3 . You can never imagine the social distancing policy resulted in some lifelong friendships between people who would have otherwise never met during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The unlikely friendship began at the peak of the lockdown in May 2020. The lockdown was particularly hard for Mary O’Neill, who has been living alone since her husband passed away 37 years ago. Though she has two children, four grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren, most live out of state. The 99-year-old spent her days watching television game shows and playing Yahtzee. Benjamin Olson, a then one-year-old who lived next door, was also stuck at home and unable to play with kids of his age.
The unusual friendship developed gradually. At first, Mary would wave at Benjamin from her window whenever she saw the young boy in the yard. Then, she ventured outside to greet him in person. The routine eventually expanded to daily gatherings by the fence that separated the two homes. The unlikely pair even invented a socially distanced game that Mary calls “cane ball.”
“I came out of the house one morning, and he threw his ball toward the fence,” she told the journalist. “I got my cane, and I reached over the fence and hit the ball toward him, and he’d throw it back. That’s how it started.”
When the weather turned, the two were unable to meet in the yard as regularly. But Benjamin’s mother, Sarah, kept the friendship alive by frequently stopping by Mary’s house with the bundled-up toddler. The bond between the two has blossomed even further since Mary got vaccinated (接种疫苗). The two give each other hi-fives across the fence and often sit outside Mary’s house, blowing bubbles. This spring, Mary gifted Benjamin with a colorful toy truck collection that had once belonged to her son. The young boy returned the favor with a gift of his own— a pile of dirt that he carefully carried in his small palm and dropped at her door.
Certainly, you wouldn’t guess that a 99-year-old and a 2-year-old would be friends, but they can be.
1. What can we learn about Mary O'Neill?| A．Mary lived alone because of the lockdown. |
| B．Mary likes watching TV and playing Yahtzee most. |
| C．No family members looked after Mary in the lockdown. |
| D．Mary herself created a socially distanced game. |
| A．risked | B．shouted | C．rushed | D．escaped |
| A．Sarah was confused about the relationship. |
| B．Sarah stopped Benjamin visiting Mary’s house. |
| C．Sarah hoped to keep the friendship longer. |
| D．Sarah was not satisfied with the unlikely friendship. |
| A．Getting vaccinated is a good way to make friends. |
| B．The lockdown leads to a heart-warming friendship. |
| C．A ball game benefits the development of friendship. |
| D．Exchanging gifts helps people build true friendship. |
4 . In our home it was natural to fear our father. Even our mother was afraid of him. As children, my sister and I thought every family was like that.
Things were different after that. We had a new daddy. It was like the old one was buried that day in the forest.
| A．The praise we expected did not come. |
| B．The sun set and it began to get dark. |
| C．Our daddy worked very hard to support the family. |
| D．Then came the day we found something new and fun to do. |
| E．Our whole family was changed with a piece of chalk. |
| F．But there was something different in it. |
| G．Our mom knew that he cared for us. |
Environment-friendly ideas have been created to supply people with helpful
With power bills, water bills and all other expenses
I hope these environment-friendly ideas can help everyone to do
| A．Headmaster and teacher. | B．Employer and employee. | C．Doctor and patient. |
7 . Sacrificing Sleep to Get Top Grades Doesn't Work
Sacrificing sleep and skipping meals to study in looking for academic excellence actually doesn't work, a new Harvard study has revealed recently.
Children who study hard are also likely to look after themselves, and cultivate healthy emotional regulation skills, rather than behaving in ways that are bad for their health.
Dr Christina Hinton, a research member at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, said, "
| A．Children struggling for excellence tend to make extra sacrifices |
| B．Children making sleep sacrifices can lead to excellence |
| C．The findings showed that children who work hard are also likely to develop health |
| D．Highachieving students have more potential than those lowachieving students |
| E．Having a growth attitude appears to have more impacts on the others around them |
| F．A survey found very young children smoke cigarettes and use energy drinks to prepare for their exams |
| G．Getting top grades does not require pushing yourself at all costs |
8 . What if you could give your children everything they wanted without them having to take any effort at all to get it？Would they appreciate what they now have？Would they know how to even maintain the lifestyle or how to keep the business moving forward and not downward?
