1 . Many people, some even at a very young age, set the goal of graduating from college. One American woman in Texas waited a long time for her chance to reach that goal.
The woman, 85yearold Janet Fein, received her bachelor’s degree (学士学位) from the University of Texas in December, 2018.
Fein has had a full life. She raised five children and then had a career as a secretary (秘书) until she retired at age 77. But even then, she was not ready to take it easy and rest during a wellearned retirement. She decided to major in sociology.
Fein grew up in the Bronx area of New York City. In high school, she just wanted to finish and get a job. After graduating early, at the age of 16, she went to work as a secretary.
After getting married, she spent 18 years staying home with her children. She held several jobs throughout her life, including being a secretary at a Dallas hospital. That is the job she retired from in 2011. She received an associate degree (专科学位) in 1995. But she also wanted to earn a bachelor’s degree. Fein took part in a state program that lets people who are 65 and older take free classes at public universities in Texas.
She kept going to class even as her health condition worsened. During her studies, it became necessary for her to use a walker to get around and she required oxygen. She also developed knee problems. So, Fein took online classes to finish the last part of her degree requirements.
Renee Brown is one of Fein’s caregivers. She says Fein has also inspired her. At 53, she plans to begin nursing school to further her career. Brown says Fein told her, “Renee, you can do it. If I can do it you also can do it, and you will feel so good about it.”
1. When did Janet Fein start to work?| A．In 1933. | B．In 1950. |
| C．In 1995. | D．In 2012. |
| A．Sociology. | B．Secretary. |
| C．History. | D．Health. |
| A．Shock. | B．Disappoint. |
| C．Employ. | D．Encourage. |
Growing up in Saudi Arabia, 44-year-old photographer Jody MacDonald has always had a strong interest in the desert. “I have always wanted to spend some time in the Sahara,” MacDonald said. “There are still so many unexplored areas in the Sahara Desert. These relatively unexplored places are so rare these days and hold the very fundamentals of exploration, which attract me. So finally I made the journey.” MacDonald started her journey in Mauritania’s capital city Nouakchott, and headed inland where she and her team jumped on the world’s longest cargo train (货运列车) for a 435-mile journey on the Mauritania Railway. “The train was dirty and uncomfortable but it was such an interesting and unique way to travel through the vast desert by train,” said MacDonald.
MacDonald and her group had to face many challenges on their journey. Except for the dirt and discomfort, the travelers also had to deal with the intense heat, violent winds and even dangerous sandstorms. “I was out taking photographs and within minutes, the wind increased to more than 100 miles an hour,” MacDonald said. “I thought my skin was going to be torn off because of the rain and blowing sand. It felt like sandpaper on my skin. I have never experienced winds that strong before. There was once a time when I wanted to give up.”
She dealt with the harsh (恶劣的) conditions by trying not to travel in the middle of the day and wore headscarves to protect herself from the sun and blowing sand. “The weather definitely dictates when and where you travel,” said MacDonald. Even with all the challenges, the photographer managed to record amazing images of the beautiful but harsh landscapes of Mauritania, and its fascinating cultures and communities.
1. Why did MacDonald tour the Sahara? (no more than 10 words)2. How did MacDonald feel on the cargo train? (no more than 5 words)
3. Why did MacDonald once decide to give up her journey? (no more than 10 words)
4. What does the underlined word in the last paragraph mean? (1 word)
5. How does MacDonald’s story inspire you in life? Please explain. (no more than 20 words)
At the 2020 Grammy Award Show, 20-year-old Lil Nas X took the stage to perform his mega-hit, “Old Town Road” Wearing a cowboy outfit, he was joined by some top artists. Together, they created a show-stealing moment. As he danced across the stage to thunderous applause, it was hard to believe that just a year before, few people had even heard of Lil Nas X. It had been quite the year.
Lil Nas X was born in 1999 near Atlanta, Georgia. His parents divorced when he was young, and he spent his lonely teenage years on the Internet, especially Twitter. He was always into music, but he never saw himself doing music.
That changed after high school. At 19, Lil Nas was a college dropout working at a fast-food restaurant. One night, he found a beat online that made him think of a “loner cowboy runaway”. He bought the beat for $30 and built a song around it. Soon after, he released “Old Town Road”. It was a strange song-a mix of hip-hop and country-and it was about to take the world by storm.
