Last Friday a storm hit two villages,
A farmer said the storm began early in the morning and
They managed to climb out, but then he saw that one of his children was
A woman said that her husband had just left for work when she noticed that her house was shaking. She rushed outside right away with her children.
2 . For a period of time in the early 80s, I watched I Dream of Jeannie reruns every afternoon in the empty time between school and supper. But I always felt a little deflated when the closing theme came on, since it meant that I had to wait an entire day for the next episode.
Decades later, thanks to the modern technology, on-demand viewing and an endless supply of content now allow us to find exactly the entertainment we want, when we want it. My own kids happily binge-watch Fresh Off the Boat, just as I dreamed of doing with Jeannie.
Lately, I’ve been thinking about a disadvantage of our just-for-you world. My kids miss out on all the things that are not just for them. Looking back, some of my more memorable discoveries as a child came about only because I didn’t have access to entertainment that I would have preferred.
When we would visit our aunts, my sisters and brothers and I didn’t have tablets to keep ourselves occupied while the adults chatted. So we would read whatever we could find. I looked forward to Sunday afternoons at Aunt Rose’s so that I could catch up on aliens and Hollywood stars in Weekly World News. These things—none of which were aimed at my tastes—were all that was on offer. However, they brought me so much enjoyment.
Electronic searching now takes us directly to what we seek. We are less likely to come across things that have nothing to do with what we are looking for. But finding something by accident is powerful in its purposelessness. It’s nature throwing things up against a wall to see what sticks. It’s the force that drives evolution.
Getting exactly what you want all the time sounds great. But as anyone who is familiar with fantasy stories knows, there’s always a catch.
1. What does the underlined word “deflated” in paragraph 1 mean?| A．Depressed. | B．Thrilled. |
| C．Convinced. | D．Ashamed. |
| A．Latest tablets. | B．Brothers and sisters. |
| C．different reading materials. | D．Pleasant conversations. |
| A．It contributes to the evolution. |
| B．It’s absolutely beneficial to adults. |
| C．It’s a blessing of this modern world. |
| D．It takes unexpected joy away from people. |
| A．What was on offer in the early 80s |
| B．What our kids miss out in a just-for-you world |
| C．How adults had fun with inaccessible entertainment |
| D．How anxious-to-please Internet changed the future of kids |
1.写信目的；
2.推荐理由。
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。
参考词汇：联谊晚会Connection and Friendship Evening
Dear John,
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Yours,
Li Hua
Carl moved to Arizona in December. He came from the round, green mountains of Vermont to the Sonoran Desert where the mountains were sharp, brown, and wrinkled. Carl was homesick.
Carl’s new home was the town of Silverbell. Silverbell sat near a river with the same name. But there was not a drop of water in this river.
Carl hadn’t made any real friends yet. He always walked home from school alone. One day, though, he heard a lonely melody (旋律) floating in the wind. It sounded wonderful-and fitted Carl’s mood just right. He followed the music to the schoolyard and found Tadio, the kid who always sat by himself in the lunchroom. He sat on the steps playing a wooden flute (长笛).
“That song is wonderful!” Carl said.
“Thank you,” Tadio said with a bright, sunny smile.
“I’m Carl. I play, too.” He took out bis own silver flute.
“Ah, my name is Tadio. Let’s play together.”
Carl joined Tadio. They played Ode to Joy, a piece that they both knew by heart. The two got along so well that Carl felt comfortable telling Tadio about his homesickness.
“It just doesn’t feel like winter around here,” Carl said. “I don’t think it ever will. It’s too hot.”
Tadio said, “It feels like winter to me, but I’ve lived in Silverbell my whole life.”
“So, why is it called Silverbell anyway?” asked Carl.
“Because of the canyon (峡谷). My grandfather said at special times, one could hear her ring like a silver bell…for example when the rain poured down,” Tadio said.
Then Carl complained about Principal Ramire’s request for his flute solo at tomorrow’s winter concert.
“Ah, you are shy, but you play very well. Let’s meet tomorrow before the concert to practice. Maybe that will help ease your fear. I know a spot beside the canyon where I often go to play. Sometimes, her echo (回音) sounds like she’s singing with me,” Tadio laughed.
