1 . I’d moved to U.S.to live with my uncle,and one year after that, I lost my vision. I had since learned to get about with a cane, and now I craved getting back to pursue my dream of being a broadcaster.

But my aunt and uncle said it was much too dangerous for me to go out on my own. What if I got hit by a car? I must stay in the house. I was dogged. I rejected their guesses. I believed I could regain my way if I lost it. I told my aunt and uncle I would pay close attention, I would listen and be very careful when crossing streets.

A public library was offering a tuition-free course on how to use a computer with screen reading software designed for blind people. This was an important opportunity for me, My aunt and uncle reluctantly agreed.

I knew that the American singer Ray Charles, who was also blind, got around on his own without a cane. If he could do it without a cane, I reasoned, surely I could do it with one. Ray’   s secret was to count steps. But I couldn’t seem lo do that the way he had. Instead I captured the layout (布局) of places I visited by taking note of landmarks in my mind. I’d imagine the mental map I’d drawn and use that in order to navigate. Today, I do this automatically.

But that doesn’t mean I didn’t lose my way many times in the process of acquiring this skill. Sometimes I’d be so discouraged that I’d consider giving up. Maybe I should stay home and wait until someone could help me. On those days when I lost my way, I’d go to bed feeling down. And because I didn’t want my uncle to worry about me, I kept that to myself.

Since that time, I’ve pursued my education. I’ve earned three academic degrees, including a master’s, in face-to-face classrooms.Today, I’m a published journalist and audio producer. Now, surprised at my progress, my uncle screams to my aunt,“That boy can see!”

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

A．Determined.	B．Depressed.
C．Ashamed.	D．Frightened.

2. How did the author chart his way every day?

A．Depending on a walking cane.

B．Employing the power of imagination.

C．Drawing a detailed map himself.

D．Counting every pace while walking.

3. What did the author keep a secret?

A．His firm trust in his uncle.	B．His desire for some help.
C．His losing his way sometimes.	D．His feeling sleepy at bed.

4. What does the author’s uncle sound by saying “That boy can see!”?

A．A blessing.	B．A relief.
C．A surprise.	D．A praise.

2 . 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

3 . The job description of a postman doesn’t always include travelling through thick forests, fast-flowing waters and occasionally being run after by wild animals, but for D. Sivan, that is exactly what it is.

Every day for 30 years, this humble postman has been delivering post to some of the most remote villages in Coonoor which are inaccessible by road. Carrying the mail, he walks along the Nilgiri Mountain Railway track, walking through thick forests, crossing slippery streams and walking on railway bridges. Having travelled through the difficult path for 30 years, Mr. Sivan has grown fond of the wild animals he encounters on his daily walks, going so far as to say that they’ve all become his friends. But even his friends have occasionally caused him some trouble, with an elephant once having run after him. He was saved by a truck driver who spotted him and honked at the elephant. The animals recognize him now, though.

As the years rolled by, emails started replacing letter writing. And as more and more people moved from the Nilgiri hills to the plains-the towns of Mettupalayam and Coimbatore, Sivan’s bag became lighter and lighter every day. Many weeks he ended up carrying just 3-4 letter to each village.

One day Sivan noticed that a man to whom he was supposed to deliver his pension had moved to Coimbatore. The man had fallen very sick and was hospitalized. Sivan tracked down the hospital, travelled 80 kms by bus and later car, and delivered the pension. The kind postman even paid for the whole trip himself!

Not all heroes wear a cape(披风);some have white hair and carry a simple bag full of letters. Not all heroes write cool stories on Instagram; some just sit outside a door and read out a son’s letter to his mother.

1. Which of the following best describes Sivan’s daily delivery journey?

A．Awkward.

B．Comfortable.

C．Adventurous.

D．Uneventful.

2. What do the underlined words “his friends” in paragraph 2 refer to?

A．Postmen.

B．Truck drivers.

C．Wild animals.

D．Villagers in Coonoor.

