1 . Kathleen Rooney knew that writing Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey, from the point of view of a pigeon, was a risk. Rooney, perhaps best known for her 2017 bestseller, Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk, says her interest in a feathered narrator was excited by one of her students at DePaul University, where she is an English professor. “A student named Brian mentioned Cher Ami in a poem. It blew my mind that this pigeon was so heroic and is stuffed and on display in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.”

Rooney learned that Cher Ami, a British homing pigeon, helped save a group of American troops during a horrific, multi-day World War I battle. The story of this amazing pigeon and the extraordinary man who commanded the battle, Major Charles Whittlesey, was altogether attractive.

In Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey, Charles reflects on his happier prewar days in New York City, where he ran a law firm with a college classmate. When it came time for battle, though, he and his fellows found themselves cut off from supply lines, surrounded by enemy German troops.

Carrier pigeons were the group’s only hope of contacting headquarters and getting the other Americans to stop dropping bombs on them. Cher Ami flew through gunfire to deliver Charles' message, which finally stopped the attack. She lost an eye and a leg, among other wounds, but was eventually able to hobble (蹒跚) on a tiny wooden prosthesis (义肢) that the Army made for her. She lived another year before dying of her injuries in 1919, but in the novel she continues speaking to readers behind glass in the Smithsonian where she’s been since her death.

There’s an interesting lesson to be learned from Charles’ decisions in the battle, too. “He was famous for something we’d describe as passive,” Rooney says. “Once they were in the pocket, he waited as long as he could. I’m an impatient, active person ... His act was stillness, waiting, keeping everybody’s spirits up. The way he did that was amazing.”

Rooney also hopes the book, with its portrayal of the charming and brave Cher Ami, will boost the appreciation of our furry and feathered friends.

1. What inspired Rooney to write the book?

A．Visiting a national museum.	B．Reading a student’s poem.
C．Some comments on her bestseller.	D．Experiences of raising pigeons.

2. What does Paragraph4 mainly center on?

A．An exhibition featuring a heroic battle.

B．Historic events happening to Cher Ami.

C．Americans’ poor strategies during the war.

D．Charles’ methods for training Cher Ami.

3. What impressed Rooney?

A．Charles’ humor and optimism.

B．Charles’ affection for carrier pigeons.

C．Charles’ patience and motivation.

D．Charles’ quick response to the attack.

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

A．A message of hope	B．Braving World War I
C．An effort to protect pigeons	D．Finding the lost commander

2 . There are many kinds of heroes. Even animals can be heroes. This month’s newsletter tells about three amazing animals. Each one is a hero!

Thumper the Dog

Thumper was a dog that lived with a family which had a three-year-old son named Benjamin. One day Benjamin wandered into a large field. The grass in the field was taller than he was, so he could not find his way out. Hundreds of people began to search for Benjamin. When they found him, they saw Thumper stayed with Benjamin and kept him warm. So Benjamin had stayed safe and calm.

Lulu the Pig

The Altsmans had a pet pig named Lulu. One summer the couple went camping and took Lulu with them. The husband went fishing one morning. The wife didn’t feel well, so she and Lulu stayed in the camper. Suddenly Mrs. Altsman fell to the floor. Lulu pushed the camper door open and climbed out to locate help. When a car came by, she lay down in front of it. When the driver got out, Lulu led him back to the camper. The man called for help and Mrs. Altsman was taken to hospital.

Sugar the Cat

Sugar was a beautiful cat. Three years ago she wandered onto the Woods’ farm in California and Mrs. Woods began feeding her. Mrs. Woods noticed something wrong with the cat’s left leg, but this didn’t make Sugar any less special. Mrs. Woods loved Sugar. Later the couple moved to a new farm in Oklahoma. They gave Sugar to a neighbor who would take good care of her, because they knew she wouldn’t like riding in cars for days. However, Sugar walked across deserts and mountains and traveled more than 1,500 miles to the Woods’ new farm! Mr. and Mrs. Woods could hardly believe their eyes. No one knows how Sugar found her way to Oklahoma.

1. What is the passage mainly about?

A．Lovely pigs.

B．Unknown heroes.

C．New friends.

D．Amazing animals.

2. How did Thumper help Benjamin?

A．By searching for him in the field.

