Music is my first love. I can sit down at my electronic keyboard and forget all about time and space, all about my problems. During the lowest moments in my life, music was my savior. Besides, I would like to thank two volunteer organizations — one is America’s Veterans Services and the other is The Paul Hazelton House for seniors and the disabled.
I was a veteran (老兵). After I got out of the service, I began a career in music, and then became an ironworker for higher pay. A few years ago, the one-bedroom house I rented in Massachusetts was sold. The developer planned to tear it down. The property manager gave me two months rent-free to find a new place to live. It didn’t help because I’d been disabled from an accident at work and was living on benefits. Nothing affordable turned up.
With the help of two friends, I silently and hopelessly packed up my belongings and moved everything — including my electronic keyboard — into storage. I slept in my car, thinking it wouldn’t last long. But weeks turned into months and the months into years. My car had become my home.
The one thing that kept me alive was music. I would lose myself in music. Although I had developed cataracts (白内障), nothing could keep my fingers from finding the right keys.
However, I hit my real low one Christmas Eve. I was driving down a narrow back road to where I would park my car and sleep at night. I turned right and accidentally ran into a wall. My car — my only home — lost its right front end.
At that point, I really had no place to live. Fortunately, Bruce Knight, a retired firefighter, heard about me. He drove me to a homeless shelter in York County where I stayed for 75 days. That’s where I met with case managers from Volunteers of America's Veterans Services. They helped me move into their housing, a place called Huot House. I was able to sign up for Veterans Administration benefits and get the cataract treatment I needed to recover my eyesight.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150个左右；2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Ken Darby, manager of Huot House, told me to move toward life.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I went to volunteer for the “Day of Caring” held by The Paul Hazelton House.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Local
Hutongs are
“Every year more than 100, 000 people visit the Forbidden City during the National Day holidays. The visits put pressure on
The government concentrated
4 . A powerful earthquake hit Morocco, killing thousands of people and causing huge damage over a large area.
The earthquake struck around 11 pm on Friday night. It was not only one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded in Morocco, but also the country’s deadliest earthquake in over 60 years. So far, the earthquake is reported to have killed over 2,900 people. The earthquake was especially precarious as it happened at night, when most people were asleep at home.
The center of the earthquake was in the Atlas Mountains, about 72 kilometers southwest of Marrakesh, a large city popular with tourists in the center of Morocco. Fortunately, many of its modern buildings survived the earthquake. However, the old part of the city, called the Medina, whose buildings are over 1,000 years old, was hit hard, leaving many of those buildings in ruins.
Outside of Marrakesh, the earthquake caused even more damage. In the Atlas Mountains, the earthquake’s center, there were many small villages. Many people in the area lived in simple houses made of mud, a traditional way of building in Morocco. But they’ re not strong enough to survive earthquakes and many of these houses simply fell apart, turning into sand. The Moroccan government has laws requiring buildings to be built more safely, yet these rules were often overlooked.
In larger cities, rescue efforts seemed to be going well. But it took a lot longer for help to reach remote (偏远的) areas in the mountains. That meant the local people in those areas had to deal with the situation on their own. They had to dig through the ruins with their hands, searching for survivors who were trapped. Moreover, many people were sleeping outside, unsure if their houses were safe enough.
More help was on the way. Many outside countries offered teams of experts and emergency supplies. But the government said too many different rescue teams could make the situation more confusing.
1. Why did the earthquake lead to the most deaths on record in Morocco?| A．It struck a large and tourist city. | B．It was powerful and happened at night. |
| C．The rescue teams arrived too late. | D．The traditional houses were not strong enough. |
| A．Dangerous. | B．Powerful. | C．Unique. | D．Impressive. |
| A．They had no shelter to stay. | B．They ran out of food supplies. |
| C．They lost contact with the outside world. | D．They couldn’t get necessary rescue in time. |
| A．A science magazine. | B．A travel journal. |
| C．A news report. | D．A cultural website. |
A good parent-children relationship should
6 . Wimbledon is the most important sporting event of the British summer. Since the first tournament (锦标赛) was played in 1877, the competition has become a global sporting event attended by over half a million people, and watched on television by millions.