Thanks to Lil Nas’ social-media promotion, “Old Town Road” went viral on TikTok, racked up massive streams, and started climbing the charts. Within a few months, Lil Nas X had a great number of fans, and a deal with Columbia Records.
The spotlight brought challenges, though. Billboard pulled “Old Town Road” from the country charts, arguing that it didn’t sound enough like country, a move that some criticized as having racial overtones. Then Lil Nas came out as gay-a difficult and brave decision considering that country music and hip-hop hadn’t always been welcoming to gay artists.
But Lil Nas emerged stronger from the hurdles. He recruited a country singer to join him in a remix of “Old Town Road” that shot to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed there for a record-breaking 19 weeks.
Lil Nas X’s unusual path to superstardom has inspired a new generation of musicians. Other rappers have since landed major record deals after promoting their music on social media. As Billy Ray Cyrus put it, think a lot of artists out there can look at this and say, “Hey man, this is a green light.”
As for Lil Nas himself, he shows no signs of slowing down. He has more music on the way, and he says although his newfound fame can be overwhelming, he’s enjoying the ride. “Everything lined up for this moment to take me to this place?”
1. What inspired Lil Nas to create the song “Old Town Road”?2. How did Lil Nas overcome the challenges brought by the spotlight?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
Lil Nas says his newfound fame is so overwhelming that he wishes he had done things quite differently.
4. What personal quality do you see in Lil Nas? Support your point with evidence from the text. (In about 40 words)
4 . Chris Smith looked like any other young boy in his class: thick hair, a wide smile, and playing sports. By all appearances, life for Chris was the same as it was for a hundred other boys in the small town where he grew up, except for the constant evictions (驱赶), and eventually being homeless.
Chris’ father was reckless (鲁莽的) with finances and dishonest in business. His mother tried her best to run the home until Chris’ little brother drowned (溺亡), then his father went to prison, and finally the family fell apart.
“My mom shut down emotionally. Everything got worse,” Chris remembers. Then she was gone and ran away from home without telling Chris. He did the best he could, sleeping on his newly married sister’s sofa. “They didn’t have much money, and I know it was a burden to take me in at 17 years old, I was going to drop out from high school and make it on my own.”
But Chris’ history teacher had different ideas. When Chris’ study began to go down, she cornered him. “You’re the smartest kid in the class,” she told him. “If you don’t graduate, you’re going to regret it.”
“School was my safe place,” Chris says. School also offered him heat and food. It became the closest thing to home he could find, compared to his father’s old truck that became his bed and his study space. He remembers his hair freezing onto the window in the winter.
When graduation came, Chris earned a full scholarship to college and graduated in the top 10 of his class. When it’s time to apply for medical residencies, Chris set his sights high. He applied for residencies around the country and included the No. 1 program in the nation: Johns Hopkins. And then the letter came. Chris was in.
“I didn’t really think I had a chance. But I had learned to give everything my best shot. Life is never fair. But if you don’t give up, you will give yourself a better chance to make it,” Chris says.
1. Why did Chris’ mother leave home?| A．Because of failure in business. | B．Because of financial restrictions. |
| C．Because of her husband’s dishonesty. | D．Because of heartbroken family events. |
| A．Lazy and average. | B．Comfortable and carefree. |
| C．Tough and hardworking. | D．Happy and undemanding. |
| A．Never lose heart. | B．Always be well-prepared. |
| C．Never judge a book by its cover. | D．Always be humble and cautious. |
| A．Doing Is Better than Saying | B．There Is No End to Learning |
| C．From Homeless to Medical Resident | D．Great Hopes Make Great Man |
5 . Fighting through pain after running for 28 hours, and amid the sound of tired feet struggling through the Arizona dirt—finally soft, soothing (舒缓的) music could be heard over the horizon. The finish line, which was once 100 miles away, was right in front of him. A small, roaring human victory tunnel welcomed Zach Bates as he ran across the finish line.
Diagnosed with autism (自闭症) at the age of four, Bates completed the 100-mile ultramarathon (超级马拉松) earlier this year, becoming the youngest finisher in the race’s history, aged 19. Bates was a member of the cross-country team in high school but, after graduating he surprised his family with a new goal—to run a 100-mile race before his 20th birthday.