There is some debate among parents of this new generation about the question of whether our children have been given so much that they now expect everything all at once. A case in point is a friend of mine who has a son in his late twenties. It is not that he doesn't have a good paying job and a really nice house. Actually his house is a lot better and bigger than I ever had at his age. But, he is not satisfied with what he has；he wants everything else right now, not tomorrow, but right now.
What he wants is a bigger house, a fancier car, and all the newest gadgets(小玩意) that come on the market. He never thinks he should work a little longer and save his money or that he shouldn't have it all. Maybe we have spoiled our children to expect more than what they should normally expect and then expect all of these worldly possessions to keep coming their way.
Now, the situation with my friend's son is one where his son calls him and complains that life is difficult and that he is having a hard time getting what he wants. The discussion usually then turns to waiting a little longer and working to save money but this discussion usually ends with his son still being disappointed with his life.
Each life must come from work, sacrifice and satisfaction of being able to provide for your family, but there is little room for just wanting when waiting, working and patience could get it done.
All of us need a bit of hardship, struggle, learning to overcome obstacles, understanding perseverance, and developing an attitude that speaks loudly about accepting responsibility for one's own destiny.
1. The writing method of the passage is ________ .| A．listing facts | B．giving an example |
| C．explaining reasons | D．making comparisons |
| A．live a happier life | B．learn to be independent |
| C．never be satisfied with it | D．be grateful for his parents |
| A．the result of parents' spoiling their children |
| B．the way for parents to prepare for a better life |
| C．the advice for parents on how to raise their children |
| D．the solution for parents to solving their family issues |
| A．What our life offers us. |
| B．What we should do for our family. |
| C．How we should gain what we desire. |
| D．How we should prepare for our destiny. |
1. What does Craig do?
| A．A reporter. | B．A gym teacher. | C．A youth center clerk. |
| A．He talks too much. |
| B．He doesn’t work hard. |
| C．He lacks the sense of humor. |
| A．He is not fun. | B．He is impatient. | C．He is a music fan. |
A GIFT FOR GRANDPA
Summer vacation was coming. Jack and his brother Berlin were filled with excitement as they thought of visiting their grandparents again.
The big day came at last. After the happy family got ready, they set out for the grandparents’ eagerly. On the way, the brothers were excitedly talking about the fun they had with grandparents.
A little blue house with a tall white chimney finally appeared. Behind the property was the forest carrying their good memories with Grandpa. They arrived at the driveway, at the end of which Grandma was waiting for them joyfully.
Jack and Berlin each gave Grandma a big hug and then swept to the living room, shouting excitedly “Grandpa, we are back!”
Seeing his grandsons, Grandpa was wild with joy and tried to get up with all his strength from the chair but in vain. A helpless expression flashed on his face. Grandma explained that his health was declining rapidly and maybe couldn’t stand up on his own forever. But Grandpa declared stubbornly (倔强地), “I can!” Certainly, he was stuck in his boyish way. Mum and grandparents were happy to meet again after a long time. They sat together and chatted about what happened recently.
The brothers were soon bored with adult conversation, went out and wandered into the forest. Tall trees stretched up to the heavens with large branches crossing each other, while young ones rose straight like soldiers. Grandpa was once a great explorer full of wisdom. He could tell where the birds came from only by their calls and songs. The trees, birds, lizards, lots of bugs...How many merry moments they spent with Grandpa in the kingdom!
But now Grandpa couldn't get up. This made them worried. “We’d think out a way to cheer him up.” Jack said. “Grandpa is a bird lover, and we can catch him a bird.” Berlin suggested. “But he hates birds being caged!” Jack shook his head.
Then a bright idea came to Jack’s mind. “Why not make a cane (拐杖) out of a young tree!”
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。
Berlin thought it was a good idea.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Jack and Berlin handed the cane to Grandpa.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