3. Why did Sivan travel to Coimbatore?

A．To send a pension check.

B．To enjoy a trip to the plains.

C．To get hospital treatment.

D．To draw his pension.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．Letters or emails

B．The world’s busiest postman

C．The postal service in Coonoor

D．Capeless hero with a bag

4 . Carl Allamby grew up in a poor African American neighborhood. As a child, pursuing his dream is ________ but easy for him. His school didn’t offer the advanced science classes that might have led him on the path to ________. Even it had, doing well in school could prove dangerous. There were often times they would be attacked for ________ the class. As a result, he ________ the thought of becoming a doctor.

At age 19, he started working alone in a garage. Over the years it had ________ into two shops, but Carl was ________ for something more. So at 34, he went for his bachelor’s degree in business management and he was ________ he had to take biology to get his degree.

It turned out that it was the ________ thing to have happened. Biology class reawakened a childhood dream he had ________ somewhere deep within himself. Determined to accomplish his dream, he skipped business ________ the science classes for a second career. “It was ________ to become a doctor at around 50. I would ________ become a nurse, or a physician assistant.” Carl reasoned.

But Carl’s chemistry professor ________ him after class one day and talked him out of that thought.

He was right. Carl did well in all his courses. And so in 2015, he cut ________ with his past, selling his two shops and everything in them. In 2019, at 47, Carl Allamby became Carl Allamby, MD. The world may have ________ him around once or twice, but it didn’t defeat him.

“How many people can do something so ________ at such a late stage in their life?” he says. “I fit so many demographics (人口统计数据) that ________ you shouldn’t be a doctor. ________ it’s because of my age, my race, my upbringing, or my career, these are all good ________ suggesting I shouldn’t be here. And ________, here I am.”

1.

A．nothing

B．everything

C．anything

D．something

2.

A．business

B．physics

C．medicine

D．biology

3.

A．topping

B．skipping

C．missing

D．resisting

4.

A．wrote down

B．set aside

C．came up with

D．got down to

5.

A．grown

B．zoomed

C．narrowed

D．shrunk

6.

A．hopeful

B．sorry

C．desperate

D．grateful

7.

A．warmed

B．informed

C．convinced

D．advised

8.

A．very

B．least

C．last

D．best

9.

A．lost

B．hidden

C．made

D．lived

10.

A．in praise of

B．in memory of

C．in need of

D．in favor of

11.

A．cool

B．crazy

C．worthwhile

D．admirable

12.

A．however

B．indeed

C．instead

D．otherwise

13.

A．spotted

B．stopped

C．scolded

D．seized

14.

A．ties

B．profits

C．business

D．memories

15.

A．dropped

B．kissed

C．swallowed

D．knocked

16.

A．ridiculous

B．brand-new

C．ambitious

D．straight-forward

17.

A．say

B．write

C．report

D．calculate

18.

A．If

B．When

C．Whether

D．While

19.

A．reasons

B．tips

C．proofs

D．examples

20.

A．so

B．yet

C．then

D．still

5 . My mother spent at least 12 hours every day rolling country cigarettes to support our family. One day she showed me her wage book, _________ me how much money she had earned. She has never been to school-she knows nothing about calculating and she uses her thumbprints to _________ a record of her earning. At the moment, I wanted to _________ her how to hold a pen to write things.

As I watched her finally _________ to write her name correctly, and her hands trembling with _________, I had a dream that I wanted to receive better education and make a _________ to this world. But my _________might be too big for a girl in a poor village, because in rural India, girls are generally considered _________and to live a life of no voice and no choice.

When I was 13, I read the autobiography of Helen Keller. I _________ her spirit and I wanted to have a college degree like her. So I fought with my father and my relatives to be sent to __________, and it worked five years later. I __________ to join in a fellowship(奖学金)program in Delhi University. After many rounds of interviews, I got into the __________ with a full scholarship. I was going to __________ of my village for the first time to study in the capital! By the time my fellowship program ended, my life had __________. Not only had I traced my lost voice, but also had a choice to make myself __________.