Neither Bates nor his parents had any prior experience in preparing for the task at hand, but Brian, his father, found ways to help, truly making it a family affair. In addition to hiking safe trails, they read books together, organized all his nutrition, and made sure their son had the right equipment—like the watch he wore on long runs so they could track him and make sure he was safe and on course. Rana and Brian even helped with training schedules before finding more experienced ultramarathon runners—such as mentor John Hendrix and coach Nickademus de la Rosa. With Hendrix and de la Rosa’s expertise, the young American prepared by competing in shorter distances and successfully worked his way up to the 100-miler in a short time.
Rather than having his autism be a reason to make the goal unreachable, his mom said the challenge has helped him stay focused. “If we listen to our children and allow them to do what they want to do and be a support to them, you’ll be so surprised at where they’ll end up,” Rana says.
1. How did Bates probably feel when he ran across the finish line?| A．Tired but cheerful. | B．Proud and overconfident. |
| C．Painful but peaceful. | D．Comfortable and relaxed. |
| A．Because he was diagnosed with autism. |
| B．Because he was a cross-Country team member. |
| C．Because he graduated from high school just now. |
| D．Because they considered the new goal impractical. |
| A．Guidance from experts. | B．His perseverance to the goal. |
| C．Support from his family. | D．Encouragement of team members. |
| A．Save for a rainy day. | B．All we have is now. |
| C．Nothing is impossible. | D．Fortune favors the bold. |
6 . A ninth-grade Aledo track standout who was the victim of an unusual accident with a deer has returned to the varsity team (校队) and says his story offers a lesson for everyone: “Never stop trying.”
Jack Fink, 14, has always loved to run. "I've been running long distance since I was in third grade," Fink said. "It's the wind in my face. Just going as fast as possible."
One morning last month, Fink was running along a golf course not far from school — practicing with his team — when something faster than him hit him hard from behind. “I saw the sky and then I saw the ground and then my ears started ringing," he said. Some teammates saw what happened and helped him up.
“They told me a couple of minutes after, ‘Jack, you got hit by a deer!’ And I was like, ‘What? There's no way,’” he said Monday. He never even saw the deer, he said.
Fink was OK at first but as the hours went on his head started hurting. Fink then went to Cook Children's hospital. "They took me straight back to surgery and they told my mom and dad, ‘Hey, he may not make it,’” he said. X-rays found a skull fracture (颅骨骨折) and bleeding in his brain. He needed six screws (螺钉) to relieve the pressure, screws that will stay inside his head for the rest of his life.
He spent a few weeks at home recovering but wanted to run again. Not sure if he was up to it, his coaches put him on the junior varsity team at first.
"It's the craziest and the scariest thing I've had to deal with in my coaching career,” track coach Mike Pinkerton said of the incident. "He said, ‘Coach, I'm getting my spot back!’” Pinkerton said. At the junior varsity meet, Fink came in first. He then got his varsity spot back. “I felt like, ‘OK I can do this again. I'm back. I'm ready to run again,’” Fink said.
At a regional meet Monday in Lubbock, Fink was the fastest ninth-grader in the entire area. The state competition is in Round Rock next month, and Fink will be there with his team. "There's no excuse. You have to go through life and try your hardest with everything,” he said. “Never stop trying and just run.”
1. When did the accident happen?| A．When Fink was in third grade. | B．While Fink was playing golf at the course. |
| C．Before Fink saw the sky. | D．While Fink was training. |
| A．amused | B．astonished | C．annoyed | D．disappointed |
| A．The accident did him no harm. | B．He had to replace screws for life. |
| C．He was taken to the hospital immediately after the accident. | D．He had an operation on his head. |
| A．Because Fink was still weak after his recovery. |
| B．Because the coach doubted about his fitness for the race. |
| C．Because the coach was mad with Fink's decision. |
| D．Because Fink had to pass the junior varsity meet first. |
| A．A novel. | B．A newspaper. | C．A brochure. | D．A diary. |
7 . The Royal Ballet is to stage a performance featuring a disabled dancer, recognizing that being inclusive (包容) is “not just about diversity of race, but also about diversity of physical ability”.
