1 . The Power of Determination

The little country schoolhouse was heated by an old coal stove. A little boy came to school early each day to start the ________ and warm the room before his teacher and his classmates got there.

One morning they ________ to find the schoolhouse burning. They dragged (拖) the little boy out of the building. He was almost dead. Then he was ________ taken to a nearby country hospital.

The ________ told the boy’s mother that since the lower part of his body was ________ burnt, he couldn’t use his legs anymore. However, the ________ boy made up his mind that he would walk. Unluckily his thin legs ________ hung there, all but lifeless.

Finally he returned home from the ________. Every day his mother would press his little legs, but there was no feeling, no control, ________. Yet his determination that he would walk was as ________ as ever.

________ he wasn’t in bed, he would sit in a wheelchair. One sunny day his mother wheeled him out into the yard to get some fresh ________. This day, instead of ________ there, he threw himself from the chair and pulled himself across the grass, dragging his ________ behind him.

He worked his way to the white fence (栅栏) around the yard. With great effort, he raised himself ________ on the fence. Then, he began dragging himself along the fence, he ________ that he would walk. He ________ to do this every day. There was nothing he ________ more than to develop life in those legs.

In the end, through his determination he ________. Gradually he began to walk to school, then to run to school, to run ________ the joy of running. Later in college he made the running team.

Still later, this determined young man in Madison Square Garden, Dr. Glenn Cunningham, ran the world’s fastest mile!

1.

A．fire

B．class

C．game

D．story

2.

A．left

B．waited

C．arrived

D．hid

3.

A．clearly

B．quickly

C．suddenly

D．nearly

4.

A．teacher

B．classmates

C．doctor

D．headmaster

5.

A．slowly

B．gradually

C．hardly

D．seriously

6.

A．honest

B．brave

C．careful

D．polite

7.

A．just

B．also

C．once

D．ever

8.

A．school

B．yard

C．hospital

D．square

9.

A．everything

B．anything

C．something

D．nothing

10.

A．strong

B．stubborn

C．strange

D．smart

11.

A．Until

B．When

C．Because

D．After

12.

A．flowers

B．water

C．air

D．fruit

13.

A．jumping

B．sitting

C．sleeping

D．standing

14.

A．arms

B．chair

C．legs

D．mother

15.

A．aside

B．over

C．down

D．up

16.

A．believed

B．doubted

C．promised

D．suggested

17.

A．advised

B．allowed

C．refused

D．started

18.

A．afforded

B．hated

C．forgot

D．wanted

19.

A．set off

B．got back

C．stood up

D．took away

20.

A．to

B．for

C．from

D．without

2 . This 18-year-old dancer is now one of Gucci’s most well-known models. Elli Goldstein, who has Down Syndrome(唐氏综合征), stars in a Gucci beauty campaign for a mascara product. Her mom says the February photoshoot. now being featured in Italian Vogue, took around six hours.

Elli is from Ilford Essex in the UK. This isn't Elli’s first appearance in the worldwide spotlight. She’s been featured in London’s famous National Portrait Gallery and has danced at the Royal Opera House. The model has appeared in TV commercials and videos for a famous film festival. She even made a dance video of her own during the pandemic(流行病) to cheer people up.

“Elli was born to have this outgoing personality. She loves the camera. She loves the films. ” Her mom says nothing holds her back. She lives life to the fullest. That positive energy appears to be paying off.

Elli’s modeling picture posted on the Gucci beauty Instagram account was the most liked post ever. “We want to increase the representation of people who have until now been excluded in the media,” said Peterson, Elli’s agent. “You know, it’s about time that we welcomed different models with different disability.”

“Just follow our dreams and add passions to our life.” The photographer for Elli’s Gucci photoshoot says he aims to show that beauty is everywhere. It exists in every person.

1. What is paragraph 2 mainly about?

A．Elli’s birthplace.	B．Elli’s personality.
C．Elli’s childhood life.	D．Elli’s achievements.

2. Which of the following best describes Elli?

A．Determined and positive.	B．Optimistic and easygoing.
C．Respectful and straight.	D．Honest and fashionable.

3. What can be inferred from Peterson’s words?

A．The media favors the disabled.	B．Discrimination exists in the media.
C．The models are in great demand.	D．Models should keep up with the times.

4. What does the photographer want to convey?

A．Better late than never.	B．Life is full of the unexpected.
C．Beauty has no boundaries.	D．Actions speak louder than words.

3 . When my teenaged son became seriously ill, terrible times for my family began. Our once-happy home became tense and ______. My husband and I were exhausted under the great stress of ______ my son. It was as if we forgot how to communicate—we couldn’t have a simple ______ without a fighting. Our marriage was on the point of breaking up.

One evening, my son and I were talking about _______ I recalled my first Valentine’s present from my husband, a kazoo (卡祖笛). I was ______ when I received it because I couldn’t get it to make a sound ______ I am a professional saxophone(萨克斯) player. However hard I tried, it just never ______ . The kazoo eventually got ______ and forgotten. But My son was interested and insisted on seeing it. After some ______, I found it.

“You couldn’t get a sound? What’s so ______ about it?” my husband asked, amazed. He grabbed the kazoo and ______. Nothing happened. Surprised, he tried again. Still there was no sound. Frustrated. he tried again,______ to produce a funny sound like an angry bumblebee(大黄峰) ______ in the mouth of a bear. We burst into laughter. My son took a ______ to play the kazoo. He did no better than us, causing more ______.

Seeing his face light up, we felt as if the gloom(黑暗) had ______ and a ray of sunshine was let in. It was the best ten ______ of the past couple of years. The mood stayed ______ for the rest of the evening. It didn’t solve anything. But this ______ with the kazoo proved to be a turning point that always ______ us that there are still things to laugh at and enjoy, and that we can still connect as a family.

1.

A．content

B．depressed

C．puzzled

D．excited

2.

A．looking for

B．suffering from

C．caring for

D．moving off

3.

A．conversation

B．meal

C．vacation

D．party

4.

A．diseases

B．relationships

C．festivals

D．gifts

5.

A．moved

B．satisfied

C．disappointed

D．embarrassed

6.

A．although

B．if

C．so

D．but

7.

A．made

B．worked

C．mattered

D．served

8.

A．picked out

B．cut of

C．packed away

D．thrown away

9.

A．argument

B．research

C．treatment

D．trouble

10.

A．happy

B．useful

C．hard

D．funny

11.

A．blew

B．observed

C．cleaned

D．shook

12.

A．never

B．only

C．hardly

D．even

13.

A．chewed

B．lost

C．rooted

D．trapped

14.

A．risk

B．seat

C．turn

D．rest

15.

A．laughing

B．damaging

C．complaining

D．fighting

16.

A．fallen

B．filled

C．lifted

D．approached

17.

A．minutes

B．days

C．weeks

D．months

18.

A．calm

B．light

C．bad

D．confident

19.

A．connection

B．experiment

C．share

D．experience

20.

A．recommend

B．reminds

C．warms

D．promises