B．By finding the way out for him.

C．By staying with him all the time.

D．By cutting the grass around him.

3. Why did Lulu lie down on the road?

A．To get help.

B．To watch the cars.

C．To have a sleep.

D．To ask for a lift.

4. What did Sugar do in the story?

A．Sugar tried to find help.

B．Sugar protected her owners.

C．Sugar went camping with her owners.

D．Sugar went a long way to find her owners.

3 . One spring morning, I was searching for gold on an Island in Alaska. Abruptly, I froze in my tracks. No more than 20 paces in the bog (沼泽) was a huge wolf ______ in a trap.

______ at my approach, the wolf backed away. It was a ______. Somewhere in a den (兽穴) her starved pups must be awaiting her.

I ______ she hadn't been trapped long. Her baby wolves were probably still ______. But I suspected that if I tried to release her, she would ______ me.

So I decided to search for her babies. I looked for ______ that might lead me to her den. ______, with the remaining snow, I eventually spotted pups' ______ and then the den hidden among rocks.

No sound inside. Wolf pups are shy and ______. So I began copying the high-pitched (声音尖锐的) sound of a mother wolf inviting the young. No ______. Moments later, I tried again and heads popped out.

I extended my hands. They tentatively ______ my fingers. Hunger had overcome their natural ______. Then one by one, I placed them in a fur bag and ______ back. Catching sight of me, the mother wolf stood up right. Possibly ______ the smell of her young, she let out a sad whine (哀嚎). I let go of the pups, and they ______ to her.

With her young to ______, she became aggressive. What next? I ______. I fetched an iron bar. Using a rock as the supporting point, I unlocked the chain. Having gained ______, she howled at me with her head low showing ______. Watching the family disappear in the forest, I let out a sigh of relief.

1.

A．lost

B．killed

C．caught

D．buried

2.

A．Frightened

B．Pleased

C．Motivated

D．Depressed

3.

A．princess

B．beauty

C．widow

D．mother

4.

A．guessed

B．predicted

C．regretted

D．admitted

5.

A．asleep

B．alive

C．fragile

D．healthy

6.

A．forgive

B．honor

C．attack

D．fail

7.

A．streams

B．tracks

C．rocks

D．forests

8.

A．Swiftly

B．Roughly

C．Randomly

D．Fortunately

9.

A．marks

B．figures

C．shadows

D．reflections

10.

A．innocent

B．adventurous

C．cautious

D．playful

11.

A．operation

B．announcement

C．disturbance

D．response

12.

A．swallowed

B．sucked

C．scratched

D．chewed

13.

A．tolerance

B．love

C．curiosity

D．fear

14.

A．headed

B．struggled

C．edged

D．wandered

15.

A．waiting for

B．thinking of

C．picking up

D．working out

16.

A．complained

B．raced

C．bowed

D．submitted

17.

A．meet

B．amuse

C．tease

D．protect

18.

A．wondered

B．explained

C．choked

D．smiled

19.

A．sympathy

B．freedom

C．energy

D．assistance

20.

A．hatred

B．threat

C．appreciation

D．annoyance

4 . In 2020, a 9-year-old dog, Taka was burned so badly in a house fire that most thought he would die. However, today he is ________ as a therapy dog (治疗犬) for children in the burn unit.

In October last year, Taka was seriously injured in the house fire. The family got their kids out ________, but there was no time to go back in for Taka. Luckily, Taka was able to ________ into a neighbor’s house.

Though he had a quick step, he had deep burns on his body. So he needed round the clock ________. So his earlier owner signed him over to the vet’s and those not to get him back home due to his ________ and not being able to care for him ________.

That was when Taka officially ________ Lesley’s, “I had been taking him home every day, so eventually I loved him and couldn’t ________ him,” said Lesley, a famous vet. “After months of treatment and care and the ________ he had on the community, I was visited by a nurse at the community burn center about Taka’s visiting ________ children, in hopes of giving them a successful fire ________ experience.”

Lesley knew Taka was ________ for the job. “He loves kids,” she said, “I came here to tell you that I ________ that he was so special that we should share his experience with the world.”