At the age of 22, I came back to my village to set up an institution that __________ rural youth by providing them with education, life skills and career opportunities. My work involved working with families and communities to help them understand why getting __________ is useful for everyone.

Of course, to change people’s mind is challenging. The quickest way to __________ them is by doing. When they see their kids getting a real education, getting a real __________ , they begin to change. The best example is what happened at my home -__________ education has helped me to find my voice, my self-worth and my freedom.

1.

A．pointing

B．asking

C．testing

D．giving

2.

A．keep

B．break

C．play

D．remember

3.

A．order

B．suppose

C．teach

D．advise

4.

A．try

B．refuse

C．manage

D．pretend

5.

A．agreement

B．complement

C．development

D．excitement

6.

A．difference

B．plan

C．mistake

D．decision

7.

A．dream

B．trouble

C．curiosity

D．demand

8.

A．priceless

B．careless

C．fearless

D．worthless

9.

A．abandoned

B．admired

C．conveyed

D．inspired

10.

A．hometown

B．community

C．downtown

D．college

11.

A．hesitated

B．applied

C．hated

D．agreed

12.

A．activity

B．program

C．library

D．campaign

13.

A．give out

B．turn out

C．step out

D．break out

14.

A．changed

B．finished

C．fulfilled

D．connected

15.

A．beautiful

B．joyful

C．useful

D．careful

16.

A．supported

B．arranged

C．protected

D．introduced

17.

A．recognition

B．invitation

C．examination

D．education

18.

A．debate

B．question

C．argue

D．convince

19.

A．gift

B．treat

C．job

D．bargain

20.

A．affecting

B．receiving

C．suffering

D．improving

6 . British teen Kitty Tait wakes up at 5 am every day to bake bread, but it’s not just any old bread. The young girl who runs the Orange Bakery in her home town, with her dad Alex, adds a little humor to her bakes.

“If something is fun to eat, it makes it even tastier!” the teen baking star, who overcame depression after discovering the art of bread making, said. It was watching her dad make a simple loaf of white bread that changed her life forever. “Something that was so unpromising — a bit like how my brain felt at the time — had turned into something so magical,” she recalls.

Soon, Kitty was baking loaves for her neighbors. And before she knew it, there was a subscription service followed by a pop-up in her neighbor’s garage where she sold almost 100 loaves of bread and doughnuts (甜甜圈) in half an hour. “At that moment, I realized that this was what I wanted to do with my life,” she says.

A few months later, after raising enough money through crowdfunding,the teen rented a small retail space in town and her dad quit his job to become her business partner. They’ve been running the Orange Bakery ever since, selling everything from Marmite and cheese swirls to Danish pastries.

“I’m just really excited about people eating good bread, whether it is made by themselves or bought from a bakery,” says Kitty. “My main mission is to make bread inclusive and joyful because I have found so much joy in it.”

Today, the Taits are part of the global baking community, running baking classes at local schools.

1. What can we learn about Kitty before her picking up baking?

A．She worked part-time at a bakery.

B．She suffered from a mental illness.

C．She turned something magical into reality.

D．She learned baking from her mom and neighbors.

2. Which word can describe Kitty’s bread in her neighborhood?

A．Popular.

B．Graceful.

C．Updated.

D．Ordinary.

3. What can we conclude about Kitty’s father from paragraph 4?

A．He had ever been a good teacher.

B．He bought the Orange Bakery for Kitty.

C．He made a contribution to Kitty's cause.

D．He had ever done foreign trade in a company.

4. What is Kitty’s main focus?

A．Making baking a fun thing.

B．Earning as much as possible.

C．Running joyful baking classes.

D．Thinking up better ways of baking.

9 . If I have a goal in life, it isn’t to be driving a Rolls-Royce. It’s to be giving away more than $1,000,000 a year and having an impact on people’s lives. I have the success today because I always had to work for what I wanted. I grew up accustomed to risks and disappointments, so I was used to moving forward, no matter what.

