1 . It was July 15, 2021, and my friends had helped me celebrate my 31st birthday.

Earlier in the day I had prepared for the _________ event of a flood. We are about a third of a mile from the banks of the Ahr River. It had been raining heavily that week, and the government had issued a flood _________, though not for where I was. _________, I’d placed sandbags on the floor outside my garden door just in case _________ got through. Before my friends left, they _________ me for doing that, but I thought, why take a chance?

As I drifted off to sleep, I was awakened by the _________ of rushing water, as if I were lying beside a waterfall instead of in my bedroom. When I moved my legs off the bed, I was _________ by the touch of cold water lapping against my knees and rising fast. Trembling and in darkness, I _________ my cellphone and turned on the flashlight. I saw water was shooting through the gaps of the garden door.

I admit it, I began to _________. The Ahr, usually such a __________, slow-moving river, had violently burst its banks. And now I had to get out—fast!

Any effects of the celebratory drinks I’d had earlier were now gone. I heard the garden door starting to crack under the __________ of the flood. In bare feet, I started to move to my only __________: the door that leads to the hallway. All around me things were breaking, and the cupboards were being __________.

I tried to pull the door open, but the force of the water wouldn’t __________ me. Finally, I __________ to make a gap of about a foot, just wide enough to squeeze through and make it into the __________.

If I had __________ just a few minutes later, I would have drowned. Many of the houses around us were destroyed, including, __________, a home for the disabled. Not everyone got out.

I came close to drowning that day. But rather than keep thinking about that, I prefer to __________ what my mother told me afterward: “Christian, don’t remember the day when you lost everything. Remember the day you __________.”

1.

A．unimportant

B．unlikely

C．unnoticed

D．unbearable

2.

A．warning

B．report

C．challenge

D．statement

3.

A．Besides

B．Moreover

C．Therefore

D．Still

4.

A．air

B．sand

C．water

D．someone

5.

A．laughed at

B．appreciated

C．blamed

D．shouted at

6.

A．coldness

B．push

C．sound

D．fear

7.

A．moved

B．excited

C．inspired

D．shocked

8.

A．grabbed

B．lost

C．forgot

D．left

9.

A．operate

B．reflect

C．panic

D．cry

10.

A．powerful

B．quiet

C．broad

D．winding

11.

A．guidance

B．control

C．protection

D．pressure

12.

A．equipment

B．belongings

C．surroundings

D．escape

13.

A．thrown away

B．cut up

C．torn apart

D．broken into

14.

A．help

B．let

C．stop

D．influence

15.

A．managed

B．tried

C．determined

D．expected

16.

A．bedroom

B．backyard

C．hallway

D．basement

17.

A．woken up

B．jumped down

C．moved away

D．run out

18.

A．secretly

B．tragically

C．accidentally

D．possibly

19.

A．request

B．recall

C．realize

D．research

20.

A．survived

B．recovered

C．matured

D．refused

2 . In America, if you see a group of students wearing crazy hats or summer T-shirts in the middle of winter, don’t be surprised. They may be celebrating their School Spirit Week (校园精神周).

The School Spirit Week is a time for students to show their pride in their school. This is not a break, but the festival. It can be held during any week of the year. The celebration works with students of all ages, from elementary to high School, as long as you keep the themes (主题) simple for the younger kids.

Spirit weeks often have a central theme that is followed throughout the week. During the week, students wear school colors and decorate the classrooms. Every day, there is a different theme. This is also students’ favorite part. They take part in different competitions and have fun together.

Spirit weeks often encourage students to wear fun and fashion clothes, with different outfits for each day of the week. Monday might be funny hat day, followed by Tuesday’s Hawaiian shirt day and Wednesday’s silly T-shirt day. Thursday could be pajama (睡衣) day, followed by Friday’s school color day.

There are also lots of other activities which the students can take part in on School Spirit Weeks. Do you like to have School Spirit Weeks?

1. Students ______ in their school by holding the School Spirit Week.

A．show their pride	B．hang out with parents
C．study hard	D．clean up the classrooms

2. The School Spirit Week is held ______.

A．in any week in winter	B．in any day in winter
C．in any week of the year	D．in any day of the year

3. Spirit weeks often have a central theme that is followed ______.

A．throughout the week	B．before the week
C．after the week	D．on the weekend

4. The underlined word “outfits” in paragraph 4 may mean ______.

A．parties

B．clothes

C．foods

D．glasses

5. Which is NOT true about the School Spirit Week in the passage?

A．There are different competitions for students.