Although the Wimbledon tennis championship (锦标赛) has been around for more than a century, the sport of tennis has a much longer history. Most experts agree that the modern game has its origins in a courtyard ball game played by French monks in the 11th century.
Much has changed since the first Wimbledon Tournament in 1877. The first champion, Spencer Gore, won a prize of £12;this year the prize money is £630,000. Indeed, success in tennis championships is a very profitable (有收益的) business. 2004 Wimbledon champion, Roger Federer has won nearly $17,000,000 in prize money since 1998. Even more impressive, Serena and Venus Williams have won $30,000,000 between them over the last ten years.
Although Wimbledon has traditionally been dominated by Americans and Europeans, other countries are beginning to produce world-class players. Zheng Jie and Yan Zi won China’s first Wimbledon title on July 9, 2006. They beat Virginia Ruano Pascual of Spain and Paola Suarez of Argentina in the women’s doubles final.
In the future all Chinese competitors will be under pressure to do well; their coach, Jiang Hongwei, has gone on record as saying, “My goal is to lift my players into the top 30.”
1. Where is the origin of the modern tennis game?| A．Germany. | B．China. | C．Britain. | D．France. |
| A．Spencer Gore. | B．Roger Federer. | C．Serena. | D．Zheng Jie. |
| A．Controlled. | B．Attended. | C．Accepted. | D．Arranged. |
| A．To explain the history of the Wimbledon Tournament. |
| B．To give an introduction to the Wimbledon Tournament. |
| C．To show the development of the Wimbledon Tournament. |
| D．To discuss the importance of the Wimbledon Tournament. |
7 . Our church has a way of assisting those who have financial difficulties without making the receiver feel shame or guilt by dropping money into an offering box with only the name of the receiver on the envelope. The envelopes are then distributed to those members without them knowing the
There came a time when my husband and I were among those
Our
A year later, our seventeen-year-old son was applying for a student loan so he could
Finally, in tears, and with much
| A．address | B．number | C．name | D．home |
| A．in charge | B．in need | C．in danger | D．in condition |
| A．neighbors | B．parents | C．friends | D．children |
| A．Then | B．Still | C．Therefore | D．Otherwise |
| A．provide | B．assume | C．solve | D．equip |
| A．failure | B．surprise | C．situation | D．success |
| A．grateful | B．shameful | C．regretful | D．hopeful |
| A．go through | B．get across | C．pass out | D．set aside |
| A．found | B．attend | C．visit | D．manage |
| A．expensive | B．cheap | C．full | D．empty |
| A．surroundings | B．blessings | C．belongings | D．earnings |
| A．off | B．alone | C．out | D．down |
| A．willingness | B．happiness | C．hesitation | D．admiration |
| A．speechless | B．aimless | C．tireless | D．emotionless |
| A．resentfully | B．reluctantly | C．accidentally | D．willingly |
8 . The Global Food Donation Policy Atlas has issued a recent report in order to recommend ways to increase food donations, reduce food waste, and fight hunger, which may help Kenyan leaders meet 2030 food waste reduction goals.
Food donation can reroute eatable food — that would otherwise give off greenhouse gasses in a landfill — to those experiencing hunger. According to the Famine Early Warning Systems Network, 3.5 million Kenyans, roughly 37 percent of the population, face severe hunger. At the same time, the Policy Atlas reports roughly 40 percent of food produced within Kenya goes to waste. But Broad Leib, Deputy Director of Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic (FLPC), sees some promising changes. “While progress is not happening as quickly as needed, Kenya’s food loss index has been steadily (稳步地) reduced from 1,744 metric tons in 2017, to 1,531 in 2018, to 1,446 metric tons in 2019, indicating a steady improvement and national commitment to food loss reduction,” reports Broad Leib.