Taka took his therapy dog training test and passed with flying colors. “To see that he could be an ________ or at least a light at the end of the tunnel for a child that has ________ what he has experienced is what all of this is about,” Lesley said.

1.

A．playing

B．standing

C．sleeping

D．working

2.

A．in time

B．beyond control

C．on duty

D．on board

3.

A．look

B．rush

C．turn

D．sink

4.

A．rest

B．support

C．care

D．test

5.

A．injuries

B．contributions

C．diseases

D．disadvantages

6.

A．sincerely

B．properly

C．briefly

D．obviously

7.

A．became

B．preferred

C．recognized

D．rejected

8.

A．make use of

B．look after

C．get ready for

D．part with

9.

A．harm

B．appointment

C．effect

D．poison

10.

A．burnt

B．scared

C．greedy

D．stubborn

11.

A．order

B．escape

C．fine

D．damage

12.

A．unfit

B．foolish

C．perfect

D．grateful

13.

A．misunderstood

B．warned

C．doubted

D．decided

14.

A．annoyance

B．inspiration

C．argument

D．excuse

15.

A．focused on

B．joined in

C．dreamed about

D．gone through

5 . One day, a fox was walking through the woods when he saw some tasty grapes hanging from a branch high above him. He was quite hungry, as he’d been walking all day and hadn’t had anything to eat. So he decided to get some grapes to eat.

First, the fox tried to jump in the air and grab the grapes. But with each jump, he was just inches away from getting the grapes. As he jumped and jumped, he was getting further and further away from the grapes. After a short rest, he tried taking a few steps back and doing a running jump at the grapes, but again, he could not reach them.

He even tried to climb the tree to reach the grapes, but his paws weren’t strong enough for him to pull himself up the tree. How he wished he had the same paws as a monkey. He sat and stared at the grapes with an angry expression on his face.

Just then, a bear happened to walk by the fox. He saw the fox looking at the grapes. The fox turned to him and said, “Never mind. Those grapes probably don’t taste good anyway.” And with that, he turned once more and left.

The bear reached up, grabbed the grapes and ate them. They were, of course, quite delicious. “Why not ask me for help?” The bear thought.

1. What happened as the fox kept jumping?

A．He got closer to the grapes each time.	B．He got closer to the tree each time.
C．He got further and further away from the grapes.	D．The grapes were starting to fall to the ground.

2. After the fox tried climbing the tree, how did he feel?

A．Angry.

B．Excited.

C．Happy.

D．Sad.

3. The fox said “those grapes probably don’t taste good” because __________.

A．most of the grapes were green	B．he could not have the grapes
C．he wanted to help the bear	D．he had never eaten grapes before

4. How many animals are mentioned in the passage?

A．One.

B．Two.

C．Three.

D．Four.

5. What might the bear learn from the fox?

A．Not all things in life are free.

B．It’s easy to be angry about something you can’t have.

C．When you think you’ve failed, try one last time.

D．Learn to ask for help when you need it.

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。

Hurriedly, Melissa came running to Rocky’s house out of breath. “Come with me quickly! There is a dog near the shrubs behind my house which is barking loudly. I think something is wrong with him. Let’s go and see what happened,” said Mel.

After putting down the book he was reading, Rocky went with Mel and saw a small dog trying to untangle himself from the shrubs. Being unable to set himself free, he thought barking would help him. Seeing this, Rocky and Mel immediately helped him out and he walked with a limp. Just then, Jason, Jenny, and Lindsay walked towards them.

“Hi, whose dog is this?” asked Lindsay, “We don’t know. I heard him barking and called Rocky to help him come out of the shrubs,” replied Mel. “He has cuts on his body and is bleeding,” observed Jenny.

“What should we do?” questioned Mel. “He hasn’t got a collar around his neck so I suppose he is a stray dog. Let’s hand him over to the center for stray animals,” said Jason.

The friends took him to the center. The vet treated his wounds and gave him some milk. When the friends were about to leave, the dog looked at them with sad eyes and barked softly. Jason went to him and said, “Rest up, old fellow. We will come to visit you soon.”

A few days later, the friends visited the center and met the stray dog. He ran to them barking happily. They played with the dog that they named Bruno. After half an hour, the friends returned home.