The next day was sunny and warm. After school, the two boys spread out a blanket beside Silverbell Canyon and played, stopping only when they heard the sound of distant thunder. The rain followed.
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。
As the rain poured down, Carl started to understand what Tadio said earlier.
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He woke up from the amazing scene and joined the other students for the concert.
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5 . Parents often believe that they have a good relationship with their teenagers. But last summer, Joanna and Henry noticed a change in their older son. Suddenly he seemed to be talking far more to his friends than to his parents. “The door to his room is always shut,” Joanna noted.
Tina and Mark noticed similar changes in their 14-year-old daughter. “She used to cuddle up (依偎) against me on the sofa and talk,” said Mark. “Now we joke that she does this only when she wants something. Sometimes she wants to be treated like a little girl and sometimes like a young lady. The problem is understanding which time is which.”
Before age 11, children like to tell their parents what’s on their mind. “In fact, parents are first on the list,” said Michael Riera, author of Uncommon Sense for Parents with Teenagers. “This completely changes during the teen years,” Riera explained. “They talk to their friends first, then maybe their teachers, and their parents last.”
Parents who know what’s going on in their teenagers’ lives are in the best position to help them. To break down the wall of silence, parents should create chances to understand what their children want to say, and try to find ways to talk and write to them. And they must give their children a mental (思想的) break, for children also need freedom, though young. Another thing parents should remember is that to be a friend, not a manager, with their children is a better way to know them.
1. “The door to his room is always shut” suggests that the son ________.| A．keeps himself away from his parents | B．begins to dislike his parents |
| C．is always busy with his study | D．doesn’t want to be ignored |
| A．Their daughter isn’t as lovely as before. |
| B．They can’t read their daughter’s mind exactly. |
| C．They don’t know what to say to their daughter. |
| D．Their daughter talks with them only when she needs help. |
| A．Teenagers talk a lot with their friends. | B．Teenagers do not understand their parents. |
| C．Teenagers talk little about their own lives. | D．Teenagers do not talk much with their parents. |
| A．Parents shouldn’t be angry with teenagers. |
| B．Parents have to talk with children face to face. |
| C．Parents are unhappy with their growing children. |
| D．Parents should try to understand their teenagers. |
It is a special cross-country race. The competitors’ vehicles are made
According to Chen You, the science class teacher,
Although students were encouraged
In addition to the
7 . Drew Bason thought he would be a medical technician. His mom was in medicine, and he always thought he would
“I always wanted to cook.” he admitted. “I had eleven uncles and they were always
But not long after, the pandemic (疫情) began, and Drew
But Drew did not want to just
Now, Drew is working at a nearby restaurant, but he still volunteers at the church. And even though he cooks at work and as a volunteer, he still can’t get enough. “Food is
| A．follow | B．join | C．major | D．check |
| A．secure | B．different | C．normal | D．scientific |
| A．reading | B．listening | C．singing | D．cooking |
| A．Besides | B．Otherwise | C．Instead | D．Still |
| A．symbol | B．prize | C．preference | D．job |
| A．lost | B．limited | C．found | D．improved |
| A．business | B．challenge | C．opportunity | D．attempt |
| A．kept in touch with | B．broke in | C．came across | D．worried about |
| A．warning | B．friend | C．meal | D．entertainment |
| A．stress | B．humour | C．intention | D．strength |
| A．buy | B．sell | C．borrow | D．take |
| A．advertising | B．volunteering | C．competing | D．learning |
| A．work | B．practice | C．acknowledgement | D．courage |
| A．appreciate | B．offer | C．waste | D．protect |
| A．efficient | B．enough | C．amazing | D．fashionable |
8 . Nobel Prize-winning theoretical physicist Frank Wilczek has been honored with this year’s Templeton Prize. The award recognizes individuals whose life’s work brings together science and spirituality.
Wilczek is known for his research into the laws of nature. In a statement, the John Templeton Foundation said his work changes “our understanding of the forces that govern our universe.” It said he used physics to address “the great questions of meaning and purpose pondered by generations of religious thinkers.”
John Templeton created the prize in 1972. It is one of the most highly valued prizes at more than $1.3 million. Past winners include Jane Goodall, Mother Teresa and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
Wilczek told The Associated Press, “It’s a company I’m very glad to join in.” He added, “It’s encouragement in a direction that I’ve really only taken up in a big way quite recently… which is thinking about not just what the world is and how it came to be this way but what we should do about it.”