According to the Policy Atlas, motivating food donation with rewards is particularly important, which helps food donors and food recovery organizations make up for costs necessary for recovery, storing, processing, and transporting food for donation.
“A major driver of food waste is inconsistent or unclear date labels that cause confusion among all actors along the value chain and limit the ability of businesses to donate food. This increases the likelihood that much safe food will go to waste,” Broad Leib tells Food Tank. However, he acknowledges Kenya’s current dual (双的) date labeling laws. While food may lose its freshness over time, it is still edible before expiration (到期). Dual date labeling on packaged foods reduces confusion by defining dates for both safety and quality. This helps reduce considerable waste and responsibility for donors.
Broad Leib believes that the private sector can also play a significant role in decreasing food waste in Kenya. It is vital for consumer education campaigns. FLPC’s research shows that public-private initiatives can help raise awareness among consumers and donors around issues of food waste and food donation.
1. What changes does Broad Leib see?| A．People in Kenya no longer suffer hunger. |
| B．Kenya has gradually reduced its food waste. |
| C．Kenya is not committed to reducing food loss. |
| D．Progress in reducing food waste is happening quickly. |
| A．Delicious. | B．Convenient. | C．Eatable. | D．Affordable. |
| A．By increasing storehouses. |
| B．By fighting hunger with rewards. |
| C．By reducing food produced within the country. |
| D．By using double date labeling on packaged food. |
| A．Private and public joint efforts matter around food issues. |
| B．Consumer education campaigns are the most important. |
| C．Only the private sector is helpful in reducing food waste. |
| D．Broad Leib doesn’t agree with FLPC on food waste reduction. |
9 . Amazing Ancient Forests Around the World
A visit to one of these long-lived woodlands is an excellent experience. Here’s where to see some of the oldest forests on Earth.
The Takayna/Tarkine Forest Australia
Tasmania’s Takayna/Tarkine Forest gives an experience of what life on Earth looked like 300 million years ago. This rainforest in Australia is home to the second oldest living tree species on the planet: the amazing 3, 000-year-old Huon pines. To explore this fantastic area blanketed with trees, waterfalls, rivers, caves, hills and moorlands, book a tour with Tarkine Trails.
The Araucaria Forest Chile
The Chilean pine tree that spans (横跨) the country’s Lake District is thought to have developed its strange paintbrush shape to defend against dinosaurs during the Jurassic period. However, the forest is most attractive set against the backdrop of surprisingly blue lakes and snowcapped volcanoes in Conguillio National Park. Por those who want to take their time, campsites are available within the park and currently taking reservations (预定) .
The Yakushima Forest Japan
This forest was considered so beautiful by Japan’s 17th-century royalty (王室) that the landscape was recreated in a garden on the mainland, and in 1993, the Yakushima Forest was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site. Once on the Yakushima Island, there is a range of accommodation options, including the expensive Sankara Hotel &Spa (from $750/night, expedia. com ) .
The Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest California
The Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest is home to some of the oldest living trees on Earth. The most ancient among the protected forest’s bristlecone pines— which are characterized by their unusual-looking twisted forms-is Methuselah, a tree estimated to be 4, 841 years old. Grandview Campground ($5 per night, first come first serve) is the closest to the Bristlecone Pine Forest.
1. Which forest is the home of Huon pines?| A．The Araucaria Forest. | B．The Yakushima Forest. |
| C．The Takayna/Tarkine Forest. | D．The Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest. |
| A．It is set against snowcapped volcanoes. | B．It was recreated by Japan’s royalty. |
| C．It is a UNESCO World Heritage site. | D．It offers beautiful scenery. |
| A．Visitors can stay in expensive hotels. |
| B．Visitors can admire the oldest living trees. |
| C．Visitors can experience the Jurassic period. |
| D．Visitors can camp while enjoying the beauty of nature |
1. 活动时间和地点；
2. 活动内容安排；
3. 欢迎 Ashley 参加。
注意：
1. 写作词数应为80个左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Dear Ashley,
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