The next morning, Rocky said, “Today is ‘World Animal Day’. Let’s go and meet Bruno.” The friends walked to the center and saw that Bruno was wearing a collar with the words “Brave Bruno” written on it. They were all surprised at this and wondered why he was wearing such a collar.

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。
Paragraph 1:

The manager told them about the special collar.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:

“Wow, Bruno, you are the best dog ever,” said Mel.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7 . One day, a raven happened to fly past a lake. Looking at the lake, he saw the most beautiful animal he had ever seen. It was a swan and its feathers were as white as snow. The swan was playing with other birds happily, talking and dancing. And it seemed that the other birds all liked to stay with it. When he looked at his own feathers, they were as black as coal. The raven was very angry with the swan. "How can the swan have such wonderful feathers?" said the raven. What should he do with his feathers? He thought it over and over.

Then, the raven decided that he also wanted to have white feathers like the swan's. From that day on, the raven began to live like the swan. He moved his home from the woods to the lake. He also started to eat water plants like the swan. He tried his best to talk and dance with the other birds. The most important was that each day, the raven would wash his feathers, hoping that they would turn white. Even he went to the nearby rivers and ponds to wash his feathers, because he thought the water in the lakes was not enough for him to wash them. But no matter how hard he washed his feathers, they remained black.

As he only ate water plants he soon grew thinner and thinner. Not many days later, the raven died.

1. The underlined word "it" in Paragraph 1 refers to ________.

A．the raven

B．the swan

C．the feather

D．the water

2. Why was the raven angry with the swan?

A．His own feathers were as white as snow.	B．The swan did not have black feathers like him.
C．The swan had beautiful white feathers.	D．The swan lived in the lake with other birds.

3. Where was the raven's natural home?

A．The lake.

B．The ponds.

C．The woods.

D．The rivers.

4. Why did the raven want to live like the swan?

A．He wanted to make friends with the swan.	B．He wanted to see the swan's white feathers.
C．He wanted to eat water plants.	D．He wanted to have white feathers.

8 . A group of dolphins (海豚) just came together to save an 11-year-old dog named Turbo.

Cindy Burnett, Turbo's owner, _______ that she was out when her dog wandered outside and _______ a wall separating his home from a canal in Marco Island, Florida. She was _______ when she got home and discovered he was missing, and she immediately went out _______ him.

It turned out that Turbo had been _______ in the canal as the wall he had fallen off was too _______ for him to climb over. After 15 long hours of paddling (划水), Turbo had become _______ and it became _______ he would not be able to stay above water much longer. That's when some dolphins stepped up to save him.

When the dolphins _______ that Turbo was drowning (溺水), they started swimming around him making as much ________ as they could. ________ , a neighbor heard them and looked outside to see Turbo stuck in the water.

“In fact, they made so much noise that some people who lived ________ happened to hear them and went to find out why they were being so loud,” reported Snackay. “Then they ________ the dog trapped (被卡住) below the wall in the canal water.”

Firefighters ________ to the scene and got Turbo out of the ________ . The dog had a few cuts, ________ he was otherwise totally fine. He was immediately returned to Cindy, who was just grateful that her dog was ________ .

Dolphins have long been known to be highly ________ creatures who know how to solve complex problems. They also have self-awareness, which is a ________ of higher intelligence. Thank goodness these dolphins were in the area at the time to ________ Turbo!

1.

A．insisted

B．knew

C．doubted

D．reported

2.

A．tore down

B．fell off

C．stepped onto

D．ran into

3.

A．excited

B．satisfied

C．disappointed

D．shocked

4.

A．looking for

B．picking up

C．waiting for

D．appealing to

5.

A．buried

B．hid

C．stuck

D．hit

6.

A．strange

B．cold

C．short

D．high

7.

A．bored

B．confused

C．exhausted

D．ashamed

8.

A．obvious

B．impossible

C．important

D．common

9.

A．remembered

B．saw

C．showed

D．predicted

10.

A．noise

B．pain

C．trouble

D．change

11.

A．Certainly

B．Particularly

C．Finally

D．Surprisingly

12.

A．apart

B．nearby

C．hopelessly

D．outdoors

13.

A．examined

B．controlled

C．fed

D．noticed

14.

