.

C．Strengths.

D．Strategies.

3. Which words can best describe Alan?

A．Warm-hearted but mean.	B．Talented but careless.
C．Determined and devoted.	D．Flexible and caring.

4. What does the author want to convey in the text?

A．Nothing is impossible to a willing heart.	B．A candle lights others and consumes itself.
C．Genius is nothing but labor and diligence.	D．The longest journey begins with the first step.

8 . Every time people wondered what had happened to me, I smiled up at them. “I was born without arms,” I said, _________ it was the most normal thing in the world.

My parents never let my_________ hold me back. Before starting school, I preferred to use my left foot to hold pencils after trying several ways. At school, my granddad had _________ a desk for me, making it _________ so I could write with my foot. The other kids quickly_________ me and made friends with me.

In high school, when my mates got boyfriends, I felt _________ and mentioned it to Dad. “You’ll find your person in time, he told me. In Senior 2, I was encouraged to join the swimming team, which sparked a life-long _________ in me. At one point, a disability officer called Paul from Queensland Swimming came to watch a(n)_________ where we disabled athletes competed. Paul had once been a Paralympian swimmer. Meeting him was _________ for us young athletes. Years passed when I met Paul again at 28, when we hit it off and firmly believed we found our __________.

After our marriage, we did everything together as a team, relying on his strong arms and my capable __________. We started doing ocean swims and I even got the chance to complete a(n)__________ 10 km swim around Old Woman Island. When my feet touched the sand again five hours and 11 minutes later, Paul hugged me and we both cried. The swim __________ $13, 000 for disabled kids in the Sunshine Coast. We decided having kids wasn’t for us. __________ we focus on living life to the full.

My disability has never __________ me. Having great parents, a wonderful life, and a gorgeous husband, I just happen to have been born without arms.

1.

A．even though

B．now that

C．as though

D．given that

2.

A．disability

B．capability

C．quality

D．personality

3.

A．painted

B．adapted

C．decorated

D．transported

4.

A．lower

B．safer

C．higher

D．harder

5.

A．got rid of

B．got away from

C．got back to

D．got used to

6.

A．embarrassed

B．relaxed

C．satisfied

D．disheartened

7.

A．title

B．passion

C．hope

D．energy

8.

A．event

B．society

C．conference

D．ceremony

9.

A．challenging

B．disappointing

C．inspiring

D．depressing

10.

A．schoolmates

B．soulmates

C．teammates

D．workmates

11.

A．hands

B．brain

C．legs

D．back

12.

A．regular

B．tough

C．changeable

D．informal

13.

A．raised

B．cost

C．wasted

D．donated

14.

A．Besides

B．Especially

C．Still

D．Instead

15.

A．benefited

B．questioned

C．defined

D．impressed

9 . The promise was a long time keeping. And so was the dream.

In the early 1950s in a small Southern California town, a little girl left yet another load of books onto the tiny library’s counter. The girl was a reader. She’d make her weekly long journey to the yellow library with the brown decorations, the little one-room building where the children’s area actually was just a corner. Frequently, she walked out of that corner in search of mental food for the mind.

As the white-haired librarian hand-stamped the due dates in the ten-year-old’s choices, the little girl looked longingly at “The New Book” obviously displayed on the counter. She amazed again at the wonder of writing a book and having it honored like that, right there for the world to see.

That particular day, she spoke out her goal. “When I grow up,” she said, “I`m going to be a writer. I’m going to write books. ”

The librarian looked up from her stamping and smiled, not with the condescension (傲慢) so many children received, but with encouragement.

“When you do write a book,” she replied, “bring it into our library and we’ll put it on display, right here on the counter.”

The little girl promised she would. As she grew, so did her dream.

Years passed. Inside, the librarian welcomed her warmly. She introduced a reporter from the local newspaper, which she’d begged a chance to write for long ago.

Then she presented her books to the librarian, who placed them on the counter with a sign of explanation. Tears rolled down the woman’s cheeks.

Then she hugged the librarian and left, pausing for a picture outside, which proved that dreams can come true and promises can be kept, even if it takes thirty-eight years.

The ten-year-old girl and the writer she’d become posed by the library sign, right next to the reader board, which said:

WELCOME BACK, JANN MITCHELL.

1. Why did the girl rarely stay in the children’s area?

A．Because she had to help load the books.

B．Because she failed to stand the noisy corner.

C．Because she’d like to eat snacks occasionally.

D．Because she felt like obtaining more knowledge.

2. What did the librarian think about the girl’s dream?

A．Achievable.

B．Touching.

C．Unrealistic.

D．Absurd.

3. How old was the woman when returning to the library?

A．Thirty-eight years old.	B．Fifty years old.
C．Forty-eight years old.	D．Seventy-three years old.

4. Which might be the best title of the text?

A．A Novel Dream	B．A Dream with Promise
C．The Birth of a Great Writer	D．The Promise without Guarantee

10 . Rain or shine, Tsering Chopa treks for long hours to deliver mail. For 18 years, the Tibetan mailman has been a vital link between the remote town and the rest of the world.

At 5,373 meters above sea level, Pumachangthang in Nakarze county of the Tibet autonomous region is China’s highest township. The oxygen level is less than 40 percent, the annual average temperature -7°C and the average life expectancy only 49.5 years. The area of the township is about 1,500 square kilometers. The distance from the county town is some 70 km and a single trip to all the six villages can be as long as 160 km.

In 2005, Tsering Chopa became the first mailman of his hometown. In nearly two decades since his first mission, he has delivered over a million newspapers, more than 20,000 letters and 10,000-plus parcels in Pumachangthang, and has never been accused of failing or mixing up mail.

One night, a local resident Nyima Tsering’s daughter had fainted and desperately needed help. Knowing that, the mailman arranged for a car right away and sent her to the county hospital. He also gave some cash to the family for the girl’s treatment. Nyima Tsering’s daughter recovered soon, and Tsering Chopa became an idol in the village.

The busiest time for Tsering Chopa is between July and August each year, when students are waiting for their admission letters from various universities. He recalls once he had to deliver mail to one student whose family had already moved away. He had to ask neighbors several times to find the new address. It was summer and the usual road to the village was blocked because of rain. He trekked for more than 20 km and struggled with shortness of breath all the way to finally deliver the letter.

In 2019, Tsering Chopa received the China Youth May Fourth Medal. “It is an acknowledgment of what I do and a token of encouragement as well,” he says. “And I want to help more people living in remote areas. I want to bring the world closer to them and take them closer to the world.”

1. What does the data in paragraph 2 imply?

A．The achievements Tsering Chopa has gotten as a postman.

B．The disasters Tsering Chopa experienced in his childhood.

C．The contributions Tsering Chopa has made for his hometown.

D．The challenges for Tsering Chopa to deliver mail in Pumachangthang.

2. How did Tsering Chopa help Nyima Tsering’s daughter?

A．By donating a car to her family.	B．By making her hospitalized in time.
C．By lending money to her family.	D．By performing an operation for her.

3. Which of the following words can best describe Tsering Chopa?

A．Selfless and determined.	B．Brave and confident.
C．Optimistic and humorous.	D．Creative and generous.

4. Why did Tsering Chopa devote himself to delivering mail?

A．To win respect and admiration form the villagers.

B．To improve the living conditions of his hometown.

C．To further link his hometown to the rest of the world.

D．To encourage more poor students to go to universities.