In 2008, I went to Los Angeles where I tried to get hired as an agent, an analyst and a financial broker. Unfortunately, all these doors slammed in my face. The world’s economy was in a bad state, so I knew I would have to do a little spinning of my own.

Youth involves a certain innocence but also perseverance. The word “can’t” wasn’t in my vocabulary. I partnered with a friend buying distressed multifamily properties around Houston. Even though we were enthusiastic and backed with start-up sums, I didn’t make a deal work. My friend moved on to other projects. Alone, I put all my money into the next real-estate project. I put the time in, I dreamed it, but once again the deal fell through. Two months later, though, the deal came back around. That was when the path opened, luck changed, and I was ready to form my own company. I haven’t looked back. Only ahead.

I’m now able to give back to communities and causes. I donate about $500,000 a year, much of that going to research to cure rare diseases. We also support a lot of services for disadvantaged children in Houston and other places.

I have always been someone who can see the big picture and have never been distracted by things that get in the way. There are lessons to be learned, and the biggest of those is to keep going. You may have to change the path, but always keep that vision in front of you.

1. Which of the following about the author is true?

A．He donated a lot of money to improve his company’s image.

B．He often encountered difficulties in the process of growing up.

C．He started his own company together with a friend.

D．He changed jobs several times while in Los Angeles.

2. By saying “do a little spinning of my own” in the second paragraph, the author probably means he would_____________.

A．look for a part-time job independently	B．make his contributions to the economy
C．give in to the disappointing reality	D．be self-employed to develop his career

3. Which quality of the author is not shown in the passage?

A．Perseverance.

B．Optimism.

C．Innocence.

D．Kindness.

4. Which one is probably the best title of the passage?

A．Saying No to “Turning Back”	B．Tips for a Successful Business
C．Jumping over Economic Downturns	D．A Life-time Pursuit of Dream

10 . While I was driving a motorbike with one hand, a lady suddenly stepped into the street. I braked ______ to try to avoid her. As a result, I fell heavily to the ground and my left arm became completely paralyzed(瘫痪的).

Thus, I had to ______ everything I used to do with two hands. As a person who would rather get lost than ask for directions, asking for ______ is difficult for me. But I never expected things would ______ after years of swimming training for the 2020 Paralympics(残奥会).

When swimming, I need to wear a tight racing suit. It took a lot of practice to become ______ slowly putting one on with one hand. However, ______ one was a different story. I was once stuck and half naked in a swimsuit. I still refused to bother others and was even ______ to reach for a knife to find my way out. A girl near me saw me struggling. She rushed over and managed to ______ me in a minute.

At a Paralympic event, everyone player has a(n) ______. Being unwilling to ______ a helping hand made me a(n) ______ one. However the ______ in that changing room helped me start to become a new normal person.

At first, learning to ask for help was the adaptation that proved to be more difficult than putting on a ______ with one hand. After some efforts, I realized learning to do so was not the decision I had ______ made, but it became the win I______ wanting most.

1.

A．occasionally

B．slowly

C．hesitantly

D．sharply

2.

A．relearn

B．predict

C．analyze

D．memorize

3.

A．forgiveness

B．assistance

C．permission

D．protection

4.

A．gather

B．change

C．worsen

D．appear

5.

A．equal to

B．opposed to

C．skilled at

D．crazy about

6.

A．choosing

B．preserving

C．washing

D．removing

7.

A．ready

B．afraid

C．relieved

D．shocked

8.

A．blame

B．inspire

C．free

D．greet

9.

A．alternative

B．certificate

C．shortcoming

D．disability

10.

A．seek for

B．point out

C．hold up

D．look into

11.

A．confident

B．outgoing

C．strange

D．selfless

12.

A．guidance

B．conflict

C．joke

D．incident

13.

A．hat

B．swimsuit

C．coat

D．glasses

14.

A．initially

B．dangerously

C．widely

D．frequently

15.

A．gave up

B．objected to

C．ended up

D．put off