Joe Powell-Main, who uses a wheelchair and sticks to perform, tells a story about overcoming life’s obstacles to pursue a dream that he has had since he was five. Having danced from the age of four, he won a place at the famous Royal Ballet School (RBS), even performing as a student in a Royal Ballet staging of The Nutcracker — only to see his hopes of becoming a professional dancer hit by a condition that affected his mobility.
During his fourth year of training, he developed injuries following a period of growth, leading to surgery on his left knee. Complications (并发症) developed and a serious car accident took a further toll on his body, bringing his training to an end. Aged 15, he was using a wheelchair and assumed he would never dance again.
But his life was transformed after his mother spotted a leaflet about wheelchair dancing, which played a part in helping him to accept his disability. Powell-Main recalled, “When I acquired my disability, I completely thought dance wasn’t an option for me and was completely over. Then why not ballet? In terms of partnering, it’s a new way of doing things.”
He took part in the Royal Ballet’s platform Draft Works, which has now been extended and he’ll perform it as a 10-minute duet (双人舞) with Lubach. “Powell-Main made an impression on me. Dancing with him was really special, which has opened up refreshing possibilities, new ways of partnering, sharing weight between each other, using speed and dynamic in different ways,” Lubach said.
Emma Southworth, the Royal Ballet’s creative producer, said, “If someone has a wheelchair, what are the possibilities of moving in a wheelchair? If the stick becomes the extension of the arm, what does that mean? If we’re really being properly inclusive, we’ve got to look at how we work with disabled performers.”
1. What was a turning point in Powell-Main’s life?| A．A serious car accident. | B．The surgery on his left knee. |
| C．A leaflet about wheelchair dancing. | D．The performance in The Nutcracker. |
| A．Step. | B．Risk. | C．Break. | D．Damage. |
| A．He refused to submit to the fate despite his disability. |
| B．He has been suffering from the knee injuries since he was five. |
| C．He stood out in RBS due to his hard work and professional skills. |
| D．His dancing career was totally ruined by the unexpected car accident. |
| A．A special performance | B．A life full of obstacles |
| C．A unique wheelchair dancer | D．The Royal Ballet’s rich diversity |
8 . Jessica Long, from Baltimore, Maryland, USA is a champion by all definitions of the word. She is one of the world’s most decorated swimmers. Jessica was the youngest athlete to win a Paralympics (残奥会) medal. But her path to becoming a champion has been anything but easy.
Jessica was born in Irkutsk, Russia with a severe and rare disease — fibular hemimelia (腓侧半肢畸形). This means that part of her leg bones was missing or abnormal. Because of that, her young mother placed her in a Russian orphanage (孤儿院), fearing she could not care for Jessica.
Fortunately, she was adopted by an American family when she was 13 months old. She required 25 different surgeries to help her leg condition. But unfortunately, both of her legs had to be removed when she was just 18 months old. Jessica learned to walk with artificial legs. As a child, she took to sports including gymnastics, cheerleading, ice skating, biking and rock climbing.
She began swimming at her grandparents’ house when she was 6. She started competitive swimming about 4 years later. She did really well in swimming. Shortly after she started competing, Jessica was selected as Maryland’s Female Swimmer of the Year with a Disability. Even though Jessica was annoyed with her physical limitations, she was encouraged to enter her first Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece. She won three gold medals in swimming at 12! But she did not rest on her success.
Jessica has gone on to win 23 medals for Team USA at the Paralympics! While she began her career out of anger and annoyance, she now has a positive force on a mission to inspire the next generation of Paralympians! Her attitude and growth have been keys to her success. Jessica always believed she could do anything. As she says, “The only disability in life is a negative attitude.”
1. What happened to Jessica when she was a baby?| A．She was abandoned in the wild. | B．She had 25 operations on her leg. |
| C．She had her legs cut because of a disease. | D．She was adopted by a Russian family. |
| A．At the age of 4. | B．At the age of 6. |
| C．At the age of 10. | D．At the age of 12. |
| A．She was the youngest athlete in US history. |
| B．She has set a good example to Paralympians. |
| C．She has won 23 gold medals in Paralympics. |
| D．She took part in several sports in Paralympics. |
| A．Difficult the first time, easy the second. |
| B．Never hit a man when he is down. |
| C．A common danger causes common action. |
| D．Nothing is impossible to a determined heart. |
9 . Leek Town Warriors was a girls’ football team Which used to get routinely defeated every time they turned out, until James Henry stepped in two years ago. He took the job when the previous coach quit and transformed the team’s fortunes.With the help of his assistant Andy Austin, they started training hard in April 2020.