B．There are lots of activities for students.

C．Students can wear crazy clothes.

D．Students can rest at home for a week.

3 . Dong Yuhui often shares his opinions about poetry or philosophy during his livestream, which ________(区分) him from other online streamers. (根据汉语提示单词拼写)

4 . You may have wondered why there are fish tanks (鱼缸) at many doctor’s and dentist’s offices. Actually these medical professionals are trying to keep their working areas less stressful (有压力的) with the help of fish tanks. Because of the soft bubbling (冒泡声) from the fish tanks, their patients are expected to feel less nervous or worried when staying there.

The sound of running water can make people feel relaxed. For this reason, places where water keeps running are often considered good choices for people to have deep thoughts and stay relaxed in mind. Even a small tabletop fountain (喷泉) can make a workspace more relaxing. Unlike loud noises, repeated natural sounds remind that everything is OK. “These slow but soft sounds are just the ones that bring us no harm,” said Orfeu Buxton, a professor at Pennsylvania State University. “It seems like they are saying, ‘Don’t worry; don’t worry; don’t worry.’”

Besides bringing a sense of peace to your indoor space, a fountain can also prevent noises from coming inside. I recently had a small indoor fountain for my workspace. I enjoy the fountain even when I’m not working at home.

If you want to have an indoor fountain too, there are plenty of wonderful ones on sale, which may cost you a lot. You can try making one yourself, using some inexpensive materials, like I did. And you will always keep it around — 1,000 doctor’s offices can’t be wrong about the relaxing effects of running water.

1. From the first paragraph, we can learn that ________.

A．bubbling from fish tanks is a little bit noise

B．bubbling from fish tanks makes patients less worried

C．doctors like to collect the fish tanks in their offices

D．patients feel relaxed when they see a doctor

2. According to the passage, Mr. Li feels nervous and worried, he should go to ________.

A．a public library	B．a science museum
C．a shopping center	D．a forest river

3. The underlined word “they” refers to “________”.

A．fountains	B．noises
C．running water	D．repeated natural sounds

4. What do we know about the writer’s fountain?

A．It cost the writer a lot of money.	B．It was made by the writer himself.
C．The writer bought it from a store	D．The writer doesn’t like it anymore.

5 . __________, she waited a minute and shouted again—still nothing.
她不安地等了一会儿，又喊了一声一还是没有动静。

6 . 我们总是被告知时间最为宝贵。(否定词+比较级)
We are always informed that __________________.

7 . China’s giant panda YaYa finally returned home from US after her two ______ (十年) loan period ended on April 7. (根据汉语提示单词拼写)

8 . ______ speaking English from now on, and you will make great progress and become a successful English speaker.

A．Practice

B．Having practiced

C．Practicing

D．Practiced

9 . Whatever the reason, there is no ______ the fact that life is all about change and growth.

A．escaping

B．escaped

C．escape

D．to escape

10 . Colors can affect (影响) our feelings. Blue is a calm (冷静的) color. If you are feeling nervous (紧张), you can wear blue clothes or stay in a blue room. Blue is also the color of sadness. When someone says he’s feeling blue, he means he is sad.

White can also make you feel calm. So you can wear white too if you are nervous. And white often means a new beginning.

Green is the color of nature. It can give us more energy when we are feeling tired.

Some colors can make you feel warm. In cold areas, people usually use warm colors in their homes, like orange and yellow. Yellow is also the color of wisdom. Some people prefer this color when they study for exams. For example, they may use yellow school things.

Red is one of the strong colors. It often makes us feel active. But this color can also mean danger. So it is often used in stop signs (停车标志) and lights.

1. Which may be NOT good for you if you are nervous?

A．Wear white clothes.	B．Wear blue clothes.
C．Stay in a red room.	D．Stay in a blue room.

2. If you are sad, you can say “______”

A．I like blue.	B．I’m feeling white.
C．I like white.	D．I’m feeling blue.

3. What colors can make you feel warm?

A．Yellow and blue.	B．Yellow and orange.
C．White and green.	D．Blue and white.

4. The word “wisdom” means _____ in Chinese.

A．智慧

B．消极

C．愉快

D．正义

5. Which is TRUE?

A．White can make us feel tired.	B．Red is often used in stop signs.
C．Orange can mean danger sometimes.	D．Green symbolizes a new beginning.