Over a long career, Wilczek had many successes. He won the 2004 Nobel Prize along with David J. Gross, and H. David Politzer for their 1973 research explaining the unusual properties of the strong force. Wilczek is currently a physics professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Arizona State University and Stockholm University. He is also the founding director of Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s T. D. Lee Institute. He has also written several books that are informed by science but look into spiritual and philosophical questions.
Heather Dill is the Templeton Foundation president. In a statement, she said, “Like Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein, he is a natural philosopher who unites a curiosity about the behavior of nature with a playful and profound philosophical mind.”
1. What is Frank Wilczek famous for?| A．His long-time efforts in philosophy. | B．His study in natural science. |
| C．His gains in the chemical awards. | D．His contribution in the field of art. |
| A．Governed strictly. | B．Designed seriously. |
| C．Considered carefully. | D．Abandoned completely. |
| A．His hobbies. | B．His advantages. |
| C．His expectations. | D．His achievements. |
| A．To advertise a book. |
| B．To introduce a great scientist. |
| C．To explain the difference of two prizes. |
| D．To stress the importance of science and philosophy. |
9 . For some people, nothing beats a long walk on a sandy beach. But there’s no denying that it’s not as easy or as fast to get around on the beach as it is on a road or a sidewalk. But why is it so hard to walk on sand?
The problem with sand is that it’s soft; you “sink in” at each step. This forces you to use 2.1 to 2. 7 times more energy with every step you take. Another idea is that people walk more difficultly on soft than they do on hard surfaces, a study found. The researchers compared how people walked on foam (沫) and hard surfaces by analyzing the forces under their feet and how much oxygen each person consumed. They found that walking on soft surfaces, such as sand, mud and snow, caused people to take longer steps — actions that use more energy than walking on a hard surface.
But as experienced beach walkers know, there’s a way to make it easier to walk on sand: Just add water, When sand is wet, it becomes more compact (紧密), and walking on it is more similar to walking on hard surface. In other words, it’s much easier to cross a beach by walking along the shoreline, where the waves roll in and out. This is a balance though; too much water could make the sand soft once again. If water isn’t an option, there is another way to make walking on sand easier — increasing your surface area. This could be accomplished by wearing shoes.
Although it’s more difficult, there are some good reasons to exercise on sand. The impact forces are lower on sand than on hard surface. Research suggests that walking across sand is much easier on your joints (关节) and muscles, especially compared with an unforgiving surface such as concrete (混凝土). This means sand is a better surface for helping athletes recover more quickly from workouts.
1. Why is the question raised in the first paragraph?| A．To show problems. | B．To call up readers’ memories. |
| C．To invite readers to answer it. | D．To draw readers’ attention to the topic. |
| A．By putting on shoes. | B．By taking longer steps. |
| C．By walking in the water. | D．By using special breath methods. |
| A．Sand. | B．Concrete. |
| C．Foam. | D．Snow. |
| A．Tips for Beach Vacation | B．All Kinds of Sports on the Sand |
| C．Why Is It So Hard to Walk on Sand? | D．Where Are We With the Sand Research? |
10 . Traveling with friends or family is always a fun bonding experience, and one of the best ways to do that is by taking a charter (租赁) bus.
Security and safety
When chartering a bus, you have more flexibility than renting cars or traveling by train. You’ll also have the convenience of being able to specify precisely how much space and comfort everyone in your group needs during the trip, which is essential if there are mobility issues among some members of your party.
Comfort
If you’re traveling with more than one or two people, there may be more comfortable ways to travel than staying in a car.
Convenience
There are many advantages of booking a charter bus over a rental car when traveling with a group, but the biggest one is convenience. If you book a charter bus, the bus company will pick you up at your start location, drive you to your end location, and even wait for you at any place where you want to stop.
| A．Flexibility |
| B．Room for personal belongings |
| C．In short, the bus is your vehicle, and you can use it as you please |
| D．The first reason is security when you travel with more than one person |
| E．You just have to worry about having fun safely with other fellow travelers |
| F．A chartered bus will give everyone in your group some much-needed comfort |
| G．Here are the reasons why you should book a charter bus when traveling with a group |