Some players had never kicked a football before joining the team, so training them took hours of hard work and patience. After a good few weeks, they got down to training and really started to take it in what the coach wanted. “I insist on doing the basic stuff well and letting the girls decide what they feel they need to work on.” James said.
James’ first season was ruined by the pandemic, which forced him and Andy to get creative with training. They organized team-building activities with the girls to help them bond on and off the field. James then spent the sessions they could hold focusing on the basics of football like passing and shooting, bringing the girls up to a good standard.
James watched the girls develop over the course of last year, and in September they played their first match of the new season. They won the game, and since then went on an unbeaten run of eight games. The team’s star player, 15-year-old Chelsea, has also impressed the audience individually,becoming the top scorer in the league with incredible 30 goals.
James said, “All the effort that the girls, us coaches and parents have put in to get this point has been enormous. If I hadn’t had the Support of Andy helping me every week, this would have been an impossible task. So I’m incredibly grateful to have him on side. All we want is to bring more girls into the game and show that it’s not all about having the best players; it’s about hard work and giving everyone the chance to play.”
1. Why did James Henry take over the soccer team?| A．Because he wanted to try his fortune. |
| B．Because he wanted to turn things around. |
| C．Because the previous coach recommended him. |
| D．Because he hoped to fulfill his champion dream. |
| A．Pick experienced players. |
| B．Develop players’ patience. |
| C．Lay stress on basic skills. |
| D．Make decisions for the girls. |
| A．They won the league championship. |
| B．They stood out in James’ first season. |
| C．They scored 30 goals in the season. |
| D．They won regularly and secured promotion. |
| A．Talent is the key. |
| B．Joint efforts matter. |
| C．Every dog has his day. |
| D．Time and tide wait for no man. |
10 . A mother of nine who started medical school when her youngest child was 4 years old graduated with her degree and plans to be a neurosurgeon (神经外科医生).
Sarah Merrill, now 41, said her journey to medical school began at age 17. She then met her husband and got married. Merrill first thought about going to school part-time to get a degree, but later she decided to follow her dream of attending medical school. Certainly, it was a challenge. Speaking of her successfully returning to university, Merrill thought it was credited to her family largely. “When I was accepted at Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine, we moved from Pennsylvania to Arizona,” said Merrill, who is moving to Indiana with her family to begin her residency (实习期) in neurosurgery. “In fact, they volunteered these movements. I know it was tough for all of us.”
Merrill and her children often have “homework parties” where they study for their own courses. Merrill’s choice has given a stimulus to her children. Merrill felt touched knowing her 11-year-old daughter wants to become a surgeon and overhearing her son tell his friends his mom’s going to be a cool brain surgeon, though he doesn’t understand that really.
Merrill’s next step into a neurosurgery residency will take her into a male-dominated field where only 5% of board certified neurosurgeons are women. Dr. Michele Halyard at Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine said Merrill was known as a focused student. Halyard said, “If you can deal with nine children and keep your reason, the residency should be a piece of cake because no amount of stress will make you fail.”
Merrill had considered choosing a more family-friendly specialty, but, again, chose to dream big and follow her original pursuit. It’s the same advice she would give to all. “Set the goal that is what you’re really enthusiastic about, and it helps to think small. If you know what your priorities are, focus on the next step. Then you’ll get where you want to go.”
1. Why does Merrill speak of their movements?| A．To show the support of her family. |
| B．To stress her determination to be a doctor. |
| C．To reflect difficulties in attending college. |
| D．To describe the process of pursuing her dream. |
| A．Entertainment. | B．Inspiration. |
| C．Commitment. | D．Confusion. |
| A．Merrill will have more stress to handle. |
| B．Staying focused and sensible is key to success. |
| C．Being Mom makes Merrill a better doctor. |
| D．She is confident of Merrill’s being a neurosurgeon. |
| A．Starting with small things. |
| B．Getting your priorities right. |
| C．Being true to your passion. |
| D．Having the courage to dream big. |