A．walked

B．rushed

C．returned

D．pointed

15.

A．well

B．smoke

C．water

D．house

16.

A．because

B．or

C．but

D．so

17.

A．alive

B．strong

C．awake

D．famous

18.

A．curious

B．long-lived

C．intelligent

D．eye-catching

19.

A．sign

B．sense

C．memory

D．moment

20.

A．meet

B．save

C．raise

D．follow

9 . The Dog and the Joey

Leonie Allan lives in an area of Australia where people often find wildlife in their yards. One spring morning, Leonie took her dog Rex for a walk as usual. The walk was casual, but Rex was acting strangely afterward. As Leonie worked in the yard, Rex kept looking down on the road where they had taken their walk. Then he began standing very still, with his nose pointing toward what he wanted Leonie to notice.

Rex, a mixed breed (血统), is part “pointer”. Pointers are dogs that naturally stand very still and point with their entire body in the direction of wildlife they see or smell. They are trained not to hunt animals but simply to point to where they are. They are excellent in tracking and finding animals.

Leonie became worried when Rex left to investigate (调查). She thought he might have found something dangerous. She called the dog back. But when Rex returned, in his mouth he had a joey, a baby kangaroo about four months old. Picking up an animal was unusual behavior for Rex, since he hadn’t been trained to do so. Leonie was surprised that Rex had taken the joey gently by the neck and brought it to her. The baby joey didn’t appear to be afraid at all.

“He obviously sensed the baby kangaroo was still alive,” Leonie said, “and somehow had gently took it by the neck and brought it to me.”

Rex and the joey, which Leonie named Rex Jr., spent the afternoon playing together. “The joey was snuggling (依偎) up to him, jumping to him, and Rex was sniffing and licking him — it was quite sweet,” Leonie told the newspaper reporter.

Rex Jr. was bottle-fed and raised at a wildlife sanctuary (庇护所). A year and a half later, he was released back into the wild in an area where he could be monitored. Now Rex Jr. is part of a group of kangaroos, living a normal kangaroo life — thanks to Rex, a gentle dog that knows how to point.

1. The “pointer” gets its name because of its ability to ______.

A．discover wildlife	B．be gentle with wildlife
C．avoid dangerous situations	D．get along with other animals

2. When Rex went to investigate, Leonie was worried because ______.

A．she thought he might get lost

B．she knew he was tired after the walk

C．she did not want to stop working in her yard

D．she did not want Rex to put himself in danger

3. Which word best describes Rex’s behaviour toward the joey?

A．Sympathetic.	B．Curious.
C．Protective.	D．Respectful.

10 . On a wild mountain, two goats met on a road just over a high cliff(悬崖). The road was so narrow that there was neither room for them to pass each other nor to turn round and go back. What do you think the two goats did?

One of them with great care laid himself down on the narrow road, pressing as close to the rock as he could. Then the other goat softly walked on his friend, till, safely past him,he could lightly jump away.

The goat that had lain down then stood up slowly from his place, safe and sound, free to jump again from rock to rock, and enjoyed the sweet grass on the hills happily.

However,two other goats met on the banks of a rushing river. A tree had fallen across the river, and became a bridge from the one side to the other.

The two goats looked at each other, and each wished to pass over first.

They stood for a while one foot on the tree, each thinking that the other would turn back. But neither of them would give way, and they met at last on the middle of the narrow bridge!

They then began to push and fight with their horns, till at last their feet missed, and both the goats fell into the running river, and were lost in the water!

Both might have been saved, if either of them had known how to give way at the right time.

1. Where did the first two goats meet?

A．On the hills.	B．On a bridge.
C．On a narrow road.	D．At the bank of a river.

2. How did they pass the narrow road safely?

A．By lying down.	B．By working together.
C．By jumping away.	D．By pressing to the rock.

3. What was the bridge made of?

A．A tree.	B．A stone.
C．Some stones.	D．Some trees.

4. What happened when they met on the middle of the bridge?

A．They pushed and fought.	B．They lay on the bridge.
C．They looked at each other	D．They stood on the-bridge.

5. The passage tells us that ________.

A．we should face the challenge in life

B．we should be careful to cross the bridge

C．we should give way to others at right time

D．we should be brave to climb the mountains